“Right. Yes.” Giving one last frown to Brangien, Arthur turned his full attention to Guinevere. “I unsheathed the sword as I walked in. Held it at my side and passed directly behind her. She did not react. And she was using a specially prepared iron goblet.”
Guinevere slumped, disappointed. “That was clever.”
Arthur laughed. “Try not to sound too proud of my cleverness.”
“I am proud of you! It just would have been so much simpler if she had, I do not know, dissolved into flowers or gone up in a puff of smoke.” Guinevere gestured toward the ceiling where puff-of-smoke Guinevach would have gathered.
“You want her to be evil?” Arthur asked.
“What? No! No. Of course not. But I need answers. And she is a threat, evil or not. If she is sent by the Dark Queen, or if she can tell everyone that—” Guinevere cut herself off. Brangien did not know that Guinevach could reveal the truth of Guinevere’s identity.
“She has two lady’s maids,” Brangien said, laying out jewelry and pretending like she was not curious about why Guinevere had stopped talking. “A young maid, barely old enough to have her monthly courses, if that. She seems quite dim. And an older maid, who appears to be doing the bulk of the work. She is always sewing.” Brangien held up a hand. “I looked. It is actual sewing, no knot magic.”
There was a knock at the door. Brangien crossed the room and opened it, then stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
Arthur spoke quickly. “I had Sir Tristan interview her guards. She came with three. One was familiar with a cook in the kitchen, who confirmed that the man was from Cameliard. So that would seem to confirm that Guinevach is indeed from Cameliard, which means she is actually Guinevach.”
“Guards can be bribed.”
Arthur nodded, sitting next to Guinevere. “That is true.”
Brangien came back in. “The older maid. Guinevach sends her regards and hopes you feel well enough to meet her tomorrow morning. Dindrane is furious, by the way.” Brangien swept the jewelry that did not meet her approval back into a box. “She is taking it personally that you are ‘sick’ and unable to help her finalize her preparations for the wedding. We leave in three days.”
Three more days of avoiding both Guinevach and Dindrane? Any potential magical threats paled in comparison to Dindrane’s wrath. It would take an entire contingent of knights and guards to keep Guinevere safe from her demands.
Guinevere felt the stones of Camelot closing in around her. It was less like a refuge and more like a cage, now that Guinevach was here. “Lancelot and I will go scout the eastern borders tomorrow. The river—”
“Is impassable,” Arthur said.
“For human armies. I would like to see that region for myself, just to be certain.”
“I cannot come.”
“I did not ask you to.”
Arthur frowned. “What if there is a threat? It could be dangerous.”
“I am dangerous.” Guinevere raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her. This had been their agreement. She came back as queen, but also as the first line of defense against the Dark Queen. Arthur relented.
“Can we leave early?” he asked, watching Brangien sort through Guinevere’s things. “For the wedding, I mean.”
“Early?” Brangien’s face became a mask of horror at the suggestion. “Impossible.”
“You can follow after with the main train so you have time to finish preparing. I will leave tomorrow night with Guinevere and a few guards.” Arthur sounded excited the more he spoke. “Go tell Sir Caradoc and the captain of the guard. And the kitchens. We will let the main party catch up with us in a day or two, so we do not need too many provisions.”
Brangien looked like she would rather strangle her king than follow through on his plan. But when she turned to Guinevere, some of the aggravation had a hint of anguish. “But how will you sleep on the road?”
Guinevere’s dreams. They needed to see whether, with her own dreams returned, the invasive dream of the city returned. And until Guinevere sorted it out, Brangien would not be reunited with Isolde in her own dreams.
Guinevere tried to smile reassuringly. “I will sleep as well as I can tonight.”
“Once you leave, I will not be there to help.”
Arthur waved away Brangien’s concerns, not understanding how complicated they really were. “I will be with her. You have nothing to fear.”
Guinevere stood and took Brangien’s hands. “I will be fine, and as soon as we are reunited, I will catch you up on everything.”
Brangien bit her lip and then hurried from the room to fulfill her king’s orders.