The Legend of Lancelot

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nimue strolled along the edge of her lake, breathing in the fresh and misty air. She loved the smell of the humidity, how it reminded her of the cool and loving nature of her parents, who had lived many many years ago. Nimue herself had centuries of experience under her belt, but she looked as though she was only a girl of about 14. For the powers given to her, passed on by previous generations, granted her eternal youth and several other magical abilities as well. She ran her gloved fingers through her pink spines, touching them up in her reflection in the lake, and smiled at herself in satisfaction. Nimue was not vain, but she did enjoy to look good every now and again. Suddenly, she heard a ruffling in a nearby bush. She gasped lightly in shock, and turned to the bush. Nothing, no sound or movement. She smirked, then said as she turned around,

"I thought someone or something was in that shrub, but it appears that I was mistaken. I shall now move along, without turning around." Nimue smiled as she heard a small giggle coming from the shrub. Then, not a moment later, a small something pounced out from the shrub towards Nimue. Anticipating this, Nimue moved slightly to the left. The little something fell flat on the grass with a tiny, "unf!," and turned to face Nimue. It was Lancelot, now age four, playing his usual tricks. Nimue chuckled and walked over to her son.

"A gentleman does not try and attack a lady, Lancelot." Lancelot fumbled to his feet and wobbled over to his mother's side, hugging her leg with a laugh.

"I was pretending thou wert a dragon, mother," he replied. "A gentleman can attack dragons, right?" Nimue rolled her eyes and picked up Lancelot, who nuzzled her cheek lovingly with the tip of his black nose.

"Knights fight dragons, dearest," replied Nimue with a light chuckle. "It is not the responsibility of a gentleman to attack beastly creatures such as those." Lancelot looked disappointed.

"Oh," said the little hedgehog, looking down at the grass. "I shall be a knight then! Tis my destiny!" Nimue could feel her son's tail wagging with glee, like a hound's would, and it made her smile. His bright red eyes widened in enthusiasm as he looked up at her and she couldn't help but giggle. She kissed Lancelot's cheek softly, making it the boy's turn to giggle, and pet his head soothingly.

"Maybe someday, Lancelot," she said, walking into their large and glorious home, "but for now, it is time for thy bath." A sharp scowl formed on the child's face.

"I strongly dislike baths, mother," said Lancelot in a growl, trying to sound as intimidating and adult as he could. The boy had all the innocence and silliness of any child, but it was times like this when he acted much more mature than he truly was. Nimue assumed it was some kind of persuasion tactic.

"I am aware of that fact, dearest," she replied, her face stern and sure, " but we are going into Camelot this morning for goods and-"

"Camelot?!" Lancelot's scowl transformed into a bright beam. "Oh, mother, tis true?!" Nimue giggled as Lancelot fidgeted with excitement.

"Calm down, my son," she said, placing Lancelot in a large wooden bucket filled with water. "Tis true, but you must be clean if you wish to come along, understood?" Lancelot nodded quickly and sat obediently in the bucket, starting to bathe himself with the washcloth within. "That's a good boy," said Nimue, rubbing Lancelot's head affectionately. She carefully poured some more water over Lancelot's head, rubbing his wet spines with soap. The little hedgehog grunted with discomfort, but stopped shortly, hoping not to upset his mother. When he was finished, Nimue picked him up and dried him off with another cloth, making his fur puff up with static.

"Mother," asked Lancelot, struggling to pull his brown woolen tunic over his puffy fur, "are we going to see King Pendragon when we arrive in Camelot? Dost thou have business with him today?" Nimue would sometimes get called to the castle to make predictions of the future. Everyone in the kingdom knew of her magical abilities, and King Pendragon was no stranger to using her magic to his advantage.