Page 25 of Propriety
“You are not the queen. I am not a knight.” His words were low. “We are just travellers passing through.”
She nodded, following in step beside him. A soft bell chimed as he pushed the door open to the inn. With one hand still lingering around her waist, he dropped several coins on the counter. “We need a room.”
“Of course, sir,” The older woman behind the counter took the coins, looking them up and down. “We’ve got a few rooms available now, if you like.”
He nodded, and the innkeeper quirked a brow.
“My sister’s expecting her first.” Guinevere drawled, leaning around her knight. “We’re just so excited.” She did her best to stretch her words out, disguising her accent.
As she spoke, she placed her hand on Lance’s chest, reveling atthe way he tensed under her touch. “Isn’t that right, darling?”
He nodded once, too quickly, as though the endearment had short-circuited his ability to speak.
Feeling bolder than she had in perhaps days, she gently took her chin between her fingers, forcing him to meet her gaze. “It was his idea, you know.” She grinned. “Thought it would be good to see family.” Gwen faced the woman again with a wink. “We both know what’sactuallyon his mind, though.” And with an arrogant smirk, she took the keys from the innkeeper’s hand. “Thank you kindly.”
“What was that?” Lance said as soon as the door to their room had shut behind them.
“You looked like a murderer, dear.” Gwen perched on the edge of the bed — theonlybed. “You scared that poor woman.”
“Too much information, your grace, and you look like you’re trying to prove something.”
“Too little,knight, and you look like you’re abducting a poor, innocent girl.”
“I’m not a knight.” He concluded, slinging their packs onto the ground next to him. “I’m just a man.” He turned, securing the door behind them.
“Let’s change that.” Gwen whispered into the static that enveloped the room, a little surprised by her own words. She rose, approaching him slowly.
Reaching around him, she unsheathed his sword, holding it precariously in her hands. “Kneel, Lancelot du Lac.”
“Gwen-”
“Kneel.” Her voice snagged. She had attended several knighting ceremonies before, but she had never been permitted to confer knighthood.
Beside the bed, in a damp room, he fell to his knees, head bowed.
“Lancelot du Lac, do you swear to protect the innocent, even at risk to your own life?”
His head tipped back, eyes met hers with an almost primal fire. “I swear it.”
“Do you swear to speak only the truth?”
“I swear it.”
“Do you swear,” her own breaths were coming faster. “To protect your lord, no matter the cost?”
“I swear to protect my lady, no matter the cost.” His fingers twitched at his sides.
The sword shook in her hands as she gripped the hilt tightly. Gently, so carefully, she lay the flat of the sword on his right shoulder, face heating with the gasp that sprung from his lips.
She repeated the motion, caught in the fire in his eyes. “Rise, Sir Lancelot, knight of Camelot, champion of the Queen.” She couldn’t hear her own words over the pounding in her ears.
He rose, removing the sword from her hands and discarding it with a clatter next to him. He gripped the fabric at her hips, holding her.
His face was a breath away from her, and her eyes fluttered shut. The world around them ceased to exist. All she knew was his breath on her face, his hands on her hips.
“Thank you,” He whispered, lips brushing her cheek. “It is an honor to serve you, my queen.”
Her fingers trembled as she clutched at his tunic, holding him against her. She had no recollection of how long they stood there, onlythat his hands drifted from her hips to her back, holdingher.
