With My Last Breath

Bodies were piled in the wagons. They were bloodied and mutilated, old and young. My eyes were frozen on the body of a child, his tiny arm dangling from the foot of the wagon bed, his small fingers open and blue. I sucked in my breath and my gaze met Guinevere’s.

"Holy Mary…" I trailed off.

My mother’s face was severe, her mouth pressed into a hard line. "They need us,"

she said simply.

We hurried from her rooms and rushed to the foyer, where Arthur was just exiting to meet them. We followed closely behind.

"What will you do?" a peasant woman cried, reaching out to touch Arthur’s velvet cloak. "How will you protect us now?"

A thin man to her left met my gaze before he looked to the king. "They murder us in our beds, while you dine on fancy meals and dress in fancy clothing. You are no different from your father at all. You only want to seem like it."

The man dropped to his knees and cried next to the wagon, reaching out in his grief to grasp the tiny dead boy’s hand. I assumed that he was the boy’s father and I felt a tear drip down my cheek.

"By the gods," Guinevere breathed softly. "This is evil."

"This is what you don’t wish to change," I pointed out quietly. "The will of the Fates. They do this for their own entertainment."

My mother fell silent and I turned to a nearby servant. "I need clothing. Gather others and bring us as much clean clothing as you can find. And ready any empty guest room that is available here in the castle."

Courtney Cole 47

With My Last Breath, Book Three

The servant girl looked to Guinevere, who nodded.

"Do it," she murmured.

The girl turned on her heel and ran for the interior of the castle as I turned my attention back to the bedraggled group of strangers. Women were weeping, men were shouting. It was utter chaos.

Amid the confusion, Arthur stepped on the ledge of the nearby gardens, making him a few heads taller than everyone else.

"Kinsmen," he shouted. "Listen to me!" It took him a few more attempts before the crowd quieted enough to hear him.

"Do you think this will go unpunished?" he called. "Do you think that Arthur Pendragon will allow my subjects to be beaten and killed within the very borders of my country? I will not. I vow to you today that by my very own blood, I will protect you.

My knights will ride to their last breaths to protect you. Camelot will be strong and we will be victorious. We will avenge this!"

At his last word, the crowd erupted into cheers, so loud that they made my ears ring. Arthur looked fierce and determined as he assessed his people.

"We will protect you," he added. "You have my word."

He stepped from the ledge and strode into the castle, motioning his knights to follow. They fell into line and disappeared into the castle with him, Lucan included. I watched their broad shoulders vanish down the hallway before I returned my attention to the peasants in front of me.

Joining Guinevere, I helped the servants hand out fresh clothing and linens. Seeing a small group of children standing apart from the rest, I switched directions and headed toward them, a stack of clean linen in my arms.

Kneeling next to them, I asked, "Where are your parents? Were they killed?"

The child in front nodded solemnly, dried tears streaked on her dirty cheeks. Four or five smaller children crowded behind her, each too shy to meet my gaze.

"Come with me, then," I instructed. "Let us clean you up. You will sleep here at the castle for now."

I grasped the girl’s hand and ushered the others to a well standing not too far away.

Drawing up a bucket of water, I dipped a soft linen into it and wiped at the girl’s face.

"Everything will be okay," I assured her. "I know it doesn’t feel like it, but it will."

The girl nodded silently and let me attend to her before she stepped to the side and sat down. I motioned for the next child to step forward and when she did, I startled.

It was Raquel.

Long blondish hair straggled down her back and bright blue eyes peeked from behind the dirt on her face. She was the young girl who the Fates had brought from Calypso’s island and left on Olympus to instruct us where to meet them. Why was she here now?

Courtney Cole 48

With My Last Breath, Book Three

Gesturing her forward, I grasped her skinny arm.

"What is your name, child?" I asked casually as I washed her face.

"Gwendolyn," she whispered. Her pink lips had the same curve to them that Raquel’s did. She was the same child. My heart started skipping beats. What did this mean?

"Gwendolyn," I repeated. "What a beautiful name! And so very close to our own queen’s name. That makes you special," I added. "Queen Guinevere will be so honored to hear of this."

"She will?" the child asked shyly as she fidgeted nervously with her foot.

"Of course she will," I assured her. "In fact, stay with me and I’ll introduce you to her in a few minutes. Would you like that?"

The child looked at me in wonder. I knew she had probably heard all about the new king and his beautiful queen from her parents. To meet them now was beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

"Were your parents killed, as well?" I asked gently.

"No," she answered. "I do not have parents. I’ve been an orphan since birth."

"I’m sorry for that," I replied softly. "But we will find a place for you here. And you will belong."

She smiled, a beatific smile that didn’t quite make it to her eyes.

"Thank you, my lady," she murmured, dipping her head. Above her, I sought out my mother from across the courtyard. Catching my gaze, she made her way to my side.

"Heleyne, are you almost finished here?" she asked, drawing next to me curiously.

"We should ready the extra bedrooms inside."

"Of course, your highness," I answered. "But first, I’d like for you to meet Gwendolyn." I patted the little girl’s back and she stepped forward. My mother’s eyes widened when she saw her and I caught her eye again.

She knelt, grasping the child’s hand.

"Hello there, little one," she murmured, staring into the child’s heart-shaped face. "I like your name."

"Your lady told me you would," Gwendolyn answered shyly. "It’s nice to meet you, your highness."

"And it is so very nice to meet you," Guinevere answered. "Would you like to stay here with us for awhile?"