Chapter 10

Arthur had a plan. Now all he had to do was put it into action. As a seasoned veteran of numerous campaigns, he simply focused all his thoughts and energy on the plan. He was a man of action. A man who was known throughout his realm as someone you could trust to fix things if, when, they go terribly wrong. The only problem was that a woman was the target of the plan, and the fact that she also happened to be his queen only made it that much more of a challenge.

Over the years, what had once been an impassioned love had turned into a stony silence. It wasn’t that Arthur didn’t still love his queen, no Guinevere still made his blood pound in his ears, but she had a very well-developed hatred for all that Arthur stood for. Guinevere simply hated all the political backstabbing and expedient decisions that went into holding the realm together. The experience of being Queen had soured her, and had caused an enormous rift in their relationship.

And, when he took a moment to think about it, he could see it all from her perspective. What mother would have wanted to essentially abandon her daughter, and their only child, to be raised by foster parents? What mother in her right mind would have willingly given their child to, for all intents and purposes, strangers to raise? Only a mother who so hated the world in which she felt she was trapped would do such a thing, and then, even then, she would have hated doing it even more. That Guinevere hated him, he didn’t doubt. Could Arthur get her to see that he was not her enemy? Could he get her to see him as an ally? The plan was so simple, really: How to get her to love him again?

Guinevere was in the gardens on this fine, bright spring day. She and her ladies were simply sitting and enjoying the spring sunshine on a rare break from the spring showers. Guinevere’s ladies were the first obstacle for Arthur to overcome. How to get them to leave the two of them alone? Guin only really had a handful of people she truly trusted, and they were all loyal to her and her alone.

The bright chatter of her court came to a sudden stop when the King entered the gardens. Each of them, including the Queen, made to rise and bow as protocol demanded. Trying not to appear as nervous as he truly was, Arthur simply smiled and bade them to resume their activities. They did take up their original positions, but their chatter had totally stopped. A very uncomfortable silence, broken by the occasional bird call, was all that remained of their bright banter of before.

“Ladies, if I could, I should like to have the Queen to myself for a while. If you would be so kind as to leave us in privacy, we would be most appreciative.” Arthur said, into the still of the moment. With the briefest of rustling of silk, Guinevere’s six Ladies in Waiting left the confines of the gardens, without so much as a backwards glance. “Guin, we need to talk. We need to talk, and I would rather not have another fight with you this time. I need to say a few things, and I need you to listen without interruption. Can you do that for me?” he said with a frank look of doubt on his face.

“Of course, my liege, I am a loyal servant of the crown.” Guinevere said without a hint of emotion crossing her normally expressive face.

“I know that you hate me.” Arthur paused to marshal his roiling thoughts. “And I know that you hate what we have done regarding Erin. I know that you have been hurt by all this, and frankly, I don’t blame you. I know you don’t agree with anything that has happened, or with any of the recent decisions regarding bringing Erin into our world. Furthermore, I can see how this has torn you up! I’m not stupid, you know?” Guinevere snorted at this, but remained silent and attentive. Sighing, Arthur began to pace, a habit he had unconsciously picked up from Emory. “Look, let’s be totally honest, shall we? At one point we were wildly in love, as all young love often is, and we stayed in love for numerous years. But the war and strife took its toll on the two of us. And the fear of having to watch our backs all the time began to tear us apart. I know all that. I do, Guin, honest to the Gods I do!” Arthur turned abruptly and strode close to Guinevere. Sitting next to her, he took her hand in his own. “I know this has not been easy on you, and I know that giving Erin over to foster care has been eating at you like a cancer. I know it has, and I suspect besides hating me for it, you probably hate yourself as well.”