Chapter Eight

Galahad groaned and placed a hand upon his aching head. He felt as if his skull had been caught by the butt of Gawain's ax. Not even the deepest pits of hell could possibly make Galahad feel as horrible as he did right then.

He rolled over in his bed, but his movements were halted by a solid object beside him. Squinting through aching eyes, Galahad tried to make out what made the lump in his bedcovers. For a moment his thoughts were blank, then his actions the night before returned to him in a rush. Zephaniah.

The young girl had succeeded in seducing him; the ale that he had drunk that night had not but helped her cause. Galahad stifled another groan. How could he have been so hasty in taking her to his bed? Zephaniah was nothing more than a girl. She was seventeen, more than old enough to have her own family by now, but she was still too young for Galahad's taste. He had never meant to take her innocence from her, but she had thrown herself at him in such a way that it was nearly impossible to resist.

His thoughts on Juliana had not helped his battle, however. Just the thought of her sweet, innocent face could drive Galahad mad with lust. He wanted Juliana more than he'd ever wanted a woman. But the fact that he could not have her was more than he could bare. And so, he had taken Zephaniah to fill Juliana's place.

A feeling that Galahad had not felt too many times in his life settled in the pit of his stomach. Guilt. Guilt about taking Zephaniah in such a way as to fill another woman's role. Guilt about not being able to stop himself. Guilt about thinking only of Juliana as he took Zephaniah's innocence.

He had been so driven by his own lust that he could not remember if he had been gentle with Zephaniah or if he had just taken what he needed from her.

Beside him, Zephaniah stirred. Her eyes opened slowly, her long full lashes fluttering softly. She stared up at Galahad, a happy and triumphant smile spreading across her perfect lips, still swollen from the night before.

"Good morning." She purred, reaching up and gently caressing Galahad's face.

Obviously she held no regrets for their actions.

The covers fell off her as she positioned herself above Galahad. Her body was perfect. Galahad had not noticed it before, too driven by his desires to waist the time to take the fact in. She was thin and her curves were in all the right places. No doubt every man who had ever looked upon Zephaniah would be jealous once they learned that it had been Galahad who had taken her first.

But he did not care about that. He cared only that Juliana never learn of his actions. That she never hear of how he had so carelessly fallen into bed with a woman. Her opinion of him would no doubt suffer for it.

Zephaniah's lips descended upon Galahad's. She kissed him passionately, her naked body rubbing against his own. Galahad felt the same stirrings as the night before. Soon he would be unable to control himself.

With a great deal of effort, he gently pushed Zephaniah away from him. She looked at him, troubled. No doubt she wondered what she had done wrong. Galahad could see the questions in her eyes, but he could not answer his own questions much less hers.

"Galahad?" Her hand rested on his shoulder, her skin warm and tempting.

He stood, needing to put as much distance between himself and Zephaniah as possible.

"Arthur insists upon the knights' presence in church." He said in way of an excuse. Quickly he pulled on his pants and shirt and left the room, cursing himself the whole way.

> > > > >

Never before had Juliana dreaded Mass, at least not until that very moment. The thought that she would see Galahad frightened her. Surely, should anyone look upon her, they would see the feelings she held for the knight written clearly across her face. No longer could she deny the fact that she felt something for him, even if it were nothing beyond the lust of the flesh. She wanted to touch him, to hold him, to kiss his lips and feel his beard tickle her face. She wanted to be with him in a way that she had never wanted to be with any man. The sinful nature that Juliana hadn't felt since she was a young girl returned to her full force. Never before had she wished so badly to not be a nun. She wanted to be free of the church and her commitment to God so that she could pursue Galahad as she had never before pursued a man.

She sat with the other nuns in the front of the church. Mass had begun ten minutes before and already Juliana felt her thoughts slipping from the service. Galahad was seated with Arthur and the other knights, and his presence was most distracting to her worship. She fought to keep her eyes focused on her hands, which she held tightly clasped together in her lap. But his presence was too demanding. She caught herself sneaking glances of him as Father Gannis continued on with his sermon.

Juliana prayed silently for the strength to keep her focus on God and not on the knight whose eyes refused to travel from her. Her eyes moved to meet his once again and she was startled by the raw emotion she saw playing in his eyes. He wanted her just as surely as she did him. The thought both frightened and thrilled Juliana. To think she, a woman of God, could entice a man so handsome. He probably could have any woman he wanted, and yet his eyes were on her and her alone. Juliana felt her pulse race at the thought of it. Her blood boiled within her veins with a feeling she had never felt before. Desire. Desire for something that was not Godly lest it be within the confines of marriage.

But I shall never marry, she reminded herself, all thoughts of concentrating on Mass gone from her mind. I am committed to God and the church. I shall never take a man as my husband. I shall never know the way it feels to be held by strong arms and kissed. Surely every young woman has had these thoughts. Why then should I not?

She dropped her eyes down again. Her thoughts were not of God. Satan was tempting her. Surely that was the only explanation. No man could ever want her. She was no beauty like Queen Guinevere or the women in the village. Homely was the only word that Juliana was certain could describe herself.

This is simply just a game that he is playing with me. Her thoughts continued. He cares not for me, but for the chase. He wants only to prove to his friends that he can get even a nun to fall for his charm. Even as she thought this, however, Juliana knew it was not true. What man could act so well? Surely the way that he looked at her came not from a desire to prove something to his friends, but from his own heart and emotions.

Juliana tried to shake herself of all the thoughts, the questions that flooded her mind. But they would not let go their hold. Their claws gripped her mind, refusing to loosen their hold.

> > > > >

Zephaniah still lay in his bed when Galahad returned from church. She stretched leisurely, the candlelight catching on her tanned skin.

Galahad turned his attention to the window, anything to keep from looking at Zephaniah's body. The rain clouds still hovered; their color darkening with each passing moment, keeping the sky a deep black. But the rain held off. It would come down soon, though. And when it did, no one would be safe from its downpour.

> > > > >

A short chapter, I know. Sorry I didn't make it longer, but I like writing shorter chapters. Don't ask me why, I just know that that's what I like. Anyways, please review and tell me what you thought.

Wander of the Roads: Hope this chapter had enough emotional struggles for ya. Lol

KnightMaiden: I have a lot more in store for Galahad and Juliana before they can become a couple. That is if they become a couple.

I'm Seeing Stars, TRISTANLOVER, grullo-cowgirl, greenDayzIdiot, MedievalWarriorPrincess, the sarahnater, and problemgirl088: Thank you all so much for reviewing. You guys rock!