Page 41 of The White Enchantress

“Where is this Scotland? Is it a real place?”

“Oh, no. I guess technically it doesn’t exist, yet.”

“Lancelot is right. You say the strangest things sometimes.”

I blush at this statement. It is difficult to be aware of where I am at all times, that I am in the past, speaking to people who I had believed were just legends. Sometimes my mouth starts talking before my brain thinks about what I am going to say.

“Have you and Sir Lancelot spoken?” Arthur says, making my blushing cheeks burn at the mention of Lance and me in the same sentence. But I’m not sure what he is asking me exactly. Arthur has seen us together on various occasions eating meals together and strolling through the courtyard and gardens.

“We talk often.” My face must have shown confusion at his question.

“Has he expressed his wish to court you?”

“Court me? What? No. We are friends.”

“Hmmm. Friends? I doubt that. As would most of the people in this room.”

“What do you mean? My king. I assure you we haven’t done anything–”

“No, no, you misunderstand me. You see, I spoke with Lancelot a few days back about his feelings for you. I was under the impression that he would become more than a friend.”

“Is that an option for us? To be...something more?”

“I consider Lancelot to be a close friend. His happiness is mine. Though I have been told that my throne will remain secure if I were to take your hand in marriage, I cannot deny my friend a chance at love. And, if I am being honest, I had thought that you had similar feelings for Lancelot. Am I wrong?”

“No. There is definitely something there, alright. I wish there wasn’t. It would be so much easier if I didn’t have any feelings at all.”

“Then we would not be human.”

“Cheers to that.” I look over at Lancelot, who has been giving me sideways glances since I sat next to Arthur. “You would really be okay with it? If Lancelot and I chose to be together.”

“Yes, I would. My kingdom, my dream for unification will happen with or without you as my wife. I know it would make my lifeeasier if I made you my queen, but what sort of life would that be for either of us?”

“You truly are a kind, selfless king.”

Arthur blushes at my compliment, hiding his rosy cheeks behind a beaker full of ale. “You should go to Lancelot. Tell him of your feelings. It is agonizing watching him watch you, knowing he will never get the courage to confess how he feels for you.”

I offer a smile, relieved that Arthur isn’t going to propose to me. When he called me over to him after my performance, that was the thought at the front of my mind. I had been waiting for him to ask me to be his wife and queen for weeks. Instead, he is pushing me into the arms of Lancelot. It’s the last thing I would have expected, but the very thing I’ve been wishing for.

“First, I need some fresh air. I’m still a bit heated from all the singing and strumming. And I need to think about everything you just said to me.” I stand up, but before I walk away, I thank Arthur for showing me kindness. He kisses my hand, sending me off with my thoughts.

Walking into the brisk evening air, I fill my lungs, leaving the loud, drunken clatter behind me. I planned on going right up to my room for the rest of the night, but I find myself wandering into the castle’s chapel. I am not religious, have never really believed in the whole Jesus thing. But something about these spaces makes me feel like I have stepped into a sacred place. The silence is natural and comforting yet otherworldly.

Silence is not what I receive as I take a seat on one of the benches toward the back of the chapel. “You sing beautifully, Lady Guinevere,” a gravelly voice speaks behind me. Melwas must have followed me from the great hall.

“Thank you,” I say without a smile, standing up to face him. The chapel no longer feels like the safe haven it is meant to be. The silence fills with voices even though there are only the two of us. “Melwas, if you wouldn’t mind, I came here for some peace. After all the noise in the great hall, my head is spinning.”

“I do apologize, my lady. I only wished to compliment you and ask your forgiveness for how I acted the other day. Your beauty is spellbinding. I felt drawn to you. I still feel that way. Would you consider giving me a chance? I could make you happy as my queen. We could conquer the world together.”

“I don’t want to conquer anything, Melwas. Please leave.”

Instead of exiting the chapel, Melwas takes three steps toward me. “My lady, you do not understand what I am offering you. I–”

“Listen, Melwas, I don’t give two shits about what you are offering me. I choose my own path. I write my own story. And you are not in it.”

Closing the space between us, Melwas grabs my wrist. My anger rises quickly at his audacity but is mixed with fear. King Melwas is a large man with big, broad shoulders, a wide, solid chest and hands that could tear me in two. There is no way I would win if he chooses violence.

“Is that path Arthur? You would let that pansy of a man rule your body, your soul, your heart and all the kingdoms of–”

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