Free Goddess of Legend by P. C. Cast Page A

his throne.
    Finally he stopped and faced her. “I had this idea. I thought it was one that would benefit all; those in Camelot and those in all of the surrounding lands. To bring all of the knights of all of the realms together to meet, to discuss how we might find a way to create treaties that would benefit us all and allow us to live prosperously, peacefully and happily.”
    “Sounds like a great plan to me.” Impossible, probably, but hey, maybe someday.
    He threw his free arm wide. “And to me as well. I was hoping—perhaps in my arrogance—that this might define my legacy as king.”
    “There is nothing arrogant about wanting to leave a mark on the world, sir. Is it not what we all hope to accomplish during our time on this earth? To leave it better because of our actions?”
    His hand went to his hip. “I most certainly want to kiss you, Countess.”
    Oh, me, too. Come on, come on, spill something that will disgust me.
    She smiled. “Your tale is in its beginnings. Please, go on. We’ll discuss that other part once you’ve unburdened what brings that sadness to your eyes.”
    He returned to the bench and sat down, taking a long sip from his cup before setting it down. Then he took her hand, running his thumb over her palm.
    Isabel should have objected, should have pulled away, but it felt really gentle and she had the willpower of a moth to one of those lanterns.
    He kind of shook his head. “The responses from the knights were positive. We are to meet here in the next sennight. I asked you to arrive early because our lands border one another, and I wanted us to have discussions over farming before all arrived. And,” he added, looking her in the eyes, “because perhaps the knights would not ...”
    “Accept a woman at the negotiating table?”
    He nodded. “I am so sorry.”
    “Not a problem. We’ll deal with that later. So what’s so sad about this great response to your offer of negotiations? I don’t get it.”
    “This is where Lancelot comes in.”

CHAPTER SEVEN
    ISABEL finished off her cognac and also set the glass down before saying, “Lancelot? He sat at our table tonight. Correct? He seemed like a nice enough child.”
    “Ha!” Arthur barked. “Yes, indeed, he’s a nice enough child. He is also the most skilled fighter I have e’er known. All he needed was guidance. I believed. In my dealings with him, I felt like he was the son I had always wanted, the son I never . . . was able to mold. I asked him to come to Camelot to be part of the men who would secure us.”
    “He has obviously accepted.”
    “He has.” Arthur shut his eyes, then opened then again. Looking clearly and deeply into hers. “He has also secured the love of my wife. He has assured to help defend and secure Camelot. He swore his fealty. However, it has become painfully obvious that his loyalties have . . . shifted.”
    “Has he, then, betrayed you? Is he now a threat to Camelot?” This feigning ignorance was getting tough. “And if so, why do you still invite him to your table?”
    “A threat to Camelot, no. I have no doubt that he would be the first into battle, should it, heaven forbid, ever come to that. And I am certain he never meant to betray me.”
    “But he has.”
    Arthur looked down at the ground, almost as if he couldn’t face her as he whispered, “I feel, to my soul, that he wishes to be true to me. But I am certain, in my heart, that he . . . has fallen in love with Gwen.”
    “Uh-oh. And Gwen?”
    “I believe she returns his love.”
    “Has she said as much?”
    “No, no, of course not.”
    “Have you asked?”
    “I have not been able to bring myself to confront her. If the truth is spoken, the consequences are grave. A queen’s unfaithfulness to her husband and king is considered treason, and is punishable by death.”
    “Wow. Does she happen to be aware of that little bylaw?”
    Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but then a rustling in the garden behind them stopped him short. He