“So?”
“King Ban is your ally, and his cousins’ father, King Bors, is as well. They were the pair who rode to your rescue when King Lot and his allies attacked you. Don’t you remember?”
“I do. So what?”
“We cannot kick out the sons of our closest allies.”
Britt groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is why I didn’t want to know his name. Now we have to be afraid about offending all of his relatives. Bother feudalism!”
“It’s worse than that, I’m afraid,” Merlin said.
“How? How can it possibly be worse?”
“As long as he stays he and his cousins will have to be seated in positions of honor.”
“What?”
“They are princes and the offspring of your closest allies. Naturally they will sup with you at your table,” Merlin said.
“You mean I’ll have to interact with Lancelot?”
“I do.”
“Being a king sucks. You can’t do anything you want,” Britt sighed.
“Well done. Now you’re starting to get it.”
Chapter 2
A Quest
Britt tipped back the remaining wine in her goblet before letting a page refill it.
Merlin, seated at her side, leaned in and whispered, “I do hope you’re not going to tolerate the young princes’ presence by consuming as much alcohol as you did during Queen Morgause’s stay?”
Britt spoke through clenched teeth as she smiled at Lancelot when the handsome knight glanced at her from further down her dinner table. “If my methods work I see no need to correct them.”
Normally Merlin invading her personal space made her squirrely. Today she was too angry to notice.
Merlin patted her shoulder. “Cheer up, at least these three won’t be here long, and they’re not trying to kill you.”
“Fantastic,” Britt said, stabbing a radish with her knife.
Britt’s attention was redirected by a dust covered courier who hurried up the steps. “This is for you, Milord. A correspondence from King Leodegrance,” he said, passing over an envelope sealed with wax.
Britt carelessly passed the letter to Merlin—she couldn’t read old English writing—and took another slug of her wine as the wizard opened the letter and read it.
“What is it?” Britt asked.
“You’re never going to guess,” Merlin said, shaking his head in disgust. “King Leodegrance’s lands are about to be invaded.”
“Again?”
“Again.”
“By whom?”
“Duke Maleagant.”
“Who’s that?”
“One of King Ryence’s allies.”
“We should attack Ryence’s lands and be done with it. I thought Lot was annoying, but Ryence is proving to have more perseverance,” Britt said, slumping in her chair.
“I’m not much inclined to help him,” Merlin said, folding the letter. “We’ve already bailed him out once. If we lose him as an ally I suppose it is not the worst thing in the world. You have prince Gawain and prince Ywain in your halls. If they had to, King Lot and King Urien would ride to your aid so you are not in any danger.”
“Yeah,” Britt said. She stared out at her dining knights and watched them eat, drink, and roar in laughter. “Wait a second,” Britt said. “If Maleagant and Leodegrance do make an alliance my chances of getting the Round Table are ruined, aren’t they?”
“Undoubtedly.”
Britt thought for a moment before she stood and declared, “It is not right to let an ally face an enemy alone. We must help King Leodegrance, my honor is staked on it,” Britt said.
“Bravo,” Lancelot clapped.
Merlin rolled his eyes at the foreign knight’s antics and muttered, “You just want to save your precious table.”
Britt ignored the observation and slowly turned to face Lancelot, a stiff smile molded on her face. “Were you listening in on our private conversation, Lancelot?”
“Only a bit. I admire the stoutness of your loyalty, My Lord. You are truly worthy of being the King of England,” Lancelot said, rubbing his chin.
On either side of him his hulking cousins shoved food in their mouths like it was their last meal for the week.
“Hmm,” Britt said before forcibly turning her body back to Merlin. “It doesn’t matter what my motives are. What is clear is that we must ride to King Leodegrance’s aid.”
Merlin sighed. “It’s not that easy. If you save him he’s going to insist you marry his daughter.”
“So we help him without his knowledge,” Britt said.
“Go on, I am intrigued,” Merlin said.
“A small party of our best knights could easily enter King Leodegrance’s borders. They could pillage and plunder Maleagant’s forces,” Britt said.
“Pillage and plunder? What happened to honor and chivalry?” Merlin asked.
“They flee the moment I sense my table is in danger,” Britt said.
“There is some intelligence in what you say. Maleagant will not be able to amass the army Ryence did. At the very least the knights could scout the land as we prepare the army.”
“We. We could scout the land.”