"Remember, Percival-" Sir Gawain reminded as they rode closer to Corbenic's edge, "We're here for Lancelot. We'll talk some sense into him, then you can carry on with your Grail quest."
"If I recall correctly," the young cat huffed, her tail lashing behind her as she straightened her back, "you were the one who mentioned the rumors of Corbenic and the Holy Grail, Sir Gawain."
The echidna snorted as the forest began to give way to the farmer's fields. Corbenic may not have knights, but they certainly had commodities- a cloud of sheep moved along the far end of Corbenic, and a man was tending to his fields. Corbenic's prized source of wealth was its fishermen and their hauls- less than a day's ride to the ocean for fresh fish. King Pelles's father was often called "the Fisher King" due to his favorite activity. Gawain hoped the gracious king would grant them some cured fish when they returned to Camelot.
"It's very unlike Sir Lancelot to charge through such a long path," Percival hummed, before Corbenic's crops and livestock met her eyes.
"Oh, I wouldn't put it past him-" indeed, too many a steed had collapsed dead from Lancelot's grueling riding style. "Especially if Lady Elaine is involved."
When Percival managed to shake herself from the view of the castle town. "But why would he make a two day journey overnight for Corbenic?"
"Because he's in love, and he's too proud to show it." Percival coughed, earning a pair of narrow eyes- "You have a different opinion, Percival?"
"No matter how proud Lancelot is, I don't think he would be pleased at any lady's illness," the squire hummed, examining the sky. "And even so, when Lady Elaine left, she seemed upset."
"Probably because he didn't join us in sending her off that day," he huffed as Corbenic's castle grew closer and larger, even though Percival was right; even if Lancelot was embarrassed to show concern, would the news of her being ill make him happy?
"Suppose King Pelles wishes Lancelot to marry his daughter... whose knight would he be then?" Percival considered, the question chilling Gawain's skin.
"Even more reason to return to Camelot as soon as we can- as if your deranged quest wasn't enough."
After she'd calmed down from waking up out of her boiling prison, Lady Elaine returned to making up for five years of slumber. Lancelot kept her on the edge of his vision as he resigned himself to staying up; at the very least, this area held no fear of an ambush from a battle-ready force- the most dangerous foe at this point would be a bear, if they were fond of this part of the woods and considered Lancelot a threat. The knight considered Arondight, already clean of the quest, checking again that she hadn't lost her sharp edge despite being made not to, and imagined her in the sky, as several stars, twinkling high above him. On the first few nights after he'd been given Arondight, he'd tilted the blade, believing that the stars still twinkled in the sword, and they just needed to see their fellow stars in the sky to shine again.
Just as he set the sword down, Elaine sat up, gasping and crying out. The sudden movement almost uncovered her.
"Elaine?" Lancelot called out, trying to see if she was still asleep, foregoing titles. He slowly moved to face her-
"He-help..." she whined, shaking. "Help me..." Her eyes were dull and unfocused- voice detached... "I can't get out-"
She's dreaming- Lancelot made his way over to her, keeping his voice low. "You're out of the bath..." he sat next to her, reaching for one of her clenched, shaking hands. As soon as he took hers, her whimpering faded, and whatever panicked strength held her upright wavered- she sunk into herself before he steadied her with his free arm-
Elaine fell against his armor, sighing- a few moments passed before he realized the armor was cold compared to her body heat. The intensity of the heat had faded, but still too hot for travel... Her heartbeat traveled through the chestplate, but she'd stunned him already. Despite his abilities, he felt vulnerable.
This hadn't been the first time he had to rescue someone, but somehow this quest unnerved him- more than rescuing the Queen-
He cursed himself for even thinking about Guinevere- his hidden weakness. Why on earth did she haunt him so much- why did he imagine she was the one to greet him when he returned- to berate him for chasing after dragons- no! She belonged to Arthur as much as Camelot and Caliburn did. Care to usurp the throne, Lancelot, as your own father had been?
Elaine groaned, shuddering, though he doubted from the cold- she shifted her head, sighing. Perhaps she'd dreamt she was back in the back in the bath, only to find cold armor...
No one had ever needed him like this. When Percival had started to lose courage to continue with her training, Arthur comforted her- when the faction of knights Lancelot was a part of had been cornered and worn down, Bors, Lancelot's cousin, rallied them to action. Every member of the Round Table held stories of their charismatic abilities... save for Lancelot.
Another groan from Elaine, "..too... hot..." Still dreaming, or...
"It's all right... you're safe now," Lancelot managed, hoping it was enough-
"L...Lancelot?" she breathed. "Can... can you keep...talking?" His ear flicked as he glanced down. "Just-just so I know... know you're still there..."
"Ah... all right..." Lancelot answered- shifting his weight to sit on the ground while trying to figure out what to talk about... "Well... when you're well enough, we'll go to Camelot... have you ever been there before?" A negative groan as she tried to shake her head. "It's more crowded than Corbenic, but everyone's amiable. I'm not from there, originally..."
As he described his home to the feverish girl, her breathing steadied again, though Lancelot kept going, in case she needed a way to know her dreams were just dreams, that she didn't need to try to escape. Maybe she didn't just seek relief from the heat of her own body, but she needed to know someone else was with her, too.
Mirroring his mother in the story, Galahad dozed peacefully against Lancelot's chest. At least this wasn't yesterday, when he was still worn out from riding out here, or he wouldn't have lasted long enough to pacify him. Lancelot gently stroked the sleeping infant's forehead, careful not to wake the tiny hedgehog.
"I'd better take you back to your mother," he whispered, wrapping Galahad up in the quilt- for warmth and concealment. If Briselda was still with Elaine, he could just claim he was returning the quilt to her. There, nice and snug- Lancelot tugged a fold of the quilt to cover Galahad's face before he left his room.
He was turning into the last hallway when a servant startled him. "Ah- Sir Lancelot- have you heard? Sir Gawain and Percival have arrived in Corbenic."
Lancelot prayed that Galahad couldn't hear the loud thud of his heartbeat- well, of course King Arthur would have sent someone after him, though Gawain and Percival had been wise enough to keep a steady pace instead of charging through a two-day journey. Did Arthur ask Percival to accompany Gawain, or had it been the other way around?
"I see... but I have to return Lady Elaine's quilt," he managed, after testing his words.
The servant blinked, "How is the Lady Elaine? There're rumors she was in the garden this afternoon."
"She seemed well... but her handmaiden seemed upset that she was out at all- I wasn't able to give back the quilt before."
"I believe King Pelles will be showing them the Grail mural- are you familiar with it?" Lancelot nodded and the servant disappeared down the hall. Did King Pelles always show visiting knights the Grail mural?
Once he was sure the hallway was empty again, he knocked on Elaine's door- trying to be loud enough for Elaine to hear it, but not wanting to wake up Galahad."Elaine? Are you awake?"
The door creaked open just enough for Lancelot to see that Elaine had changed out of her dress. Her brow pinched together before she realized Galahad was hidden in the quilt. "Is something wrong?" she whispered. He blinked before she elaborated, "You seem surprised."
"Oh- Gawain and Percival are here, evidently." He handed over Galahad to her, "I was boring him, anyway."
Elaine chuckled, cradling the bundle. "Boring him? I don't think that's possible for you." A flash of her smile tickled him- but murmurs creeping up the halls stifled that. Elaine shrank back into her room like a wary doe. "Better join your fellow knights, Sir Lancelot."
"I hope I'll be able to see both of you before I leave," he admitted, a faint pink growing on her cheeks. Before the door obscured her completely, Lancelot caught a gentle smile on her lips.
"I'm certain we will," she whispered before she closed the door.
"Lancelot!" Gawain greeted as the dark hedgehog entered the room. Percival and King Pelles were closer to the muraled wall while the echidna stood apart. "I thought you'd hurt yourself after that ride you took to get here," he laughed, then with a jester's grin, "I hope we haven't interrupted anything between you and the Lady Elaine." While King Pelles chuckled alongside Gawain, Percival bowed her head. Lancelot huffed at the comment while he crossed the room to join them.
"I thought I saw you both in the garden this afternoon," the king remarked, only widening Gawain's smile, in turn, shortening Lancelot's patience with him.
"So how is your fair Lady Elaine? Don't tell me she was just lovesick all this time."
"You'd do well not to insult our host's daughter, Gawain," the hedgehog managed, crossing his arms. Meek Percival nodded out of sight of the echidna- she just needed courage to assert herself, assurance that speaking up was not the same as being disrespectful. When they returned to Camelot, Lancelot would discuss solving this with Arthur and Bors.
"How was your trip, Percival?" he offered to the squire. "I hope watching Gawain hasn't dissuaded you from joining our ranks." The purple cat smiled for a moment, then coughed before replying; at least she was past stumbling over her thoughts.
"Fine- Corbenic is quite the sight to behold."
"It is when it isn't being terrorized by a dragon," Lancelot agreed. As she answered, Gawain asked King Pelles for some privacy with his fellow knights- the king acquiesced, saying he had some other business to attend to as well.
As soon as the three knights were alone, Gawain huffed. "Have plans to pledge your loyalty to Corbenic, Lancelot?"
Lancelot's ear flicked. "Of all the things that you've ever said, that's the most asinine." How many battles had he won for Camelot- and though they didn't know, he could've easily claimed his birthright after winning back Benwick from Claudas, as Bors could have claimed Gaul. How could Gawain even think that he would abandon his hard-earned position as commander of the knights for Corbenic? "Did you fall on your head before you arrived?"
Percival flocked to the Grail mural, ears tilting down. If Arthur had wanted Percival to accompany Gawain to Corbenic to prevent them from coming back injured and combative, he should've just come instead. Arguing was so much harder when you had to be both mediator and participant.
"Well at least I don't act asinine," Gawain laughed, the hollow sound bitter in Lancelot's ears, "-dashing off full speed to another king's castle, without even saying where you're going or when you plan to come back... almost as if you were offered something worthwhile-like a lady's hand."
"So I betray my friend, fellow knight and king for a woman I've only known for a few weeks," the hedgehog puffed. Percival shot Gawain a righteous smirk before returning to the mural wall, like an archer returning to cover after firing a shot. "With no regards to my armor or belongings in Camelot."
Gawain shifted his weight as he looked to the floor. "Well...you still ran off without saying anything..." he grumbled, "which is poor form for the commander of the knights, if you ask me."
"I'm surprised you didn't take the opportunity to take my place, then." Lancelot had expected whenever he returned to Camelot to have Arthur and Gawain arguing about whether or not Arthur had been right to put the young knight in the position- Gawain was older than Lancelot by a few years, and had the nepotic advantage of being Arthur's nephew.
"It crossed my mind, yes," the echidna hummed- "but King Arthur told me to come and pry you away from Lady Elaine"- Lancelot's ear flicked at the comment, "then Percival wanted to come along..." he shrugged, then narrowed his eyes as he stared at Percival, sighing deeply. "You have no idea how much she talks about that silly cup."
"I've heard different stories about the Grail." Indeed, depending on where you were in the world, the 'Sangreal' was a chalice, a stone, a dish- sometimes, it was merely a great source of magical power. The mural they stood in front of now only showed the relic as ball of light- as a symbol of its sanctity. The only person who knew anything of the Grail's form was the Grail Maiden.
Percival placed a hand on the figure of the Grail Maiden in the mural, the angelic figure bestowing the radiant object to the worthy knight. Had King Pelles explained it to Percival as he had with Lancelot?
"This woman... who do you suppose she is?" the young squire hummed as she stared at the Grail Maiden. "Do you think she's hiding somewhere, waiting to be found?"
Gawain snuffed, "A sad and lonely existence, I would say. Another reason I don't buy the existence of the Grail itself."
"Perhaps she accepted the role willingly," Lancelot offered. "Perhaps she hides in plain sight, and only when the worthy knight fulfills the tasks will she reveal her role in the quest."
"I would hope so," the echidna nodded, "otherwise I'd have to make Percival pursue the Grail just to end that maiden's suffering." The cat lowered her head, a tiny smile peeking from the side of her face. Gawain straightened up and puffed- "But don't think that you can go running off on your own yet- you're still a squire."
Percival chuckled,"Yes, Sir Gawain."