"Great grandmother, did you really have three husbands?" Helaine asked me
Helaine was one of the younger granddaughters I have. You see, she is the daughter's daughter of Igraine and Falerin. Although Igraine was not able to have children, she natured and cared for the child as if she were her own. Igraine was picking berries in the forest one after noon when she heard the cry of a baby. She searched for the source of the noise only to find that a bundled up babe was left in the forest embedded into thick roots of a giant tree. She wore no clothing of any kind nor was she left with a note as to who here parents were nor of where she came.
Igraine took the child back to the castle with her where Falerin assumed her parents may have been killed by bandits and had hidden the babe to save her. However, that's only what he believed. We were never able to find the parents of the child so after some months, Igraine and Falerin decided that they would raise the babe as there own. Oddly enough, as the babe grew older, she looked a spitting image of Igraine. We all noticed it although no one could explain why that was.
I once asked The Old Blind Witch and she simply told me that Fate has ways of granting wishes to the most deserving people. I did not question what she meant, I only smiled and knew that Fate had looked upon my daughter and found her worthy.
As she grew older she married and had a daughter whom her husband named Helaine after his beautiful wife.
"Yes, I did Helaine. Do you think that I would tell you false hoods?" I asked her
All of my great grandchildren were spread all around me on the ground, sitting quietly as I told them the tale of my life and how they all came to be.
"No great grandmother it only seems that so much has happened to you that perhaps...you may have added some things to make the story more entertaining." My eldest greatgrandson, Brennus, said
"Children, I have not told you anything that is not true. I truly had a husband names Nickolas and a husband named Cain. I also had a husband name Bellamour. They are all your great grandfathers."
"How can we have so many great grandfathers if we only have one great grandmother?" Asked my shy great granddaughter, Linet.
"Because, in life, a women always out lives her husband." I smiled at her. She nodded her head
He is the wisest of all my grea grandchildren. I know that one day she will be a force to be beheld and that any man that wishes for her attentions must have wit on his side.
"Is that the end of the story great grandmother?" Matilda questioned
"Yes, now go run along and bother your mothers. I need to rest." I smiled at my nine great grandchildren. Each one of them stood up and ran towards me. They each hugged me and kissed me and told me they loved me before they ran off into the castle that I had lived in all of my youth.
I did not tell my great grandchildren of the more explicit details of my life story, those were only for my memory to relive. I stood up from my spot on the lawn and walked slowly towards the apple orchid. As I walked through the trees, smelling the fresh to come apples on the breeze, I remembered what happened after Bellamour and I made our little home in the woods near the castle.
We lived there for nearly fifty years together, in peace. We never had children together and for that I will always regret although Bellamour always told me that he wouldn't change anything about me for his world. I knew that deep inside of himself, he did want to have a family with me. That will always be the worst part of being touched by the Fates.
Bellamour lived to be a rip old age of seventy-two winters. I knew that he knew his time was nearing for he began telling me that perhaps I was getting to old to live in this cabin so far away from my family. You see, Bellamour had not family. His parents and brothers were killed in a Saxon invasion when he was but nine summers old. His two older sisters were taken as concubines to the Saxon soldiers and were never heard from again. He joined Arthur's army to seek retrebutino for what the Saxon's took from him.
He never fully forgave the Saxon's for their wrong doings upon him but a few days before his passing, he spoke with Braiden about his life where he said that he forgave the Saxon's for taking his family from him at such a young age. Braiden and he were finally able to be at peace after that talk. The night before he passed, Bellamour held me tightly in his arms and kissed my cheek. He told me that even when death came for him, he would always love me through time and eternity. When I awoke, I tried to wake him as well only to find that he had died in his sleep. He had a slight smile on his face and he looked peaceful.
I barried my husband the following day. We grew old together as husband and wife were always meant to. Nickolas will always be my first love and he holds a special place in my heart . Cain will always be the warrior that I needed during the time of my sorrow. I will always love him and he will forever hold a piece of my heart. Bellamour will always be the man that I grew old with and because of that a piece of my heart will always be with him.
The Old Blind Witch has not partaken in my life for the passed fifty or so years. I believe that she is finally dead. However, at the funeral, I could have sworn that I had seen her standing just behind the tree line. I simply believed it was a trick of the light for the next moment I turned to look she was no longer there.
Braiden, Ectore, and Igraine had me move back into the castle to live out the rest of my days. They said that it was not right for their mother to live alone in the forest when anything can occur and they would not know if it until it was too late. My children worry for me too much I believe. They may all three be grandparents but they will always be my children. I still refer to them as such. They laugh of it but I know that they truly find comfort in that.
It's been nearly ninety-three summers that I have been alive and close to seventy-four springs since Camolot fell. I do not know of what became of the ruined castle that Arthur recided in nor do I know of his Queen, Gweneviere. I heard rummors that the enemy army took the women in the castle as wives. There were other rumors that the Queen herself killed herself in the tower room just before the invasion because she could no longer bare the idea of living without the Knight Lancelot. Others believed that she escaped and went into a convent in a far away land. I also heard rummors of Gweneviere living alone in a forest some few days journey from the castle east.
I never cared about what went on in Arthurs court so I never gave much mind to what took place after his death although, Bellamour knew much more than I. I remember him telling me that the body of Arthur was recovered from the rubble of the castle. He was barried next to the rock that he extracted Excaliber from. Excaliber was never found. It was assumed that the enemy forces took it as a trophy for defeating the all might king of Britain.
All the men that were in the castle were assumed to have been killed and beheaded. I knew better. The son of Arthur was not dead. He fleed with Excaliber to his mother where they celebrated their victory of single handedly breaking the spirit of Arthur before killing him and destroying his kingdom.
The story of Camolot and its King are only told by the old such as I. Some even believe that there never was a such thing as Camolot. The rubble of the castle lay in pieces today. Burnt and broken beyond recognition and in some areas completely obliterated. The young believe that what I tell them of Arthur, Merlin, Camolot and the magic behind the King were never in existance. It is just as I told Gweveviere and Lancolot all those many many years ago, Camolot is but a myth now. No one truely believes that there ever was such a place because the only one that was said to have survived was Merlin. Not a soul knows where he is now either. He also became but a myth.
As I reached the end of the orchid, I heard the snap of a twig.
Turning, I saw the women that I assumed died long ago, "Witch?" I whispered shocked
"Yes Child. I have come to give you a message." She smiled softly
"What message is that?" I asked her as I walked towards her
"Fate has said that it is time for you to come home." She smiled at me
"Come home?" I questioned
"Your time here is done. You told the story to your great grandchildren. They will keep the story of Camolot and the women who withstood Fate's challenges. It is time for you to come with me."
"Do you mean to tell me that I am going to die?" I asked her
She did not answer me, she simply smiled and placed her hand in mine. We walked slowly back towards the entrance of the apple orchid. As we neared the entrance, a bright light began forming only increasing in size as we walked closer, "Is this death?" I whispered
"Do not fear, where we are going, you will only begin again and be joined with your husband in an eternal happines." She softly said as we entered the bright light. My body no longer felt of a heavy sack of flesh but light and free. As I walked through and entered the other side, I saw what cannot be described. The beauty of where I was brought me to tears.
"This is your home now." The Blind Witch told me
Turning, looked upon her only to see that she was beautiful young women. Her hair was white and her eyes were green. She wore a blue dress and she had wings on her back, "Is-is that-"
She smiled at me kindly, "This is truely what I look like. Come, there are people waiting to meet you." She tugged me away from the bright light and we walked for some time. As we approached our destination she said, "You may not be prepared for what you are going to see so please-" She started but I stopped in my tracks.
In front of me stood three handsome young men. All as I remembered them in their youths. I began weeping just then as I ran towards them. I flew into them and all four of us fell into the ground.
"Fate decided that she had placed you under enough saddness for one lifetime and did not wish for you to live out this life alone." The Witch told me and she walked away
"Nickolas, Cain, Bellamour? Is it truly you?" I asked them all
"Yes." They said at once and they all three hugged me and kissed me in turn.
"But how-" I began only to be cut off by Cain
"Do not question this, Anora. We have waited for you to be with us for too long." He grabbed me and kissed me passionately as the other two looked on and smiled
When we broke apart Nickolas did the same.
"This is the beginning of our forevers together, Anora." Bellamour whispered to me and we all four hugged one last time before they began showing me all the beauty that was now our home together.