Tedros opened it.
“‘Snake knows I’m on his tail. He’s coming for Camelot. Will try and take your kingdom by force. We must meet immediately and prepare for war. Name your time and place,’” he read out loud. “Signed, ‘Your Loyal Knight.’”
Tedros stared at it, speechless.
“You ask us to build an army for you,” said the King of Bloodbrook. “When perhaps it’s the Lion who deserves such an army.”
Tedros shook his head. “So-called ‘Lion,’ you mean. Because he’s lying too. I haven’t appointed any knights. My only knight is dead—”
“Well, then this boy surely took it upon himself to replace him,” said the King of Jaunt Jolie. “Your father had his best knight defending his banner in the Woods. For a good while at least.” He glanced sourly at Lancelot, then back at the king. “In times like these, you need an ally you can trust. An ally like this Lion, who has already proven himself.”
“I don’t even know who he is,” Tedros persisted.
“Then I’ll ride out with a full envoy to meet the Lion as he asks,” said the Duchess of Glass Mountain.
“I will ride with you,” said the Queen of Ravenbow. “We should meet the one who’s fighting the Snake.”
“The one doing a king’s job. Count me and my knights in too,” said the King of Foxwood— “I’ll go,” said Tedros.
The leaders turned to him.
“What all of you say is true,” Tedros said, regaining his composure. “Whoever this so-called Lion is, he’s saved my princess and friends in the name of Camelot and is calling himself my knight. But he asked me to meet him—no one else—and I will oblige. The rest of you will stay here in the castle and make plans for battle. If the Snake is coming for Camelot soon, we must be ready to fight him.”
Lancelot stepped forward. “Your Highness, you won’t be safe in the Woods alone. You don’t even know where the Snake is. He could ambush you with his army. It’s too risky—”
“More risky to let this Snake spread lies and depend on a stranger to stop him. A stranger we know nothing about,” said Tedros. “When we were arguing about the Four Point, you were the one who told me to leave the castle and do my job as a king. Well, I’m taking your advice, Sir Lancelot. I’ll go meet this Lion and if he is indeed a loyal ally to our cause, I’ll bring him to fight in our army. I’ll ride into the Woods tonight.”
“Then you’ll take me with you,” said Lancelot.
“No,” Tedros ordered, for his mother’s sake. “You are needed here—”
“A king must have a knight. You will take Lancelot,” said Guinevere’s voice.
Tedros and Lancelot both spun to her, surprised.
“Lancelot was your father’s best knight and champion. Taking Lance is what your father would have done and it’s what you must do too,” said Guinevere, standing tall.
Whatever tension was in her face had been replaced with a firm resolve, leaving no room for negotiation.
“I can’t leave you here alone, Mother. Not without him,” Tedros said, still stunned. In moments like this, she’d always chosen to protect Lancelot over her son. She’d always chosen to protect their love first.
Guinevere turned to the leaders. “While the king and his knight ride into the Woods, I’ll work with your kingdoms to build an army. This boy who calls himself the Lion is surely right. If the Snake’s attacks in the Woods are failing, he will come for Camelot with a vengeance. And he’ll do it soon to rob us of time to regain our strength. It doesn’t matter anymore what the king did or didn’t do at the Four Point. If Camelot falls to the Snake, he will not summon councils or build alliances or solicit your opinions. He has no respect for diplomacy, legitimacy, or the Truth. Many of you saw this firsthand when he tried to murder you and your families. That is just an inkling of what could lie in store for us all. If Camelot falls, then so will all of your realms. From here on out, we are either allies or enemies, and if we are enemies, Good and Evil are both doomed. Choose now.”
Rulers mumbled to each other, giving her suspicious looks, but Guinevere cut them off. “As for your feelings about me, I was once a king’s wife. I know how to execute the work of a queen.” She looked right at the King of Bloodbrook and the Ice Giant of Frostplains. “And if the bounty on my head is worth more than the safety of your people, then by all means, strike the first blow.”
Neither of the Never leaders said a word. The rest of the table gazed at Guinevere with fresh eyes, as did her son, who knew all too well how easy it was to misjudge her. The only sounds in the room were the impatient tweets of the Lion’s sparrow, waiting for a reply to take back to his sender.
“Then it’s decided,” said Tedros, turning to his colleagues. “I will ride to meet this ‘Lion’ and the rest of you will remain at Camelot to prepare for war. My stewards will show you to your rooms. Summit dismissed.”
The leaders dispersed, giving both the king and his mother small nods as they left. Tedros tucked the Lion’s sparrow messenger into his pocket and sewed up the holes in the floating maps with his fingerglow before he glanced up and saw that the room had emptied, save for his mother and Lancelot, embracing in the corner.
Tedros came up behind them. “Thank you for helping me. Both of you. When it came to protecting the kingdom, I know how much my father trusted you as his knight, Sir Lancelot. It’s time I did the same. You are now my knight too.”
Lancelot met the young king’s gaze. “We ride tonight, Your Highness.”
Guinevere lifted her head from Lancelot’s arms, her eyes red and scared, looking between her son and her true love.
“Bring him back safe,” she said.
Tedros didn’t know who she was talking about.
And he didn’t ask.
Tedros blew gently on the black ink until it was dry. He’d rewritten the scroll a few times to make sure his handwriting looked especially regal.
SHERWOOD FOREST TOMORROW
6:00 P.M.
at MARIAN’S ARROW
PASSWORD is “LITTLE JOHN”
—KING TEDROS of CAMELOT
A cool breeze sifted into his bedroom through the open balcony door. Tedros rolled up the parchment, stamped a wax seal of Camelot’s crest, and tucked the message into the sparrow’s feet. He fed the tiny courier a scrap of toast, and leaning out the balcony, he sent it flying into violet evening.