losing her. It had been too close of a call. He was ecstatic that he had saved her from an awful fate, and determined that the two of them should never be apart again.
As the two of them stood there, she turned and looked up at him, the waters of the lake reflected in her soulful eyes. She looked back at him with such love and devotion, he felt his heart melt. He knew deep in his bones that he had made the right choice. There was no finer woman he could hope to be with.
“My Lord,” she said, looking down to the ground softly, “I don’t know how to thank you. You saved my life.”
He reached down, placed a finger under her chin, leaned in, and kissed her. They kissed for a long time, and her lips were the smoothest thing he’d ever felt. She leaned in, kissing him firmly, running a hand along his cheek, as he ran a hand along hers. He reached up and brushed back her hair gently, outlining the curve of her beautiful face. He had never seen anyone so beautiful, from any corner of the kingdom, and he could hardly believe his luck to be with her.
“You have nothing to thank me for,” he replied. “It is you who has saved me. You saved me from an empty life, from searching for my love.”
She took his hand and led him to the mossy ground beside the lake. They sat down beside the crystal clear waters, and as the second sun began to set, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he reached over and draped a hand around her shoulder, holding her tight.
“I waited for you every day with bated breath,” she said, “as you competed in your tournaments. When they sold me into slavery, I fought with everything I had. But they were too powerful for me. I cried and cried for days, thinking only of you.”
The thought tore Erec up inside.
“I’m sorry, my lady,” he said. “I should have known the innkeeper would deal with you in that way. I should have been there sooner to protect you.”
She smiled up at him.
“You protect me now,” she said. “That is all that matters.”
“I shall protect you with everything I have, for the rest of my days,” he said.
She leaned in and they kissed again, holding it for a long time.
She pulled back, and he looked into her eyes, and was entranced.
“My lady,” he said, “I can see in your eyes that you are of special birth. Can’t you tell me your secret?”
She turned and looked away, a sadness overcoming her face.
“I don’t want to withhold anything from you, my Lord,” she said. “But I made a vow, never to reveal were I am from.”
“But why such a vow?” he asked. “Could the place be so terrible?”
“The place was beautiful, my Lord,” she said. “More beautiful than anything I have ever seen. That is not why I left.”
“Then tell me,” he said, intrigued. “Tell me at least one thing about your past. Am I correct? Do you hail from royalty?”
She looked to the lake, sighed, waited a long time, then looked back at him.
“If I tell you one thing,” she said, “will you vow not to ask again?”
Erec nodded back.
“I vow,” he said solemnly.
She looked into his eyes, then finally, said:
“I am daughter to a king.”
Erec, despite himself, was amazed at the news. He had sensed it, but to hear her say the words surprised him. Now he was infused with a burning desire to know which king she hailed from; why she had left; why she had chosen to become a maidservant; what had happened in her past; why the secrecy. He was dying to know more.
But he had vowed, and as a man of honor, he would not break his vow.
“Very well, my lady,” he said. “I shall not ask you again. But know this: whatever it is that happened in your past, I am here to protect you now, and I love you more than my heart can say. You and I shall start a new life together. One that you shall be proud to speak of for the rest of your days.”
She broke into a wide smile.
“I would like that,” she said. “I would like to start life over again.”
Alistair leaned in and kissed him, and they held it for a long time, as a light breeze caressed them.