Written Destinies (Arthur Pendragon)

Lancelot 2: Give Him a Chance

Elizabeth's POV:

            It was the next day, Arthur was still struggling to find men worthy enough to be knights of Camelot, growing more impatient as the day goes by. Seeing as I had passed the test, Arthur asked if I would like to train with the men, which I gladly accepted. So here we were, sparing against one another, Arthur laughing any time I beat one of his men.

"All right, that'll do for the day. Well done," Arthur announced, he then gestured for me to make my way over to him.

"You just defeated three of my best men," Arthur said, a hit of surprise detectable in his voice.

"Those were your best," I asked, raising an eyebrow in concern. "That was too easy to be your best."

"Where did you learn to fight," Arthur asked curiously.

"I don't know to be honest," I replied, trying to think of when I was trained, yet the memory didn't come to mind. Arthur and I were then approached by a handsome man. He had dark brown eyes, brown hair that reached just below his ears, and a little bit of stubble growing on his face. He stared at Arthur in awe, seeming somewhat star-struck.

"Yes," Arthur pressed, growing a bit uncomfortable.

"Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria," He stuttered out, sounding a bit scared.

"Lance-a-lot," Arthur repeated. "My servant mentioned you. Got your seal?"

            Lancelot lifted up a rolled-up piece of paper he was clutching tightly in his hand, the paper wrinkled. He bowed before the blonde prince, extending his seal to Arthur.

"Sire," He spoke softly, yet before he could rise back up, Arthur suddenly slapped him hard across the cheek, causing Lancelot to fall back in surprise.

"Arthur," I exclaimed, my eyes wide due to shock.

"Sluggish reactions," Arthur spoke, looking down at the poor Lancelot. "On the battlefield, you'd be dead by now. Come back when you're ready."

"I'm ready now, sire," Lancelot spoke strongly, rising up from the ground.

"You are, are you," Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow, Lancelot nodded in response. "Fine, you can start by cleaning out the stables."

          With that Arthur turned on his heel and left, leaving Lancelot dumbfounded and me shocked. I looked back at Lancelot, his eyes that were full of hope just moments before, now full of sadness. I mouthed a quick "I'm sorry" before running after Arthur, needing an explanation for his actions.

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"What was that," I asked harshly, having finally caught up with Arthur. He didn't look at me, instead, he shrugged, continuing to walk through the palace halls. "I demand an answer!"

"You demand an answer," Arthur repeated in a questioning tone.

"Yes," I exclaimed. "What the heck was that back there?!"

"Nothing," He said with a sigh.

"That was not nothing," I stated, growing annoyed.

"It was a test," Arthur explained.

"A test," I repeated, Arthur nodded. "What kind of test? What, did you want to see how he would react to embarrassment?!"

Arthur just rolled his eyes moodily, causing my blood to boil. 

"It is one of the tests you must pass to become a knight," He explained moreover.

"Well, if that's the case, then how come I didn't get this test," I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"Because you're a woman. You shouldn't be fighting in the first place. Women can't fight," He exclaimed, his voice rising in annoyance. I'm taken aback by his sudden outburst, a bit frightened by his raised voice.

"If that's the case, then how come I beat you just yesterday," I asked, waiting for a response.

"Obviously I let you win," He explained, rolling his eyes.

"No, you didn't," I said with a scoff. I waited patiently for him to tell me he was only pulling my leg, yet the remark never came. "You let me win?!"

            He didn't speak, sighing before slightly nodding, his eyes not daring to meet mine. I felt betrayed, like I had just been stabbed through the chest.

"You're unbelievable," I exclaimed, pushing past him and hurriedly making my way to my chambers. Arthur followed closely behind me, begging for me to stop, trying his hardest to apologize. When I finally made it to my chambers, I hastily made my way inside, slamming the door in Arthur's face, not giving him a chance to explain. 

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Arthur's POV:

            After trying to get Elizabeth to open her door for twenty minutes I realized I was not going to reach her that way. So I left in defeat, heading out in search of Sir Lancelot. I found him at the forge, sharpening his steel blade.  I decided that now was a good time to test him again while his back was turned. I took hold of a broom leaning against the wall, throwing it towards him. To my surprise, he caught it with no difficulty.

"Not bad," I commented.

"Would you like me to sweep the guard house again, sire," He asked, not a hint of annoyance detected in his voice.

"It certainly needs sweeping," I said with a nod, picking up another broom and snapping one of the ends off, creating a sharp tip. "But, first I would like you to kill me."

"Sire," He questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Come on," I egged him on. "Don't pretend you don't want to. Hell, if I were you, I'd want to."

            Lancelot looked at the broom in his hand, before looking back at me for reassurance. When he saw that I was being serious, he snapped the end of his broom off. He got in a ready stance, waiting for me to make the first move. Yet I wasn't going to be that easy on him.

"Come on," I said, gesturing with my hand for him to begin. Without a second thought, Lancelot strikes, lunging forward, his makeshift weapon aimed for my chest. I blocked the blow with my wooden sword. I then returned the blow, aiming for his side, yet he blocked with ease. Both of us sent blow after blow, yet neither of us land a hit on the other. It seemed as though I had finally met my match. I swung my sword across, watching as he leaned far enough out of the way to where my weapon only made contact with the fabric of his shirt.

"Come on, Lancelot. You're not beating a carpet," I said harshly. Lancelot let out a faint breath before sending his next blow, swinging for my head, yet I was able to dunk just before the makeshift blade made contact. I took this as a time to swipe his legs, yet her seemed to have seen that coming, for he jumped out of the way. We went on, both pushing one another to their limits, yet neither of us broke under the pressure. When I finally believed I had beaten him, having pushed him into a cart full of hay, he surprised me by dodging my final blow. He continued to fight, not daring to show weakness, sending countless blows, each being blocked, one after the other. After a while I could see he was slowing down, growing tired, I took this as a sign to make my final move. I took my makeshift sword, sending a hard, final blow to his side. He stumbles, taken by surprise. 

"Congratulations Lancelot," I said with a cocky grin. "You just made basic training."

            Before he could answer, the bell tower bells began to ring, causing my face to pale.