Merlin's Daughters Page 10

  Chapter 7

  Gwyneth took advantage of her travels to do some work on her own. Everywhere they went, she met with the Nether World spies, and in particular the Witches who had spread out among Earth's Realms, taking up residence in small out-of-the way places, serving as healers and midwives, ready to help in times of Trouble. Gwyneth tapped that network for information and she passed along what she learned from her travels to the spies from the Nether World.

  Gwyneth had no idea that she was part Witch, but she knew she had an astonishing array of magical powers including healing powers. When Galahad's band entered a village, Galahad provided assistance by going out and fighting with whatever enemy was besetting the people, and he never failed to win. Gwyneth, in the meantime, addressed the suffering of the people directly, healing wounds, assuring and comforting the fearful, and (perhaps most importantly of all) simply sitting quietly and listening to peoples' stories.

  In addition to healing and listening to the poor and suffering, Gwyneth sought out the leaders and potential leaders in each village and hamlet. She spent time with each of them, bolstering their courage and casting enchantments in an effort to develop a layer of leadership in Britain that could care for the people after she and Galahad had moved on. She let the Nether World spies know which Humans they should notify in the event of trouble.

  Slowly, while Galahad rid the countryside of dragons and evildoers, Gwyneth prepared the Human Realm for the Trouble that was to come, just as she had prepared her own Realm. Her fame as a healer and a wise woman spread as broadly and rapidly as Galahad's. She was known among the people as “Galahad's Maid.”

  Of course, Gwyneth's actions did not escape detection by Guenevere's spies and cronies. As Galahad's fame spread, so did Gwyneth's. Guenevere knew what her sister was up to, and she was both amused and annoyed. Consequently, she redoubled her attacks on the Fairy Realm, sending hoards of Warlocks to roam the countryside, terrorizing the gentle Fairies. They found the land virtually uninhabited, the Fairies having taken refuge in underground hiding places or by turning themselves into inanimate objects like stones. Warlocks were not particularly fond of killing, but they liked to terrorize people; they loved to torture and maim, watching fear rising in the eyes of their victims, whom they generally refrained from killing. They liked for their victims to live in order to tell others of the experience, and thereby spread fear of the Warlocks. The problem was that they found almost no Fairies alive to terrorize.

  The only beings they found living openly were Witches. Occasionally a really powerful or exceptionally sneaky Warlock could best a young, inexperienced or marginally competent Witch, but they generally left Witches alone because, in a fair fight, Witches were much stronger than Warlocks. The roaming bands of Warlocks left the Witches alone, although they did report back that there seemed to be an inordinate number of Witches in the Fairy Realm, and virtually no Fairies.

  Guenevere found that odd.

  The Priestesses of the Grail would be in grave peril had the Warlocks found them. Gretel had met with several of the Monarchs and some of the most experienced and powerful mages among the Nether World to consider how to protect the Priestesses. The group decided to cast a spell on the entire glade in which the Priestesses lived, making it invisible. The spell would only work if the Priestesses remained inside the glade and did not venture close to the boundary of visibility. They would essentially be prisoners.

  A delegation of Fairies, Witches and a couple of Trolls met with the leaders of the convent and explained the plan. The woman who had taken charge after Vivien left agreed to the plan because imprisonment in their cozy convent would be preferable to taking their chances with a hoard of Warlocks bent on terrorizing the populace. The Priestesses, with help from a group of Fairies who came out of hiding for the purpose, gathered supplies that would last them several years. They also gathered seeds to plant a garden in the courtyard and brought in chickens and cows for eggs and milk. Once they were as prepared as they thought they could be, Gretel and her allied mages cast the spell. The convent disappeared and would remain out of contact with anyone until the Trouble was over and the spell was lifted.

  Guenevere's Warlocks ranged further into the Nether World, and everywhere they went they found one of two things: on the one hand, in the Realms of the Fairies and the Sprites, they found villages and hamlets that were empty of creatures and bare of crops or animals; on the other hand, in the Realms of the Trolls, Dwarfs and Elves, they were met with armed resistance. The entire Nether World, it appeared, was prepared for War. The Warlocks reported back to Guenevere that their campaign of terror was not having the desired effect.

  Guenevere ordered them to travel through the Fairy and Sprite Realms, setting fire to every building they found, destroying fields, killing any animals they encountered. She told them to lay waste to the land itself. Even Warlocks balked at that senseless destruction, but they did it anyway because they knew that if they didn't follow her instructions, Guenevere would find someone else who would, and she would punish them for their disobedience.

  Gwyneth heard the news from the spy network and she was devastated. It was all she could do not to abandon Galahad and return home. She didn't do so, because she knew that was exactly what Guenevere was trying to get her to do. As long as Gwyneth remained in the Human Realm under the protection of Arthur's household, Guenevere could not directly attack her. She knew that one day she would have to face her sister, but Gwyneth was determined to make that a day and a place of her choosing, not Guenevere's.

  The messengers from the Nether World and the spies Gwyneth met on her travels had nothing but bad news. Gwyneth steeled herself to take it, and she responded with loving and encouraging words for her Fairies and the others who were suffering so much because of what amounted to a family feud between sisters. Gwyneth had never felt guilty about being the sister of the Black Fairy, but as the tales of Guenevere's evil mounted, Gwyneth sometimes did feel guilty that she had not recognized how wicked Guenevere was earlier in their lives and had not figured out a way to neutralize her. She shook off those feelings knowing that there was no way to change the past, and knowing that she had enough to deal with in the present.

  Gwyneth found herself enjoying the traveling life, questing and meeting new and interesting people. If nothing else it gave her the satisfaction of both keeping Galahad out of Guenevere's clutches and directly helping a lot of people who were beset by trouble from a variety of origins. She liked being of service to those in need.

  Unfortunately, Arthur did not like having Galahad away from Court for such long periods of time. Arthur ordered them to return to Camelot.

  The first couple of days they were back in Court, they rested in Galahad's apartments, bathing, mending clothes and preparing themselves to deal with the combined drama and claustrophobia of the Court. On the third night, Arthur hosted a feast in honor of Galahad's return. Galahad was seated at the head table between Arthur and Guenevere. Lancelot sat to Guenevere's right.

  The ladies-in-waiting hovered in the background. Nimue attended Arthur. Gwyneth attended Galahad. Lancelot did not have a regular attendant because Guenevere was too jealous to let him get too close to any one woman, so one Guenevere's maids usually waited on both of them. While they were waiting for the kitchen staff to bring the food from the kitchens, Gwyneth greeted Niniane and the two of them chatted with the other attendants. Niniane turned to a new woman and said, “Gwyneth, I want to introduce you to Morgaine, Guenevere's lady.”

  Gwyneth looked into the eyes of Morgaine Le Fay and couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Gwyneth did not know where Morgaine came from or anything of her lineage (if she had, she might have pursued a different course of action), but she did know that Morgaine had been an acolyte of Merlin's and was a long-time friend and ally of Guenevere. That was bad enough. Gwyneth probed around Morgaine's aura as they chatted. She was somewhat gratified to discover that Morgaine was not a powerful mage. She was primarily
trained as a healer and she had evidently learned some of the tricks Merlin taught women acolytes, usually involving changing their appearance. She was not a potent magical force. That did not mean she wasn't dangerous. On the contrary, a creature with a little knowledge of magic and the lust for more was the most dangerous creature of all in Gwyneth's experience.

  She greeted Morgaine with a kiss on the cheek and a few blandly pleasant words. After that the kitchen staff brought the first trays of food from the kitchen, trays upon trays of roast meats and stews and every other manner of disgusting Human food. During dinners at Camelot it was all Gwyneth could do not to be sick or to run away. Gwyneth found herself thinking that it was no wonder Humans only lived a few decades, given their abominable diet. Nimue must have picked up on that thought or thought the same thing simultaneously because she looked at Gwyneth and made a nasty face. The two women laughed. That was a mistake.

  Guenevere had discovered Gwyneth's disguise because of her fame as “Galahad's Maid.” She also suspected Niniane, who had insinuated herself into Arthur's household, but she had not determined for certain why. When Nimue laughed, her magical aura glimmered for an instant, revealing the powerful mage for only a second. Both Guenevere and Morgaine saw it. They didn't know who Nimue was, but they knew she was allied with Gwyneth and they could tell she was strong. Gwyneth and Nimue had lost their anonymity.

  Gwyneth watched Morgaine. There was something troubling about the relationship between Morgaine and Guenevere. It seemed to Gwyneth that Guenevere genuinely liked Morgaine and saw herself to be Morgaine's mentor and protector. Morgaine seemed to have a very different understanding of the relationship. She felt that Guenevere was wrong to trust Morgaine.

  The entire atmosphere at Court had changed while Gwyneth and Galahad were abroad. The wars Arthur had been fighting against Saxons and other enemies had been very successful, and, for the moment, Britain was at peace. That meant that virtually all of the knights remained at Court most of the time. The presence of the knights attracted kings and lords from all over Britain, and beyond, who would marry their daughters to a Knight of the Round Table. Too many beautiful women and too many restless knights, pages and other young males living under the same roof was a recipe for disaster. Disaster happened on a more or less regular basis, and the drama at Court ran as high as the hormones.

  It might have been amusing to watch had it only involved the pages and lesser knights.

  Gwyneth was alarmed to discover that the rampant seduction was not so limited. The torrid affair between Guenevere and Lancelot continued. In the past, they had been careful to limit their assignations to those times when Arthur was away. With Arthur in Court almost all the time, Guenevere and Lancelot became stupidly bold and spent time alone in her apartments more or less regularly, and right under Arthur's nose.

  To make matters worse, Guenevere persisted in toying with most of the other knights as well, often pitting them against one another in a rivalry for her “second favorite”. Those rivalries occasionally erupted into fights among the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur railed against them for their immature behavior, without knowing the source of the problem.

  Arthur was not immune to the cabin fever. Having spent several years trying to impregnate Guenevere and without Merlin to do his magic, Arthur turned to Nimue for advice. Nimue made a suggestion that nearly got her banished from the court at first and which, in the end, resulted in catastrophe. She suggested that Arthur put Guenevere aside and marry a maiden, perhaps the daughter of some lesser king, a girl who had grown up in the country and was healthy and ready to bear children.

  Arthur's rage upon hearing her words made Nimue understand that was exactly what Arthur had in mind. Nimue had never dared probe Arthur's mind and heart before, but she risked it during his tirade if only to avoid listening to his hurtful words. Nimue learned that Arthur had not admitted to himself that Guenevere and Lancelot were lovers, but he was hurt and embarrassed by her constant flirting with Lancelot and the other knights. He knew Guenevere was the source of much of the dissension in Court. He also had enough information to know that Lancelot and Guenevere were lovers, but had consciously chosen not to put all the pieces together. She learned he had been considering various women as possible replacements for Guenevere. She was shocked to discover that he had chosen Gwyneth.

  She pulled back and focused on listening to Arthur's angry words, trying to remain calm and not become defensive as he abused her for suggesting the very thing he had already decided to do.

  Nimue said nothing to Gwyneth about Arthur's interest in her. For one thing, she knew Gwyneth could protect herself from Arthur, and she knew Gwyneth's prejudice against Humans was so intense it was unlikely she would greet favorably any advances from him. Nimue watched and worried through the winter as the intrigue and infighting raged on unabated.

  Galahad was somehow immune to the goings-on. Guenevere flirted with him every chance she got, but he did not give her many chances. He spent most of his time in the stables with his horses on inclement days or in the fields practicing his archery and swordsmanship. When he was in the palace he spent virtually all of his waking hours in the chapel.

  At first that alarmed Gwyneth. The thought of Galahad becoming a Christian was, to Gwyneth's way of thinking, the second worst thing that could happen. (The worst was that he would give in to Guenevere's attentions and find himself in mortal danger from both Arthur and Lancelot.) Fortunately, he showed no signs of being interested in any of the women in the Court. For reasons she could not have articulated, that alarmed her as much as anything else.

  One day he returned to his apartments earlier than usual and Gwyneth had the opportunity to talk to him privately. They had developed an almost unheard of openness and honesty. Galahad saw Gwyneth as a mother figure and he was very open with her. That gave her permission to probe deeper and express her opinions more directly than any other lady-in-waiting at court, with the possible exception of Nimue/Niniane. She never allowed herself to probe her own feelings for Galahad.

  She was embroidering when he came into the sitting room. He poured himself a glass of water (which he had the kitchen boil and then cool for him) and sat by the fire closing his eyes and warming himself, waiting for dinnertime. They exchanged small talk. They never gossiped about Court intrigue and, since neither of them had been outside for days, due to the fierce cold and snow, they had little to talk about. Gwyneth screwed up her courage and asked, “My Lord, have you considered that the time might be coming when you should consider taking a bride?”

  He laughed and looked directly at her, which he rarely did, turning his chair to face her. He watched her sewing long enough to make her feel uncomfortable, then he said, “Milady, you must be the most honorable attendant at Court. I have never once heard you so much as a hint at any of the dreadful gossip about what goes on here. I am grateful to you for that. I am also grateful, and somewhat amazed, that you have never offered your opinions or advice. Others tell me their attendants are full of nosy questions and unasked-for advice.”

  Gwyneth caught his casual tone and quipped, “Well, nothing goes on in these apartments to gossip about and I know you are a person who follows your own ways so there is no point in me wasting my breath offering advice you don't need and wouldn't heed.”

  He laughed out loud, and offered her water or wine. She accepted a glass of wine. He motioned her to a seat next to him, in front of the fire. She put down her sewing and joined him. For a moment she felt awkward sitting companionably with him, so deeply had she subsumed herself in her guise of maid. After a moment, she remembered herself to be a Queen, and relaxed.

  He watched her and chuckled. He looked at her and asked, “Who are you?”

  She answered, “My name is Gwyneth. I come from the West.”

  “How far west?”

  She laughed, and relaxed fully, “Very far.” Without completely reverting to her Fairy visage, she showed him a glimpse of her Fairy-nature and
added, “My name is Gwyneth, Queen of the Fairies.”

  He nodded and smiled. “I figured out a long time ago that you were no mere maid. I took you for a sorceress. I am surprised to be attended by a Queen. Why are you here?”

  She thought about that for a long time before she answered and finally said, “My Realm is in grave danger. That danger has its origins in the Human Realm and I believed it would spring to the surface here. I came here to do what I can to protect my Realm. If I can't prevent trouble from happening, I want to be in a position to fight it.”

  He poured himself more water and ate a piece of cheese, chewing for a long time, thinking. Gwyneth sat patiently, watching the fire. Waiting.

  His silence dragged on for perhaps ten minutes. Gwyneth did not interrupt nor did she fidget. He chuckled again and said, “Thank you for giving me the time to think. I have not spoken to anyone of these things since my childhood. I am grateful to have the opportunity now, but I wanted to be sure I could trust you and I have a lot of self-imposed reserve to overcome.”

  Gwyneth nodded and said, “My Lord, for what it may be worth, as long as you are on the side of justice, you can trust me.”

  He smiled, “What if you and I disagree about what constitutes justice?”

  “Is it not a self-evident truth?”

  He shook his head and said, “Fundamentally, I think it is. However, I am learning that people seem to be able to define it in a variety of self-serving ways.”

  She pursed her lips and nodded, muttering, “Perhaps other species do that as well. Hence the problem of war.”

  He downed his water and pushed aside the plate of cheese and olives, leaning forward and looking directly into her eyes, something no Human had ever done. It made her uncomfortable at first, but she met his gaze and took the opportunity to probe his Soul with hers. What she found was a Soul of such splendid purity and goodness it was almost painful to touch with her own Soul. She withdrew her probing and realized that he had been doing the same thing to her. She somehow doubted that her Soul was remotely as beautiful as his, corrupted as it was by Merlin's blood and her battles with her sister.

  He said, “Milady, I have two problems, and I need your advice. A woman's advice. I think I also need your help, a courtesan's help.”

  “Tell me.”

  He sighed and put his head in his hands. Gwyneth could tell that he was tormented by something. She put her hand on his arm. He pulled back. She cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrows. He said, “That is problem number one. First, let me hasten to say, I am not one of those men who prefers other men, but my refusal to participate in the courtly rituals which appear to include knights bedding as many maidens as they can catch – willingly or not, I might add – has caused some to believe that I am.” He paused and blushed, adding, “Actually, some of the men who prefer men believe that of me as well, which adds to my difficulty.”

  He went on, “The stakes became even higher when Her Majesty began to pursue me.” He made a face that bordered on hatred and added, more to himself than to her, “You'd think she would be satisfied with the King, Lancelot, half the knights and no small number of pages and stable boys, not to mention visiting lords and kings.” He looked at her with a miserable, forlorn expression, shaking his head and asking, “How can Arthur not know that his wife is such a whore?”

  Gwyneth was shocked both by the information (to which she had been oblivious other than the affair with Lancelot) and by the fact that Galahad had the nerve to say it out loud within the walls of Camelot where there were spies everywhere. She put her finger over her mouth, looked around as if she would be able to see the spies, and cast an enchantment around them that would make chatty small talk for others to hear, allowing her and Galahad to talk freely. She answered, “My Lord, love does strange things to one's ability or willingness to see the truth.”

  He nodded. “In any case, one of my problems is that the Queen is relentless in her pursuit of me. I suppose I present something of a challenge as the only Knight of the Round Table who has not submitted to her charms. At the same time, my celibacy causes others to think things of me that are not true.”

  Gwyneth nodded, “You could fix the problem by getting married.”

  He nodded and made a face, “That would be easy except I am a vowed celibate for life. I cannot take a wife or a lover,” he paused, and added with a wink, “of either gender or any species.”

  She smiled and winked back, “That is a problem, especially given the raging sexuality in this Court.” She looked at him and tilted her head to the side, “Are you a monk?”

  “If you mean one of those Christian vowed celibates, many of whom are anything but celibate, the answer is no.” He looked at her for a minute and added, “And, if it will make you feel better, I'm not a Christian either. Actually, that's my other problem.”

  He rubbed his face and said, “I have to back up. Do you know what a nazarite is?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I guess it's a little hard to explain but it is an ancient custom. I don't know all the history, but some Humans are capable of great strength, and they can, under certain circumstances, enhance that strength into great power by certain practices. There are various strains of the tradition, most of them are religious. I learned about the practice from an ancient Druid when I was very young and showed exceptional strength. My own practice is not religious in nature, it is completely physical.”

  “A nazarite is celibate, drinks no alcohol, and takes on the role of protector and defender of a given person, group of people or even a nation. I took vows as a lifelong nazarite when I was a boy. The Druids told me I needed to be ready to serve a great master. They told me I would be seen to serve a Human master, a great king, who would rely on me and whose lordship I would own publicly, but they told me my true Master would be something else.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged and smiled, “I don't know. That's problem number two.”

  Gwyneth sipped her wine and pondered his dilemma. His celibacy was running him afoul of Guenevere as well as causing misunderstandings among the knights that could cause him problems that she could not imagine. On the other hand, he was vowed into the service of a master who was unknown to him.

  She mused, “Well, I think for one thing, Arthur is the king you are to serve, so you're on the right path there. Remain his faithful servant and your true master will reveal itself.” As soon as she said that, she knew who his true master was and her entire Being exploded into a burst of gratitude and joy that Galahad could see.

  He laughed and said, “Care to tell me what that was about?”

  She grinned and found herself so filled with joy she actually levitated for a second until she remembered that Humans were not supposed to do that. She said, “I know the name of your true master.”

  He asked, with bated breath, gone pale for a moment, “Who is it?”

  “Not who. What.” She paused and said with the voice of an oracle that rose from the depths of the Nether World and echoed deeply, “You serve Excalibur.” After a long, reverent pause, she added, “As do I.”

  She explained to him about Excalibur's place as the protector of the Nether World and its disappearance. She told him about her alliance with the other realms and Nimue's role as the guardian of Excalibur itself. When she was finished they sat quietly for a long time as she reveled in the pleasure of stepping outside of her guise if only briefly and he tried to absorb the amazing story. After a long while, he asked, “Who stole Excalibur? And why?”

  She said, “My sister, who is known in the Nether World as the Black Fairy, because of her powerful and evil magic. She stole it because she wants my throne. She brought Excalibur into the Human Realm where it could do so much damage in order to draw me out. I think she was hoping my Fairy magic would not work in the Human realm.”

  He looked at her, alarmed, “Who is your sister? And where is she?”

  She shook her head and rubbed her brow, “S
he is here at Court.” She paused and looked at him adding, “You have bigger problems than you know, my Lord. Her name is Guenevere.”

  He looked as though he might collapse from shock and fear, and whispered, “What am I to do?”

  She glanced at the window, realizing that they were running late for dinner. She stood and said, “For now, you must do what you have always done. Maintain your purity of heart. Serve Arthur, and keep in mind that you serve Excalibur too. For now, that amounts to the same thing so it should not be a problem. Make no changes in how you treat the Queen or any other women.

  “Let me ponder the question of your reputation. Perhaps we can think of a ruse that will help.” She grinned, “I know that your honest and pure heart will find it difficult, but I live in a world where ruses and magic are normal. If you are willing to try it, I'll do what I can to help you.”

  He nodded, “Let's discuss that further at a later time.”