Married Life

Chapter 3

About twenty men stumbled through the tavern's door spilling around the tables and headed straight to the bar. Gwaine and the lady beat a hasty retreat back to her two knights and she slowly raised the hood of her cloak to hide her face and drew the fabric around her body as she sat down. Gwaine remained standing, leaning against the wall just behind her. His right hand rested on his sword's pommel and his left swirled his pint slowly. The two knights in blue slowly moved their chairs back from the table and also rested hands on sword pommels. Arthur considered moving over to their side of the tavern; if a fight broke out, the mercenaries had them neatly divided. But doing so would draw attention, particularly to the lady, and might start a confrontation and there was no guarantee the other knights would fight alongside his. "They're a long way from home, Mercia must be at least three days ride from here." Remarked Arthur to Tristan and Galahad whilst keeping his eyes on the mercenaries.
"Maybe that's why she's dressed like a man," Tristan put down his drink and tried to see Gwaine through the crowd. "Trying to get back quickly without a fuss."
"Or she's on the run with just her most-trusted knights." Speculated Galahad wriggling in his chair to get a better view of the Mercians. "Escaping a bad marriage proposal?"
"Or making a clandestine visit to a friend?"
"I would think the large group of armed men would be of greater concern." Arthur put his drink down heavily making sure he had the knights' attention. Sometimes he forgot how green they still were, and excitable.
The first little group of three mercenaries, obviously the leaders, had gotten their pints and were starting to look at the tables. Each of them carried a long sword on one hip and a dagger on the other. The shortest of the three also had a crossbow on his back, not that it would be much use in such a crowded confined space, but it could be used to hit them riding away from the tavern if they had to make a hasty exit. The tallest of the three men nodded with a crooked smile to Arthur's table before moving to sit at the one next to Gwaine. His two companions followed and they all appeared to sit calmly but their eyes never left the lady who now stared determinedly out the nearest window.
One by one, the rest of the mercenaries collected their drinks and sat at tables. Arthur chanced a look out the window to where the women had been sat, small chance of chatting to them now; they alongside the entire town had disappeared.
"It's a long way back to Camelot, perhaps you and yours should be leaving." The short mercenary said, looking at Gwaine and drumming his fingers on the table. "Wouldn't want you coming to no trouble in the dark." Although the man's smile suggested otherwise, as did the others at the table. Arthur had quickly decided that adventure was over rated and a quiet drink had been enough excitement for him. Sadly though, someone had just challenged his most hot-headed, battle ready knight, and there was a lady to protect, so a fight was looking inevitable. He looked sadly at Tristan and Galahad, the two knights were leaning forward on their seats, ready to spring up. They were good fighters; Gwaine may moan and groan at having to run training sessions but he trained the knights well. Still they were young and very green. He wished he'd brought more knights, Merlin too. He could fight a hundred mercenaries alongside Gwaine and Merlin. These two he'd have to watch to make sure they didn't get themselves killed.
"I thought I might stay the night," replied Gwaine with a yawn, "there are lots of friendly women in town." Arthur could see the lady scowling in the shadows of her hood, silly woman, surely there were bigger concerns than the knight's clumsy flirting.
"Well, that one's ours." Replied the large mercenary rising to his feet so he loomed over the casually slouched Gwaine and seated knights. "She killed my men."
"A dainty little Princess like her? Surely not" Gwaine didn't take his eyes off the big man but Arthur could see the hand on his sword pommel loosen the blade in the scabbard slightly.
"That dainty little thing is a sorceress!" Yelled the third mercenary drawing his dagger and stabbing the table. The big mercenary pushed him back down again.
"So you see, Camelot, for one crime or another, she is going to die. Today." Gwaine didn't reply, he looked down at the lady, smiled and then looked at Arthur. Following a quick shrug of his shoulders and a weird gesture with his hands, Gwaine pushed off of the wall and punched the large mercenary on the nose with the pommel of his sword.