“I’m glad then. I wouldn’t want Uther to turn into a killer. Not for a throne that does not exist.”
But that throne existed in Uther’s mind. Aside from this night, the throne was all he wanted right now. He had come this far and sacrificed so much already. Camelot was young and needed a king. He was physically too weak to demand fealty, but with Excalibur, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. But for now, the night awaited.
He turned to face Igrain. Her face shone a little red and perspiration evaporated on her forehead. She had been busy in her husband’s absence. She had been preparing for the worst by the looks of the screens that hovered all throughout the room.
He walked away from her to the master control board and waved the screens away. The room grew dimmer without their neon light so he activated the soft glowing lights around the corners of the room.
“You’ve been wearing a soldier’s gear too long, Igrain.”
She shrugged slowly, letting herself be lulled into submission. “I like a soldier’s clothes. You said they made me sexy.”
“Some men desire something softer.” He stood before her now, his hand sliding the clasp of her jacket down. “Something less threatening.” He undid her belt and tossed both her pistols aside.
“I like using my guns,” she smiled. “You need a tough girl, remember? Someone to keep you in line and match you at physicality, you said. That’s who I am.”
“Time for a change.”
Uther slipped the jacket away from her and playfully pushed her back onto the bed. Her feet went up and he pulled her boots of quickly. She giggled and tried to vault back up onto her knees to retaliate, but he pushed her back, unfastening her belt.
“Galois,” she protested lightly. “Play fair.”
The name stopped Uther, but only for a moment. He didn’t have to be gentle or mindful. As far as she knew, he was her husband and she wouldn’t be too wary of a soldier home from the war. He had an advantage over her.
“Igrain, be reasonable. I’ve had a rough day.” He yanked her shirt away, still trying gentleness lightly though.
“So, don’t play rough,” she insisted as she fell back onto the bed in her stark white undergarments. The female soldier’s underwear always looked so attractive to Uther. Tough, but sensual. Her body didn’t have as much hardened muscle as he had always imagined, but the subtle mixture of femininity and war-hardened muscle more than appealed to him.
He disrobed quickly, fumbling with his pants and boots. So close to his goal, he could not stop now. There was no time for foreplay or catering to Igrain’s wishes. He had waited years for this. He had fought a battle for this. He had bled for this. And now, he had become another man. For her.
“Take it easy, soldier,” she said through a thick smirk. “No need to hurry.”
“There is every need.”
Nude, he crawled onto the bed with her and pinned her under him. How great it felt to finally grasp something he desired. He imagined it would be like mounting his throne for the first time. He would just take it. He tore her remaining coverings from her. Wanting to rule wasn’t so bad. He saw the planet as his. He had led the men here and in such an emotional state too.
“Ah!” she cried out as he bit into her flesh.
Things needed to be taken quickly. He wanted to establish a pattern and a rhythm that needed to be maintained. He had the power to do that. He had Excalibur. He had Avalonian DNA. He was strong. The plans would escalate quickly, but all of Camelot would be in rhythm with him. No one would deny him.
The climax was inevitable.
***
“The scouts are giving me conflicting reports,” Lot sighed as he gazed into the glass over his eyes. He stood at the master control dock in the hangar where probes were coming back with news of the battle and movement on Camelot in general. “Uther seems to be missing, but Merlin is not worried.”
“And Vortigern, is he dead?” Morgause straightened the sight on a large energy-bazooka. “The calculations are all off on this thing. What else do they say?” She crossed her legs, sitting fully on the nav-dock’s desk top.
“He appears to be. Some say they saw your father with him when the tower collapsed. Others say he was fleeing the scene.”
“Before or after the collapse?” she asked, stopping in mid tuning of the scope.
He scanned the information quickly. “I don’t know. And it seems Pellinore has been trying to reach Uther. No luck though.”
Morgause turned her eyes back to the screens before her.
"It's been days at least. I don't even know anymore." She rubbed her temples. "I'm not wrong."
"What?" Lot removed his eye glass. "Wrong about what?"
She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I can't explain it. It sounds crazy."
Lot waited.
"That's not my father. That's not Galois, can't you feel it?" Now that she had said it, she felt better. And Lot didn't deny it right away. He frowned, thinking.
"What should we do? Scan the planet?"
"No." She took up her pack and slung the bazooka over her shoulder. "We go ourselves and talk to Uther. I have this feeling he won't be at home."
"What do you mean, Morgause? In truth, you're not making much sense."
"We need to talk to Merlin. And the other D.R.U.I.Ds about their technology." She heaved up her new weapon. “I know you are loyal, Lot, but I need the truth.”
They whispered just a few more words to each other before departing in a little, fast star-cruiser. They left no word with the guards; they simply took the ship and left. Lot scanned the planet below as they approached to find a suitable place to land.
“Find these coordinates,” Morgause said typing them on the screen. “This is the heart of Avalon on Camelot and may not show up on
