by Gwen Rowley
“Sir Gawain,” he said. “I owe you my thanks.”
“Think nothing of it, Sir Lancelot,” Gawain replied. “It is my duty to aid a brother knight in need.”
Lancelot forced himself to raise his head. Gawain stood just before the window, his expression gravely courteous, a beam of sunlight brightening the deep gold of his hair. He looked, Lancelot thought, as if he should be standing on a plinth …
“With Honor carved in foot-high letters at the base.”
“I’m sorry, did you say something?”
Lancelot dropped his gaze, embarrassed to realize that he had spoken aloud. “No. Or yes. What I meant to say is that I know that only duty could have driven you to do what you did for me. But you were kind—I remember it, a little, now—far kinder than I deserved. I hope—” he had to stop a moment before he could trust his voice. “I hope you will accept my gratitude.”
The words had sounded well when he tried them over this morning, but now they seemed all wrong. Gawain did not answer but merely turned to gaze out the window. Lancelot’s head began to ache, and the gray cloud of despair clamped down on him.
“I am sorry,” he ventured. “I’ve said too much. I only meant—”
“I know what you meant.” Gawain’s shoulders were rigid. “But you are mistaken.”
“Oh. Forgive me, my memory is not quite … Still, you did all that was right—”
“Not that, either, I’m afraid.” Gawain’s voice was like ice.
“I did not mean to offend,” Lancelot said wearily. “I am … unused to conversation. Please forgive me if I—”
Gawain turned sharply. “Stop asking me to forgive you. You’ve done nothing wrong. It is I who should be asking your forgiveness.”
“For what?” Lancelot asked, astonished. “You acted with honor—as you always do. I know you would have done the same no matter what—or who—”
“Do you really believe that?”
“What?” Lancelot put a hand to his head. “That you … I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“When I saw you, lying in that cage—” He drew a sharp breath. “My first thought was to leave you there. I knew you at once—Dinadan had no idea, he kept urging me to go—and I did just that, I walked away—”
Lancelot remembered nothing before Gawain had been there in the cage. Why had he turned back? Had he himself recognized Gawain? Called out to him? Sweat sprang out on his brow as he imagined himself begging.
“I cannot recall,” he said hoarsely. “Whatever I might have said or done, I am sorry, but—”
For the first time in his memory, Gawain cut in upon his speech. “Are ye no listening, man?” he demanded roughly, his accent thickening as it always did when he was distressed. “I stole away—crept off like some slinking, cowardly beastie and left ye in your sleep. You, a brother knight in dire need.”
“But you came back.”
“Aye, I did. But I tell ye, Sir Lancelot, ’twas a near thing.”
Lancelot almost smiled. Even now, after all that had befallen him, Gawain still called him sir. So had he addressed him in the cage, and it was that, more than anything, that had pulled Lancelot from the dark dreams in which he’d dwelt. There were no words to express what he felt, but he made the effort.
“Sir Gawain,” he said carefully, “I quite understand why you would have been tempted to leave me to my fate. I would not have blamed you if you had. From the first, I’ve been nothing but unkind to you—and unjust, as well, as Lady Elaine was always at great pains to point out. I’m sorry for it now, and I know I have no right to ask for your help …”
“What would ye ask of me?”
Lancelot’s grip tightened on his knees. “I understand that El—that Lady Elaine does not wish to have speech with me, but I hoped to see Galahad before I left. Just once—it needn’t be for long—and I won’t—she needn’t worry that I’ll be a nuisance. Would you mind asking her if that could be arranged?”
Gawain was looking at him so strangely that Lancelot knew he had said something very wrong. “I’m sorry,” he added swiftly, “if you would rather not—”
“Lancelot.” Now Gawain was the one to look away. That, and the familiar address he’d never used before, sent a thrill of fear down Lancelot’s spine.
“What?” he demanded. “Is Elaine—she isn’t—”
“She’s not dead.”
“What is it, then? Is she ill? Married? Gone away?”
Gawain laid a hand on his shoulder. “Nay, none of those. Here,” he said, pouring wine into a cup and handing it to Lancelot, “drink that. Ye will need it.”
Chapter Forty-Six
It was midmorning before Gawain had finished his story, and by noon they stood together inside the entrance to the tower. Though the day was chill at Lancelot’s back, the air before him was hot as a blacksmith’s forge, molten heat pouring down the steps. Sweat gathered on his brow and stung his eyes.
“I’ll come with you, if you like,” Gawain offered.
“No. I must do this alone.”
Lancelot climbed the narrow, twisting stairway, the heat increasing with every step. By the time he reached the top, he was breathing in choked gasps, and his hands were so slick they sizzled on the iron bar across the door before he quickly drew them back.
“Elaine!” he called, and waited twenty rapid heartbeats without drawing breath. “Elaine! Answer me!”
And then he heard it, Elaine’s own voice, though it sounded as though it came from a thousand leagues away.
“Lancelot? Thank God! Hurry, please hurry, I cannot—” Her words ended in a cry that filled him with dread.
He had heard that cry before, had followed it for days and weeks and months through fen and forest. It was the sound of his own madness—but no, he was not mad now, not anymore—this was all real, the red-hot bar, the steam curling from the edges of the door. All real. He was not mad, he would not be mad while Elaine had need of him. Hands shaking, he drew on thick leather gloves and over them his gauntlets, then seized the bar. It did not yield to his attempts, not by so much as an inch.
No one could shift this—save one. But I am not a perfect knight, he thought, I never was. All there ever was to me was the Lady’s magic, and now I have lost even that. I am only a mortal knight—and if any mortal knight could do this, it would have been Gawain.
But Gawain had not succeeded. And Elaine was still trapped behind these doors. “Elaine!” he shouted, “Can you hear me?”
Silence was his only answer, a deep, impenetrable silence more terrifying than her plea for help. With an effort that seemed to tear his heart in two, he wrested the bar free and threw it to one side.
The door yielded to his shoulder, and he burst into the midst of hell. Flames licked his face; the stench of burning hair clogged his nostrils. Each breath was pain, movement almost impossible. “Elaine! Where are you?” he shouted, and gathering his courage, he leapt into the flame and came out the other side. “Elaine!”
Then he saw her, lying in the center of the floor in a space perhaps three paces from end to end. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks as pale as marble. Swiftly he knelt and called her name, but she did not stir. Tearing off his gauntlets, he chafed her icy hands between his own and lightly slapped her cheeks. “Wake,” he begged her, “Elaine, look at me.”
This was not death. The almost imperceptible rise and fall of her breast told him she yet lived. But it was more than sleep, deeper than a swoon. She was bound by some enchantment that he knew not how to break.
He must bear her back through the fire, there was no other way, and it must be done with no mistake or hesitation. Standing, he turned slowly round. Sweat ran down his face and into his eyes, narrowed against the heat and near unbearable brightness as he tried vainly to peer through the walls of flame. One leap must take them to the door or they were lost.
Be calm, he told himself. Go slowly. He dragged his heel across the floor, leaving a small mark to serve as a guide. And then he
gathered himself into a crouch and leapt into the flame. It met him like a wall of stone, jarring every bone. He reeled back and fell, catching himself upon one hand and knee. When he regained his breath, he made a second mark and tried again.
And again. And again, until he was bruised and bloodied and the marks on the floor stretched round the circle where Elaine still lay unmoving.
He gathered her into his arms, holding her against his chest and rocking her like a child. “It is all right, love,” he whispered, “do not fear, I am here now, all will be well.”
Liar, a voice said in his mind, you’ve failed her yet again.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “Elaine, I am so sorry.” Bending, he kissed her brow, her cheeks, and then, at last, her mouth. No sooner had his lips touched hers than the floor gave way beneath them, and they fell together into swirling darkness.
* * *
It was a sound that woke Lancelot, the sound of his childhood, the rushing whisper of small waves breaking rhythmically against a stony shore. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at an impossibly blue sky, dotted with plump white clouds. The grass beneath him was soft and thick and brilliantly green, the air as sweet as incense and intoxicating as rich wine.
He turned his head and found himself gazing at a woman seated cross-legged in the grass beside him, rich brown hair falling loose over her shoulders and a chaplet of daisies round her high white brow.
“Welcome home, King’s Son.”
“Lady? Where is—” He sat up quickly and saw that Elaine slept beside him, her face peaceful and relaxed. “How—?”
The Lady laughed. “You are here by my will, of course, as is your lady. She is dear to you, I know. As you are dear to me.”
“Dear?” Lancelot repeated with a bitter laugh.
“Now, let us not dispute over what is past and done.” The Lady frowned, plucking moodily at a few long blades of grass. “The destinies of men are not easily altered. In their world, even my plans can go awry.”
Her head bent, she began to weave the blades together. “I do not say this lightly, child, nor was it a knowledge I found easy to accept. But it is finished now. I am done with meddling in the affairs of men.”
She tossed her web into the air, where it stretched and grew into a glittering net. A wave of her hand sent it floating above the water, where a tiny incandescent being caught it and carried it away. She looked at Lancelot, her expression grave. “My Knight had the right of it; I kept you here too long. You are as unfit to live in that world as on the moon. I have watched you suffer—oh, I have been with you often during your wandering, though you saw me not—and it is enough. Now it is time for you to rest, here in your true home.”
“Here? Forever?”
“Not forever, no; you are still a mortal man. But long life and health, rest and ease from care shall all be yours. And your lady, too, of course.” The Lady’s laughter was as sweet as silver bells. “Oh, these mortals, what nonsense they get up to! ’Tis fortunate I had her in my care. For your sake, I kept her safe and made certain only you could set her free. I knew you would not rest content without your lady love! Wake her—she will wake now, no enchantment made by mortals can endure within my realm.”
“Elaine. Elaine, wake up.”
Elaine turned her head, sighing, and looked into Lancelot’s eyes. She knew this dream. Every night she prayed it would come to her again, though waking was so bitter that she sometimes feared it might destroy her. But it will not, she promised herself, I will bear it … only let it go on a little longer.
She smiled drowsily as his lips touched hers. Yes, she thought, just a little longer … But as she put her arms around his neck, he drew away. “Elaine,” he said again, his voice breaking. “Do you know me?”
“Know you?” Her smile faded as she looked at him more closely. He was Lancelot, yet strangely altered, the bones in his face standing out sharply, and his lovely curling hair cropped short. She clutched his hand and it was solid, no dream but flesh and blood.
“Lancelot!” She sat up and touched his face. “Lancelot, is it—in truth, is it you?”
“Yes, my love, ’tis I.” He turned his head and kissed her hand. “Elaine, I have so much to tell you, I hardly know where to begin. What is the last thing you remember?”
She frowned. “Queen Morgause came to visit. She wanted to see the tower, and—there was a fire, wasn’t there? Yes, that’s right, I called you and—and I must have fainted. Oh, Lancelot, you did come for me! I knew you would! But …”
For the first time she noticed that she was not in her bed at all, nor in the tower, but lying in a muddy field beside a swamp. “Where are we?”
“Avalon,” he said, and laughed. “You never did believe me, did you, but now you can see it for yourself.” He waved a hand to encompass the barren field.
“Avalon?”
“There is the lake. I told you of it, do you remember?”
She remembered well his description of crystal lake of Avalon. Now she looked from the fetid swamp into his glowing eyes and felt her heart break anew.
“My love,” she said carefully, “we must go home now, to Corbenic, where I can look after you.”
He turned and gestured toward a patch of muddy reeds, flattened as though they had been trampled. “Lady,” he said, bowing his head, “may I present Elaine of Corbenic? Elaine, this is my foster mother, the Lady of the Lake.”
When Elaine merely stared, he tugged her hand, shooting her a puzzled look before he glanced away.
“Oh, no.” Lancelot addressed the patch of reeds. “Of course she can.” He turned to Elaine. “Why do you not greet the Lady? You—you do see her, don’t you?”
Wordlessly, Elaine shook her head.
“But you must!” Lancelot insisted. “Look, just there!”
“Oh, Lancelot,” Elaine began, her voice breaking. “Please, take me home.”
“What is the matter?” Lancelot demanded of the Lady. “Why can she not see?”
“Her will is very strong,” the Lady answered. “She cannot allow herself to see what she does not believe exists.”
“Then make her see!”
“I cannot.”
“Elaine,” Lancelot said, “we are in Avalon. The Lady of the Lake sits just here, before you. You can see her if you want to. You have to try, Elaine.”
His voice was so pleading that despite her own misgivings, Elaine screwed up her eyes and stared hard in the direction he was pointing. “There is nothing there, Lancelot, only the swamp and broken reeds. My love, it is all right. When we are home again you will be better.”
“Lady,” said Lancelot, “I thank you for your gift, but I cannot accept it.”
“Child,” the Lady answered, “you misunderstand me. This gift is not one you can refuse.”
She spoke with such finality that Lancelot knew any argument was pointless. In Avalon, the Lady’s will was absolute.
“Then send Elaine back,” he said.
The Lady’s arched brows drew together in the slightest of frowns. “I have said I will no longer meddle in the world of men. I can return her to her tower if you like, but without you to bring her forth, she will remain there until her years have run their course. I only thought to please you,” she added reproachfully. “I could not know that she would be so … stubborn.” She rose gracefully to her feet. “In time, she will accept her fate.”
“No—wait, you cannot go—” Lancelot cried, but the Lady had already vanished.
“Let us go now,” Elaine pleaded, taking Lancelot’s hand and seeking to draw him to his feet. “Galahad will be missing me. You remember Galahad, do you not? He will be awake now, wondering where I am.”
Lancelot stood and took both her hands in his. “Galahad is well, I saw him just this morning. He was sitting with your father, practicing his letters.”
“His letters? But—”
Lancelot touched a finger to her lips. “Love, you must listen to me. You lay in the tower for a
twelvemonth—no, listen, Elaine, it is the truth. Morgause put an enchantment on you—”
“No! Morgause set a fire in the tower last night. I panicked and swooned. You must have reached me soon after and brought me to this place before I woke. That is the truth, and you will remember it in time. But now—now I must get home to Galahad.” She pulled her hands free. “I will go home. I must!”
Lancelot bowed his head. “Yes. You must. Very well, Elaine, I’ll take you home. I know a way—I found it long ago. But you must promise to ask no questions and do everything I say, no matter how strange it may seem. Can you promise that?”
“Yes, anything, only take me from this place!”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lancelot skirted the lake, Elaine’s hand held fast in his, pausing now and then to listen. Water lapped against the shore. Moisture dripped from the branches overhead, falling with little plinks upon the rocks. A cuckoo trilled in the forest, its cry echoing across the water.
They had been walking for nearly an hour when he heard the sound he’d dreaded.
Clink. Clank.
“Hurry,” he whispered. “And not a word.”
Elaine obeyed, though her eyes were wide with fear and doubt as he dragged her closer to the lake, where a fine mist rose from the water.
“Where are you, boy?”
The voice boomed out, startling a heron three paces from Lancelot and Elaine. It rose with a clap of wings and an angry cry, a silver-white flash soon swallowed by the rising mist.
“You know you cannot hide from me!”
“Run,” Lancelot said, pulling Elaine forward.
He glanced back over his shoulder and stumbled, sinking knee-deep in icy water, mud grasping at his foot as a living cloud buzzed around his face. Iridescent wings fanned his heated cheeks; tiny faces grinned, revealing pointed teeth.
“What do you here, King’s Son?” the faeries shrieked. “Whither dost thou wander?”