Chapter 1:
The Siege of Castle Benwick
The charred pungence of soot began to creep into the forests and the faint echoes of battle cries and clashing steel permeated the once gentle ocean breeze of Benwick. The coastal kingdom in Southern Gaul had become a new home for the despairs of war.
"I want ladders on the southeast walls as soon as we can ready them! Take two knights to clear the path, Benwick troops will try to divert your advance away from the castle!" As the acting general of the siege, Sir Gawain had been shouting orders to Artoria's men since sunrise. Castle Benwick had proven to be much more formidable than he had anticipated. Their difficulty gaining the upper hand began to concern Gawain, especially considering "he" had yet to show himself on the battlefield.
The bodies of slain infantry were thrown from the walls, toppling onto their former comrades who still struggled to make their way up the scaffolding. As the fruitless battle drew on, Gawain had struggled more and more to maintain order in the pulsating mass of men that swarmed and pressed upon Castle Benwick. His blood continued to boil.
"Damn you, Lancelot…" Gawain muttered sorely. Though he shut his eyes in remorse, he was unable to stop his ears from being battered by the sounds of battle. He remained this way for several seconds, then with his infamous blazing passion reignited, he reared his horse Gringolet and charged directly into the carnage.
As Gawain rode forth into the fray he parted the sea of foot soldiers before him. Upon arriving at the main gates, the infantry wordlessly ceased the hammering of their siege weapons and turned to their leader.
"Lancelot!" Gawain cried out to the castle, "Come out here you damn coward! Join your men and fight me head on!"
Alongside his cousins Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, Sir Lancelot had been coordinating the defense from within a turret atop the main wall. Even though the sounds of war had ceaselessly assaulted his ears, he could hear the words of the man he once called his brother-in-arms with excruciating clarity.
Gawain shouted once more, "If a man a great as yourself feels he must cower behind his walls, then you have truly fallen further than I had once thought!" At this the once proud knight had become unable to quell his guilt any longer.
"Bors..." Lancelot said as he turned to his cousin. Without any more to be said, Sir Bors nodded and placed his helm upon his head and left the turret.
The gates slowly opened in front of Gawain to reveal a fully armored knight, though he did not bear the coat of arms he had expected to see. Ermine, three bends gules. It was Sir Bors, a winner of the Grail Quest alongside Sir Percival and Sir Galahad, and the only one to return alive. Gawain furrowed his brow upon being declined his desired opponent.
The two leaned into their saddles and accelerated. The thunder of their steeds' hooves upon the bloodied mud gave the soldiers of both factions pause to observe. Bors lowered his lance too early so that Gawain saw he was aiming for the inside of his left shoulder. He raised his shield to receive the blow and then lowered his own lance moments later. In an instant Bors' lance shattered upon Gawain's shield and Bors was thrown from his mount. A powerful blow to his lower ribs had dented his armor and left him gasping for air as he skidded through the dirt. Bors struggled to stand back up as his throat began to fill with blood.
At this Sir Lionel readied himself in an infuriated haste. Seeing his younger brother disposed of so mercilessly had thrown him into a fury and he quickly lost what little respect he had left for Gawain.
After the joust, Gawain had resumed his former position directly in front of the gate, maintaining an unbreakable stare at the tower which Lancelot stood in. He ignored Bors' writhing in the mud as he clambered up against the castle walls. His gaze turned back to the gates upon hearing the trodding of another horse from within the castle. Seconds later, Lionel had come into view as he turned a corner and charged straight through the gates.
"What a pitiful state you must be in, sending others out to defend yourself." Gawain muttered to himself as he began his charge to meet his opponent. Lionel's frenzy had left him in a reckless state and he had neglected to hold his shield high enough. Gawain immediately took notice of this and aimed for his collar. Seconds before Lionel had even fully lowered his lance, Gawain had plunged his own into the armor below Lionel's chin and launched him into the earth.
Gawain once again returned his passionate gaze to the tower, indifferent to his opponents' suffering as Lionel painfully carried Bors back into the castle. He had forgotten his duties in orchestrating the siege and the men around the castle became increasingly disoriented and chaotic. As the shouting around him swelled, Gawain continued to watch the tower, certain that Lancelot was staring back at him through the slim openings in the stone turret.