In the Deepest of Night (an excerpt)
Chelsea M.

One evening, a bard with the fairest of hair was bade enter the court of Camelot so that he might entertain the king and his fellows at meat. After introducing himself to his majesty King Arthur, the bard pulled out his instrument and played while singing the song his trade had learned him.

When the bard had finished his song, the king clapped joyously and laughed, "I shall be perfectly happy to grant you a boon. Name anything you wish and if it is in my power to give, you shall receive it."

"I know not her name, but I ask for the hand of the maiden in green."

The king's happy demeanor lessened slightly at hearing this. "Alas, if you had asked for any other maiden in this court I could fulfill your wishes, but this I cannot do."

"And why is that?"

"Every maiden here has come of her own accord and volunteered their hand in marriage to any man of the court should it be requested, and each of their fathers have given consent for this to be done."

"Is she any different from the others in this respect?"

"Unfortunately for you, yes. She has no father to give her away, nor a mother to consent to her marriage. She has no known alliances that could decide such a thing for her save a convent of nuns in the north of France, all of these which have bade me to let her decide her groom for herself."

"Forgive me your highness, but I still do not fully understand why a king's decision cannot overrule that of a convent and their pupil."

"It is out of my hands."

"But why on earth...?"

"Sir Alastair, I cannot force a knight to marry."

Alastair sat down and tried to think of a way to escape a potentially humiliating scene in front of she for whom he lusted.

He eventually came upon an answer that seemed likely to at least lessen the embarrassment on his part, and with a firm resolution he decided to execute it.

"Upon reflection, I have decided to change my request for a boon."

"What is your wish?"

"Permit me to know the maiden in green's true name."

"She is called Deirdre Fallon Faun," King Arthur said uncertainly.

"Yes, but what is her surname?"

"My true surname is unknown to me, for my father was killed shortly after I was born in battle. My mother fled the country with me but died in a convent on the shores of France a few days after our arrival. As an infant, I could not have possibly been expected to remember my given name at such an age. It appears that my mother was able to communicate our story to the nuns before her untimely demise, for the French nuns told me that Deirdre Fallon was my given name in my homeland. They have never told me where this was nor my surname though I suspect they know both. Many have said that my mother never told them, but I think that she made them promise to keep my origins a secret from me," said the maiden in green with a serene smile, but her eyes approvingly said that it was clever and at the same time admirable to approach the situation as he had done.

"Why do they call you Faun, then?"

"Ah, the nuns fondly surnamed me after my eyes."

Upon saying this she smiled, and he noticed that indeed her eyes resembled those of a peaceful doe, though they were of a deep blue-green instead of the traditional brown.

Later on, the bard found himself wishing to speak with Dame Faun, but late as it was, he decided to call upon her at meat tomorrow instead of in the dead of night. This not only did it seem more sensible to he who was tired from traveling but that sparing her slumber may make him more favorable in his eyes.

As he was readying to sleep himself, he heard an odd noise outside of his window and went to investigate. He saw a wild boar kneeling on the ground with an arrow sunk deep in one of its eyes, and as he watched, another arrow was let loose from a bush nearly out of sight through his window. The arrow found its mark in the unwounded eye and the boar flew into a rage that is not uncommon to an animal in pain. Thrashing around for a quarter of an hour, the boar fell to the ground and did not get back up.

Looking back to the marksman taking shelter behind the bush, Alastair saw a flicker of fire sprint towards the castle and knew that it was they who had first been attacked, not the boar, and resolved to find out who had slain the massive creature after nearly being gored by the same beast... after a good night's rest.