Who Would Ever Want to be King

Love is A Messy Thing

A year has passed since the incident last New Years and Sir Gawain was ready to face his death. He knew what fate awaited him ahead and prayed that heaven let him in. He hoped the best for his brothers, King Arthur, the other knights, his father, and Orkney. After what he considered an odd encounter with a couple people in a nearby castle which may or may not have involved a few kisses here and there, with Gawain receiving a silk belt that he tied around his waist. Gawain finally met the green knight outside a chapel. "I have some to finish the deal." Gawain said.

The green knight gave him a surprised look. "Well I'll be." he said, "I honestly thought you wouldn't even come."

"Well I have!" Gawain said, dropping his sword and spreading his arms out, "Now let's just get this over with." The green knight shrugged, picking up his axe. As the axe swung, Gawain shook violently, flinching when the axe got close enough to his neck.

"Haha, you flinched." the green knight teased. Gawain, feeling his ego hurt, swore it was the only time. The green knight swung the axe again, only for Gawain to flinch again. "You did it again." he joked.

"J-Just do it already!" Gawain begged. The anticipation was agony for him. The green knight swung the axe once again. Gawain tried not to flinch, only feeling a little nip on the back of his neck.

"Alright, we're done here." the green knight said, pulling the axe away.

"W-Wha?!" Gawain said, utterly confused. He touched his neck, only feeling the smallest hint of blood. "I-I thought you were going to kill me." The green knight responded in laughter.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't do that."

"B-But...the game..." Gawain said, at a loss for words.

"Hey, take a good look at me." the green knight then said, "Don't I look like someone you just met?" Gawain did as told, quickly realizing who he was. The green knight was the same man he met along the way, with the wife who kissed him too many times. Gawain was not even more confused.

"See, this was a ploy by Morgan Le Fay," the green knight explained, "Her plan was to basically scare the queen to death by my head coming off."

"Oh..." Gawain said, remembering the event, "That doesn't really make sense but...ok."

"It was also to prove you knights are cowards."

"Ah." An awkward silence came between the two before the green knight pointed at the silk belt Gawain had.

"That silk belt is my wife's, is it not?" he asked. Gawain eyed it embarrassingly. The deal with the man was to give him anything Gawain received, and this was the belt was the one thing he didn't give.

"Ah-well," Gawain muttered shyly, "I really am a coward, aren't I. I guess I don't really do the chivalry thing that well, huh?"

"Nonsense," the green knight waved it off, "Acting that way doesn't mean you're a bad knight. It just means you're a human, and that isn't a bad thing, is it? The most important thing is that you at least tried." Gawain thanked him, feeling a little better from his encouraging words.

"Here," he said, taking the silk belt off, "Your wife can have this back." The green knight denied it and told him to keep it.

"Let it be a reminder of what you learned today."

After saying their goodbyes, Gawain headed back to Camelot. He wasn't exactly sure what the hell just happened, but at least he wasn't dead.

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