Arthur" The legend and myth Chapter 89

89.

"How come, when man rides, they don't have sores like mine?" Guinevere was sitting on a wet grass by the stream to ease the sore pain on her buttocks. She has been riding the horse like a man would and then regretted her action. Lancelot was standing nearby with his eyes on the horizon for he feared for her safety. It was her insistence that he was her escort and no knights were to trail them. After much discussion, Lancelot had agreed and he got his knights to ride a perimeter around them. It was a good move, he still felt unsafe. His left hand was holding at the hilt of his sword and his mind is working out the horizon. He saw then riders approaching them.

"My Queen, we may have to leave soon." Lancelot called on her. He saw them coming from two directions. Lancelot pulled up the Queen, and pushed her to her horse.

"Bounce on it. Don't sit tight." Lancelot told her when she mounted the horse. Lancelot hit at the rump of the horse as it ran back to the castle. He himself took out his sword and mount up his own. He looked at the riders which had split up. He reckoned that they are doing it to surround him and one group will go for the Queen. So he rode to intercept the group that was heading for the Queen. There were three of them. He cut into their path swinging his sword. The first rider tried to parry the swing but Lancelot drove his horse on to the rider's horse. The impact threw the rider off his horse and Lancelot had taken the second rider with a low thrust at the right thigh. He then used his leg to kick at the horse ribs with his shoe. That spurred the horse to panic and rode with the rider trying to manage it. The third rider who had ridden ahead turned back to confront Lancelot. He was charging holding a spear in his hands which Lancelot moved his body on his saddle to avoid the thrust. He swung downwards with his sword to slash at the rider's right wrist holding the spear. He cut off the hand and the spear dropped. Lancelot followed through with a kick on the horse rump to send it galloping away.

Then there was the second group. The second group had then decided to confront Lancelot. Instead of running off, Lancelot gallop his horse straight on at the second group of four riders and slashed his way through them. Lancelot rode hard to catch up with the queen and took the lead to guide her into the woods where they hid while seeing the pursuer off.

"Thank you, Lancelot." The Queen said to him. "I am glad that it was you who with me."

She dropped off from the saddle onto the ground, and Lancelot immediately attended to her. She started crying and reached out to hold him by the neck.

"Hold me please. I am afraid...." Lancelot reached for her back and held her close to him as she let go of her fear. She buried her face into his right shoulder and held on tight while Lancelot looked around for fear that the brigands may come back. Soon she was quiet and breathing deeply, and that was when Lancelot pulled her away ever gently to let her lie down on the soft grass to rest. She laid back and raised her right arm over her eyes to block from the sunlight, and her left arm was on her thigh.

It was that moment when Lancelot find himself staring at his Queen; admiring her beauty from near with no fear of anyone noticing. He stared at her from her nose to her toes and admired every part of her. She is a beautiful lady, and truly one deserving to be a Queen.

“Arthur, please don't....please don't...I am not a whore...." Guinevere muttered in her sleep as she tossed her head from one side to another. Lancelot on seeing her went to place his hands on her shoulder. She woke up and stared at Lancelot. It was in her eyes when she spoke.

"Hold me..... Or please....." She moaned out in her sleep as she reached up to pull him onto her body. Lancelot ended up falling on top of her as her hands went around his neck to push his head towards the nape of her neck.

"Love me, Lancelot .....I am yours to love.....don't discard me..." She moaned out as she rubbed his face into her neck. For some reason, Lancelot find his hands initially trying to raised himself up but now reaching out to cradle her head  when she tossed from side to side. Then without warning, he pulled himself up. That also woke up the Queen.

"My Queen, you were in state of delusion. I think it’s time I take you back to your castle to rest." Lancelot reached out to pull his Queen to her feet. She avoided his stare as she mount her horse and trot off without waiting for him.

Lancelot stared at her. That night at King Urien’s castle, it was all a mistake. It was the one mistake that he regretted since but he could not find himself not forgetting her.

Nevertheless it drove him to his confession and from it the salvation that he craved inside.

Friar Tuck was kind then to explain.

“Flagellations had been a common method of punishment in the Pagan world. There were instances that it was usual punishment inflicted on slaves since even the Roman days. The first recorded writings of it were on the Scythians who on returning from their long expedition in Asia, finds their home and lovers are taken over by the slaves. The Scythians find that their new war was at their own homes, and the lashes were deemed to be more fearful than the iron blades. Those they could not conquer with the terror of lashes were subdued with the blade as a final count of action.”

The friar held the whip in his hands then. He lashed it out on the palm of his hands ever so lightly before he continued on.

“This practice had not being only on one nation but across to even the Persians who uses it on their own people. In times, it was used by conquerors or generals to gratify themselves for their victory over the defeated, and it’s also a moral boost for their troops to see the defeated subject to such degrading punishment. As this practice widens in use by many civilisations, then the ingenuity of designing more exerting tools came to fruit; the lashes were given prominence in the degree of punishment it should bring out. From the flat strap of soft leathers to the hard oxen straps as like those use on the former to over their bulky weight. The choice of the straps was the prerogative of the inflictor and the more harsh the need it  may call on the more painful ones.”

Lancelot asked on further if that would actually lessen his load in his soul when he carries over to the other world.

“Does the pain here lessens? My son, no burden is ever reduced unless you do it by yourself. If pain would be your method, then do the best of it to clear your penance." Those words rang in the mind of Lancelot. “Which is more painful, my son? Your pain or the pain you carried for others.”

Lancelot heard the friar and he was unsure to whom his pain was for.

He was soon to know.

Since that riding incident, Guinevere asked of him to teach her more on how to ride like a man. She said she finds it the riding was more intense than her own style. Lancelot was not one to declined his Queen' wishes so he taught her well and hard at it. Initially, it was hard to see her fall from her mount due to clumsy moves or just exhausted from the rides, but soon Lancelot find himself pleased with her riding skills. She galloped her horse like a man would and her horse respond well to her. It was during one of the training sessions when he noticed another rider coming towards him.

It was Lady Morgan Le Fay and she was astride her horse too like a man.

"I see that your apprentice is doing well." Lady Morgana points to the Queen doing her galloping out there. "It pained me to see her lonely.”

“She rides well.” Lady Morgan felt her words were ignored by Lancelot. “It would be good for her when she is in bed with my half brother when he returns. She would know how to hump to his movements and he would be surprised.”

"Pardon me, my Lady. I must be going." Lancelot excused himself on hearing such lewd remarks from her but she stopped him in his move.

"Surely, Lancelot; you are not offended by my words. I may be a lady but I am still a woman." Morgana taunt at him. "Although I am not a Queen to command who to get in between my legs."

That was clearly an insult to Lancelot as he had heard some rumours himself that the others think he is in an affair with Guinevere. He had defended his honour twice with some guards, but the words were still ringing in his ears.

"Lady Morgana, I can assure you that my relationship with my Queen…..." Lancelot was interrupted by the lady.

"A matter between yourself and her. I am surprised that you would be offended to the idle words of mongers who just want to create a gossip among themselves. I have my faith in you, Lancelot. You would do all you can to protect the King and Queen. And her pain.”

Lady Morgana then rode off to meet the Queen. They raced that day and Morgana lost by a long stride. She praised the knight that taught her well.

That evening, Lancelot felt himself the uneasy pain that needed to be released. He took up whip in his hands and did it himself.

“Forgive me, father.” Lancelot called out. “Forgive me, Arthur. I am in pain.”