Read Online Embark (King Arthur and Her Knights Book 4) by K. M. Shea - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: K. M. Shea
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grabby.
For the sake of her disguise, this was not good.
Britt was wondering if the best escape would be to duck back in the practice ring, when Guinevere shoved her way through the crowd of maidens.
“My Lord, well done!” Guinevere said.
“Ah, thank you,” Britt said. After a moment’s hesitation she offered her arm to the younger girl.
Guinevere thoughtlessly took it and chattered away. “At first I didn’t think you were going to win, even though I know you’re good. The knights from father’s castle told me you had to be among the best to defeat Duke Maleagant, but it really did look like Lancelot was going to beat you. He’s so noble—Lancelot, I mean. Not Maleagant.”
Britt led them away from the pool of girls, her shoulders heaving when they were out of hearing range. “I find myself in the rare position of being the one to thank you.”
Guinevere blinked. “For what?” she asked, completely oblivious to the exit she had just provided.
“Nothing,” Britt sighed.
“It’s a shame Sir Gawain is not here. He is nearly as handsome as Sir Lancelot. It would be a pretty thing to watch him fight,” Guinevere said.
“I see. Enjoy the rest of the matches,” Britt said, nudging her arm in a hint to make Guinevere let go.
“Of course. Thank you,” Guinevere said. She curtseyed and reluctantly went on her way.
Britt groaned and pinched the back of her neck.
“Tough fight?”
“More like hellish fight. He nearly had me there,” Britt groaned. She jumped when she realized whom she was talking to. “Merlin!”
“Hello to you too, lass.”
“Sorry, you caught me off guard,” Britt said.
“So I gathered.”
Britt uncomfortably rubbed her arm and frowned. “How likely is it that there is more to Lancelot than what we see?”
“I would say there’s a good chance. Aren’t you always spouting off as much?” Merlin asked, his wizard-cloak flapping in a breeze.
“I am…but…he might be worse than what I thought,” Britt said.
Merlin snorted. “Now you sound like Kay. Speaking of which, you have made amends with him?”
“I have. Merlin, I’m sorry about yesterday. I—”
Merlin cut Britt off with a raised hand. “I expect your actions had something to do with one of your infernal King Arthur legends from the future?”
“Sort of. I wanted to make sure I stay…relevant, I suppose,” Britt said.
Merlin raised his eyes to the heavens. “Why am I not surprised? I would like to speak of Guinevere.”
“Wait, aren’t you going to further scold me?” Britt asked.
“I would, but that has proven to be an ineffective tool in the past,” Merlin dryly said. “It seems I would experience more success if I guilted you into submission.”
“I always love it when you learn new tricks,” Britt dryly said.
“More importantly,” Merlin said, waggling a finger at Britt before indicating to the ladies. “Watching that gave me an idea.”
“Oh?” Britt asked.
“Indeed. Guinevere is here, feeding off us like a pest, and she already knows about…that. She may as well be useful to us. She could pretend to be your intended,” Merlin said.
“Absolutely not ,” Britt said.
“I know you dislike the girl—I would be remiss if I did not admit that I find her less than tolerable—but you are supposed to be a young man. Sooner or later knights will wonder why you never shower affection on a single female, particularly when you instruct them to do so,” Merlin said.
“Kay doesn’t have a lady either,” Britt said.
“That you know of,” Merlin said.
“What?” Britt frowned.
“Forget Kay. It would be better for your image, anyway.”
“No. If you’re so eager for me to have a cover-up I’ll ask Nymue, but not Guinevere.”
Britt had a rather tumultuous relationship with the mythical Lady of the Lake. When she first met Nymue she forcibly took Excalibur from the faerie lady, but since that rocky start, the two seemed to get along better—exchanging
For the sake of her disguise, this was not good.
Britt was wondering if the best escape would be to duck back in the practice ring, when Guinevere shoved her way through the crowd of maidens.
“My Lord, well done!” Guinevere said.
“Ah, thank you,” Britt said. After a moment’s hesitation she offered her arm to the younger girl.
Guinevere thoughtlessly took it and chattered away. “At first I didn’t think you were going to win, even though I know you’re good. The knights from father’s castle told me you had to be among the best to defeat Duke Maleagant, but it really did look like Lancelot was going to beat you. He’s so noble—Lancelot, I mean. Not Maleagant.”
Britt led them away from the pool of girls, her shoulders heaving when they were out of hearing range. “I find myself in the rare position of being the one to thank you.”
Guinevere blinked. “For what?” she asked, completely oblivious to the exit she had just provided.
“Nothing,” Britt sighed.
“It’s a shame Sir Gawain is not here. He is nearly as handsome as Sir Lancelot. It would be a pretty thing to watch him fight,” Guinevere said.
“I see. Enjoy the rest of the matches,” Britt said, nudging her arm in a hint to make Guinevere let go.
“Of course. Thank you,” Guinevere said. She curtseyed and reluctantly went on her way.
Britt groaned and pinched the back of her neck.
“Tough fight?”
“More like hellish fight. He nearly had me there,” Britt groaned. She jumped when she realized whom she was talking to. “Merlin!”
“Hello to you too, lass.”
“Sorry, you caught me off guard,” Britt said.
“So I gathered.”
Britt uncomfortably rubbed her arm and frowned. “How likely is it that there is more to Lancelot than what we see?”
“I would say there’s a good chance. Aren’t you always spouting off as much?” Merlin asked, his wizard-cloak flapping in a breeze.
“I am…but…he might be worse than what I thought,” Britt said.
Merlin snorted. “Now you sound like Kay. Speaking of which, you have made amends with him?”
“I have. Merlin, I’m sorry about yesterday. I—”
Merlin cut Britt off with a raised hand. “I expect your actions had something to do with one of your infernal King Arthur legends from the future?”
“Sort of. I wanted to make sure I stay…relevant, I suppose,” Britt said.
Merlin raised his eyes to the heavens. “Why am I not surprised? I would like to speak of Guinevere.”
“Wait, aren’t you going to further scold me?” Britt asked.
“I would, but that has proven to be an ineffective tool in the past,” Merlin dryly said. “It seems I would experience more success if I guilted you into submission.”
“I always love it when you learn new tricks,” Britt dryly said.
“More importantly,” Merlin said, waggling a finger at Britt before indicating to the ladies. “Watching that gave me an idea.”
“Oh?” Britt asked.
“Indeed. Guinevere is here, feeding off us like a pest, and she already knows about…that. She may as well be useful to us. She could pretend to be your intended,” Merlin said.
“Absolutely not ,” Britt said.
“I know you dislike the girl—I would be remiss if I did not admit that I find her less than tolerable—but you are supposed to be a young man. Sooner or later knights will wonder why you never shower affection on a single female, particularly when you instruct them to do so,” Merlin said.
“Kay doesn’t have a lady either,” Britt said.
“That you know of,” Merlin said.
“What?” Britt frowned.
“Forget Kay. It would be better for your image, anyway.”
“No. If you’re so eager for me to have a cover-up I’ll ask Nymue, but not Guinevere.”
Britt had a rather tumultuous relationship with the mythical Lady of the Lake. When she first met Nymue she forcibly took Excalibur from the faerie lady, but since that rocky start, the two seemed to get along better—exchanging
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