Page 53 of The White Knight

“No. That would have been difficult to explain, wouldn’t it?” I’m beyond angry with Galahad. He disobeyed me. He put himself in danger. He could have traveled so far back that I would have never seen him again. “Does Merlin know what would happen if youwereto bump into yourself?”

“He has a theory, but there is no record of anyone ever possessing this power. It is a gift from Excalibur and Avalon.”

“What is his theory?” I think of all the time travel TV shows and movies I’ve watched in my past life in the future. There are loopholes, but in most cases, meeting yourself would cause a paradox. Is that even real? How is any of this real?

“He thinks that nothing bad would happen unless I try to change something. If I change my actions enough and I don’t end up traveling when I had done so, it could cause some…ripples.”

“Ripples…” I repeat. Then I turn to my husbands. “I assume neither of you knew about this until today?”

Lance squeezes the hand he’d been holding this whole time. “No,” he whispers as Arthur shakes his head. “This was reckless of you, Galahad.” I’d never heard Lance’s big dad voice. It’s kind of really sexy. I shake my head, telling my hormones to chill so I can stay focused.

“I know, dad. But it felt like the right thing to do.”

Arthur steps up. “Why did you not…uhh…travel back?”

“What do you mean?” Galahad asks.

“You said you traveled back three years. Why did you not travel back from then? Why did you stay there and live out those years away from us?”

Galahad rubs his brow. “The Merlin from back then said it would be dangerous. If I didn’t travel back on the exact day I had left, I could end up too far in the future, and everyone would think I’d gone missing.”

“But now? How do we explain that you have aged three years overnight? You are no longer our little prince, but a young man. The attention this will bring is the last thing we need with Guinevere now pregnant.” Arthur’s voice raises in anger again.

“Mom’s pregnant? I’m going to have a brother or sister?” The wide smile on Galahad’s face makes him look like the little boyI remember. I can’t help but cry. And crying leads to sobbing. Galahad falls to his knees. “I’m so sorry, mom. It felt like the right thing to do. I missed you so much. There were days I would sneak into Camelot and listen to you and I play our lutes together in the garden. I know that was reckless, even more reckless than time travel. But mom, don’t you see how important it is for me to hone this magic inside me? If things ever turn for the worst here, if you are ever in trouble, I can bring you back to your home.”

“This is my home, Galahad. I no longer have a life in the future. The three of you are my life, my home.” Though I believe this to my core, I wonder if I would actually still have a life with my dad if I ever returned.

Lance clears his throat. “Perhaps Galahad is right.”

“What?” Arthur and Galahad say in unison.

“Guin has told us all what will happen here in Camelot. Maybe we have found a way around the destruction she has spoken of. What if we have not? What if we walk that path to destruction even now? There will be no safe place for you, Guin. Now that you are with child…”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I just can’t think about this right now. I don’t want to think of it.”

“Guinevere,” Arthur sits down next to me so that I am now surrounded by my guys. “They are right. You need a safe haven. This is it. As much as it tears my heart to think about you gone—all three of you—it would ease the pain knowing you are all safe.”

My mind is racing, my heart aching, my body shaking. We are safe now. Mordred and his new bestie are all talk. The people will not listen to them. We will be safe. I quietly push myself off the bench and pull Galahad into a suffocating embrace. But I’m too shaken to keep a tight grip on him.

“I need to lie down,” I say as I loosen my grip around Galahad’s shoulders. Lance walks me up to my bedroom wherehe lies down beside me, cradling me against his body. I fall asleep with his hand on my belly and his breath against my neck.

Chapter 33

Lancelot

As chancellor to KingArthur, I am charged with maintaining peace in Camelot, spreading the message of unity, and keeping everyone’s minds at ease. The latter is difficult to do with Maleagent and Mordred spreading the news that Guin is with child. Their intent is no doubt to discredit the king and queen. Brewing questions about why they are keeping such a secret. Why Guin and I are never seen together anymore. Why I am allowed a room in the royal apartments. How Galahad has seemed to age overnight and looks more like me than Arthur.

Arthur is ignoring the rumors and questions for now, as he plans to make an official announcement soon. Guin thinks it is still too early to announce since she is likely only a couple of months into her pregnancy. Still, we must do something to stop the whispers and the side glances.

At the same time, I want nothing more than to scream the truth to everyone. It is suffocating me.

Ever since Elaine found out about this arrangement Guin, Arthur, and I have made with each other, I’ve wanted to tell more people. If Elaine can accept the truth, shouldn’t everyoneelse? My irrational brain wants to believe they can. I know they would never allow such a sin from their Christian king. I sometimes forget how closed-minded folk can be because their god deems every carnal thought a sin. So we keep quiet, keep the questions unanswered, hoping the crowd will calm down.

Walking through the campsite filled with lords, ladies, knights, and their servants, I am greeted cordially enough. A smile here, a nod there, the occasional side glance. Sir Kei, one of Arthur’s trusted knights, walks alongside me as an extra pair of eyes and ears scanning the crowds for any threat. The Unity Tournament is coming to a close this week after a month of games, banquets, and friendly competition. There have only been the normal incidences of drunken violence. A small flame easily extinguished with a bucket of water.

The knights of Camelot have been working tirelessly over the last two months to ensure the safety of every one of our guests. Their queen has commanded that every woman has a companion at all times. Guin calls it “the buddy system.” If we see a woman alone, we must offer to escort her to her destination. Camelot has always been a safe place. The only time an act of violence was taken here was when Melwas and his men kidnapped Guin and murdered the guards at the southern gate. This will not happen again, even with the castle and nearby grounds swarming with strangers.

Mordred and Maleagent are the only two I am concerned about. I am unsure how far they will go with their campaign against Guin. An informant had told me that the pair make appearances at the alehouse in the village, whispering their gossip into any ears that are drunk enough to listen. I am hoping to stumble upon them and put a stop to their tirade. As Kei and I approach the edge of the camp, I can already hear their voices shouting amidst a drunken crowd. We keep our distance, standing behind a rickety building. Stones had been hastilycemented together to build the walls, and a thatched roof was placed on top. Some of the straw juts out just a little too much, offering us shade from the blazing afternoon sun.

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