Chapter Three: Mithian

Sunshine and Percival became slightly famous after Sunshine saved the queen. Daily, people sent scores of gifts to the castle for the dog: dried meat, marrow bones, even a dog-sized knight's cape. Gwaine fastened the cape around her, and she pranced around the castle all day, wearing it proudly, a touch of haughtiness in her step.

By the end of the week, as the Midsummer celebrations came to a close, the fanfare died down a little, much to Percival's relief. The previous night, an elderly widow turned up at his chamber and offered herself to him "in thanks for his dog saving the queen." Percival's face on fire, he turned her down politely, then he double-barred his door. He'd not lain with a woman in a long time, but he was not about to go to bed with a woman old enough to be his grandmother.

Percival rose the next morning, his mood somewhat low. He would be thirty soon, considered almost ancient to be unmarried, but also, he had not tried very hard to find a wife ever since the incident with that woman from the strolling players. A few fathers had approached him over the years regarding arranged marriages with their daughters, but the girls all looked terribly young and somewhat frightened, and that did not appeal to Percival. He would wait for love, though he wondered if love would ever arrive.

"I have you, right, Sunshine? And I had Luned. I am lucky."

She rolled onto her back, demanding a belly scratch, and Percival laughed. Life was not so bad.

After a long week of duties with few breaks, other than sleep, Percival looked forward to a leisurely day off with Sunshine. He figured they'd spend their morning in the castle gardens, luxuriating in the shade to escape the summer heat, playing with the new length of rope that had become Sunshine's favorite toy.

"Heel, Sunshine," said Percival after he washed and dressed. He grabbed her rope toy and her leash. She was doing exceedingly well with her off-leash commands, but he had learned the hard way to always have the tether available. If she grew over-excited and refused to listen, he could always slip it over her head and guide her away from whatever had captured her attention. Sometimes, she wanted to play with cows, and that was not safe.

With Sunshine at his heel, Percival exited the rear of the castle and wandered into the verdant beauty of the castle gardens. This had been Queen Guinevere's passion project since Arthur died, and the result was stunning. Located outside the rear of the castle, the gardens were massive, lined with tall trees of many varieties, offering shade, and a score of stone tables and benches stood along the cobblestone paths at even intervals.

The gardens had been separated into four quadrants. One section featured flowers and ornamental greens, the other held herbs, then there was the vegetable section, followed by the area containing unique plants and rock designs from all over the known lands. Percival enjoyed the unique parcel the most, shaded by several yew trees, and displaying wishing wells, fountains, and tiny potted trees that required a great deal of work to maintain. It was a peaceful place that soothed his soul.

For once, Sunshine seemed content to relax. While Percival stretched out in the grass beneath a yew, resting his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the bright blue sky, Sunshine lay down beside him and chewed contentedly on her rope toy. The peace of the day and the gentle perfume of moss and grass lulled Percival into hazy comfort, and he closed his eyes, just for a moment.

"Oh, goodness, aren't you a big beauty! Yes, you are. Yes, you are a beautiful girl..."

Damn it, Percival must have fallen asleep. He sat up like a shot, bleary-eyed and wiping the drool off his chin, forcing himself into a coherent state as he tried to figure out who spoke those words and where Sunshine had run off to. Leaping to his feet, his eyes surveyed his surroundings. A few dozen paces away, Princess Mithian crouched before Sunshine. The dog rolled on her back into a decidedly unladylike position, demanding belly rubs, as she was wont to do with, well, everyone.

Percival rushed over and bowed. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I must have fallen asleep. I hope Sunshine did not bother you too much."

"She's no bother, Sir Percival. Quite the opposite. She is wonderful and sweet."

Princess Mithian wore a light, white summer dress, one that skimmed her gentle curves, and her wavy hair hung loose. She looked like a gorgeous commoner, and Percival admired her appearance. Her casual garments and lack of adornments made her seem both accessible and alluring. Percival had always found her exquisite, but to ogle her would have been the height of impropriety. Though she had appeared in his fantasies. Frequently.

She was his age and a widow; Percival knew that. Her husband died almost two years ago, and since then, she had spent a good deal of time in Camelot with the queen, a fellow widow. Percival also knew that the princess's marriage had been arranged, and she had not been wed for all that long before her husband passed.

Mithian rubbed Sunshine's belly with both hands, and the dog shuddered with delight. "I miss my dogs," said Mithian. "I haven't had a dog in years because… well, why haven't I? I am a princess, after all, and if I want dogs, I should have them!"

Her refreshing honesty made Percival laugh, and he knelt to join the belly-rubbing session. "You're right. You should have dogs. They make the best companions."

"Don't they? They're loyal and never let you down. They're always happy to see you..." Her words rang with sadness. Someone, or many people, had let her down, he guessed. She shook off the glumness. "Do you mind if I sit here with you? I am not ready to go home yet."

"It would be an honor." Sitting in the garden with the stunning Princess Mithian? Percival could not fathom a more delightful way to spend a morning.

I was the finest morning, then day and night, he could recall in his entire life. Percival, Princess Mithian, and Sunshine formed an immediate and easy friendship. He and Mithian talked about anything and everything all day long, from their childhoods, to their friends, to their hopes and dreams. Mithian confessed that her brief arranged marriage had not been a happy one, but when her husband died, guilt and grief engulfed her.

"I should have tried harder," she said, as they lingered over a supper of roast chicken and fried spinach in a private dining chamber off the kitchens. "But there were other women, and that made me so furious. He said all men did it, and that I was expecting too much. Perhaps he was right."

Percival could not stop himself from reaching across the table and covering her hand with his. "He was wrong. A wife deserves to be the only woman in her husband's heart. I would never stray from my bride, no matter what."

"Perhaps you are a rare man, Percival." She glanced up, and her eyes shimmered with tears.

"I don't think so. I value honesty and loyalty is all. If a man is lucky enough to marry, he should treasure and adore his wife above all others. That's what I would do."

"Your wife will be a lucky woman, indeed."

Sunshine, who had been lying at Mithian's feet, popped up and rested her head in the princess's lap in a comforting gesture.

"Oh, sweetheart." Mithian stroked Sunshine's ears. "You and your father may just be the kindest living beings I know."

Sunshine let out a long bray that sounded like: "Yeeessss..."

Percival and Mithian laughed until their sides hurt. Mithian was even more beautiful when she laughed with true delight.

"Modesty is not for you, is it?" Mithian said to Sunshine, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

Once she and Percival were able to comport themselves, Mithian's gaze grew somber. "I don't want to go home tomorrow,"

"Then don't." Percival hoped he did not sound too desperate. "You should stay for another week."

Mithian sat back and smiled. "Done. It didn't take much to convince me. I love it here."

"Your kingdom of Nemeth is nice, but Camelot has everything you could want."

Quirking a brow, she leaned forward. "Such as?"

"We have mountains. And our lake."

"Nemeth has mountains and lakes."

Percival forgot Camelot and Nemeth shared a border, as well as the White Mountains. "Well, we have the finest market in the known lands. That cannot be disputed."

"I suppose the market is rather impressive."

She did not sound impressed, and Percival worried that he was losing Mithian. "We have Sunshine, the Queen's Savior and World's Finest Dog."

You have me, and I am besotted with you, he wanted to say, but he held back. Percival wanted to close the space between them and kiss Mithian, but what was he thinking? Trying to kiss a princess without her explicit approval would earn him a week in the dungeons, at least.

He glanced down. Had his hand been on Mithian's this whole time? He drew back. Percival had gone to bed with that woman from the strolling players, and there had been that brief dalliance with the baker's daughter before she moved away. He had little experience flirting, and none courting. If only he'd asked Gwaine for advice, but this had all come about so suddenly.

"Princess, if I tried to kiss you—"

She pushed away from the table and was on her feet. "I wish you would."

Percival pulled her close. Like all women, she was much shorter than he, and while Mithian had a delicate build, she possessed firm curves and beautiful, bow-shaped lips. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as he leaned down and kissed her. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the explosive sensations that accompanied the meeting of their lips. It was as if the time stopped and nothing existed but the exquisite, tempting softness of Mithian's mouth. Dear gods, if he died on the spot, he'd die a happy man.

He kept his hands fixed on Mithian's hips as their tongues tasted and explored, but she trailed her fingers up and down the back of his tunic, sending shivers of delight through him. His passion deepened, and he struggled for control. Percival broke the kiss and took a slight step back.

"That was..." He was at a loss for words.

Mithian shifted her hand to her heart. "You felt it, too? The connection?"

Relief flooded him. It had not been a simple kiss for her, either. "Yes."

She gathered the front of his tunic in her fist and pulled him toward her. "Kiss me again."

Gods, he wanted nothing more, and he did as she asked.

XXXX

How quickly seven days passed, and Percival dreaded Mithian's leaving the following morning. It had been the most wonderful week of Percival's life. He had never experienced such a deep bond with another person, and how they had laughed together! He could not fathom spending a single day without her, let alone months on end in between times where he would be able to visit her kingdom.

They had shared so much, detailing their deepest hopes and darkest fears. But the one topic they danced around was marriage. Fearing she would draw back and consider him too forward, Percival dared not ask how she felt about marrying again. If she said she never wanted to wed again, that rejection would cut deeply, and Percival could not bear that, so he avoided the subject.

That afternoon, Percival sat on his bed, scowling, with Sunshine resting at his side, gazing up at him with worry.

Gwaine, reclining in the bedside chair, rolled his eyes. "You and Mithian are in love, and if you let her leave without asking her to marry you, you are an idiot."

"What?" sputtered Percival. "I can't ask a princess to marry me just like that. That's madness!" Percival stood and began to pace with Sunshine at his heel, following his every step. "I doubt she could live here, and I don't know if she wants to. Then I'd have to move to Nemeth, and ask her father if—"

"So?" Gwaine interrupted. "Then go."

Go? Just like that? Percival supposed he could. Why not? But getting ahead of himself served no purpose. He did not know if Mithian wanted to wed again, or if her father would even agree to it.

"Mithian is third in line to the throne," said Gwaine. "She doesn't have to stay in Nemeth. I am sure her father would approve of a marriage to a knight of Camelot. And if he doesn't, marry anyway, and the queen will let you both live here."

Percival was rendered speechless. Ask Mithian to give up her royal title for him if her father did not approve? Percival would never ask that of her. No, this was all too fraught with uncertainty. They would correspond for a time, then he would ask to court her. If she was open to it. Yes, slow and cautious was the way. That was less likely to end in heartbreaking rejection.

"Gwaine, it's not that simple."

"Don't be a bloody coward, Percival. If you throw away a chance at true love, you are the greatest fool I have ever known."

Percival stormed up to Gwaine. "What do you know about love?"

"Personally? Nothing. But if I am lucky enough to find it, I won't be an utter arse and let it slip through my fingers."

"I'll handle things in my own way, thank you."

With tension filling the room, Percival stared down Gwaine as Sunshine whined in the corner.


A/N — Thank you so much for leaving lovely comments. I truly appreciate your gracious support.

There are two more chapters to go, and I thank you for reading.