The Iron Locket (The Risen King) (24 page)

"Sire?"

"Yes, Rogan?" Arthur glanced back at Rogan as he readjusted his belt.

"My lord," he began, faltering on the words. "You see..."

"What is it?" Arthur turned to him, narrowing his eyes at the servant's uncustomary display of nerves.

"Well, sire, Lilia and I were talking with some of the other servants, and we..." He paused again, his hands fumbling in his coat pocket. He pulled out a box. "We thought you might like this, my lord."

Arthur frowned and took the box. It was small and wooden with vines and flowers carved into the top and sides. He lifted the lid and peered inside. On a bed of silk lay the most beautiful ring he had ever seen. It was silver polished to a perfect sheen. Inlaid in the top were three stones. The middle was of the brightest golden hue, shimmering like the sun in the sky. One either side were small red diamonds with not an imperfection on them.

"How beautiful," he whispered. "What is it for?"

Rogan cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Why, the lady Aiofe, my lord."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "The lady... You mean..." His mind began racing. Nodding thoughtfully, he put the lid back on the box and tucked it into his pocket. He pointed a finger at Rogan as if to say something, but then bit his lip and turned away. "That is a decision for later, I think. Let us go and honor Kay's sacrifice first."

He met Aiofe and Lilia on the stairs as the went to get dressed. When his eyes met those emerald orbs, his breathing sped up and he was sure he flushed like a school boy. She grinned and kissed his cheek as she passed. He turned at the landing and walked down the hall toward Kay's room. He found the servant inside, just finishing up the preparations.

"Almost ready, your highness." When he stepped away, Arthur moved in, tucking his arms under Kay's body. "Your highness, would it be..." The boy trailed off, his fingers twining with each other as he shuffled his feet nervously. When Arthur looked up at him, he pressed on. "Would it be alright if I carried my master down? Only... He was so kind to me, and it is the least I can do."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at the thought of Kay being kind to a servant. "Very well," he said as he stepped back. The boy lifted the knight easily and carried him down the stairs, Arthur trailing behind.

The rest of the knights gathered quickly, along with Aiofe, her grandparents, and all the servants. Arthur spoke a few customary words and one of the servants sang a faery death hymn. Then a torch was brought and Arthur held it out to the wood. It caught quickly, roaring up the logs to the body at the top. It engulfed him, the flames roaring high and loud, much like Kay in life. When the fire burned low, Arthur turned from the pyre and headed inside to the dining hall. He grabbed a goblet from the table and beckoned a servant over. The girl filled it with strong faery wine and he knocked the whole thing back, then had her fill it again.

As the others filed into the room, he settled into his chair. Aiofe walked over to him. He beckoned at the chair to his left. She shook her head fiercely. "Not tonight," she whispered. Instead, she had one of the servants move a chair between him and Lancelot so she could chat with both of them. Long into the night, the men recounted tales of Kay's bravery, womanizing, and tempers, but mostly his loyalty to his king.

*~*~*

Later than knight, Aiofe stood in Arthur's room behind the curtain. Lilia helped her remove the heavy dress and unbraided her hair, letting it fall into sheets around her shoulders. After she slipped into the dressing gown, the servant girl left. Moments later, heavy footsteps entered, followed by a knock on the wall from the other side of the curtain.

A warm shiver raced through her body, setting parts of her tingling. She tiptoed to the curtain and peeked around. Arthur stood there, still dressed in his ceremonial outfit. He looked handsome as ever, if a bit drawn.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Do I know you?"

Arthur's brow puckered and he cocked his head. "Yes, I--"

She laughed and waved a hand at him. "I was kidding. What are you doing?"

Arthur sighed and looked around the room. "I was hoping Rogan would be here to help me change. This is getting awfully uncomfortable."

She beckoned him behind the curtain. "I'll help you. No big deal."

He hesitated at the door. "I am not certain that is appropriate, my lady."

Aiofe scoffed at him and tangled her fingers in his cloak. She tugged, pulling him in behind the curtain and closed it all the way. "Don't be silly. Come here." She unhooked his cloak and it slid from his shoulders, landing in a pile at his feet. Next, she removed his belt, sword and all, and placed it on the table. The jacket was a bit trickier with all its buttons and hooks, but between the two of them they got it off. He stood there in front of her in just his shirt and pants, and her in her dressing gown.

Her cheeks flushed as she looked up, meeting his clear blue eyes. He was so handsome, so amazing. He would die for her, she could feel it deep in her soul. This was the man she could trust completely with her mind, body, and soul. Gasping, she pulled away and walked to the window. The moon was bright, casting an eery glow on the empty training yard below.

"What is it, my love?" Arthur slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

She leaned back, resting her head against his shoulder. The horror of the day played once more before her, her grandparents nearly murdered side by side, her father's confession, Kay's sacrifice. Tears sprang to her eyes, rolling unabated down her cheeks.

"Do you love me, Arthur? I mean, really love me?" She turned in his arms, placing her hands on his chest as she looked pleadingly up at him.

He stared at her for a moment before responding. "Yes, I do. With all my heart."

Her body began to sing as he spoke. Pushing up onto her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, softly at first. He cupped a hand around her back and returned her kiss with force, parting her lips and slipping his tongue in to attack hers. She lifted her leg, wrapping it around his and his hand went to it, gripping it tightly. He lifted her and carried her gently to the bed. As he lay her down, the dressing gown slipped from her shoulders. He paused, his eyes trailing down her bared skin.

“I cannot do this, Aiofe,” he whispered, pushing himself over to sit beside her. “I cannot treat you like a common whore.”

“What?” Aiofe pushed herself up as she yanked the fabric back over to cover herself. “A common whore? I'm not a--”

“No, you are not.” He took her hand. “You are a beautiful and magnificent woman and I am going to treat you as such.”

Aiofe scoffed. “That's stupid. I'm not--”

He pressed a finger to her lips and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I love you, Aiofe, and I will not ruin this moment for you.” He stood and gathered his clothing. “I will stay in Kay's room for the time being, until we get this all settled.

“But--”

Arthur smiled at her. “Good night, Aiofe.” Without another word, he turned and left, his footsteps echoing across the stone.

Frustrated in more ways than one, she flopped back onto the bed and yanked the covers over her. The day's chaos washed over her in a wave of exhaustion and despite her irritation and sadness, she fell easily into a deep, dreamless sleep.

*~*~*

EPILOGUE

*~*~*

"Be careful, you oaf!" Leanansidhe swung out at the creature leaning over her, the faery's thin fingers probing delicately at the wound in her pelvis. She deftly ducked her head to one side, the shoulder-length vines waving with the motion.

"Please stop trying to hit me," the faery asked politely in her most perfect bedside manner. She took a long scalpel off a wooden tray beside the bed and poked it into the hole.

Leanansidhe growled and clenched her teeth as her fist clenched another poor faery sitting beside her. This one was small and thick, like a sapling with arms and legs. Lea had her hand wrapped around what passed for its neck and throttled it every time pain blossomed up her body.

"Stop trying to hurt me and I will stop trying to hit you," she growled, shaking the tree creature for emphasis.

The doctor glanced up at Leanansidhe's victim, then back at the woman. "Killing him will not do you any good, I am afraid. He is not the one who keeps getting into fights." The faery shoved a small stick into the wound before poking a needle through Lea's skin, not bothering with anesthetic. "And losing, I might add." She bobbed her head again, a small smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I should kill you for that."

"But you will not," the willowy faery retorted, dragging the vines attached to the needle through the skin. The green strings bound the wound together, growing into the skin and becoming one with it, working as adhesive, antiseptic, and growth agent all in one.

The dark faery glared at her doctor, wishing she could do just that, but the swamp elves were the best healers in the land, and they were very picky about who they chose to work with. She was lucky to find one willing to put up with her and she could not deny the faery knew what she was doing. The knife had been dipped in iron and the poison roared through Lea's veins. The stick would absorb the iron and convert it into food which would then be absorbed by the vine. She would be in pain for a few days, but eventually the vines would dissolve completely and she would be as good as new. She moved her shoulder a bit to remind herself of the doctor's abilities, jerking her hand intentionally to make the wood faery squeal.

The doctor tied a small knot in the vines and clipped off the end. "There," she said as she slapped a green patch of woven algae over the area for added protection. "Good as new."

Lea grunted and threw the log to the floor. It scrambled to its feet and ran from the room, jabbering all the way in its irritatingly high pitched language. Lea threw a pitcher, just barely missing the creature as it burst out the door. "I hate that thing," she mumbled.

"You hate everything," the doctor quipped. "Here, use this until your leg feels better. And do not do anything stupid until it heals. Do you hear me?"

Lea took the walking cane the doctor offered and waved a hand at her. "Yes, yes, I hear you." She stood up, testing the weight on her leg. She hobbled the few steps to her armoire and pulled out a long black dress. She snapped and a pixie appeared beside her and took the dress, ready to help her put it on.

"Where are you going?" The doctor stood in the doorway, a pale fist on her hip, the other holding her bag. She frowned at Leanansidhe with raised green eyebrows.

"Nowhere," said the faery as the pixie tied sandals to her feet.

The doctor shook her head. "Why do I bother." She left, letting the door slam shut behind her.

"Your highness, maybe you should..."

Leanansidhe turned her deadly glare on the pixie at her feet. She raised an eyebrow, a snarl on her lips. "Maybe I should what?"

The little faery began to shake and struggled to tie the last knot. "Nothing, your highness. Have a wonderful day."

The pixie jumped up and darted to the corner, settling herself onto the chair there and purposefully avoiding Lea's hard stare. With a snort, Leanansidhe picked up the walking cane and a piece of paper off her nightstand and made her best attempt to stomp from the room. Stomping was very difficult to achieve with a cane and pain at every step and by the time she reached the door, she was bubbling with anger.

"Borton!" Her howl echoed down the halls, bouncing off the stone and carrying through the castle. She was barely five feet from her door when her assistance came scurrying around a corner.

"Yes, m'lady, I mean, miss, I mean my queen. How may I help you, my queen?" He bowed repeatedly, practically grovelling at her feet.

She swung a foot to kick him, but her balance was off and she had to catch herself with the cane. She held the paper out, waving it in front of his face. "Go here. There are bones buried inside. The name is on the paper. Bring me those bones, all of them. Do you understand? I want all of them."

Borton took the paper and, still bowing, backed down the hall. "Yes, miss, m'lady, your highness. I will be back soon."

Leanansidhe shook her head and began the long trek to her lab, mumbling about how she employed idiots. She was working on a sobbing faery when he returned, a large box in his arms. Lea dropped the scalpel she had in her hand and went to him, lifting the lid. "You have them all?" she asked.

He nodded furiously, making the bones rattle against each other. "All of them, my queen."

"Very good. Bring them over here." She walked across the lab to a clean table. Borton placed the box on it and opened the lid, reaching for one of the bones inside. Lea swatted his hand hard with the cane, hearing a faint crack. He dragged his hand away, puppy dog hurt in his eyes. "No touching," she scolded, pointing the cane at him. He nodded and backed into a corner, squatting down to watch her work.

She laid all the bones out on the table in proper order, recreating the skeleton they had once been. When she reached the feet, she scowled. Checking the empty box once more, she turned on Borton. "I told you to get all of the bones!" She waved the cane in front of his face as he cowered in front of her.