Read Online Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley - Free Book Online Page A

bested Marhaus, but he basked in the glory of having fought him to a standstill. When Arthur slid the thickest of the gold bracelets over his hand, Gawain grinned up at us, the impish nature of the boy I’d known in childhood still beaming from his face.
    To Cei went an ornate inlaid bracelet, for the Seneschal loved elegance, no matter how old or battered. And a fine golden torque was laid aside for Bedivere, who had given his hand in the service of his King—though the lieutenant was too badly wounded to attend the ceremony, all witnessed how deeply Arthur cared.
    So the men came forward to receive their due, to bend the knee, to thank us in their individual ways. Pellinore and Lamorak; Griflet and Geraint and Cador of Cornwall; Palomides and the skinny lad, Pelleas-—the names spun out, the rewards were given.
    I gasped when Dagonet announced Accolon of Gaul. This was the young warrior who had come to serve Arthur and been seduced by Morgan le Fey instead. Memory of my sister-in-law’s anger danced around me—raging little wildcat, hissing and screaming at me in fury. As Accolon approached I wondered whether his presence meant the Lady had gotten over her pique, or that his desire for a warrior’s glory was stronger than his love for her.
    Bors of Brittany came next, bounding across the space before us and asking leave to present his cousin Lancelot.
    I leaned forward, eager to meet the Champion who had been raised at the Sanctuary.
    The torches guttered suddenly, and I blinked in consternation; it was Kevin, the first love of my youth, who moved forward and knelt in homage.
    Stunned, I stared at the dark head before me. My heart was pounding in my ears and I began to breathe again only after Arthur spoke and the stranger looked up.
    This Lancelot had the same triangular face as Kevin, with a broad brow and blue eyes set wide under a shock of black hair. But there the similarity ended, for the newcomer had too many teeth—they gave his mouth a full and sensual look quite unlike Kevin’s. And, of course, he wasn’t lame as the Irish boy had been.
    I glanced down and saw that my knuckles were white from clinging to the arms of the chair.
    “My dear,” Arthur said warmly, “this is the warrior I told you about; the one who saved Bedivere’s life. Lancelot, my Queen, Guinevere.”
    The hero turned stiffly in my direction, his manner polite but constrained. I smiled, as much from relief as pleasure at meeting him, and waited unsuccessfully for him to smile back.
    “Your Highness,” he murmured in acknowledgment, but stared right through me the same way the stuffy Christian bishops do. His attitude surprised me, for I am friend as well as Queen to most of the men and used to being treated as such.
    “We are much indebted to both your families,” Arthur was saying, including Bors in his announcement. “You have always come to our aid when we needed you. So as a token of our appreciation, I give you each a purse of gold coins.”
    A gasp went through the rest of the Companions—coins have not been seen in Britain for many years now, and the idea of any warrior receiving such a gift was amazing. Clearly it was a mark of the highest esteem, and I hoped it would make our visitor from Brittany unbend a little.
    “I did not come to fight beside you for pay, M’lord,” Lancelot said, looking at the proffered pouch as though it were something loathsome.
    “Of course you didn’t,” Arthur answered genially. “I know that very well. But even King Ban’s son must incur expenses, and I cannot believe that your father would be any less generous to a warrior who served him as well as you’ve served me.”
    The stranger continued to hesitate, and Arthur made a show of leaning forward and plopping the bag of money in his hand.
    “For goodness’ sake, Lance, take the stuff,” he urged under his breath. “It’s not going to corrupt your commitment, and it will show the others how much I value you.”
    A sudden smile