"Hey, Gawain." Lamorak smiled kindly at the little boy. "Weren't you with your brother again today?"
Gawain shook his head, pouting. "Agravain needs to study under Mother. He doesn't have any time to play with me."
Gawain was the second son of Morgan le Fay, a princess of Britain, and a king of a small kingdom. Agravain was their eldest son and Gawain's older brother.
Morgan le Fay hadn't married Anno, so King Uther had married her off at a young age. She'd had Agravain when she was only fourteen or fifteen.
Women in this era married and had children young. The constant wars required a large population.
Gawain came over and sat beside Lamorak.
"Why do you sit here every day, Lamorak?" Gawain asked, puzzled.
Lamorak was nineteen, so Gawain could just about call him older brother.
"I'm waiting for someone." Lamorak sighed. "Waiting for the king of Britain, and for my captain, my idol."
"Your idol, Lamorak?" Gawain was surprised. To him, Lamorak was already incredibly strong. "Is he even stronger than you?"
Lamorak grinned. "Of course! Captain Anno's martial skill is the pinnacle of all humanity!"
"Captain Anno?" Gawain thought for a moment. He couldn't imagine what "the pinnacle of human martial skill" might look like, but he did remember something else. "I remember Mother mentioning that name."
"It's only natural that your mother knows Captain Anno. If I remember right, the two of them knew each other." Lamorak thought back. "I got the feeling Princess Morgan le Fay was a little afraid of Captain Anno back then?"
"Huh? Why would Mother be afraid of Anno?"
"I don't know." Lamorak shook his head. He generally wasn't interested in palace gossip.
Just then, a group of people appeared at the gates of Camelot.
Anno looked just as he always did, wearing his bright silver Treasure Armor, his expression solemn.
Standing before him was Artoria Pendragon, dressed as a man. She, too, wore armor, with a sword at her waist. She was pulling a tense, scrunched-up face and nervously playing with her ahoge to distract herself.
Anno gave Artoria a helpless look, then walked over to the guards.
"Please stop there, Sir Knight. Please—" The guard started to stop Anno, then recognized his face.
"You—you're Lord Anno!" the guard exclaimed. "And Lord Merlin has returned, too!"
Anno nodded. Merlin, behind him, smiled and waved.
"May we enter the city?" Anno asked.
"Ah, yes, of course!" The guard, red-faced with excitement, hurriedly stepped aside.
Anno smiled and moved half a step aside as well, gesturing with one hand. "Please, everyone."
The others filed through. Anno patted the knight guarding the gate, then followed them inside.
"Lord Anno and Lord Merlin have returned, which means..." The guard's eyes darted between Kay, Lancelot, and Artoria, who was walking at the very front.
"I hope the people these two lords brought with them can put an end to the turmoil in Camelot soon. Britain has been in chaos for too long." Though he was a guard, he was also a knight who could ride into battle.
Anno and Merlin led the three of them to the Knights' Cemetery.
There, the fate Artoria longed for was waiting.
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