Summary Of The Spotted Fallow Doe - 985 Words

The spotted fallow doe was only one hundred paces from him, a shot so easy even Merlin would have no problems. So when he missed it, the confused, yet critical eye he gave the crossbow was laughable because it couldn t possibly have been his fault. He had perfect form, had it full in his sights, and he shouldn t have missed unless the crossbow was faulty. Had he damaged it in some way on this hunt? Arthur almost didn t hear Mithian s cheeky remark about his poor marksmanship when her aim was true and her bolt hit the doe in its hindquarter. Her shot didn t fell it, though, and there was very little blood to track. The king joined in the search, combing the forest floor for a trail of blood they knew would be close by. A less perceptive hunter would have missed the glint that caught his attention. Arthur knelt in a comfortable squat and picked up a silver ring tied to a leather cord. When he recognized the object, Guinevere s matching wedding band, the world closed in around him, all the times he kissed her, held her, vexed her, laughed with her, and every other moment in between spontaneously flash within his mind. The trail lost all meaning. What fickle chance had he of finding that ring, now discarded and forgotten on the forest floor in the middle of nowhere? What was Fate trying to tell him? Stricken, he looked to Merlin for answers he knew the servant wouldn t have. Merlin kept the king s gaze only briefly, the guilt of constantly altering the destiny of