Did lust rob Gawain of strength? Ch 9/Sc 1d of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.

Welcome back to Saturday excerpts from Raging Sea! I hope you enjoyed a pleasant holiday season and are ready to tackle the new year head-on. I know I am. :) 

To catch up with the early doings of Angusel, Gawain, and everyone else, I invite you to download a copy of Raging Sea: Reckonings, which is free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription or Amazon Prime membership.

In today's excerpt, Morghe (aka Morgan le Fay) begins to show why in later centuries she was dubbed "Morgan the Wise."

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c |

Raging Sea Chapter 9, Scene 1d

©2016 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

“Chieftain Urien, you and all your guests be witness to this heinous assault upon me innocent lady wife,” Fergus stated. “I demand his head.”

“No!” shouted Gyan and Morghe together, and they shared a look.

“No,” Morghe repeated at Gyan’s nod. “This action is so very unlike my nephew’s normal behavior that it deserves further investigation before just punishment can be meted out.” She smiled at Urien. “With my lord husband’s permission?”

“What do you propose, my lady wife?” Urien asked.

She navigated from behind the table to approach Gawain and proceeded to feel his forehead and neck. With gentle fingertips, she probed the spot on his jaw where Fergus had struck him, and he couldn’t stop the wince. His knees still felt like jelly. He locked them to prevent them from betraying him. She ordered the Scotti warriors to release Gawain and step back. Once they complied with a nod from their lord, she bade Gawain to raise one arm parallel with the floor. The tremors that shook his hand alarmed him, and he clenched his fist, despising the display of weakness. Morghe gave him a sympathetic smile and faced Urien.

“Gawain has a fever and—”

“Aye, the fever bred of lust,” Fergus muttered, hugging his wife to him.

Morghe shot him an annoyed look. “When was the last time lust robbed you of strength, my lord Fergus?” When that netted no answer but a glare, she addressed Urien. “Clearly, something he ate or drank put him into this state and made him lose control over his baser urges. I propose—”

“’Twas your selfsame cup he drank from!” shrieked Caitleen.

“Indeed. Perhaps traditions are different among your people. I am not in the habit of poisoning my blood kin.” Gawain couldn’t figure out why a look of discomfiture flashed across Urien’s face at that, but his head was aching too much to expend anymore thought on the matter. “Furthermore,” Morghe continued, “what reason could I possibly possess to disrupt my own festivities in this deplorable manner?”

“I do hope, Chieftainess Morghe, that ye are not suggesting that me wife did anything to bring this upon herself. That would be most unfortunate to our new alliance.”

Urien rose from his tall-backed chair. “No one is suggesting anything of the kind, Lord Fergus. Neither is anyone denying the harm done to your lovely lady wife. What may appease you, other than Gawain’s death?”

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