This is the first chapter of Part 4 of the Marvelous Misadventures of Sir Kate and Lady Corin, which is also going to be the end of it, forever. But don't despair yet! A couple more chapters will still appear before you'll have to leave me forever – or at least until I write another fic. Read, Revel, and Review!
Soon after Kate had been 'captured' by the nuns of the Order of the Sisterhood of Ladyness, and subsequently recovered from the trauma, King Arthur decided to have a feast. Kate, of course, was one of the first to be invited, as she was an honory member of the Round Table, and Corin was also invited, as he was the sewing master at the castle. Now, King Arthur's feasts were not to be taken lightly, and even Kate worried about what she was going to wear. Corin, of course, fussed more than usual, and for a whole week Kate had to endure her husband asking whether the pink silk shirt looked more becoming, or if he should wear white roses or red.
At last the day came, and Kate and her husband set out on white horses to the king's castle, which was less than ten minutes away. As they went through the gates, the herald announced their arrival. "H'anda now, here comes Her Noble Braveness, the Sir Kate! And with her comes his wife…I mean her husband, His Complete Fussiness, the Lady Corin! Welcome ye, and may ye enjoy this day!"
"I'd enjoy it a lot more if you kept your voice down, pipsqueak," muttered Kate, clamping her hands over his ears. As they entered the courtyard, Kate and her husband dismounted, handing their horses over to the servants who stood by the wall. Kate swept off her helmet and bowed low, and Corin gave a graceful curtsy as they stood in front of the High Table where King Arthur and his wife, Queen Guineveve (she was Guinevere's twin sister, if you want to know), sat. Arthur laughed, and beckoned them to sit down. They did so, and my, what a fine feast they had! As they ate and drank (Kate drank a little too much), minstrels sang songs to them, and recited poems about the deeds of great warriors. King Arthur had arranged a surprise for Kate and Corin, and surprised they were when the court bard rose and began to tell the tale of how Kate and Corin met. In two seconds flat, everyone burst into fits of laughter. Kate and Corin, however, couldn't see what was so funny, and remained quite serious throughout the entire telling, Kate nodding gravely and hurrahing for herself when the bard told about her battle with the dragon. After that, the dragon (who had also been invited) provided them more entertainment, for he knew an awful lot of tricks, and together he and Kate re-enacted their 'battle'. When everyone became a little drunk, the king sobered them up by bringing out the seven good faeries who lived in his kingdom. They flew above the crowd, singing soft, gentle songs and plucking at tiny golden harps. At the end of the performance, they shook their wings, and golden powder fell into the food and drink, making it look like real gold and jewels, and making them taste better than ever. Before they fluttered down to their seats to partake of the meal, they clapped their hands, and flowers appeared everywhere. Laughing and cheering, the crowd sat down to dessert.
A shadow fell upon the company. All sounds of merry-making ceased, and a terrified silence ensued. King Arthur raised his head, and paled. Before the High Table, a gruesome figure stood. It was tall, and looked like a woman, but how hideous she was! She was tall, and wore a black gown that fell in glittering folds around her feet, and bright green snakes circled her arms and neck, raising their heads and peering at the shivering crowd, their tongues flicking in and out. Her hair hung about her shoulders and down her back in wet strands, looking like weeds from the bottom of the sea. Fish heads crowned her head, and her wicked black eyes glittered. The funniest thing about her was her nose, which was absurdly long, and had a booger hanging from the tip, but it NEVER fell off. Kate was about to laugh out loud when she noticed the black wings sprouting from the lady's back, and the long black wand that she held tightly in her fist. Kate wisely kept her silence, not wishing to spend the rest of her life as a frog. The evil faerie (for that was what she was), glared at everyone, especially that king. At last she spoke. "Why," she demanded, in a voice that was evil itself, "was I NOT invited to this feast? WHY!" The tables themselves shook with terror. The king rose. He was pale, as aforesaid, but he still remained polite. "Lady," he began, "we did not leave you out intentionally. It was just that no one had heard of you for many years, and we did not know where you lived. Please forgive us, and I bid you sit down and partake of this feast." He sat down, and ordered another place to be set at the tables, but they were different from the others, for the others were made of solid gold, and he had only ordered them to be made for the known guests. The evil faerie sat down accordingly, but she did not eat the food on her plate. Instead, she waved her wand over the food, and a great cloud of grey and foul smelling smoke appeared over it. When it cleared, everyone could see (and smell) that instead of a slice of the finest venison, the bodies of five burnt rats lay on her plate. She grinned evilly, and dug in with an evident relish. Watching her, Kate lost her appetite, and pushed away the fruit pasties in front of her. Corin turned green and pressed his handkerchief against his lips.
For dessert the evil faerie turned the delicate, sugar bonbons into mould covered plums, and the applesauce was turned into green gloop. Most of the ladies present, however, did not see this, for they (and Corin) had fainted dead away.
At the end of the feast, all the guests rose and presented the king with a gift. When it was the faeries' turn, the first one smiled and pointed at Queen Rosemary. "Your queen shall soon have a child, a daughter," the faerie said. Then she vanished in a puff of gold smoke, leaving behind the smell of roses. The second faerie came forward. Pointing her glowing wand at the queen, she said, "Your daughter will be the most beautiful person in the world." She too, vanished. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth all gave the unborn child gifts such as a beautiful voice, gracefulness, the ability not to burp rudely, and great intelligence. After the seventh faerie bestowed her gift, the evil faerie came forward. Pointing to the queen, who had turned white with fear, she growled, "I cannot undo the spells that my foolish sisters have bestowed unto thy child, but I can still have a bit of fun. Because thou didst not invite me, and because thou hast humiliated me by giving me ordinary cutlery instead of ones of pure gold, I shall curse one of thy guests that thou hast invited to this feast." She whirled around to face the terrified guests, and pointed to the first person she laid her eyes on. "Thou shall prick thy finger upon a needle, and shall fall into a deep sleep, from which thou canst not be awoken from save with love's first…burp! Muhahaha!" Cackling with glee, she lifted her arms and vanished in a puff of green smoke.
Muahahahaha! I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger! Who was cursed? What'll happen? Review, I'll update, you'll find out - it's as simple as that! Toodles, for now!