A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 20: Confrontation

The woman walked out of the forest and stood in the middle of the road, gazing in the direction Selvina had come. The wind had died down to a breeze and her long, black locks, lightly tinted in red, lightly brushed against her back and arms, the rest of her body statue-still.

Selvina crept out of the woods and stood nearby, glancing down the road and back at the woman. "What are you doing?" she asked in a small, frightened voice.

The woman didn't look at Selvina when she said, "It appears that the one I came to see has come to me instead."

Who was she? Selvina wondered, her mind coming up with a thousand possibilities, most of them unsettling.

The first knights appeared into view a moment later. Leading the charge was a knight in red armour atop a white horse, a huge sword strapped across his back. Flanking him was a much older knight in silver armour atop a roan steed and one that was not much older than Selvina in similar armour atop a russet brown.

Sir Galahad, Sir Kay, and Sir Tristan, Selvina noted. Behind them came the other knights, all heavily armed and armoured, ready for battle. The middle knight was tall, bald, bulky, armoured in dull grey and armed with a large battle axe-none other than Sir Perceval. The other two were knights newly arrived from Avalon, short and stocky Sir Bors, armed with a large halberd and broadsword and Sir Lamorak, black bearded, dark eyed, and known for his aggressive fighting style, armoured in red and grey and armed with two fierce-looking war axes. The six knights stopped a dozen paces away, their eyes glaring at the woman in black.

There was the sound of rushing air and Selvina looked up and gasped. A raven swooped down from the sky and landed in front of the knights just as a griffon dove to the ground behind the two women, its padded feet landing softly. Sitting on its back, Excalibur unsheathed, was King Arthur, his face grim and his eyes firmly set upon the older of the two.

There was a buzz beside Selvina's ear and suddenly a voice.

"Get off the road, Selvina!" Tinkerbelle urged, her voice panicked. "Don't you know who that woman is?!"

Selvina was too frightened to move or think. For King Arthur and his best knights to drop everything they were doing and come galloping down the road meant that something dire was afoot. This woman, who appeared so kind and welcoming, could only be one person.

In a swirl of black feathers and green light, the raven grew into an old, hunched man with a gnarled staff in one hand and a great beard on his face. He was the only one to look at Selvina. In his soft, wispy voice, he said, "Please, step aside, young one."

Selvina didn't move immediately. She eyed the woman, who met her gaze, and wondered if anything she had said was true. If King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table clearly despised her, then she must be dangerous. And yet, despite the obvious, Selvina didn't feel it. She was afraid, yes, but a piece of her was yet curious to know if going with this dangerous woman wasn't such a terrible decision.

"Step away from that witch, girl!" Sir Kay shouted, his blue eyes flaring.

Girl? Selvina thought, hot anger igniting within her. Sir Kay had been nothing but a short-tempered, offensive, old man to her and, considering she held the fate of his world in her hands, she didn't deserve any of it! Enough was enough!

Banishing the cold fear and replacing it with hot anger, she pointed a rigid finger at Sir Kay, her face red with fury, and shouted, "Girl?! I may not be a princess or a queen but you can make the effort to call me by my name!"

"No, don't!" Tinkerbelle pleaded, frantically tugging on Selvina's ear to get her attention.

There was no stopping her, Selvina's rage pushed onward and she shouted, "I am the one you are to protect, Sir Kay! I am your future! Call me by my name, you old, miserable man, because I'm not going to take your shit anymore! I am Selvina, not girl!"