Lucan knows he is like Dagonet. He doesn't know why he knows, only that he does. Perhaps it is because he sometimes sees Bors look at him differently, or when Vanora hugs him, she gets an odd look on her face. Gawain, or as Lucan secretly sees him, The Lion, likes Lucan. He lets him groom his horse, and sometimes he too gets a sad smile on his face. Gawain tells Lucan that one day he'll be a knight, wielding Dag's sword and wearing his clan ring.
Gilly and Lucan are of the same age, and even though Gilly is a bit of a bully and prone to fighting, he and Lucan get along famously. Vanora sometimes cries to herself at night, remembering another brotherhood, that of Bors and Dagonet. It seems as if the son of Bors needs someone to temper him just like his father. Who more perfect for the role than the boy who may as well have been Dag's son?
Of the fallen knights, Dagonet was the only one Lucan really knew, so he has had no experience with the scout or the dark knight. Four has told Lucan about the scout, and the way her eyes shine when she describes him are enough to make Lucan like him. Tristan seems like he would've been a good man to know, even if everyone says he was taciturn and impersonal. But though the words are harsh, they're spoken with reverence and longing.
While in life, Tristan was left mostly to himself, or so Lucan has heard, and he thinks that the scout would probably have liked it. Four is of a similar disposition, and she is is a favorite among the Woads who now live at the wall. She is well on her way to becoming one of the best scouts in Arthur's kingdom. She is more than a match for some of the boys, and she has the natural grace always attributed to Tristan. Four learned much from Tristan, and Vanora and Bors are glad that there is someone else who knew Tristan as well as they did. Everyone deserves to have their name passed on, and Four is the perfect one to do so.
And then there's the dark knight. Lucan has never known him, but he knows he was down there in the dark. He was the one who found Guinevere and brought Arthur to help. Lucan remembers the flash of twin blades in the torchlight, and the gurgling cry of one of the monks as he fell to the cold ground. Lucan doesn't consider his death a great loss.
But he knows that the dark knights loss was an enormous one. He needs only watch people's faces when they speak of him. Arthur, married to the girl Lucan considers his big sister, always gets an anguished look on his face when the dark knight Lancelot is mentioned. Guinevere too, but her her eyes always have a spark of mischief. Lucan knows that Guinevere had thought Lancelot was funny, and he'd seen that she was more than a match for his wit.
Lucan doesn't know if he would have liked the dark knight, but he wishes all the same that he hadn't died, as everyone seems to miss him. Vanora speaks of him as being a womanizing idiot, but as when Tristan is described as being taciturn and impersonal, the words are spoken with reverence and longing.
Really though, there was more to all of the fallen knights than anyone knew. Tristan wasn't as impersonal as they made him out to be. Anyone who talks to Four can tell you that. Lancelot wasn't just a flirt. He was wise beyond his years and a great fighter. And Dagonet was more than a giant. He was a gentle giant, with kind hands and a gentle smile.
All of the knights are missed for different reasons. But in the end it's the loss of the things that made them irritating that almost makes their deaths unbearable. Lucan can see that losing something that was always there is harder than anyone cares to admit.
But Lucan is a smart boy, and through the haze of fever, he remembers Dagonet calling him brave. And so he will be, because Dagonet is his hero, and Lucan wants to live, and become as great a knight as he had been. Arthur said that he would be big enough one day, and Lucan believes him.
So, this chappy was a little more Dagonet-centic, but since I wanted to do one from the way Lucan would see things, I know that he wouldn't have known Tristan and Lancelot that well. But, I did the best I could, and I'd love if you'd review and tell me what you think. :D
-Dryad Warrior Queen
