Part 2 (1/2)

He gave a low laugh. ”I can forge a sword for you, Morgan.”

Our lips met, and I sank against him with a slight tremble of desire. It could not be here, it could not be now, but it would be soon. I felt sure enough of Accolon now to have him as my lover, and perhaps even more than that. I would wait for that, though, until I was sure.

I pulled away from his kiss slowly. I could see the hunger in his eyes, the desire, and I was pleased. It was too long since a man had looked at me that way.

”Soon,” I whispered to him. He gave me a gentle smile, and helped me out, and back to my room. Conscious of Uriens close by, and the danger that he might happen upon us if we lost ourselves in a kiss, I only brushed my fingers lightly against his lips as I said goodbye. I felt their softness against my fingertips long after he had left. It would be soon.

Chapter Four.

Autumn came, and I felt my strength return to me fully. Elaine chirruped about how I looked my old self again. But it was not enough. Nimue had not answered my letters, and I needed to know if she had learned Merlin's secrets from him. Uriens' ominous promise that I could not keep him from my bed hung around me, and though he had not tried to come to me, now I was recovered from my childbed weakness I was afraid he would try again soon. I had prepared the mixture for him as I had done before, but I had precious little of the herbs I needed for it left, and I warily kept them for when I might have urgent need of them.

As the leaves were turning red and beginning to fall, I called Accolon to my chamber in secret to show him Excalibur, when I knew that Uriens had ridden out to hunt. When he came through the door, he shut it behind himself, and I saw the excitement on his face; but I had a different kind of excitement in mind. I was holding Excalibur in its scabbard behind my back, and when he stepped forward to take me in his arms, I held it out before him. I saw his eyes widen, and a gasp escaped his lips. I drew the sword, and held it out in front of him, feeling its Otherworld lightness, as I held it aloft in a single hand. He gasped again.

”You do not need me to make you a sword if you have a sword like that,” he murmured.

I rested the blade against his upturned palms, and he ran a hand down the flat of it, whistling through his teeth. My hand was still around the hilt, and he let his hand brush over mine as he stroked it down the sword. He looked up at me, and our eyes met. When he saw the look of sly ambition on my face, a smile of intrigue curled across his face.

”This is Excalibur, isn't it?” he asked, quietly.

So, he had heard of it. I nodded.

”I want you to make one the same. When Arthur comes to collect Excalibur from me, I will give him the false one. He will not know the difference. He has not a drop of Otherworld blood in him. Excalibur was meant for me.”

Accolon threw Excalibur from my hands, and I heard it clatter across the floor, but I did not care, for he had grasped me against him, one hand winding through my hair, pulling loose the plait, the other around my waist, holding me against him, pulling me into a hungry, demanding kiss. I was fired with it, too. Fired with the daring of my plan, the sense of my own power, the power we might have together, I ran my hands down his chest, feeling the huge, dangerous muscle beneath. I wanted him, and I wanted him now. I slid my hands up under his s.h.i.+rt, feeling the bare skin of his chest underneath, lightly covered in coa.r.s.e hair. He groaned low under my touch, lifting me lightly against my little table beside us. I felt my hair fall loose around me as he moved his lips to my neck, and I felt the pleasant weakness spread from the base of my spine, as the breath came to me fast and I leaned into it. I let a hand trail down to his breeches and found him hard already, as excited as I was, both by our sudden closeness, and my daring ambition. I saw the pleasure and desire pa.s.s across his face as I slipped my hand inside. His hands went fast to the lacing at the back of my dress, pulling it open, his lips following down as he slid the dress down, off my shoulders, and, hot with desire, I sighed out his name.

Then, suddenly, I heard Uriens in the corridor outside calling my name. He had come back sooner than I'd thought. I pushed Accolon back.

”Hide,” I hissed at him, as Uriens called my name again.

”Where?” Accolon mouthed. I pointed under the bed. I would have to get rid of Uriens quickly. I pulled my dress up over my shoulder and pulled the lacing tight as best as I could. Uriens stepped through the door as I jumped from the table, smoothing down my dress. He looked irritated.

”Oh, Morgan. You are in here.” Then he seemed to notice my hair, loose all around me, and the expression on his face changed. I realised that, though we had been married more than a year, he had never seen my hair loose. Well, that was his own fault. He took an unconscious step towards me, and his hand reached forward to touch it. I supposed it must have looked inviting to him; long and thick, and glossy dark brown, the only part of my looks that could have been called typical feminine beauty. But he had missed his chance to appreciate my looks. He had seen only the blue, and my secret knowledge with it, and been cruel to me. I stepped away from him.

”What do you want, Uriens?” I demanded. I suddenly remembered the sword lying on the floor. I did not want him to notice it. I felt flushed still, frustrated, angry to have been interrupted at a longed-for chance to be alone with Accolon.

”Morgan, we have a child together. Don't you even want to try to get used to me? We ought to have more children.”

”Get used to you?” I shouted.

”You will like it if you get used to it,” he objected, flatly.

”I will not,” I shouted. Uriens stepped forward and grabbed hold of me by the shoulders, and pressed his mouth against mine. I pushed against him, but he did not loosen his grip on me, and when he released me, he threw me towards the bed.

”I am doing this for your own good, Morgan. You must just become used to it, and you must resume your duties as my wife. No more witchcraft against me, no more hiding.” He climbed on top of me as he spoke, while I tried to wriggle away from him, but he was far stronger than I, and he held me fast by the wrists.

”No, Uriens. No,” I hissed, as quiet as I could. I didn't want Accolon to jump out from under the bed to defend me and get himself killed. He had come unarmed, and Uriens had a sword at his side. Perhaps we would have a chance enough if Uriens threw it off, but then we would have to explain to Uriens' knights why his steward had killed him in my bedchamber.

Uriens was pus.h.i.+ng up the skirts of my dress, and while one of his hands was off me I kicked him hard away, and he stumbled back, released his grip just long enough for me to wrench away, jump from the bed and pick up Excalibur. When he saw the point of a sword before his face, he seemed to understand that I was serious about refusing him. He stepped back from the bed, his hand on the hilt of his own sword. I was not afraid. I had all of the strength of the Otherworld in me with Excalibur in my hands.

”Where did you get a sword?” He growled.

”This is my sword. A dear friend returned it to me. You will not touch me again. Do you understand?”

Uriens threw me a dirty look, and moved towards the door. He hesitated in the doorway, and turned back to me.

”You are truly the foulest of witches, Morgan. I don't know how you managed to get someone to f.u.c.k you before I did. I don't know how any man could stand you.”

He slammed the door when he left, and I gasped, collapsing back in relief and victory. I did not care what he said to me, or what he thought of me. I was safe. While I had Excalibur, I was safe. I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes, catching my breath.

I heard Accolon climb out from under the bed and I opened my eyes as he came over to me and took my face in his hands. I looked up at him, fierce and proud. He leaned down to kiss me, and I laid my fingers against his lips.

”Come to me again when you have the sword,” I said.

I did not offer him Excalibur to make the copy from, nor did he ask for it. We both knew that I needed it with me.

The next day, a letter came to me from Nimue.

”My most dear Lady Morgan, I hope queens.h.i.+p suits you well. I dreamed of you as a queen. I have gained nothing from Merlin, and he pesters me daily to have him in my bed. The war is drawing to its final close, and talk in Camelot is beginning to turn to whom Arthur should take as a wife. Thanks to his long war, there are many fine princesses in the lands about whose betrothed will not return to them, so he has plenty of choice. By the end, it was nothing less than total destruction. Once the sons of Lot joined with Arthur, victory was a.s.sured. He rides with the eldest, Gawain or is the other twin the eldest, I don't know and a.s.sures me that he will return to Camelot soon to settle the matter of his marriage. I hope that means I shall see you soon for the grand occasion. Nimue.”

The letter made me feel anxious. It meant that Arthur would come soon for his sword, and I was not ready for him to take it from me.

But I did not have to wait long. It was late at night, and I lay in my bed, with its curtains drawn against the early winter chill. I strained to read in the low light of the fire that only just filled the room. I could barely make out the words on the page, but I got comfort from looking over, again and again, the sleep-medicine that I would use as soon as the time was right to kill Uriens.

I heard the sc.r.a.pe of metal on wood as I saw a hand push through the bed curtains and tear them back. I sat up sharply in bed, prepared to run for Excalibur, but I felt bright relief surge through me as I saw, silhouetted against the low fire in the gap of the curtains, a new-forged sword gleaming in his hand, Accolon. His eyes were wild with triumph, and I could see the breath coming to him hard and fast. He threw the sword down on the bed beside me, and I turned to glance at it. It was the very picture of Excalibur. I was sure I would only be able to tell the difference if I took it in my hand. I turned back to him. His mouth opened slightly, as though he were about to say something, but before he could speak, I leapt forward and grasped him by the front of his s.h.i.+rt, pulling him into the bed. The curtains fell shut behind him, and we fell back beside the sword. He kissed me, hot and hard with urgency, and I felt his hands rough and fast, pulling the nightdress up over my head. He smiled gently to himself as he looked my body over.

”It is true, then,” he murmured, tracing one swirling line of blue across my stomach.

I suddenly heard Kay's voice in my head, You are like that all over. But Kay had forsaken me, and at last I had found another man who was not afraid of a woaded woman.

”It is true,” I whispered back, and he kissed me again. This would bind us together. He could be my partner in this; the others had all been afraid. Kay, Lancelot, Uriens. Not quite brave enough. I pulled him to me, and I felt him tremble in surrender. I pushed him beneath me and tore him free of his clothes; he was just as fine beneath as I had hoped. All broad muscle and dark gold hair. All big, rough hands that tugged in my hair, just enough, and eyes that ran over me with the desire and wonder I had long deserved. So it was swift and wild, all the more so because I had been lonely so long, and it left us both gasping and tangled together in the pleasant exhaustion of lovers who at last have had what they have long waited for.

It was a while after, when the light from the fire was almost dead, and we lay side by side in the sweet haze of pleasure that he spoke.

”So you are pleased, then,” he asked, ”with the sword?”

I laughed softly. ”Quite pleased. It is a perfect copy. You had it made very fast.”

I felt his hand slide into my hair, and I rolled into his arms once more in the darkness.

”I knew that it would be worth my haste,” he replied.