Disclaimer: I own nothing of the knights, Arthur or anyone else from the King Arthur movie 2004. I own solely my characters.
This story is a cross over from my first King Arthur story called: A Lost Soul. It is a Tristan Romance/Adventure. Gawain and Helena are in A Lost Soul as will Tristan and Lorna be in this one.
Please review... it is always welcome... thank you for reading... enjoy
Chapter 1: When you first meet…
Caistershire, one of the larger villages located nearly an hour's ride from Fort Badon, was home to William the blacksmith and his family. William's family had long been smithies for generations and was well residents of the surrounding area.
William was a man of average build standing 5'10 feet tall with blonde hair which he kept short and tidy. He was 47 years of age married to a woman 13 years his younger whose father was a local pig farmer, Caroline she was called. Caroline was a small framed woman with waist length coal black hair. They had three children a son named Peter 18 who was married with a child, a daughter named Helena 16 years of age and another daughter Maggie who was 12.
Peter and his family had been sent to his uncle Morlang and his mother's sister Moira's home to tend to their house and horses. Morlang had taken his family back to Sarmatia for four years. Morlang had been scout to Arthur's father and remained in Britain after his fifteen years of servitude ended. Morlang was furniture maker and horse trader. Like Arthur's father Morlang had married a Britain.
There had been reports of disorder in Caistershire a minimal problem but Arthur felt it best to send two of his knights to squelch any dissension. The knight's presence was all that was usually required to maintain order. He sent Gawain and Galahad for a fortnight. Arthur had acquisitioned two rooms above the local tavern for his knights to quarter in. Being that they spent most of their free time befriending the local woman in such places this served a dual purpose for them.
Shortly after arriving in Caistershire Gawain and Galahad took their horses to the smithies for shoeing as well as the opportunity to have some of their weapons repaired and sharpened. They had been at the smithies for a short time conversing with the blacksmith. They made their way to the leave just as Helena was entering with her father's midday meal.
Helena had long thick golden hair that reached nearly to her knees. When the sun shone upon it, highlights of honey and golden wheat color mingled within its strands. She was a girl of small frame approximately 5'5", slender with a boyish build. Her face was radiant almost angelica with deep emerald green eyes that glistened. Her complexion was that of porcelain, flawless in every way. At first glance she appeared to be a young woman who had a shy, coy disposition until one got to know her at which time she unveiled a rather mischievous miscreant side of her personality.
Helena was carrying a tray of stew, bread, cheese and wine for her father. No sooner had Gawain turned then he collided into Helena, knocking her over and causing the food to be dumped onto her dress. She let out a yelp as the hot stew splattered over her bodice. The contents from the bowl of stew spread across her milky white skin just below her neck and dripped down the material of her bodice unto her small but firm breasts. She sat arms extended to her back in attempt to support herself from completely falling onto her back while Gawain barely caught himself from crushing her petite frame with the weight of his body. Their faces just barely inches apart as his large hands stretched out either side of her hips while one knee braced itself between her legs in a rather awkward position.
Looking into her eyes he bestowed upon her one of his famous captivating smiles and laughs.
"Ah…ah..are you alright girl?" he whispered just inches from her lips
Stunned from both the heat of the food and the awkwardness of the moment (not to mention his alluring glare) she could barely speak a word before her father came to her rescue pulling Gawain off his daughter.
"Helena my dear are you alright?" he hastened
Still fixated on Gawain who was now standing to the other side of her father as they both helped the girl up Helena muttered:
"Um, yes father I am quite alright. Just a little embarrassed at the mess and my clumsiness." She said bashfully
She once again blushed as she began to wipe the food particles from her clothing.
She could not help but think how positively gorgeous he was with his grey/blue eyes and feral rugged face. Not thinking what he was doing in an attempt to assist the young maiden Gawain began wiping the food off as well, touching parts of her that he ought not to have.
"I am very sorry for my clumsy behavior; I did not see you coming through the opening." His words stumbled, leaving him feeling very much like a young lad instead of a knight
Helena stood wide eyed staring at the knight who continued to wipe off the mess touching her breasts over and over again. William brushed Gawain's hands from his daughter's body.
"Thank you Gawain, we can manage from here." William with knitted brows
Realizing at that moment what he had done he raised his hands up palms facing Helena, his face redden at the cheeks and his speech became broken and nervous.
"My apologizes miss, I meant no disrespect to you…I was merely…trying to… (pointing with his right index finger at her chest)… Um…well I was ah… trying to…um" he stumbled
Galahad began to chuckle loudly under his breath at his brother's apparent misadventure. He was not accustomed to seeing him falter in the slightest when it came to handling himself around woman, especially when they were mere girls. Helena blushed as she covered her breasts with her hands smiling up at Gawain from her lashes. William stood with a cocked eyebrow starring at Gawain.
"Well then knights, I will come fetch you when I have finished shoeing your horses. We thank you for your patronage. I will bid you good day now." William said as he turned his daughter around and pushed her toward the house
Helena headed toward the house to clean up, as she was nearly there she glanced over her left shoulder to see Galahad and Gawain bent down cleaning up the mess, all the while looking at her with an impish grin smeared across his face. She felt immediate warmth in the very pit of her stomach as she thought of his touch upon her. She hurriedly ran to her house, just before opening the door she turned around again. Catching Gawain in a stare they both exchanged smiles and nods. She slipped into the house and closed the door only to hurry to the open window as she gazed from behind the curtain to watch him as he and Galahad walked toward the town center.
Galahad placed his left arm around his brother's shoulder and gave him several tussles as he smiled.
"What?" Gawain said with a look of fake bewilderment and a loud chuckle
"She is rather a pretty little thing is she not brother?" Galahad laughed "You should have seen the look upon her face as your hands were all over her." He laughed
Gawain scratched the right side of his neck with his hand as he turned to join his brother in a laugh.
"That was rather untoward was it not?" he laughed as his left hand raked his brow
"I think she fancies you still the same!" Galahad said after a few moments of silence as they made their way back to the tavern "I am sure you will not mind our duty here as you first thought eh?
"No, things are looking up indeed." he smiled half cocked,raising and lowering his eyebrows several times