Tina sat in the chair down in the dinning room, the following morning. Her chest was pressed up against the back of a chair. She had turned around a chair to sit comfortable. She lifted another fork full of the hot breakfast. She shoved it into her mouth, loving the hotness of the meal and how it filled her up. She glanced up at the Barmaid, Michelle, if she remember her name correctly, stood nearby, looking at Tina amused.
“When was the last time you ate, sweetie,” The barmaid asked.
Tina held up a finger as she finished chewing on the sausage link and shallowed before she answered, “Sometime during the day before yesterday.” She grabbed a mug of milk. When she had requested that, Michelle had given her a puzzled look. She brought it up to her lips and drunk deeply. The milk tasted different from what she was used to, but she was not going to turn down something as familiar as milk, even though she really preferred soda, but she knew this medieval village won’t have something like that. Hell, she doubt they had chocolate or coffee beans.
“You have been traveling with Sir Tristan for that long? And he didn’t feed you!” Michelle sounded outraged.
“No,” Tina cut her off before the barmaid could storm up the room Tina shared with Tristan, “I was kidnapped by a ninja, managed to escape, swept away in a flash flood, and nearly died before Tristan found me.” She took another long drink of milk before she continued, “He took me to a nearby lake where I cleaned then we were attacked by those deer creatures -”
“Fawns,” Michelle corrected Tina.
“Yeah, them,” Tina agreed, “who gave me my wonderful wounds on my back. We managed to escape though before they could kill us or something like that.”
“Wow,” Michelle shook her head, “No wonder why you looked like the walking dead when you arrived last night.”
Tina agreed with her on that. She felt like the walking dead. The entire situation was screwed up. She still felt tired, but it was the healing kind of tired. She expanded her spiritual sense, just feeling the presences around her. She was glad she didn’t lose her spiritual abilities. She set the mug down and went back to the plate of food, sitting in front of her. She tried to ignore the fact the plate was her third one. She would have to wait until lunch or supper before she could eat, again. She didn’t want everyone in the Inn to accuse her to be a demon or a non-human.
The door to the inn opened and someone walked in. Tina paused briefly, noticing the person had a stronger spiritual presence then the average person did in the village. She knew this new person was a fighter. She glanced over her shoulder toward the door.
A tall man strolled in. At first, Tina couldn’t the newcomer very well. The sun shun directly behind him, giving him a halo appearance, but with Tina’s spiritual sense, she knew he was the fighter. He stepped deeper into the room and went to the bar, sitting three tables away from Tina. Michelle turned and called, “Morning Hector, how are you doing this fine morning?” He grunted as Michelle drifted over to him, carrying a mug. She set it down in front of him.
Tina turned her attention away from the Hector fella and glanced around the room. It was slowly emptying out. According to Michelle, this was the last village before the walls of Camelot and majority of the people were traveling to attend the King’s funeral. She knew Tristan was needed back in Camelot, but she didn’t know when he wanted to leave.
She climbed at the stairs, heading back to the room Tristan had rented and saw Tristan standing by the fireplace with a brooding look, his arm held up by the mental as his finger cradle his chin. She called out to him as she entered the room, “Hey.” He looked up at her. “When do you want to leave for Camelot?”
His eyes widened slightly before he asked, “Do you want to go to Camelot?”
“Sure,” Tina shrugged then winced. Whatever the Healer -Sumiko - gave her the night before was strong pain killer. As long as Tina didn’t make any sudden movements, she was fine. “I suddenly have a desire to see Camelot. Plus, one of the reasons why I went with that Ninja willingly was to do some soul searching. I was not even considering going to this Lady Freya about her letter.”
Tristan frowned at her, “You really should.” He stood straight. “If I had family I didn’t know about, I would want to meet them.”
“Perhaps, I will,” Tina agreed, “Eventually.” She glanced toward her hiking bag, “I need to take time for myself, first.”
“What happen, if you don’t mind me asking,” he asked.
Tina pressed her lips together, thinking. She really didn’t know if she could talk about it right now. She did voiced, “I experienced something what I thought was good then it turned bad. Sometime during it, I lost myself and what I stood for, pushing my loved ones away. I’m just trying to find myself again before I can go apologize to the people I love.”
“So,” Tristan started, “It is a personal quest.”
Tina nodded her head, agreeing with the Knight. She turned the subject back to Camelot, “So, when do we leave for Camelot?”
“As soon as I can find us a couple of horses,” Tristan announced.
Tina gulped, before she asked, “Can’t we walk?”
“I would like us to be back in the walls of Camelot before nightfall,” he explained, “You don’t know how to ride.”
“I do, but I had a bad experience with horses,” she confirmed, “Plus, there was no need for me to keep up practice. We have different moods of transportation.”
Tristan gave her a confused look, but nodded. He strolled across the room, “I’ll see what I can do. Meet me in the dinning room in 10.” Tina nodded as the Knight left.
Tina carried her hiking bag in one hand as she strolled along the hallway, wearing one of the shirts that the barmaid cleaned for her. The tank top and button shirt Tina had worn the day before were trashed by the lashing those Fawns had given Tina. A piece of her red hair fell into her vision and she flickered it over her ear. She reached the stairs at the same time the strong spiritual fighter did. She peered down at him while he looked at her. She made the first move by stepping down the stairs and walked by him. Tina didn’t know what to make of the man named Hector. Maybe he was just a strong spiritual presence. Maybe he was used to fighting with spiritual powers like she was. She knew it really didn’t matter. She was leaving the village within a couple hours time. She didn’t planned to find out.
Tristan stepped into the dinning room as Tina started to walk over to the door. She noticed that his hair was wet, so was his shirt. “Raining, out there?” She asked.
He nodded, “It doesn’t look like it is going to stop anytime soon.”
“Lovely,” Tina commented and decided to look on the brighter side, “At least we don’t have to worry about getting cleaned up later.” Tristan sent her a smirk. “When do we leave?”
“Now,” Tristan stated, “Since you are not afraid of getting wet.”
Tina’s eyes flashed with amusement and she held her tongue from making a pervert comment. She didn’t know the customs of this land where Camelot lived, but she was smart enough to know that it was not socially acceptable to be borderline pervert when two parties didn’t really know each other.
“Well, what are you waiting for,” Tina smiled as she strolled past him, “Invitation?”
“No, waiting on a woman, as usually,” Tristan said, following her out.
“Ooh?” she said, “Who was up at the crack ass of dawn and ready? Me, that’s who.” She spun and poked him in the chest, “You were snoring a log in the chair, drooling.”
He gave an outrage look, protested, “I don’t snore nor drool.”
She snorted, “Sure you don’t.” She gazed over the yard, “Where is our horses?” There were a dozen of horses in the yard.
“You will be riding with me,” Tristan stated. He guided her over to black horse. “Give me your bag.” She handed the Knight her bag and stood next to the horse. Her eyes widened as she realized she was eye level with the lower curve of the saddle. Her eyes traveled up as her lips parted. The sitting part of the saddle was another half of foot over her head. That meant the horse’s back was 6 feet from the ground.
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Tina spun on her heel, fast enough to cause her hair to whip out, and announced, “I think I will be walking to Camelot. See ya there, Tristan.” As she started to walk to the entrance of the village.
“Oh no,” Tristan grabbed her arm and pulled her back to stand beside the horse. “This will be the fastest way to get to Camelot. We will be there in a couple hours instead of nightfall.”
“But - but,” She protested. Her eyes darted between the horse and the gate. She really didn’t want to ride a horse. She knew they could sense fear like hers.
“No buts,” he settled a glare on her. “Come on. I will be riding behind you. You will be safe with me.” He paused before he said, “I will help you up.”
Tristan did have a point. Tina did want to get Camelot as fast as possible. She sighed. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. She shifted, standing beside the horse. She gulped as she brought her right leg up, slipping her foot in the stirrup. She reached up and grabbed the horn of the saddle with her right hand as she grabbed the back of the saddle with her other hand and bounced on her left leg before she jumped, pulling herself up. Her eyes widened as she managed to throw her torso over the saddle.
Tina felt Tristan placed his hands on her extend leg and pushed it back beside the side of the horse. It forced her hips up and she shifted, raising her torso up. She managed to swing her left leg over the back of the horse, letting go of the back of the saddle.
She nodded as she settled into the saddle. The horse shifted under her. She let out a squeak. She grabbed the horn and tightened her thighs against the sides of the horse. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat.
“Calm yourself,” Tristan placed a hand on her thigh, above her knee. Warmth from his hand went through her yoga pants as rain fell around them. “The horse can sense your fear.”
Tina nodded. She opened her mouth and took a shaky breath. She turned her gaze, down, at Tristan. He slipped her bag on to his back and took her foot from the stirrup. He placed his foot in it and jumped, swinging his leg over the horse’s back before he settled down behind her. She pressed her lips together. He made it look damn easy. She turned her head, pouting, slightly.
Tristan wrapped an arm around her waist. She tensed before she looked down and slowly relaxed. Her heart raced.This experience was really different for her, having a man, not her lover, against her like this - his thighs against the back of hers while their hips were almost touching, her back almost up against his chest. He radiated heat. It felt nice against her injured back. She let out a slow breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she felt rain trailed down the side of her neck.
“You alright,” Tristan’s voice rang out, softly, into her ear.
“Yeah,” Tina turned her head and spoke to him over her shoulder, “Let’s get going.” She sent him a smile. “I would love to see Camelot.”
Tristan’s chest vibrated as he chuckled, “The Kingdom is not going anyway.” The horse moved, suddenly, and Tina jerked, her eyes widened, and she tensed, her hands grabbing the arm around her waist. “Relax, Tina. I won’t let you fall.”
Arthur sighed as he looked around his room. He didn’t know if any of the Knights were able to withdraw the Holy Sword. It had been a couple days since he tried to pull the Holy Sword He secretly hoped one of them would. He got the feeling if one of them had, he would already heard about it by now. Most of the knights around his age grew up during the time of the Kingless Kingdom and saw the aftermath. That cause many of them to come to Camelot to become a Knight. None of them expected there was a curse on the Holy Sword that would kill their King after 10 years of ruling.
Arthur paused in his packing. Tomorrow afternoon, the King would be laid to rest. He didn’t know his fate nor his family’s after tomorrow. The women might be able to stay in their current rooms for a while, but once the Holy Sword chose a new King, they might have to move to another room or move completely out of the castle. He would have to talk to the New King about their fates, if it came down to it, try to work things out between the Old Ruling Family and the New.
A knock on his door alerted Arthur to someone trying to caught his attention. He turned around and saw Lancelot.
“I must say I’m surprised,” the knight said, “you sent your servants away.”
“I wanted to do this,” Arthur shrugged, “Considering I might have to do everything without servants, soon.”
Lancelot nodded, and commented, “None of the present knights were able to pull the Holy Sword out.”
“Shit,” Arthur breathed. He ran a hand through his blond hair. “I had hoped one of them would be able to do so.”
“I know,” Lancelot said, “I will fight for you and your family if the New King wishes you harm.”
“Thanks,” Arthur sent a thankful smile toward his best friend. “What will Merlin do now?”
“He will try again, tomorrow, when more of the knights have returned,” Lancelot explained, “Then he will allow the Generals and their top three to try before he goes to the public, the day after tomorrow.” Arthur nodded, listening as he went back to packing. “I know there is a room open in the Knights’ tower.”
“I know,” The former prince said, “I already talked to Sir Andrew about it.” He took a deep breath. “He has agree to allow me to stay in the Knights’ tower until either I become a knight or the New King has decided what to do with my family.”
“We can only hope for the best,” Lancelot voiced a familiar piece of wisedom they heard while growing up, “But prepare for the worst.”
Neither know where the phrase came from, but there had been times in the past where the phrase was the perfect way to describe a situation.
“What are the plans for the worst to happen?” Arthur asked, needing to change of subject.
“Merlin has yet to call a War meeting to discuss the worst case situation,” Lancelot explained, “I think he needs to do it soon, before our enemies start moving against us.”Merlin closed the door to his study. He set the Holy Sword beside the door. He slowly walked over to the chair behind the desk. His slumped as his brow furrowed in worry. He had thought one of the present Knights would be found worthy of becoming King of Camelot, but apparently to the spell he had casted upon the sword over a thousand years ago, none of the Knights had the right characteristics that made a good King for Camelot.
He pulled back his chair and fell into it with a heavy sigh. He lend forward, thinking. He rested his elbows on his knees. He hoped there was not another time of the Kingless Kingdom. There was too much bloodshed last time. Morgana nor Merlin could do anything to help the Knights to protect Camelot. They had to make sure the person the Holy Sword found worthy to rule withdraw the sword. The Magi had to watched as fields turned into massive graves, the waterways ran red, and heard the cries of mourning mothers, daughters, and sisters. He didn’t understand why the Holy Sword didn’t chose a ruling family member, why after six months the Holy Sword chose the prince. It was a mystery that he still hadn’t managed to figure out. He needed to prevent that kind of situation again.
He let out a shuddering breath. He shook his head, trying to clear the memories from his head. He rubbed his eyes as he thought about the possible reason why the Holy Sword didn’t chose the Prince or any of the Knights. The next King had to be someone not already in the Kingdom. That was the only explanation Merlin could think of. The next King could easily be Sir Tristan, Sir Draco or one of the White Hall men.
Merlin lend back. He remembered how the White Hall House rose to power. One of the Ancestors of the present White Hall House managed to pull the Holy Sword out of the Stone. Perhaps it was time for Camelot have another member of the White Hall House to become King and rule. If he remembered correctly, that time was peaceful and that King had allowed Merlin and Morgana to continued to build their branch of magic users in the Camelot Army and approved plans for a Magic School to be built. The building had been only half built when the Holy Sword changed hands and the process stopped. Merlin smiled. He could only hope.
Morgana still hadn’t woke up, yet. He needed to check on her after he left the study. However, he still needed to check on his own magical reserve. He moved a lot easier then he did yetserday, but his joints still ached, randomly. He stood up from the chair and moved to his personal room a floor above before he sat on the edge of his bed, crossing his legs and closed his eyes, slipping into a deep meditative trance.
It had been only two to three hours since they had left the village and Tina glared at nothing as the horse moved under her. Her ass hurt. Her inner thighs ached. Her back hurt. She frowned as she silently cursed Tristan. She should have walked. She really didn’t care how it took her to get to Camelot. She should really have walked.
The horse jerked to the right. Tina winced as her thighs trembled from the sudden pain. She bit her tongue as she tried not to cry. She took a shuddering breath.
“How are you holding up?” Tristan asked from her shoulder, breaking the silence between them.
“Get me off this fucking horse,” She snapped in a growling tone, “My lower half hurts like hell. I will be walking the rest of the way.” A tear escape from her eye. She sucked in another break. She pulled her left leg up and managed to swing it over the horse’s head. She placed her hand on the saddle horn and her other hand on Tristan’s thigh before she leapted off the horse. She landed on her feet before she crumbled like wet paper. Her knees hit the muddy ground before her hip did. She whimpered as pain rippled from her legs. Her ass felt a lot better then it did, but it still ached some.
Tina heard the slap of feet landing in the mud and Tristan’s shoes appeared on the edge of her vision. He knelt down beside her with a sigh.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” She said.
“It’s alright,” Tristan replied. Tina’s eyes narrowed, keeping her gaze to the ground. He was wrong. It was not alright. She should have not snap at him like she did. She relaxed her gaze as she blinked, releasing a sigh. “Come on. You can ride sideways. We are not that far from seeing the roof top of the castle,” He stood up and held out a hand down to her. She looked at it.
He was right. They had managed to cover more distance on horseback then walking would do. She raised a hand out of the mud and rubbed it against the side of her yoga pants before she grabbed the hand. Tristan pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. She lend against him as they walked back over to the horse before Tristan made Tina turn, her back toward the horse. He grabbed her waist and bent his knees before he lifted her off her feet. Her eyes widened. She sucked in a breath. She automatically grabbed his hands at her waist as he placed her on the horse’s rump. Her legs hung over the side of the horse’s legs. He re-mounted the horse and shifted Tina’s hiking bag around to his front as the horse walked forward.
Tina shifted closer to Tristan, wrapping an arm around his middle. She lend against his back. She spoke up, “Thank you, Tristan, for you help.” She paused.
Tristan didn’t reply directly to what she said, but he did said, “Look ahead, Lady Tina.”
She peered around Tristan and her eyes widened as she saw in the distance, the rooftop of a tower. Tristan brought the horse into a jog as Tina watched, the castle appeared over the hill. Her lips parted as she took in her first view of Camelot.