Ides of the May (Children of the May 2 - updates weekly)

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Pride of Tintagel

The rest of our journey was straightforward. The tin mines ended at the abyss of Queen Melody’s Wit, and we were now in the tunnels beneath Tintagel. It seemed that an enterprising keeper of the stores had once tried to cut a new room in the rock for King Garlois, the previous king in Tintagel but one, whose wife had been Ygraine. Finding that his excavations led to the abyss, however, the storekeeper’s plan had been abandoned, leaving only a gently sloping corridor, full of dusty old barrels, that took us up to the larders proper.

Petal breathed deeply; this was the smell of her home, though I knew she had never seen the stores so depleted. There was barely a sack of grain left, and no fresh meat or vegetables at all.

The man King Mark had left to guard the other side of the door into the storehouse was surprised to see us. It took him a moment to raise his spear. ‘Halt, thieves!’ he cried.

‘No, my friend,’ said Palomides, showing the man the food inside his little bag. ‘We bring supplies for your siege.’

The man looked past Palomides, his face widening in surprise. ‘Petal, is that you, girl?’

The little maid stepped forward. Like all of us, her face was covered in the muck of the mines, though Bellina was using her lotion and a fine piece of cloth to wipe herself clean. ‘Sir Bersulus, my man,’ said Petal, greeting the friendly knight. Of all of king Mark’s men she was fondest of Sir Bersulus, mostly because he almost always urged Queen Melody’s advice on the king when the royal couple got into one of their frequent disputes. Petal nodded back to the store, her curly hair bouncing. ‘Just been showing my friends the sights. Is it alright if I take them up to meet the king and queen? I’m a bit late for a work.’

Sir Bersulus’ eyes widened. ‘The queen thought you were dead at Spar-Longius, girl – crushed when the place went down.’

‘Nah, just decided to have a long holiday. Did the queen weep for me? I bet she did.’

The knight frowned as if this was a ridiculous suggestion. ‘She gave your old dad a bag of gold in compensation for your life, but I’ve heard no reports of tears from old Melody.’

‘And there was me thinking I meant something to her,’ Petal mock-pouted. ‘Can we go up, then?’

‘Not without an escort. Wait a minute.’ He went to the end of the corridor and shouted through the door. ‘Amant! Amant! Get yourself down here. You asleep?’

There was a groan from within. ‘What is it, you old fool?’ said an exhausted voice.

‘Come see what’s just dragged itself out of the depths,’ said Bersulus.

‘Another mouldy cabbage, is it?’

‘More mouths to feed.’

‘Eh?’

The young man who came through the door had been sleeping; his red hair was sticking up at the back. The moment he saw us, or rather the moment he saw Bellina, his hand reached back to smooth it down. He set himself, checked to see if he was properly buttoned up, and came forward.

‘My lady,’ he said, making straight through the group to kiss Bellina’s hand.

‘Steady on,’ said Agravaine under his breath.

‘And my sweet Petal too,’ said the young man, taking the maid’s hand.

Petal giggled, performed a small curtsy, and turned the colour of the young knight’s hair. ‘Sir Amant.’ There was an excited flutter in her voice.

‘Take them up to the king will you, lad?’ said Bersulus. ‘Can’t leave the stores unguarded.’

‘For all that’s left in them,’ said Amant. ‘Bloody treacherous Sessites.’