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'Thoughts'
"Speech"
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KING ARTHUR:
Fallen Knights Return
Chapter Twenty-Five – Forgiveness
The following morning they awoke stiffly to find a smug Bors holding plates of food for them. "What did I tell you? Should have left it alone! Listen to an old married man next time!"
They all groaned as they stood and stretched out their cramped muscles. "Shut up Bors." muttered Tristan, before almost being knocked flying by Bethan, whilst a worried looking Lucan stood by. "Hello little scout; you are up early, it is only daybreak." At first he smiled, before he realised she was crying.
Immediately he went cold, "Your mother? Is she well?" he knew he should not have left her last night, but he felt no point in continuing a fight that neither would back down on.
"She is well father, but she is so sad. She has been crying all night by the looks of her, I went to see her first thing. Is all well between you?" he could tell she was concerned.
"She looks heart sick Tristan, I hope all will be well" added Lucan.
"Aye, it will be. I do not want food Bors…." He strode out with Bethan.
"Round two!" Grinned Bors to the others "You going to eat before you two face yours?"
"You know Bors, you are enjoying all this entirely too much." said Lancelot.
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"Bethan can you go back to Dagonet's for a while? I promise all will be well."
"I will look after Bethan." Said Lucan stoutly "she will be safe with me, you have my word."
Tristan looked at the boy with respect "I believe you and have always trusted Bethan in your care." He ruffled the lad's hair, as the boy puffed with pride at the rare compliment from the scout.
Squaring his shoulders Tristan walked through the broken door, now carefully stood upright in the jam.
Sandrina lay on the bed, her eyes red and puffy, and her face paler than usual – staring at the door, as if she had been doing so all night. She was hugging his pillow, he noticed with a lurch of his heart; though his face, as always, remained passive.
She closed her eyes on seeing him and rolled away, turning her back on him – though he noticed she did not relinquish his pillow. "I need no more lectures this day, Sir Knight…" her tone, while hard, sounded defeated.
He walked to the side of the bed she was facing and knelt down in front of her. Not knowing what else to do he leant his forehead to hers; tensing to grab her arm should she swing at him again.
Instead her arms snuck round his neck, he gently eased the pillow out of her arms and dragged her to him. "I would do it again…" she whispered "always, I would do naught different. I will never obey you blindly Tristan; if that is what you wish, you best not be with me. I will always do what I think is right; but I did not consider the baby this time, you were correct on that mark." She closed her eyes as his lips found hers "Mayhap pride did blind me…."
"I would have you no other way San. I was angry last night; but could see no way of ending the fight, that is why I went to the stables. But you are for me, Sandrina - I would never love another." He lifted her into his arms, and then sat on the bed with her on his lap.
Lucan and Bethan peeped in, "Go to them" nudged Lucan "They look as if they could do with a hug".
"What of you?"
He kissed her forehead "I will return home; will you sleep at mine tonight or can I come here?"
"Come here - as I have a plan for Dagonet and Ilara. Are you not as fed up as I that they seem to hedge round each other?"
"Aye, I want her for my mother - but father is wary" he sighed in frustration.
"Well, let us rectify that; I am fairly sure I can get us aid."
"Who?"
"Guinevere and my mother for two; Amila, Bors and Vanora for another three - I do not mind betting I can get all the knights in on it also. Wait here - I will see to my own parents, then we can start planning" She smiled mischievously "we will have them moving furniture this night if I have aught to do with it!" She laughed, she and Lucan had been told by Gilly, Bors and Vanora's eldest, what really went on; but they still liked their term better.
She went into her parents, "I am glad we are all friends again because I need your aid…."
"Aid you to do what?" Tristan asked as he and San looked on intrigued at the excited light in her eyes.
"Well, it is like this…." she beckoned for Lucan to come in "We think……" she went on to outline her plan; which had San laughing out loud, but both of them agreeing to help.
A little later San smiled at Tristan "Will it work?"
"For anyone else – I would say nay, never…..but this is Bethan. She is the most determined child I have ever met. If it does fail, it will not be for the want of trying." His eyes were alight with laughter.
"I love you, even when I want to kill you, I love you" she said .
"Likewise; I missed you last night…"
"As I did you; it was a cold bed without you by me."
"The stable was colder…"
"You should have taken a thicker blanket!"
He bit the end of her nose "Wench! Come, we have our part to play…." He hauled her off the bed "Bethan will not be happy if we are late…"
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Lancelot went to face Amila, prepared for another black eye. He slowly opened the door to their room, in case she had restocked with pottery in his absence.
Only to find Bethan and Lucan there…. Amila looked up – he was relieved to see the warmth in her eyes once more "We are to help Bethan and Lucan to bring Dagonet and Ilara together." She smiled.
"I see, and what is our part?" he smiled back, relieved to be off the hook – at least for now.
As Bethan explained Amila swallowed the smirk at his black eye, next time he might learn to duck faster. Her brother should have told him that she……then she realised that Odell was gone, and sadness once again clutched at her heart.
But now was not the time; she had been grieving her brother all night, and without Lancelot to hold her and soothe away her tears…..she had missed the stupid oaf.
They agreed to help Bethan; she ran off to find Bors and Vanora. They were next…
Lancelot however, was now left alone with Amila. He cleared his throat "Should I duck some more or have you worn that arm of yours out now?" A sheepish smile followed.
She rolled her eyes "Let me look at that eye."
"Why? Do you want make sure the other one matches it, when you black that too?"
"Come here, idiot man!" He went and sat next to her; up close it did not seem so funny that she had hit him that hard. "Oh, Lancelot what am I going to do with you? Why are you even back here?"
"Well, I can think of many things you can do with me, and one involves this bed – the reason I am back is because I love you."
"Why?"
"Because you have to be the most infuriating, unpredictable woman I have ever met, with a heart the size of this isle…." He smiled "I only want to be with you Amila."
His smile faded and he sighed "I know I did not put it right about looking after San; but what I had meant was if the Celts had over-run us and had got into the fort, I wanted to make sure she had help.
She would have put herself in harms way to protect the children, and I wanted to ensure she had aid. I just did not explain it like that, for that I am sorry."
"I love you too and I am sorry I punched you so hard. But if you had explained it in that way, then I would not have gone against your wishes; I probably would have explained it like that to Guinevere and San and we would have all stayed to protect the others.
Though I am glad we did ride. If we had not I would have lost you and Odell – and that I could not have borne." Fat tears welled in her eyes and slid slowly down her cheeks. "Look at me blubbing like a child!" she swiped at them angrily.
"Nay, not a child – you lost your brother, you have a right to grieve Amila." He kissed the salty tears away. "Just let me love you….that is all I ask…"
He leaned back against the wall, as she laid her head in his lap and he stroked her hair. She finally felt some peace. "Why are all the women I love in my life so bloody violent?" he mused out loud, gingerly feeling his eye.
Amila smiled against his leg "I love you…."
He squeezed her shoulder "Good – then this was worth it…"
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When Bethan and Lucan explained their plan, Bors and Vanora thought it was wonderful. "Do you think it will work?" Bethan asked Bors. She liked him as he always spoke true; no messing around just the blunt honest truth, usually littered with curses that was true, but the truth none the less……today was no exception.
"Aye I do, little scout; you are bloody clever to think up such a scheme! Why did you not do that my little bastards eh?" he gestured to his own children.
Vanora rolled her eyes as she smacked him across the head "Must you keep swearing in front of them, Bors!"
"It never bothered you before we wed!"
"Well, it bloody does now!"
"If you can be here in an hour kiddies, then we will see what we can do…agreed?" the children nodded as he asked "Who else is in on it?"
"My mother and father, Lancelot and Amila…..I…." said Bethan, as he interrupted.
"Have they all made up now?" He grinned.
"Mother and father have, and I think Lancelot and Amila were about to. We have yet to see Arthur and Guinevere. Oh, and we have to rope Gawain and Galahad into it, but so long as they have a laugh they will not refuse!" She grinned.
"Right, well we will all meet here in about an hour? Now let me have some food!"
As the two children left, Bors and Vanora watched them go off hand in hand before Lucan tugged Bethan toward him so that he could let go and put his arm round her. "Aww, I doubt she will be breaking any hearts but his Bors; as soon as they are of age they will be getting wed – mark me".
"Nay, they make a fine pair too;I am pleased. Pleased as well, that those two are making sure that Dag gets over 'you know who'….."
"Hmmmm…….we will make sure it works….Get off!" shrieked Vanora as he pulled her into his lap.
"Go on gissa kiss….wanna go move furniture? You can bounce on my bed any time!" They both fell about laughing.
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The children's next stop was Arthur and Guinevere. Whereas Lucan treated them with the respect that he felt was befitting a king and queen, Bethan treated them as Arthur and Guinevere.
"Arthur!" They came running into the meeting room where the round table was "Oh, hello Guinevere" Bethan glanced round "is Arthur here? We need your aid."
Guinevere smiled sadly "he is in the stable the last I heard".
"Nay, he is not….he is here" spoke a voice from the door as he entered.
She looked relieved "Your lip looks sore….."
"I am sure you could kiss it better…" he smiled his eyes twinkling, before grimacing as it pulled the cut in his lip.
She rose and crossed to him "Are you well, apart from that?" But he had to admit she did not sound sorry. Though he doubted any of them did, some how he suspected that not one of these women would back down over what had happened.
"Nay, just that and it is not too bad; or are you sizing me up for something worse!" His smile broadened and he ignored his lip, as her hands caressed his chest.
Bethan cleared her throat; they both looked at her "Umm…we need your help remember?"
The couple smiled sheepishly "How?"
"We want to get Ilara and Dagonet to admit their feelings; and before you say not to" she waved away any protests from Arthur "you both know he will not declare himself otherwise; and we willbe old and grey before he does anything!"
"I was not going to say no.." he saw the shocked look on Guinevere's face "Well Bethan is right, he will never do it on his own! What do we do?"
"Well…" as she was explaining he sat in rapt attention, and ended laughing out loud "You know, I think it will work!"
Guinevere watched him and her heart filled with love; he was more than a king and her husband, he was a man - flawed and prone to mistakes, mayhap but then so was she. Still whatever happened he loved her and he would make a wonderful father.
The children left to find Galahad and Gawain. Guinevere went over and knelt down before him "Never try to change me Arthur; so long as you acknowledge me for who I am, then we will be very happy."
"I know, I know - I just wanted you safe."
She teased his damaged lip with hers. "Shall we go and move the furniture?"
Laughing he swept her up into his arms "Mayhap we should disagree more often! But it will have to wait my love, for now we are needed in the tavern!"
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Gawain and Galahad were in the stable laughing over Lancelot's black eye and Arthur's split lip.
"The only one with no battle scars from their domestic wars was Tristan!" roared Gawain.
"Umm….we come to request your aid, everyone else is going to and you are the last two…."
"Hello little scout!" smiled Gawain, eyeing Lucan and thinking they could have some fun. "Are you still going to marry me one day?"
Lucan grimaced at him and put his arm possessively round Bethan's shoulders. Both Gawain and Galahad fought to keep a straight face.
"Nay, silly – I have Lucan; but you are my best friend Gawain…." Holding Bethan tighter, Lucan stuck his tongue out at Gawain; who smothered a laugh. "So! Will you help us?"
"To do what exactly?"
"To get Dagonet and Ilara to admit their feelings!" She grinned.
"Oh aye, we both agree to that little scheme!" laughed Galahad.
"But you have not heard the plan yet…."
"It does not matter – when do you need us?"
Bethan looked at the sky "about now?"
"Come then…." Both knights said together.
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When Dagonet and Ilara arrived at the tavern 20 minutes later, they were surprised to see all the knights and their families there - looking very shifty. Shouts of "Dagonet!" and "Hello Ilara!" greeted them.
"Oh Goddess, what in the name of Hades are they up to now!" Exclaimed Dagonet in exasperation.
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And so the wheels of Destiny turn on…. Will the knights be able to help their friend, or will he be destined to spend his life alone?
