[2] WEEPING MONK║you're not what I was looking for

46| Whispers In The Night - 𝐈

═ 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ═

Lancelot takes on his new role and an uninvited guest stirs tension within the camp. Ari is forced to reveal a secret that could jeopardise her love and her crown.

Why did I agree to this?

Children were not Lancelot's strong suit. He had always kept himself away from them, never thought that he harmed them, which he now knew and realised was incorrect. The Paladins weren't exactly known for their skills with those younger than themselves either and that was the only world that he had truly ever known.

He had been with Squirrel for months now. At first, he'd just used various passive threats, intimidating glares and ultimatums to keep the boy in line and though the blonde tested his limits sometimes, he did listen to him when he was being serious. One boy who had been unintentionally dragged into his care, however, was not a whole group of them who he personally had not saved from the fate of a blade like had done Squirrel.

Lancelot had fret all night and into the morning after Gawain had told him at last evening's supper that he would start training the young ones today, because he wanted to do this right. His mastered skills gave him enough credit to teach but actually doing it was enough of a test. Squirrel had been his first student when they were traveling here. He wasn't inclined to teach him how to fight and it hadn't been his intention to school the boy beyond what he already knew of archery, but the child had again been persistent. One evening he had followed him around their makeshift campsite begging over and over to accompany him on his hunt until he eventually relented. Squirrel had known how to shoot short distances of maybe twenty paces so Lancelot taught him to hunt at forty. The boy had listened to him and eventually gave up his bullheadedness, but he was far from becoming a hunter or a scout or the knight in which he wants to be.

His young companion was the first one here in this naturally sparse patch of forest, front and centre of the group and waiting, practically itching to pick up a bow. The youngest was perhaps nine or ten summers, and the eldest sixteen and on the cusp of womanhood yet she was new to weaponry, hence being amongst this group. He noticed that she wouldn't meet his gaze as he scanned between them from the edge, not that he was seeking out her attention either. Her thin, spindly frame was almost trembling and he didn't think that it was entirely from the cold.

He's the beast in the stories we tell our little ones at night! One of the Sky folk in Rea's camp had hurled that proclamation into the cool evening air many weeks ago, and he had no choice to not believe it.

The Ash man knew what he was and he didn't want them to be afraid of him - they didn't need to be. He was intimidating but only when he chose it, and right then he was trying not to seem that way. His hands were clasped before him, shoulders sloped and head dipping down slightly beneath his hood. Most people had gotten used to his presence in the camp by now so usually ignored him except for their lingering stares, such irritated scowls as were looking at him across the barren forest floor.