The Guardian: Albionaria Verse, #2

By Devan Gillard

The Lady has lived alone for centuries. It is a life she has grown accustomed to until one day she finds a baby abandoned by her lake. 

 

This novella is inspired by the figure of Arthurian legend, The Lady of the Lake.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Devan Gillard
• Release date: Jun 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227120632

Book preview

Chapter One

It was the cries that woke the Lady.

Cries were so loud and piercing that they sliced right through her foggy mind. Her eyes fluttered open, staring up into the water above. Beams of light shone through the water from the surface but other than that there was nothing but water in front of her.

She blinked, confused. Trespassers were an extremely rare occurrence. The surrounding forest was strictly forbidden for all citizens of the surrounding kingdoms to enter. The consequences of entering were extreme. Not only did one risk imprisonment but the forest was also enchanted with magic meant to disorientate those who lingered inside. The enchantments caused trespassers to wander aimlessly until they either exited the forest or lost all sense of identity.

As she floated in the waters, the Lady found herself fairly annoyed at this stranger. This lake was one of her favourite sanctuaries. The tall willows that lined the banks created seclusion and the cool waters calmed her while the vastness of the forest made it so she was rarely disturbed. Until now, when the closest place she had to a home, and it had been intruded on.

The crying continued above, sharp and pained. Humans, the Lady noted to herself, were emotional beings. Irritated, the Lady rose from the water, set on sending the intruder off on their way. As she broke through the surface her long blond hair and her dress fell into place around her, completely dry. Her dress floating on top of the lake. She stood there and scanned the surface world for the intruder but found nothing.

Not a human to be seen. Though she could still hear the cries. The wails were hard to pinpoint as they echoed across the lake, but it sounded like they were coming from her left, where the tall reeds grew out from the bank. The Lady waded forward to the bank, gathering her skirts into her hands, and stepped out of the lake her feet touched dirt for the first time in weeks.

She made her way towards the sound. In the surface world, the cries sounded smaller, somehow. Not quieter, they were still jarringly loud, but smaller. Perhaps it was simply an injured animal. Whatever it was she was determined to find it.

She crouched down in the reeds, her lithe fingers searching through the tall stalks. As she pushed some stalks aside, something reached out and grasped her index finger. Startled the Lady jumped back, tearing her finger away. As she did so, another cry sounded. Curious, the Lady leaned forward, parting the reeds with both hands revealing a child.

A human baby. Lying on their back on a homemade blanket, their little hands were grasping at the air. Whose child is this? She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see a desperate parent rushing over, but there was no one to be found.

Concluding that the child was alone, the Lady reached down to more closely inspect the child, concerned that it may be hurt. As she did the babe once again grasped one of her fingers