The Road to Avalon (Rediscovered Classics) by Joan Wolf & Mary Jo Putney

Author:Joan Wolf & Mary Jo Putney [Wolf, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
Published: 2007-05-28T04:00:00+00:00

Gwenhwyfar looked at his amused face and smiled. “Yes, I suppose I did”

“This army is Arthur’s,” Bedwyr said emphatically. “From the bottom up. And there isn’t a man in it who doesn’t know that.”

Gawain made a small sound and Bedwyr looked at him. “I’m so sorry, Gawain,” Gwenhwyfar said contritely. “Bedwyr, this is Prince Gawain of Lothian. He arrived in Venta only an hour ago.”

“Gawain?” Bedwyr’s blue eyes sharpened. “Lot’s son?”

“Yes.” Clearly Gawain saw nothing amiss in being Lot’s son. “I have come, Prince Bedwyr,” he announced proudly, “to join the army.”

Bedwyr was surprised. “Does Pellinore know about this?”

The ready color flushed into Gawain’s cheeks. “Yes. In fact, I have a letter from him to the king.”

Bedwyr made up his mind. “The king will want to see you,” he said and, turning, trotted his stallion over to Arthur. The two men conferred for a moment, and then Arthur moved in their direction while Bedwyr stayed to supervise the recruits.

“Morgan told me I might expect to see you one day,” Arthur said as soon as he reached the fence. “Welcome to Venta, cousin.” And he gave the boy his rare, warm smile.

Gawain’s eyes were wide and startled as he took in the king’s face at close range. Some of the warmth left Arthur’s eyes. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

The light dappling of freckles on Gawain’s cheeks vanished in a flood of red. “No, my lord,” he stammered. “It’s just . . . just . . . you look exactly like my brother Mordred!”

“Oh.” Arthur’s smile returned. “I look very like my mother,” he explained. “I expect Mordred looks like her too. After all, my mother and your mother were sisters.”

The confusion lifted from Gawain’s eyes. “Of course,” he said. “That must be the reason.”

“Bedwyr tells me you have a letter from Pellinore to me?”

“Yes, my lord. It is with my things at the praetorium.”

Arthur turned to his wife. “I’ll ride back with you now, if you like.”

“All right,” she replied slowly, and Arthur began to walk the chestnut around the rope fence. Once he joined them on the other side, they all three turned and began to retrace the way to Venta. “So you have come to join my army?” Arthur asked Gawain, and his cousin grinned in delighted response.

Gwenhwyfar urged her mare to keep pace with Arthur’s biggerstriding horse and watched her husband’s profile out of the side of her eye. He was clearly delighted to see Gawain. Just as clearly, his cousin’s arrival had not been the shock to him it had been to Bedwyr.

“Morgan told me I might expect to see you. . . . ” Gwenhwyfar had been under the impression that Arthur was not on speaking terms with his aunt. Obviously she had been mistaken. There was the faintest of lines between her perfect brows as she rode in silence beside the two men and listened to them talk.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.