ATP: in any case, the elves of Warhammer are difficult to bear. In most Fantasy universes (Tolkien, D&D etc...) I prefer elves... Except in Warhammer! Worse-case, I find Warhammer's elves... pathetic... "Look how beautiful, noble and powerful we are"... and what do we actually see? Their glory has long passed and they are the only ones who have not realized it! Their cities are depopulated, they have lost most of their colonies outside of Ulthuan, and as a result of inbreeding, and they suffer many flaws. They inspire pity... or rather they would inspire pity if they were not so arrogant. There, they attract rather mockery.
Boyzilla: Artoria and Hakuno will soon be reunited (prepare for a cute scene... brutally interrupted by a moron trapped in his past and unable to move on, but shh I won't say more).
Yes, the High Elves are bastards (literally by the way), read my answer to ATP if you want my full opinion.
Would you like to advertise me? Please, do it. Nothing could make me happier. It is very nice of you to propose it to me.
Author Note: For a change, we will have a quote from a founding work of the Arthurian legend. As you can read it, the nature of Lancelot du Lac in Fate/Zero is not the result of some random ideas of Japanese anime creators. The unnatural strength and the mad anger of Lancelot are attested in the most ancient texts describing him.
Miles Amentiae
(The Knight of Insanity)
[While Lancelot went in search of Queen Guenevere, kidnapped by the deceitful Meleaguant, he arrived at a ford guarded by a knight. It is a pas périlleux, that is to say, a test typical of Arthurian novels. If Lancelot wants cross the ford, he must defeat the knight guarding it. Except that Lancelot is troubled by the queen's abduction and plunged into dark thoughts that completely cut him off from the outside world. Without listening to the guardian of the ford, he advances into the water and the other knight attacks him. The guardian of the ford pulled Lancelot du Lac from his saddle with a spear move, throwing him into the water. Lancelot, having lost his spear and his kite shield, rose to his feet soaked and mad with anger.]
Lors vient li chevaliers avant
(The knight [Lancelot] then advances)
Ennemi le gué et cil la prant
(to the middle of the ford, and took him [the guardian of the ford])
Par la resne a la main senestre
(by the reins, of the left hand)
Et par la cuisse a la main destre,
(and by the thigh, with the right hand)
Sel sache et tire et si l'estraint
(and shaking and pulling and clamping him)
Si duremant que cil se plaint
(so hard that the other groans,)
qu'il li samble que tote fors
(because he feels like he's pulling him)
Li traie la cuisse del cors
(whole thigh away of the body.)
Se li prie que le li lest
(He [the guardian of the ford] begs him (Lancelot] to leave him,)
Et dit: " Chevaliers, se toi plest
(by adding: "Knight, if you want)
A moi combatre par igal,
(fight with me as equals,)
Pran ton escu et ton cheval
(take your kite shield and your horse,)
Et ta lance, si joste a moi"
(and your spear and joust against me.)
Cil Respont: "Nel ferai par foi,
("I won't do it, my word," he [Lancelot] says.)
Que je cuit que tu t'an fuiroies
(because I think you'd run away,)
Tantost qu'escapez me seroies."
(as soon as I let you go.")
Le Chevalier de la Charrette, Chrétien de Troyes, Translated from the Champenois (13th century French dialect).
There are different kinds of confrontations.
Duels and battles are fought with arms or even armies depending on whether one is a simple fighter or a captain using tactics to direct his men.
Hakuno Kishinami was unfamiliar with this type of combat.
During the Seraph's Grail War, she had been a Master leading and supporting a Servant against another Servant, also guided by an opposing Master.
In her short life, it was the form of confrontation that was most familiar to her. In fact it could be said that this role was perfectly natural for the Victor of the Moon. Hakuno had freed herself from her role as NPC, a simple shadow guided by the Moon Cell, by becoming a Master.
Since then, directing Servants has been part of her daily life. Hakuno even forgot how impressive the Servants could be... even terrifying seen by eyes other than her own.
However, this habit of siding with the Servants did not change her appearance. For the elf thief who covered her with an ironic look, Kishinami was only a skinny teenager with wavy brown hair and eyes wearing the standard female school uniform of Tsukumihara Academy, black turtleneck and black pantyhose.
No wonder Selar wasn't impressed. With his tattoos on her arms, her big oblique eyes that made her look cruel, the Wood Elf combined beauty with hardness, a bit like a diamond cut by the violence of a difficult life in the depths of Marienburg. Her success in raising herself to the head of the gang of thieves known as Griffins spoke volumes about her abilities.
Selar smiled and it wasn't the kind of smile who could possibly cheer a cute teenager lost in the catacombs:
"A friend's advice... I would only say it once: Get out of the lane, missy. This is no place for a little girl who's lost her way. Here, you could get killed for your clothes... and that's not even the worst that could happen to you."
Selar concludes her statement by planting her dagger in the table in front of her. The blade vibrated while the Wood Elf made an almost imperceptible gesture addressed to her henchmen.
Immediately, the thieves wrapped in long coats, and the studded leather armor enforcers laughed with a hearty laugh.
It was all too well-coordinated not to have been prepared. This was not to be the first time children had slipped into the catacombs and the Griffins had to terrify them to chase them away.
Sir Bedivere knew how to be impassive. Nevertheless, he refrained from glancing at Hakuno... he had to keep confidence in his Master. He had only met her two days ago and had almost no knowledge of her, except for the little that the Moon Cell had communicated to him during the invocation and what he had seen since.
Flanking the Sovereign of the Moon Cell on her left, Sir Gawain did not pretend to be impassive, he was perfectly at ease. During his first meeting with the teen girl who would become his Master, his opinion of Hakuno Kishinami had not been better than that of Selar. At the time, he had been his enemy, a Servant in Leo's service the best of all the Masters... or rather the one Gawain had considered as such.
However, while Hakuno Kishinami was not very impressive, her ability to improve seemed limitless. The Moon Cell Grail War had revealed an unparalleled gift for tactics. Moreover, she never gave up...
Selar looked at Hakuno with an ironic smile. The girl had lowered her head and pressed her hands on her chest. Certainly, the Wood Elf had expected a more violent reaction... Usually, the children lost in the den of the Griffins ran away or curled up in a corner crying. But it wasn't a bad reaction. It was enough just to force the tone a little bit and "master Kishinami" would run away like all the others... not really that the Wood Elf cared about the kids wandering in the maze but... well... she felt uncomfortable at the idea that this Hakuno was getting stupidly killed. And then Selar was a thief. Theft could be seen as an extreme form of commerce. To summarize: "I exchange everything you have for... well... nothing." And apart from the necromancers, killing a customer didn't help make him a repeat customer.
Hakuno Kishinami straightened up. Her immense brown eyes were calm and determined:
"You're a nice person," she suddenly said.
Selar remained as if turned into a statue, mouth gaped and eyes enlarged with amazement.
She has been called by all sorts of names. One of the Black Hats she killed last week even called her "Bitch of Hell" before he expired... but that was the first time anyone said she was nice.
Alvarez Carpio, mixed with the other thieves and ruffians who roamed in the headquarters of the Griffins, was a shadow among other shadows. When he heard Hakuno's answer, however, he made himself noticed by being the first to laugh. Nevertheless, he was not the last... The effect of surprise passed, the brigands reacted. Some laughed so loud that they cried, others turned purple while trying to breathe, while there were thieves who pretended to cough to hide the laughter that strangled them.
Selar turned to her men. For the first time since Alvarez had met her...the Wood Elf seemed to be in panic. Red with confusion, she began to shout:
"Silence!"
Accustomed to obeying her, the Griffins regained their control. Jansen, a thief whom the Estalian sailor knew a little, leaned on him:
"But who is this Hakuno? It is the first time I see Selar in this state!
"In what state?" mocked Alvarez
"Also... cute, I mean." The thief seemed embarrassed by the reaction of his chief, but also softened... Alvarez was amazed. Usually, Jansen was not sensitive. The Griffin gang man retorted aggressively:
"So, who is this 'Master'?"
Around them the other brigands were silent, waiting for the response of the sailor. Hakuno Kishinami intrigued them. Alvarez Carpio shrugged:
"I first met her a little over a week ago. I can't say I really know her." He looked like a conspirator. "All I can tell you is that the Bretonnians consider her a second Lady of the Lake."
There were astonished murmurs and Alvarez smiled, happy with its effect. But all remained silent because Selar had regained her composure and addressed Hakuno again.
"You're talking nonsense, I'm a thief. A gang leader! My men are the worst thieves in Suiddock. We are infamous rascals and on the surface, the Black Hats say that "we are not worth the rope that will hang us". We're scary, we're not nice!
Hakuno blinked, a little surprised by the vehemence of the Wood Elf. This reaction made her think of Rin Tohsaka, her friend also started screaming when she pointed out to her that she had acted in a nice way. Tohsaka seemed to think that a wizard had to be cold and logical and got angry when it was pointed out that she was none of that. Her Servant at that time used a word to describe Rin... what was it?... ah yes...
Hakuno makes a head tilt:
"You are a Tsundere?" (1)
With her head on the table, huddled between her folded arms, Selar hid her face as red as a tomato:
"So... so cute!"
Hakuno blinked again:
"Sorry?"
"I didn't say anything... you hear voices!"
With her face still hidden in the hollow of an arm, Selar waved her hand vaguely:
"Get out! Go where you want, do what you want! I don't care anymore! "
For the third time, the Sovereign of the Moon Cell blinked, trying to understand what had happened without success. The reactions of the humans... and the Elves were often incomprehensible to her. Finally, she was not going to complain. If she could go where she wanted and do what she wanted, her Servants could search for the Elf Fire.
As the master went to the door, Jansen and Alvarez Carpio joined her. The first grasped her hand:
"I will guide you to the Elven City. But, in exchange, ... marry me!"
Surprise, Hakuno made a head tilt, certain of having misunderstood:
".. sorry?"
And Jansen collapsed upside down with a silly smile on his face. Alvarez shook his head to clear his head. Had he really seen the thief's eyes turn into pink hearts?
The immense labyrinth formed by the abandoned districts of Marienburg extended over several levels. One passed from the cellars of ancient houses to the streets partly engulfed in the mud of an older stratum of the city, before entering again in houses frozen in a gangue of damp mud. In places, the tunnels dug by thieves and other explorers of the ruins crossed old walls.
A bit recovered from the shock that had caused him to faint, Jansen proved to be a skillful and... talkative guide. He knew the ruins and had stories to chill the blood. Some rooms were marked with pentacles made of dried blood that had served to invoke daemons. He made a long detour to avoid part of the catacombs where a conclave of necromancer was particularly ferocious. They crossed several inhabited parts of the underground corridors. Some sunken houses had been converted into smuggling warehouses, while other robbery gangs had moved elsewhere.
Fortunately, the pass issued by the "Marienburg's king of thieves" opened all the doors to them. Or perhaps it was the effect of the reputation that Hakuno had won after her discussion with Selar... The rumor of the collapse of the formidable leader of the Griffins had already spread to the furthest corners of the labyrinth.
As they descended into the depths, signs of recent occupation became rarer. The vast stone houses of the upper level had given way to primitives' coarse stone huts. Jansen explained that these were the ruins of the first city raised by humans. It was not even the size of a neighborhood in what is now Marienburg.
Finally, Jansen showed a stone building similar to alabaster and slightly luminous:
"This is the top of the Tower of Dawn, the opening you see was a window. I want to warn you. No one who had not entered this passage ever came out. We heard a few cries of terror and then... nothing. Sometimes the explorers who search the elven ruins approach the building at street level... they heard strange noises as if someone were playing the xylophone. Others say they heard a heavy step as if a giant were moving through the tunnels."
The thief had a derisory little laugh and stretched out his hand to touch the ceiling. The corridors dug in the dried mud were so low that Sir Gawain and Sir Bedivere had to move forward-leaning. How could a giant live in the maze?
Hakuno nodded and turned to Jansen:
"The elven city?"
The Griffin's gang member looked at her without understanding and Sir Gawain had a slight smile. He had known the Master long enough to interpret what she meant despite her usual economy of words:
"My good man Jansen, what do you know about the Elven City?"
"Oh, I've never been there. It has a very long name unpronounceable by a human mouth. I believe this translates into something like 'fortress of stone at the end of the river'... or something like that (2). I know that the Directors have sent several missions of exploration, in search of the wonders forgotten by the Elves when they abandoned the city. I remember that they discovered an astronomical observatory and brought to the surface an ancient planetarium that they were forced to dismantle and reassemble completely. The peoples of Marienburg talked about it a lot because the representation of our planet had only one moon! Some speculated that Moorslieb had not always orbited above our heads and that this moon had been created by Chaos (3), but also that the elven city had been founded before the arrival of Chaos. Do you realize it? The city would have at least eight thousand years!" I
That was an unimaginable period of time for Hakuno... but since she had lived only a few months, even the ordinary human life-time seemed incredibly long to her.
Sir Gawain coughed a little theatrically, but whatever the situation, he always seemed to be performing for an invisible audience:
"I apologize; I wasn't specific enough in my question. I was thinking especially about the dangers that could threaten visitors."
Jensen shrugged:
"People have been disappearing in the catacombs since as long as the memory of the inhabitants goes back. And generally, you never learn what happened to them. The more you descend, the more frequently this happens. In addition... In recent weeks this kind of disappearance has become very common. We no longer travel alone in the tunnels."
"You have never asked who was behind these disappearances?"
The question came from Sir Bedivere.
Jensen smiles with irony:
"These tunnels serve as hiding places for necromancers and demonists, no need to think too much to imagine the fate of some of the missing persons. In addition, the maze is dug in dried mud, and the tunnels are not always properly supported, sometimes the tunnels collapsing on the explorers' heads. Then there are the rumors... First, some say that there are giant rats wandering in the depths. I knew people who were sure they were walking on two legs and talking..."
The thief burst out with a mocking laugh. Nevertheless, Hakuno and Gawain exchanged a look:
"Skavens!"
The Knight of the round bowed with one hand to the heart:
"Indeed, Master."
Jansen looked at them with an uncertain smile:
"The Skavens are a legend!"
Sir Gawain replied with a cold tone:
"You didn't know? The Skavens attacked Couronne a few weeks ago. They ravaged the Grande Boucherie district and the temple of Shayla. I speak of it in full knowledge, my Master and I were there. I fought these rat-men and killed many of them. These 'legends' as you say have slaughtered thousands of people."
The thief swallowed violently, pale as a dead man:
"There are also rumors... about a demon..."
"Yes, a daemon prince created by Slaanesh would be in the city. Probably somewhere in these tunnels." replied Sir Gawain.
Sir Bedivere agrees:
"I think the Master, Messrs Jensen, and Carpio should wait here. No need to expose them to more danger. Sir Gawain, you should also stay here and protect them."
The Knight of the Sun bowed slightly, implicitly accepting the order given to him by the elder knight. Many underestimated Bedivere in Camelot. But Gawain was not one of them. He knew that the "advice" that Lancer had given to King Arthur had led to an uninterrupted series of military victories. Even Camlann was a Pyrrhic victory since Arthur had annihilated Mordred's army, which was three times larger in number and entrenched on a hill. It is also true that Bedivere was the only survivor of this battle... One more reason to listen to him when he talks about precautionary measures.
Gawain's memories were interrupted by Jensen. The thief looked at Bedivere... especially his missing arm... with a strange mixture of amazement and wrath:
"You're not going to enter the Tower of Dawn by yourself? Dozens of able-bodied, well-armed guys lost their live trying. You didn't understand what I said? None ever came out!"
Sir Bedivere smiles:
"I have no intention of going alone. I think it's time for our friends to meet the third knight watching over Lady Hakuno. Isn't that right, Master?"
The Sovereign of the Moon nodded gravely:
"Berserker, I need your help."
Trying to describe Berserker's mental state would literally face the gaze of the Abyss. Anger, violence, madness and above all self-pity had ravaged the nature of the knight formerly known as Lancelot du Lac. All the positive aspects of this former paragon of chivalry had disappeared, drowned in the painful darkness of nihilism. Lancelot's memory was obscured, he remembered neither his name nor his life... he only surnamed two names in his memory: "Arthur" and "Guinevere". He did not really remember the people, but the two names were associated with extremely violent feelings... of love, grief, the feeling of having betrayed them...emotions exacerbated by the mad, desperate rage of the Berserker.
Deprived of reason by the curse of the Berserker, Lancelot could no longer express his remorse except by unbridled violence... His martial talents, which had earned him the admiration of the entire court of Camelot, had not disappeared. On the contrary, the sacrifice of his reason had turned Berserker into a monster insensitive to pain and exhaustion. Freed from the unconscious limits that restricted him, Lancelot fought by instinct, his physical abilities brought to their maximum... Unfortunately, at the risk of serious injury.
At the call of his Master, Lancelot materialized...
A whirlwind of black mist was formed, revealing a contortioned body... anthracite armor with strangely blurred contours... coarse helmet whose visor let filters a scarlet light... He seemed to be there, and at the same time didn't really seem to be there. It was an unreal vision like coming out of a nightmare. Flipping his head back, Berserker shouted:
"RrrrrrRRRrrrr... RRrrrr!"
Jensen and Alvarez Carpio suffocated, unable to breathe under the incredible pressure that came upon them... anger and bitterness seemed to materialize in the form of a black mist that smothered them. They withdrew, unable to speak. If they could, they would have run away from Berserker... but fear cut off their legs, they stumbled back to the wall of the tunnel. And collapsed there, eyes enlarged by an uncontrollable panic.
Red lines appeared on the monster's armor, while Berserker contortioned himself before lifting both his arms to howl a second time:
"RRRRRRRr... RRRRRRrr!"
This cry reflected despair and anger far beyond what a mortal could feel. Only those who were condemned to suffer for eternity could understand Berserker's pain. Nevertheless, there was also gloomy exultation...
Hakuno Kishinami staggered, her hand clasping her other hand on which the command marks glowed. As a Master, she had the painful "privilege" of being directly connected to the emotions of the fallen knight. It was appalling...
Without reasoning to order his feelings, Berserker was only a chaos of violence and suffering... But the rabid dog exulted... His chains had just been loosened, his Master was going to name something to destroy! His rage could find an outlet where it can be express. To destroy was for him the only way to relieve a little the anger and despair that were gnawing at him.
Her face suddenly covered with drops of sweat, Hakuno groans:
"Berserker, follow, and help Lancer. You have to go into the buried tower... there!"
She pointed with her hand, the window that came out of the dried mud a few meters away.
The monster turned his head towards the opening and seemed to calm down a little:
"rrrrrrrRrRRrr..."
The sound he uttered seemed to reflect a sort of acceptance. He approached the opening and stopped. He was ordered to follow Lancer... so he waited for him to pass by. Bedivere had a nervous laugh. Even a legendary hero was not comfortable next to a rabid dog that one felt ready to bite anyone.
"Good and well, since we have to go. Wish us good luck!"
Sir Gawain felt uncomfortable... Berserker came from an Arthurian legend. He felt that he knew him. It was as if he had the true name Berserker on the tip of his tongue, but he could not remember it. Of course, this kind of feeling was always a source of frustration. However, even more deeply, the brave knight felt an immense terror... This monster was death incarnate. No, HIS death... Little accustomed to feeling fear, he mastered himself with difficulty:
"I would rather worry about the one who will face Berserker."
"Yes, you can see it that way. Lady Hakuno, Sir Gawain, see you later."
Bedivere looked at the two thieves, but they were still not recovered from their fear.
As he entered through the window, followed by Berserker, the immense pressure that filled the corridor was released. Hakuno fell to her knees, panting, her hands clenched on her heart, which beat furiously.
The knight of the Sun generously offered her his arm for Hakuno to stand up:
"Master, we must find a ruined house where you can rest."
"Yes, I think I need it..."
Hakuno collapsed and fell asleep immediately. She dreamed... that kind of dream which makes travel in the memories of a Servant.
She saw a magnificent castle of white stones with pepper-pots turrets. Each tower was adorned. The blue and silver banners slammed in the wind. Hakuno recognized the lion that appeared on the coat of arms of Artoria Pendragon. The sky was blue with some white clouds and the golden sun gave the stage the brilliance of free and joyful youth, the pride of belonging to the elite, of being strong, of being noble, of being beautiful and of not fearing dragons, nor the Saxons.
The scene was magnified by the emotions that permeated the Servant's memories. A paradise lost, adorned with the regrets of one who would never see it again.
At the foot of the castle, a large town. The streets were paved. On both sides were lined wood shingles and cob houses, with slate roofs.
The inhabitants crowded the streets to watch the knights passing by. Preceded by heralds who declared their deeds, they advanced as young women threw flowers at them from the windows.
They arrived at the gates of the fortified walls of Camelot.
A large jousting ground was lit by the spring sun. Banners slammed on every pole and the kite shields of the participants lined the platforms that surrounded the lice on three sides; Young lords with rich cloths, beautiful ladies with colorful dresses had taken place on the benches, eager to see the knights demonstrate their worth. But the Servant whose memories Hakuno relived felt nothing but indifference for the lords and the beautiful ladies. As soon as he entered, he turned to the royal pavilion.
The king's throne was empty but next to it...
The heart of the Servant shipped a beat. As always, he was seized by the fairy-tale beauty of the queen. Her skin was as white and pure as snow, her hair had a color and a radiance that could not reach gold even a hundred thousand times refined. White and luminous, the queen shone more than the sun in the eyes of those who loved her. Seized with love, the Servant moved as in a dream, insensitive to everything else. He drank from his eyes the beauty of Guinevere. Had he been offered all the riches that the world has produced since Adam and Eve had left paradise, he would have refused to look away. For to him, all the riches produced by the earth were only pebbles if they were compared to the brightness which the queen had for his eyes.
The Servant was a knight who wore scarlet armor and a kite shield without a coat of arms, entirely covered with a fabric of the same color. Without the coat of arms, the face hidden by his helmet, the Servant was anonymous. He was not supposed to be there. He had disappeared months ago, imprisoned by an enemy of Arthur. He was believed to be dead. But even if he had been, the Servant would have come back from hell to see the beautiful face of the queen.
Fortunately, the wife of his jailor had been moved by the knight's love for the queen. Taking advantage of the absence of her husband, she allowed him to participate in the tournament on condition that he did so anonymously.
On the first day of the game, the Scarlet Knight showed his immense mastery. He came upon the line when the judge-diseur called him and struck with the tip of his courtly spear the coat of arms of a knight to challenge him.
The knight whom he had thus designated went to the other side of the closed field. The heralds mouthed silver trumpets, sounding heroic music. And the two noble warriors rushed against each other. Then the Scarlet Knight struck a master blow. He pressed the knight's shield so hard against his arm, and then the arm against the side that his opponent, pushed back, left the stirrups and rolled in the dust.
One after the other, the knights succeeded. The greatest names of England, France, Germany, and Spain, knights recognized by all for their strength and bravery, were biting the dust and had to be taken to their tents to be healed.
The Scarlet Knight was aimed at the wood of the shield and not the foam that attenuates the shock. Even the strongest of the knights were not of size. At the first pass, they all felt.
And with each victory, a voice shouted from the stands:
"Or est venuz qui l'aunera" (4)
Under the royal canopy adorned with the silver lion of the Pendragon, Queen Guinevere had recognized the Servant. She turned to one of her maid of the wardrobe:
"Tonight join the Scarlet Knight in his tent. Tell him you came from the queen and tell him that from now on I want him to behave like the most clumsy and cowardly of all knights."
During the feast of the eve, everyone had spoken of the Scarlet Knight. As he had not shown himself at the banquet, everyone wondered who this stranger was.
Yet, on the second day of the joust, the knight was incredibly cowardly. He ran away from the fight, and when he was cornered, he fought like a ten years old child. All-day long, he had rolled to the ground, knocked down by the participants' spears.
In the evening, everyone laughed at the Scarlet Knight, the worst of all knights. Guinevere smiled and turned to her attendant: "Go to the Scarlet Knight, tell him that the queen sent you. Tomorrow I want him to beat all the knights."
And the next day, the "worst" of all the knights won one joust after another. Then Queen Guinevere ordered him to lose and he complied... until she asked him to win.
In the evening in his tent, the Scarlet Knight smiled.
For the love of the queen, he was willing to endure anything.
For Someone's Glory: Not For One's Own Glory
Author's note: This fragment of Lancelot's past that ends this chapter is freely inspired by the "Tournaments of the Worst", a story told by Chrétien de Troyes in LeChevalier de la Charette. As you have understood, it is the origin of the legend that gives Lancelot the ability to disguise himself as someone else. And yes, you got that right. Lancelot has been missing for months, he's supposed to be dead. He's secretly in the tournament and the Queen recognizes him... What does she do? Does she warn Gawain who is looking for Lancelot everywhere? Sends a message to Arthur who is worried? No, the Queen's reaction is: "Horray, my pet is back, let's start humiliating and abusing him again." And if you think it's just a bad time in Arthurian novels, you are wrong. Guinevere is always like that. She's a selfish bitch who spends her time humiliating Lancelot (and others). Believe me, the "Tournaments of the worst" is not the worst that Lancelot suffered from Guinevere... I would probably have the opportunity to tell you other "love" stories from Lancelot and Guinevere. Truly, I would never understand why so many young girls have tears in their eyes when thinking of the "so romantic and lovely" story of Lancelot and Guinevere. Guinevere died because of what she did to Lancelot, the kingdom of Britain was destroyed by civil war, and Lancelot went mad, wandering in the woods like a wild beast... all because of a woman who cheats on her husband. It's romantic, isn't it?
(1) Poor Selar... she spent her life (centuries-long, she's an elf) building a reputation for herself as a ruthless gang leader... and Hakuno destroys her notoriety with only ONE word. And the worst part is that Hakuno didn't even understand what she just did...
(2) The name of the ancient elven city is Sith Rionnasc'namishathir (or "Star-gem-on-sea") but Jensen does not speak elvish. You will have understood, the city takes its name from the "Fire of the Elves" also called "Star-gem" or "Light of the Dawn", it was a magical gem that protected the city from the incursions of Chaos.
(3) And archaeologists are right.
(4) Literally: "Here comes the one who will take the measure". The squire who shouts thus recognized Lancelot and that no one can equal him.