Quest - Book 2 of Queen's Honor - YA + Adult Fantasy Romance and Adventure (5 page)

Our procession led us across the bridge where a regiment of
knights awaited, forming a double line facing one another. Ordinary folk waited
at the other side, climbing scaffolding or leaning over the edges of the
turrets, vying for a view. A proliferation of flags adorned with Arthur’s
signet of the dragon and the cross flew from the walls and standards. As we
approached, the knights’ swords crossed, clanking in the air to form a tunnel
for us to proceed down.

I pulled Elibel in tighter to me. I wanted to beg her to
tell me what nagged at her heart, and assure her I would do my best to help fix
it. But the enormity of the moment, of marrying a king—a man I didn't love—my longing
for another, and of performing not only a queen's duty, but a wife's, overtook
me.

My voice shrank. I whispered to my cousin, "I am
frightened."

Her huge eyes turned on me, softening.
 
"There is nothing to fear, Guin. Soon
you will be Queen."

Elibel slid away from me, joining the other ladies. Lancelot
dismounted with Aethelwine and led Clover behind us. Even though he had
rejected me, his presence provided strength until Arthur came into view.

King Arthur stood at the end of the procession, just beyond
the gates to Camelot, decked in gold and rubies. He spread his arms out to me
as if greeting a long-lost love. His smile beamed like sunlight, and the beauty
of him knocked the breath out of me.

Not too many days ago, I thought if I just looked long
enough, I’d discover qualities worth loving and fall for the man who would be
my husband and king. But try as I might, I could not see him in that way, and besides,
my kiss with Lancelot changed everything.

I proceeded down
the aisle formed by the knights. My legs wobbled beneath me, and I fought to
keep upright. All the while, Arthur stared at me as if I were the only person
in the world.

When I reached
him, he enveloped me in a hug. His arms snuggled around me; his energy sent a
jolt to quicken my nerves.

"I missed
you!" he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing my skin.

I wanted to push
away from him, but held steady. His enthusiasm for my arrival sparked all new
waves of guilt, but after my intimacy with Lancelot, my body rejected Arthur's
proximity; I fought the urge to turn and run.

Arthur guided me out
of his embrace, and examined me.

"Let me look
at you! The prize of Britannia—you are a beauty to behold."

He whirled me
around to face the crowd, and raised my arm in the air alongside his. The
gathering stretched the streets of Camelot, spilling out of every street and
building as people pushed into one another to get a better view. Within the
city’s walls, the opulence of my first view disintegrated as the details of the
crowded mud-laden streets, garbage heaps, and smells of too many people in one
place took over.

"Camelot!
Behold! My bride, the Lady Guinevere, daughter of King Leodegrance of Camelaird
and your soon-to-be queen!"

A cheer rose,
sounding like the roll of thunder. Arthur's excitement seemed infectious. I
managed to smile at the gathering too, which incited another round of cheers.

Arthur leaned in
and whispered, "They love you already."

He squeezed my
hand and added, “And though I promised not to say those words until I truly
meant them, I am growing rather fond of you as well.”

His smile
suggested intimate expectations—if fact, had we not been betrothed, I would
have sworn his grin hovered in the realm of a leer—and I swallowed hard against
the implication.

"Now!"
Arthur strutted in front of his people commanding their attention with the
power of his voice. "In honor of our union tomorrow, I set forth a
quest!"

The crowd cheered
at his announcement.

The tremor
increased in my chest. Our wedding? Tomorrow? I was not even consulted on the
date or the arrangements.

I glanced around
the gathering searching for Lancelot. If I could rest my eyes upon the knight,
maybe his strength would fortify me, but Lancelot had disappeared.

"I seek
worthy knights to complete the Round Table—three in all. These knights shall be
the bravest and most valiant of men. The three who prove themselves in this
quest to be such men shall join me and the rest of my knights in the most
chivalrous alliance ever formed in the history of our lands. Once all of
Britannia is united under a High King, I give you my oath; I will bring peace
and protection to our country so that no man or woman must fear the loss of his
loved one—either to invaders, or to rival kings—ever again."

The subsequent
ovations deafened my ears. Some, both men and women, wept at his proclamation.
The phrases "thank you Sire," "Our King, Our Savior,"
filtered through the gathering as Arthur radiated.

Arthur clapped his
hands. "Merlin!"

A hooded figure
appeared out of the crowd. Power exuded from him. The gathering pressed back as
if attempting to stay as far away from him as possible. He positioned himself in
front of the crowd. An orb of swirling colors dangled from around his neck—druid's
glass. Unlike Morgaine's unblemished orb, the hues of this glass shot through
with streaks of black.

Merlin, I assumed,
lifted the knot work embroidered hood from his head, revealing a bald top,
crowned with a circle of short-cropped hair. His gaze fell upon me, or perhaps
it had already been attached to me, but his hood had hidden it. His stare unsettled
me; I tensed, remembering he had disapproved of Arthur's and my union.

Merlin raised his
arms in the air, his sleeves billowing as he waved his hands in a circular
motion and incanted words in a strange tongue. From nowhere, a white hind
leaped over his head at an impossible height.

A startled out
breath came from the onlookers.

The hind landed in
front of Merlin, disoriented. Her wide brown eyes flicked around her
surroundings as her legs stiffened. My mind spiraled back to my mother's memory
with the white hart. The doe's fur glistened like the hart's, but she seemed
fearful and confused—not mighty and powerful like the stag had been.

Then an equally
white hound veered around from behind Merlin, seeming to appear from thin air.
The hound positioned itself in front of the hind, backing the crowd away with a
growl.

All the while,
Merlin stared at me. Though his lips never tilted upward, I got the distinct impression
he mocked me as if the arrangement of the white hind and hound hid an important—and
distasteful—message.

"Oh, well
done, Merlin!" Arthur applauded.

The crowd followed
his lead.

The noise
frightened the hind even further, and her legs shook. The hound pressed back
into her as if attempting to steady her.

Vicious barks
sounded in the distance. Within a heartbeat, a pack of black dogs descended on
the hind and her protector. Chaos broke out within the gathering—onlookers uncertain
if they should remain to watch the spectacle or flee, but their curiosity won
out as they settled in to get a good view.

The hind sprinted
off in leaps. The white hound followed, attempting to fend off the pack giving
chase.

"The quest
begins!" announced Arthur. "One man must slay the hind, one the hound
and one must contain the pack. The men who accomplish this feat with the most
honorable of standards will be awarded the three seats at the Round Table.”

I trembled as the
hind bound out of my sight.

"Any may
quest, Uncle? Even me?" asked a young man. The boy bore every resemblance
to Arthur with his bright gold hair, tall stature and certain, undeniable grace
and I wondered whose child he was.

"I would
expect no less, Gawain." Arthur ruffled the young man's hair with
affection, as if he were a child. Gawain returned Arthur's smile with an admiring
look, as if Arthur had just emerged from the Isle of the Blessed.

"Any, you
say?" said another from the crowd. The man wore tattered clothing and
looked no more than a beggar.
 
A brawny
youth stood next to him, in similar disheveled attired
.
Though the youth’s mass hinted at brute strength, a softness in
his rounded face, lips and eyes spoke of a less obvious gentleness.
"Even Tor here, my son?
The son of a peasant?"

"In honor of
our union," Arthur waved toward me, "the quest is open to all—rich or
poor, noble or humbly born."

A slow burn
started in the corners of my eyes. In honor of our union, the white hind would
be slaughtered?

The man bowed, bending
all the way to the dirt. His son followed suit.

Elibel clapped as
if she had never heard a more gallant proclamation.

"But the hind
has no chance to survive!" I blurted.

All eyes turned to
me.

A spark lit Arthur's azure-colored eyes as he inspected my
reaction. "Surely, you've attended a hunt, Guinevere. This is no
different."

"Yes, but the hind is outnumbered."
 

Arthur burst into laughter. The crowd laughed along with
him.

“But she is a white hind. White is sacred. It’s a sign from
the Otherworld.”

“White is rare, my dearest, and therefore, a more desirable
prize,” reasoned Arthur.

"Come, My Lady," said Elibel, "I know your
heart is weak for such spectacles, but it is the way of the world."

"Do you not eat roasted duck, pickled pork, and dried
game? How do we get such delicacies? Surely, my bride is not that faint of
heart."

I wanted to bolt from them. I searched the crowd, looking
for an escape. The peasant boy, Tor, caught my attention. His face flooded with
compassion. His gentle, brown eyes held the hint of a man who was formulating
an idea and wished to convey his solidarity with the steadiness of his gaze. But
the rest of the onlookers laughed along with Arthur at my distress.

"Be off seekers of the quest!" Arthur addressed
the crowd again. "Know that you must swear an oath to tell the truth of
your tales when you return. The quest shall conclude tomorrow, after the Bishop
of Canterbury seals our union. Then I will induct my new knights!"

A roar followed as young men scrambled to arm themselves.
Those who had horses, mounted and galloped off after the white hind, the hound
and the pack of dogs, while the others ran behind.
 

Tor tipped his chin in my direction before taking off with
the rest.

"Now, my bride," said Arthur, lowering his tone.
"I've employed a team of the finest dressmakers to prepare a spectacular
dress for our occasion.
 
I understand
that you don't care for such trifles, but in this instance, I want you to look like
the finest queen Camelot will ever behold."

"Oh, and what do I look like now?" I asked.

He lifted my hand and kissed my fingertips. “You can’t be
angry with me.”

“The white hind is an Otherworld creature. You cannot hunt
her.”

A smile spread over his face, causing his eyes to light.
“Now you sound as sentimental as my sister.” He continued to place
feather-light kisses on my fingers, then the back of my hand, and finally trailing
up to my wrist. “But I am charmed by your peculiarities. I assure you, Guinevere;
the hind is no more than that—a deer, like any other.”

With a final kiss, he pulled me into him, pressing his body
into mine. “Enjoy the celebration, my bride. I’ve arranged this all for you.”

You arranged this atrocity to display your prowess, I
thought, but bit back the desire to say the words out loud.

He waved toward Elibel and the other ladies milling near us.
“Come!” he said, then directed his speech back toward me. “You will find your
wedding gown well suited and I have arranged a fitting on the hour.”

Arthur granted Rhosyn one of his more charming smiles.
“Please escort Guinevere to her fitting. Aerona, see to it that her lady is
seen to her chambers as well. I am sure you will find everything satisfactory.”

For a moment, I thought he would pat my head. His eyes
wandered to my cousin, instead.

"Lady Elibel," he said, tipping his chin at her.

Elibel flushed at his acknowledgement.

“You’re looking well.”

Then Arthur turned and waved to his people as Rhosyn, along
with Crystin, escorted me away.

I swiveled around to seek Elibel, but her gaze swept over
the throng of merchants, the towering spires, and the vastness that was Camelot
with wide-eyed wonder. She leaned in, asking Aerona a question and the two took
off in another direction.

Onlookers stared and pointed as we moved through them,
toward a fortress that sat in the center of the city.
 
The bright blue of the sky pressed away the
last remaining black clouds; a rainbow appeared on the horizon, arching clear
over the city.

Though Rhosyn protested, I stopped at a merchant’s stall,
ordering jewels, dresses and toiletries to be sent to Elibel’s chambers by
morning. With the help of the merchant, I tucked a note in the delivery,
saying: