I saw the truth of this, and placed my hand over Anabelle's to show her my understanding. "You are far wiser than I, my love; I hadn't thought of the safety of your father and his people. Of course I would not wish to put them in harm's way."
I got up and paced back and forth. I felt the weight of the Heart of the Dragon against my chest, and I wondered what my father would have done in such a situation.
"He would have been proactive," I muttered to myself as I paced.
"Who would have?" Anabelle asked. But Rhiannon knew.
"Your father," she said, more to herself than to me. I stopped pacing and stood before her.
"Yes. He would have been, wouldn't he? He would not have sat here and waited for Arthur to make his move. He would have gone out to face him, head-on. He would have forced Arthur's hand. After all, the longer we wait, the more time he has to perfect any dastardly plot. And all we can do is spend our days fearful of the possibility of what might happen. Gods! This is worse than death. This is no way to live."
"What will you do, my King?" Anabelle murmured in a trembling voice. She already knew what my answer would be.
I looked at these two women, who were the pillars of my life. Then I looked at Morgan, who had already risen from his chair. He nodded.
"We'll go to war," I announced.
*
I sent word with Morgan to be delivered to the captains of the guards and the troops. I wanted the men drilling before the dawn of the following day; they had sat, idle, for far too long. Every King wants peace, but his men tend to grow fat and lazy in the interim.
My mother retired to her chambers, overcome by the force of her emotions but at the same time proud of the step I had taken. "My son," she said before we parted, "I know that your father would be very proud of you. You have his fierceness, his bravery, his fire. You will emerge victorious – of this I am now certain."
That left Anabelle and I sitting alone together in the council chambers. "My Queen," I said, "do you feel as though I have made the right decision?"
She looked vaguely surprised. "I had not expected to be asked such a question," she said.
"I've learned that your wisdom in many ways exceeds my own. And I know that over all of the years you spent in your father's company, you learned more than your share of the finer points of warfare. I know that women are for some reason told that they shouldn't be intelligent or opinionated, but I do crave your opinion. You never have to hold back in my presence."
Anabelle smiled, and for the first time in days the color fully returned to her cheeks. Her face then took on the lines so characteristic of her more pensive moods, and I allowed her the time to think through what it was she had in mind.
"As your Queen, of course I regret the choice. I see that there is no other, but I dread the thought of you going into battle and will pray with every breath that you return safely to me."
"But … as a ruler?"
She shifted in her seat, leaning toward me. "As a ruler I say there was no other choice. You are right; any additional time Arthur is granted means additional time for him to perfect whatever plan he intends to put into place. If you wait for him to strike the first blow, then he has all of the control; simply waiting and allowing him to toy with us could in the end be just as dangerous as if he made a quick strike, for every day that passes will be another chip in the morale of the men. If he is still on his way here, as you were told today, then we may be able to meet him by the time he arrives."
"And what about the armies of the restless souls?" I asked. "Never have the men been forced to fight such a foe."
She thought about this, her chin in her hands. "Then it is up to Gaeth and Syeira to provide you with that information. Task them with finding or creating whatever spell or weapon there is against such forces. And while you do, see if Gaeth can cast a spell over the kingdom and the men, so as to block any attempts Arthur makes at seeing from afar the activity going on. But don't block it entirely, for that will be enough for Arthur to assume that we know he's coming. Instead, show him visions of life going on as it always does."
I marveled at the genius of the woman sitting before me. "You're too right! I never would have considered it." I got up from my chair and crossed the space between us with three long strides, then gathered her up into my arms. I pressed my face against her hair, breathing deeply. "You are truly the ideal Queen, and mate for the dragon," I murmured against her. The dragon roared in agreement.
"I will go and see Gaeth and Syeira personally to deliver these messages," I told her. "I trust no one else with such critical tasks – well, beside you, of course." She beamed, but then her expression grew serious.
"And when you return … " she whispered, and I felt her hand snake downward between our bodies until it cupped the bulge below my waist, "return to me. I need you, now, before the fever of preparation takes you from me. I have seen my own father prepare his men for battle, and I know how my mother missed him while he was otherwise engaged. I would like to at least have a few last memories of you before you are taken from me." She squeezed, gently, causing me to gasp.
I twitched beneath her hand and rued the fact that I had to leave her even temporarily. But again, as I'd been forced to remind myself time after time, a King's duty comes before his pleasure.
Hours later, I strode down the wide stone hall toward the chambers Anabelle and I shared. I was feeling confident, having been assured by both wise ones that everything which could be done, would be done. Gaeth and I had worked out a very specific series of images for him to conjure and project over the kingdom, so that when Arthur inevitably strove to telepathically read the goings on in the kingdom he would see life progressing as it normally did.
I sent word, too, to the council members who were still hard at work in the library. Gaeth told me that he would meet with them and see if his own powers of perception could help locate any helpful documents contained therein. I felt considerably more buoyant than I had in days.
Before returning to the castle and my wife, I made a stop by the series of tents and cabins inhabited by the senior members of my guard and army. I bade them visit the council meeting in the morning with reports on their progress with the men.
At last, then, I could finally be with Anabelle. I felt the truth of the words she spoke before our parting hours earlier; by this time tomorrow morning, we would be in full preparation for war. There was no way of knowing how long it would be before she and I could spend our customarily lengthy sessions together, enjoying and pleasuring each other.
I arrived at the door to our chamber and bade the guard on duty to alert me to any news that came his way, but to please knock prior to entering. I knew Anabelle hated being surprised as we had the night before.
I found her waiting for me on the balcony just outside the chambers. Below was a small courtyard; above was the moon, shining in its full splendor. I stood there for a moment, just looking at her. She faced away from me, looking out over the grounds and toward the hills beyond the castle walls. The moonlight illuminated her, pouring itself over her like water.
Her hair, so long and luxurious, shone even more lustrously in the light. The thin white gown she wore almost glowed; it was nearly transparent, so brightly shone the light from above. My throat went dry, and my heartbeat raced. I felt the dragon stir inside me just as I felt myself stir below my waist.
I moved slowly toward her, watching her every moment. It was as if I was stalking a piece of prey; my movements were languid and soundless. My eyes focused on her round, perfect backside as it stood out against the thin linen gown. I longed to grasp those smooth globes in my hands.
I knew she sensed me, that she could feel me approaching though I made no sound. Her arms were stretched out on either side, and I saw her fingers grip the stone of the ledge before her. She was waiting for me, ready for me. She had set herself up as a delicious feast for me to enjoy when I returned from my preparations. And enjoy her I would.
Wordlessly I reached her, just inches away from where she stood. I heard her breath coming in short gasps. I felt the heat coming from her body, matching my own. I could smell her. I had to taste her.
Without a sound, I pressed myself against her back and swiftly reached around to plunder the riches barely held back by the flimsy cloth she wore. I reached into the front of her gown to fondle her full breasts. I ground my erection into her ass, and she gasped. Her head dropped back onto my shoulder, her eyes closed in bliss. My mouth found the throat she so readily offered to me and greedily kissed and sucked on her smooth, white skin. My teeth found her flesh and bit gently, and I was rewarded by the hissing noise she made as she gasped through clenched teeth.