章 14: A girl's girl

Sir Lancelot furrowed his brows, trying to pick up what he was hearing, while Artie jerked, the sound intimately familiar. Artie froze, before jerking and making her way towards the noise, Lancelot still holding onto her in case she fell.

The direction they headed was underneath the walkways, in the shade, but near some bushes. Before the two of them got there they were able to see a group of women standing around another who was bent over, throwing up into the bushes themselves. They were clearly comforting the woman, who wore an elaborate, but all black outfit. Artie knew who it was at a glance, and shot her gaze towards Lancelot. He slowly turned white, and Artie knew he was out of his depth.

"Lancelot, back up. Stand about 15 paces back. I'll deal with this." She whispered. He jerked his head in a nod, released her arm and did as directed. That alone told Artie how shaken up he was. It probably wasn't everyday you saw someone throwing up, and considering how the other women were behaving, they knew what was going on and weren't panicking. That told Artie a lot about the situation. Artie approached the group, and the woman who was bent over, puking, glanced up at the sound of footsteps. She did a double take, paling immediately, and without a care about her injuries, Artie dropped to her knees beside her as she tried to stumble to her feet, her face as white as a ghost, and her eyes rimmed red.

"Y-Your Highness-" she started, but Artie stopped her.

"Sh, lady Guinevere, there is nothing to be worried about. How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Every woman around them knew what was afflicting her, but no one was saying it. It was the polite thing to do, but for some reason Lady Guinevere was trembling under Artie's soft touch. Artie frowned.

"I-I," she cut off, gulping air into her lungs as she tried not to throw up again. "I shall be fine." Her voice was hoarse from throwing up and that gave Artie some concern. Artie looked over the woman known across worlds for her beauty and took in her sallow skin and deep circles under her eyes. She huffed.

"This does not appear to be fine behaviour. You need more people making sure you are alright besides women untrained in defending others. I'll gather some knights to make sure you are alright. We can't have you miscarrying." If it was possible, more colour drained from her face and Artie realised what she must have thought of her. The new King finds out that the child of the previous King lived. Lady Guinevere must have thought that Artie wanted to have her or the baby killed. Artie needed to nip that thought in the bud right away. She grabbed Lady Guinevere's shoulders in her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Lady Guinevere, I would never do what you are thinking." She made sure to meet her gaze. "A child is a blessing, no matter the circumstances. I realise now that I didn't have the chance to explain my lineage, and why the spirits chose me." Artie willingly, and easily lied to the woman. If it would bring her some relief, she would do it in a heartbeat. She was sure that the spirits didn't choose her because of it, but it wouldn't hurt to spread the rumour either. Artie bent towards the pale woman, speaking in a hushed tone that she knew the others could hear, but not anyone who wasn't one of the women around them. "The lady of the lake revealed to me that I was of the same line as Arthur, but on my mother's side. I do not know if that means that Mordred is related to me directly by blood or the child in your stomach but I would never, ever hurt you in that way. Am I clear?" She stared into the bright blue gaze that was beginning to water as they continued to speak. "You are safe to have your child. You do not need to hide it from me." Her tears spilled over and she wrapped her thin arms around Artie and sobbed. Her whole body shook with her cries. Artie held her, even as her stitches protested. This poor woman was alone, her husband dead, her family dead, around a group of people she had only relatively recently grown close to. And she was pregnant. Artie could only imagine how stressed she was. Artie wouldn't have been able to ignore her if she tried. Every instinct in her had been honed to help women like Lady Guinevere. "Hush my dear, you are safe." She murmured into her hair as she held her, and she continued to shake in her arms. Her sobs were heartfelt, and Artie glanced over her shoulder to see that Lady Guinevere's handmaids were confused and concerned. She didn't know how to reassure them.

"Your Grace, I had worried you would banish me as soon as you woke up." She sobbed and Artie tightened her arms around her.

"Who would do such a thing? Who told you that, Lady Guinevere?" She shook her head and Artie sighed, continuing to hold the delicate lady in her arms. "Do I seem that cruel? Lady Guinevere, did I seem like the kind of person who would banish another who had done nothing wrong? Especially when I do not have a Queen to replace you?" She sobbed, shaking her head.

"The other's convinced me you hated the very sight of me. Lady Morgan tried to tell me otherwise, but I couldn't believe her. New Kings always chase the others away." Good job Lady Morgan for trying. Lady Guinevere's voice was high, while still being panicked and hoarse. Artie pulled back to cup her face in her hand gently, making sure that they made eye contact. It was an intimate hold, but Lady Guinevere needed some personal comforting.

"My dear, dear Guinevere. I would never do such a thing. I have no heirs, your child will be of my blood, and you are a wonderful treasure of a woman. I would never chase you away. This is your home. I am not a man, nor am I a cruel woman. I would never do such a thing." Her eyes overflowed with tears and she sniffed. Her face was a mess, and one of her handmaid's pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her face. I took it and did it with ease.

"Even if I hurt the man who is your and Arthur's right hand man?" She asked, her lips trembling with her confession and Artie softened even more towards this woman. Finishing wiping up her face, she planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Even then. Merlin himself wouldn't be able to stop me from protecting you." She glanced around. She knew that her and Lancelot had just discussed safety, and Artie's, but Lady Guinevere's was a different story. People would think they were doing her a favour if they forced a miscarriages, not knowing that was the last thing Artie wanted. "But you shouldn't be out like this. You should be keeping yourself hidden while in the first trimester. That is the riskiest time. If you need help, send one of your handmaid's to Moira, she'll understand what I mean. I have to go grab Excalibur now, but know I mean every word when I meant you are safe. Let Moira know if you have any cravings, I will do my best to make sure they are met. I haven't had too many pregnant women around me, but I will do my best to take care of you in Arthur's place." Lady Guinevere pulled Artie close, hugging her tightly as her tears flowed freely.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you so much. You can leave now, the ladies will take care of me." Artie glanced at the women, and got several nods in response. She took in their determination, and smiled. She gave Lady Guinevere one last squeeze before she got to her feet unsteadily. Lady Guinevere's eyes widened as she remembered that Artie had been severely injured, and when it looked like she was going to fall, Sir Lancelot raced forward to catch her. The ladies' watched everything happen, while Artie noticed that Lady Guinevere was watching Lancelot with large, blue, vulnerable eyes. "Sir Lancelot, please make sure to keep the King safe." She begged, and Lancelot's eyes were shadowed, but he gave a pained smile.

"Lady Guinevere, I would never let harm befall you or the King. Please, please believe me. I…I could not forgive myself if that happened." She gave a jerky nod, before a bitter smile crossed her face. She got to her feet, wiping at her eyes.

"No man would want spoiled goods." She muttered, and instead of Lancelot getting mad, Artie did.

"How dare you say that about yourself!" She jerked at Artie's tone, as she glared at her. "Lady Guinevere, you are in no way spoilt goods, and any motherfucker who said that needs to face the end of my sword. I'm terrible at swordsmanship, but I mean it. You point me in the direction of the fucker who said that shit and I will tear them a new asshole. The gall of some people, I swear! Who the hell has the balls to say you of all people are spoilt goods? Is it anyone from the round table? You tell me, and I'll discipline them." Her eyes were round circles, along with her handmaids. Before she started to laugh at Artie's impassioned response.

"You have a vulgar mouth, Your Highness." Her eyes didn't swim with sadness as she stared at the new King. She took Artie's hands in hers and gave a squeeze. "I appreciate it. No one on the round table said it, but I can deal with it myself. Thank you for the kindness of your concern." Even Sir Lancelot had a dark expression. Despite her words, neither one of them was soothed.

"Lady Guinevere, any man who said you were spoiled goods needs to be dealt with. You are the former Queen, if you are spoiled goods, no one can be decent goods, myself included. You are with the former King's child, if the current King says we celebrate it, we celebrate it. You are safe here, Lady Guinevere, we will all protect you." Lady Guinevere stared up at the handsome knight who cleared his throat. "I will protect you." He declared, and it appeared as if Lancelot's words had a greater effect than Artie's ever could. Her eyes watered before she threw herself at her first love and sobbed in his arms. Sir Lancelot seemed perplexed at what to do, until he relaxed and held his lady love in his arms as she slowly calmed down. Eventually, Lady Guinevere calmed herself, and grew embarrassed at her actions.

"I apologise for my behaviour. I wasn't quite myself, and I can't be forgiven for my actions." Artie scoffed at her tone, before gently nudging the woman towards her handmaids.

"Lady Guinevere, head back to your rooms and gather yourself. Send for a doctor on my orders. Keep yourself safe until you enter into your second trimester, please. It would be awful to find out I didn't exist." Artie teased easily, and Lady Guinevere gave a tight smile in response. She nodded, took a deep breath in and relaxed her shoulders, stepping back into her normal persona. She left with her handmaidens shortly after and Sir Lancelot and Artie stood still as they watched her go.

"Sire, what was that about you not existing?" He asked after a while, and Artie shrugged.

"I guess I'm distantly related to Arthur, but on my mother's side. The Lady of the Lake told me so. She implied that it was from Mordred and Lady Morgan, but I didn't want to hurt Lady Guinevere's feelings as she's so early into the pregnancy. It's not like she can get pregnant with the same child if she miscarries." Sir Lancelot cleared his throat as they watched the group of ladies move around up on the second level through the stone archways.

"Sometimes, Sire, the way you word things confuses me. Other times, I feel embarrassed for you." He admitted, and Artie laughed, throwing a smile in his direction.

"Sir Lancelot, I rarely feel embarrassed. The only times I have been, if I'm completely honest, is when others have shown interest in me romantically. That has rarely happened, so I'm relatively embarrassment free. Now, let's head to the sword. No doubt the Lady of the Lake has some words for me." Artie shuddered as she remembered the last experience she'd had, while Lancelot looked at her with pity.