Lancelot and the Wolf by Sarah Luddington

Author:Sarah Luddington [Luddington, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781908200303
Google: n2ANywAACAAJ
Amazon: 1908200308
Publisher: Mirador Publishing
Published: 2011-06-28T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I relaxed my hands and raised my head from the traditional position of the vassal to his lord. “You’ve claimed me for your own, so Guinevere can’t use me as a weapon against you any longer. It was the only thing you could do.”

Arthur seemed to collapse in on himself. He sank into a chair and drank my wine in a gulp. His hands shook so badly he carried the glass to his lips with both, clutching it like a drowning man. I didn’t know what to say or do. I looked beseechingly at Else.

She sighed, rolled her eyes to indicate the idiocy of men and knelt before Arthur as Guinevere knelt before me. Raising her hand she stroked his face, I watched him turn into her palm and kiss it gently.

“What do I do now?” Arthur asked aloud of us both.

Else replied, “We leave Camelot, Arthur. This place is draining you. You need to regain your strength. I cannot protect you here and neither can Lancelot. Leave others to gather an army because there will be war before this is over, but they don’t need you. We need you to help us find my father.”

“I miss Merlin,” Arthur whispered. “I’ve missed him almost as much as I’ve missed you,” he finally looked up at me. “I take it you didn’t invite my wife into my chambers?” His blue eyes turned from calm cool lakes to stormy seas in seconds.

“No, Arthur. I did not.”

“What did she want?”

“Nothing important.”

“Tell me, Lancelot,” I heard the threat and the order.

I obeyed, “She wanted me to rescue her from your clutches. She claims you are beating her. I told her she was a liar.”

Arthur nodded sadly, “I have never hurt her, no matter what she has done to me. I have never hurt her.”

“Taking Lancelot has hurt her and she will have her revenge,” Else said quietly looking at me.

“She will never come between us,” I said and meant it. I wouldn’t give her the opportunity to reach my heart again, not now I had Arthur to care for.

I heard him choke back a sob. Else moved into his arms and held him close. A strange feeling raced through me as I watched her care for Arthur. I felt jealous of them both, but I also wanted them to be close. To need each other as I needed them. A dangerous game having already lost one woman to Arthur. Would I lose my hind to the hart?

Unable to cope with any more grief I left them alone and went to Arthur’s private washroom. The water had almost frozen in the large bowl but I took a clean linen cloth and washed myself, stripping off the foul smelling clothes I’d been in for hours. I dunked my hair into the remains of a bucket of clean water and ran my fingers through it, trying to take out the knots. It needed a good brush but Else didn’t like me using the horses' brushes. Knowing Arthur as I did I found some old clothes and changed into them.

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