At King Arthur's council, two unfamiliar faces had appeared.
One was Tristan, a red-haired knight who was quiet and reserved. The other was Gawain, a young knight still in his adolescence.
No one would question King Arthur's decision, but these two up-and-coming nobles, who had appeared out of nowhere, were bound to face challenges.
In Britain, knights were the highest ideal, and among them, strength was the most important measure of a knight's worth.
Britain's commoners and knights alike would discuss over meals and drinks who the strongest knight in Britain was.
Some said it was Knight King Arthur Pendragon, on the grounds that the Knight King was naturally the strongest knight.
Many others said that Sir Anno, who had stood by Britain's side since the previous king's reign, was the strongest knight in Britain. Some even believed that Anno's son, Lancelot, had already surpassed the aging Anno, and that he was the strongest knight in Britain.
Opinions differed.
But in truth, all the high-ranking officials in Britain knew which knight was the strongest. Many of the commoners from King Uther's time who still remembered Anno's deeds had failed to survive the famine a few years ago, becoming corpses in the darkness before dawn.
At the council, King Arthur announced the punishment for the knight Lancelot's drunken misconduct. A few knights wanted to plead for Lancelot, but when they saw that even Lancelot's father, Anno, had nothing to say, they let it go.
The council adjourned, and Anno escorted Lancelot out of the city.
He patted Lancelot on the shoulder and said calmly, "This is more than just a punishment, my son. I hope it helps you grow and benefits you for the rest of your life."
Lancelot smiled confidently. Having been exposed to the center of power from an