The Kidnapped Prince

The Tavern

That night, the knights, ladies, squires, and Prince gather around a table in the far corner, away from the barkeep and other patrons. Their conversation is not for the faint of heart and not for prying ears.

The company settles into a quiet contentment with food and ale. 

The quiet only lasts a few moments before Lady Alys launches into the tale of Lady Alys and The Hay Revenge. Galahad sighs and lets his head drop onto the table. A large groan slips out of his mouth. Gaheris, on the other hand, covers his face with his hands. 

Lady Alys grins. 

Prince Lohot smiles and laughs at the squire's foolish mistake. Like the grand master, he also remembered the lady's allergy. 

Then, Sir Percival boasts about Lady Rhoslyn. He starts with the time she encountered the wyvern after getting out of the cave. Then, he moves on to the wyvern she made explode. The Prince's reaction is precisely what he wanted. 

After a few minutes of silence, Lady Alys goes to leave but stops when Prince Lohot speaks. His voice breaks from the emotion. "While I was in captivity, I noticed something strange,"

"Strange how?" Sir Percival asks tenderly.

"Strange as in it was my Aunt Morgan's face who looked back at me while we rode to Rheged," Prince Lohot states, staring intently at his ale. "And Sir Owain. It didn't feel right,"

Prince Lohot settles into a tale of how his captors were able to sneak him out of Camelot. Starting with a blonde curly-haired servant he didn't recognize. The Prince remembers her being friendly and handing him a glass of wine to calm his nerves about dancing with young ladies.

It wasn't something the Prince would typically do, but since it was offered, he accepted. The wine didn't taste any different than the wine he'd had before, but he did feel strange after a minute or two. The servant immediately noticed his change in behaviour and helped Prince Lohot sit in a chair.

The servant then left the room to find a knight who happened to be Sir Owain. Sir Owain was given strict instructions to find Master Merlin and to bring him to the Prince's room. When the servant returned, she alerted the Prince that the knight was fetching the sorcerer.

It was at the mention of Master Merlin that the young Prince fell unconscious in his chair. The servant slaps the Prince's cheek three times in rapid succession. Satisfied that he's out cold, the woman lets Sir Owain into the room.

The knight and woman together roll the Prince up in a wool rug. Once rolled up, the woman escorts Sir Owain and effectively the Prince out to a wagon. The woman climbs into the front of the wagon and ushers the horse to walk.

The woman finds no resistance on her way out of the kingdom.

Back with Sir Owain, he waits until some poor sod is within range to throw the knife at the head. The blade sinks into the wall, and Sir Owain is out of sight before Galahad can scream.

Once out of Camelot, the knight meets up with the woman.

The first night in the forest, Prince Lohot wakes from his forced slumber. The Prince tries screaming for help. He stops when Sir Owain threatens him with a knife and tells him to shut up.

Prince Lohot growled at the knight. Expressly stating, "You have kidnapped and threatened me. You are no longer recognized by Camelot as one of her knights. My Father will have your head."

Sir Owain smiled wide and told the Prince that his patroness would have the Prince's head if he were not careful.

The following day, Prince Lohot is surprised to see his aunt instead of the blonde servant. He tries to reason with her, but Sir Owain keeps him in line. More threats.

The rest of the journey flies by.

When the trio arrives in Carlise, Prince Lohot is ushered into the fortress's main keep—a shallow excuse for a castle.

A day later, Queen Morgan visits the Prince. As the Queen enters the room, Prince Lohot finishes tying his bed sheets to one of the posts of the bed. The rest of the sheets hang out the window—a clear vision for escape. 

The Prince sprints for the open window, but Queen Morgan is too quick. She uses her magic to close the window with no regard for the Prince's fingers. The Queen tells the Prince to stay inside the room. She growls if she finds out he has escaped; she will turn him into a goat and, in no uncertain terms, have him killed and fed to the people. 

Days after the encounter with the Queen, ladies Rhoslyn and Alys rescue him.

Sir Gawain glances from Sir Bedivere to his Prince. "You don't think it's Queen Morgan who's pulling the strings,"

"No. It didn't sound like my aunt when she talked to me. Well, she sounded like her but didn't talk how she talks," Prince Lohot scrunches his nose and furrows his brow as he thinks. "If that makes sense,"

"I've known Queen Morgan since we were young children," Sir Bedivere muses. He lifts his mug of ale to his lips and draws a deep mouthful. "This doesn't sound like her,"

"Then why did we avoid her at Carlise?" Gaheris asks.

"In case it wasn't a ruse," Galahad answers before the grand master could utter a word.

Gaheris nods, realizing he could have come to that conclusion if he'd kept his mouth shut a moment longer.

Sir Bedivere makes a point of ignoring his squire's out-of-turn answer. He instead chalks it up to exhaustion and the ale. The grand master turns to the sullen-looking Prince. The Prince's ordeal is more than a young man of his years should go through.

"Get some sleep, Sire," Sir Bedivere states, giving the young Prince a reassuring smile. "We can all do with some sleep. And it's a long ride to Camelot tomorrow. See you all in the morning,"

A bunch of "yes sirs" echo in Sir Bedivere's ears.

The knights and Lady Alys stand. The young lady links her arm through Sir Gawain's, and the couple head upstairs. Galahad, Gaheris and Prince Lohot follow hot on their heels.

The Grand Master stays behind when Lady Rhoslyn doesn't move. He knows she heard. But he also knows she can be slow to react when she's deep in thought.

"Percival, wait one moment," Lady Rhoslyn calls out to the knight. The tall commander stops climbing the stairs and walks back down. He stops at the table and nods to Sir Bedivere.

Lady Rhoslyn lets out a shaky breath. "I promised to give you my answer when we got to Camelot,"

"And?" Sir Percival tries to keep his voice from showing any anticipation but can't help but feel excited and sick simultaneously.

"...Yes,"

"You don't sound so sure,"

Lady Rhoslyn sighs. She's been waiting for days to find the right time to tell him. She nearly told him back in the perilous lands when his head was nearly bitten off. This was as good as any time to tell him. "I've been watching you around my sister, and you have behaved admirably. So yes, I am sure,"

"Can I be the first to congratulate you two?" Sir Bedivere asks.

Lady Rhoslyn smiles and nods to the older knight. She and Lady Alys have always regarded him as a fatherly figure, and that will not stop now that the sisters are to wed. "Of course, Sir Bedivere,"

Sir Bedivere grins and congratulates the couple. "Now, off to bed...in separate rooms,"

Lady Rhoslyn and Sir Percival chuckle. The knight offers her arm to the lady but is put off by Sir Bedivere's deep frown.

"No, one can never be too careful. I will escort the lady to her room, and you I'll see back in our room," Sir Bedivere states, standing up. The grand master links his arm through Lady Rhoslyn's and escorts her to her shared room with her sister.