AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The men had received word from scouts of Saxon nomads advancing upon the area. Arthur intended to defend the village with his troop of a dozen warriors and makeshift village militia against two hundred well-armed invaders.
For anyone else, such an undertaking was suicidal folly. But Lancelot had seen Arthur triumph over tougher odds.
Besides, if he needed it, and only if he truly needed it, Lancelot might surreptitiously nudge the odds in their favor.
“Scouts estimate that the Saxons will arrive after dawn. They’re camping twenty miles north of here,” Kay informed the group gathered around the camp fire.
“If I were them, I’d push forward in the stealth of night and attack while the village is asleep,” Arthur said, staring into the flames, his expression considering.
“They’ve been traveling nonstop for days now,” Bedivere said. “Their horses are tired. The men must be exhausted. If they push themselves too hard, they would be too weak to win the battle. Even against defenseless villagers.”
“Perhaps it is because they believe the village will be easy pickings that they determined to rest first,” Gawain added. “I doubt they’ve gotten wind of our presence here.”
“Hence we travel with few men and we travel light,” Arthur agreed. “I have no doubt we will turn the tide and trounce the Saxon swine. We shall have the element of surprise.”
“And the mighty Bear Prince with his fabled Dragon Tooth,” Bedivere said with a smirk and an elbow to Arthur’s side.
Arthur grunted and shoved him back.
“Dragon Tooth and Bear Claw,” he corrected with mock seriousness. “Both my swords have reputations that precede them.”
Kay chortled, almost choking on a gigantic bite of his roasted rabbit.
“Since when did you name the other sword? And what kind of childish moniker is that? Bear Claw. Doesn’t even match. Why not Dragon Claw?”
The other men murmured in agreement and nodded, pretending to give this due consideration.
“Dragon Claw has a more fearsome ring to it,” Bedivere agreed. “Goes well with Dragon Tooth. They are brothers from the same forge, after all.”
“’Tis Bear Claw,” Arthur growled, glaring at his snickering men.
“Leave it.”
But he couldn’t help adding himself, “And they’re not brothers. They’re…”
“Cousins?” Gawain suggested, brow arched.
“Sire and spawn?” Kay put in, struggling to keep his face neutral despite the contortions of barely-suppressed laughter.
“A pair!” Arthur all but shouted over the men’s guffaws.
“It’s a pair of swords, you dim wits!”
An involuntary smile spread Lancelot’s lips as he watched them.
His face felt strange being exercised in this way. He rarely smiled. Rarely expressed anything on his face, in truth. Only Arthur elicited…emotions in him.
And right now, he experienced humor. And a warm, tingling pleasure that spread throughout his chest.
Arthur had named his second sword after Lancelot’s suggestion. The swords were a “pair.” He felt as if Arthur had put his arm around Lancelot’s shoulder just then, as he’d seen the warrior do with the other men, in an embrace of friendship.
“Speaking of pairs,” Gawain interjected, “I haven’t seen you go off in a ‘pair’ for months, Bear. Would have thought you’dstay in the village this night in the arms of one or two or three fair wenches. I counted interest from at least half a dozen doe-eyed, bosomy females when we rode through before nightfall.”
“Good of you to keep track,” Arthur muttered, off-handedly slapping Gawain on the back of his head.
“Ow,” the other man complained, rubbing the affronted spot.
“Where I camp and who I’m with is none of your concern,” Arthur said.
