Arthur II Chapter 13

13.

The elder Marcellus lady had her tent set up and covered up. She had the tent positioned next to the underbrush. It was convenient for her friends to find her. She was seated cross-legged with the scented candles around her and metal bowl in front of her. She had on her favorite tunic and round her neck was the string of bones. She had placed some powders in five different shades which she was then stirring it with her index fingers in opposite rotation to each other. She was chanting the verses known only to her own family and related ones. It was past the hour of midnight and the nocturnal creatures were out on the prowl. She felt the vibrations on her body. She was delighted then and maintained her chanting. 

It was soon time. 

Her friends appeared then.

The elderly lady removed her fingers from the bowl and then tapped the flooring. With each tap, she dropped the powder shades onto the flooring. It did not form any characters but the scent of the powder mixed soon overcame the other scents. The friends of her’ were three slithering creatures with a dark scaled body and a length of over three feet. Two of them slither up her arms and onto her shoulder. The one on the right slither up to the back of the neck and then raised its head towards the left ear while the left one hung onto the left shoulder and lowered itself into the chest by the heart. The last creature stopped before her and stayed on the flooring. It was poised for the strike from that position and the target was the torso. 

The lady continued her tapping and then stopped. The message was relayed. 

The creatures slither off the same they came.

The lady then raised her arms and stopped the chanting. She then called out. 

“Adele, come on in.” The aide of her from her homeland stepped in. The aide bends down to clear the candles and the bowl. She then swept the flooring of the powder before she opened the flap. The moonlight filtered in past the flaps while the aide lit up the normal night candles. 

“Thank you, Adele. You may bring me my night shift and stored these away.” The elderly lady passed the bone to the aide. “And call my son in. He has waited long enough.” 

“Mother I am here. Are we done?” 

“Yes, we are. The friends of mine will maintain a boundary for us while we build the castle. How goes the castle?”

“There is no castle, Mother. I am building a villa. Like the one, we have at our homeland. I have moved our wealth here to pay for it.” Lucius Marcellus told his mother. “It will hold a barrack for fifty warriors and we will have archers too. I will ….”

“I know you will, Son but who will lead them. I have not heard of a name I can relate to. Do tell me.” The elderly lady asked. “I…” 

“I invited Sir Bernlak….” 

“The Green Knight. I am glad. He will do fine.” The elderly lady recalled the Green Knight or his name Sir Bernlak of Haus. He was not any knight but on the mythical level, he was revealed as one with them. He was considered as a demi-god and yet no one had seen his real face. He was always in his armor. Due to that, he was ostracised but he appeared on both sides. He worked for his own needs. 

“Mother, with him here, we may be …. left alone.” 

“Ostracised? I am used to it.” The elderly lady smiled. 

“Mother, Bernadette was killed ….” 

“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have taken care of her daughters. My granddaughters.” The elderly lady reminded her son. “

“And you have named them Heidi, Catlin, and Madeline.” Antonio Marcellus chose to remind his mother. “They were …”

“Insignificant names but the ones I gave them will make them famous. Like their namesake, they will rule the land.” The elderly lady then dismissed her son. She then looked at her aide.

“Attend to me, Adele. I want to rest. No one must disturb me.” 

None will disturb the Marcellus family. They have resettled further back after the attack. They have decided to be neighbors to the Meleagant. Enough distance to be seen but not to visit each other. Antonio Marcellus knew enough of the Meleagant but he also knew that they could be an ally in dire times.

“Antonio.” The man felt the arms around his waist. He leaned back towards the soft bosom of the lady. “Your mother sleeps.” 

“I know Adele. I fear not her but the war that was to come here. I do wonder why we are here at times. We could have moved elsewhere …. To Hispania or Normandy.” Antonio felt the lips of his lover caressed the back of his neck. “I fear.”

“Antonio, do not mention her name. She can hear us. She will protect us.” Adele replied.

“As she did when we were captured. The girls could have been harmed.” Antonio was in anger. “I do not why the mother will ally with her when …”

“Hush, my love. We are in her debt. She removed threat over us many times.” Adele soothed the man. “I knew of her powers. She is powerful.”

“Evil and powerful. She desired Arondight for herself. She cannot be too near it and we are her servants to fetch it.” Antonio replied. “I will get the sword and used it to kill her.”

“We will do it together.” Adele held her lover close to her. 

Another of the lovers was also at it. 

For the lovers, there was no boundary except those set by them. The lips of the lovers caressed each other before one set trailed to the chin and then lingered at the neck, nibbling at the cleft between the neck and the head. The lips trailed from there to the left shoulder leaving a trail of kisses while the prowling hand lowered the dress line to display the left bosom. It was the subject of the other with then lips making gentle pull at the soft flesh till it hovered over the extended part where it will widen over the flesh. 

The moan of the lady was a sweetness to his ear and he took her hand over to him. She felt his hardness beneath the tunic and with his guide; she was caressing it with the coarse cloth that made the tunic. It could have been expectancy or misplaced desire he shuddered and her hand felt the wetness on the clothing. He was spent but was still able. He leaned up to kiss her lips with his body rolling onto her. 

“I have to stop…” Elaine pushed the other off her body. She rolled over and then sat up before adjusting her dress. Gaheris sat up next to her on the grass. They were blocked from the wall by the low rise of the hill. It was their second personal visit then although they have met with many together, and it was getting steamy. She wanted to let her boundaries down but held on. It was not Gaheris in person but the journey had taught her caution and boundaries. 

“Was there …” Gaheris gave out what was his boyish smiles. 

“No, darling. It was just me. I am not ready.” Elaine smiled. “I …”

“No, Elaine. Let me take you to do more than … this.” Gaheris told her. “I will show you the wall, my brothers, and my Centurion. The whole family.”

“Would that be a mistake? I may be.” Elaine was not wrong. She was cautious. Sometimes when we are cautious, we drew boundaries, and then we may make mistakes when we cross the boundary.

“Elaine, you are a noble lady. There is …”

“A noble lady, am I? I have hardly known of you yet we are so … intimate.” Elaine blushed. “I may be no…”

“You are not any wench. Not that I know of any.” Gaheris turned away. “I have been a shy one, unlike Galahad or Gawain. But with you, I felt so much…”

“I think we have gone far enough for now. I do like you, Gaheris.” 

“And I do too. I can talk to your father…”

“Father is pre-occupied for now. We are on new land and he needs to focus on the wealth and well-being of his family.” 

“And I do too. We can live on my coins as Elite.” Gaheris smiled. “I may be promoted to Decurion one day.” 

Elaine turned away. She was more ambitious than her lover. She desired the rank of the Lady and the influence to go with it. She looked back at Gaheris. He is dashing and yet of her age but he lacked the qualities she wanted. She knew her father favored the young Elite but her expectations were higher. 

“I must go, Gaheris. We will meet again.” With that, Elaine took her to leave of the Elite.