Blood of Kings

by Billy Wong

  Nimue didn't believe it. "I should have just killed you when I was here. But you were strong and I afraid, so I made your brother cast you out in hopes you'd die trying to regain your throne. And yet, here you are. But I'll kill you now."

  Gawain, who had stood frozen in shock since the revelation this was not his mother, now drew sharp steel and spoke. "You used me, and cost Camelot many good men. Yours is the blood to be spilled today."

  Mildy didn't feel too adverse to that idea right now. But first she demanded of Nimue, "Where did you take our mother?"

  Instead of answering, the mage screamed words Mildy did not know, and energy crackled about her body. Gawain rushed, only to run right into a jagged lightning bolt. Thrown from his feet, he clattered to the ground in the armor he still wore. Ares darted in and stabbed into Nimue's side, loosing a gout of blood. But a wave of the mage's hand blew him as with a tremendous wind into the far wall.

  Mildy charged, feeling a pang of guilt while she struck at this creature which looked just like her mother. The flail smashed into Nimue's shoulder, and bone crunched at the impact. She fell sideways but rolled up into a crouch, giving no hint of any pain though her left arm hung limp and white bone poked out through her skin. Mildy began forward again, but suddenly Nimue lunged and grabbed her by the face.

  An intense chill seeped into Mildy's flesh where Nimue's hand touched it, and though she tried to pry it away the slender mage's grip proved surprisingly strong. Moreover, she felt weaker by the second. Nimue was sucking the life right out of her, she realized. Already, the shattered shoulder had begun to mend. But Nimue's grip suddenly slackened, blood spraying as Gawain clove through her forearm. She cried out this time, though still more in alarm than pain. As she stumbled back, Mildy struck her a heavy blow and felt her sternum give. She flopped back onto Morgan's bed, soaking the linens with red.

  The glamour altering her appearance fell away, revealing the broken body of a golden-haired beauty. "Tell me where my mother is!" Mildy cried.

  Nimue spat at her, and a wicked smile crossed her face. "You killed my child. Isn't it only fitting I took your mother in turn?" The certainty of Morgan's death fired Mildy's mind, and she howled with grief and rage. Screaming, she tried to crush Nimue's skull. Her flail passed through empty air to rock the bed as the mage vanished, a cold breeze filling the void left by her departure. Helpless in her despair, Mildy collapsed to her knees and wailed.

  Chapter 12

  Mildy refused to leave her room, not wanting to do anything other than brood and suffer over her failure to protect her mother. Ares and Gawain tried to visit and she shooed them away, especially aggravated by her brother's calm demeanor. He'd lost his mother too! But he hadn't known Morgan as long as she, and perhaps it was a manly attribute to be able to function with such pain. She certainly wasn't strong enough to do it.

  When had Nimue gotten to Morgan, and how had nobody recognized the fact she'd been replaced? Not that a mage in another's guise was something people normally looked out for, but after what'd happened with Merlin... Mildy couldn't stop wondering if she could have done something to save her mother, and replayed every memory she could of Morgan in Camelot, examining them for unusual behavior. But she could recall few relevant details, and was really only torturing herself.

  Three days later, a huge surprise brought both hope and overwhelming worry to her heart. "Morgan's alive!" Ares cried as he ran into her room, face flushed with excitement. "Tirant has her, and is saying he'll only give her back in exchange for Camelot."

  "That's what he claims? I hope it's not a trap. Is there any proof he's telling the truth?"

  Ares assured her Morgan had been spotted by trustworthy eyes, and Mildy realized Tirant had probably been telling the truth about her all along. What exactly had happened? She supposed she would have to save her in order to find out.

  "Thank God she lives! But where are they?"

  "I don't know about Morgan, but Tirant said he'd wait for you in Grens."

  She detected a slight tremor in his voice. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

  Ares paled. "H-he cut off your mother's ear. He sent it to us with his demand."

  Mildy stared, fists clenched with fury. "He what?! Damn, what I'd give to smash his face in!"

  "We won't be able to bring the army, will we? That might make him realize what you intend, and do further harm to Morgan."

  "I know. So I'll save her first, and then we can kill him."

  "Exactly what I was thinking. Who do you plan on taking?"

  "Who else? You, and that's it. Gawain probably wants in, but someone needs to stay here and take care of things."

  "Me and you like the old days, huh?" Ares mused with a grin.

  "Me and you."

  They left Camelot at once. A day's ride from Grens, a knight in filthy armor walked into view down the road, his eyes obscured by a tangled bird's nest of blond hair. They drew closer, and Mildy recognized him.

  "Lance?"

  He looked up at her, eyes exhausted as if he hadn't sleep since they'd last met. "Mildy. Glad to see you're alive."

  "I was wondering where you've been. Are you ready to come back to Camelot?"

  "I'd like to, if you'll have me. Have things calmed down? Morgan sure didn't make me feel welcome."

  "That wasn't my mother. It was Nimue in disguise. But what did you do to make her so mad?"

  "I tried to tell her the error of her ways. You didn't deserve what she said."

  Surprised that he would try to defend her, Mildy smiled gratefully. "So you've been living as a hermit because of me, is that it?"

  "Yes."

  "What about Guinevere? You don't begrudge me for her anymore?"

  "It's been a while, and I've come to realize we need to move on. You've suffered enough yourself."

  "Not as much as you. I didn't lose the woman I love." She dismounted and embraced him in a tearful hug. "I'm so sorry."

  "Mildy, you never had a chance to find love."

  She swallowed. "No, never did. Maybe I'll have time after I save my mother."

  "Yes, I've heard about her. If you're wondering how Tirant got a hold of her, his men supposedly found her half-dead on a riverbank. They weren't sure who she was, until she talked."

  Nimue must have left Morgan for dead after knocking her into the water, probably during one of her morning hunting trips. And Mildy supposed she might have tried to gain freedom with some proud assertion of who her daughter was. "I'll have to teach her how to act around the enemy after I rescue her."

  Ares looked at her and chuckled. "Maybe after this is done, you can become the new weaponsmaster at Camelot or something. You certainly like showing off by teaching people."

  "Is it my fault I know more than them?" she asked with a grin.

  "Look like you're back to your old self, Milady."

  "It's Mi-"

  "I know, Mildy."

  She laughed. "Hey, I just found out my mom's alive, so I'm supposed to be happy. Now all we have to do is save her. You want to come too, Lance?"

  "I'll come. It'll be just like old times."

  "What I wouldn't give for those times!"

  He nodded in agreement. "You think you can lend me a ride?"

  "Sure, Lance. This used to be Lamorak's horse." A fact she'd found out from one of Bedivere's captured cronies. "It can definitely hold the two of us."

  They arrived within view of the wooden walls of Grens, and Ares climbed a tree to survey the town. "There's a whole bunch of soldiers roaming around the church in the center. I bet that's where they're keeping Morgan."

  Lance sneered. "He's using a church to hold an innocent prisoner? That's low."

  "He's evil," Mildy said. There wasn't any gray area here, in her mind. "So does it look like we can make it?"

  Ares continued to observe for a bit. "I don't think we can right now, but maybe after dark..."

  They waited until nightfall, and Ares climbed the tree again. Mildy wasn't tired at all,
the excitement invigorating her. Finally she had a fight she could look forward to, and she wouldn't mind at all if she got to kill Tirant saving her mother.

  "It looks good," Ares said.

  With Ares keeping watch, Mildy and Lance snuck over the wall without difficulty and helped their friend inside. Creeping next to the little church at the heart of town, Mildy found an open window and climbed in.

  "This is too easy," Lance said.

  Mildy shrugged. "Don't worry. We haven't gone far yet."

  She lit a small brand and crouched close to the floor, trying to lessen the chance of someone noticing from outside. They decided to try the most obvious place to store a prisoner first and found the basement door locked.

  "Now what?" Lance asked. "None of us knows how to pick this thing, do we?"

  "It's something we should learn," Mildy mused, and knocked. The men stared. She quickly moved to the side, out of sight of anyone behind the peephole, and motioned Ares to do the same. Hopefully, Lance wouldn't be recognized in his disheveled state.

  "Hello? Who's there?"

  Mildy looked meaningfully at Lance. "Delivery!" the knight said gruffly.

  "Now?!" the incredulous voice demanded. "It's almost midnight!"

  Mildy shot Lance an annoyed glance at his poor choice of lie. "Tirant sends a new captive," he improvised.

  "What? New captive? Show them to me!"

  Lance grabbed Mildy by the arm, and before she could react jerked her before the door. The man on the other side fell silent for a moment. "My God... you got her?"

  "Yeah, caught her trying to sneak in. Our little princess here isn't nearly the fighter the legends say. I bet she cheated every time she had a big victory."

  Though she knew he was only putting on an act, she let his words fuel her anger, and when the door opened caved in the jailer's forehead before he could even cry out. The next man thrust at her with a shortsword, but she jumped back. As he followed her out the door, Lance's sword took off his head. Stepping over the bodies, Mildy walked into the cellar to see Morgan chained to the back wall.

  "Mom!" she cried happily, and ran to her side.

  "Mildy? Thank God you came! I was so scared..."

  She winced at the sight of Morgan's bruised, dirt-smeared face and missing right ear. "Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine. At least he didn't rape me; I would have torn off his parts, and then I'd be dead."

  Mildy smiled. "I'm sure you would have. You two find the keys yet?"

  Ares began to work at Morgan's bonds with the ring of keys he'd found on one belt. "There's a lot of them," he whined.

  Lance came over and freed Morgan's left arm with a lone key he'd found on the other guard. "Lucky me."

  Mildy chuckled, glad to have both of them with her. "Let's get out of here," she said while Lance unlocked Morgan's other arm. They had gotten halfway up the stairs when Bedivere blocked off their escape, a wall of armed men at his back.

  The grizzled knight smirked. "You're mine now, kingslaying whore."

  "The windows," Ares said as they backed down the steps, men crowding forward to lash out against Mildy and Lance's sturdy shields. "We can get out through the cellar windows."

  Mildy nodded. "Yeah, but it'll be slow to climb through. Guess somebody will have to keep this bunch off your backs."

  Her tone told Morgan what she meant. "Mildred, no! You can't sacrifice yourself just when I've found you."

  "I don't plan to die. Just go." After they passed through the cellar door, Mildy stopped just inside the room and stood her ground against the oncoming mass. Sharpened steel danced before her face, but she beat the blades aside and struck back furiously. In the confined space, her enemies could not use their numbers to much advantage, and bodies piled up before her as her companions exited the building.

  Mildy lunged forward, driving the enemy before her though she took a deep gash on her upper chest. As her onslaught pressed them back into a tangled clump, she turned and sprinted for a window, screaming for her companions to pull her out. She jumped, and Lance and Ares caught her and yanked her up just as swords slashed through the air where she'd been a moment ago.

  "See?" she beamed, panting. "I told you I didn't mean to die."

  She looked around to see more of Tirant's men pour out of houses all over town, a hostile swarm closing in on them. "We're not safe yet," Morgan breathed.

  They ran for the town gate, but the pair of guards there closed it long before they could reach it. The trio overwhelmed them in a frantic exchange of blows and quickly went to work reopening the portal. A knight reached their position and Mildy met him, rendering him helpless with a blow which bent his knee the wrong way. A second man followed, who Lance gutted with a hard slash.

  More enemies joined the fight. Mildy and Lance held them off, killing dozens of Tirant's men as they defended their companions. Mildy saw a new intensity and recklessness in the way Lance fought and wondered at the workings of his wounded heart. Having lost Guinevere, he battled like a man with nothing more to lose.

  Despite the warriors' skill and ferocity, there were just too many of the enemy. For each man they killed two more took his place, and they began to weaken while wounds piled up on their bodies. Slowly, they were pushed back towards their friends. Mildy cried out when spearheads sliced into her bicep and side, and Lance stumbled to his knees as a club rang his bell. Ares finished unlocking the gate with Morgan and rushed to their aid, his wild assault buying them precious seconds of time. Finally Morgan heaved against the heavy gate, opening it just enough for them to slip outside.

  They ran through, leaning against each other and still pursued by a mighty throng, spears showering down around them as they made for their horses. One grazed the flank of Mildy's steed, while another struck the back of Ares' shoulder. Morgan mounted behind her daughter while Lance paired up with Ares, and they beat back a handful of warriors who caught up to them before riding away. Tirant's men ran to get their own mounts, but the fleeing group had a healthy lead on their pursuers.

  "Now that was a fight!" Mildy breathed as Grens receded behind them.

  "We still didn't get them," Ares said clutching his wounded shoulder, clearly referring to Tirant and Bedivere.

  "Don't worry, we will. Mom, I'm so happy you're safe."

  Morgan hugged her tighter. "Mildred," she noted dryly, "you're bleeding on me."

  "Sorry."

  "I didn't mean it that way. I'm worried!"

  Mildy just laughed. "Don't, Mom. They're only scratches."

  "I wonder where Tirant was," Lance said. "Didn't see him at all among that crowd."

  "Doesn't matter. Maybe he was too lazy to get up—or too scared to face me. You okay, Mom?"

  "Fine. So what's been happening in Camelot since I was gone?"

  "A lot. But I'll tell you all about it, when we have some calm time."

  #

  Their pursuers chased them almost all the way back to Camelot, but finally gave up within sight of the castle walls. Mildy smiled at the guards who had previously denied her passage when the drawbridge came down without delay, and they smiled awkwardly back. Oh, well. She forgave them, but felt no need to tell them that.

  Gawain rushed out to receive them, and Morgan embraced him. "Sorry about throwing your daughter out like a fool," he said.

  "I'm glad you were willing to do it for me, even if it wasn't me."

  Ares nudged Mildy. "So is life good now?"

  "I suppose it is. But we wasted too many lives fighting, my brother and I. I'm afraid Camelot will never recover."

  "It wasn't your fault. You were tricked by magic."

  "I know. But I still hate it."

  He squeezed her shoulder and smiled. "Almost there, Mildy. A peaceful Britannia's just around the corner."

  "And a trip to Greece for you, right?" she replied with a smile of her own.

  "Yeah, they're dreams—but ones that'll come true. We just have to hang on. One more battle."

  "One or two
or thirty, doesn't matter. We've done too much to quit."

  They looked at each other and started to laugh. "You're so tough," Ares said happily.

  "So are you. Not like your cowardly war god."

  "Hey, don't insult my god."

  "I thought he was a cruel, petty god?"

  "Well, still... I'm named after him. So, Mildy, want to get some drinks?"

  "Sure."

  #

  Mildy went to her brother's room early next morning, and caught him dressing for court. "I think we should go after Tirant now," she said. "Before he can gain any more strength."

  "We haven't even gotten the men settled down yet. A lot of my allies are still ready to fight your allies. Do you really think it's a good idea to have them battle together?"

  "I don't know. But I know if Tirant isn't stopped soon, he could make things much worse for us in time. Besides, with such dissension in our ranks, it'd be best to get rid of him before any of our people decide to defect to his side."

  Gawain stepped into his breeches and pulled them up. "What if he does a speech with Excalibur, and convinces some of our more dissatisfied knights to join him on the spot?"

  "We'll try not to bring too many of questionable loyalty. Hopefully, fighting together will be good for the rest of them."

  "I don't know. I'm afraid they'd blame each other for whatever misfortunes they encounter."

  Mildy began to grow annoyed. "Maybe I should just take my own troops, then. I think we can take them, even though we'd be better off with your help."

  "It's too dangerous. I won't have you risk half our army in your excessive haste."

  She stared at his back as he donned his silken jacket. "But I brought them, and to fight you at that. I'd hope I could tell them what to do—or are you trying to be my king again, brother?"

  He turned towards her. "I thought you didn't care for ruling Britannia."

  She knew she did, now. It wasn't so much the position itself, but more the ability to do what she thought would be best for the realm. She wanted to stop Tirant now, and thus needed the power to do it.