Chapter 18 — Rumours of a Coup

Lancelot sat on the tree stump that had come to be used as a stool in the training ground. He used a piece of clean cloth and swiped it across his sword, polishing it thoroughly. He had never been this devoted to taking care of his weapon until he exchanged swords with the Fifth prince's tutor.

Now, he polished the sword at least twice a day.

As he got into the rhythm of swiping the rag up and down over the silver blade, his mind wandered to that evening when he had asked for a dance.

Lancelot did not honestly think he had ever been so nervous about an issue in his life. It was a serious risk he had taken as a knight to the first princess to dance with the tutor of the crown prince. If Morgause had discovered it, Lancelot would have been subjected to torture and killed. But for Lancelot, it was a risk he was willing to take.

His hands stopped moving and he stared at his reflection in the blade. There was this strange attraction he felt to the prince's tutor. Whenever he met her or gazed at her, he felt a longing for the tall, brown-haired woman.

He could recall the first day of the Battle of Swords. He had walked into the arena and gazed into the crowd. Over the wide space, their eyes met and Lancelot could feel his breath catching. It was a stupid reaction to a woman he did not have anything to do with.

On the last day of the tournament, when she had jumped in to save him from Morgause's evil, the attachment he felt only increased, ultimately leading to him asking for a dance at the crown prince's coronation.

Despite the fact that he was not a noble and affiliated with Morgause, she agreed to a dance and as Lancelot held her close and they swayed to the music, he could not have been happier.

It was a fantasy, a dream. But once the dance ended, he was awoken to reality. Lancelot raised his head from the sword to gaze at the training field around him. Yes, this ugly reality.

The training field used to be full of vibrant knights, each of them eager to serve their kingdom. Now, it had the semblance of a graveyard; many of them dead or dismissed, the ones left devoid of spirit.

"Hey," a voice called out and Lancelot turned to see Percival walk up to him. They had been recruited by Morgause from the training academy at the same time. But while Morgause kept Lancelot close to her because of his features, Percival was cast to the side.

And there was no day that Lancelot did not spend envious of his friend.

"How are you?" Lancelot said, rising from the stump.

Instead of answering, Percival eyed the sword Lancelot had just sheathed. "You're polishing that thing again."

"Yes, I am. Leave me be," Lancelot said, adjusting his belt to remove the sword from the other knight's view.

Percival chuckled and shook his head. "You are infatuated, aren't you? Infatuated with the crown prince's tutor. Talk about impossibilities."

"What do you want, Percival?" Lancelot replied, not at all amused. He did not want to suffer Percival's taunting on this particular issue. He was very well aware his affection would be forever unknown and unrequited. Hearing another person saying it added another degree to the pain.

"Yes…" Percival started, his face rapidly becoming dim. "Something happened this morning."

Lancelot already had an idea of what happened but said, "What happened?"

"Dan. Her Highness…" Percival said only those words and Lancelot's jaw became set in a tight lock.

Dan, another one of the knights that served the first princess was probably dead.

Averting his eyes to the rising sun, Lancelot tried to blink away the moisture that was forming around his eyes. Dan was a dear friend. They had never met outside the palace but had later found out that they both lived in the same area and had become friends.

From this moment on, Lancelot would have no new experiences with his friend. Dan was gone.

His shoulder was weighed down as Percival clasped him on the shoulder.

"I know it is difficult. I'll tell his parents if it's too much for you," the knight said beside him. "You can take the day off. I'll cover for you."

Lancelot shook his head. "I… I have to tell them. I have to."

Percival said nothing. He understood the pain Lancelot was feeling, having lost several of his friends over the years serving Morgause. He also knew that Lancelot and Dan had probably promised to be the ones that brought the news of each other's demise to their families. He and Lancelot had also made that promise.

"Tell them. Like I said, I will cover for you."

Lancelot nodded. "Thank you, Percival. I appreciate it, friend."

Lancelot walked past the knight and out of the grounds. He did not stop to change his clothes or drop his weapon; heading straight to the stables to pick out a horse for the journey.

As he mounted the stallion and cantered out of the first princess's palace, he wondered if there would be no end to the cruelty of Morgause. One day, would Percival be riding the horse, on his way to tell his parents of his death?

Or will Lancelot once again be the one to deliver the news of Percival's death to his family?

Morgause had always been cruel but her evil seemed to have skyrocketed since she lost the position of successor to Arthur. She had become extremely irritable with half her servants now dead or dismissed.

Was there truly no way to save the innocent people that found themselves trapped under her?

While he pondered deeply on the state of things, Lancelot had entered the city proper and was soon staring at the small door of Dan's family house.

What am I going to say?

His tongue knotted even further as he saw Dan's mother peer at him through the window, opening the door a moment later and rushing towards him.

"Lancelot? Lancelot, it is you!"

Before he could talk, she called out for her husband who joined them from within the house.

"Lancelot, Winner of the Battle of Swords! The fiercest warrior of them all," Dan's father said, besides himself with joy. "What is such a mighty knight doing here? Did Daniel send you here with a message for us?"

Suddenly feeling faint, Lancelot carefully dismounted from the horse; his pallor making the husband and wife apprehensive. Gripping the reins tightly, Lancelot delivered the bad news.

"Dan… Dan is dead."

***

Lancelot was so out of it; he did not realize when he had arrived at his family's house. It was only as he was about to ride past that he recognized the small house and dismounted from his horse.

Securing the beast to a wood post beside the house, he sighed and made his way to the front door. He pushed the door and it opened silently to reveal an empty house. That was not surprising to Lancelot.

Both his father and mother were traders, selling in the central market an hour's ride from here. Lancelot was about to turn away and head to the market when he heard a voice coming from one of the backrooms.

It was a hushed voice and Lancelot warily followed it. He traced it to his parent's bedroom and standing outside the door, could recognize it as belonging to his father.

Carefully placing his ear on the door, he began to pick out what his father was saying.

"We have the crown prince's backing. This will succeed, I tell you. Stop being so cowardly."

Lancelot raised a brow. Who is he talking to?

His mother's voice followed. "Cowardly? I am not being cowardly. I am being careful. Our son is a knight under the first princess. What do you think will happen when the coup is successful? Will our son be spared? Will the coup even be successful? We will bring down destruction on ourselves if we do this."

Lancelot's eyes became as wide as dish saucers. Coup? Crown prince? The first princess? What are my parents involved in?

"You were not there. You did not see the majesty with which he spoke. The crown prince is the right ruler for Camelot and the sooner we get him on the throne the better. And for the Lord's sake, woman, have a little faith in your son. He won the Battle of Swords."

"This is not a tournament, Ban. This will be a bloody battle. You want to risk our son's life like that?"

"Tch," Ban tsked and sounds came through the door like he was stomping his feet. "Did you not see how the His Highness the crown prince's tutor rushed to his aid during the Battle of Swords? Elaine, can you not see how noble these people are? We have to put the crown prince on the throne as soon as possible."

At the mention of Arthur's tutor, Lancelot could take the eavesdropping no more. Placing a hand on the door, he pushed it open and stepped into the room. The couple stopped their discussion and went on high alert.

They relaxed when they saw it was their son but tensed again once they remembered what they had just been discussing. How much had he heard? Lancelot did not leave them wondering.

"What, for heaven's sake, have you got yourself involved in?"

***

It had taken some convincing for his parents to explain everything to him but once they started to speak, it took them an hour to complete the story. And even then, they were reluctant to give him all the details, glossing over some of the information.

Lancelot did not understand everything that was said to him but some facts stood clear.

The crown prince, Arthur Pendragon, was planning a coup to usurp his father.

It was too much for Lancelot to handle and before he knew it, he was on the floor, staring at his parents. The crown prince was organizing a coup. A coup that could devolve into civil war and tear the kingdom into shreds.

Why?

"Why?" His father said. "Are you blind? Do you not see the havoc that His Majesty is wrecking in the kingdom? How long do you think Camelot will survive like this?"

Lancelot raised his head to gaze at his father. "How long do you think Camelot will survive a civil war? And if the prince dies, then who will lead the kingdom to prosperity?"

His father scoffed. "Talking just like your mother. That is why we are doing this. When the day of the coup arrives, we will hold down this area, preventing any support from reaching the castle in time. Our men are getting prepared."

Palming the wooden floor, Lancelot rose and folded his arms, displeasure written on his face. "Father, I do not think this is a good idea. You could die."

"My life is not important in the grand scheme of things, Lancelot. If this coup does not happen, the king will continue to rule. What happens if somehow the first princess gets her hands on power after he dies?"

Lancelot flinched instantly. Morgause as the queen of Camelot. A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the blank look on Dan's mother's face as she rode away. He never wanted to see such a look again and if Morgause became the queen, he was certain there would be no one in Camelot that would be able to stop her from murdering as much as she wanted.

Lancelot could feel his resolve strengthen.

"I will help," he said simply to a gasp from Elaine and a smile from Ban. "I will help you in the coup. What can I do?"

Ban clasped him on the shoulder. "You should try to help from within the castle. The prince has not shared the details of how the coup will play out within the castle. That is extremely sensitive information but we know that not all the cards have fallen into place. Help His Highness in whatever way you can."

Lancelot nodded. "I will try."

His mother walked to him and wrapped him in a hug. "If it goes south, make sure to save yourself first. Camelot will burn. Whether anything rises from the ashes is irrelevant. Save yourself first, my son."

***

Lancelot stood in front of the study of the crown prince, feeling like his head was splitting. He was still in his training outfit, never having changed it, with his sword strapped to his waist.

He was going to see the next king of Camelot to talk about a coup he had heard his parents discussing in such a state. The knight suddenly felt self-conscious and began to use his hand to straighten his outfit and hair.

In the middle of his groom, the door swung open and the prince's aide stepped out.

"You can go in now," he said.

Lancelot bowed slightly and stepped into the room. The study was simplistic and elegant just like the owner of the room. He walked to the table and drop to his knees in front of the crown prince.

Staring at the plush rug beneath his knees, Lancelot felt his resolve fade away quickly. Was he really going to tell the prince that he was aware of his plans and offer to help? What if the rumours of a coup were intentionally spread by the king to root out discontent elements and bring them to ruin?

What would become of his life and that of his parents?

Horrid thoughts entered Lancelot's head one after the other and before he could think of making a tactical retreat, the prince rose from his chair and walked around the large table. He came to a stop beside Lancelot, and from his position, all he could see were the expensive leather boots Arthur wore.

"Sir Lancelot du Lac, I must say that this is quite surprising. What does a vassal of the first princess have to tell me?"

Lancelot swallowed. In a few words, the prince had reminded him that he was a servant of Morgause and his words and actions will be connected to her.

Raising his head slightly, Lancelot said, "I did not come here, Your Highness, as a vassal of Her Highness the first princess. I came here out of my own volition. As a citizen of this kingdom."

Arthur arched a brow. "My aide told me that you said that brought a secret message from the first princess herself. He is not one to make errors. So, were you being untruthful?"

"Yes, I was. I lied to get you to speak with me alone. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Arthur chuckled and leaned back on his desk, folding his arms. "How interesting. Tell me, Lancelot. What is your goal for being here? Are you here to kill me?"

Lancelot inhaled sharply. "No, I would never… I cannot do such a thing, Your Highness. Please believe me."

Still amused, Arthur pointed to the sword sheathed at his waist. "Why did you bring a sword here then?"

Lancelot wanted the explain that he had just come from training when the prince interjected.

"It is not even your sword. It is my teacher's sword. An honour she bestowed on an undeserving soul like you."

Lancelot did not know what it was but the mood in the study had abruptly shifted. The prince still maintained a playful tone but Lancelot got the feeling that if he did not pick his words carefully, he would not be leaving here alive.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "The kindness the lady showed me was truly undeserving. I owe her my life and I am here to see if I can repay that debt in any way possible."

"What could you possibly do?"

"I know about the coup, Your Highness."

Silence reigned in the room as Arthur leaned backwards, somewhat taken aback. Lancelot did not have to wonder why. The prince was not shocked about how the information got to him but the fact that he was bringing it to the instigator himself. Except…

"I want to assist in any way I can."

Arthur remained silent and so Lancelot continued. "The major problem you are facing is subduing the castle and the king's forces before any backup can arrive at the castle. The closest palaces with their own armies are the third prince's palace and the first princess's palace. I cannot speak about the third prince, but I know for a certainty that the first princess will summon us to fight you."

Lancelot paused for a bit. "We will not win. I know that your troops are superior but our attack will still put a dent in your plans." Finally raising his head high enough to actually glimpse Arthur's face, Lancelot said, "I can help you stop the first princess's troops. I am one of her most trusted soldiers. I can misdirect the troops and help recruit men that will serve you, Your Highness. Please let me help you."

He did not know what Arthur's reaction would be but Lancelot did not expect what happened next. In a swift move, Arthur unsheathed the sword the world had come to know was called Excalibur and placed the very sharp glinting tip at Lancelot's neck.

"Give me one reason why I should not end your life now, knight."