But the next afternoon he picked up the theme again.
A ferocious wind had been blowing, but at least the constant rain and snow had let up. Arthur and Bedivere rode side by side at the front of the column. Suddenly out of some bushes ran a young woman. She was in her late teens or perhaps her early twenties. She had blond hair and flashing blue eyes. And she was completely naked. On seeing the approaching knights, she darted back into the underbrush.
Arthur shouted, “After her!” Two men detached themselves from the column and spurred their horses into the dense brush. A moment later they returned, holding her between them. She was fighting like a cornered bobcat.
Seeing how many knights there were, she quieted. Staring directly at Arthur she asked, “Which one?”
Arthur had no idea what she meant. “I beg your pardon, young woman? I am Arthur, King of all England.”
Unexpectedly she stood up tall and proud. “Never mind all that. Which one of you wants me first?”
Arthur and Bedivere exchanged puzzled glances. Bedivere told her, “You are under some misapprehension, miss. We are not here as raiders or conquerors. This man is your king.”
She laughed. “I want you, too. All of you, or as many as it takes to wear me out. Come on. Let’s get at it. There are enough of you that this will take all day and all night.” She turned back to the bushes where they had taken her. “Tom, come on out. There are a lot of them, and from the looks of them some of them will want you, not me.”
A young man, about her age and blond like her, stuck his head out timidly.
“Come on, Tom, hop to it. There are some nice ones, too.”
Tom stepped forward out of the bushes. He was her age or perhaps a bit older. Like his companion he was quite naked.
Arthur turned to the nearest of his servants. “Get them some blankets and some boots. It is far too cold for… for that state.” He turned to the woman. “Who are you? What are you called?”
“Gillian.”
“And what place is this, Gillian?”
“It is called Treasel.”
He exchanged glances with Bedivere. “Those damned old maps of ours.” To Gillian he said, “We are seeking a place called Grosfalcon. Is it nearby?”
“About ten miles. Just past Smalfalcon. Come on, what are you waiting for? Get that armor off and let’s get to it.”
“I’m afraid that is out of the question. I am-suppose there should be a child?”
“None of us will live that long. The plague is coming.”
“But-”
“We will be dead soon enough. Are we going to get down to some lovemaking or aren’t we?”
“No, we are not.”
“Then let us go, so we can get back to it. It’s your loss, King.”
The man Tom had been standing just behind her. He pulled the blanket more tightly around himself. “We were making love.”
“So we gathered. In this awful weather? You’ll catch pneumonia or worse.”
Tom shrugged. “It doesn’t make any difference, does it?”
Puzzled, Arthur told him, “No, I suppose it doesn’t. You say this road will take us to Grosfalcon?”
Gillian nodded. “Just stay on it. If you don’t want me-” She winked at Tom. “If you don’t want us, there will be plenty of others there.”
Arthur was more and more bewildered by their manner. “We have told you, we’re not a conquering force. We-”
Tom pushed his hand inside Gillian’s blanket and began to fondle her. She laughed and they both ran off into the undergrowth.
One of the knights made to follow them but Arthur told him to leave them alone. The column resumed its forward progress. “At least we know we’re on the right road.” He called for Perceval to join them. “Does any of this territory look familiar?”
“No, Majesty. I approached it from the south when I found the Stone. But I did hear of a nearby town called Smalfalcon.”
Bedivere was working with the maps. “There doesn’t seem to be any indication of it.”
“Grosfalcon isn’t much of a place. Smalfalcon must be even smaller.”
“Excellent deduction.”
Perceval kept an eye on the bushes, hoping for another glimpse of the lovers. But there was no sign of them. “It can’t be much more than a few old farms. Grosfalcon is not much bigger than that.”
Once the party was moving again, Arthur rejoined Merlin in his carriage. “You heard about that young couple we found?”
Merlin smiled. “The copulating couple, yes. Word filtered back along the column before they were out of sight.”
“Strange thing. She was a good-looking girl. Downright pretty. The type of woman I’ve always found attractive. And her invitation could not have been much bolder. But I had no sexual thoughts at all.”
“Perhaps you could become a Christian monk.”
“Stop it. All I kept thinking was, ‘My bastard children-I’ve made too many of them already.’ ”
“Perhaps there would not have been a child, Arthur. These country women are very good at that sort of thing.”
“There was no temptation at all, Merlin. None.” He seemed astonished to hear himself saying it.
“You are getting old, Arthur. Or growing wise, which is not always the same thing.”
“Something you said yesterday has been haunting me. Daughters.”
Merlin looked at him quizzically. “You said it, not I.”
“I must have some. I mean, if only by chance, some of the children I’ve fathered would be-”
“You are wondering where they are? And what they are like?”
“Exactly, Merlin.” He looked at the old man. “Tell me, do you ever regret not marrying?”
“No, never. I could never give a wife the attention she deserves. Half of my life is inside my head. I could never be fair to her.”
“But… but a daughter. To help you? To take care of you? Even a stoic like you would have to find comfort in that.”
Merlin grew uncharacteristically dreamy. For a moment his eyes had a faraway, hazy look. “A daughter, yes.” Then he snapped out of it. “I hope our messenger reaches Camelot quickly.”
“Your talent for changing the subject amazes me at times.”
“I have not changed it.”
“Don’t get cryptic on me, Merlin. Here.” He had a wineskin hanging at his side. “Have a drink of this. It will warm you.”
“No, thank you, Arthur.”
“Another blanket, then, to help cover you.”
“I am fine. Winter is the truth.”
“If I lose you to pneumonia…”
Merlin laughed. “I am made of heartier stuff.”
“If you had a daughter…”
“Arthur, go and lead your knights.”
Progress continued at a slow pace. The skies remained fair but the cold, driving wind never let up. The terrain changed from thick forest to low, sparsely treed hills.
Here and there along the way they spotted more love-makers. Couples, groups, some naked, some fully or partially clothed, some mature, some young, some not much more than children in the first flower of adolescence. Many of them seemed to be drunk in the bargain. None of them seemed to mind being spotted.
Along the column there was more and more talk about it, some disapproving, some not. Gildas lectured everyone who would listen about sin; most of his target audience laughed at him. But everyone was as fascinated as he by these brazen copulating people.
In time they reached Smalfalcon. It was not much more than a widening of the road, with a few small houses and a barn or two. Dogs, pigs, chickens ran loose in the street. Naked children chased them happily.
A mature man in rags, his arms around a bare-breasted woman young enough to be his granddaughter, waved and approached. “Hello. If you’ve come here to plunder, go right ahead. Take anything you want. Take anyone you want. There is no need for any violence.” He held up a cup. “Have some wine. Enjoy life, as we’ve learned to.” He kissed his young woman and she kissed him back. They became lost in their embrace, oblivious to anything else.