LANCE OF TRUTH (20 page)

“They won’t,” Elphin said firmly. “Not in this weather, anyway. And don’t let Mordred ruin your day. He’s a lot safer locked up in Camelot’s dungeon than riding about the land terrorising people with his bloodbeards.”

She smiled. Her friend was right about that, at least.

L
ater, soaking in the royal bath, Rhianna remembered her mother’s gift and wondered what it would be. She hoped it wouldn’t be too embarrassing. There were only two things she really wanted – the two remaining Lights – and as far as she knew
the queen didn’t have either of them.

As she washed Rhianna’s hair with scented oils, Arianrhod told her how worried the queen had been when the knights couldn’t find her at the lake. “She was certain you’d either been killed by bloodbeards or drowned, so I told her how you often went out riding in your fairy armour and how good a swimmer you are.”

“But I didn’t have my armour,” Rhianna said.

“I know.” Arianrhod giggled. “I told Cai to take it to you, but he was afraid you might throw it into the lake. He’d already followed you up there several times and watched you throw your jewels away.” The girl sobered. “Why did you do that, Rhia? Didn’t you like them?”

Rhianna pulled a face. “I’ve got enough
jewels! I can’t wear them with my armour, can I? But Lady Nimue didn’t want them, either. She was waiting for me to offer her a weapon. I should have realised. I was stupid, inviting Mordred to that duel. He almost killed Sir Lancelot.”

“But now Prince Mordred’s in the dungeon so he can never hurt any of us again, can he?” Her friend fingered the scar on her cheek and said in a little voice, “Do you think the queen will have him executed?”

“Maybe.” Rhianna climbed out of the bath, uncomfortable with the thought.

“She should, after he kept her prisoner in that horrid tower all winter! Is it really true Cai’s the Pendragon’s champion now?”

“It’s true, I’m afraid.”

Arianrhod smiled. “He deserves to be.
He’s really brave. He’ll make a fine knight once he’s had a bit more practice. So now Cai carries the Lance of Truth for you. And Elphin’s got his harp and the druid spiral so he can do magic for you…” She lowered her eyes. “Maybe one day I’ll be able to carry something for you, as well?”

Rhianna gave her friend a sympathetic look. “Of course you will, Arianrhod!” She couldn’t think quite what, though. She couldn’t exactly imagine Arianrhod fighting a duel for her, and the girl didn’t have Avalonian blood so she couldn’t learn magic like Elphin and Merlin.

Then she remembered the mirror.

“You can look after Mordred’s mirror for me. Elphin says it’s a thing of Annwn, but it might be useful. Put it somewhere safe. I’d rather nobody else knows about it for now.”

Arianrhod cheered up immediately. “Yes, my lady. I’ll polish it for you, shall I?”

“If you like… be careful with it, though.” Rhianna held her arms up for her new dress. By the time her friend had finished arranging the long skirts and added the ruby tiara Cai had brought back from the lake, it was nearly dark outside. “I’d better go,” she said, worried her mother might dash off again if she was late.

Arianrhod nodded. She finished Rhianna’s hair and smiled. “You look lovely, Rhia,” she said. “A bath always makes your cheeks glow.”

Rhianna thought the less her cheeks glowed, the better. Her freckles were bright enough in summer at the best of times. But she smiled back. “Thank you… go on down to the feast when you’re ready. I don’t expect I’ll be very long, knowing my mother.”

She felt rather nervous as she knocked on the queen’s door. What if Sir Lancelot was in there, too, and she caught them kissing?

But she needn’t have worried. The champion knight was obviously still recovering from his exertions up at the lake. Guinevere opened the door herself, stared at Rhianna in wonder and smiled. For once the queen was alone, without even a maid. Though it wasn’t sunset yet, the storm had brought an early dark. The chamber glowed with candles. A fire crackled in the hearth.

“You look beautiful, Rhianna,” Guinevere said. She drew her daughter into the room, looked her up and down again, and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Rhianna said.

“For avoiding you. And for trying to turn
you into the princess I always wanted you to be. It wasn’t until you disappeared yesterday on your little fairy horse, and Sir Bors came back with news of those bloodbeards, I realised… Oh darling, I do love you, you know. It’s just that you confuse me! I knew Merlin had brought you out of Avalon, of course. Mordred told me, while he had me captive in that horrid dark tower of his. But I always thought of you as just a little girl. And then you came riding north in your fairy armour with Excalibur shining in your hand and leading a troop of knights like a warrior princess from a song, saying you were going to bring King Arthur back from the dead! I didn’t know what to think.”

She took a deep breath, walked to the window and stared out at the lightning flickering on the horizon. It was still very warm.
Rhianna wished she’d worn a thinner dress. She waited, not knowing what to say.

Her mother spoke without turning around. “I’ve seen you looking at us… You have to understand, Lancelot and I are… the truth is we’ve been in love since we first set eyes on each other, but we promised we would never be completely together until Arthur died. And then after the battle, when we heard the news – well, I’m sure you’re old enough to understand. Your father was gone. I didn’t want to lose Lancelot as well.” She turned from the window, tears in her eyes. “I’m only human, Rhianna. I thought it would be all right if we went to Lancelot’s castle in the north, that nobody would mind too much. I should have known Mordred would take advantage of the situation… and then you turned up to
rescue me, saying Arthur would be coming back from Avalon soon to reclaim his throne! I blamed you for destroying the happiness Lancelot and I had found together, brief though it was.”

Rhianna bit her lip. “And now?” she whispered.

“You mean now Sir Lancelot’s back here at Camelot?”

She nodded.

Her mother gave her a steady look. “We won’t see each other again, if that’s what you want. I’ll present you to the people tonight as King Arthur’s official heir, and keep the throne for you until you’re old enough to marry and your husband becomes king. Lancelot will rejoin the knights and lead them in battle. He tells me he’s given up the Lance of Truth,
but he’s still our best fighter. Then if Arthur returns, he’ll find me waiting for him.”

She twisted her hands into her skirt and stared out of the window again. The candlelight made her look very young.

Rhianna’s heart twisted. But she had to know. “Do you still love my father?”

Guinevere sighed. “I don’t know, Rhianna darling. I did once. But we were hardly more than children when we married. What will he be like when he returns from Avalon? Will he be the same age as he was when Mordred killed him? I’m getting older… and so is Lancelot. What if Arthur doesn’t come back for years and years? Will he still love me when I’m an old woman? Will he even remember me?”

A shiver went down Rhianna’s spine as she remembered what Lord Avallach had said last
winter, when he’d tried to take Excalibur back to Avalon so that it would be safe from Mordred.
Arthur will remain with us for many
years yet.
She didn’t like to think of her mother growing old before he returned. Her father’s ghost might be getting stronger now she had two of the Lights, but he was still no closer to being reborn.

“I don’t want you to stop seeing Sir Lancelot,” Rhianna said with a sigh. “It wouldn’t be fair.”

Her mother’s face lit up. She took Rhianna’s hand. “Darling, you’re not just saying that because you want me to keep loving you? I’d love you anyway. You’re my baby girl… even if you’re not quite so much of a baby as I remember you.” She gave Rhianna a bemused look. “I know I haven’t shown it to you so far, but I’ll make up for it, I promise. Just give me a bit of time.”

Rhianna bit her lip. “We’ve probably got lots of time,” she admitted. “I don’t know how long it’ll take to bring my father back from Avalon, but I have to try.”

Guinevere smiled. “I know you do, darling. And I’m proud of you. But you really scared me yesterday. You’ve got to promise me one thing.”

Rhianna stiffened. What if her mother made her promise not to go out riding again? How would she ever manage to find the Crown of Dreams and the Grail of Stars if she was stuck inside Camelot? It would be like being back in Lord Avallach’s crystal palace in Avalon. Safe, maybe, but boring…

The queen squeezed her hands. “In future, you are absolutely
not
to go out riding without your armour, your shield, your sword, and at least one knight as escort! I also want you to continue
training with the squires in the mornings, as Sir Bors tells me you’ve been doing. Then you can join the damsels at their lessons in the afternoons. That’ll set my mind at rest next time you decide to ride on campaign with the knights, but should keep you from turning into a total barbarian in the meantime. Agreed?”

Rhianna couldn’t help a grin. “Then you don’t mind me going to look for my father’s crown when this storm is over?” she said. “A dragon stole it from the battlefield when he died, and I think I might know where it is.” She’d been thinking about the crown as she soaked in the bath, and Merlin’s detour to Dragonland suddenly made a lot of sense.

The queen frowned. “We’ll have to talk about that. I suppose Arthur won’t be needing his crown for a while. Which reminds me…”
She reached into her trinket box and brought out a pendant made of a single jewel on a silver chain. The stone looked black in the candle flames, blacker than the sky outside. Her mother touched it with a faraway look in her eye, then fastened it around Rhianna’s neck. A crack of thunder made them both jump. “Your father gave me this on the night before his battle against Mordred. It glowed like fire when he kissed me goodbye, but it turned black when he died. I haven’t worn it since.”

Had her father known he was going to die? Rhianna shivered and fingered the jewel curiously. “Why did it go black?”

“I don’t know. But Arthur said if anything happened to him in the battle, I should keep it and give it to you when you were old enough to take the throne.”

Her mother stared into the distance again.

The pendant felt strangely cold against her skin. It was heavier than it looked and even uglier than the ruby tiara she’d thrown into the lake. Rhianna couldn’t imagine wearing it much. She could always offer it to Nimue later – at least the thing would sink. But she didn’t want to upset her mother again, so she smiled and thanked her.

Before she could work up the courage to give her a hug as well, there was a tentative knock at the door. Arianrhod timidly peered into the room.

“Your Majesty?” she said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but they’re ready for you downstairs. The hall is full of people! Sir Bors says you’d better bring Rhianna down, before there’s a total riot.”

The noise from the feast met them halfway down the stairs… music, laughter, men calling for mead, damsels and squires giggling and shrieking as they chased each other around long tables groaning with food. The hall was alight with candles. Garlands of flowers decorated the rafters and rose petals had been scattered on the floor.