Written Destinies (Arthur Pendragon)

Valiant

       Elizabeth's POV:

   Chills ran down my spine as I watched the knights of the realm gather in the center of the arena. An uproar of cheers surrounded me, yet that was soon silenced as the king stood from his seat. Everyone's gaze transfixed on him, his golden crown glistening in the sunlight. 

"Knight's of the realm, it's a great honor to welcome you to the tournament of Camelot. Over the next three days you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion...," King Uther looked to his left, presenting his heir, "my son, Arthur Pendragon."

The crowd cheered at the sight of their champion entering the arena. 

"Only one can have the honor of being crowned champion. And he will receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces...," The king paused for a brief moment, drawing out the suspense that grew in the air, "It is in combat, that we learn a knight's true nature... whether he is indeed a warrior... or a coward."

Trumpets blared, reassuring the crowd that the games were about to begin. The game, where boys become men as they fight for the title of "Champion".

"Let the tournament begin," Uther announced, the crowd cheering in excitement. The knights bowed down to the king as he gracefully took his seat back next to me.

     The knights exited the arena, while two stayed behind. Arthur and his first opponent of the day, a thin man, who shook in fear, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. Arthur drew his sword and tightened his grip on his shield, a look of concentration written across his face as he made eye contact with his foe. 

          I watched intensely as Arthur's opponent strikes first, the distinct sound of the swords making contact sends shivers down my spine. Blows were thrown repeatedly, each one being blocked. It seems to me that Arthur was having no trouble though, for his opponent was struggling immensely. With every blow the opponent struck, it was only delaying the inevitable. Soon, Arthur had his opponent cornered. Raising his sword high above his head, he released a powerful cry. The crowd held their breaths as Arthur struck his final blow, bringing his sword down with tremendous power, his opponent's sword shattering from the impact. With no other option, Arthur's challenger was forced to yield. Declaring Arthur, the victor of this match.

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Arthur's POV:

          I exited the roaring arena, my first fight of the day ending in victory. The look of approval that was once on my father's face, replays itself in my mind. I went to stand beside my servant, Merlin, joining him as he watched fight after fight, two knights entering, only one exiting as the winner. Our eyes landed on one knight, he entered the arena with confidence, his head held high. A sword clutched in his left hand, and a custom shield held in his left. A green serpent with three heads was painted in the center of a red backdrop. As though the shield had been painted in blood. 

"Valiant's family crest," I thought to myself.

         The image was intimidating, each head of the snake had eyes that felt as if they were boring into your soul, searching you for signs of fear. A chill ran down at the sight, but I quickly shook the feeling off and refocused my attention on the fight that was about to take place. The fight went by quickly, Valiant being the winner in the end. 

"Knight Valiant seems to be pretty handy with a sword," Merlin observed from beside me.

"That he does," I mumbled, barely audible to my servant. Valiant left the center of the arena, waving to his cheering fans as he exited, his eyes finding mine. He approached me and Merlin calmly, a smile plastered on his face.

"May I offer my congratulations on your victory today your highness," Valiant asked kindly, sounding somewhat out of breath.

"Likewise," I uttered, trying my absolute hardest not to show fear.

"I hope to see you at the reception this evening," he beamed making his way to his tent, I nodded slightly watching as he left.

"Creep," Merlin uttered. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle, making eye contact with my skinny stick of a servant.

"For tomorrow, you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chain mill," With that, I left my scrawny servant to his chores.

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         I rubbed the soft, blue material between my fingers. The cloth gives off a warm, comforting feeling like a mother gives her child. I looked in the mirror before me. I had chosen a blue dress for the occasion, feeling as though it complimented the gold pendant that hung from my neck. The blue jewel that sat in the center, glistened in the sunlight that entered through my window. With one last look in the mirror, I headed out, making my way to the dining hall.

           I glided through the open doors of the dining hall, my eyes searching for the blonde-headed boy. I wanted to congratulate Arthur on his victory earlier today. When I finally found him, he was in a deep conversation with some of his fellow knights. They all stood in a line, waiting to meet the king and his Ward, Morgana. A beautiful girl with jet black hair that cascaded down her back, her eyes a piercing green. She gestured for me to come and join her next to the king, which I gladly did. 

"Knight Valiant, of the Western isles, my lord," One of Uther's servants announced, introducing the strikingly tall knight to the king.

"I saw you fighting today. You have a very aggressive style," Uther pointed out.

"As my lord says, to lose is to be disgraced," Valiant explained, his head held high.

"I couldn't agree more," Uther uttered, "Knight Valiant, may I present to you the lady Morgana, 
My ward and the Lady Elizabeth, one of our close friends."

Valiant looked over to Morgana and me, his eyes scanning us from head to toe. He took Morgana's hand in his, bringing it to his lips a placing a gentle kiss upon it.

"My lady," He mumbled to her in a calm, soothing voice.

"I saw you fighting today," Morgana said cheerfully.

"I saw you watching," Valiant added, he then look over to me," I understand that the tournament champion has the honor of escorting one of you to the feast."

"That's correct," I reassured him.

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament," He smiled creepily, his eyes boring into mine. I let out a nervous chuckle, searching the room for Arthur. I find him standing in the middle of the line, his eyes burning a hole in the back of Valiant's head. Arthur soon came to stand in front of his father, the two of them making awkward eye contact with one another.

"Arthur," Uther greeted, bowing his head ever so slightly.

"Father," Arthur bowed before him. He then came to stand in front of Morgana and I.

"Everyone seems to be impressed with knight Valiant," Morgana commented with a cocky grin.

"They're not the only ones," Arthur mumbled.

"You're not jealous, are you," Morgana questioned with a smile.

"I don't see there's anything to be jealous of," Arthur smartly remarked, Morgana's smile falters. Arthur's eyes met mine next.

"You fought well today," I complimented shyly.

"You were watching," Arthur questioned, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Why of course, what else am I supposed to do on a Saturday," I commented with a chuckle, He laughed silently, walking over to the other side of the room where the rest of the knights stood.

"Could Arthur be any more annoying," Morgana whispered, "I so hope knight Valiant wins the tournament."

"You don't really mean that," I stated softly.

"Yes, I do."