Chapter 18: The Pup and the Unruly (1)
Oh yes. This is what I needed.
Imagine being holed in a castle for months, with just a few instances (and odd circumstances like visiting the Land of Shadows) that had me walking outside and see the world outside, and now being given the chance to not only give a proper look to the result of my careful planning, but also doing so together with the very person I was planning to spend the rest of my life with.
Mya was excited. While at first she had been skeptical about the whole idea, she ultimately had to accept the fact that I was offering her a golden opportunity. One that wasn't exactly going to mess up with anything I had planned for the month.
When tasked to take over the paperwork for the day, Altuos was worried that I was sick or planning to do something brazen for the day, but after explaining to him the reason behind the request and why he was to be subjected to the punishment by paper and ink, he seemed rather compliant with my proposal.
Just as planned, I thought as I walked outside his office, resuming my walk with Mya through the castle as we prepared for our date. Lancelot was following nearby, the knight deciding against being too close for the sake of not ruining the rather intimate moment.
Kudos for the good man, but I could tell that the guy really needed to find himself a wife, or else things were going to take a sad turn for the currently loyal guard.
I knew he was meaning well with everything, but the chances of him aiming for a fling with Ria's wife might create quite the absurd predicament I wasn't sure how I would tackle.
I mean, I could be rightfully pissed if that 'cheating' event was perpetrated against a normal couple, but I knew well enough that Ria didn't marry Guinevere out of love or for a genuine need for an heir.
Her kingdom needed a resemblance of 'stability', and that was created with the presence of a King and a Queen. Arthur and Guinevere.
I was still confused by the fact that the blonde had mentioned her interest in producing an heir to the kingdom despite a couple non-negligible issues that made the entire idea dumb.
Sure, 'magic' was a thing, but how could Ria be rendered able to make an heir if she-
…
…
Nah, there is no way Ria would actually accept that. Merlin could theoretically do something like this on a whim, maybe, but she would never go through with that. It would be too silly- too idiotic from someone like her.
Shoving away this thought to the dumpster fire that existed in the deepest part of my brain, I shifted my focus back on the important day that was today.
"Are you ready to see the city, my lady?" I asked teasingly, getting a snort and a giggle out of the young woman as she leaned close to me. Her arms were wrapped around my right arm, so we were as close as we could be without things getting too scandalous.
"Only if you wish so, your majesty."
I sighed. "Sure, why not. Let's give a look at Londinium then!"
With that proclamation, the small group walked out through the main entrance of the castle. The guards around stopped to salute me. A common gesture that was easily dismissed with a quick nod from my part.
It was meant to be a simple day in the city. Nothing too big for anyone in there but us, a normal couple.
The first thing that I noticed as we crossed the grand gates of our home was the fine expansion of the city in its general form. I could still remember seeing it for a time when I was still trying with Marcus and just a little before when I had to deal with the first wave of Germanic troops.
The former set of walls had been removed once plans had been implemented about expanding the city's size to accommodate more people.
First a new modern set of walls was commissioned. The barrier wasn't as thick as I would've hoped it to be, mostly because the work would've taken too long to have done as I had planned out early on.
Then it was the turn of the new houses and some modifications to the old infrastructure. Roads were 'reworked' to not be too uneven, and some were outright altered to include the new paths that would've connected to the newer districts of Londinium. With the 'Old Ring', the quarter that was once the original city, housing now mostly soldiers and guilds, the rest of the homes were 'moved' to the outer sections.
The decision was one that took thought and major attention to the execution since I was literally asking people to move away from their original ones, to newer and improved ones.
Some skeptical voices rose at first, but then as the new houses were allowed to be visited, many changed their mind and accepted the settlement without too much of a fuss.
The rest… was a tough nut to crack. Some compromises had to be made, mostly on the basis that they had their workplace within their homes, and in this case I had to accept their need to stay in their original houses to continue their jobs properly.
Another detail, this time pointed out by Mya as she took notice of this first, was the presence of heavier clothes being used by the people in there. With hunters doubling in numbers, and the population now needing a large amount of fur to have an adequate kind of dressing, the sector had boomed as winter approached.
But with the castle's rooms properly warm, there was no genuine reason to buy any of that, with just some of the guards that were assigned to spots in the open needing heavier clothes for their tasks.
The young woman shivered, a little surprised that the cold gusts were well beyond what her coat could defend her from. At the sight of such an issue, I offered her to put on my own coat, ending up bickering with her about 'being smart' against 'being polite'.
Eventually we had to compromise as we approached one of the shops that would sell heavier coats and bought for ourselves a pair.
Mya looked victorious, while I had to shake my head at her adorable stubbornness at trying to be this independent despite the fact I could afford a walk in the cool weather.
It was while we were browsing that I finally got a glimpse of something I didn't have the chance to see until now. How the money was being managed in the kingdom.
Since the Saxons failed to subjugate the city, and their culture didn't impose any new coinage, the Roman 'leftover' used to be the standard currency.
Considering how inefficient the coins were in the past, I had to change it to something a little less… problematic. And more familiar.
The Sterling was the replacement that would temporarily be used during my first years of the kingdom. If there was one thing that my cousin used to whine and rant about, was how difficult it was to change the economy of a whole 'nation'.
One couldn't just impose a new coinage and expect it to be capable of surviving centuries of changes and alterations to society.
And while it would've sounded convenient to directly rush to the modern understanding of economy from the British side of things, I knew that such a change couldn't be made without years of testing the waters and having influence over a little more than just the national economy.
Other nations, allies and not, had to be capable of withstand the full changes of the coin. There was no international market, but new money was still going to create some waves in the pond.
Which I really didn't need to cause considering how dangerous it was meddling too much with world-wide economics.
With this first stop dealt with, we went down the road that led us to the busier squares within the 'Old Ring'.
People were flocking at the shops, either to browse the products on display, or start working for those.
Children wandered either in groups, or together with their families. The sight was warming, and for a moment I felt at ease to see how much had chanced after 'so little'.
Sure, months had gone through working hard to improve these people's reality, but to be there to admire the results of this labor… I couldn't help but smile at the fact I hadn't failed. That these individuals, while far from the lifestyle I wanted them to be blessed with, were already enjoying the first steps of progress and prosperity.
…
Blinking, I slowly turned to look at Mya as the girl nudged at me for attention. A delicate smile adorning her beautiful face, and she just nodded at me.
She knew what stopped me, and she allowed me to stare a little more before I decided to resume our wandering.
Humming quietly as I nodded at the few people stopping to greet us with bows and blessings, we soon ventured far enough to see most of the busy street we had picked for this interesting day. Lancelot stared around, somewhat mesmerized by the state of the city since he had just a limited window of time every day to wander around, and most of it was spent at the barracks.
So now that he too was allowed to see the city that was now his home, I could tell that something moved from within his heart. And the smile that he started to wear for the whole journey just displayed a level of positiveness that was well-beyond his usual attitude.
While this trip started and proceeded smoothly, we soon arrived to face quite the curious scene as we passed nearby a heated exchange happening in front of a smith's forge.
"This- This is ridiculous! It's just dented," The young man barked loudly, his unruly blond hair almost successfully hiding away his furious blue eyes.
"As you can see, the material has deteriorated. While normally the helmet's damage would be fixable if it was in better conditions, I can't work on-"
"Just fix it!"
Standing near to the pissed guy, a young woman with similar attributes looked at the spar of words with an apprehensive look.
One thing that got me curious was the fact that the girl had two distinct bangs from the side of her head that were a pure black, in contrast to her generally blonde hair. Then I noticed the bizarre contraption that she was holding with her left hand.
Looking at the pointy end aimed at the ground, I quickly realized that it was a… lance?
The boy had a bizarre-looking sword, one that I had ignored early on because it looked broken at first sight… but then I realized that a faint blue light kept the pieces of the blade together.
"Once again, the piece is in bad conditions as materials. I can't work on it. So you either pay for a full restoration or you can both leave me be because I'm not willing to work for some bratty kid with a temper issue."
Gritting his teeth, the young man slowly reached for the hilt of his sword and- he stopped as soon as I started to squeeze hard at his arm.
He tensed up as he realized about the sudden intrusion, but before he could speak up about it, I turned to the smith and sighed.
"The restoration bill shall be taken on by my coffers. You may ask for Altuos, he will help you with the procedure," I curtly addressed, ignoring the sudden panic going through the man for a little while. "I will take this scoundrel off your property."
The owner of the shop merely nodded, his mind having some trouble digesting what was going on.
I pulled the blond away from the scene, prompting his sister, or whoever the girl was, to follow my steps. Mya rushed close with Lancelot keeping a wary look on both lookalikes.
This little diversion lasted until we arrived at a mostly empty area of the city, with my arm lessening and dropping the grasp it had over the unruly idiot's arm.
"H-How dare you-"
"How dare I?" I asked coldly. "How dare you attempt to attack someone because you can't afford a service?"
His fury went still for a moment, surprise replacing anger for just a moment… then he looked even more incensed than before.
"He was trying to trick me."
"On what basis? The helmet is in a bad shape for its material."
"S-Sir, my brother wasn't trying to-"
"Stay out of this, Gareth," The guy interjected poor 'Gareth' as she tried to instill in him some common sense. A pity he was too emotional about this situation, or else he would've noticed the look of recognition the girl had while looking at me. She knew who I was, but it was clear her brother didn't. "This jerk thinks he can just come in and make these insulting comments at me."
I frowned, and I was almost pitying the young woman as she paled in fright at the stupidity that was coming out of her sibling's mouth.
"This 'jerk' can easily whoop your butt, young man. I hope you're thinking instead of-"
I stopped, my eyes widening as he saw him reach for his sword again. The sad thing about that move was that he wasn't accustomed to bringing his sword out, or he was underestimating my own speed.
The sad thing about sword fights was when your opponent was a little too close for your liking, as he didn't need to pull out his own weapon to engage you in a fight.
The blond learned about this the hard way as a punch slammed onto his left cheek. The hit wasn't given at full power, but it was strong enough to make him recoil and trip on the ground, his hands ditching their previous effort to bring out the blade to nurse the hurt area.
"Y-You-"
"Your name," I demanded, unsheathing my sword and aiming it at his jugular. "What is your name."
I was ordering him to speak, to reveal his identity despite the lack of familiarity. I could taste the stint of humiliation exuding from his eyes, but instead of holding quiet, he decided to speak.
"G-Gaheris."
I blinked. "Gaheris, why were you attacking a citizen of Londinium when he was speaking the truth?"
…
"I asked you a question. And I have you at my mercy-"
"I- I thought he was lying. We- Gareth and I have met people like that."
I nodded. "And how did you know he was lying?"
…
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're sorry for failing to avoid this situation," I calmly remarked. "The things you should be sorry about are that you decided to act on prejudice and anger, and that you failed to listen to your sister's warning. Gareth? Can you please enlighten your brother?"
The blonde blushed a little at being addressed in such a manner, especially from someone of my stature. It took her a few seconds to properly recompose herself, and soon she spoke up.
"Y-yes. Brother, you… you are currently looking at King Joseph."
…
…
"O-Oh?"
"Yep 'oh'," I muttered dryly. "Please, stand up at once."
He moved incredibly quickly as soon as I put my sword back in its scabbard.
"Y-Your majesty, I wasn't- I didn't mean to-"
"You will apologize to the smith. He deserves at least that after being threatened by your blade."
He nodded, his face paling even more as the realization kept on striking him down.
I was ready to leave these two be, feeling that I was growing too annoyed with that part of the day and that I had been away from Mya's side for too long, but before I could walk away with a quick 'farewell' I was stopped by the blonde as she approached me.
"Y-Your highness, I know that my brother's actions might have created a dreadful first impression..." The young woman started. "But I wish to request your attention regarding our interest to pledge our honor as your knights."
…
I blinked. "Excuse me, but are you asking me to hire you after that little stunt?"
Gareth looked a little more nervous at that question.
"If I say 'yes', will you at least consider the offer?"
I blinked again, but this time I didn't reply. Like, I was having some trouble holding back a smile as she looked really adorable with that desperate look. Kind of like a little puppy trying to 'apologize' to their owner.
Truly a dangerous weapon!
Still, I couldn't exactly accept that kind of move. What kind of person would I be looked as if I just ignored that prick's foolish attempt to-
My mind stopped thinking as soon as a certain white-haired lady got back to my side, hugging my arm again, Mya looked sympathetic at the blonde.
"How about we discuss this at lunch?" She proposed kindly. "I believe it's time to visit the Soup Kitchens anyway."
Looking at her, I felt my stare growing softer. I suppose I could see what to do with these two if she felt they could be 'studied' some more.
"I guess we could do that," I agreed, turning to look at the surprised Gareth. "If it isn't any problem for you and your brother-"
"It's not," The blonde replied quickly, bowing at the two of us. "Thank you for your kindness, my lady:"
Myasviel giggled at the energetic response, and soon we were all moving towards the Soup Kitchens.
Meanwhile Lancelot stared at the scene with a mixed reaction. He could tell that something about these two was… odd.
Just as Felicianus had reported, the Soup Kitchens were kept very neat and well-ordered as elders and poor people were allowed to take seats together within the various tables within the large room assigned as property of the Church.
We were offered a couple of spots distant from the rest of the people after I was done checking and asking to somehow they were faring. Some jokes happened, with a couple of elders 'lamenting' that their soups would always be a little too hot to handle.
Once we were all seated, I decided to be the one to start the conversation as we waited for our plates to be delivered.
"So you two have just started as Knights," I pointed out as I resumed the little introduction Gareth decided to offer up before we arrived at our destination. "You have yet to go through any experience that would cement your work."
"That's… correct," Gaheris mentioned, looking more subdued that way earlier. Maybe the shock was still settling in his mind, and he wasn't showing his usual self before 'royalty'.
"But we're both ready to tackle any challenge, your majesty," The blonde vouched with some determination. "My brother and I have trained intensely, working ourselves to the point where we can take on all trouble sent our way."
I nodded. "You sound rather convinced. But how do I know that this is indeed the truth?"
"Well, we- I… Uh..." As quickly as Gareth looked ready to deal with this conversation, the girl deflated before the genuine question.
While I had all reasons to hire them after realizing that they were two members of the original Round Table, I knew that I couldn't exactly accept them without 'being coherent' with my meritocratic system of taking in acceptable talents.
Of the knights I could remember from the Round Table, Gareth and Gaheris were those that I knew the least of.
Gareth was a complicated individual to trace back through my knowledge. The versions that existed of 'him' that I knew of well mistook her 'origins'.
She wasn't a kitchen 'girl' that ended up working for Sir Kay, nor was she fighting her way through tourneys to be knighted as she was stuck with her brother in this curious twist of fate.
Gaheris was even worse since his legend was mixed with Gawain. Many writers tended up 'fuse' the two characters, considering them the same person considering their similar disposition and parentage.
...Gah, this is a nightmare. Why did this have to happen while I was busy with Mya!
Despite this unexpected bump on the road, Mia looked particularly distracted as she listened to the siblings' tale.
"Why don't we ask Lancelot for his opinion? Surely he can tell if they are worthy of the position or not."
And thus everyone looked at the currently quiet knight.
Lancelot stared back, looking both awkward and uneasy as he addressed the matter.
"Your highness… I'm sure you can tell that there is a more pressing problem than their potential."
I frowned. "A problem?"
The man sighed, turning his sight on the two confused siblings.
"Blond hair, their eyes are a mix of blue and green. These features are the same as Morgan Le Fay."
Blinking, I saw the two pseudo-knights tense up at the mention of that name. While Gareth was mostly nervous, her brother looked absolutely livid.
"I-I don't want to hear that name."
"Why?" I asked quickly, drawing his stare back at me. His anger faltered as he swiftly remembered what happened less than an hour earlier.
…
"Gaheris, Lancelot has just expressed a solid point. Your mother… she is not a good person. She threatened me more than once-"
"We aren't like her," The young man snapped. "She tried to- she tried to sell off Gareth when she refused to fight for her and-"
"Gaheris-" The blonde tried to intercede, only for her brother to appear angrier.
"I can't just ignore what she tried to do. She wanted you to be turned in a breeding tool all because you didn't want to go along with her stupid plots."
That was actually something I could see Morgan do… but hadn't thought she could've really gone through already.
"Are there siblings of yours that have been facing that worry too?" I asked tensely, Gaheris sparing me a sad look before shaking his head.
"Gareth is the only daughter," The young man admitted. "Agravain joined forces with King Arthur, Gawain left the isles for a pilgrimage, and we are here right now."
Morgan had yet to try and produce Mordred? I would've expected her to have conceived the future slayer.
I would've wanted to ask but… I didn't have much to defend myself if they pushed back at my strange questioning.
Instead, I decided to shift my attention elsewhere.
"You two have some interesting weapons. May you tell me their names?"
Gareth nodded, answering first.
"My lance is Ira Lupus," The girl said, leaving her brother to sigh before addressing his sword.
"My blade is Galuth. It was once a copy of a stronger blade."
I nodded, recognizing the last blade since it was another name for Galatine, one of the swords that Ria should've used… yet she got only Caliburn before we fought against her older sister.
Could it be another case of 'fusion'?
With the situation mostly defused, I was glad to see a couple of workers arrive to deliver our meal. While many would've scrunch their noses at the sight of warm meat broth, I couldn't help but grow enticed by the endearing smell.
It's a warm meal too, and that works so well with the current season.
For a moment, I thought back at those times when I was a kid and I ended up sick. Good ol' mom would force me to eat this kind of dish despite my interest for tastier stuff.
But now, considering the circumstances, this was actually delicious. And it reminded me for once how much I had grown 'grateful' of what I had around.
It could've been worse. Far more worse and horrible.
This couldn't have existed, and people would've still lived as badly as they had when I started my reign.
Illnesses were now monitored, studied, and worked to be defeated if it was possible by the current state of medicine.
Food was more available than before, and families weren't risking to die by hunger.
Everyone was getting happier, everyone was 'living the dream' compared to less lucky individuals out of my domains.
I knew Ria was doing her best, but she was inexperienced from what I could tell. Her mentality was born from her teachers, which were Sir Kay and… that flowery bastard.
I didn't know Sir Kay on a personal level, but if Merlin was somehow involved, I knew something was indeed wrong with the organization.
As I sighed about it, my attention was redirected away from the thoughts and back to reality as I saw Gareth… panicking.
Her face was a little bit read and her mouth was slightly open to show her burning tongue.
"Did you really forget to blow over the bites?" I quietly asked, looking more surprised than else.
Mya giggled loudly, almost choking on her own food because of it, while Gaheris looked awkward about it.
Lancelot, now satisfied with the response of the duo, merely addressed the sight with a polite smile, trying to hold back a bigger reaction in a sign of respect to the girl.
The blonde took a moment to recover from the slight burn, but she actually ended up replying to my query.
"It's just… it's better than anything we had until now!"
The response, despite being coated in genuine happiness, reached my mind with a hint of melancholy.
Did Morgan even treat her children right? Was there someone that she actually cared for enough to show affection? Or is she monstrous enough to have abandoned any hints of humanity?
With those thoughts, I allowed myself to enjoy this bit of the date some more.
Despite the intrusion of these two knights which I was now contemplating to hire, the day was still going well for Mya and I.
But then again, the day was still long, and things could still happen. Things that could make for some troublesome issues to deal with…
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