My foster-brother and his wife’s brood was always growing in size, so the silent little boy was easy to miss at times, though it seemed Thierry was fond of his new little brother.
“You two do that, man the walls if you must.”
“Yes, your majesty!” Thierry responded, thumping a little fist to his chest before scurrying off, probably to find his mother and relay my command to her.
By the time I made it to the courtyard, Guinevere was already there, her skirts floating behind her as she threw herself into my arms as she seemed to have a penchant for doing.
“You can’t go!” she whispered into my ear, her swell of panic evident down our shared bond.
“I must,” I told her softly once she had let me go. Her brown eyes were wide as she glanced from me to the men who were readying themselves around us. “But you will not be alone, little queen.”
Before she could ask what I meant, I raised my voice for all to hear. “Sirs Gawain, Lancelot, and Bedivere will remain at the castle to take care of my queen. Treat them as you would me.”
My declaration caused a ripple effect amongst the crowd of onlookers.
“What are you doing?” Guinevere asked quietly, hanging onto my arm as if to stop me. I could feel similar levels of astonishment from the other two alphas who were hidden amongst the people. Lancelot, who had been trailing behind Guinevere looked as if I had laid a physical blow to him as his eyes narrowed at me.
“We shall speak of it once I return, but I have decided, based on portents from the gods, to follow my fate and create the first pack in Logres.”
“Pack?” Someone asked from behind me. “What is a pack?”
“It will all be revealed once I return,” I boomed, cutting them off. “But for now, I must push these vile Saxons back away from our lands to keep Camelot pure from outside influences.”
As if my earlier words were forgotten completely, the crowd roared their approval as my knights lifted their shields high in the air.
“Your majesty,” Lancelot said, his voice low as the men began to get into formation. “You cannot go into battle without me.”
I would not deny his words completely, but I also knew that his place was here. I could feel it deep in my soul that he would need to remain here along with Bedivere and Gawain.
“Do not worry,” I said, nodding to Merlin who was pulling himself into his saddle. “I have Merlin and the rest of the knights with me. We will be back by tomorrow.”
Lancelot seemed as if he wanted to argue, but his gaze shifted from me to Guinevere who was still huddled beneath my arm.
Then the alpha just nodded once before turning to disappear back into the castle.
“I don’t like this at all,” Guinevere mumbled when I faced her for a kiss. Her lips tasted soft and I lingered longer than was probably decorous, but I wanted to savor this moment.
Cupping her face gently in my hands, I made sure her brown eyes were locked onto mine. “Just be true to yourself and remember that I love you.”
Guinevere’s dark brows rose as she seemed to realize that this was the first time I had uttered such a phrase. Then her brown eyes filled with tears that I quickly kissed away.
“Your majesty,” Sir Kay said from behind me, his wife and brood surrounding his legs. “It is time.”
“I will be back soon,” I promised with one last kiss.
“Wait,” Guinevere said as he dug in her little waist bag, pulling out a handkerchief and tying it around the hilt ofExcalibur. “Andrivete said that this is what wives do when their husbands go away to war.”
The gesture made a purr rattle up my chest as I stared down at the crisp white fabric.
Guinevere pressed a hand to my chest, just over my heart. “Just make sure you come back in one piece, okay?”
I nodded, wanting nothing more than to carry her upstairs and make love to her until the moon was high in the sky.
But first, I needed to face the hazy future I had seen in my dreams.
Pulling myself up into Llamarei’s saddle, I turned to face Guinevere who was flanked by Lancelot, Gawain, and Bedivere. Just as I knew it should be.
“Are you ready, Arthur?” Merlin asked as he pulled his horse up next to mine.
