"Once upon a time, the world was young and dangerous. The only rule was survival of the fittest or, most of the time, the strongest. Angels of death roamed the Earth, harvesting women and men and children, the weak and the sick, leaving the fierce and the cunning to compete for the limited resources. Among them was one fiercer and smarter than all. But he had a secret.

"He was Gifted.

"Some say he could create fire with his hands, some say he could make crops grow higher and faster, and some say he could speak to animals. Whatever his Gift was, it became extremely valuable. He took seven wives and when the head of a nearby tribe decided that he fared far too well all seven were heavy with child.

" His assailant ambushed him with his most ferocious warriors. They cut the Gifted man's throat and collected his blood in a golden cup. They all drank of it, hoping it would give them his strength.

"We do not know what happened to them. All we know is that his wives found new husbands and gave birth to healthy children, some boys, some girls : all of them Gifted like their father. They begat children, and their children begat children too. Some of them were Gifted, some of them were not."

She paused and stared at Charles determinedly. "We also know the cup is hidden somewhere in Britain and that it will give amazing power to whoever possesses it. A power that could, say, help the Gifted of our time and give them the equality they deserve."

That was the tale the Lady of the Lake told him.

.

Emma – that was her name, he plucked it out of her head – had some sort of mind power not unlike his own. He could not find out more about it. There was a cold and hard feeling when he tried to penetrate her mind, he did not know what it meant. The Lady of the Lake was a mystery draped in white, but she did not conceal the reason she came to him.

"You must look for the cup, Your Grace. You must find the Holy Grail. That is Great Wizard Shaw's prophecy. And my son is to help you in your quest."

The White Knight took a step forward and bowed. "I am delighted to be at your service, King Charles. My name is..." He winced and hissed, bringing his hand to his temple, as though something had pierced his head. "... to remain unknown for now. I will be the White Knight until the time has come." He stared at his mother, waves of anger coming off him.

She added : "He is Gifted too. Show him, my son." The mysterious man took his sword out of his sheath and to Charles' amazement it began to float in front of himself. Then, with a barely visible move of his hand, the sword shot to a nearby tree and its blade plunged in the trunk like a knife in a block of butter.

Charles was amazed despite himself, rendered speechless. He shook himself out of his daze. "You said he is a Gifted too. Who else..."

"I am, as you well know. As are you."

"I am not..."

"Yes, you are. I felt you in my head." 'And now you can feel me in yours,' she added smugly and with a bright smile on her face.

"You and my son are going to search for the Holy Grail, as Shaw has prophetized. And I do not care what you will tell the humans you keep in your company, but they will not hinder your quest. So be it." Upon those words, she climbed on her horse and left Westchester forever.

All the Knights and Kings were seated around the Round Table when Charles entered the room, looking regal in his grey pants and blue velvet doublet, a circlet of gold on his curly brown hair. He walked to two empty chairs sitting together and placed his hands on the back of one chair to give himself support and encouragement. He cleared his throat.

"Good Sirs, friends, I am honored to welcome the finest Knight in my Kingdom, he who was announced by Shaw when the Wizard asked my father, King Xavier, to build this table. He will sit by my side. Please welcome the White Knight, son of the Lady of the Lake."

The White Knight walked to Charles in his bright white outfit, not looking at any of the men sitting around the Table. He took his place next to Charles, and they both sat in the heavy silence that filled the room.

"I asked you to come today to launch an important quest. You already know the Picts are fighting us at Hadrian's Wall. Beyond the sea, war is raging between Clovis' sons and I fear one of them will want to conquer the Holy Kingdom of Britain. We must defend our land. The Great Wizard Shaw has sent me the Lady of the Lake and her son with a message : somewhere in Britain is a cup that could give us the power to defeat our many enemies. We are to find this cup, this Holy Grail."

Charles sighed after giving his speech. Politics had been the only reason he could come up with to motivate Kings and Knights to look for a hidden empty cup. Considering the intense worry he could feel in the room, he was probably right.

.

However, some had questions.

"How could an old cup help us ?" King Lot of Orkney asked. It was his habit to mistrust Charles even when he suggested sound propositions. He could not let something so uncertain and magical pass.

"Where is it ?"

"How do we find it ?"

.

But in the middle of those subtle objections and reticence, motivated voices rose.

"My people are tired of fighting and dying. We could use some divine help."

"If Shaw wants us to find it, we should do it. He has never failed us," Sir Caradoc added.

.

Dissension was not always a bad thing. Charles could manipulate them without even using his gift. He winced at the prospect. With or without Gift, he felt guilty playing with the lives and thoughts of others. But what else could he do ? He did not particularly want to obey Shaw, but if he could save Gifted from persecution and oppression – if he could protect his sister from the hate of humans – maybe it was worth it.