Later on in the evening, the knights sat round several tables at the tavern. They sat in various clusters, save for Arthur who was alone.
"Do you think that that was what he wanted us to see?" asked Percival of Tristan. "He said earlier that he wanted us to open our eyes."
Tristan looked thoughtfully across the room, watching as Arthur brooded into his mug. "Perhaps, though I think it was a surprise to him as much as us," he said. "He seems a good man, but he is slowly learning that reports are far different from first hand experience."
"He's just a boy," said Arelenne as she came up to them, sitting down with a foaming tankard. "He's more lost than we are just listen to him speak of his precious ideals."
Percival looked down into his mug. "I thought he sounded rather right," he said. "Justice isn't a word Romans use too often."
Lancelot snorted into his mug. "Well why don't you go ask him, then?" he said. "I'm sure he'd be happy to enlighten you."
Percival's eyes narrowed and he scraped his chair back as he stood. Arelenne was the same age as he, and often her condescension grated Tristan was not so young as they, and he hardly treated him thus.
"I shall," he said to Lancelot, and went to Arthur's table.
"Might I sit, my lord?"
Arthur looked up to see the tawny haired lad hovering above him, then nodded as the boy asked to sit.
Percival looked thoughtful as he sat down, and Arthur smiled wryly. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.
"A discussion, sir," the knight replied. "About the Woad you freed."
I should've expected this, Arthur thought inwardly, and nodded. "What of it?"
"You spoke before of opening our eyes, of showing us something that we hadn't seen before," Percival said. "Was this what you wanted us to see?"
Arthur sighed. "Reports had come to me prior," he admitted. "And I sought to stop it when I came here. I thought…" It would be easier to free one of the race who slew my mother.
He was silent for a while, gathering himself. "I thought to put an end to it, and I myself almost lost my way," he said. I did not know the sight of him would cause me such anger. "I have my own code, as I have said, and wished to carry it out. I came fairly close to walking away, to failing. A man suffered because I did not have the courage to do what was right."
Percival frowned. "He suffered for bare minutes before you returned," he said. "Surely that does not count as failure?"
"We warriors know how important even seconds can be," said Arthur. "I hesitated, and I can only thank God that they did not kill him while I did so. For good or for ill a wavering knight is worst of all."
The youth nodded somberly; well he understood his captain's words and he knew that they rang true.
For a time they drank in silence, though Percival did not reach the bottom of his mug.
"You are a good man," he said at length, then took his leave.