Queen Of Knights (9 page)

While the guests ate and talked loudly over the entertainment, he once again sought Gwendolyn’s eyes.  He watched her converse with Richard, and felt his heart swell.  He had never met a more beautifu
l
woman, nor one who he
l
d herself so proudly.  He knew himself to be favored by what would soon be his
,
but at the same time he instinctively knew she would be his only on her own terms.

She was no meek daughter of nobility, bred to sew and breed.  His one glimpse of her naked body when he’d first seen her
,
with its smoothly outlined muscles, had told him she was much more than that.  Added to that was the quickness of her mind, and the fascinating mystery within her sky-blue eyes.

Miles reached for his cup and lifted it.  As he did, Arthur bent to his ear.  “It is time,” he whispered.

Miles handed the silver cup
t
o his squire before rising.  He turned to Edward and smiled.  “I leave you to enjoy yourself, and I pray that your head will not hurt overly much in the morning.”

Edward grinned lops
i
ded
l
y and struggled to his feet
. 
“I care not whether my head aches in the morning
,
I shall be seated on wood watching you.  I pray that God grant you victory,” he said as he grabbed Miles’s hand within both of his.

“My thanks,” Miles replied as he left the knight and walked to the center of the High Table.

Suddenly the voices
i
n the courtyard were stilled, and the only sounds were of the musicians
. 
Miles knew every eye was on him as he wa
l
ked.  When he reached Richard, he faced him across the High Tab
l
e and he waited until the king acknowledged him.  Bowing his head, Miles spoke in a voice that carried to everyone’s ears.

“With your permission, Sire, I would retire for the night to prepare for the ‘morrow.”

“Granted,” Richard said.

“Sir Hughes, Lady Gwendolyn
,
good-night,” Miles said, gazing deeply into Gwendolyn’s eyes.  Only then did he turn to face Morgan.  He stared into the other’s hate-filled eyes and bowed his head to the knight.  “On the
‘
morrow,” he said in a low voice.  Without further words, Mi
l
es turned back to Richard, bowed
,
and left the courtyard.  When he reached the archway leading to the south wing of the cas
t
le
,
he turned to see Morgan repeat
i
ng his movements of moments ago.  Miles smiled to himself.  His purposely early departure had been more of a goad at his opponent than a courtesy to the king.  Morgan
’
s stiff formality was the sign he watched for and found.  His being first to leave the feast had served to fuel even more anger in Morgan’s mind.  An angry opponent on a jousting field is less cautious
. 
However, Miles studied his adversary’s movements and saw that the knight was no slouch.  Instinctively Miles saw Morgan was as much a fighter as he himself
.

Footsteps intruded on Miles’s
t
h
o
ughts of the banquet and drew him back to the rea
l
ity of th
e
parapet
. 
He turned to see Roweena, Gwendolyn’s servant approach him.

He waited patiently until the girl reached him and dipped her head
. 
“Yes?”

“My lady sent me, S
i
r Miles
. 
I have a message,” she whispered as if afraid of being overheard
.

“Go on,” Miles instructed gently
.

“It is written,” she replied and handed him a rolled piece of vellum.

Miles accepted the paper and nodded his head.  “Thank you,” he said.

“Sir Miles?” Roweena asked.  “Yes?”

“I pray you win,” she said before quickly disappearing through the archway.

Miles waited until she was gone before he opened the message
. 
Stepping close to a torch, he read the neatly scripted Latin.

When he was finished, he smiled.  The message was short and perfectly put.  “Valkyrie
s
hall watch over you on the fields tomorrow.  On his wings will be my love; it, too, shall watch over you
.
”

Miles folded the message and turned to the edge of the parapet wall
. 
Once again he gazed out at the darkened field where he would be fighting tomorrow.  His mind was strangely calm, and he made an oath to himself that tomorrow he would be victorious.

<><><>

Gwendolyn had avoided any public meeting with Morgan, preferring to speak with h
i
m only at the feast.  Then, after Miles and Morgan had departed, she too had asked the king’s permission to withdraw.  When it was granted, she had returned to her rooms.  With Roweena’s help, she had undressed and changed
into
the tunic she would sleep in.

She sat at her dres
s
ing t
a
ble and gazed fondly at the dagger Miles had given her.  It
s
jeweled pommel reflected the light in the room, and a myriad of sparks flew outward from the handle
. 
Carefully, Gwendolyn slid the blade fr
ee
from the sh
e
ath to look at it
. 
The lightly curved blade bore several indentations, and as she studied them she realized the words were written in the Sarac
e
n language
.

Suddenly there was a knock
i
ng at her door
. 
As Roweena answered it, Gwendolyn p
l
aced the knife on the table and turn
e
d to see who was there
. 
At that very instant, she saw her servant flung away and Morgan step inside.

“I have tried to speak with you since my a
r
rival,” he said in a growling voice.  “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I thought it improp
e
r,” Gwendolyn replied, glancing at the frightened servant to make sure she was all right
.

“Leave us
,
” Morgan ordered.

Rowe
e
na looked at Gwendolyn, and Gwendolyn nodded.

“Wait in your room
,
” she
s
aid to the servant
. 
Both she and Morgan remained
s
ilent until Rowe
e
na disappeared behind her tapestry.  Then Gwendolyn rose to fa
c
e Morgan
.

“How dare you come into my rooms and give my servant
s
ord
e
rs.  This is Kildrake Castle, not Guildswood.”

“You left me no choice! You are betrothed to me!”

“I know,” she replied as she stared into his eyes
. 
Inwardly, Gwendolyn shivered, but nothing of her revulsion show
e
d on her face
. 
“But the king has made a decree, and there i
s
nothing my grandfather can do.”

“I care nothing for what that sodomist has decreed
. 
It should have been John, not Richard, who sits on th
e
throne of England! But it i
s
not, y
e
t! So, my l
a
dy, I will win you again, tomorrow
. 
Gwendolyn, you will be my wife!”

Gwendolyn stay
e
d silent; there were no words to be said.  “When the joust is done, and I have defeated this fool, I will tak
e
you to Guildswood.  “

Gw
e
ndolyn heard both th
e
boast and the threat within hi
s
wo
r
d
s
as she held his ey
es
with h
e
rs.  “There mu
s
t be a marriage first,” Gwendolyn reminded him.

“I h
a
ve already spoken with the king’s bi
s
hop
. 
When the joust i
s
over, I will wed you on the very field where I defeat thi
s
thief of a knight who would steal you from me.  I will w
a
it no long
e
r to have you!” he swore.

Gwendolyn
l
istened to his tirade, noticing that his voice grew huskier with each word he spoke
. 
When he finished
,
he moved unexpectedly
,
and before Gwendolyn could evade him, his arms were around her, pulling her to him
. 
As his mouth reached for hers, Gwendolyn slipped from his hold and stepped back.

“You have not won yet.  Until you do, and we are married, I will not have you pawing me like your whores!”

She saw her words strike Morgan, and she saw his face stiffen even as his eyes widened
. 
His face hardened and he stepped toward her.  Gwendo
l
yn retreated unt
i
l she was against her dressing table.

“
You
w
ant him, not me!”
Morgan declared as he stared at her
. 
“Don’t try to deny it, you deceitful bitch! You planned this, didn’t you? Answer me!” he demanded.

Gwendolyn si
l
ently stared at his angered face.

“No, I did not plan this
,
” she protested, but even as she spoke, she knew her true emotions were visible on her face
. 
Suddenly she no longer cared.

“I will have you,” he whispered.  “No man will stop me.  And when I’ve had you
,
you’ll want no other.”

“You wil
l
never have me,” Gwendolyn hissed as she put her hands on the tab
l
e for support
.

Morgan
’
s face turned darker, and Gwendolyn knew he was about to enter one of his mindless rages.  Morgan’s lips turned ashen just as Gwendolyn’s fingers touched someth
i
ng cool and hard
—
the Saracen dagger.

Then time s
l
owed as Morgan drew his arm back
. 
She saw his hand open, readying to strike her
,
but she had no fear of him as her hand
c
losed around the dagger
’
s handle
.

Moving swift
l
y, before Morgan could react and bring his arm toward her, Gwendolyn brought the dagger out from behind her
. 
With a blurring movement of her arm, the blade flashed in f
r
ont of her and, as Mo
r
gan’s eyes saw the g
l
int of steel, she stepped forward and p
r
essed the point to h
i
s throat, breaking the first layer of his sk
i
n.

“
Leave! Now!” she commanded him.

Slow
l
y, while Morgan’s eyes remained
l
ocked on the dagger, his lowered his hand. 
“
You wi
l
l regret this.”

“Leave!” she repeated.

“I wil
l
leave your
l
over
ly
ing in a pool of his own blood tomorrow.  And tomorrow night, the blood of your virginity had best be on my bed!” Morgan spat the threat at her, turned and walked from the room.

When the door closed, Roweena emerged from behind the tapestry and gazed at Gwendolyn.

“Do not look so worried; Miles will win
,
” she whispered, fighting hard to control her emotions.  Everything had happened quickly, but the few seconds it had taken had seemed like an eternity.

“He must,” Roweena said as her eyes traveled to the door, and then to the dagger, still clenched within Gwendolyn’s fist
.