Yay, Robert is alive! And hungry. (Big surprise.
)
Drawing on the self-defense techniques she had learned while sparring with Clarkent, she punched the guard in the solar plexus--knocking the wind out of him--and then kneed him in the groin.
Nice way to bring the story back to Gawain and Clarkent's friendship, and yet another way it benefited Loisette.
He found that Phantom had already had his saddle removed and been groomed, so he put the horse’s tack back on, thankful the destrier had been taken care of before the stablehands left for the day.
Glad he gave James a piece of his mind ... and Phantom deserves it, too! He left his master all alone in the forest, without any way to get home. Not very noble for a noble steed.
But awesome for Clarkent to think of getting the two horses and trying once again to rescue Loisette, even after all she's done to him. Shows what a hero he really is.
She smiled at him with a surge of joy, her eyes filling with tears, and she pulled off her hat, letting her long hair flow down her shoulders. She felt suddenly free, and she dropped to her knees beside him, so glad he finally knew the truth about her. Her mind flashed back to what Imp had said: “When--and only when--your true love proves himself willing to give up everything for you, then he will see you as you truly are, and the magic surrounding the clothes will disappear completely.” Did that mean--?
Aww, very nice.
“They’re magic clothes,” Loisette told him with a gentle smile. “They hid my identity from you. I couldn’t--I couldn’t tell you. The magic wouldn’t let me. I wanted to, you know. I’m so sorry for everything. I haven’t--I haven’t been good to you.”
There we go! Nice that she's finally apologizing and admitting some fault. And I'm so glad that Clarkent didn't just say "You didn't do anything wrong" while still making it clear he forgave her.
“Clark,” she said desperately, feeling cold now that they weren’t touching, “I love you.” She had been subconsciously fighting against it--but the realization of that statement’s truth had suddenly sprung up within her even as the words were spoken. She stared at him, fearful of how he was going to respond.
He looked as if she had just hit him. His eyes widened, and the shock on his face was easy to read. There was a look of hope and maybe even gladness there--and then a shutter came down over him. He closed his eyes, his pained expression tearing at her heart. “You’re the queen,” he said quietly. “I’m not allowed to love you.”
Yay! But poor Clark, thinking he's not allowed to love the Queen.
Psst, Lois, this is your chance to say, "I'm the Queen and *I* say who gets to love me."
She interrupted, “Tempos told me he has a new magician working for him. I don’t know how powerful he is, but it’s possible he can break through spells like that. There’s only one place to go--Kryptonia.”
Oh! Oh, oh! That's how we're going to get back to the sword in the stone! I knew it was a loose thread, but I'd almost forgotten about it in all the action. Of course that's where they need to go!
Clarkent sighed and tried to let go of his fears. She was his queen, and he would follow her anywhere.
He just wished it felt more like he was following her into safety and less like he was following her headfirst into danger.
OK, Clark, stop being such a wuss and face your destiny.
Kathy
