A couple chapters back, a man and a woman barged into King Arthur's throne room unannounced. The woman revealed herself to be Arthur's half sister Morgana and Morgana had a son named Mordred who was about 4 years older than Arthur. Mordred asked to be a knight in king Arthur's force (he was also the one that licked honey off Oshun's finger)

———

Mordred

"We have been here for 3 weeks and he has not even given us the attention to visit. We are his family!" my mother, cursed. She watched him practice from the window in her room, peaking through the light curtains.

"I can never get close enough to him and even when I try, he is never alone." she admitted through a frown. I could tell the duration of action was taking its toll on her. We had been planning to end Arthur's life since I was just a lad so her being impatient was an understatement.

"Mordred! You must get close to him! We need to kill him so you can become king!" she snaps, pacing the room in worry.

"He only keeps a small circle around him."

"Then we need to be chummy with his closet friend and confidant" she confesses, looking to the mirror to observe her figure.

"That would be Oshun"

"Oshun?" she turns to face me with a hint of surprise, "not Lancelot? They seem to share a closer bond being that Arthur new him before Lady Oshun"

"No....Lady Oshun and Arthur seem to be closer....in more intimate ways I suspect. He shares feelings for her.... I can see it in his eyes." I said, anger filling my core. I too had my eyes on Lady Oshun. She was a foreign beauty whose attention captivated all. With dark umber skin and rich ivory tresses, she was wholly spellbinding. The sight of her stumbling out the throne room still haunted me. I knew Guinevere was touring her for reasons unbeknownst to me. Maybe she discovered that Lady Oshun had been sleeping with Arthur? But Oshun didn't look like the type to succumb herself to frivolous affairs.

My mother takes out a small vial of red potion from her bosoms and hovers it over my face. "His birthday is soon Mordred. Is it not?"

"Yes, but killing him there would make it too obvious"

"I will handle the servant who takes the cup to the king. Once you see the king's golden chalice, take the poison and kill him"

I scratched my chin thinking of the plan and nodded. It was a foolproof plan but I worried about the timing of our arrival. It may seem to convenient that we arrived just 3 weeks before.

"No....I need to build a rapport with him and gain his trust. That is the only way he will let me into his circle."

My mother nodded and paced the room thinking of a plan. "When he summons you and the knights at the round table, make the suggestion to wait for the Saxons," she says, tucking the vial back into her bosoms.

"It will take some convincing." I challenge her suggestion, "You know his men will be encouraging him to pursue them"

"Exactly! Everyone is too scared to disagree with the king...except you. He will favor your tenacity" she nods, pulling on her veil to walk the halls.

"Mordred...you must act fast. His 18th birthday is the day he WILL die. Then?" It will be KING MORDRED" she smiled, kissing my cheek before exiting the room to walk the palace grounds.

—-

Another 3 weeks have passed.

"Cheers"

"CHEERS" the drunken crowd yells, holding their cups up in glee. Finally, Arthur's birthday banquet had arrived. Tonight would be the night I would kill him.

Gay laughter and animated conversation filled the bustling room as some dignitaries and jesters danced hastily while singing yuletide tunes. Arthur held up his cup filled with mead and drank it casually, nodding at each person in the elegant hall to acknowledge his authority.  I reflected back on the time spent in Camelot. I had grown closer to the king, advising him in war and combat. I could tell he trusted me a bit more than when I once arrived, but Oshun still held her reservations.

My eyes follow his every move, inspecting as he stood then sat, whispering something to Guinevere. She giggled and nodded, looking to the crowds to inspect the scene as well. Oshun sat a few chairs away, smiling as she talked with Lancelot and Gwain.

A few moments passed before the court squire came in with his golden chalice. I knew my mother had spiked it with the poison; just as she promised.

It was now time for the king to give a speech to address the people. Carefully, Arthur stood and grabbed the base of the cup, lifting it to address the crowds. Just before Arthur spoke, he stopped and looked over to Oshun. She smiled awkwardly and looked down as each pair of eyes cemented onto her.

"I was only 16 when I pulled out the sword from the stone. 17 when I first came to Camelot. I was dumb, fearful, and inexperienced to say the least. Friend after friend I had lost." he says, his deep voice booming against each corner of the room. "All this is to say...I would not be the king today if it was not for Sir Lancelot and Lady Oshun." he announced. The people clapped and cheered as they watched them beam.

"Sir Lancelot has been my most trusted friend and companion. He would do NOTHING to hurt me. He would give me the won armor on his back" he smiled to the chuckles of the crowds. "And Lady Oshun" he turned once again to face her; His eyes held admiration. "She took the title of Merlin and had been doing it flawlessly. I wouldn't be the king I am today if it wasn't for her. So as I lift this chalice, I lift it for them and I invite them to come and JOIN ME. We will drink together as one."

"whooott!!" the people cheer, coaxing them forward. "To Camelot!" he yelled. Oshun and Lancelot came foward, touched by his words. Arthur looks at Oshun before giving the chalice to her. She grabs it around the rim, looking at Arthur with respect.

No! It was meant for her! I look through the crowds to find my mother but she is nowhere to be seen. I knew she would have my head for this but I couldn't let Lady Oshun die by poison. It wasn't intended for her.

"Scuse me" I grumbled, pushing through the crowds in haste, anxious to stop the disastrous event before it transpired. But how could I stop her from drinking the cup without being too obvious?

I reached the end of the hall. I was now in clear sight of all three of them. I had to act fast...but how?

Just before she pressed the cup to her lips, she paused and studied me as she saw me approaching. Just before she had a chance to speak, I grab her jaw and pull her into my lips, kissing her passionately until she dropped the cup to the floor.

I hear the cheers and whistles of the crowd as I kiss her with care. "Go Mordred!" Lancelot coaxes me on unknowingly. I couldn't tell if she favored the kiss or not; either way, her lips were as soft as butter and as delicious as the honey she adored. Eventually, she pushed me away and slapped my cheek. Anger radiated through her spirt while her orbs grew whiter.

"Oshun" I try to apologize for but before I could say a thing, she pushed past me and ran out of the room. I didn't care what happened to me now: as long as Osuun was safe.

I looked at Arthur to discern his emotions. The anger on his face was deadly, even more so than the poison he was destined to consume. I knew I had tested his patience, for Oshun belonged to him, and him only.

"Your majesty...I apologize, I was just so moved by Lady Oshun's beauty" I say. Arthur only sat ar his throne and lifted his hands instructing the crowds to continue on with the feast. He knew he could not react too harshly for a woman that was not even his wife. Guinevere watched me curiously then looked at Arthur. The emotions he held for Oshun were clear and all could see it, even his wife.

"Happy birthday your majesty." I kneel to announce my departure. I walked past each knight, nodding and hugging them before I went.

Despite the failure of the plan, my mind was still transfixed on Oshun and I wondered if she would still be outside lingering around. As soon as I closed the doors to the banquet, I saw her kicking the carpet on the floor. She was leaned against the wall, her eyes still glowing with rage. As soon as she saw me, she started her trek to depart once more.

"Oshun! Oshun!" I call after her. She ignored me and continued walking until she turned a corner.

"Oshun! Wait!" I said again. She finally stopped and looked into my eyes. "Follow me to the garden where there are not pondering ears," she whispered.

I nodded and obediently followed her out to the garden. She led me to a small archway of vines, leaning against its wall. The soft sounds of crickets filled the cool night air as she looked at the stars in the sky.

"So?" I break the silence.

"So..." she shrugged before smiling and watching her fingers. "You can either tell me why you gave me that kiss or I can guess." she hinted.

"You must be drunk on mead?" I say through a frown.

"I hold my wine well sir Mordred but I am not sure how efficiently you hold yours?" she suggested, looking over to the bird that flew on the stone fountain.

"I just had the urge... to kiss you. You are very beautiful Lady Oshun. Like a goddess incarnate." I admitted. Only half of it was a lie. She was beautiful no doubt, but that was not the only reason I kissed her.

"Flattery gets you nowhere sir Mordred." she shrugged stepping into my space. "Do you know what I think?" she asked playing with the string on my shirt.

"What?" I test her, curious to see into her thoughts.

"Let's make this fun! If I guess correctly you must do something for me..." she smiled, trailing a finger against my chest.

"And if you guess wrong?" I say, snatching her palm and kissing her wrist.

"You can have your way with me sir Mordred," she smirked, lifting her eyes to face me.

Author Note

Hmmmm.... what favor do you think Oshun would ask Mordred to do? Remember, her and Arthur are in a good space right now 👀👀

Also!

I started a new book

Don't be shy!
Go give it a read and tell me what you think!