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loved_by_twoAfter the meeting with Arthur and the other knights, Guinevere had made a break for their rooms as fast as she could. Once there, she changed into her leathers and stalked down to the stables. The meeting had been Hell on earth and painful all at the same time. Arthur was riding out to deal with rebellion and wanted them to accompany him. When she had asked if he wanted her by his side or guarding the fortress...his answer (or non-answer) had been like an arrow deep in her chest.
She saddled Defiance and she and her usual escort thundered from the fort. It was no longer a squire that accompanied her on these outings. Lancelot had pressed one of the knights into guard duty service for Guinevere.
After about fifteen minutes of heavy riding, she slowed her mare to a stop and patted her neck soothingly.
She swung off Defiance and waited as the knight did as well.
"Attack me," she said simply.
The knight's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
Guinevere gritted her teeth. "I know you heard exactly what I said. Attack me."
The knight cocked his head at Guinevere. "My Queen?"
Guinevere sighed. "Look, I need combat right now and you're the only one around. However, if you are too afraid of the beating I'm about to give you, I'm sure I can find a Celtic warrior somewhere around here who'd love to fight me."
The knight's eyes narrowed when Guinevere said she could beat him easily. "How do I know that when I win Arthur and Lancelot won't kill me for harming you?"
Guinevere laughed. "You won't win, but I promise that the last thing you need to worry about is revenge from Arthur and Lancelot." With everything that is going on right now, they wouldn't notice or think to do anything about it.
The knight tossed his helmet aside since he didn't want to run the risk of impaling his queen with the spike that stood out from the top of it and then he drew his sword. He leapt at Guinevere, thinking that he could slap her with the sword and end the fight before it even started. Guinevere stepped to the side, tripping the knight with the end of her bow and leaning on it as she watched him go face first into the ground.
"You're going to have to do better than that," she taunted.
For the next ten minutes, Guinevere and the knight engaged in hand to hand combat. She was turning out to be a better fighter than he had given her credit for.
"Aren't you suppose to be our Queen or something?" the knight demanded.
"I AM your Queen," she hissed as she danced out of his way.
"You're not a queen," the knight taunted. "You're just the woman that is warming Arthur's bed currently."
The knight wasn't trying to be cruel or hurtful. He was just trying to goad Guinevere into slipping up. He could tell that there was something beyond tension driving her, and if she was half the warrior he had heard she was, losing her temper in a fight would help her immensely.
Guinevere froze for a long moment as her mind processed what the knight had just said.
"You're not a queen. You're just the woman that is warming Arthur's bed currently."
The knight was already swinging his sword when he saw that Guinevere wasn't making an attempt to dodge it. In his mind, he lived his death several times before he suddenly found himself on the ground with a furious Guinevere on his chest, holding a blade to his throat.
"The relationship that Arthur and I have is none of your business, stripling," she warned him. "If you ever say something like that again I will carve your heart out and feed it to Tristan's hawk!"
Guinevere flipped herself off of him and he swung his sword, connecting with her hip and opening a gash. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just done.
He watched Guinevere's eyes fill with pain and then with battle lust.
I am a dead man.
Guinevere staggered back, pressing a hand to her side as she felt the sticky warmth of blood beneath her fingers. Pain flared to life as she looked down at her bloody hand and then at the knight.
"Nice shot," she said softly.
The knight dropped his sword and moved to wrap an arm around his queen to keep her from going down to the ground.
"My Queen...God, Guinevere!" he cursed as he took in the damage he had done to Arthur's wife. "Arthur is going to kill me," he hissed as he set her down on the grass and went to his pack for something to dress the wound.
Guinevere shook her head. "Arthur isn't going to kill you because Arthur isn't going to know," she said softly. "He doesn't need to know that I got hurt sparring with you. It would serve no purpose."
The knight shook his head stubbornly. "I am not lying to my King."
"I am not asking you to lie to anyone, young knight. If you are asked, then yes, tell the truth. But there is no reason to just go around telling Arthur or the Knights what was done."
The knight frowned, but didn't argue with her. He bandaged Guinevere enough to get her back to the castle and then helped her onto Defiance. After he saw her back to the tavern, he set out to find someone he could inform that Guinevere was hurt. Queen or not, she had a sword slice in her side and those that cared about her needed to know.
She saddled Defiance and she and her usual escort thundered from the fort. It was no longer a squire that accompanied her on these outings. Lancelot had pressed one of the knights into guard duty service for Guinevere.
After about fifteen minutes of heavy riding, she slowed her mare to a stop and patted her neck soothingly.
She swung off Defiance and waited as the knight did as well.
"Attack me," she said simply.
The knight's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
Guinevere gritted her teeth. "I know you heard exactly what I said. Attack me."
The knight cocked his head at Guinevere. "My Queen?"
Guinevere sighed. "Look, I need combat right now and you're the only one around. However, if you are too afraid of the beating I'm about to give you, I'm sure I can find a Celtic warrior somewhere around here who'd love to fight me."
The knight's eyes narrowed when Guinevere said she could beat him easily. "How do I know that when I win Arthur and Lancelot won't kill me for harming you?"
Guinevere laughed. "You won't win, but I promise that the last thing you need to worry about is revenge from Arthur and Lancelot." With everything that is going on right now, they wouldn't notice or think to do anything about it.
The knight tossed his helmet aside since he didn't want to run the risk of impaling his queen with the spike that stood out from the top of it and then he drew his sword. He leapt at Guinevere, thinking that he could slap her with the sword and end the fight before it even started. Guinevere stepped to the side, tripping the knight with the end of her bow and leaning on it as she watched him go face first into the ground.
"You're going to have to do better than that," she taunted.
For the next ten minutes, Guinevere and the knight engaged in hand to hand combat. She was turning out to be a better fighter than he had given her credit for.
"Aren't you suppose to be our Queen or something?" the knight demanded.
"I AM your Queen," she hissed as she danced out of his way.
"You're not a queen," the knight taunted. "You're just the woman that is warming Arthur's bed currently."
The knight wasn't trying to be cruel or hurtful. He was just trying to goad Guinevere into slipping up. He could tell that there was something beyond tension driving her, and if she was half the warrior he had heard she was, losing her temper in a fight would help her immensely.
Guinevere froze for a long moment as her mind processed what the knight had just said.
"You're not a queen. You're just the woman that is warming Arthur's bed currently."
The knight was already swinging his sword when he saw that Guinevere wasn't making an attempt to dodge it. In his mind, he lived his death several times before he suddenly found himself on the ground with a furious Guinevere on his chest, holding a blade to his throat.
"The relationship that Arthur and I have is none of your business, stripling," she warned him. "If you ever say something like that again I will carve your heart out and feed it to Tristan's hawk!"
Guinevere flipped herself off of him and he swung his sword, connecting with her hip and opening a gash. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just done.
He watched Guinevere's eyes fill with pain and then with battle lust.
I am a dead man.
Guinevere staggered back, pressing a hand to her side as she felt the sticky warmth of blood beneath her fingers. Pain flared to life as she looked down at her bloody hand and then at the knight.
"Nice shot," she said softly.
The knight dropped his sword and moved to wrap an arm around his queen to keep her from going down to the ground.
"My Queen...God, Guinevere!" he cursed as he took in the damage he had done to Arthur's wife. "Arthur is going to kill me," he hissed as he set her down on the grass and went to his pack for something to dress the wound.
Guinevere shook her head. "Arthur isn't going to kill you because Arthur isn't going to know," she said softly. "He doesn't need to know that I got hurt sparring with you. It would serve no purpose."
The knight shook his head stubbornly. "I am not lying to my King."
"I am not asking you to lie to anyone, young knight. If you are asked, then yes, tell the truth. But there is no reason to just go around telling Arthur or the Knights what was done."
The knight frowned, but didn't argue with her. He bandaged Guinevere enough to get her back to the castle and then helped her onto Defiance. After he saw her back to the tavern, he set out to find someone he could inform that Guinevere was hurt. Queen or not, she had a sword slice in her side and those that cared about her needed to know.