REVIEW REPLY TO ANONYMOUS REVIEWER: Just-A-Fan? I've already planned out several characters, including Mighty and Eggman. Hell, I've even got a minor part for Nack/Fang. I'm even going to include Shade the Echidna. As for the Mordred thing…well, I just want to assert to all who read this that I was planning on that from the very moment I started writing this fic. The grail isn't something I'm sure will come up, and Caliburn/Excalibur will awaken pretty soon.
Notes: I don't really have anyone to play king Lot, but if it makes you feel better to have a Sonic character in his role, go ahead and pretend it's Professor Pickle.
"Please, sire," Merlina exhaled her frustration, "I simply wish to keep riding…I've already explained this to you…" Frowning, Sonic continued to walk quickly beside her horse.
"Just one more time, I want to make sure I got all this straight. So when Arthur came into power…"
"Lot attacked his kingdom as a test of Arthur's ability to lead. Arthur defeated Lot's men, and the two countries have been allies ever since."
"Even though he attacked the moment they had a new king…" Sonic emphasized the part he'd been having the most trouble with.
"Yes." Merlina sighed.
"…And now, instead of attacking us AGAIN, he's calling me to a tournament. Why's he doing that?"
"It is not my place to question the motives of royalty, Sonic…Though, if I had to guess, it would be because you lack a strong enough military to put up a fair fight. He would want to test your strength, not decimate your nation." Sonic nodded at this idea, and continued jogging, the knights and Merlina following him on horseback.
As they strove to reach their destination, outside the boundaries of both Camelot and Orkney, someone was concluding a journey of his own.
"Halt! State your business!" A knight held his blade at the ready, prepared to strike down this intruder without any provocation. The cloaked stranger smirked beneath his hood.
"I bring news for your king… News of Arthur's demise…" The knight stayed his blade, bringing this stranger to the audience chamber. The king sat in his throne, long, spindly limbs, a body swollen like a balloon, and a mustache that none could be certain was not actually his royal nose hair.
"So…news of Arthur's demise? We already heard it…Slain by a knight of the underworld, who took up his armor and his name…" The stranger chuckled, pulling his hood from his head, revealing his sharp white fangs, and his cruel, calculating, purple eyes.
"King Claudas…O mighty ruler of Terre Deserte…I had expected more intelligence of you, especially for all of your boasting…How could a king, blessed with the ability to sustain any injury and never fall, possibly be slain by the likes of a ghost? Indeed, how could the knights of the round table have believed that their king, whom each one was so close to, was still himself, if a knight of the underworld was in his armor? King Arthur was never alive to begin with….he was an enchantment. An illusion, who managed to beat back your forces time and again, till you had so few soldiers left that I could've entered here on my own." Claudas growled with his rage, and took up his sword.
"To come to my castle and insult me is not bravery. Not when you clearly have no blade of your own. Now, on your knees, and start praying. You'll want to have asked forgiveness for as much as you can before I reach you."
"Ah, but, my dear King, supposing I could give you the keys to the very army that nearly conquered Camelot? I was present for the entire ordeal…and I've found a great deal of interesting facts…" He told Claudas of Merlina's treachery, of the new king's golden armor, of the true might of Excalibur, and of the knights of the underworld, and their true nature. Souls of the damned called from hell and bound to armor, to take the form of whatever may wear it. Claudas smiled, and called a messenger.
"Go out in search of a young fae woman. She will then find YOU, in the night, as you camp. You will know her by her black gown and orange body. Tell her I have a proposition that could bring ruin to the knights of the round table." He turned back to the thief who had brought him this information, and who was now offering parchment containing the arts of summoning souls from hell. "I lack the magic to conjure such things…but I'm sure Morgan would be all too happy to help us." The thief was given his reward, taken to a gorgeous room, beautifully decorated, and given his choice of young women to pay him company.
Unaware of the danger to his kingdom, Sonic and his friends arrived at the tournament grounds, eager to partake in the contests of strength, though it would soon be made clear that not all would have the chance. King Lot met their party personally, embracing Sonic, and wishing him the best of luck, welcoming him to the rank of a ruler, and looked over the group he had brought with him. He found himself frowning when he laid eyes on Dame Percival, and bowed his head a bit.
"I am sorry, Percival, as I know your strength could match that of ten men, but I cannot allow you to participate in this tournament." She felt her heart break. This would be her first chance to fight for the honor of her new king, and it had been snatched away from her. Lamorak placed his hand on his sister's shoulder, frowning. They all felt her pain, as they had all felt her joy at this chance to do battle as knights under King Sonic, but none could speak a word, for it was not their place.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Sonic shouted, glaring at King Lot. "She's one of my knights! You invited all of us to come and participate in this tournament, and now you're not gonna let her fight? What, because she's a woman? You just said you knew she was strong enough, so why can't she compete!?" King Lot shook his head, placing a hand on Sonic's shoulder.
"Sometimes, a king must make a decision he doesn't fully agree with, for the good of his people."
"Yeah, right, because that totally makes sense. I don't care what lies you're trying to feed me, because I'm not taking them." His knights stood back in horror, fearing their king might embroil them in a war. Merlina grabbed him by the arm, trying to pull him away from King Lot, though Sonic would not be moved.
"You misunderstand me. I wish with all my heart I could see her fight in these battles, but none of my people would accept it. They would be outraged to see a woman fighting amongst men…there's already been talk of violence, should she participate…I only wish to keep my people from being harmed, and if I must ban her participation to prevent a riot, then so be it. You'll learn, in time, as a king, that what you want to do should always come second to your duty to make sure your people are safe and happy, even if you must look at a larger scope to see the possible problems…" Sonic frowned, and offered his apology, which Lot insisted was not necessary, before taking his seat at the tournament grounds. Sonic then turned to Percival, smiling.
"They won't let you fight, but don't worry. I'll be in there, fighting for both of us." Percival felt her cheeks get hot, and slowly, blushing, handed him a violet scarf, spun of silk.
"Then…I pray you, my king, will wear this favor for me…" Merlina smiled, excited at what she saw before her, and Lancelot and Gawain stood flabbergasted. As Lamorak went to track down a Mutton vendor, he was not there to admonish his sister, and Galahad, young as he was, understood the significance of this act as little as Sonic himself. The king smiled and accepted it, tying the short cloth around his shoulder, believing this to be a common practice throughout this world. While it certainly wasn't that strange of a practice, he did not understand it's meaning, and did not think to ask.
Fabron fitted his king with a breast plate, and a second gauntlet, though Sonic refused to wear any more armor, lest it slow him down. Through a misunderstanding, he was called to the battle field, and stood at one end of the jousting range without a horse. No one was quite sure what to make of it, so the first round of the jousting competition began.
A strong, handsome knight, charged at Sonic on horseback, his lance aimed at the king, though it's tip covered to prevent serious injury. Sonic merely stood at his end of the jousting range, waiting. The knight picked up speed, urging his horse onward, and still, Sonic waited. Finally, just as the lance was about to hit its mark, Sonic hopped lightly onto it, grinding up its shaft, and tackling the knight off his horse, without ever drawing his blade.
After some discussion with Lot, and several men who had been assigned the role of tournament judges, it was decided that Sonic would not participate in the jousting events, and would, instead, be allowed only to participate in the tests of swordsmanship.
Sitting with Lot and his court, along with Merlina and Percival, Sonic watched as knights, one after another, were knocked from their horses, until only two remained, both of Sonic's own court. Gawain and Lancelot glared down the length of the track at each other, both riding as fast as they could the moment they were told to start, lances aimed at one another. Gawain found himself on his back, and, a bit begrudgingly, took the hand Lancelot had offered him. The field partition from the joust was removed, and the stage was set for the next competition to begin.
This would take far more focus than any other battle he'd participated in, as Sonic knew he had to avoid wounding his opponent, and was only to aim to disarm other swordsmen. The bell sounded, and he quickly pulled Excalibur forward, parrying a swing, and ducking under another. He had been warned that they may not hold back, and he found it was acceptable. After all, he held the scabbard, which would protect him. For five minutes the battle raged, Sonic barely able to get on the offensive at all with the flurry of attacks around him. It was then that he decided it was time to stop being conventional, and leapt backwards, then jumped into the air as soon as he landed, blasting through the air and kicking the sword from his opponent's hand.
Lancelot and Galahad won their first matches to prove their might, then departed from the field, as it would never be fair to the other contestants, one using his power to shoot darts to knock the sword from its master's hand, the other using the strength of his mind to rest the blade from his foe.
Hours passed, as did round upon round of the tournament. Sonic had beaten any challenger to face him, and now, he was facing down Sir Lamorak, of his own round table.
"Been looking forward to this," Said the young king, gripping his unsheathed blade, "Now I get to see what you can do…Guess I'll have to wait to see how Galahad handles himself, though he seems to be more than able to hold his own…"
Lamorak nodded, poised to strike. The fight started, and from the very beginning, Sonic found himself hard pressed to defend from Lamorak's twin blades. Sonic was amazed to see someone who could fight so fiercely without any worry of accidentally injuring his opponent, until he felt cold steel graze his thigh. He grimaced in pain, the scabbard quickly mending his flesh as he began to fight back. Now he understood. Lamorak was NOT holding back. Sonic watched and parried and waited, desperately seeking an opening. Finally, he found it. Hooking his sword to one of the axes, he yanked backwards, pulling it from the knight's hand. Then, leaping away, bounding off of a wooden pillar, and smacking the butt of Excalibur's hilt against Lamorak's head, he sent his opponent to the ground. Breathing heavily, Sonic held his sword at the knight's neck to keep him from trying anything. The crowd cheered, and it seemed none had seen Sonic's wound.
The fight was over, and Sonic and Lamorak began to make their way to their seats to watch the next round, when Merlina and Percival intercepted them. It turned out that not all of the crowd had remained ignorant of Sonic's injury.
"What is the matter with you, Lamorak? These are MOCK battles! There is no call for such viciousness. You're lucky we have a merciful king, though I'm not sure that he still won't hang you for this." Merlina scolded the knight, who simply stood silently, his eyes hidden by his visor, and with them, any emotions he held. Frustrated, she hit him in the head with the butt of her staff, yet still Lamorak did not move.
"I had to be sure that he was strong enough to protect my sister." He replied, coldly. Sonic, a bit confused, furrowed his brow.
"Dude, your sister can more than take care of herself. What're you so uptight about?"
"You wear her favor on your arm, my Liege." Lamorak bowed his head, and Percival felt her cheeks growing hot.
"Yeah, I'm a bit confused about this thing, I mean, does this happen a lot? I'm just fighting for both of us because Lot wouldn't let her enter…" And all at once, Percival felt crushing despair in her heart, and dashed off to the forest. "Um…ok, anybody have any explanations?"
"You…You didn't know?" Lamorak stared at Sonic. "Then I suppose I can't fault you for her pain…But she is strong…she has sworn to serve the kingdom and crown. She will return." His head hung low, Lamorak returned to his seat.
"I asked for explanations, not more confusion! Come on, Merlina, you're my advisor…Advise me!" He stomped his foot in frustration.
"M-my lord…when a knight is in love with a woman, she may grant him her favor, that he wear it on the battle field…It is a sign that the knight fights for that woman's honor…That he fights with his love for her. Percival…Percival thought you…" Sonic's face grew white. He had taken that scarf with no idea of how important it was. Not waiting on another word from Merlina, he dashed into the woods after Percival, desperate to make amends.
Percival sat by a small pond, not allowing a single tear to form in her eyes. She couldn't let herself show such weaknesses. She was a knight. A tool, a weapon, for king and country. Why did she ever think she was more? A king would never hold such interest for a knight…He was simply trying to comfort her, wasn't he? His ways were not the same as theirs, he couldn't have known what it meant…But she had made a grave mistake…She dared to hope that he could feel something more for her…Perhaps it was his fault, after all. She had forgotten how to hope, and would never have remembered if not for him. Deep in thought, she didn't even hear his approach. Finally, she looked up, feeling his hand on her shoulder. He stared at the pond as she looked up at him. He wouldn't even look at her. She couldn't bring herself to speak.
He couldn't bring himself to speak. After what he'd done to her, what right did he have to say anything? Why did she have to become so interested in him? They were having such a good time as just friends…Sure, it wasn't like he had no feelings for her, but he wasn't ready for this. Was he? How could he be? But then, it seemed he was ready to run a kingdom. But a relationship? Relationship. How could one word knock the wind out of him so easily? Maybe it was the sense of commitment it brought. Commitment meant restraint, limitations, rules…He never valued anything more than his freedom. What, then, would he be willing to give that up for?
Time dragged slowly onward. Both knew they'd have to say something, but neither could decide what, until the silence of their thoughts was interrupted by someone neither of them had expected.
"For God's sake, are you going to tell her how you feel, or not?!" Sonic jumped a bit, startled, and Percival stared, as the sword of the king spoke once more.
"Excalibur? You're awake?" Sonic was dumbfounded, staring at the sword.
"Of course I'm awake, you bloody fool! How could I stay asleep with you bashing me against so many other swords? And where's the finesse? Have you so quickly lost your skill?" Sonic glared at the sword.
"Hey, lay off. You weigh a ton when you're sleeping. Besides, I wasn't used to this kind of fight. We're not supposed to injure our opponents."
"Indeed? Then perhaps you'd better learn to protect yourself. I doubt Lamorak even had to try!" Rage began to well up in Sonic, bursting through the tangled net of emotions.
"Hey, lay off him, man. He was just doing what he could to protect his sister! Anyone who wouldn't want to keep her safe is no knight I'd want at my court, and anyone who's not sharp enough to cut him some slack is a pretty dull blade. She's a great girl, and I'm proud that I beat him, because I still get to wear this scarf I've got on my arm!" Excalibur chuckled, confusing Sonic a bit.
"There. Was that so hard? Now, turn around, and say it again. This time, to her." Sonic turned, his face red as a beet, to find a blushing Percival uncomfortably playing with the end of her tail, desperate for anything to keep her eyes from connecting with his. Excalibur sat through this silence. This one, he knew they needed. Sure, you can be pushed to muscle through what you know of your feelings, but it takes time to understand those of another, and now, the other's feelings were all either of them could think about. Finally, it was Percival who spoke.
"My lord…I'm not worthy of such sentiments. I was foolish to think otherwise. I…I am a knight…it is my place to only follow your orders…To fight for you, and for the kingdom…" Sonic frowned, hesitantly placing his hand on her cheek.
"Orders, huh? …Then I order you, tell me what you want…in your heart…" She couldn't keep the tears back any longer. She clenched her eyes shut, forcing them out, one running over his fingers, the other falling to the dirt. She couldn't even form the words. She could only mouth, 'you.'
"Then, let's go from there…But…At least, with this…I want to go slowly. I'm…I'm scared to death of this…But, for you, Percival…if we just take things one step at a time…" He couldn't keep speaking. He was stumbling at every other word. Finally, he gave up, and took her in his embrace.
"There. Now that that's all settled, and you're a happy little couple, we can go back to the tournament. And, by the way, Sonic?"
"Yeah, Excalibur?"
"About that dull comment…"
"Oh, come on, you can't hold that against me!" Percival giggled as they made their way to the tournament grounds, hand in hand. Unfortunately, they had no more time together once they arrived. It was time for the final match to begin, and Gawain stood in wait on the field. Once an excuse for his tardiness was given, Sonic took to the field, gripping Excalibur in his hand.
As soon as things began, Gawain launched his wild meteor strike, hoping to end the battle quickly. However, he didn't realize the Kingblade had awakened, and he held one axe in his hand, as the other, which he had thrown, was cut in two. Still, as he held his remaining Flamberge, it seemed the sword would have much more trouble cutting it. They still fought just as fiercely as if Excalibur were mere steel, but Gawain, so used to wielding two blades, was at a severe disadvantage. In the end, the king won the tournament.
He was awarded three horses, and a large jewel, which he presented to Lady Percival. A banquet was held, and they celebrated in joy, ill aware of the coming trials, which could destroy them, and the bonds that kept them together.
URGH. That one took me a while. Guess who has no confidence in his writing of action scenes? That's right, it's me!!! Now, as far as the story goes, I don't want any big headed reviewers going, "hey, that's what I told him to do!" I planned out a story map just before I posted even the first chapter. Although, I did stray from that map…I had planned the beginning of the tournament to be part of chapter two, and the conclusion to be here in chapter four. Excalibur's back, Sonic and Percival are a couple, Lot is more than satisfied by the new king's strength, the bad guys have made their first appearances for the most part, and I'm ready to do Pelleas and Etarde for the next Arthurian chapter. Too bad I refuse to do it until after Gawain and the Green Knight.