King Arthur: Battle for the Sword

Chapter 7

I woke up abandoned in the bed that Arthur relocated me to, looking around for him and not spotting him in the tiny room.

I sat up and pushed off the bed, wandering to the doorway. I could hardly see in the dimly lit grotto. The only thing leading me was sounds that seemed to be emanating from just a few measures away from me. I recognized that it was people having a discussion. But couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I crept closer to them as noiselessly as I could achieve.

"You've got to be jesting," a man's voice responded. "I wish I were, but I am not," a woman's voice replied. "Are you certain?" Arthur's voice demanded. After a pause of no one acknowledging him, "Are you certain?" he reiterated, almost as if he was annoyed with the lack of response. "Yes," the woman spoke sternly, sounding exasperated that Arthur was challenging her certainty of the subject on hand.

"Your friend is listening," the woman announced suddenly, making me freeze in my tracks. "Rose?" Arthur's voice beckoned from the dark. "I'm lost, I can't quite see anything... I was looking for you because you weren't in the room with me when I woke up." I explained hurriedly, anxious he would be furious with me since I was snooping on the King's private consultations.

"We'll speak later," the opposing man stated. I heard shifting and then nothingness, "Arthur?" I murmured into the darkness. "It's ok, I've got you," His voice answered from beside me. "Why is it so dark?" I wondered, as his firm, calloused hands lead me back the way I came, "It's night time. We don't light the halls when it is dark out. To not draw awareness to ourselves and our secret hid out."

"I thought you said that there was a charm?" I doubted him as we strolled beside one another in the dark, "there is, but magic can only work for a time before it wears out. I have a mage who ensures that the spell is working every day to guarantee that no one can find this place, sometimes needing to recast if necessary." I shook my head. My impotent brain not being able to wrap around how witchcraft worked. "Magic has a delicate symmetry, a price if you will," he said, trying his best to explain. We rounded the corner to where I woke up.

I gazed up at his illuminated face, "To be impartial, I don't quite understand magic myself," he chuckled apprehensively. He cleared his throat, "Alright, well, are you hungry? I, myself, am starving." He looked down at me, his blue eyes appearing to glow in the bright room.

"I am quite starved. I haven't eaten a decent meal in a day or so," I admitted, nodding my head. He beamed, "Then it's settled. I'll grab a bite to eat you remain here for my return, alright?" I nodded my head, "It's not like I can get far on my own. It's far too dark for me to get that far." I assumed, looking around the small room.

"Fair enough," Arthur shrugged, "I'll be back soon, rest. You need it," he replied, leaving me to stand alone in the room. I lamented, walking back into the small room, to where the desk resting upon the far wall. I glanced around to find some books filling the top of the wood exterior. I reached to the ledgers and opened the pages to reveal artless scrawling.

May 12,

I continue my practice with the sword, discovering more about the vigor inside the metal and within myself. I was capable of knocking down 5 men without wielding metal.

I promptly closed the book, recognizing that this book was not an average one. I cleared my windpipe and sat the leather-bound book back down. I felt appalling for looking inside Arthur's private journal entry, muddy even. I wouldn't want someone looking into mine if I had one. I moved on to a different one, opening to the first page.

In pain, I did look,

Within my heart,

Far inferior me I took,

A past did thwart,

Where I a crook,

Found my counterpart,

I thought I knew every book,

My life did restart.

I looked up from the unique poetry, my lips pursed in contemplation.

"A poem I wrote after I became King," Arthur's sonorous voice made me flinch and drop the book in shock, "Oh my-" I gasped, covering my mouth and holding my bosom. Arthur let out a chortle, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Though, I would have least expected you to be going through my things," he quipped, advancing toward me.

"Here, food." he offered a plate to me. His eyes peered down at me with interest. "Thank you," I murmured, going to sit in the seat alongside the bed, the most removed one I could sit in from Arthur.

I felt like a chastened child, one who should have known better than to be snooping through someone else's belongings. He chuckled, hauling a stool toward me.

"It's ok, Rose. I wouldn't have left them out if I wasn't assuming you to be interested in me, I don't mind," he stated, sitting down in front of me. I evaded eye contact with him, still embarrassed of my actions, "Please, eat." He said, tapping the plate in front of me. I breathed, taking a small bite of the bread that was on my plate.

"There, was that so hard?" he kidded, sitting back in his chair, finally leaving me alone.

After a few minutes, I sank into a pleasant stillness with Arthur as we ate with each other. I looked up to Arthur, who was already observing me. "So... that discussion... the one that I unintentionally disrupted," I said sheepishly, "did you discover the ones who attacked the castle?" I questioned. He heaved a sigh, placing the food in his hand on his metal dish. He spoke, "Yes. We did." Arthur looked troubled with the topic I brought up, annoyed even. I looked down, regretting that I had even asked about it, "My apologies, I didn't mean to meddle." I mumbled quietly, almost too quiet for Arthur to hear. I didn't realize that asking that would make him get upset. I ruined our dinner with one single question, way to go, Rose.

"It's alright. I presently can't address it until we know for certain who attacked us. It's just gossip otherwise. We know very little at this time, but it is a start." He spoke, stirring the food around his plate disinterested in it anymore. I felt terrible that he was affected this way. Whatever was going on must affect him, clearly disturbing him. "But like I said, gossip until proven otherwise."

I nodded my head, trying to find a way to salvage our dwindling conversation, "Agreed. I always did find it annoying when Lady Blackshire would babble about the other women in the court. It was quite honestly offensive. The way she would speak so illy of the women, though she was no better. She was most likely worse than they ever could be. That woman would spread her legs for any man that would show her any affection, positive or not." I revealed, shocking myself at what I said. Arthur let out a bewildered laugh, "What?" He howled with laughter. I felt my cheeks redden, feeling mischievous with my cabala. "What? It is the truth! She was barren. God Bless her, so she took it upon herself to fling herself in the direction of the opposite sex any chance she got." I said, trying to reel in this audacious change of conversation.

"You should have seen your face," he grinned, shaking his head. I split a smile, "Shush," I murmured, trying to eat my food as the smile on my face only continued to grow, preventing me from chewing. His chuckles died down as we ate in silence. Every so often, he would chuckle to himself, stealing a glance at me and bursting out into laughter again. "What's so funny?!" I demanded, trying to hide my smile and be frustrated with him. It was indeed frustrating that this man laughed at me after I just bore my poor heart out to him.

"You were prude just one day ago, on the fence about being alone with a man, and now look at you," he waved his hand over me, "you're talking to me as if you've known me for years... I think I'm growing on you."

"No, your not. I have a habit of being honest all the time, a terrible downfall of mine." I shrugged, putting more food in my mouth, hoping that this would shut me up. "Whatever you need to convince yourself to help you cope." He shrugged, leaning back smugly in his chair.