Britt looked into the eyes of the knights closest to her. She had their attention.
“I have withheld my respect from you, and it is my wrongdoing. So I ask you today, forgive me and please follow me anew. I will not treat your devotion daintily, but with the roughest courage. For your loyalty is not some fragile thing, like glass, but the most solid thing I know. It is blood and it is blades and armor. It is roars in the battlefield and shouts of celebration. It is the very foundation of Camelot, and it is what makes this kingdom great. I thank you, and I beg for your forgiveness,” Britt said before performing a formal bow, bending low at the waist.
Britt closed her eyes to shut herself against reality for a moment as she remained bent. No one said a word, and it was silent… until it wasn’t.
In a glittering wave of chainmail and tunics, the knights of Camelot knelt. They planted themselves lower than Britt and watched her with grave intensity. The air sang with the shings of countless swords being pulled free from scabbards as the knights planted their blades in front of them.
Sir Bedivere was the first to speak. “Hail, King Arthur. Long live the King!” he said, his voice booming like a mountain giant. He repeated it again and again, like a chant. Each time more knights joined in until the mantra was the loudest of shouts and Britt feared they would bring the castle down.
Britt’s eyes burned as she straightened and looked at her sea of knights. It was a beautiful sight, and it made Britt’s heart ache. She had failed them. Britt was too easily persuaded into thinking that her knights were fickle when she should have fought for them.
Never again, Britt vowed as a shy smile crept across her lips.
When Britt lifted her chin and flashed a white smile at her knights they lost it. The shouting and roaring was louder than it had ever been for Morgause as the knights of Camelot celebrated their lord.
Britt looked down the aisle of the throne room, and pinned Morgause in place.
The beautiful queen was rolling her eyes from one side of the throne room to the other. Her expression was unreadable, but her lips tightened. The Orkney queen turned to speak to her sons, but Gawain and Agravain had knelt with Britt’s knights and were shouting with them. Gaheris and Gareth were jumping up and down in boyish glee, yelling at the top of their lungs.
Britt made her move and swept up to Morgause while her back was to Britt. “Please, walk with me, Morgause,” Britt said, forcefully tucking the queen’s arm in hers before pulling her out of the clamorous throne room.
The queen’s face was pale and drawn as Britt walked her out of the castle keep and in the direction of the stables. They walked past them, heading for a tiny herb garden Britt knew the cook kept.
It was abandoned at this time of the day, but it was tucked out of the way and—more importantly—out of sight.
Britt pushed Morgause into the small garden ahead of her and unsheathed Excalibur. The faerie sword flashed in the dim light as Britt held it at her side.
“Give me three good reasons why I shouldn’t be done with you and kill you right now,” Britt said.
While Britt acknowledged she had wrongly judged her men, she was more furious with Morgause than ever before. Morgause’s trip was nothing but an act of war, and she had tried to enchain Britt’s knights and Britt. While she would never go so far as to kill Morgause the Orkney queen didn’t need to know that. Besides, Britt didn’t think Morgause would think highly of the other option—bondage in Camelot’s dungeons as a hostage until her husband paid up.
Morgause widened her eyes and moved to step closer to Britt. “My Lord, why would you—,”
“Not another step,” Britt said, placing the tip of Excalibur’s blade near Morgause’s throat. “I know you have some kind of enchantment up your sleeve, so you had best stop pretending and start talking unless you want me to skewer you.”
“How dishonorable, to lay hands upon a lady with the intent—,”
“You are no lady,” Britt interrupted.
“But a man should never attack a woman, it’s, it’s,” Morgause said, retreating several steps.
“Oh? But it’s perfectly acceptable for you to attack a man, is it?” Britt asked, her smile was frosty like cracking ice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Morgause said. “Why are you so suddenly thinking ill of me, My Lord?” she asked, her countenance dripping with sorrow.
Britt narrowed her eyes at Morgause. If she wanted to get anywhere she would have to provoke the queen into revealing her true persona. “Did you try to take my knight’s loyalty away from them in retribution for your husband’s pitiful loss? Or,” Britt purposely paused. “Was it because it became apparent that your sons revere me and would leave you and your kingdom in a second to stand with me?”