The loss of Avalon caused a lot of changes to Arturia Pendragon.
The day she lost Avalon was in a battle against a warmonger from the mainland that we now call Europe. After countless battles, with some becoming slaughters of the enemy, the sheath was lost in the final battle. Though the effects towards Arturia's body were minimal in the first few weeks, the months after its loss caused Arturia to begin her physical growth once more. Increasing the difficulty in hiding her gender.
2 years after the loss of Avalon, with Arturia now having the body of an 18-year-old, the Knights of the Round are beginning to suspect their King's identity - especially Lancelot and Bedivere. The two closest knights to the King tried differing tactics to uncover their King's secret with equally differing effects.
Lancelot almost uncovered his King's gender when she was wounded in battle, and he had to remove the armor to treat it. Only to be brainwashed by Merlin after the treatment. The magus implanted in the Knight's mind the idea that the King must not fight in the front lines anymore. Lest she die in it.
Bedivere on the hand, discovered his King's gender through a simple conversation as to why his King moves so stiffly after a winning against a challenger in a duel. After bringing the Knight to her chambers and locked it, Arturia revealed everything to him; the reason why she was moving stiffly was because the bandage around her chest was hurting her whenever she moves. She tells him about how Avalon stopped her aging, and her growth after she lost it. She tells him about the fact that she is a woman and how hard it is getting to try to hide it. Noting how Bedivere was the 5th person in the week to question Arturia about something strange about her body. She also told him why she never told her true gender to anyone-Kay does not count, and so does Guinevere. And lastly, with all her might, she pleaded her most loyal Knight to help her keep her gender a secret. Stating that she could only trust him for the task.
To say that Bedivere was elated at the thought that his King poured his- no, wait. Her- heart out to him, telling him everything, and trusting in him was an understatement. His loyalty to his King skyrocketed. The Teal Knight not only kept his promise of secrecy that day, but also aligned himself with Lancelot in his quest to keep his King out of danger and ill health. Lest she must show her identity to anyone else but him- like what happened with Lancelot.
Which is why our King of Knights is currently having tea with his 'wife' at sunrise. Because today is her day off.
Let me explain.
For years with Avalon by her side, the King of Knights worked 15 hours a day. Since the sheath can negate the effects of that messed up work ethic, she plowed through her work with 150% efficiency. And seeing that her work efficiency won't be reduced because of trivial things like an 8-hour sleep, she holed herself up in her office with paperwork the height of hills. While that does mean that everything is done in high quality, her relationships with her Knights, her friends, and even his wife became strained because they knew that they couldn't do anything to help their perfect King.
But with Avalon now gone. The people who truly wanted to help their friend and King banded together and managed to take some of her workload- better than nothing, they supposed.
The first of these schemes to reduce their King's work was to transfer the battlefield leadership from their King to his generals. Keeping her in the rear line while giving her ample time in the battlefront to boost the troop morale.
The second of these schemes was to force the King- through words of course- to allow the Knights of the Round to do her paperwork for her. At first, it failed. What with the icy glare of the King and all. Even if half the Round came in and argued, Arturia's still their King.
But things changed when the night after the failure of the Round, Guinevere asserted her position as Arturia's Queen and demanded that the King must give at least some of her work to the Knights.
Now you might ask, why does Guinevere concern herself with politics and the needs and wants of the Knights? Shouldn't she be the ideal Queen? A queen that doesn't bother her King in the country's affairs. Why the change?
Well. Thank Avalon for that. Or rather, its absence.
You see, the days after the loss of Avalon, the Queen had the front seat view of her longtime friend trying to work herself to death. And without Avalon, the King truly was on the verge of death. 15-hour workdays should do that to you. And seeing Arturia almost collapse while trying to stand up from her desk after another one of these workdays broke Guinevere.
So, the Queen did the closest thing to saving her friend while unknowingly committing a coup – if we assume that a coup means to strip away the ability for a King to do whatever she wants. She banded with Bedivere, Lancelot, Kay, and the rest of the Round Table and personally demanded that Arturia must stop her work style. It worked like a charm.
When confronted with the question, "Why?" by Arturia, Gwen was prepared with scathing argument about how unhealthy the King's work ethic was to her Knights, her subjects, and her Wife. Stating that Avalon is no longer there to help assist its King in her course of self-destruction. She also showed Kay's influence on her - what with the Tall Knight being her brother-in-law after all. Debating until Arturia had no counter arguments left and relented. The day after their heated debate, Arturia, with Guinevere in tow, announced to the Round that she will split her work with them. But still insisted that she'll do most of the work. Her stance on her work ethic will eventually change as she naturally ages without Avalon; coincidentally adopting a healthy workstyle that everyone is happy with the same year Archer arrived.
The third and last of these schemes is one that can be debated to have outreaching effects to the Kingdom of Camelot as a whole. The third scheme was concocted by Kay and Bedivere – with Merlin interjecting here and there – while conversing in the castle library. They were talking about their success in bringing back the 8-hour sleep back into their King's schedule and how it made her more energetic in working. They were also discussing ways to maximize the Knights of the Round's work efficiency to get at least closer to their King's prowess in such.
While they were talking about their King, Merlin came in and changed the subject to ways to lessen Arturia's worktime since the magus had a habit of just switching conversations up for the heck of it. And while discussing the things they could do such as taking some of the paperwork or representing their King in battlefield command, Kay had a eureka moment.
"What if we just not let her do any work for a day?"
With those words, the concept of the day-off is born in Camelot. It may not be the widely known origin of the day off in history, but this concept shook the kingdom and changed it forever.
And now we are here, in the present. With our King of Knights spending the first hours of her day off from work casually drinking tea with her longtime friend and 'wife'. Arturia realized in the few months after Avalon was lost that Guinevere needed her. For what that was, she doesn't know yet. When her first day off came – after a heated debate between her and half the Round the day prior on said day-off – she knew what she had to do. Arturia first talked to Guinevere on what to do since this is the first time, she's done this. What her Queen thought of was a cup of tea and a light conversation. They've been doing this for years now and both have benefited from this. Arturia gained a person she can fully trust on. And for Guinevere, she got her childhood friend back. The same goes for today.
Today they were conversing about what they've done this week. With Guinevere talking about meeting the nobles from the neighboring countries and discussing about a madman burning villages here and there with the most notable noble – the Count of Glouchedon – talking about how said madman burned down a Monastery with everyone in it dead.
The Queen also talked about the castle servants and the problems they had. Lady Leila of the Servants are complaining about the quality of the material of the clothes that came in 2 weeks ago. Sir John of the Cleaners is asking for new cleaning tools. Sir Luke listed down a letter detailing how the food being brought in through barrels are filthy and caused some of the Kitchen staff to take leave for days; some reaching weeks. Sir Fergus of the Armory needs new steel and weaponry to replace the old stock that rusted.
After Arturia heard everything her friend and Queen what she has to say, she made a mental note to go to these 4 people to see what she can do for them. As for the madman…
"Please tell the Count that we are doing our best to capture Drecken before he can burn another village. And that until then, he must wait for it."
"I shall take care of such, Arthur." Came the reply. And then the Queen asked a question.
"I have heard of the man that defeated him in battle not too long ago, my King." This topic is one Arturia did not like. Because if it went Guinevere's way, then she would show her inner Kay-
"I also heard, from Sir Kay, that you have taken an interest in him." Said the Queen with a knowing look.
Arturia must act quickly before Guinevere thinks of it differently.
"His name is Archer. We fought in a duel to test his strength. After we fought, I gave him a job and a room in the castle."
"Oh my! I have never seen you be so generous to one man before." Gwen said with a hand covering her mouth in a display of fake surprise.
"You make it seem like I am uncaring." Arturia said.
"But is it not rare for you to do such a caring act to someone you just met?" Gwen teased.
"Think nothing of it." Still trying to dispel her friend's notions, she continued. "I find him a capable warrior that we need in these harsh times. With Drecken on the loose, it is best to keep him in arms' length"
"Hm… it appears you are correct in that aspect." Gwen said, "Coincidentally, that is how Lady Janice from the infirmary believes Sir Archer as. A fine, strong, dashing warrior"
"…Whatever do you mean?" Said Arturia, suddenly becoming annoyed.
"While I was conversing with Lady Janice the other day. She told me how he was handsome, well-built, and how charming he was." The Queen was teasing her
"She also showed me the rose Sir Archer gave her."
And that was what broke the camel's back. Arturia, with her composure gone, suddenly looked up to Guinevere. Giving her a look of disbelief. As if asking her with her face if what she was saying was true.
Guinevere couldn't help but laugh a little at the display. She was amused and became quite hopeful that what she was concocting might pull off. She then continued.
"I have yet to see the man, yet I know you see something within him, Wart. Your face says it all." As she finished a sly smile adorned her face.
"…You really should not converse much with Sir Kay. For I fear that the both of you will be the end of me." She then slumped on her chair. With some of her composure coming back.
"Oh, come now, Arthur. This is the first time that I've seen you taking interest with someone in that way." After seeing the sharp look from Arturia, as if daring her to continue, she did.
"So, Sir Kay was right!" She said in a eureka-esque way. "You really do fancy that man. Though hearing of him from Lady Janice, I can see why."
Arturia had enough of this conversation. So, after finishing her tea. She stood up, grabbed some her Royal Crests and quickly left her chambers. Leaving a very amused Guinevere behind.
As she walked through her castle, Arturia remembered the names of the castle servants that Guinevere mentioned. And decided to visit them accordingly.
One of the perks of having a day off is communicating with the people. Arturia spent her first years as King holed up inside her office doing mountains of paperwork – if she wasn't out there fighting off enemies of the State, at least. She never really allotted time to chat up with the people she served to protect – her people. And because of that, rumors circled around the castle saying that the King is inhuman. Saying that the King doesn't bother showing up to her servants much less care for them. Because of these rumors, a tension between the King's Knights and her servants grew.
But that all changed when Arturia had her first day off. After chatting up with Guinevere, the second thing Arturia did was walk around the castle. She went to the servants' quarters, the maid quarters, and at some point, the kitchens. And after those visits, she realized that they were tense around her. Whenever Arturia speaks, she noticed that they all visibly shook and immediately became quiet. While she did chalk it up to them being respectful at first, her second day off made it clear – they were afraid of her.
Now why would they be afraid of their workaholic King? Who only shows up when there is a war to be waged? Who can only be seen by the servants in a state of constant irritation from the lack of sleep she's had? (Just because she had Avalon doesn't mean she's immune to crankiness.) Why would some be afraid of the King that they only heard of from the rumors since they never saw her personally? Why oh why would they be afraid of their King who wears an expression of emotionless whenever they see her? It shouldn't be possible, right?
She made it her goal that whenever she has a day off, she will tend to the needs of her people. Even if she can accomplish that with paperwork, communicating with her people is a much rewarding alternative.
It took a lot of trial and error to fix the relationship the King has for her Subjects. While in the beginning they were apprehensive and barely shared any problems that they had, things changed when Guinevere came into the mix. With her charm and charisma, she managed to instill confidence in Lady Leila to share in front of the King her concerns; it was about the wages of the maids being low. And to Leila's surprise, the King changed the wages of the maids to accommodate her advice. The maids swore an oath of undying loyalty that day.
And eventually, every work department of the castle did to. Sir John and his cleaners, Sir Luke and his cooks, and Sir Fergus of the Armory and Garrison all swore separate oaths of fealty to their King because they understood on fact – their King cares for them now. And after years of service, they doubted that their Liege's benevolence would end.
And because of the changed view of the castle servants, the people outside the castle changed their opinions too. After discovering from their friends in the castle of the benevolence of their King, letters addressed to said King came in droves. Because of everyone expecting to be heard by their Liege. It was a boost in confidence towards their leader that hasn't been seen since the war against the 12 Lords. It affected the day-to-day life of the people within Camelot. Every one of them wondering if their King would hear their pleas of help. And to everyone that sent the letters, they were heard. The livelihood of everyone in the Kingdom developed as more and more of the people's pleas and requests were heeded. The ending result of all this is the increased loyalty Camelot's people had for her King.
And to think that all of this was accomplished through the loss of Avalon.
As she turned right, she was greeted to Lady Leila carrying a basket of clothing. And with a look of joy and relief the head maid spoke.
"Your Highness! It's so good to see you today."
"As I with you Lady Leila" She looked at the basket and asked, "I believe these clothes are the low-quality clothes I heard you talk about?"
"They are." Leila sighed before continuing. "Crates full of these terrible clothes came in and they've given me nothing but complaints from the maids. They tear easily, they lose color after the first wash, and worse of all they won't help in keeping the servants warm. We're halfway through autumn, Your Highness. If we don't take care of this situation before winter comes, the maids, and the butlers as well, will freeze!"
"Hm… I see" said the King in a thinking pose. She was thinking how to efficiently deal this. And after a few moments thinking, she spoke.
"Find Sir Kay or Sir Percival. They will see to it that this issue will be dealt swiftly. You must tell them everything about the supplier of these clothes when you find them. Take this for proof that I sent you." She handed a Royal Crest to Leila.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Happiness filled her voice as she bowed and left the King.
'Now, to find Sir John…'
"Argh! Fuck. Not another one. "
"Whoever bought these stupid tools, they will goddamn pay for this!"
"Boss! We've only got 20 Shovels left."
These were the exhausted, frustrated, and angry voices of the castle cleaners. Who were outside, near the waste disposal. They were practicing how to deal with sudden snowfall should it occur – and if considering the last ten years, they have all the right to expect such. But they were currently experiencing a shortage of hand tools like shovels, shears, brooms and long-handled brushes. The reason being that they break after a few hours' usage. At first, they didn't worry about it since their fresh stock were in the hundreds. And now they are having a crisis. Did I mention that it's been a month since they got the supplies?
Sir John, the head cleaner, after hearing that the shovels – the most abundant tool out of everything they had – numbered to only 20, he can only sigh. This is going to be a long day for the poor man.
Or not.
After realizing the angry voices of his men started dying, he turned around a bit until his eyes landed towards the cause – Arthur Pendragon. With his King here, his hope revitalized. And with a voice filled with relief, he said.
"Ah! Good day to you Your Highness. If God were to send a gift from above, it has been fulfilled by blessing me with your presence." And with a look that said, 'bow' to his men, he bowed. His men followed suit. But before they made a full bow, the King said.
"At ease, gentlemen." She said with a hand raised to signal 'stop', "Today I come as a friend. There is no need for such pleasantries."
Surprised a little, John stood straight and with a smile he replied, "Truly God's gift to us. I believe Lady Guinevere has told you of my plea, since you have come to us?"
"You are right. I would like to hear from you and a select few about the tools you've been given. As well as the seller of these tools."
You see, budgets are allotted to the heads of department responsible for keeping the Castle in working order. The Castle Cleaners are one of these given free reign. The system worked to minimize the workload of the higher ups like the Round Table and the King herself. And in most cases, and with good management. High quality materials that are needed by the departments are bought with minimal spending through this system. But like everything, the system is not always perfect.
"The tools were bought by Andrus the month he left his job. They were from a company owned by a William Jensen from Summer Country." Said John.
"Andrus left as he made the purchase; I heard him say it was for family reasons. And after he left, a week later the tools came in."
A voice said, "The tools are made of weak wood. As we use them to our fullest, they snap. Causing Dave to break his arm 2 weeks ago."
Another voice piped in, "The shovel heads and shears are brittle. Breaking off after a few hours of use."
A third voice came in, "The brushes won't scrub properly and when I scrub harder, the handles snap."
The King was just silent in all of this. She realized that this Andrus fellow can be the only one responsible for this to happen. Since he was given the money to do so. She had an idea, but she had to ask some questions before reconfirming.
"What was this Andrus like?"
"He… was a strange folk. He never talks that much. He stays away from everyone when he can. And when he does speak to people, it was with venom." Said John, trying to find the right words. "But he was good with money. Very good, actually. Not a single pence wasted on his watch. So, it was a surprise that he left after making the purchase. I expected him to be my successor one day…"
"I see… anything else I need to be privy to?"
"…Yes, my liege," said John, he was hesitating. What he was about to say was not something he likes to say, but he did,
"We have never heard about William Jensen's company before Andrus made the purchase."
Arturia tried her best not sighing right then and there. For all of Sir John's experience as a head cleaner for years now, he was in some ways an idiot.
"Where did Andrus say he was going?"
"Summer Country."
"…Sir John, you are a victim of embezzling of funds. Andrus bought cheap and weak tools and took the rest of the money." Arturia's hunch was correct. And now to find the culprit.
"Take this and show it to Captain Faust. Tell him everything you told me and that he will report to me once you are done with him." She brought out a Royal Crest and gave it to John.
"Is there anything any of you wish to tell me?"
"No, Your Highness." Said everyone. Including John
"Then I shall take my leave. As you were."
And with that, she headed to the Kitchens.
Arturia was nearing the kitchens when she thought back to her conversation with Guinevere.
"I have never seen you be so generous to one man before."
'Surely Guinevere was jesting.' Arturia thought. 'Archer was not the only one I gave a job and a room. So why did she say it like that? Then again. It is unheard of for a King to guide a mere cook to his job and room. '
"But is it not rare for you to do such a caring act to someone you just met?"
'While it is rare for me to do such a thing. I find no reason to not do so. Archer is clearly a man of great fighting prowess. His skills are equal to his best Knights. Surely Gwen would think of it that way soon enough.'
It sounds like Arturia's trying to convince herself rather than Guinevere at this point. Suddenly, as she tried to reason with herself, another line from their conversation popped up.
"Coincidentally, that is how Lady Janice from the infirmary believes Sir Archer as. A fine, strong, dashing warrior."
That annoyed Arturia for some reason. She wasn't against the idea that Archer can be with Janice. She knew that Archer had the right to court the healer. And while said healer is quite good looking herself, it wasn't like Archer was going to off his way and take her. Right? Then why is her heart clenching at the thought…
"While I was conversing with Lady Janice the other day. She told me how he was handsome, well-built, and how charming he was."
As much as she's trying to hide it, Arturia couldn't help but agree with the statement. Even if she's still a King, she's still a woman. Archer truly was handsome. Very charming too. Arturia remembers the smile he gave her yesterday, warming her heart at the thought. She couldn't say she was well-built because she's never seen him half nak-
"I told you those barrels were infested!"
"Yeah, you did… my bad. But look at the bright side! The kitchen's clean now,"
"At the expense of my clothes."
"But you can get the King to give you some, right? I mean, you are his favourite."
"That's not- "
Arturia was so deep in her thoughts regarding the redhead that she didn't realize that she was already near the doors of the kitchen. And as she gazed upon the two men bickering, she recognized the two.
One of them as wearing cooking garbs. With his pants being covered in soot all over. He was a bit shorter than the other man. With raven black hair and blue eyes. Must be Sir Luke, her target.
The other was a redhead. Holding a barrel over his head. As Arturia looked down towards the redhead's body, she was greeted to the pleasant sight of Archer's half naked body. Yep. She's checking him out, right now.
Unfortunately, Archer saw this and became amused. He thought of something clever before saying,
"It would not do good to stare, Your Highness."
Well, that shook her off her musings. Arturia quickly pointed her eyes to the redhead's face before Luke saw what she was doing. As Luke saw his King, he bowed.
"Your Highness, Good day to you."
"As I with you." She managed to keep her voice level, but inside, she was embarrassed.
"I believe you are here because you wanted to see Sir Archer's progress, no." there wasn't any mischief behind the voice. Luke was genuinely thinking that was the case, forgetting the true reason.
"As much as that reason is valid, Sir Luke, I'm afraid that you are mistaken." She replied. "I am here because you sent a request to Lady Guinevere of the situation with how the food is being handled through the usage of barrels."
Arturia saw in Luke's eyes that he remembered. And before the Head Cook spoke, Archer said,
"The situation has been handled, sire." As he said that, he was pointing to the barrel in his hands,
"And I believe you have a brief explanation to this situation, Sir Archer?"
"Yes, I do, your Highness. The barrels were infested with bugs that not only eat the food that was stored in them, but they also contaminate them. Making them inedible and poisonous."
"And how did you deal with this problem?" Said Arturia, whose stomach is starting to feel sick at the thought of the bugs.
"Archer, and the rest of the staff, painstakingly removed all of the unspoiled food, while Archer continuously pointed out the barrels filled with the infested sort." Replied Luke. "It was amazing to see him work."
"Oh? And why do you say so, Sir Luke?" asked Arturia while looking at the redhead.
"Well, before we went to deal with the barrels, I saw Archer cleaning everything in the Kitchen before sunrise. His work was flawless! Not a single speck of dirt left uncleaned. You should see it for yourself, Your Highness."
As the head cook finished, he opened one of the kitchen doors. And Arturia was greeted to a very clean Kitchen. The tables were clean, the stoves were ash less, and even the floor was shiny. It was an impressive feat.
"You've done the work of God, Sir Archer." As she gazed at the redhead, she wore a look that said, 'I am impressed'. And the only thing he could do was,
"Thank you, Your Highness. Though I wouldn't have done it without your influence."
"You flatter me, Sir Archer." She then turned to Luke. "I believe that the barrel that Sir Archer carries is the last of the infested sort, correct?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Once Sir Archer is done carrying this barrel to the disposal, we can resume our duties." Said Luke
There was nothing left to address since the problem's been solved. But there was one issue left unasked.
"Sir Archer, where is your shirt?" As she looked at the redhead, she pointed to his shirtless torso.
"Ah, right." Archer looked down to his body. "My shirt tore apart because Sir Luke over here pushed me while I was trying to unlatch myself from a nail on a barrel. And as he pushed, it tore." As he was speaking, he shot an accusing glare at the head cook. Luke could only look away.
"I see. As long as it did not hinder your abilities to work, then I will not punish you for this." Translation: 'I like your abs, so don't put a shirt on'
Unfortunately, Archer didn't catch the hidden meaning. Because he said, "I shall keep that in mind, your Highness. Though, I will try harder so that this will not happen again."
"…That is a wise decision" Translation: 'No! '
"Well." Arturia looked towards the two she said, "I believe the situation is handled, and as such, I shall be off. Take care."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Came the reply.
As Arturia walked to where Sir Fergus could be, she suddenly thought of the female staff of the kitchen. And how they had front seat viewing of a half-naked Sir Archer. As she thought that, she became annoyed.
10 minutes later.
"Ha! You call yourselves' the King's Guard?! You goddamn pussies can't even last a minute against me! Imagine if you had to fight that bastard Drecken. Again!"
"But Sir Mordred. Everyone is exhausted! We cannot be able to fight you in our condition."
"Did. I. Stutter? Again!"
"Y-y-yes, Sir!
These were there the exhausted replies of the Castle Guard under Sir Fergus, the Castle garrison commander. Said commander was just there at the side, dejected and tired. You see, he was just planning a simple drill to keep his men sharp and alert. He even decided to let them spar to keep them busy after their drills. But that all changed when Sir Mordred appeared and took over the sparring sessions for a while. Completely annihilating the guards as she fought them. And since he does not have the authority to countermand Mordred of the Round Table. He just let the Red Knight inflict pain and suffering that is disguised as 'sparring'.
"It appears that Sir Mordred is training the men, Sir Fergus. How does the men fare?"
As Fergus turned around, he was greeted to the sight that is his King. With a smile and a bow of respect he said,
"My King, it is an honor to see you. As for the men…"
He turned around to see his men running away from the Red Knight as she chased after them with a maniacal laugh.
"I see…" said the King in a tone of understanding "I am here to discuss about the situation of the armory. Tell me what you know, Sir Fergus."
And so, he did. Sir Fergus talked about how the swords, halberds, lances and battle axes are in terrible condition. He reasoned that they may have been handled wrongly, causing most of them to rust and all of them to become brittle. The Garrison Commander also talked about how the all the stock armor are broken and needs changing. And lastly.
"The reason for all the issues with the armory stems towards…" As Fergus paused, he pointed to the Red Knight. "Sir Mordred's been hammering my men for days now. It was tolerable 2 weeks ago when Drecken was sighted. But after he returned from the mission to stop Drecken, he became harder on my men. Making them fight for hours on end. Grilling them until they couldn't lift a finger. It got so bad one time, that they all collapsed on the training grounds. I had to ask the butlers to take them to their dorms."
"…I see…" Arturia was surprised at her Knight's actions. She knew that the Red Knight just wanted them to be prepared to fight the likes of Drecken. But Mordred doesn't understand that the men have limits. From what she's seen and heard about Mordred the past couple of days, she understood that the Knight clearly is doing this because of the guilt of losing. Arturia, from what she's heard, now knows that Mordred would do anything it takes to protect Camelot. Even if it means half-killing the men she's training. And that needs to stop.
"Sir Fergus. Gather your men while I talk to Sir Mordred. I will handle this." She'll deal with the armory situation later. Right now, her men needed her.