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This is either the dumbest idea or the greatest idea that Galahad decided to do. His grandmother made cookies and needs someone to come pick them up but everyone is in a meeting with the King to figure out their next plan of attack against the neighbouring kingdom. So, Galahad is going to head to the lake which means heading through the Dark Woods.
Sounds easy enough.
Galahad did manage to slip out of the castle without anyone spotting him until suddenly he was grabbed by the back of his tunic and is hanging in the air. His magic flares, covering his hands in blue light but a gentle laugh made him stop. Looking up, King Arthur stands before him.
“Put him down, Llamrei.” The king gestured his hand down and Galahad is placed back on the ground. Llamrei walks around the child before standing before her rider, nudging her nose against Arthur which did make him show the apple that he’s been hiding behind his back. “Good girl.” Arthur looks away from his horse and down at Galahad, who has yet to get up. “Now, where do you think you’re going, little one?”
“Grandma Nimue made cookies and I wanted to go get them to cheer Dad up…” It sounds stupid now that he’s saying it out loud. Enemy forces have been slipping through their barriers lately and here Galahad is, sneaking out to get treats. His dad is going to be so disappointed. His head hung in shame. “I’m sorry.”
“Cookies? That sounds like a lovely idea.” Hands suddenly pick Galahad up and he’s placed into the saddle, freaking out for a second when Llamrei relaxes underneath him. “We’ll go fetch Nimue and bring her back to have a huge feast together, I think that would be a better idea. Don’t you think?”
Galahad slides forwards so King Arthur can take a seat behind him, making sure to take the reins before Llamrei starts moving. It made Galahad jump for just a moment before settling once more. The child nods his head excitedly before Llamrei takes off in a gallop off the bridge and into town.
…
The Deep Woods is always storming; sometimes the rain would stop but the clouds are always grey and dark with the rumbles of thunder lurking just beyond. Galahad loves it. His dad would take him out here and the two would spend days with Nimue but that was before the fighting and his dad became busy.
Llamrei kept a steady pace with Hengroen being pony behind her. Not all three of them can ride together on the mare even though she’s super strong. She Galahad’s favourite out of all the knights’ horses; Llamrei is sweet and gentle and would always let Galahad nap with her when she’s out in the fields. The horses are also nice, especially his dad’s horse, but Llamrei is just special.
“So, your dad has been busy.” Great, small talk. It’s King Arthur’s only weakness that Galahad knows of. Sure, he can command a battlefield and talk circles to get any agreements to lean more into his favour but just simple small talk is the hardest thing Arthur has ever done. “I’m thinking of sending him to spend more time with the knights in training to relax a bit.”
“Bad idea,” Galahad leans back a bit while keeping an eye on the path. “He’ll just train the knights until they’re begging to go to war just to escape him. Your best bet is to get Grandma Nimue to stick around and force Dad to sit still.”
Arthur hums, more in thought than in agreement. “You thinking of becoming a knight?”
“Yep, I’m going to become a knight of the round table just like my dad.” It’s the only thought that he had. Galahad just wanted to make his dad proud, even though he doesn’t have to become a knight to do that but Galahad doesn’t care. “And I’m going to protect the people just like you and the others.”
A soft laugh was heard before Arthur hands the reins over to Galahad. “Oh, really?” He hops off the horse, still holding on as he moves to walk next to Llamrei’s head while Hengroen moves up a bit to almost walk next to her. “That sounds like a lot of work. Do you think you have what it takes?”
“Yep! I’m the son of Sir Lancelot du Lac.” Galahad sat up straighter and looks proudly before him. “I’ll be the greatest knight that Camelot will ever see and protect everyone from harm.”
Arthur huffs, almost looking a bit downcast. “Would you do anything to keep people safe?”
“Yep. I would do everything in my knightly powers to keep the people safe.”
“Good.” The King let go of Llamrei to point out the pavilion. “We’re here, how about you go greet your grandmother.”
Galahad feels his magic swarm him as he jumps off of Llamrei and runs the rest of the way to the lake. If he had looked back, if he just took a moment to think over what Arthur had said, he would have noticed how tired the king is, how much he struggles to keep himself standing. Instead, Galahad focuses on his own desires and that’s getting his grandmother’s cookies and cheering his dad up.
…
The field outside of Camelot is quiet with only the soft winds blowing past and the stars being the only light for miles. Galahad sits out on a hill that overlooks the town, taking note of what fires are still burning and what knights might still be up. Llamrei lays behind him with her head resting in his lap and being his only source of warmth.
King Sonic was the one who gifted Llamrei and Hengroen to Galahad, saying that he can’t possibly have them since he can just run where he needs to go. Maybe that should have been their first clue that their new king wasn’t going to stick around. What person would say something like that without thinking of leaving?
Galahad bows his head as tears pooled in the corner of his eyes. What would he do to protect the people? It was an easy question when he was a child, something that Arthur would ask from time to time when Galahad was growing up. And now…He doesn’t know. He would do anything to protect the people, just like he promised but he’s scared of what that would mean.
Would he have to fight his dad and strike him down?
Or Gawain? Percival? Lamorak? Maybe his own grandmother.
The knight whips his tears but only more gather and fall, barely letting up as a sob bubbles up. He couldn’t stop even though it was all that he wanted. It wasn’t fair! Why couldn’t they be left alone? Why couldn’t Merlin just leave them alone!?
Galahad breathes in sharply but chokes on another sob that threatens to escape. Suddenly he freezes when the wind picks up for a moment before settling as his father stands before him, blocking his view of Camelot. He could only watch as Lancelot kneels down and held his arms out towards him. Galahad tried to stay still, to be okay, but when Llamrei move her head, he found himself in his father’s arms and clinging tightly to him.
The only sounds were the comforting words of a father and the drowning sobs of a son. Both mourning the loss of their friend and king…someone that they once saw as family.