The Legend of Lancelot

Prologue

Prologue

 

The kingdom of Benwick was under harsh fire. The Franks had the kingdom surrounded and King Ban was out of ideas. He stroked his long gray mustache anxiously as he watched the people of his kingdom frenzy in fear. The Frank army raided every hut, robbing the commoners of their food and specie. Suddenly, the door to the king's quarters flew open. Queen Elaine rushed in, her long blond hair waving by as she ran. The Queen was much younger than her king, still in her teens while the king was nearing his elder years. She had snow white skin that was smooth to the touch and blue eyes whose shine could only be compared to sapphires. She was wearing a baby blue bonnet on her head with a pearl-lined trim, a long white dress that was hand-stitched by the finest craftsmen in the kingdom, and a blue coat to cover her arms and shoulders.

"My king!" She cried, running over to King Ban, "they've broken our barriers! They'll be here any moment now! What shall we do?!" The King saw the terror is his queen's eyes and sighed.

"We are not doing anything," he said, a small cough escaping his large belly as he spoke, "Did thou manage to retrieve him?" The Queen nodded and revealed to the King what she was holding close to her chest. It was an infant black and red hedgehog, fussing as the light hit his scarlet eyes, wrapped in a wool bedsheet. King Ben smiled down at the little hedgehog and caressed its cheek, making the creature purr and coo with delight. Its little hand wrapped around the King's finger. The King felt tears stinging in his old grey eyes, then turned away.

"Go forth and taketh him far away. Away from this doomed kingdom. Flee from this place at once!" The Queen looked down at the baby, who looked confused, then looked back up at her king.

"Now is not the time to jest, my king! I will not-"

"We do not jest!" Shouted the king in anger, tears escaping his eyes. "Take the child away from this kingdom now!" The Queen looked concerned, but her sadness was interrupted by the sound of loud banging at the throne room door. With a gasp, the King took his queen's hand right hand and looked her in the eyes. "He is our last hope," said the king, his raspy voice filled with sadness. "Thou must taketh this chance to live and escape. Hurry, I know not of how much time remains." The King looked down at the little hedgehog and kissed it's tiny forehead, much to the baby's discomfort. The King laughed as he saw the infant scowl at him in displeasure. The banging grew louder and louder, until finally a large log burst a hole in one of the doors. The Queen screamed and, almost involuntarily, ran out the secret passage behind the throne. She held the baby close to her chest as she ran, protecting it from being seen by anyone she passed.

"Stop her!" Cried a large Frank from behind. "Cease your running, you filthy wench!" Queen Elaine heard the Frank unsheath his sword and fear struck her heart like an arrow. She gave all the strength she had to her legs and ran through the kingdom and into the Outlands. The Outlands were a dark and spooky land of legend, said to hold many mystical and magical creatures within it. Queen Elaine ran until she reached the edge of a large and mist-covered lake. Panting, she carefully took the baby hedgehog and rested him on the grassy edge. The baby, frightened and confused by the new location, began to sob and whimper.

"Shh," whispered Queen Elaine, her voice as soft as a quail feather, "all is well, my darling. All is well." The Queen held the baby's little hand in her own, gently caressing the top of its hand with her thumb. Queen Elaine heard the sound of footsteps approaching and took one last deep breath. She closed her eyes and lifted the infant up.

"Oh, mildful Lord," said the Queen, placing the child on the lake, "I beg the assistance of thou. Watchover this child, keep him safe from suffering and plague. I pray that thou lettest him live." The black and red hedgehog baby stared at the Queen, reaching out its little arms and cooing, begging to be picked up. Queen Elaine opened her eyes and looked down at the baby, her eyes stinging red as tears leaked down her cheeks. She held the baby's hands with own dainty fingers one last time and kissed its forehead. "Fare thee well...my little Lancelot."

Lancelot reached out for Queen Elaine as the current of the lake drifted him further and further away from him. The hedgehog weeped as the Queen became smaller and smaller in the distance. Then, he gasped as a Frank knight came up from behind the sobbing Queen. The Queen closed her eyes, letting two final tears leak down her cheeks, accepting her fate. The Frank knight pierced his sword through the back of the Queen and little Lancelot shrieked in the distance at the sight of it. The knight looked up at the sound of the baby, but the lake was too foggy for him to see anything. The Queen's body fell limp at the edge of the lake and another large Frank appeared out of the woods.

"Thou hast completed thy task?" The first knight nodded slowly and nudged the Queen's lifeless body with the toe of his boot.

"Tis done." Both knights walked off, back towards Benwick, leaving the Queen's body behind. The Queen's blood leaked down into the lake, creating a stream of red that led to her body. Out of the mist, a shadowy figure began to form. The figure walked along the lake as if it were land, toward the Queen. The figure stepped out of the mist and revealed itself to be Nimue, the fabled Lady of the Lake. She gasped quietly at the sight of the corpse, then looked down at the trail of blood that had poisoned her peaceful lake. She looked up and saw a dark cloud of smoke rising to the heavens, past the Outlands. She envisioned the fall of Benwick, but didn't know it would come so soon. Nimue closed her eyes and frowned, heartbroken at the thought of all the lives lost that evening. Suddenly, Nimue's ear twitched as it picked up a faint whining from afar. Intrigued, she followed the foreign sound until she found the source. An infant hedgehog, like herself, weeping in unimaginable sadness. Nimue kneeled down on the surface on the lake next to Lancelot and picked him up, being extremely careful not to frighten him.

She held the little baby close to her, rocking him soothingly in her bosom. Lancelot's crying became softer as the baby calmed down. He looked up at Nimue with big and tear-filled eyes, his tiny lip quivering in sadness. Nimue waved her hand and a bottle of milk appeared in her palm. She began to feed the baby little by little, walking atop the lake as she did so.

"Lullaby and goodnight," she sang, rocking Lancelot as he ate,

"with roses bedight. With lilies, o'er spread, is baby's wee bed.

Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed.

Lay thee down now and rest..."

Nimue stopped at the center of the lake and waved her hand, revealing a hidden castle-like residence. It wasn't as large as a castle, but it was certainly bigger than a peasant hut. She carried the now-sleeping Lancelot into one of the rooms and set him down on a large pink flower that was growing out from the ground. The baby purred with a small smile on his face upon contact with the flowers soft center and petals. Nimue smiled with a giggle and kissed Lancelot's cheek. A rush of images entered her mind in that instant. A strong intimidating knight, a white rose with several thorns, the sound of a baby's scream, and a flash of light. Nimue brought herself out of her vision with a few blinks of her eyes. She looked down at the baby and ran her fingers through his tiny spines, a smile on her and Lancelot's face.

"May thy slumber be blessed, Sir Lancelot," she whispered with a kiss, "Knight of the Lake."