Lancelot Part 2

Ambush

King Ban stepped into his tent after a early morning hunt with his brother and King Arthur. He still don his hunting weapons although the hunt was long over. He had stopped at another tent for his own hunt of lust before he returned to his tent. King Ban finds his Queen still dressed in her night gown with one sleeve lowered for the act of nursing their  young baby at her bosom. The sight of his Queen exposed bosom stirred his lust even though he had just released it not too long ago.

King Ban walked over to his Queen and knelt down to next to her. He reached for his young infant son' cheek and touched at it.

"He would be a fine lad and then he can joined me in these hunts." King Ban speaks as he looked up to his Queen He smiled at her and reached for her other sleeve to lower the gown. Elaine did not protest as the King nudges his mouth over her other breast to suckle at her milk.

"Yes, my Lord." Queen Elaine was all she could replied as both father and son suckled at her milk. She slowly nudged her child off her teats so that he would not be pushed by the grizzled face of the father but the child cries out in protest when he is weaned off the teats.

"My Lord, the child needs his milk." She protested and King Ban reluctantly removed himself.

"So he would. I am in need to take a bath before I am to attend to my men." King Ban politely excused himself to move towards the other side of the tent.

Queen Elaine clasped her son back her teats and let him have his fill. She looked towards her Lord who is now stripping off his hunting tunic to reveal his magnificent physique to her. Its not that she had not seen naked but every time she does, she finds her passion moving within herself. But alas since she had birthed the child, she find herself alone in the bedding as her Lord feigned excuses to step away. Its not that she is not as beautiful as before although her bosom may had build up with milk. Its just that her Lord find himself to avail on another since she was in her advanced stages.

The King may had sampled another nectar and now finds its more refreshing than the one she had to offered. Elaine remembered then when the healer cautioned the King to resist or the child may be lost during her later stages. He was clearly upset that his to command now commands him. More to it, he finds her looks a disheartening sight with the extra load on her body. He spent more nights in his own chamber or with his whores when the need arise. Soon he finds the events suits him well like before.

It was also the the time when King Arthur rallied his loyal allies to campaigned against the Franks. King Bors have joined and King Ban was asked to do so in brotherly commitment. King Ban could not declined such a great opportunity to pillage and maybe to secure more lands with his brother at his side. However his Queen asked for her exclusion as she was not fit to travel with the unborn child. King Ban gave her his consent and he then seek out in his Hall who can be his companion. It so happened to be a young lady in waiting by the name of Lady de Maris who agreed to be his companion.

So the duo traveled out in discretely so the child laden Queen would not be alarmed or aware of the companionship. Soon the news came to the ears of the Queen that her Lord was with another in the camp. Queen Elaine went into premature labor and delivered the King his heir. She made haste her recovery and took the infant to seek his father in the battle front.

It was in her journey that she heard that the Franks are countering in their attacks. King Arthur and his allies are holding up at the place near Herns. She reached their camp after some grueling travel but she happy to be reunited with her Lord. The King was ever delighted to see his son and he forgets all about his other companion. Queen Elaine was pleased with herself and she decided to stay with her Lord.

"How fare your campaign now, my Lord?" Queen Elaine asked of her Lord as she placed the sleeping infant to his cradle once he had his fill of her milk. She walked to her Lord and laid her head on his naked back.

"The Franks are withdrawing at some lands but they are holding onto some of us." King Ban told his Queen as he complete his washing. He looked down at himself and smiled as he still sports a younger body despite his age. He noted the scars of his previous fights but none was fatal at all. King Ban reached for his Queen when he felt the arousal in his groin, but his sojourn was interrupted when his senior officer came a-calling outside the tent. The King pushed his Queen away and grabbed a tunic to wear over his body. Meanwhile Queen Elaine pulled up her bodice by the sleeve and walked back to her child. King Ban called on the officer to stepped in.

"My King, I bear bad news." Sir Galad spoke up. He has risen in rank although he still sports the same armor.

"Speak up, Sir Galad." King Ban told him. "Queen Elaine is no stranger to you."

"My Queen." Sir Galad addressed the lady hidden at the inner tent. "My King, our castle at Benwick has been overrun by the Franks. They have moved on our flanks and now coming against us."

"How can that be?" King Ban shouted out causing his son to woke up in fright. The child's mother immediately ran to attend to him.

"I left a size able garrison there to guard the castle." King Ban tried to deny hearing of his castle being overran.

"We do not have the details but you must returned to Benwick." Sir Galad told his King. "We must recapture the castle."

"Call my squire. I must dressed to see Arthur and Bors." King Ban hollered for his squire to assist him.

King Ban left the army of King Arthur with his own men of five hundred strong to march back to Benwick. Arthur would continue in his campaign and defeat the Franks. Unknown to him, his movements were watched by King Claudas scouts.

"So Ban leaves for his own land." King Claudas speak to his assembled knights in the Hall of his castle. "My cousin, Pierre did well to attack the flanks,"

"Shall we take them with our army, my King?" A knight of his kingdom asked. This knight commands two hundred over foot soldiers and a hundred lancers on mounts.

"No, Sir Anton." The King pacified his knight. "King Ban travel in a haste and he is short of supply. He would need to get those from the villages and settlements. Move in on those now. We would starve Ban' army."

"Yes, my Lord." The seven knights at his Hall salutes him.

The army of King Claudas burned the villages and settlements in the path of King Ban. They did everything to starve the returning army.

"My King, as we speak now; our men are complaining of hunger and the desertion is getting higher in the ranks." Sir Galad advised his King. "I have to remove two Guards today for the same misdeed."

"How far are we from Benwick?" The King asked of his castle as he nursed his wine in the goblet.

"We are two days away and maybe three if the men does not march as expected."

It was then Queen Elaine walked into the tent. She brought news of their son who is not feeling well.

"Has he not been fed by you?" The King was to asked.

"The child is not sick but he wants his father. You have not seen him for days now." Queen Elaine told the King. "Neither have you been to my tent since we left Arthur."

"Women! I am at war here now." The King bellowed out. "My castle taken by someone and you question my whereabouts in the dark time. Do you know my mind is on my men now who needs to go home to see their families more than your thoughts of me fornicating with you in the tent."

Sir Galad who was standing there to avoid embarrassment quietly leave the tent but he was soon to see the Queen leaving in emotional state. Sir Galad thought of leaving the King to his mood but he was called to go in again.

"Galad, I want you take a small squad and ride ahead to the Castle." The King commanded. "Find out the state of my castle and then await my arrival."

Yes, my King." Sir Galad salute his King and left the tent. As he was mounting his horse, he was to see Lady de Maris walking towards the tent. He ignored her as she entered his tent, and when he was to ride away, he can hear the Lady crying out in rage. He stopped his horse and contemplating to go in to assist the King but then he reckon if the King chooses to bed with different women, then he has to accept responsibilities for them.

"No, woman." King Ban shout out in rage. "Your unborn child cannot be mine."

Lady de Maris have walked up to the King in his tent on seeing the Queen. She confronted the King on her health condition and he have just declined responsibility. She glared at him on his denial.

"Do you accuse me of being a whore, my King?" Lady de Maris spoke out in a low tone that come across as cynical. "One who lays her womb to anyone with a hardness to pierce for fun?"

"I did not say that." The King deny again.

"Do you take me for one who lay by your side and vision on another?" Lady de Maris asked him again as he avert his eyes to avoid her glare. She knows of his love for his Queen but he finds her burden looks very unpleasing to his eyes.

"I do not mean that too. Its just that we may have spent our time together but its unheard of that I may be your child's father." King Ban knows that many ladies of the court are always willing partners for hope to be attached to one of good standing.

He does not discount Lady de Maris may be one of them as she did not think twice when he asked her to joined him earlier. But to acknowledge that her unborn child could be his was like putting his neck on the block for the executioner. He fear for his young son whose mother is the rightful Queen. She may not not take kindly to him having another child with this woman although she may have condone his infidelity behind her eyes. But most of all he feared the subject matter of him having a bastard son which may challenge his rightful heir for the throne later.

"King Ban, this child is yours as I am yours." Lady de Maris told the King and she then stormed off from the tent.

"Damned woman and their lust." King Ban muttered to himself. He knows in his heart, that unborn child is his but he cannot accept that child.

King Ban camped that night at the clearing with their hungry sentries standing guards at the perimeter. At one of these posts, an older foot soldier lament to his younger counterpart.

"Jason, once before I remembered we used to marched for days without food. Then we were forced marching to overtake the enemy...." Brin the old foot solider leaning on his spear tried to cheered up the young soldier.

"Enough, old man." Jason retorted back. "When I was signing up and given the silver coin, your commander promised me good life with food, drinks and women. But now I got is hays for my food, and no women in sight unless I considered the mare as one I can fornicate with."

"So the splendor of the army now swept off from your sight, makes you re-think that perhaps toiling the hard ground from dawn to dusk maybe a better option, huh?" Brin passed on the smite remark. "But you forget the days when you donned those armor plates helped you to some loot that you never dreamed of. Or are they all forgotten like the coins in the tavern for your lust and thirst."

"Aye, it did give me some riches but they are small amount that would never buy me a farm." Jason cried out his misgivings.

"True, but it would had bought you a wife and family if you knew how to spent it instead of plundering it on whores and rum." The older man reminded him.

"I am telling you ....." Jason did not get to complete the sentence when the arrow pierced his back and into his heart. He fell on his face without seeing the adversary.

"Raid!" Brin shouted out at the top of his voice as he hold the spear tight in his hands. "Enemy at the perimeter."

Brin saw the enemies emerging from the nearby woods and charging at them. He looked to his side and find most of his peers are still shaking off their sleep stupor or exhaustion from lack of food.

"Enemies coming at us!" Brin shouts again trying to rouse the camp of their new threat. He turned to shout at the soldiers and then he decided to charge the enemies as to motivate his own to fight. He rushed out towards the enemies, but he was cut down by the riding lancers even before he could react.

King Ban roused from his rest at his tent grabbed the sword and shield. He did not donned his armor as there was no time for it but to fight like the barbarians whom he has encountered in the past. He rushed out of his tent and started to give commands to his men. He was not to wait for the enemy to come to him, but charged them himself. He blocked off an oncoming thrust by a foot soldier on a spear and used his shield to ram at the soldier. He turned back to call on more of his men to reinforced around him. He turned back to see the enemy and he was struck in the left shoulder by a spear thrusted by a foot soldier. King Ban pulled at the spear handle and drew it out with his own strength.

"Aargh!" King Ban shouted out, as he rallied his men to engaged the enemy. He was flanked by two of his officers but he brushed them off.

"Move on!" King Ban shout to his men. An arrow came at him and he managed to step back avoiding the arrow but the second volley hit at his right knee. King Ban fell on his injured knee while he used his sword to hold his body up. More of his men now roused up from the sleep began to rallied around him.

"Hold the line!" King Ban shout out at his men. As he watched his men fought the Franks, he reached for his wound at his shoulder. Its a deep wound and the spear head is unclean; the wound would be fatal. King Ban reached for the shoulder of the nearest soldier to pulled himself up. He motioned the soldier to assist him in returning to the tent.

"My Lord, who do you fare?" Queen Elaine placed the child she was carrying in her arm in the cradle. She rushed forward to tend to his wounds.

"My Lord, the wounds are deep and the poultice I placed there are not stopping the bleeding." Elaine told her Lord as she dapped on the wound with more poultice. King Ban reached up for his Queen' hand, and held it in his hand.

"Elaine, we have to leave this place. My men are being slaughtered although we numbered more. My wounds are also fatal and in need of a healer." King Ban assured his Queen. "We may be winning for now, but we cannot withstand another raid."

Elaine nod her head and she went back to the cradle. She picked up the child and turned to her Lord.

"I am ready to leave, my Lord." Elaine explained to her Lord.

King Ban placed his Queen and child on a horse., while he mount his own. They tried to make it to King Bors castle. On their way to the castle, they met up with King Bors with a small contingent of army at a nearby lake. The contingent is of twenty foot soldiers.

"Bors, what happened to you?" King Ban asked of his brother.

"The Franks are at my castle. They are strong and flanking my army, but I managed to escape with this contingent.I intend to ride for my castle and rescue my Queen." King Bors told his brother.

"My sister is safe?" Elaine asked of her sister.

"I am sure she is, Queen Elaine." King Bors addressed her formally. In his heart, he is not sure of who is safe and who in in danger. As they were about to ride on, both brothers heard the war cries of the Franks, who emerged from the woods nearby. They been following King Bors to await this opportunity.

"Protect the King!" The officer on duty called out to the foot soldiers. Both the Kings' drew their sword and joined their soldiers to fight the oncoming Franks. Elaine on seeing her Lord at battle despite his wounds, and it worried her. She need to carry the child to safety, and the only place she can find is the lake. She placed the child on a basket and covered the child with a blanket.

"My child, please don't cry. You need to be brave." Elaine looked at her child as tears come down from her eyes. "Mummy have to assist your father in battle. Once we have cleared the Franks, Mummy would come back for you."

The child she has yet to name looked up to his mother and gurgle in his voice. He reached out with his hand towards the one he know as his mother. Elaine reached forth to hold her son' hand and reached down to kiss the hand. She wanted to express her words to comfort her son on the danger she might be facing but she could not bring herself to do so. She can hear the fighting nearby and she knows the longer she spend with her son, may be detrimental to her Lord.

Elaine placed the basket on the lake and slowly pushed the basket off. She watched the basket float on the lake surface and then she got up from the lake side. She walked back to the horse and retrieved the sword there. It was given to her by her father when she was younger.

Elaine rushed to the battle field and saw her Lord standing there alone at the circle. His brother Bors lies at his feet bleeding at many places. Elaine ran to her husband but just before she reached him, she saw him charging at the Franks despite his wounds. The foot soldiers thrust their spear at King Ban from different directions and he died on his feet.

"No!" Elaine shouted out. She rushed forth with her sword swinging at the Franks. Her first blow brought down one of the soldier whose back was to her.

"Kill the mad lady!" One of the other Franks' shouted out and the others did as per orders; they charged at the lady with their spears.

Elaine in her anger did not stopped on seeing the raised spears but rushed into it without caring. She could block one spear but three others thrust into her chest; piercing her body inside.

Elaine cried out in pain before her heart stopped beating. She died near her Lord side but on her mind just before she drew her last breath was on her son floating on the lake.