Series: Semper (4/4)
Rating: PG
Length: Drabble
Character: Lancelot
Notes: Title means 'always the victor'. Takes place at the very beginning of the film, when the legionnaires came to Lancelot's village. Some lines make me think that some, if not all, of the knights left came from the same village as Lancelot (like "I have known these men since their first steps, we played together, learned to ride together", or something to that effect), hence some of the lines here.
Semper Victor: Lancelot
It would only been a matter of time before the Romans found the village; they had all known that from the beginning. Some of the men protested, saying they could fight the Romans, but Lancelot knew that it would be pointless. Kill one soldier, and twenty would fill his place. So he stepped forward and volunteered to go. The other boys over ten, the age of enlistment, quickly spoke up as well. None of them wanted to appear weak or afraid. Their mothers and sisters cried, and the fathers were frustrated by their inability to protect their families.
When the Romans came up, Lancelot and the other boys were already mounted and ready to go. Elaine broke away from the gaggle of the village and pressed something into Lancelot's hand. It was her lion pendant, he realized. He gave his family brave words about returning, and then they left. "How long will we be gone?" he asked of the closest legionnaire. The man gave him an indiscernible look. "Fifteen years. Not counting the months it will take to reach your post." Lancelot swallowed. Some boys would return, they had to. But he felt that he would not be among them.