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Authors: Gerald Morris
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grinned. "Be careful not to trust too much in foolish stories."
With genuine amusement, Acoriondes returned Terence's smile, the solemn courtier's face seeming suddenly years younger.
What with helping Acoriondes get rid of what the court was already beginning to call the Festival of St. Sarah, Terence had had no chance to watch Mordred, and at dinner that evening the young man was nowhere to be found. No one knew the goings-on at court better than Kai, so as soon as he was able, Terence caught the seneschal's eye and gestured for him to step aside with him. "Where's that fellow Mordred?" Terence hissed as soon as they were alone.
Kai peered at him shrewdly. "You don't like him either, do you?"
"Where is he?"
"Gone," Kai replied bluntly. "On his first quest, you might say."
Terence blinked. King Arthur sent his knights out on quests to fight injustice or drive away bandits, but there had been no reports of such problems for months. "A quest?"
"It's what you might call a diplomatic quest," growled Kai. "About midmorning today, a messenger arrived, reporting that Count Anders has refused to pay his taxes again." Count Anders was a powerful nobleman from East Anglia who was a recurring annoyance to the king. It wasn't that he was actively rebellious. He had sworn an oath of fealty to the king, like every other vassal. But he was always the last of the king's nobles to perform his lawful duties. Just a few months before, King Arthur had had to send an army to collect his rents. Kai continued, "So nothing would do for Arthur but to send Mordred off to deal with him, to see if diplomacy would work better than a show of force."
"He sent that boy alone on a mission like that?" Terence gasped.
"Nay, Bedivere's with him," Kai admitted. "But Arthur made it clear that he wanted Mordred to talk to Anders first." Terence shook his head. It didn't seem like a job for a youth. Anders was a slippery, conniving fellow, not to be trusted. "I know," Kai muttered, lowering his voice. "But Arthur's never had a son before."
They were interrupted by a commotion in the banquet hall behind them, and Terence and Kai returned to their places as Emperor Alexander's party entered the hall. As Terence took his spot behind Gawain's chair, Alexander was kneeling before a tight-lipped Sarah, apologizing brokenly to her. "It is that I am unable to speak my love for you, Lady Sarah. Even in my own tongue, I am not a man of well speeches, and in the English, I cannot say all that is in my heart. I wished the singers to speak my love for me. If it was not well done of me, then I ask your forgiveness. My hope was to praise you, not shame you. Forgive me?"
Sarah glowered at him for a moment, then said, "Oh, get up, Alexander. Just don't do it again."
The emperor sighed with relief, then smiled impishly. "I will obey you, my lady. From fear as much as from love. I do not wish to be treated as you treated my footmen."
Even Sarah had to join in the ensuing laughter, and Terence reflected that as maladroit as Alexander could be, it was impossible not to like the emperor.
Over the next two weeks, the emperor didn't make a spectacle of his love, but no one could doubt that he was pursuing Sarah as ardently as ever. In every way, he was attentive to her needsâor what he imagined to be her needs. When she went riding with Eileen, Alexander was there to help her mount her horse. When she walked to the town, one of the emperor's own footmen followed her (at a safe distance), ready to carry anything she purchased or to run errands for her. When she spoke in Alexander's presence, he immediately turned his attention from everyone else and listened to her. Sarah showed no sign of weakening, but as the days passed Alexander won nearly everyone else's heart. That Sarah still held out against so eligible and determined a suitor struck almost everyone as both foolish and cruel.
"Why
do
you refuse Alexander, anyway?" Eileen asked one evening, as she and Sarah and
With genuine amusement, Acoriondes returned Terence's smile, the solemn courtier's face seeming suddenly years younger.
What with helping Acoriondes get rid of what the court was already beginning to call the Festival of St. Sarah, Terence had had no chance to watch Mordred, and at dinner that evening the young man was nowhere to be found. No one knew the goings-on at court better than Kai, so as soon as he was able, Terence caught the seneschal's eye and gestured for him to step aside with him. "Where's that fellow Mordred?" Terence hissed as soon as they were alone.
Kai peered at him shrewdly. "You don't like him either, do you?"
"Where is he?"
"Gone," Kai replied bluntly. "On his first quest, you might say."
Terence blinked. King Arthur sent his knights out on quests to fight injustice or drive away bandits, but there had been no reports of such problems for months. "A quest?"
"It's what you might call a diplomatic quest," growled Kai. "About midmorning today, a messenger arrived, reporting that Count Anders has refused to pay his taxes again." Count Anders was a powerful nobleman from East Anglia who was a recurring annoyance to the king. It wasn't that he was actively rebellious. He had sworn an oath of fealty to the king, like every other vassal. But he was always the last of the king's nobles to perform his lawful duties. Just a few months before, King Arthur had had to send an army to collect his rents. Kai continued, "So nothing would do for Arthur but to send Mordred off to deal with him, to see if diplomacy would work better than a show of force."
"He sent that boy alone on a mission like that?" Terence gasped.
"Nay, Bedivere's with him," Kai admitted. "But Arthur made it clear that he wanted Mordred to talk to Anders first." Terence shook his head. It didn't seem like a job for a youth. Anders was a slippery, conniving fellow, not to be trusted. "I know," Kai muttered, lowering his voice. "But Arthur's never had a son before."
They were interrupted by a commotion in the banquet hall behind them, and Terence and Kai returned to their places as Emperor Alexander's party entered the hall. As Terence took his spot behind Gawain's chair, Alexander was kneeling before a tight-lipped Sarah, apologizing brokenly to her. "It is that I am unable to speak my love for you, Lady Sarah. Even in my own tongue, I am not a man of well speeches, and in the English, I cannot say all that is in my heart. I wished the singers to speak my love for me. If it was not well done of me, then I ask your forgiveness. My hope was to praise you, not shame you. Forgive me?"
Sarah glowered at him for a moment, then said, "Oh, get up, Alexander. Just don't do it again."
The emperor sighed with relief, then smiled impishly. "I will obey you, my lady. From fear as much as from love. I do not wish to be treated as you treated my footmen."
Even Sarah had to join in the ensuing laughter, and Terence reflected that as maladroit as Alexander could be, it was impossible not to like the emperor.
Over the next two weeks, the emperor didn't make a spectacle of his love, but no one could doubt that he was pursuing Sarah as ardently as ever. In every way, he was attentive to her needsâor what he imagined to be her needs. When she went riding with Eileen, Alexander was there to help her mount her horse. When she walked to the town, one of the emperor's own footmen followed her (at a safe distance), ready to carry anything she purchased or to run errands for her. When she spoke in Alexander's presence, he immediately turned his attention from everyone else and listened to her. Sarah showed no sign of weakening, but as the days passed Alexander won nearly everyone else's heart. That Sarah still held out against so eligible and determined a suitor struck almost everyone as both foolish and cruel.
"Why
do
you refuse Alexander, anyway?" Eileen asked one evening, as she and Sarah and
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