AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. But I would appreciate it if you allow me to complete a sentence.”
They exchanged a long, challenging look.
“You created a tale in your mind—” Tamara went on.
“A farce,” said Kenver.
His sister glared at him. “Willeveryonestop interrupting me!”
Kenver held up placating hands.
Tamara turned back to Merlin. “You must let go of that story,” she continued. “It is not true. And not good for you. You should go on with your life.”
“I have no life.”
“Because you are making no effort…”
“And it is not for you to say what I must do.” He pushed back his chair and rose. “You have said you care nothing for me. Thus, youarenothing to me.” He strode out, slamming the door as he had when he entered.
There was a brief silence, then Tamara made a wry face. “I admit that I was sometimes a careless, self-centered girl. Nonetheless, I never said I loved him or planned to have a future with him. I do not think this is my fault.”
Sarah nodded. “I think, as disappointments piled up, the tale grew in his mind as a substitute.”
“I can see that, but it is not healthy.”
“It’s a pathetic delusion,” said Kenver. “He needs to face the truth.”
“That is a good thing to do,” replied Tamara. “If we can see it.”
“And be sure we know the whole,” said Sarah.
“Always the difficulty.” The two women exchanged a nod.
“Difficulty?” Kenver frowned. “It all seems quite clear to me. And a perfect opportunity for ‘Merlin’ to depart. I shall tell him so.” He rose and followed the other man out, not noticing Sarah’s upraised hand. When she turned back, she found his sister looking at her.
“I think Kenver sees things in black and white,” said Tamara.
“He wants to live by the principles of honor, like a knight of old.”
“I remember he had a picture book about King Arthur. He used to pore over it when he was small.”
Sarah could easily imagine the little boy entranced by tales of chivalry.
“With the least bit of encouragement, he would tell the stories,” Tamara continued. “If I remember correctly, it seemed that any maiden—well, noble maiden, I suppose—could appear at King Arthur’s court and claim she was being oppressed. And a knight would jump up and take on the ‘quest.’ Which meant, I believe, that he agreed to go kill somebody at her direction. Nobody asked about the other side of the story, at least as far as I can recall.”
“And then the maiden turns out to be a sorceress who has lured the knight into deadly peril in order to get revenge on Arthur for some old grievance,” Sarah replied.
“Does she?”
“Well, not always. But once might have been enough.”
“For them to ask more questions the next time,” Tamara said.
“Yes.”
“I think those knights didn’t really have enough to do. All those years of training in how to kill things and so few to actually kill.” Tamara made a mock sad face.
Sarah burst out laughing. “They were created to protect the realm from invaders. The Saxons and Danes and, um, Angles and Jutes.”
