Guinevere followed me giving me a quizzical look. I took stairs down into the basement and found a few tunnels leading into empty storerooms. There was nothing remarkable here except the superb architecture that had managed to survive for what might have been thousands of years since this place had been visited last.
Are the others out of earshot? I asked Voidra. I could feel the presence of people with Tremor Soles, but it didn’t hurt to have a backup detection method.
They’re still up there, Voidra said. The healer just took one of the men into a room and they’re…
That’s enough of that, I cut her off. Seriously too much information; why would I need to know that?
Turning to Guinevere, I set down my weapon and shield and sat in the narrow tunnel. Gesturing for her to sit down I waited until she was across from me sitting cross-legged.
“What’s this about?” Guinevere asked.
“You said there is nothing you hate more than a liar so I’m going to confess something to you,” I said.
This is a bad idea, Karnen said.
It’s going to happen sooner or later, I replied. Now shut up both of you.
“Be honest about what?” Guinevere asked warily.
Leaning forward I stared into her winter blue eyes as I readied myself for the worst. “I lied about my name, it’s not Ishmael; my name, is Mordred.”
It took only a few seconds for Guinevere to put the pieces together. Her sword was out resting at my neck, but I didn’t flinch away from the edge of the ice-cold metal.
“Why?” Guinevere asked.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I said.
“Why did you lie?” Guinevere asked. “Why have you been helping us?”
I sat back drawing a small line of red across my neck, but the tip remained just in front of my throat.
“Because I wanted to understand your way of thinking,” I said with a shrug. “You’re were a superb fighter and leader, I’ve fought people more powerful than you in rank but nowhere near as dangerous in skill. I wanted to know how you think and what made you so intent on killing me.”
“Because you’re the Warlord,” Guinevere snapped. “You are a threat to the entire world.”
“Why?” I challenged her. “I never left the forest before you came, the only humanoids I killed were goblins, criminals, and raiders.”
“You would have,” Guinevere spat. “It is in the nature of the Warlord.”
“What do you know of my nature and motivation?” I spat back feeling sudden heat at her accusation. “I’ve heard you talk about how you laid siege to my fortress, how you crafted your plans to assault its walls. If you hadn’t made assumptions about who I am you might have been able to take it in a few days. Every failure of your army can be traced back to YOU thinking YOU know who I am.”
“Then who are you?” Guinevere asked her sword not wavering from my throat. “What do you want?”
“I want to be all I can, to challenge myself against the greatest threats,” I said. “I want to explore this world and learn its secrets.”
“And what happens when people stand in your way?” Guinevere asked. “Will you just kill them?”
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“You and your party are in my way,” I said. “How have I treated you?”
“I can’t trust you,” Guinevere said. “Everything you’ve done has been a lie.”
“That is not true,” I said my voice growing hard. “I’ve only lied to you once, stop trying to justify your actions by making me into something in your head. If you’re going to kill me than do so, but don’t lie to yourself about why.”
“Lie to myself?” Guinevere asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You want to convince yourself I’m some beast from the shadows,” I said. “But you need to look at me and make the choice to kill who I actually am. You say there’s nothing you hate more than a liar then stop lying to yourself. The warlord has never been this unstoppable force no matter what your history books may say. He was just a man like me, but with different motivations and standards of morality.”
“But you are a threat,” Guinevere said. “Your goddess, your quests everything is geared to conquer, destroy and kill.”
“I can kill any creature to complete that quest,” I said with a shrug. “Humans might be easy to kill and its why I don’t go after them. There’s no challenge in killing helpless sheep its why hunters go after wolves, I can conquer lands like the Ancient Forest with no real civilization or government. You think my destiny is predetermined, but it only is if you decide it is, and use that sword.”
Guinevere’s hand wavered. “I’ve been raised my entire life to defend the world from people like you.”
“This isn’t about other people and what they want,” I said. “You need to let me live or kill me because YOU decide it’s what needs to be done. Don’t push this decision off on others, because you’re the one who will have to live with the decision.”
Leaning back against the stone I stared her down waiting for her to make her move.
“So, you’re just going to let me decide if you live or die?” Guinevere asked.
“If you try and kill me, I’ll fight back,” I said. “I’m not sure who would win but we can find out.”
“Is that why you separated me from my party for this to make sure I was alone if you had to try and kill me?” Guinevere asked her voice barbed.
I actually laughed at that. “Come on Guinevere, we both know they’d just get in the way. I was using them as human shields against you last time and now they don’t even have access to their abilities.”
A long tense minute grew as Guinevere wrestled internally with her own inner thoughts. Eventually she lowered her sword setting it down across her legs.
“So, what happens now?” Guinevere asked.
“I promised you that I’d do my best to get you and your party back to the surface, that’s what I intend to do,” I said.
“And then? Guinevere asked.
I shrugged. “Hunt monsters, search out treasures, I had a quest I was working on I guess I’d try and finish that. Look for more dungeons, hunt more monsters, repeat.”
“You don’t plan on attacking Lunara and the other nearby kingdoms?” Guinevere asked.
“I will if they attack me again,” I said. “I’m not just going to lie on the ground and let people curb stomp me. You struck first, I’ll let it slide once but after that…its war.”
“They will strike again,” Guinevere said.
“Then you have your answer,” I said.
“So, you do plan on going to war with the kingdoms of law,” Guinevere accused.
“Does your country not have the concept of self-defense?” I asked. “If you attack a man, they are within their rights to do whatever they deem necessary to ensure their survival.”
Guinevere rose to her feet and followed her.
“I can’t make a decision on this yet,” Guinevere said. “I need to think.”
“Take your time,” I said. “We’re going to be down here together for a while longer.”
---
Arthur rode his horse through the gates of Camelot. Cheering crowds lined the streets as the army marched in ranks behind him. Knights on horseback smiled ear to ear as flower petals were thrown from the upper stories of the buildings filling the air with color and the fresh smell of flowers.
Filing through the gates they continued down to the proving grounds. Arthur kept a smile on his face through the whole display, the exhaustion only showing when he dismounted, and a page lead his horse away. A squire helped him out of his armor, and he made his way to the palace bathhouse.
Sinking beneath the soapy water he sighed, letting the dust of several days of riding was off. A bath attendant scrubbed his back and arms and he lay back and let the stress leave his body as she removed the layer of dirt and sweat, he had accumulated.
A knock at the door startled him. “Arthur?” Lionor called out softly.
“Leave,” Arthur said to the attendant, and she got up silently exiting through a servant’s door.
“Come in,” Arthur said.
Lionor slid through the door and sat at the edge of the bath taking the cloth and gently cleaning Arthur’s skin. “Guinevere disappeared beneath the Ancient Forest with the Warlord; she may be alive but its likely she died with him.”
“I heard,” Arthur said with a heavy sigh. “Its still hard to believe.”
“Is it wrong of me to hope she really is dead?” Lionor asked. Her hand drifted to her belly, she hadn’t started to show yet, but it was only a matter of time. “I didn’t want her to die but now that she’s gone…”
Arthur took her hands in his raising them to his lips. “I will do everything I can to convince my father to allow us to marry, but no matter what I will not abandon you or our child.”
Tears rolled down Lionor’s face. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too,” Arthur said.