"I beg your pardon?"
Lancelot was shaken from his confusion, meeting the hedgehog's oh so familiar emerald eyes that were meeting his in a rather questioning manner. He looked so much like the blue hero that had just left them mere days ago. It was almost uncanny. Perhaps..all that talk about alternate people Sonic was rambling on about wasn't so crazy sounding after all.
"I'm..sorry. You just look like someone that I know."
"Well, I can't say that's me! I mean it could be. I tend to get into a lot of scuffles. Could've hit my head once. But then, I could never forget such an admirable gaze~" the thief grinned, earning a sigh from the knight as he tightened his grip on his wrists.
"Just because you're not who I think you are, doesn't mean you're off the hook. In fact, you're doubly in trouble. Why did you steal from the market?"
"If you'd quit trying to stop the blood from running to my hands, Perhaps I'd tell you, good sir."
There was the sass again. Lancelot was growing tired of this. Tired of him already. It'd been a long week. He wouldn't deal with this! Though..he did want to get this over with quickly. So he let go of his wrists, allowing him to sit up. Though before he could make a break for it, the knight quickly laid a hand against one of his legs, earning a small pout from him. Boo hoo. Who did he think he was trying to escape the greatest and most loyal knight of the round table?
"Talk. I don't have all day."
"Well..that's the thing. It'd be better to show you."
Really? He chased him for Gods knew how long, and now he wanted to take him somewhere else? Absolutely ridiculous! He should just turn him in right now!
"I promise you, you won't be upset! They say you're Lancelot, right? And if I heard correctly, you'll do anything to help the people? Well..hear me out on this one. I'm trying to as well!"
So he did know who he was, and yet, he was still questioning his authority? How daring..and yet, it was so familiar to Sonic. The way he didn't care about who someone was..it could even extend beyond Sonic...it was akin to...
No! He absolutely wouldn't compare him to their former Leader! And Sonic was a true knight. A hero to all. This imposter was a thief and a ruffian! He was no hero!
Lancelot looked up as his wrist was grabbed, being pulled up by the other and stumbling in shock. Oh he had a lot of nerve to be ordering him around like this.
"This better be a good explanation, otherwise I'm bringing you back to the castle for questioning."
The thief simply laughed at this, leading him down the forest trail.
"Right right~ and even if you did imprison me, what castle could you take me to? There isn't exactly one standing right now." He was quickly greeted with a piercing glare at the comment, rolling his eyes rather casually.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just mean..how are we going to get back into order so soon? Everything is hectic, and while Camelot's square may seem bad, other towns have faced much worse." He explained, walking along the trail the rest of the way in silence until they reached a small clearing. Lancelot was led to what he believed was a town, as most of the buildings were unidentifiable and there were few people roaming about.
"What you see here, is my village. It was devastated in the purification while I was away. Due to us being in the center of the forest, it tore our land apart. Now, we thrive off of surrounding fruit trees, and whatever I can get from the market. I owe it to them..my absence cost many lives as well as homes." He continued, before his ear twitched at a voice calling his name. He smiled as he recognized it, rushing over to greet another hedgehog similar to him.
"Hello Uncle! How are things in the shop?"
"They're going fine, Art. Don't worry about me." The man quickly waved him off, before noticing the knight and growing rather worried.
"Oh! Forgive me! Sir Lancelot, to what do we owe you this presence?"
A small noise, almost like a sucking in of breath, emanated from the azure hedgehog, grinning rather nervously as he stepped away from his uncle in order to avoid his wrath.
Lancelot was elsewhere when questioned, his mind observing the brief conversation. What had he called the thief…? Art? He had almost forgotten to answer the elder.
"Oh..ah..forgive me. I caught your nephew here stealing from our stands in the main village. Witnesses said he stole bread, a ruby, and mechanical utensils."
"Uh, excuse you, sir. I didn't steal those mechanical utensils, I borrowed them from my friend! Miles is an absolute lad!" He grinned, before squeaking as the elder grabbed him by his ear, some of the items falling out from under his cloak.
"Art T Hedgehog, how many times must I tell you not to steal to help the village?! Is this what your mothers would have wanted?"
Art groaned, his ears drooping in defeat before his uncle let go of his ear.
"No..they wouldn't. But Charles, we can barely find food right now! We need these things! Besides, they can always spare them! The main town always finds a way! Is it really that bad to steal something if it's helping us?"
"Yes! It is!"
Lancelot quickly cleared his throat, to which both of them quit talking, out of respect or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. He softly sighed, before approaching them.
"As long as you promise you won't do it again I can bring up the dire situation this town is in, and provide you with necessary supplies. Does that sound fair to you?" He offered, earning a rather confused glance from the elder hedgehog.
"Sir, I-"
"Sounds alright to me!" Art quickly chimed in, his hands confidently on his hips.
"As long as we're okay, you don't have to worry about me pestering you!"
"I'll hold you to that then." Lancelot nodded in understanding, before his eyes fell on Charles, who seemed a bit guilty about the whole situation.
"Worry not, Charles. This was a small mishap. The people will get over it in due time and I can replace whatever was lost." This almost seemed to comfort the Uncle, who met the knight with a smile.
"Thank you, Lancelot. I know this must be hard on you, but you make a great king."
To think this was the first time he'd heard this from a villager. It almost..touched his heart in a way.
"That's quite kind of you to say. Now, if you'll excuse me. I should get back. I don't want the others to show up and question what happened here." Lancelot announced, sliding his visor back down and nodding to the two as they bid him farewell.
"I wish the best for your village."
—
It'd been a few days since the village incident, and Lancelot, as well as the rest of the round table, were glad to see the commotion dying down. Most things were easily replaced, and what couldn't be was instead replaced with money. In fact, since the stealing stopped, they had a bit more time with castle repairs, and the outer wall was already coming along nicely, especially with Galahad's help. Lancelot admired the boy's willingness to help. That's what made him a great knight. He never complained much, and he seemed to be glad just to help. Everything was a lot calmer now despite things still needing work.
"So what was the deal with the whole robbery the other day~? Perceval made me stay here to make sure Lamorak didn't lose his mind. I hate being on Lamorak duty." Galahad was quick to perk up at this, turning with interest to Lancelot. "Ooh~ could you take him off? You're king now, you can do that! That way I could surely have your old spot on the primary three~"
Lancelot laughed at the idea. It was silly, sure, but he wouldn't exactly oppose it. However, it wasn't very professional to rid a knight for worrying too much. Maybe to some kings, but not to someone with as kind a heart as he had. Even if it meant giving him his old position, he was still a fine knight when it came down to it. "I won't be doing that, Gal, if that doesn't mean you can't have a spot on the Round Table. You've more than earned it."
"Oh! That's good. I was worried I'd have to resign and do blacksmith work. Not that that's bad or anything! I rather like working with Robin." Galahad was quick to defend his friend, growing rather flustered as well. He really did like spending time with him outside of training, and now working to help out with restoration. It was a nice break, learning to craft and fix swords. He never thought he'd find it so interesting but..maybe that was because he simply found the blacksmith rather interesting..
"Robin right, that was his name. Well..why don't you go give him a visit? You've been working all day. I'm sure I can find someone else to help out." Lancelot assured him, earning a rather excited smile from the boy, before it turned to embarrassment.
"You'd really let me go~?"
"Sure, the wall is almost done anyways." He simply shrugged, before watching his son quickly piece together the last few bricks and quickly land next to him. He swooped in for a hug, always catching Lancelot off guard with that.
"I promise, I'll be back by sunset~"
"I know you will~"
As Galahad made his way out, Perceval cautiously approached the other, sliding her visor back and greeting him with a smile.
"Is he off to see the blacksmith again? I swear, he's absolutely smitten~"
"Though he may be, he's still just young..I want him to have fun before dedicating himself to the round table. He's already putting in every hour he has, and I don't want him wasting away his youth." Lancelot assured her, pushing in a loose brick that was a bit crooked on the wall. Normally, they'd be having servants and guards out on the grounds doing these things, but he couldn't admit to anyone that sticking to king's work just..made him antsy. He couldn't sit still knowing there were other things he could be doing to better the state of their land.
"How are things on your end? There's not much shouting today, so I can only assume Gawain has gotten the hang of things."
Perceval giggled at the reminder, knowing that Gawain was trying his best with the restoration, but he didn't have nearly as much patience as the others. Still, his stubbornness was what really made him who he was, and though he wasn't the best or gentlest craftsman, he sure wasn't a quitter.
"It's going alright. Though I'm pretty well doing most of the work. I think Gawain and Lamorak have completely wracked their brains at this point."
Lancelot was about to make a snarky comment, before his words were interrupted by the sound of Galahad returning, calling out to the two and causing them to turn towards the entrance. Though instead of just the young knight returning, behind him followed the blacksmith and…
"...is that Sir Sonic…?"
Lancelot's ear flickered in curiosity at the lady knight's inquiry, before coming to his senses as he saw the familiar thief waving to him, almost excited to see him again. What was he doing back here…? He thought he warned him not to come back as long as they were sending supplies..
"Unfortunately, no. That happens to be a villager from a town over I've had to deal with lately. He just so happens to look like Sonic. Though bear in mind, he serves no resemblance aside from that mouth of his." Lancelot bit back, not exactly as amused as the other to see him again, but not that upset as well. He was rather curious about him. Why he looked so much like Sonic, he couldn't figure out...and even more so...how he resembled someone...ever closer.
The trio hurried over to the two, Galahad happily presenting his followers.
"Father, I'd like you to meet Robin, the blacksmith, and Art, a friend of Robin's!" He gestured to the two, Robin waving shyly as opposed to Art's rather casual demeanor.
"Long time no see, your highness~ we've come to aid in the repair of your castle walls! Gal has explained to us that it is almost complete but that some knights seem to be lacking. So! I believe that with Robin's expertise and my optimism, we shall finish in a flash~!"
Was this honestly his way of making up for the other day? My, was he persistent. But, he did show up at the request of Galahad, so he supposed he couldn't turn that down. Calmly, he nodded, before showing them the last little bit of wall that had been destroyed.
"This was to be done earlier, but thanks to our court with short tempers...we've had to put in extra time."
The azure hedgehog was quick to take up his tools, the vulpine following alongside him, seemingly as if on cue. Lancelot took a moment to take Galahad aside before he could join his companions, lowering his voice.
"How long have Robin and Art known each other?"
Galahad seemed confused at his inquiry, before simply shrugging.
"Robin explained to me that they've known each other for quite some time, far beyond his memory but...enough to call him a brotherly figure." he recalled, before turning to his father. "Why do you ask? Do you know him?"
Lancelot quickly shook off the notion, there was no way he was going to tell him about last week, especially considering he was good friends with Robin, who, as Lancelot well knew, wasn't exactly so clean himself. Still, he admired the young kit for his bravery, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. He probably learned it from the snarky hedgehog. Sighing, he approached the two, sliding his visor back to properly greet them.
"If it's alright with the both of you, I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight for helping. I'm sure Galahad would like to show you around his home as well." At least he figured he would. He remembered growing up and not exactly having a room to show to friends, if he had friends at all at the time. For the most part, it was just him and his sister spending their days in the Deep Woods. He wouldn't pass up the chance for him, especially when he'd spend most of his child years inside the castle.
Both the kit and the hedgehog looked to the other in utter surprise. Was he really inviting them to a royal dinner? And to think, not even food they often stole would taste as good as castle food! How could they say no? They both nodded vigorously, before returning to work with Galahad.
Lancelot felt a smile tug at his lips as he watched them continue their work with more fervor. This would be quite interesting.
Dinner had gone better than expected, and both Robin and Art had acted especially well behaved on Galahad's part. Sure, they were thieves, but they were also friends, and the wanted to prove to the young night that they weren't total ruffians. It seemed that in desperate times, they could mount up enough manners despite tearing into food they'd probably never have the chance of eating again in their lives.
As the moon rose higher and higher into the sky, Lancelot found himself escorting the two friends to the gates alongside Galahad, his hand clasped behind his back in a casual stride. It was mostly quiet, save for the distant chatter between the blacksmith and the young knight, and the quiet crickets of the hidden bugs beneath the pond lillies. It wasn't until the other hedgehog spoke up did Lancelot bring himself back to reality.
"Thank you again for tonight. I know I forgot to say so earlier, but I was afraid I'd have food falling out of my mouth, and while I do find myself to be rather humorous, I know my Uncle would highly disapprove of me looking so foolish in front of a king."
Lancelot turned to the other now, assuring him with a gentle smile as they stopped in front of the gates.
"It's quite alright. Most people don't even bother to say thank you most times. I can't blame them though, these are harsh times and we should be doing more about it." He sighed, thinking about the new wave of requests he'd gotten in just this morning on how just the marketplace should be improved. Didn't anyone else realize there were more important things to fix? That there were many losses to be mourned and that the people had to be dealt with first? Clearly not. Lancelot watched as Art returned the smile, before reaching to gently shake his hand.
"Well I believe you're doing a great job. You proved it when you walked me back to my village and took immediate action. You may not think you're king material, but you seem like one to me."
He paused a moment, before turning on his heel.
"Oh but what do I know~? I've never been a king~"
This sparked something in Lancelot, something he couldn't place, and yet...it felt so familiar. Him? King? That was laughable~
"Right, well I thank you for your kind words, Art. Shall I expect you to come running back anytime soon to bother me? I'd like to know so that I may lock myself away where you can't sneak up on me."
Was that...a hint of playfulness? Art managed a laugh, a warmth coming to his cheeks as he waved the other off.
"You know, your highness, I rather like surprising you. Who knows if I may return~" He grinned, before turning to take his leave. He waved to the king in a playful manner, going to catch up with the two younger mobians.
Lancelot watched them as they took their stroll into town, glad that Galahad was making friends, even if they were a bit on the devious side. And yet, he probably needed a bit of an edge. Lancelot always thought him too gentle at times. His thoughts were stopped however as he noticed someone approaching the gates, soon identifying them as their messenger. She simply bowed before him, before handing him a letter, and a rather glossy one at that. It could only be from one person: Nimue.
"Sorry for the late night delivery, but it was quite urgent." She apologized, before Lancelot assured her it was alright, and turned back to open the letter. If Nimue was trying to contact him this late into the day, then surely it was urgent. Pulling the letter out, he read it over.
My Dear Lancelot,
It has come to my attention that you have been feeling rather unwell since your crowning. I would like to address the situation, in hopes of improving your confidence.
You know where to find me.
-Nimue
It really wasn't like her to leave a message so short, but nonetheless, he had a visit to make tomorrow.
It was time for a change.