Reclaiming England. (Nano Novel 2016)

Chapter Fourteen: Aftermath

       

"He what?" Arthur demanded, slamming his hands onto the table. The young man –  still a boy yet, in front of him licked his lips nervously, not sure he wanted to tell his king what had happened.

   "Sir Meliagrance has kidnapped Queen Guinevere and taken her to his castle," he repeated.

  Arthur let out a breath, pushing himself from the table and pacing back and forth.

  "I must ride after the traitor!" he said, spinning again. "Ready my horse."

   The messenger hesitated, and when Arthur saw this, his face darkened.

  "What troubles you," he said slowly, trying to remain calm.

   "The queen, she – she requested I fine Sir Lancelot and deliver her ring to him, and ask him for aid."

   Arthur let out another breath of air, turning away from the messenger and running his hands through his hair.

   "She turns to Lancelot instead of her husband," he asked, not turning around.

   "I'm afraid so, sire," the boy said, looking nervously at the ground. Arthur turned, struggling to hold in his anger, and nodded once.

   "Thank you for brining me this information," he said. "You may leave now."

   "It is my duty sire," the boy said, and bowed, rushing out of the room. As soon as he had left, Arthur let out a bellow, sweeping his hand across the table and pushing the papers and quills to the floor.

  His anger cooled now, he collapsed into a chair, burying his head in his hand. Why did she turn to Lancelot? Was he not good enough for her? He did not know, but he knew that – despite Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred's insistence – he refused to do anything about their affair. She was his wife, and he was his friend.

  He let out a sigh, lifting his head and staring blankly at the mess of parchment on the floor. He would have to act against Lancelot and Guinevere eventually, but not today.

   Maria opened her eyes slowly, blinking them against the light. Part of her was surprised she was still alive, but part of her was annoyed she was still alive. She didn't want to wake up, it was nice being asleep.

  Closing her eyes again, she let out a sigh. A slight movement beside her alerted her to the presence of someone and she opened her eyes again. A face came into focus above her, and she could see Lance peering at her worriedly.

  "'Ria?" he asked tentatively, and Maria groaned. She pushed herself to a sitting position, wincing as her side sent a bust of pain through her body. She was lying in a small room, undecorated and with only a bed and chair in it. She was occupying the bed, and Lance the chair.

   "You okay?" Lance asked, reaching out to help her sit.

   "Yeah. I only got scratched," she said, pulling her shirt up to see the damage. The shirt wasn't her usual white one – that one was probably ruined from the blood – but an old grey one, slightly to small for her. The wound was neatly covered with a bandage, and the bandage wasn't too blood-soaked – so she decided it wasn't a bad wound.

   "What happened?" Lance asked worriedly, leaning back on the chair and frowning.

   "They knew our position," Maria said wearily. "They ambushed the ambushers."

   Lance was quiet, kicking his feet against the floor. Finally, Maria had to ask, though she didn't really want to know the answer.

   "Who came back?" she asked. Lance bit his lip, looking down.