The Hundreth Tear: Part XIX

Morgaine had been dead for well over two weeks by the time word reached us from the Orkneys. The news was received with a variety of reactions by the folk of Camelot, the main one being relief that the "Witch Queen" was dead, followed by a bit of sanctimonious gloating on the wages of sin. The Court was abuzz with such talk until one smug idiot made the mistake of whispering his version of it loud enough for Gawaine to hear and was invited to either retract the slander or face Gawaine in combat.

That put an end to the talk, or at least cautioned those who spread it to be a bit more careful. I sometimes fancied I could hear Morgaine laughing at them all.

And so Morgaine passed from my life. Even though we'd had just that one night together all those years ago, there had always been that chance of something more between us. I would eventually marry, but I could never forget that I'd once held in my arms the most beautiful and dangerous woman I would ever know.

I had other matters to deal with besides mourning Morgaine. For one thing, Merlin still had not returned. He'd been gone for long periods of time before, but never this long, and Arthur had begun to think perhaps Niniane had indeed done something to the mage. Relations between Camelot and the Isle of Avalon were strained to say the least and those nobles who still followed the Old Ways found one excuse or the other to absent themselves from court. When Arthur did prevail on them to attend him, I was kept busy seeing that food and lodging were ready and smoothing over ruffled feathers over some perceived slight.

The other matter was Amr.

*********

"That boy," said Lucian, "is going to kill someone at this rate."

It was a later summer afternoon, and we were sitting on a bench by the inner wall of the weapons yard, Lucian, Bedivere and myself, watching the young bucks beat away at each other in practice. `The Old Men` they called us, and none of the three of us had yet seen our thirtieth year. We didn't care. We were content to sit and watch, occasionally getting up to shock some brash youngsters by defeating them when their jibes were sufficiently annoying. and we tired of hearing them. This day, we were watching as Arthur's son sparred with one of the newer knights and was winning handily.

Bedivere nodded his head. "Amr would do better to ease up and let the other salvage some pride. Gods know he's got few enough friends as it is."

I was somewhat taken aback at what my companions had said. "Amr? He's always been a likeable lad! Not as much a favorite as Llacheu, but still, he's always gotten along well enough with his fellow knights and the men. When did that change?"

They exchanged glances, then Bedivere grimaced and turned to me. "It began shortly after Llacheu died. You weren't the only one to grieve for him you know, Kay. Amr took it very hard. He stays to himself now mostly, not talking and joking with the others like he used to do. And that's not all."

My face must have shown the dismay I felt. "Not all? Bad enough he's cut himself off from the ones he needs to win over if Arthur names him the heir! What else is there?"

It was Lucian who answered this time. "He damn near beat a man to death last week in what was supposed to be a friendly practice match."

"Battle madness? He never had it before, not when he was in training. Has he had any hard blows to the head? Did the healers examine him?"

"If anything hit him in the head, it wasn't here. He's overwhelmed every opponent he's faced. since his brother died. And there's the other thing…"

I groaned. "There's more?"

"Some of the men claim that he talks to someone while he fights them." Lucian frowned.

"They don't know who, he never addresses whoever it is by name. For a time, we thought he was talking with Llacheu's ghost." He raised a hand before I could speak. "No, I don't believe there's a ghost, but we thought perhaps that was what Amr was seeing."

Bedivere shifted uncomfortably where he sat. "But from what he's been heard to say it isn't his brother he's talking with. It's wild talk, Kay, about people trying to kill him, and that he can trust no one."

I was stunned. "This is disastrous. Arthur can hardly name a madman as his heir. He does know of all this, I hope?"

"Lucian told him when it started. Arthur's tried to talk with the boy, but it doesn't seem to have done any good. The only person Amr speaks more than two words to lately is Medraut, and that one is acting a bit skittish himself lately. He used to love hawking, and now he turns pale as a ghost when the topic is even brought up in passing. Still, Amr listens to him."

"Aye. Medraut seems to be able to calm him down." Lucian nodded, then looked past me at the sparring. "Hells! He's doing it again!"

I turned to look. Amr was standing over his fallen opponent, raining down blow after blow. The poor sod on the ground was blocking them with his shield but they were so savage the shield would soon be useless.

"Give quarter, Amr! Stand back!" Bedivere bellowed, then ducked as the prince turned and aimed a blow that whistled past Bedivere's head. Amr drew back his blade for another swing, and then stopped. If he hadn't, he might have killed the unarmed older man. He stood there for a moment, head cocked to the side, his face hidden within his helmet. Then he sheathed his sword and walked away without a word. Bedivere ordered some squires to help the defeated man to the infirmary.

"You see?" Lucian stood beside me as we watched the man taken away. "It's more than Amr being unfit to take Arthur's crown when the time comes. He's going mad, Kay. If Merlin were here, he might know how to help, but he's not here, is he?" He shrugged. "This is a bad business, a very bad business."

He and Bedivere walked off after the others and I turned to follow Amr back inside the castle. My friend was right: Merlin might have known exactly what ailed Amr and might have known how to help Arthur's son.

But Merlin wasn't here, damn him, when we needed him.

I cursed him, and Niniane too, as I hurried after Amr.