Part 4.
Arthur wasn't sure what to make of the new hedge knight. Tristain seamed to be a decent enough guy, but Arthur wasn't particularly comfortable with how easily he was keeping up with the other knights. Sir Leon lent across to speak .to the prince. "Sire, it would appear that year of solitary training have giving him focus that enables great physical ability." He hesitated. "However. It would also appear that he has been left with an astounding lack of social skills. He can hold a polite conversation when needed." "But?" "Well my lord. He tends to be brutally honest with out thinking it through. Earlier he asked why I wear a mask he wondered allowed if my burns had left me horrifically disfigured" Arthur tried to stifle a laugh " he went on to ask if my face was blistered and pustule" this time Arthur did laugh.
"I'm sorry sir Leon I should not have laughed. How are the scars?" Arthur still felt guilty. Had he not been so caught up in the moment he would have checked to see if any of his brave knights had survived. As it was. Only sir Leon had survived. But at a price. His armour had been melted into his skin in places and his face had been left burnt and scared. He was pulled out of his musings by Sir Leon "the scars are fine. And Gaius has said that the last of the armour is now out of my chest and back." his voice was muffled by his mask but Arthur had grown accustomed to it by now as had the rest of the knights.
"Sire. How bad is it? The battle ahead, we have never had to fight an entire army of magic. That has not been done before" though he couldn't see his companions face he had known him long enough to tell when he was dutifully keeping quiet. "Sir Leon there's more. Speak" Sir Leon tilted his head and removed a piece of parchment from his glove. "Sire. This is the list of trust worthy hedge knights. The list Tristain made." Arthur nodded. Waited for Leon to continue. "Sir. Among the names." He paused "among the names is one Sir Lancelot." Arthur laughed. "Sir with all due respect I fail to see what is amusing. Was Lancelot not the imposter who forged papers and cheated his way into being a knight?" Arthur laughed even louder. Leon waited patiently for his prince to regain his composure. Arthur seamed more at ease these days.
"Leon. Sir Leon, an army of magic is headed towards us. We are probably going to die, and the magic wielding hedge knight, who we are trusting because if he'd wanted us dead we'd be dead. Has suggested a man who faked his papers so he could cheat his way into being a knight only to take down a gryphon." Arthur waited for Leon to get the joke. "Sir Leon. It's beginning to feel like maybe. Just maybe. At this rate there won't be any nobles left to train as knights. And we may very well need to look else where to fill our ranks." Leon was still looking nonplussed. "Who better to be our first new recruits than a wizard who refuses to use magic and a peasant who can take down griffins and is truly a great swordsman." He held his hand up motioning that their talk was over and started off on the rest of his rounds. Leon smiled beneath his mask. The prince he thought may have a point, a radical one but a point none the less.
Tristain was holding back. He would have been putting full effort in but his mind was else where. He had nothing but distrust and hatred for those with magic. For it had cursed his sister and corrupted him. He was under no illusions that he was a difficult person to be around some times. But when your mother curses her own daughter and dies trying to kill you. You're going to have scars. His father had believed Tristain grandfather to be behind the attack and as such trained his son in hiding.
Freya had been abandoned. Left to believe her family were all dead. It wasn't till years later that Tristain found her and took her to the druids. They helped her for a wile and he believed her safe. So had gone off on a deadly mission of course that's when she had been captured. So this is what troubled him. The young prince's servant and friend Merlin. Was among the most powerful sorcerers he had ever come across. He hadn't witnessed any magic. But the mere presence of it in Merlin was over powering. So why did he trust Merlin? Why was there no hatred towards the young man? These thoughts troubled him as well as the memory of what his sister had said to him by the lake, 'Arthur and Merlin must have balance. Are you prepared' prepared for what he wondered.