Arthur; the legend and myth Chapter 94

 94.

It was in Camelot inside the chamber of the King then when Arthur pulled on his tunic before he replied to Guinevere.

“It’s absurd that my son will not go hunting. He is a grown by age and will learned like any other boys.” Arthur ignored the pleading of the other.”

“Arthur, he must not go. He is cursed.” Guinevere words came out in anger. “Ask Merlin.”

Arthur stopped in his dressing. He was back for nearly half a year and that was something new to him. He turned to look at her.

“Your son, Gwydre was cursed at birth. Merlin said so.” Guinevere spoke out. “The Banshee…”

“The banshee was killed if I recalled from Merlin.” Arthur then agitated at the words of the other. “I will speak to Merlin after the hunt.”

With that he stepped out of the chamber ignoring her pleading. He told the servants that Guinevere was to stay there. He took to the stairs and then soon he was out at the courtyard. He looked at the friends who were joining him for the hunt. There was no knights and least of all any of his round table ones.  There were a few Lords and Dukes and there was his young on the horse.

“Are you ready, Gwydre?” Arthur disliked the name. The young boy nodded and then looked out to his mother who was at the wall opening. She was looking at him but she was not telling him anything. She was silent.

The hunt was a major event with over a hundred participants with the smallest group that seven Lord and Dukes with three Kings and one young Prince. The pack of beaters whose task was to drive the hunted creatures and then hunters will hunt them with their arrows or spears. There was no predators which was cleared by the real hunters who was at the perimeter to ensure none slipped back.

“I see a deer!” The young Prince was elated to be in the hunt although he was chaperoned by four servants riding next to him. He kicked his horse to move in closer to the deer but the later had taken off on its heels. The others in the hunt saw the deer and took to release their arrows at it. The deer was brought down and the young Prince rushed forth to see the dead creature. He was amused at the flow of blood while the creature twitched in it dying moment. Then he heard the shout.

“Boar!” The creature was identified. “It’s a pack.”

It was not a pack but a family of one matriarch and three small piglets. The family of boars ran with their screeching amusing the hunters. A hunter took the opportunity to shoot at one of the piglets killing it instantly. The matriarch was next with three arrows in the head. The other two remaining piglets then in panic ran between the hunters and it shook some of the horses. The hunters were organizing themselves and then both the piglets were killed. The call of joys went out then and the boars were dragged to the clearing for the slaughter.

Gwydre rushed forward and watched the slaughter. He was so focused on the killing that he did not hear the shouts of warnings.

The family of boar was not without the patriarch which had then charged at the hunters slaughtering the piglets. It screeched out loud in pain at the slaughter and charged at them. It was a blind rage charge and it was going for the smallest being. The tusk of the boar thrust into the young Prince and then with the fling of the head, the Prince was tossed into the side but he was dead.

It was pre-ordained.

Guinevere did not speak to Arthur then for weeks nor did she leave the chamber. She banished him from it too. His anger was diverted then.

“I did not …” Arthur was equally upset, and everyone within his reach was given a dose of his lessons. He was at the round table and with his trusted knights. There were some new faces; Sir Belvedere had replaced Galahad who was missing from Camelot. Gaheris had left for Ceredig and a new knight by name of Sir Owain, the son of King King Urien then. He looked at the new elected knights.

“I am not in need of protection but my loved ones are.” Arthur told them with his glare on Lancelot. The ill spread of rumors on the affair of Lancelot and his Queen had reached his ears. He did not pursue the matter for he valued Lancelot for keeping his kingdom intact during his campaign of wars. He also did not asked Guinevere for since he was back, he had become distant from her. He had not approached her as eh should as the lover but even then it was perfunctory. Since the death of his son, Arthur had moved to stay in the chamber away from the Queen. His life was shattered then and he wanted to go to wage war on any King or Empire.

“I want …No, I need to wage a war. Maybe with the Romans once more.” Arthur spoke up from his insane thoughts. “I cannot be here till death claims me.”

“What if death does not claim you? What you need is the elixir of life.” Merlin spoke up from the far corner. The line of suggestion drew laughter from the knights including Arthur.

“Druid, I may be mad, but you are more than that.” Arthur replied. “There is no Holy Grail. Let no man speaks of it again on this table”

“Well then, none will be mentioned.” Merlin stepped away from his corner but before he pulled a seat towards the round table. “Let no one dismissed my words. The Holy Grail exist and the one that will be seated here will be the one that will take the quest and retained it.”

Merlin held the seat close to the round table.

“Let it be known that this seat be named the Perilous Seat. He who will seat here had to earn the right to with the Holy Grail quest.” It was then the mentions of the Grail stopped that day and it would surface more than once but none was disclosed that among the seated, two knights knew more on the Grail than the others.

Sir Percival saw Lancelot approaching him on the ride back to his castle. He knew why the other was to meet him.

"Sir Lancelot, please tell me that you are not to talk on the Grail.” Percival looked at the other who had stopped his horse next to him. “Let us be seated then for the talk and without the winds to carry our voice far.”

They were soon at a clearing in the woods. Lancelot sat down with Percival to rest when he asked the pertinent question in his mind.

"Tell me, Percival; is it true that you once saw the Grail?" Lancelot heard of the tale spoken the other.

"I did but I was not entitled to it." Percival replied. He then related the tale he once told Lancelot but the words came with an oath to keep it between them.

“It was soon after that I became a Legionnaire when I made the journey home to my mother. I was raised by her in the deep woods. It was learned later by other lost friends of her that I found out my mother was jilted by her lover, my father.. She ran to the deep woods and made a secluded life there for herself and her son. It was many years later when Percival saw some men marching to be Roman Legionnaire that prompted him to emulate them. He left his broken hearted mother for the challenges of the legionnaire’s life. He trained well and became known as the Red Legionnaire for he was with the red hair then. On his way home, He was returning home then to tell his mother of the news but instead he found what was to be known as the Grail Castle.

It was a stormy day and with his oath covered by the rain and blinded by the strong wind he soon saw shelter at what he perceived to be a castle. The host of the castle was introduced as King Grail. The lord of the castle greeted him on arrival and then served with warm food and drinks at the Hall.

“Eat with hesitation.” The host himself then had taken his fill of the mead with a chunk of meat. Percival took to the food but he was studying his host then. He saw his host was in pain and limping on his left feet but Percival for courteous manner did not asked why. It was during the feast, he saw the most unusual sight. It was a young girl with a bowl that glowed with an unique light. The lad was followed by another holding a lance with a drop of blood on its end hanging there but not dropping off. Percival kept his silence on the lance and soon the feast was called to an end. He found himself escorted to his chamber where he rested. At dawn, he woke up to find himself sleeping on a bed of straws and in a ruined castle. He ran out of the castle and found his horse.

“Was it real? Or was it…” Percival rode off in haste and never looked back. Till today, he cannot recall where the castle lies. On his ride, he met an old lady on the path and he stopped to asked her of his whereabouts.

"Percival, you are blind to the greatest gift that one is allowed to see. The Grail at your sight and yet you did not wished it well. Your failure to ask caused you to lose the sight forever.”" The old lady disappeared into the woods leaving him more baffled. Percival never got to see his mother for she had died long time before his return, and he could never find the castle again. Then the task was there offered to him once more. A task he failed many years ago and it looked like heading that way too.

“I am not worthy, Lancelot. Not then and even now.” Percival reigned to his fate. It was Lancelot who asked him to follow him to meet Elaine.

“Ten years is a long time, my friend. Why now?” Percival asked.

“Lady Igraine is at her death bed.” Lancelot replied. They reached the castle and Lancelot declined to go in. He felt that he would do well to wait outside. Percival convinced him otherwise and they rode in.

They were greeted by King Fisher who had aged since Lancelot last saw him. He was warm to Galahad but cold to Lancelot when they met.

"Lancelot, you cannot march back into my life just because your madness was lifted by the Grail. Are you here to tell me that you were mad then when you were with the Queen." Elaine mocked at him. "If that is your excuse to come back to me for your supper and perhaps the softer bedding, then try harder."

Elaine stood up and walked to the wall opening. They were in her chamber where he met her then.

"Elaine, I come to apologize for my past deeds. I want to come back to you." Lancelot pleaded with her. He walked towards her but she stepped away.

"No, I would not have you back. Not after that many years when you were away." Elaine told him off. "Do you think I ever cared when you were not there around me. Well, I didn't. Not after the first years but later it was easy."

"Was there another?" Lancelot asked without thinking then and soon regretted his words.

"There was none." Elaine shouted back. Then she paused in her reply. She looked at him. "You are not the only one who could cheat at it. I had my own. A throwback to you, perhaps....."

"Who was it, Elaine?" Lancelot asked her. She gave him a name and he was enraged. He stormed off and soon was in Camelot. He met Gawain then at the hall. The knight was his pets that had followed him since then.

“Gawain, I stand to challenge you to a duel now.” Lancelot looked at the other. “In this hall now.”

"Sir Lancelot, you do not come in and seek on a challenge in that manner." Sir Gawain stood up and demanded of Lancelot to hold his position. "Do you mock me, Sir Lancelot? And to what did I do that earned your wrath?”

“You seduced my lover. I will not have that from you.” Lancelot told the other.

"I do not fear you. The others may do of you but not me. Even Arthur feared you. He let you bed his Queen all these years. He is so afraid of you, but not me." Sir Gawain replied. “I am innocent of such accusations but I will defend my honour.”

The two were to clash when Merlin stepped in between them. He held back the enraged Lancelot now.

"There would be no duel. This is a matter best left to the King to settle." Merlin shouted out.

"Gawain, you bastard. In my absence, you stepped in to replace me. Elaine told me all about it. You courted her for years, and yet she refused to seek you. You persisted till she gave away her resistance to her own honour. You took her honour for your own lust.” Lancelot voiced out in anger. “ I love Guinevere. I only slept with her because we actually loved each other. Never did we let lust do our biddings."

"No!" It was the Queen who shouted as she walked in on hearing the commotion here. "Please don't fight. I will not have the two of you battle over ….rumours. We will wait for the King to decide.”

Sir Lancelot stopped his push to fight Gawain. He stepped back and then he took out his sword. He swung it on the round table and cut into it.

"I would wage war for on King Arthur of Camelot. He who stands with me would be well rewarded. I would not serve that one who neglect his love for ...personal glory. He has no heir and his kingdom is bound to fall on his death."

On those words, Lancelot walked out of the castle.

"Sent out words to the others. Who stands by the King shall be here tomorrow or be considered as an enemy of the King." Sir Gawain spoke out.

"Fools!" Merlin shouted out and then left the hall. Guinevere stood there looking at the two knights. She knows where her love lies. She ran back to her chamber and later was on her horse to pursue Lancelot.

Lancelot was his castle named Joyous Castle but it was not joyous in his mind. Back in his chamber, he had stripped his armour off. His tunic lay on the ground next to him, and his back was covered with welts. He was inflicting the same punishment he had done for some years then

"Oh my Holy Ones, why did I do that?" Lancelot moaned out before he leaned forward on his face with the whip dropped at his side.

"Do what, my love?" It was Guinevere who walked in to his chamber. She saw him there doing what he did back then hurting himself for his sins. Guinevere hugged him on his back. "You are not alone. Today, you had done what no man had ever done for me. But you did it. You finally come to your senses to fight Arthur."

She hugged him tighter than ever before.

"I am proud of you. You prevail in our love. Now we would conclude the love affair. We can remove the one who stood in our way." Guinevere spoke to him.

"Guinevere, you knew this would happen. Why didn't you stop me in those years? Did you lead me into this? But why?"

"Because I love you. You are becoming the real man I wanted to love. Prevail my love we would be united without restraints."