The Lioness and Her Knight Read Online Free PDF

enlightening us."
    Agrivain shrugged and picked up a flagon of wine. Queen Guinevere, ignoring both Agrivain and Sir Kai, smiled at Luneta and said, "I am delighted, Lady Luneta. Do you make a long stay at Camelot?"
    It was the first time since arriving at court that Luneta had thought about her plans. "Oh, no. I mean, I don't think so. I'm on my way to visit a friend of my mother's, Your Highness. I'm supposed to ask Uncle Gawain if he'll escort me."
    The queen smiled impishly, and a chuckle spread through the room.
    "Uncle Gawain," Terence repeated, his eyes glinting with laughter. "Dear old uncle."
    "I'm sure Uncle Gawain will be glad to oblige you," Sir Kai said, "provided his rheumatism allows him to travel."
    Gawain grunted. "Laugh all you want, Kai. There's no fear of anyone addressing you with a title of respect."
    Luneta blushed, but she looked up into Gawain's eyes and said, "But you
are
my uncle. What else am I to call you?"
    "'Gawain' will do nicely, my child."
    "All right," Luneta said at once, "provided you don't call me 'my child' again."
    Everyone laughed (except for Agrivain), and Gawain bowed his head in mock surrender.
    For several minutes, the family and friends chatted about ordinary things. Luneta heard Ywain asking Agrivain and the cousins about upcoming tournaments, while Gawain and Sir Kai discussed some matter of court business. Terence and Lady Eileen were talking with Rhience, and Luneta was content to sit beside the queen and feel amazed at being at her very first grown-up party. Then the door swung open and a tall, amazingly beautiful woman swept into the room. Conversation stopped briefly, but then Gawain said, "Morgan. I had no idea you were back at court. It's good to see you."
    The woman's icily beautiful face seemed to warm somewhat, and she replied, "I heard that you had a visitor."
    Gawain nodded and gestured to Luneta. "Lady Morgan, allow me to present your, ah, your niece, the Lady Luneta."
    Luneta could almost feel the force of the woman's gaze on her face. So this was Morgan Le Fay. Luneta had known for years that there was an enchantress in the family, but she had never met her—or, indeed, any enchantress. Her heart beat quickly, but she raised her eyes and met Lady Morgan's stare. "How do you do, Lady Morgan?" she said in her best attempt at a casual voice.
    Lady Morgan's lips twitched once. "Yes," she said. "You have your father's face, but you got your eyes from your mother." She turned abruptly away and looked at Terence. "What do you think, Terence?"
    "I think you should join our little gathering," Terence replied softly. "Then you could come to know your great-niece for yourself."
    Lady Morgan's face grew taut at the words "great-niece," and she said, "I've no time for that. Will she do or not?"
    "As always, my lady," Terence said, "that will depend on Luneta."
    Luneta listened to this exchange with growing indignation, then said, "Do you have a question that you wish to ask me, Lady Morgan? After all, I'm in the room, too."
    Luneta knew that it was impertinent for her to address her elders so, and she was prepared for Lady Morgan to be angry, but Luneta's words seemed almost to please the enchantress. She turned back to Luneta and said, "Yes, I do. But I believe I shall wait. At least you don't want for spirit." And then Lady Morgan turned and disappeared through the open door with a flourish of velvet and silk.
    The room was silent for a moment; then Terence rose and went to shut the door. "I would think that it would be exhausting," he commented mildly, "to feel that every time I entered or left a room, it had to be an event." His eyes rested briefly on Luneta as he walked back to his spot, and he murmured, "Good girl."
    The rest of the party resumed their conversations as if Lady Morgan had not interrupted them, which gave Luneta a chance to catch her breath and wonder why the enchantress had been so interested in her. Ywain's voice rose above the rest. "Look here, this