Page 44 of The White Enchantress

Gawain swiftly exits the room. I am confident he will rally some men without Arthur taking notice. My concern lies with Guinevere. I need to get to her quickly. If Melwas touches her in any way, I cannot let him live.

Scooping up Guinevere’s bag, I sprint for the door, down the stairs and out into the cold night air, running as quickly as possible toward the south gate. When I arrive, I have no need to climb the tower to speak to the lookouts. Melwas and his men slaughtered everyone, leaving a bloody trail for me to follow.

Before turning toward the stables, I touch the leather straps of the bag I took from Guinevere’s chambers. I speak to it as if speaking to Guinevere, promising to get to her before any harmshould befall her. I will ride day and night if I have to. Anything to have her back in my arms again.

Bedivere is at the stables when I arrive, readying the horses with the stablemen. He announces that my horse is ready to set out and that Gawain had even sent Gaheris to the kitchens to pack me some food for the journey. “Kei will be joining us. The rest of the knights are too far gone in their drinks to even sit upon a horse for a minute.”

I place my hand on Bedivere’s shoulder, thanking him silently with a nod. Grabbing a horse blanket, I throw it around my back to help keep me warm as I ride into the night, then strap Guinevere’s bag to the saddle before hopping on my horse.

As Gringolet and I ride out of the stable toward the south gate, I see Gawain and the men he gathered making haste in the opposite direction. They will be right behind me. Knowing I will have reinforcements to fight against Melwas and his men is a comfort, but I will not wait for them. If I catch up with Melwas before Gawain catches up with me, I will fight on my own. I will win. And I will take Guinevere home.

Chapter 22

Guinevere

I wake up strappedto a horse, looking down at the ground. The sun is shining brightly to the east, telling me it is early in the morning but I’m unsure if it is the same morning I kissed Lancelot. My hands are tied together, the rope wrapped tightly around the belly of my horse. I can feel my feet are also tied up in the same manner, making it difficult for me to escape, but not impossible.

The last thing I remember is thinking of Lancelot. He had just walked me back to my room. A few moments later, I heard a knock on my door. My heart skipped a beat thinking that Lancelot had changed his mind. I jumped out of bed, sprinting to the door. I shouldn’t have been as excited as I was for a nighttime visit with Lancelot. But I was done fighting my feelings for him.

The excitement I felt wasn’t just at the idea of sleeping with Lancelot. It was at the thought of seeing him again. I’ll admit, I wanted to tear all his clothes off and ride him until sunrise. But I would be just as happy to lay by his side, fully clothed, holding his hand to my heart.

But it was Melwas who knocked, not Lancelot. The bright smile on my face, replaced by a fear-ridden frown. Melwas pushed open the door, throwing me backward. I grabbed whatever I could, aiming the various items at his face, screaming loudly, hoping someone would hear my cries. Melwas laughed menacingly as two of his men grabbed my arms, pulling me up to face him.

“No one will save you this time, not even your precious Lancelot. I’ve made sure of that this time.”

“What do you mean? What did you do to him? Fucking bastard!”

“Shut her up,” Melwas ordered to his men. Blackness consumed me as I lost consciousness, falling against one of the men.

Not wanting my kidnappers to know I am now awake, I close my eyes and attempt to loosen the cords around my hands. As I plan an escape in my head, trying to figure out which way Camelot is, I hear the men talking angrily amongst themselves, scared at what they had done for their king. One of the braver men canters ahead of the group, riding up to Melwas.

“Your grace, this is not wise. Lady Guinevere has publicly aligned herself with King Arthur. This act of betrayal will surely make us more than enemies of the king.”

“He is nottheking, not evenaking. What sort of king would let a woman who pledged herself to him be whored around by Sir Lancelot. The swine. The nerve of him dismissing me in front of her. He thinks he is better than me. A knight, and not even themost notable of the lot. Pretty faces, that is all they are. No true courage.”

“What will they say of us after they learn that we have taken Lady Guinevere by force?”

“We will say we did no such thing. That she came willingly.”

“Your grace, forgive me. We killed guards at Camelot. That will look suspicious.”

“Then we say the guards attacked us for escorting Lady Guinevere to her new home.”

“Sir Lancelot will know that to be a lie. So will the rest of Camelot. Lady Guinevere wanted to stay. And we left without a word of farewell. After witnessing your…uh…disagreement with the lady, surely Sir Lancelot will know where to come looking for her.”

“He can try. I am the one with the fiercest of knights, not Arthur.”

“You honor me, your grace.”

“Hmm.”

“Still, I do wonder if you have made a wise decision in your anger. There are many other fair maidens in the kingdom of Logres, as well as your own.”

“If you are so against what I have done, why did you help the other men tie her down to a horse?”

Silence from the brave knight. He’s beginning to lose his gumption. I want to cheer him on and keep him going, but that wouldgive me away. Not that I have made much progress at loosening the ropes. Still, I don’t want anyone to know I am listening.

“That is what I thought. We ride until nightfall and will make camp for a few hours.”

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