Page 37 of The White Enchantress

“You must have been terrified, believing you would be killed.” Guinevere smiles from ear to ear at Gawain’s story. A pang of jealousy hits me, wanting Guinevere’s smile for myself.

“I would not admit this in front of the men, but I cannot lie to a fair maiden such as yourself. Yes. I was certain of my death. For an entire year, I dreaded my return to the Green Knight.”

“What would have happened if you didn’t go back to him?”

“Died of shame, most likely, knowing I was a coward.”

“It takes a lot of courage to look death in the face.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Gawain blushes.

We continue drinking for hours, reliving our many adventures. The other knights join our table, offering their stories of heroism to Guinevere. Her smile never falters. She is a beacon of light every man seems to be drawn to. As more men come to our table, she moves closer and closer to me until our hips are pressed against each other.

Sitting this close to Guinevere, her warmth consumes me. I am tempted to wrap my arm around her waist to pull her even closer. Instead, I drop my arm down on the table loudly. Guinevere moves her hand to grab a tankard of ale, placing it in her left hand and resting her other down beside mine. Our knuckles brush against each other, causing my insides to melt.

“Lancelot has told me many things about you,” Gawain shouts over the table to Guinevere, a bit of ale sloshing over his horn as he turns abruptly to look at me.

I stop breathing. Praying, hoping Gawain does not say something I am not ready to explain.

“And what exactly has Sir Lancelot said about me?” Guinevere turns her head to me, looking into my eyes, her own sparkle with curiosity.

“Many, many things.” Gawain’s mischievous smile is still directed at me. Both of them are staring at me. I am nervous Gawain will give me away. This is not how I imagined it would be; Guinevere learning of my love for her. And I do not want the entire kingdom to hear it from a drunk man. Even if that drunk man is Gawain.

“Is it true you have a beautiful singing voice?” Gawain asks Guinevere, finally peeling his all-knowing eyes from my terrified gaze. His question gives me an opening to direct the conversation.

“You never sang in front of the priestesses at Avalon, but would you grace us with your talents here? I do miss hearing your songs.” I whisper the last part so that only Guinevere can hear me.

“You do?” Her eyes sparkle again, this time with joy.

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Well, I have had far too much ale to sing tonight. I wouldn’t be able to string two notes together. Even so, I can’t for the life of me think of any songs.”

Gawain intervenes. “What about two nights hence? That will give you time to prepare some songs. Some of the folk will be leaving Camelot before then. The crowd will be much less dense if that is worrying you.”

“No, I’ve sung in front of crowds this large, maybe even bigger.” She looks up at me then, asking, “Do you wish me to sing?”

“You do not need my permission, Guinevere.”

“I’m not asking for it. Only asking if you want me to sing.” Our knuckles brush against each other once more. I wish with all my heart to know if Guinevere can feel the same rush of excitement I feel at the slightest touch of our skin.

“Yes. As I told you, I miss it. I would very much wish to hear you sing again. Even if it is not only me listening.”

She smiles, shining a little brighter. Those lips of hers part slightly, inviting me in. I nearly let myself be taken by her. If it was not for Gawain shouting in excitement, breaking the spell Guinevere has cast, I would have kissed her in front of all the souls in the great hall.

“Ladies and gentlemen! In two days, the lady Guinevere, our very own White Enchantress, will be gracing us with her musical talents. I offer my humblest apologies to those who have already made arrangements to leave Camelot before then. I am certain this will be an event you do not want to miss.”

The room bursts with hoots of excitement and raucous applause. Yet, I notice a few gloomy souls who are unaffected by Gawain’s joyous announcement. These being the men who have publicly courted Guinevere since she arrived at Camelot. One of the brooding men is Melwas, king of Aestiva Regio. He has been an enemy of Arthur’s since he took Uthur’s throne.

Melwas is territorial. He believes Arthur only wants the power that would come with unifying the kingdoms. I have not witnessed his attempts to court Guinevere but heard bits and pieces from at least a dozen people. With Guinevere sitting beside me and Melwas glaring in our direction, I could not help but ask her about what had happened.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to embarrass Melwas. It’s just that after having eight or so men fawning over me to ask for my hand in marriage, I was running out of patience. Who do these men think they are? They don’t even know me. All they want is Excalibur. That was very clear. I guess I needed to make a scene to shut it down.”

“What did you do exactly? I have heard various accounts, all ending rather poorly for Melwas.”

Guinevere blushes. “I attempted to just ignore him, hoping he would go away. Maybe I was being too polite or whatever. I dunno. All of a sudden his mouth was on mine. I pushed him away, slapped him hard on his face and called him a pervert.”

“He kissed you?” I grab Guinevere’s hand, attempting to keep my voice down.

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