#arthurlot.

I thought I was prepared to witness this...

Until Sir Lancelot decides that he'll give King Arthur a run for his money. Their competitive spirit flares and their match proceeds.

It ends in a draw, neither holding back.

They congratulate each other as they both advance in the tournament.

Every time they're matched together in a tournament, they give it their all and it always ends in a draw. Their sense of competition grows stronger and they keep trying harder and harder. King Arthur appreciates the genuine challenge that Sir Lancelot poses to him, and Sir Lancelot enjoys the contest to his title as the Ultimate Knight. Over and over they clash, unable to defeat each other, and yet they look forward to their duels the most.

And then one day, Sir Lancelot lands a blow that knocks King Arthur off his horse. It's the first time either of them has won a tournament against the other.

King Arthur takes his defeat in stride, meeting Sir Lancelot with his hand outstretched and a smile on his face. "Congratulations, Sir Lancelot. You've finally bested me."

Their hands meet, holding on a little too long.

"Name your prize, Sir. You've earned it."

Sir Lancelot grips the hand in his and sinks to a kneel. He kisses his hand, where his ring would be, peering up at King Arthur through the slits in his visor.

"Name me as one of your own."

The crowd gasps. A French knight, bequeathing himself to an English king? A stir ripples through the stands as King Arthur grins at the request.

Also thinking about Lancelot sneaking into Arthur's chambers when they're still trying to keep their relationship a secret and they're kissing each other's breath away but then there's a knock at Arthur's door saying that there's an urgent message for him so Arthur has to untangle himself from Lancelot and smooth his spines down and convince the messenger that he's out of breath because he decided to run laps around his room to de-stress before bed; meanwhile Lancelot is trying make himself look as bundled-up-blanket-like as possible behind the curtains and catch his own breath without gasping or making any movement.

A special gallery is created to store the precious few pieces of his history, such as a few of his belongings, his broken sword, a fragment of what might have been the Round Table, various documents, and some paintings.

One day, someone notices something peculiar about the paintings. They are all done by different artists at different times, and all feature King Arthur in them, but there's one other thing that ties them all together. A knight in dark armour.

In group pictures of the legendary king and his knights, it's easy to spot him, but then he appears in the background of other paintings, such as one celebrating King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's wedding, or a painting of Arthur in town, in every battle depiction... Even in the king's solo portraits, a shadowy figure can be seen in the background, faintly, watching over him.

Some argue over who this knight might be. Is he a member of the Round Table? Is he Arthur's guardian angel? Is he a metaphor of greatness or death that follows the king throughout his years? Was he a secret lover? No one can agree on an answer, and the texts hold no clues.