"Ah. Kay. Good to see you."
"As am I, Wart. I'm here for that report on the sword Sir Mordred has."
The brother-sister pair are currently in the latter's office. It's early in the morning with Arturia enjoying her breakfast served on a platter while Kay is sitting on one of the two chairs in front of the King's table.
"You really ought to stop calling me that."
"Whatever could you mean, Wart?" Kay said in a teasing manner
"That nickname." Arturia said, "It's really not a good one, and I don't think I like the sound of my people calling me 'King Wart' because you started it."
"God, Arturia." Said Kay, chuckling, "You just don't want people to know that you've been clinging on to me all the time when we were kids - like a wart would on a person I may add."
"I- I did not do such things!" Said Arturia, now embarrassed. To which Kay just laughed at. With Arturia following suit.
The brother missed having these kinds of close and intimate conversations with his sister. Ever since the loss of Avalon,he's been doing his best to reconnect with his sister one again after Arturia blatantly closed herself off from her intimate friends and family thinking it was a good idea to do so. It started with light conversations about the weather, the people in the city, the state of the kingdom overall, and sometimes, each other's political views on things. Nowadays, the ice between them melted enough to the point that they are now talking about what they've done today, reminiscing old memories, and sometimes,with Kay as the instigator, a competition on who can tease the other better. And as of now, Kay holds the title as 'undefeated teaser'
But the Tall Knight isn't here to tease his sister today, no. He's here to talk about business. I.e., the discoveries he made last night.
"Wart." said Kay, serious and all, "I found something last night."
Noticing the change in demeanor, Arturia gave her full attention to her brother. Curious about what he has to say.
"I - we. As in, Sir Mordred and Archer and I found a book yesterday." He brought said book out.
"It's about a knight with a mission to kill a witch. But that's not all."
As Arturia grabbed the book and began leafing through the pages, she stumbled upon a drawing, it was a sword.
"The sword the knight used is the same sword Sir Morded possesses." Kay finished.
"But… How can this be?" Arturia asked clearly surprise
"We can't say for sure, but after careful consideration, Archer and I concluded that not only is this book a telling of an actual event, but what matters the most is that it could also be the key to taking Drecken down."
"And what made you say that this book could do such a thing?" Arturia said perplexedly
"The epilogue at the end of the book tells about what happened to not only the knight after the battle, but also his belongings. More importantly, the other weapons the knight used. I theorize that the knight's sword - Rhindon - and the others that he owns, are enchanted with magic that makes them powerful."
"I believe that it is Drecken's mission to find them all and to use them for whatever schemes he may have." Kay finished.
"I see…" Arturia said, in deep thought, "I remember Sir Archer's account about the lance Drecken used being enchanted, could the lance be connected to this book in some way?"
"It is," came the reply. " The book was very detailed in the description of the knight's death. It also includes the description of the murder weapon. Drecken's spear is the same weapon the witch used to kill the Knight before she died from her wounds. A weapon that is said to be able to inflict a thousand cuts at once. When the knight was impaled by the spear, it sliced up every single organ within him, making death inevitable. "
"..." Arturia was appalled by the Knight's gruesome death. Guilt and regret welled up inside her as the shock wore off. Why wouldn't she? She sent one of her Knights - Morded - alone into a battle against a man wielding a weapon that would most certainly warrant his death. If it weren't for Archer's intervention…Mordred would never have seen the light of day afterwards. It was fortunate that Archer was there to save Mordred.
"Indeed it was," Said Kay, not realizing that Arturia's last thoughts spilled out. "Archer truly is a unique fellow if you consider the fact that he won the fight without a scratch. The fact that he single handedly fought off and won against someone stronger than Mordred makes me see even more why you like him. And Mordred is no cheap shot, mind you."
"I agree- wait, can you repeat the second to the last part again?" Kay said the last part so casually that she almost didn't take notice of it. The fact that her cheeks are a little pink shows that Arturia realized what he said, albeit a little late.
"Oh, come on, Wart." He said cheekily, "Gwen and I both know how you feel about the man, even if you try so hard to hide it. Ever since you laid eyes on Archer the day you gave him his job, I knew that you liked Archer." Kay finished, remembering his sister's stunned face as she was hit with the redhead's disarming smile.
"...Let's move on from this topic. We have more to discuss." Arturia said, stone faced. Trying her best to shove down the face of the redhead that day as well as changing the subject away from her love interests. She didn't like the feeling of being flustered in front of anyone, especially Kay.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Kay said, albeit a little down, but he bounced back as he said, "But we are definitely having this conversation again someday. I'll make sure to bring Gwen along if you don't comply."
Somewhere, deep inside. Arturia prayed to God that Kay would eventually forget about this.
"Moving on." Arturia said, "You said that Sir Mordred's weapon was owned by the knight who slayed the witch. Since the spear of the witch is enchanted as well, it's safe to assume that the Knight's sword also had magical properties. Did you find out the abilities of the sword?"
"While I've never seen Mordred in action with Rhindon to say what kind of powers it has on him," Kay replied. " The book says that the Sword enhances certain aspects of the Knight's fighting abilities. Stating that the Sword made the Knight powerful enough to be equal in strength, if not stronger than, the witch. Since the witch was told to be a formidable warrior with power able to fend off any beast, then it can be said that the effect the sword would have on Mordred can be equal to you wielding Caliburn in terms of strength."
"So, to summarize." Kay said, "Mordred is wielding a weapon that can potentially make him stronger than any of the Knights of the Round. And that there also could be the possibility that Mordred can become more powerful than you, Wart."
"...Did the book state any negative effects when using the Sword?"
"Not really." replied Kay ``The book states that the Sword enhances certain aspects of the Knight. But nothing negative of note was stated. It did state that it had made little mental changes to the Knight the longer he had it. Like making him not fear or something like that. It wasn't specific, but it did help since he was a 'damn sissy when it comes to fights' as Mordred stated last night."
Arturia was about to ask another question but was interrupted by a knock on her door. When she allowed for the one who knocked to enter, she was greeted by the sight of Mordred carrying a letter.
"Your Majesty." the Red Knight greeted with a bow. "Kay." She said with inklings of animosity.
"I've come to receive the mission we've discussed yesterday. I've also received a letter from a servant on the way here. It's about Sir Gawain."
"Ah, yes. Of course." The King replied. With a look towards Kay, the Tall Knight nodded and proceeded to head to the door. Before he left, Kay brought up a cheeky smile and said,
"Don't forget about that conversation we need to have later in the future, okay?" And without waiting for a reply, the Tall Knight left.
After a sigh of resignation, the King regained her regal composure and proceeded to gesture Mordred to a seat. While stretching a hand out expecting the letter in the Red Knight's possession; to which Mordred proceeded to give said letter.
Arturia read the letter aloud, trusting in her Knight to keep the secret of its contents.
"My Liege,
The mission to investigate the Saxon presence in the Orkney Islands went well. We - my brothers and I - have managed to reconnaitre the area and have found 4 settlements near the coastline. The King of Orkney - my father - has accordingly sent messengers to bring olive branches of peace to these settlements. Opening up negotiations with the most powerful settlement has become Father's priority during our stay. And as we prepared to leave, I received word that the Chieftain of the settlement mentioned prior is willing to open up diplomatic talks for settlement in the Isles.
After 3 weeks of travel from Orkney, my brothers and I discovered a woman in critical condition in the middle of the woods in Glouchedon. As we tended to her and traveled into a town in Camelot to rest, I discovered there that her identity was of a victim of Drecken's burning of a Monastery a few days prior. She is currently conscious and well, but her voice is lost to her.
We will discuss more as we arrive in Camelot. Our estimated time of arrival is 2 days."
"Huh. Never took the bastard as someone who'd spare a life." Commented Mordred.
"Neither did I, Sir Mordred. It brings more questions than answers." Replied the King. "Now, onto the mission at hand."
10 minutes later…
The Red Knight came to the King's office to receive a new mission: capture the embezzler, Andrus, and retrieve the money he stole, if possible. The detachment to support the Red Knight would be a cohort of Cavalrymen armed with shortswords and lances - perfect for fast travel and high speed chases. The area in which they would go to is also to their advantage, what with all the Roman roads perfectly suited for their desire for swiftness.
While Mordred would be part of the mission, the real commander wouldn't be her. But rather, Captain Faust.
"You will be under the direct command of Captain Faust under the duration of this mission. He is a wise man, and a good commander too. I hope that you would learn a lesson or two about how he treats his men…"
It was uncommon, to say the least. For a Knight of the Round to be under the command of a military officer. Since it's been widely thought that the Knights are equal if not higher in the command chain as the Field Generals.
They aren't. They are more of an independent force that aides the King in anything she wishes rather than her representatives in government. But the King isn't going to disrupt the status quo the Knights have with her Generals. Lest the King desires a conflict between the two factions.
So, she let the assumption go unanswered for years. Letting the two factions deal with the issues they have with each other and only intervening when tensions are about to spill into violence. So far, they are not hating each other, but some generals in the Army still have feelings of inferiority when it comes to commanding the men with a Knight of the Round present within their ranks.
In fact, the last time a Knight of the Round was under the command of a military officer was when Sir Kay was given the task as a General's aide-de-camp by the King during the war against the 12 Lords. Granted, it was a means to find evidence of the General's corruption - which the Tall Knight did find some - it still counts. And now Mordred has the arduous task to obey commands rather than give commands. It was...unusual for the Red Knight.
"Do you have any other questions left to ask, Sir Mordred?"
"None, my King." But Mordred won't complain. She thinks that this mission is a means for the King to try to show her the error of heer ways. So, as a good and faithful Knight, she'll treat it as such.
"Good," said the King, "You will depart in 3 hours after thorough preparation. See to it that you tell Sir Archer the news. Report to Captain Faust afterwards. Also, bring Sir Archer with you when you search for the Captain."
"As you wish, My King." As she opened the door to leave the room, the King stopped her and said,
"Wait." The King walked towards the Red Knight and then handed a scroll to her. "Take this. It's the official document for the mission. You will give this to Captain Faust and he'll take care of the rest."
"I understand my Liege." Mordred said, and with that, the Red Knight left for the Kitchens.
20 minutes later…
As she entered the kitchens, she saw Archer having a friendly conversation with one of the cooks. A woman that looks a few years older than Archer but still youthful in energy. As she neared the two, the redhead noticed her and so did the one he was talking to. After exchanging a few words, the lady he was talking to dismissed herself. When the lady he was talking to left, Archer said,
"Morning Mordred."
"Morning." came the reply, as the Red Knight looked to her friend, she couldn't help but wonder,
"So, who was she?" talking about the girl who excused herself as Archer noticed the Red Knight.
"A new friend of mine." he briefly explained, "What brings you here, Mordred?"
"Well, I came here with the King's orders. Pack your things Archer. We're going on a mission." said the redhead. "Something about finding the son of a bitch who stole the King's money."
Archer couldn't help but process that for a moment. If he was surprised at the news, he didn't show it. Instead, he wore a smile and said,
"You're going to have to explain the mission better as we head on to wherever you need to go next." Archer said, "Wait outside, I'll tell my boss everything you told me."
"No need, Archer." Another voice said. "I've heard everything already." As the owner of the voice looked to the Armor-clad Knight, he wore a face of cheerfulness as he said,
"Greetings, Sir Mordred. I am Luke, Archer's boss and Head cook."
For some reason, as the Red Knight came into contact with the head cook, she became irritated and mad at something. It was evident in her reply.
"Oh hell no." replied Mordred, "If ya heard everything, then there's no need to be here now. Come on, Archer! We got places to be.`` She then grabbed Archer's wrist and proceeded to drag him out of the kitchens.
"Wha- ow, hey!" As he was forcefully being pulled like a rope, the redhead managed to speak out an apology to Luke for Mordred's behaviour.
To which the head cook could only stare, listlessly. Trying to comprehend what he's done wrong to deserve the Knight's ire. And apparently, he wasn't alone. All of the staff in the room were quietly looking over at their boss with mixed emotions. Some felt pity, other's felt joyful at their colleague's expense, while the rest were indifferent about the thing.
Realizing the staff's eavesdropping, Luke turned to them and berated them to get back to work like usual. While he did the same.
Meanwhile, Archer finally got his wrist back and was walking beside Mordred. Curious about what happened earlier, he asked.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing. I just hate the asshole's food." replied the Red Knight.
Vividly remembering the time she vomited all the food she ate from the Kitchens in disgust a few weeks ago. Archer can see her tremble in rage and abhorrence at the thought of the kitchen food, so he decided to not pry any more than he should.
The walk was silent after that.
30 minutes later...
Captain Faust, to say the least, was impressed. With himself and his men at the same time.
When he was assigned as Commander of the 15th Cavalry Cohort, said cohort was filled with men that are undisciplined, dirty in every sense of the word, and unbothered by their state of unreadiness to fight; if the sight of their shambled, unfixed armor isn't proof enough to convince any onlooker of the fact, Captain Faust can't find what will.
Most of them didn't even care if their armor is too worn out and broken; considering the high prices for repairs, Faust can't blame them, if not for the fact that these always men wasted their earnings on ale and women. The only thing stopping Faust from claiming that their money management is the worst offense of the Cohort is that the men didn't care about preparing rations and proper packing since in their minds they wouldn't ever need to care about that. Stating that they were the lowest of lows in the Cavalry and wouldn't even be called upon by the King for a measly delivery mission. That's how incompetent they think they are.
But that is why the Captain is here.
When Faust drilled them for the first time, he drew out every single negative trait that can not only be terrible as a soldier, but deadly to have as well. He listed them out one by one in front of the troops. Challenging them to do better than that. And declared that they will have no rest in the following days to come.
After their first meeting, Captain Faust proceeded to have them drilled every single day of the week. Pushing them to their physical limits. And pushing them to break those limits. It took only blood, sweat, and tears to mold these men to perfection. And the Captain poured everything he had on them.
It was a long and hard journey, of course. What with them being the most undisciplined group of soldiers to ever grace the Kingdom. All of the men hated Faust in the beginning. One of them even went so far as to duel the man in spite.
But despite all of these difficulties, the Cohort managed to temper their hatred for their commander. And with time, they saw the benefits of Captain Faust's hellish training. They knew that their commander saw something in them that just needed to be brought out and refined. Like Iron, all the men needed was a Blacksmith and his workshop to turn into a useful and deadly weapon. And it's safe to say that Faust is a master in the craft.
These rascals who were terrible soldiers in the beginning, were hammered like steel and turned into a sword worthy of a King. And by the end of it, the 15th Cavalry not only became the most skilled fighters among their peers, but they now were relied upon by the King whenever it came to personal requests and commands. An incredible feat in itself considering only the Knights of the Round earned that distinction before they did.
It was at this moment when they earned the King's trust.
While escorting the King from Wessex after ordering an evacuation of its inhabitants after the Country's demise in the hands of the Saxons, 150 of them set up an ambush to kill the King while (s)he's out in the open. With only a few soldiers in hand to protect their Monarch, the Saxons thought that they would be successful. But they were wrong. Because they didn't factor in the 15th Cavalry and their skill in not only Cavalry warfare, but in close-quarter combat. Oh wait, Arturia was in it too. They also didn't expect Arturia to fight but she did.
As the Saxons charged from the trees towards them in an attempt of encirclement to cut off their escape, Arturia gallantly commanded the 15th and the rest of the horsemen who were there to charge head-on in a V-formation to punch a hole in their ambush and escape. With Captain Faust taking charge of the King's right flank and his lieutenant - the same guy who dueled him before - guiding the men at the left, they did everything they could to not let any enemy reach the King who was at the front of the charger as (s)he kept it alive and moving with Excalibur's power. They did manage to break through at the cost of the horsemen that weren't in the 15th, getting killed in the ambush.
The 15th showed remarkable skill in fending off the Saxons who were trying to land a killing blow on their King. With most of them using their bodies to block incoming attacks if they could help it. So as long as their King is alright, then that is all that matters to them. If that wasn't enough to persuade you to believe that they are the real deal, all of the men in the 15th earned not only promotions above sergeant, but Knighthood as well for their service to the King and for protecting her. This story immortalized them as The King's Lance - a moniker earned through battle.
And now, Captain Faust, will do his duty like he's done in the past. Which is to command his Cohort in a mission assigned to them by the King. Entrusted with a Knight of the Round Table under his command. Isn't it a wonderful time to be alive? Faust certainly thinks so.
The pair, Archer and Mordred, eventually found the detachment that will accompany them on the mission at the stables - just outside the castle. There were 10 men present. Either sharpening their weapons, packing their stuff, or tending to their horses. Each of them wore light, clean, durable cavalry armor; with their horses draped with forest green caparisons adorning the insignia of the Kingdom of Camelot.
In the presence of a Knight of the Round, especially Mordred, these soldiers did everything they could to look as good as a soldier as possible. Because they know, that if the Red Knight brought to the King a word of good report for their services, they can elevate to high ranking positions
As they approached the men, they were greeted by Captain Faust with a gentle voice expected of a commander, he saluted and said.
"Sir Mordred. I see that you have the details of the mission for us?" Faust was already briefed about this yesterday but he didn't have an official document yet.
"I do," she said, while handing it to the Captain.
After reading the contents of the document, he placed it in his satchel. He then addressed the redhead accompanying the Red Knight,
"You must be Sir Archer, correct?" Faust asked
"I am." came the reply
With a smile, the Captain continued, "It is written in the scroll that you are to be placed under my command while you partake in this mission. Anything and everything that you may have concerns with will have to be directed to me."
He then addressed the Red Knight.
"The same goes for you, Sir Mordred. For the entirety of the journey, you will have to follow my orders, understand?"
Faust tried his best to not sound negative towards Mordred, fully understanding the Red Knight's short fuse.
"Yeah." she replied, irritatingly. She's clearly not used to being told what to do by anyone other than the King.
"Good." Said Faust, "If both of you would follow me, I'll hand you your armor, and weapons."
Archer followed suit, with Mordred right behind him. As the trio walked away from the stables towards the barracks, Archer asked
"Captain, we don't need new Armor. Why give us a new set?"
"That's because they are bulky and your clothing slows down the horses." came the reply, "Well, in Sir Mordred's case here, she needs a change. However, I'm not sure yet when it comes to you. I haven't seen you wear your set of armor yet."
Archer is currently wearing medieval clothes. A red long sleeved shirt, with black trousers that covers the ankles, and black shoes. Mordred's wearing her usual armor.
"The hell kind of reason is that?" Mordred said, "I never had any problems with my armor before. Why the fuck now?"
She needed to be defensive about her armor in fear of getting discovered. Archer understands this and dutifully shuts up.
The Captain, who was caught off guard by the sudden mood swing but reigned his surprise in, replied,
"Well, because the horse you will be using is not used to a fully armored Knight. They are bred to be lightning fast while sacrificing the strength needed to carry heavy loads. They can still carry anyone of any weight as long as the bags they bring weigh less than 80 pounds. Combine the person's weight and their belongings as well, you'd get the limit to what these horses can carry. But from the looks of your armor alone, the horse's back would break from the weight."
Archer found logic in that. Looking at his friend, Mordred's armor really does look heavy. With excessively broad shoulder plates and iron plates that look like a metal skirt attached to her torso, it's no wonder the Captain came to the conclusion that she needs a change. Now that Archer thought about it, maybe the armor was the reason why he met her in that village without a horse in tow.
While it does bring up valid points to do so, Mordred can't easily change from one set to another. Her armor is enchanted to hide her true gender from everyone for a good reason, after all.
"...But there is an alternative if you want to keep your armor." Faust added in, noticing the distress of the Red Knight.
"What is it then?" Came the reply, indifferent but at least not hostile.
"Maybe if you can just remove some parts of your armor like those broad shoulder plates and the weird iron plates attached to your waist, you can still use it while riding on one of the horses."
"If you can also do what you can to reduce any part of your armor that isn't vital, that would be good."
The Captain then addressed the redhead,
"So I'm guessing you don't need new armor like Sir Mordred here?"
"I can manage." Archer said with a smile, "I have one in my room." He knows that he doesn't. But his projection magic can compensate for that.
"But you still need a weapon, right?"
"...Sure, I guess." Archer can just project any weapon he wished in the blink of an eye. But he hasn't earned Arturia's trust to use it in public and get away with it scot free. He still doesn't know what Arturia's stance on magecraft is yet after all. Better safe than sorry.
"Alright then." As he said that, the Captain was greeted by the sight of the door of the building they were walking to. As the trio entered, Faust rummaged around to find a decent sword for Archer and succeeded in finding one.
It was a common longsword. Made a few years ago by a blacksmith without anything of note to his name. While that was everything the redhead got as he analyzed the sword, he still took it and wore it on his waist. At least the nameless sword was better than having nothing.
With both of his subordinates now armed, all they needed to do was to prepare. As he put on his military look, Captain Faust then said,
"Alright. My first command for the two of you is to prepare for the mission. Pack two days worth of food, clothes and a tent. Sir Mordred, fix your armor in the areas I've mentioned while you, Sir Archer, will wear whatever you have in store."
As he waited for them to finally absorb the information, he continued
"You will refer to me as either Captain or-"
"I'll call you whatever the hell I want. So don't expect me to follow you on that." Said Mordred
"...Faust it is then. Anything else?"
"None, Captain," said Archer. Emphasizing the 'Captain' part while he looked at his friend so that Mordred would get the message, "We have nothing else to say."
"Excellent." Faust said, "We'll meet up in the stables in three hours, so use the time to prepare. Afterwards, we'll head off. You are dismissed."
And with that. The trio went their separate ways.
Author's note:
If ya'll can just review my story for improvements in some parts, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for waiting so long. Its been a rough week on my end. So, I hope that yall can understand and I hope that you enjoy reading this story. Bye!
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