The Wicked Day Quotes
"Well, but they said the same last autumn, when—"
"You're never grieving for the old enchanter?"
"I'm not weeping for him, why should I? But I'm afeared, Brude, I'm afeared."
"You'll be no fool, though, my bonny, not with the blood that's in you."
"King Lot's bastard, is it? Well, so they say, and better so."
"The Goddess keep you safe, make her forget you."
"Always keep your own counsel. Never repeat what you hear."
"I will serve you with my life, madam. Only ask me."
"Of course you can't, boy. You must forgive an old woman who's dreaded this moment for so long."
"But if they saw what I see, and knew what I guessed at, ah, these many months past…"
"The night's dew shivered and steamed on the fine grasses... till the whole landscape thrilled and shimmered with light."
"Many times, from his father's boat, he had seen its northern cliffs, and had tried to imagine the rest; its vastness, its forests, its roads and ports and cities."
"Mordred's breeding, perverse though it was, had made him the child of one fighting king, and the grandson, twice over, of another."
"The familiar cottage, with its clay oven, its lines of pegged fish, the hanging festoons of drying nets — all had vanished."
"Gawain, prince and king-designate of Orkney, stood irresolutely for a few moments, then did as he was bidden, and ran to strip the net off the upturned boat."
"He stood there so long, staring, unbelieving, sick, that only the sharp wind, piercing the shabby tunic to the skin, made him shiver suddenly and move."
"Mordred was sitting on a boulder at some distance from the cottage, staring out to sea."
"She has to have a report. And they'll do whatever's decent. Come on, we don't have to stay. There's nothing we can do, nothing at all."
"I'll go there," he said to the wind. "Why else did it all happen as it did?"
"She cannot have thought that young Accolon, even with Urbgen out of the way, the sword of Britain in his hand, and Morgan married to him, could ever have been able to supplant Arthur as High King."
"He deserved it. He killed my parents. That charm was my mother's."
"You are Queen of Rheged, and you keep telling whoever will listen that you deserve nothing of your lord but gratitude and a little forgiveness for folly."
"Fate has more than one arrow. The gods wait behind cloud."
"All that we have is to live what life brings. Die what death comes."
"You cannot know what life will bring. All I can tell you is this: that whatever years of life are left for you and for your father, they will see ambition realized, and will bring fulfilment and their need of glory, both for him and for you."
"If the kingdoms of Britain are to remain secure against the destroyers from the east, then all the kingdoms within our sea-girt coasts must join together in their defense."
"I was working. The King comes often, and takes things as he finds them. Will you sit?"
"There's no mystery, at least not the kind ordinary mortals such as you and I can understand. She would know you were coming because she knows everything. As simple as that."
"So what can a man do? All that we have is to live what life brings. Die what death comes."
"For the love of Hecate, save all that for later. Listen, I thought I heard footsteps."
"Whatever she is, whatever she says, it cannot matter. I am my own man, and I do my own will."
"Live what life brings. Die what death comes."
"If you have need of blessing, sir, then my God can, through me, give it to you."
"Be assured that the next royal courier will take this news to Camelot."
"You are to go to the Queen. There's a letter she wants to show you."
"I go to surer sources than the altars, or even Nimuë at Applegarth. I ask the shepherds on the high downs."
"There is always talk. There are those who talk, and there are those who listen."
"Let us look past the smoke, and put out the fire."
"I only meant that I shall be breaking no natural law, my lord."
"There are some matters better not spoken of; better not even known."
"I doubt if for the first minutes he even knew who was at the edge of his blade."
"The fighting was over. His head was within a foot of Guinevere's hem."
"Arthur, blamed at home by the Young Celts for his adherence to Roman forms of law and centralized government."
"She will be under your protection. You will love and care for her as her own son."
"The air was full of the sound of bees, and birds singing, while down in the town bells rang for some Christian service."
"Then we'll talk later," said the King, and turned back to the discussion.
"The King's relief and pleasure, and the Queen's obvious happiness at seeing him again."
"Then the troop rode back to catch up with their companions, and carry their heavy news to King Hoel."
"But in the end it will all come again, Mordred."
"Once again, thought Mordred, the evil fates summoned by Morgause were at their work."
"But possibly something could be saved from near-disaster; it was to be hoped that all Gawain had done was to bring matters to a head too soon."
"The King's letter, hastily dictated, gave the facts merely of the disastrous embassy and the running fight that had followed."
"His story confirmed what Arthur's letter indicated, that all hope even of a temporary peace had vanished."
"Guinevere, too, had some work by her. A half-embroidered napkin lay beside her on the stone bench."
"Arthur was dead. The news that followed, of complete and annihilating victory over the Romans and Burgundians, came as an irrelevance."
"The King does not yet know what numbers the Frankish kings will bring to the field, but they will not be small."
"Mordred, wise in the ways of councils, moved with care."
"Arthur's return permitted little rejoicing, for Bedwyr, worse hurt than he had admitted, or that anyone had judged, was now seriously ill."
"The King, feeling his age for the first time, turned in gratitude and affection to Gawain."
"It was war. This was the day. This was the wicked day of destiny."
"Soon, too late to dull those flashing signals, the thunderheads came slowly massing across the hot sky."
"At the end of the day, with the thunder overhead and the lightning flaming white from the sky and the water of the Lake, Arthur and Mordred came once again face to face."
"Arthur, the veteran, did not. His spear took his son straight and clean beneath the rib-cage."
"Blood gushed down the spear shaft in a hot stream over Arthur's hand."
"The clouds broke, and like a waterfall the rain came down."
"Mordred checked in his stride and stroke. Arthur, the veteran, did not."
"Mordred's sword swung, even as he fell dying, in a hard and deadly blow to the side of the King's head."
"Mordred pitched down then into the pool of his own blood."
"Arthur stood for a few seconds still, his sword dropping from his bloodied hand."