A Legendary Love

Chapter Ten

Jen found the following days torturous. She planned her day around how best to avoid coming into contact with Lancelot, Lady Elaine, Ban, Lady Helen, and Uther. Her list was growing longer by the day which made it nearly impossible to do anything.

Arthur, on the other hand, was insistent on spending as much time with Jen as possible, but when they did spend time together, it felt like he wasn't actually present. He often lost track of the conversation, or just didn't hear Jen when she spoke. His mind was constantly on the treaty between Camelot and Benoic – it was quickly becoming apparent that Ban had come with an agenda to be as difficult as possible about the treaty. For something that had been months in the making, and pretty much settled and agreed when Arthur had been in Ban's court months before, Ban suddenly had a lot of fine details to settle prior to the formal agreement being signed.

Jen was sure that Ban suspected he would be able to undermine Arthur, and thereby Camelot, if he stuck around long enough. She was also sure that Ban had tasked his son with trying to ruin the relationship between Arthur and herself. Jen suspected this as – try and she might to avoid him – Lancelot was everywhere she turned. How it was even possible, Jen was uncertain, as she deliberately kept her daily pattern random, never sticking to a routine.

The only routine she did have was her weekly date with Arthur in the secret garden, which is where she found herself one Tuesday three weeks after Ban's arrival.

"Any further forward on ironing out those kinks in the treaty?" Jen enquired as she picked at another long steam of grass. Arthur had been staring at the clouds in silence for ten straight minutes at this point.

"Hmm?" Arthur replied distractedly.

"Do you think that the treaty will be finalised soon?"

"Unsure – I would hope so; Ban is starting to really nit-pick," Arthur said.

"And then Ban and his party will leave Camelot to return to Benoic?" Jen asked, trying to keep her voice flat so as to not give away her excitement at the prospect.

"Why do you ask?" Arthur asked suspiciously as he eyed his fiancée.

Jen offered a shrug in response, unsure of how to reply. Instead, she lay down in the tall grasses next to Arthur and gazed up at the clouds floating peacefully over their heads.

"If you could have any magical ability, what would you want to have?" she asked instead. "I think I would like to be able to fly."

"Where would you go if you could fly?" Arthur asked, deflecting the question as he turned his gaze back to the skies.

"Nowhere in particular," Jen replied with a sigh. "I would just like to be able to be up there, with the wind under my wings."

"So, you would want wings, rather than just the ability to fly?" Arthur teased. "What colour would your feathers be?"

Jen dug an elbow into his side as they both laughed gently. "You still need to answer the question," Jen reminded him after a pause.

"I think I would like to be able to read minds," Arthur said in a serious tone. "Either that or be able to see the future."

The pair turned their heads to face each other, staring into the other's eyes. Jen was alarmed at the intense look behind Arthur's eyes. She felt his gaze search Jen's face for something, but she wasn't quite sure what. It was almost as if he was testing his ability to read minds, just as he had wished for.

Whatever he was searching for, it was apparent he didn't find it, as he let out a frustrated sigh as he tore his eyes away from Jen's face.

"We should return to the Castle," he said reluctantly. "I am almost certain that Ban will be looking for me to discuss yet another tiny detail of this treaty."