Britt barely had time to grab the sword before it disappeared into the lake. “Holy shi—you jerk!” Britt declared after successfully hefting Excalibur into the boat.
She took the time to admire it for a few moments. Aesthetically speaking the sword was beautiful. It wasn’t as ornamental as the sword Britt had pulled from the stone, but both Excalibur and its scabbard thrummed with a power that the sword from the stone did not have. Moreover, Excalibur was perfectly forged. It was smaller than Sir Kay’s sword—an excellent match for Britt’s height and strength—but it was beautifully balanced and wielded almost as if it were custom made for Britt.
Britt glanced over the side of the boat and shivered before rowing back to shore.
“You retrieved it?” Sir Kay asked as his father attempted to console Merlin.
Britt climbed ashore before she picked the sword off the bottom of the boat. “Yes,” she said, hefting the weapon over her head.
“What?” the Lady of the Lake screeched from some distance down the shoreline. She gaped in utter disbelief, her eyes wide, her shoulders slack. Britt didn’t think she was angered so much as she was shocked. “No man can pull Excalibur from the lake, and women are not meant to lead and wield weapons!”
“You know what I say to that? Crap. Utter crap,” Britt said before she turned to face her escort. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s,” Merlin said, having recovered to a certain extent, as he tottered over to his horse.
Britt hefted herself onto her mare’s back after securing Excalibur. “Thank you, lady,” Britt said before she rode after Merlin—who was leaving in great haste. Sir Kay and Sir Ector murmured their respects before following Britt.
“I am not certain it was wise to insult a faerie neighbor to her face,” Sir Kay said.
“It was a great sight though. Well done, Arthur!” Sir Ector hooted.
“You called her a petty wench! Britt, whhhhhy?” Merlin moaned.
“Does it matter? I have Excalibur, and that’s what we came here for, right?”
“Excalibur is more than I ever dreamed for you,” Merlin admitted, slowing his horse until he rode next to Britt so he could observe the sword. “Those of us who dealt in magic suspected no one would ever be able to remove it from the lake. I underestimated you, Britt.”
“Thank you,” Britt said with a smile.
“However, insulting the Lady of the Lake and demanding such a sword! Have you not listened to anything I have told you these past few days? Clearly you are in need of a reminder.”
“Dang it.”
Chapter 5
Arriving at Camelot
“Wait, I thought we were going back to London?” Britt said, late in the afternoon as they plodded along a dirt road, still riding in a forest.
“No. We must prepare for war, and to do that your home base must be fortified. Sir Ulfius and the others set out shortly after we left. I suspect they arrived late this morning. As I mentioned, the castle is only a short ride from Arroy,” Merlin said.
“So it’s an actual castle, with walls, and a tower, and everything?” Britt asked.
“Yes.”
Britt twisted in her saddle to look at Sir Ector and Sir Kay. “Have you two seen it?”
Sir Kay shook his head, and Sir Ector said, “I have not, but I do not imagine Merlin would build you anything less than a fortress.”
“What is it called?” Sir Kay asked.
Merlin shrugged. “Capital? Carduel?”
“What?” Britt said. “No, not either of those. Everyone knows Arthur’s castle is called—,”
“Ah, you can see it from here,” Merlin said, gesturing to a break in the trees.
“…Camelot,” Britt said with great longing as she stopped her horse and stared at her new home.
Britt had seen photographs of castles before; she was even supposed to tour several with her friends during her trip to England. In the photos the castles were usually smaller than expected, crumbling or partially covered with moss, and worn and weathered.
Camelot was bright and shining. It was placed next to a river—part of the river was diverted to go directly into the castle, and was settled in a huge stretch of meadow. It was surrounded on three sides by forest, but the forth side opened up into a stretch of green plains—perfect for grazing livestock and farming.
The walls were high, and the central structure—the castle keep—was not at all tower like, but squareish in shape, several stories tall, and, based on what peeked over the castle walls, decorated with impressive architecture.
“It’s beautiful,” Britt said.
“I am pleased to see that something has managed to impress you,” Merlin said, his voice laced with sarcasm even though he wore a pleased smile.
“What did you call it?” Sir Kay asked.
“Camelot.”
“Camelot. Camelot. It will do,” Merlin said, rolling the new name across his tongue as if tasting it.
As Britt and her riding party approached Camelot, Britt could not shrug off a cloud of acceptance. The great castle before her and Excalibur strapped to her side seemed to settle around Britt like a familiar jacket or a favorite blanket.