Excalibur Rising Books One Two and Three: An Arthurian Saga by Enwright Hodgetts Eileen

Author:Enwright Hodgetts, Eileen
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dristan

The fire in the forge had cooled from white hot to red, and then to little more than an orange glow. The shadows of the willow trees lengthened and merged with the dark waters of the Arwen. The sky to the west was shot through with streaks of orange and purple as the sun took its nightly plunge down towards the ocean. Dristan ducked his head in a bucket of cold water and emerged spluttering and shaking water droplets from his hair. Dunart sat on the back of the wagon and stared uneasily at his son.

“So?” said Dunart.

Dristan looked at his father. They had been busy all day and into the early evening and a pile of pick and shovels was testament to their labors.

“So what were you doing last night?” Dunart asked. “What’s all this about collecting weapons to be repaired?”

Dristan ducked his head back into the water bucket and kept it there until his father pulled him out by the scruff of his neck.

“Tell me.”

“Nothing to tell.”

“Prince Mordred thinks there’s something to tell. You went to see the Lady Meleanore, didn’t you?”

“Just to find out if she was alright. I didn’t know how he was treating her.” Dristan shook off his father’s restraining hand. “And it’s a good thing I went. Roland of Thornfield had her tied to a bed.”

“What do you mean, tied to a bed?”

“You know, tied down so she couldn’t escape?”

“Was he doing anything to her?” Dunart asked.

Dristan shook his head. “No, nothing like that. He was waiting for the prince to come and collect her.”

“Did he hurt her?”

“Not exactly.”

“So why was it any of your concern?” Dunart asked. “She’s as high above you as the moon is above the trees. She’s not your responsibility. She’s going to be queen.”

“She doesn’t want to be queen.”

“And I don’t want to be here as Prince Mordred’s blacksmith,” Dunart said, “but we have to put up with our position in life. You leave her alone, Dristan.”

“I can’t.”

“You don’t owe her anything,” Dunart insisted. “You brought her here from Stonemass and kept her safe and she kept us safe from Sir Roland, so it’s over. We’re even. What we have to do now is to get through the next couple of days and find our way back home. That’s all we have to do, son. We can’t do anything else.”

“She saved me again,” Dristan said. “I still owe her.”

“Saved you from what?”

“Sir Roland’s squire. He was going to kill me.”

“Why on earth would Sir Roland’s squire want to kill you? What have you been doing? Do you have a brain anywhere in that massive head of yours?

Dristan looked quickly around at the shadowy willow grove. Apart from the patient cart horse, they were alone.

“Dad…”

“Yes?”

Dristan sat down suddenly on the scorched grass. His father squatted beside him. “Tell me, son. What happened?”

Dristan told his father about Meleanore killing Sir Roland’s squire, the arrival of Prince Mordred, and Meleanore giving him the credit for saving her. “And I gave the

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