Arthur: The Legend and Myth Chapter 115

115.

“Bran!’ The call reverted in the corridors of Castle Joyous that morning but none of the doors of the chambers opened to it. There was however seen then was a maid taking to her pace approaching the chamber where the shout was heard. The maid reached the doorway and rushed in after opening the door. Inside the chamber was Lady Elaine in a state of agitation. The lady saw the maid stepped in and waited for her to speak.

“My lady, we hold not of any news on our Lord. Bran is still not back.” Lady Elaine then seated at the wall opening looking at the plains outside the castle. Ever since she heard the return of Lancelot from the Grail quest, she had not seen him. He was however seen at the fringe of Camelot but he had not returned to the castle. She had sent Bran to locate him. The later was the squire for Lancelot ever since he occupied the castle. Bran was a younger man with the slim look dressed usually in his knee length tunic. He does not ride and trained himself to be fleet with his legs. He could cover great distance a day and given that task to locate Lancelot.

“I will tell you if Bran returns.” The maid excused herself from the chamber. Inside it, Elaine still seated contemplated her mixed feelings then. She had one time dismissed Lancelot from her life, but of late when told by Guinevere to return to his side she had the sudden return of her feelings for the man she once loved. She knew that Guinevere wanted her to control the knight but she felt more of herself losing her control on her feelings then. She heard of the news that he was returning while the others proceed with the quest for the Grail. It was rumoured that he was rejected for he had sinned.

“Guinevere….” Elaine muttered the name. The one who was said to make Lancelot the sinner. She knew the man well ever since they wedded, and in her mind, Elaine doubt Lancelot could do sins. He was a perfect man with his duty as the knight taking precedent above all other matters. That was soon over if the rumours were true, it changed the knight and also his love. She shed a tear then for the misery that was to befall their love then. Lancelot became a different person with his love for her gone. He went missing from her life.

“Guinevere…’ Elaine muttered the name once more. Guinevere said to her to get back to Lancelot. It was not that simple. Love was a process of feeling and not a hop into the bedding. She could not do it then but did she really fail. She found herself wanting back her lover.

“My Lady, Bran is back.” The maid who sneaked in had announced the news. Close behind the maid was the squire.

“My Lady, I saw our Lord. He will not see me but I saw him from a distance. He is well …. tired looking but alive. He stayed at the forest and avoided the others.”

“Did you tell him of me?” Elaine asked. Bran only nodded. Then he replied that Lancelot did not say anything. With that Elaine dismissed the squire but the later asked to speak of another matter.

“Guinevere may be in danger. The King have left for battle with the Romans and Mordred is to protect his flank but I heard that he is planning the execution of Guinevere for her crime against Gaul.”

“What crime had she done?” Elaine asked.

“The knight that died from the poison was from Gaul, and his father is close to Mordred.”

“Warn Lancelot. Get him to save her.” Elaine uttered out then. She held her right hand over her mouth when she finished. She realised then she had called her lover to save what was his. Was she generous or did she failed in that love?  She dismissed Bran and then looked out at the plains once more.

“Does he know I need him here too?” Elaine asked herself.

So were the peoples of Sarras when seen by Percival then. He looked away from the wall opening and looked at the person seated there as the King of Sarras. The King sight was on the Grail he brought back from the other land. It was a task then by Arthur but instead of bringing it to Arthur, they went off the island and then the one with the task become the King.

“Galahad, you owe Arthur an explanation on the Grail.” Percival still the devoted knight then. Galahad looked from the Grail at Percival.

“I did not promise Arthur anything but to seek the Grail. He wanted to see it but the Grail does not want him to. The Grail….”

“What madness is this?” Percival glared at the one who was seated there. Galahad motioned to the Grail.

“You dismissed the Grail too easily. I have ….spoken to it.” Percival was to interject then but Galahad continued on. “The Grail is not any like the others. It held some form of …influence over the ones that was worth it. It told me many things which I would never imagine. One thing it told me was that I am to take it with me when it will tell me the secret I wanted to know.”

“Take it? What make you worth of it?” Percival asked. “I find it unbelievable.”

“Then wait me out when I will leave with the Grail.” Galahad resumed his stare on the Grail. It was an unusual moment but life then was unusual. So was it for Arthur. He found himself concern on the battle if the Romans reached his lands. He had to stop them from coming over. He assembled his army and they sailed across the waters. He brought all his knights except Lancelot whom he could not find, and left Mordred to guard Camelot.

On the voyage, Arthur overheard some knights talking.

“The King is great.” One of the knights was overheard saying that and it made Arthur smiled but his smile faded soon enough.

“I wonder on that. I heard the King have his knights to do his tasks. They are the round table knights but of late, he held only half in the numbers now.” The other knight replied with sarcasm. “Maybe he is already old now. He may be a hero then at Mount Badon but that was decades away.”

“You speak of treachery.” The first knight replied. “If the King hears of it…”

“Then asked him to challenge me.” The second knight spoke out. Arthur wanted to confront the knights but a messenger caught up to him. The message was simple.

“I need your help. King Hoel.” The King was one of his allies but the King was elderly then and his lands dwindling. He was also a friend of Arthur.

Arthur had the ship he was on towards King Hoel who lived by the sea shores.  He met King Hoel at the castle, and a tale of assistance was told. It was an unusual one though.

“My daughter is taken by Giant on Mont Saint Michel. He lived alone there and left alone but recently he came to my land and took my daughter. He held her at the cave there which looked like an evil face on the slope. He guards the island well and no ships dare to come near it.”

Arthur listened hard and then he told the King that he will go alone. Arthur’s knights protested and finally, Arthur allowed Sir Kay to follow him. They set sailed immediately for the island with the set of rowers to work the oars. The journey was short and then they sighted the island. From that distance, boulders were thrown at the boat.

“We must detour or the boulders will sink the boat.” The rowers on the boat did as they were told. They feared being drowned and rowed hard. The circled the island and then they saw the fires. There were two spot of fires. They went to the one on the eastern side and saw the elderly lady seated there on the rock by the shore.

“My lady is at peril. I am just a nurse and not a knight.” The elderly lady moaned out in pain. She saw the boat docked there and rushed to them. “Help me. I saw my lady taken by the giant. I can’t stop him. He killed her and left me to be the witness to it. He is a monster.”

“Is her name Helena, the daughter of King Hoel?” Arthur asked of the elderly lady. The later looked in a state of shock and then nodded.

“She was my care from young. I am helpless to help….” Soon after she spoke, a glimpse of long arm grabbed her and then she was gone. The knights there still on the boat pulled out their swords but there was no monster to be seen. The elderly lady was no more there as if she was an imagination of the mind.

“Let us return, Arthur.” Sir Kay thought nothing will scare him but then was feeling uneasy on the island. Arthur shook his head and offered to stay.

“Arthur, we fight a foe that may be beyond us. We must get Merlin to assist.”

“I will fight even though I loved my life that may depart this night. He may wield the demon’s strength and flight, my bones may crush like the feather in his hands but no foe had intrigued me than this demon.” Arthur replied and then he looked to the second fire.  He asked the rowers to head there. They did although they feared the demon but the King’s order was firm. The trip took not long and they docked there at make shift jetty. There Arthur laid his eyes on a huge figure that resembled a man and yet his features were that not of the man. He held a huge chest and his upper limbs were longer than the legs with a head that was oblong in shape with not one set of eyes but two sets. The figure stood taller at twice the height of man.

“Leave or I will crush your bones and grind your hopes to ash.”