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“I am terrified. Dragons are dangerous creatures. Unpredictable. And the fire bit does not make it easy to get close enough for a kill. But I must do this, Guin.”

“Then I will come with you.”

“No.”

“Why? Because it’s too dangerous?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is it okay for you to go? Lance, please.”

“I will come back home. When? I cannot say with certainty.”

“Promise?”

Guin looks at me with a desperate look of despair. Hearing that dragons exist must have been shocking. Knowing I must face such a terrible beast, she is beside herself with worry. I can feel her fear, her anxiety. I wish there is something I can say to soothe her. In truth, I am not confident I could kill another dragon without bearing injury upon myself. Instead of telling her this, I find my courage and give her a confident response.

“I promise, my love.” I kiss Guin, holding back my own fear and giving her nothing but certainty. “What does ‘ETA’ mean?” I ask, my lips brushing against Guin’s. She only laughs, pulling me back to her lips.

Chapter 29

Guinevere

I wake up feelingnauseous, vomiting into the bedpan as soon as I stand up from my lonely bed. Lance has been gone for nearly a month. My whole being yearns to have him back by my side. And as I am now pregnant, I need him by my side.

For the past week, I suspected I was pregnant since my period was late. And I am the kind of person whose cycle never wavers, even when I traveled 1500 years to the past. My uterus adapted immediately when my heart and mind were a mess.

After vomiting my insides out for an hour, I lay back down in bed, not ready to face the day yet. I have gotten so used to Lance being around that I didn’t quite know what to do with myself at his castle. Our castle.

I must have fallen back asleep as I am abruptly awoken by a banging on the door. Wassa, the chambermaid, is yelling through the door, asking if everything is all right. That Faina hadn’t seen me come to breakfast.

Not wanting to worry anyone, I pull myself out of bed even though I am tempted to pull the covers over my head and pretend nothing else exists on the other side. My nausea is still present but I don’t feel like I am going to vomit again. As I open the door, I ask Wassa what time it is.

“Past noontime, my lady. Lunch will be served soon. Are you feeling well? Would you like me to fetch you something to eat?”

“Thank you, Wassa. Some bread and cheese would be welcome. I am feeling a bit nauseous. I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant.”

The shock on Wassa’s face is expected at my unplanned announcement. But the look of concern behind her eyes is worrisome.

“I’m quite all right. It’s just nausea coming on so quickly and strongly that has me knackered. I think I would like to stay in my room for the rest of the day.”

“But, my lady, the king is here.”

“The king? Arthur?”

Wassa nods.

“What the hell is he doing here? And why wasn’t that the first thing you told me? Jesus. Let me splash some water on my face and get dressed. Where is he?”

“He is in the dining hall. Lunch was about to be served when he arrived.”

“All right, well, I will dine with him shortly.”

“Yes, my lady.”

What the fuck is Arthur doing here while Lance is away? I want to trust him. In fact, I do trust him because Lance trusts him. But I can’t begin to guess why Arthur would have come all this way to visit me. Perhaps he thought I’d be lonely here without Lance. And that would be an accurate statement.

My nausea seems to dissipate in my angst to get myself ready for an audience with King Arthur. But a new sensation takes its place. Anxiety churns my insides. My mind is racing. As much as I tell myself there is nothing to worry about, I can’t help but feel impending doom. Something is wrong.