The Man in The Cave

Chapter 22

Morgana rose an eyebrow at the dark-skinned man kneeling in front of her, his helmet was kept under his arm and his hair, a thick set of tight curls was carefully held back. He was very handsome, and by the way her handmaids had whispered amongst themselves upon his arrival, they had thought the same thing.

"Excuse me?" Morgana mumbled with a dress still in her hands. Her handmaids, Katy and Mary were standing at each side of the doors, pressing their lips together in a poor attempt to hide their smiles at Morgana's bewilderment.

"I'm here to escort you to Camelot," he repeated, this time lifting his eyes to see her, he had a shadow of a smile in his lips. Morgana had been perplexed enough when he had managed to step into her chambers without any resistance from any knight. A confusion that only grew when the first thing he did upon stepping in her room was kneel in front of her.

"And you are?" Morgana rose an eyebrow, making a hand gesture for him to stand up. He promptly did so and soon she figured he stood almost a head taller than her.

"Sir Accolon at your service, your majesty, your husband saved my life in the battlefield and in return, the last moment I saw him, unfortunately during his lasts moments, he asked me to make sure that if you chose to leave the castle, you'd reach your destination with safety. If you decided to stay, make sure you were not plotted against" A sad smile grew in Morgana's face. Urien was one of the greatest friends she could have ever asked for, it was strange to think he was no longer in the castle and that they wouldn't stay up talking until late at night. That was the main reason she would be leaving; she had no reason to stay in a place where she had no one to confide in.

"That is a big favor to ask" Morgana mumbled, turning back to putting another dress in her vault, her handmaids returned to work, picking her jewelry and shoes and putting them in other boxes.

"And looking at you, I can understand why he'd make such a request" Morgana's eyes shot in his direction only to find him smiling, helmet still under his arm looking at the window as if the sky was the most interesting thing in the world. She rose an eyebrow, unamused, looking at him up and down.

"I don't trust smooth talkers" she sentenced, picking the last of her dresses and putting closing the vault.

"Not even honest ones?" he inquired. Morgana glared at him

"Especially those who claim they are the honest ones"

"Understandable" he conceded, taking a step closer to her "still, I am a knight who is true to his word, especially to those who saved his life"

"Does that happen often?" Morgana questioned. A different smile rose to his face.

"Not quite. That's why I always keep my word" Accolon assured taking a step back and standing in his heels, his armor rattling when he did so.

Morgana wanted to think of a million excuses to fend him off, a million ways she could assure him she was strong enough to take care of herself in the road to Camelot.

On the other hand, she knew Urien, all those years of marriage and friendship meant something to her. She knew how kind and worrisome the man could be, how he went out of his way to show her how his kingdom worked and the people he personally believed were trustworthy and those who weren't. He always made sure she felt welcomed, asking someone to take care of her right after his brother took over the kingdom was something, she knew he would do, and she didn't want to dishonor his memory.

"And after we're in Camelot, you'll leave?" Morgana inquired, making a quick movement of her hand. Accolon nodded.

"I'll do so once we're both sure you're safe"