Hello, Dear Readers!
This will be a short story - I'm thinking about something around five chapters.
It's an Arthur/Lancelot friendship piece inspired by Foo Fighters song Best Of You (the bold lines in the story are lines from the song) and it takes place at the end of the first year of the knights in Britain.
It's my first try with something longer, and it's a WIP, so any review will be more then appreciated!
I really hope you enjoy to read this as much as I am enjoying to write!
Disclaimer: I own nothing or no one. My beloved Lancelot follows me everywhere because he wants. I'm not forcing him to anything!
Author's Notes: English is not my native language and I'm still leraning it, so feel free to help me pointing at any error you find!
Many thanks to my lovely beta Jac! And if there's any error remaining, their mine!
Any feedback will always be welcome, so please, review and let me know what you think!
ps: this chapter was revised by my beta and reposted.
"I've got another confession to make: I'm your fool.
Everyone's got their chains to break, holdin' you."
Watching the hard time Lancelot was giving to Dagonet at the practicing field, Kay felt proud of his sponsor. The boy had just turned sixteen, but was already one of the most skilled knights under Arthur's command. No one would ever believe that he had only trained in Britain for slightly less than a year. Even more remarkable was that he was the only one who could wield two swords skillfully. Kay was sure Lancelot could beat him already, but also knew better than tell the young man things like that. The only thing bigger than Lancelot's skills was Lancelot's pride, and the only thing sharper than Lancelot's twin blades was Lancelot's tongue. When Lancelot finally made Dagonet drop his axe, he crossed his twin blades at Dagonet's neck and winked at him.
"You're dead, I win."
Dagonet just rolled his eyes and picked up his axe. Dagonet was probably the largest of the knights, and his size was proportional to his patience. Kay smiled at them and called for Lancelot. Dagonet nodded at them and left. The dark-haired knight came, with a large smile for his friend – and though none of them liked this word, master - in truth, Kay was Lancelot's master and Lancelot was Kay's apprentice.
"I heard that your discharge papers will be here in few months, is that true?"
"Yes, Arthur just received the news from Rome. He said I won't need to go on the next missions, he doesn't want me to die so close to my freedom!"
"He said that? Well, he likes you."
"He's a good man, Lancelot."
"If you say so. But he's a Roman, so to me he's still a bastard."
"Arthur is Roman, but he's not Rome itself. You need to understand that if you want to survive here, boy!
"Be a good fighter is all I need to survive."
"Maybe to survive, yes. But if you want to live, if you want to have a life, you'll need to be a good knight. And to be a knight, you need to be a good fighter as well as good man. You're a good fighter, Lancelot, but you still have a lot to learn about being a man!"
" You should talk with my lady friends at the tavern then!" Lancelot winked at Kay, and the older knight just rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious boy! You need to focus your anger and your hate at those who really deserve it. Or your hate will be your cage and your anger will be your death! Like us, Arthur has no guilt about the deal our forefathers made with the Romans!"
"I know that! But still, I don't like the idea of being taken from my home to be a killer under some Roman bastard commander!
"Liking or not, Arthur is your commander, you own him some respect."
"Yeah, yeah… Now, what did you called me for?"
"I want to ask you something. Will you do this old knight one last favor young friend?"
"Sure! But I strongly doubt this will be the last thing you'll ask of me… You don't really know how to live without me anymore, do you?"
Kay smiled. Yes, leaving this young man behind wouldn't be an easy task.
"I want you to take my place at the battlefield. Arthur will need someone to watch his back until he find someone to replace me as his second in command."
Lancelot stared at him in silence for a while, he did not know how to answer. Honestly, Lancelot didn't give a damn about Arthur's back. He wondered how the Romans could rule the world if they were unable to watch their own asses. But he could not deny that it was an honour for one like him to be asked to do such an important task – and that it was an even greater more honour to be asked to replace Kay. And if Kay trusted him enough for that, then he would not disappoint his friend. He looked Kay in the eyes and nodded.
"I'll do that for you, my friend. For you."
Kay smiled at the young knight. He hoped one day Lancelot would watch Arthur's back because of Arthur, not because of him.
--o--
"Were you born to resist or be abused?"
Lancelot started to practice with Arthur. If he was to protect Arthur in the battlefield, then he needed to know all of the Roman's weaknesses. They practiced together everyday, and at the end of the first month, they already knew each other's style of fighting pretty well. They could predict each other's movements, like they were reading each other's mind. Their training was like a well-choreographed dance, but this wasn't the reason why everyone would gather around the practicing field to watch them. Although Arthur's skills with his Excalibur were impressive, it was Lancelot's ability in drive Arthur mad with his words the skill the other knights envied most.
As usual, Lancelot was giving Arthur a hard time, letting all his anger drive his actions. Lancelot had already questioned every single one of Arthur's beliefs and Arthur's blood was already boiling. Arthur couldn't understand why he was so hated by the knights, why he was so hated by Lancelot. He was a good commander, wasn't he? He tried to get close the knights, become their friend, but the only ones who did not reject him were Dagonet and Tristan. And even with them, Arthur was sure that they never said anything because they just didn't say anything at all. No matter how hard Arthur tried, he seemed to be unable to conquer these knights' trust.
Lancelot blocked Excalibur with his left sword, and with the right one struck hard, attacking Arthur. If Arthur had not turned in time, he would have risked getting beheaded.
"Hey! This is not for real, Lancelot! We're not fighting till death here!"
"Maybe you aren't."
"But you are? What will you do, kill your commander?"
"If my commander is the one between my freedom and me, then yes, I could do that!"
"I'm not the one keeping you from your freedom! We both are here to serve Rome, when your duty is over, you'll go home!"
"You mean if I live enough to see that day! We're here to kill and be killed!"
"You are here to fight! You're a knight, that's your purpose! And I'm your commander, I'm here to assure that you, all of you, will live enough to have your freedom back!"
"And why should I believe in your words? You're Roman!"
"I am not your enemy, Lancelot!"
"You'll have to prove it if you want me to believe in it!"
With that, Lancelot stormed out of the practice field, leaving Arthur wondering what in hell he needed to do to prove to his own knight he wasn't his enemy.
--o--
"Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?"