A Dog Backed by Its Master

If he was not made a Knight of the Round Table, then even being granted a noble title or becoming king would be meaningless. It was like the British prime minister having no parliamentary seat and being unable to attend Cabinet meetings.

A look of shame appeared on Sir Kay's face. He did not know how to explain it to Gawain. Under Gawain's gaze, he sighed. "It was Sir Mordred. During the days when you were unconscious after defeating the Green Knight, Mordred returned to Camelot from London. He visited members of the Knights of the Round Table from Wales, Cornwall, and England. At the Round Table Council, he questioned whether the trial you underwent was fake and was reprimanded by His Majesty. Afterward, he argued that your trial was incomplete. You only cut off the Green Knight's head. Cutting off someone else's head is undoubtedly easy, but being willing to let someone cut off yours in return is undoubtedly not. Therefore, only after you complete the full trial and let the Knights of the Round Table witness your courage can you be knighted. Many people agreed with that."

Sir Kay's words made Gawain understand at once. His path to inheriting the throne was not something that would naturally, or even smoothly, fall into place. He had a formidable political rival: Mordred.

Although both their mothers were King Arthur's sisters and princesses of King Uther, his own mother had married far away in Northern Europe, while Mordred's mother had married into Wales.

Unless he went to Northern Europe to gather warriors and marched here with his father's army, his influence and connections in Britain could not compare with Mordred's. Especially since Mordred had become a Knight of the Round Table more than half a year ahead of him, which meant he had established himself early as the presumptive heir and possessed enormous political influence.

That was why the queen insisted that he marry the daughter of a duke or baron as his fiancée, to counter Mordred.

Gawain was facing political suppression from Mordred. King Arthur's favoritism toward him would be offset by Mordred's appearance.

The reason was simple: his uncle was King Arthur, and Mordred's uncle was also King Arthur.

Who didn't have an uncle named King Arthur?

Queen Guinevere sat upon the throne in the great hall. Nearby stood the Knights of the Round Table who remained in Camelot, along with nobles and the archbishop of Camelot, all of whom had been waiting for some time. The queen's maids watched Gawain with curious, bright eyes. Little Princess Anne sat beneath the throne, holding a flawless snow-white cat. Mordred stood by the entrance. The moment he saw Gawain, he approached him as a brother and gave him a fierce hug.

"A knight is a symbol of bravery. Cowards are unworthy of the glorious title of knight. Those without courage cannot possibly pass a knight's test. Courage is one of a knight's essential virtues. You fraud, you used lies and magic to steal glory. You are utterly unworthy of becoming a knight. Yes, I was the one who rallied so many knights. You can only become a noble. After all, you have the king's blood in your veins. Though I do not wish to admit it, you are still my brother. But you will never become a knight. I will stop you with my life, and I will never let you lay a hand on the throne."

Mordred pressed his face against Gawain's and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. Though he was making threats, to outsiders it merely looked like a display of brotherly affection.

"A knight's courage means fearlessly declaring war on evil, stepping forward at critical moments to protect the weak, and never retreating. It has absolutely nothing to do with what you said. Even brave people can be timid."

Gawain smiled and shoved Mordred away. Seeing the contemptuous look on his face, he said, "Though we are both King Arthur's nephews, my uncle obviously loves me more!"

"Gawain, you are talking nonsense. I am Uncle's most beloved nephew," Mordred said angrily at once. His raised voice drew the attention of everyone around them.

What was going on with Gawain and Mordred?

"King Arthur's favorite nephew is me! Me, Gawain!" Gawain declared in a firm, indisputable tone.

"Say that again, and I'll tear your mouth apart. Uncle's most, most, most beloved nephew is me!" Mordred said with equal force.

The archbishop watched this scene in astonishment. It was far beyond anyone's expectations. In the queen's court, before such a crowd, Sir Gawain and Sir Mordred were actually arguing over who was King Arthur's most beloved child.

I'm Mother's most beloved child.

No, I'm Mother's most beloved child.

As everyone watched the two brothers quarrel, they could not help imagining a pair of brothers arguing over whom their mother loved most.

"How warm. I have never had any brothers or sisters. I think such an argument must be a happy thing, because they believe they have received the greatest love and happiness from their family, and they love their uncle just as much."

Princess Anne watched the scene, and her eyes gradually reddened. She spoke with emotion. She had neither brothers nor sisters of her own, and now she had been sent far from home to Camelot Court almost like a hostage. Thinking of her deceased mother, she could no longer hold back her tears.

Queen Guinevere reached out and stroked Princess Anne's head. One had lost her mother at a young age, while the other had no children of her own. Their interaction made them look like a true mother and daughter.

"My uncle is King Arthur!" Thinking back to his duels with the seasoned knights at Sir Ector's castle, Gawain slowly spoke, as though delivering a solemn proclamation.

"Your uncle is King Arthur, as if King Arthur were not my uncle too!" Mordred sneered. Who wasn't the king's nephew? Yet as he was sneering, he suddenly felt his legs go weak, as though something had frightened him.

What was happening? What was going on?

That should not have been possible.

He was a warrior who dared challenge even dragons. How could he fear his opponent? No, he was afraid of King Arthur.

With a thud, Mordred dropped directly to his knees, shocking everyone present.

What was going on? What was going on? What was this? They had just been arguing perfectly well, trying to determine who was King Arthur's most beloved child. Yet the moment Gawain declared that he was King Arthur's nephew, Mordred had actually knelt down.

Queen Guinevere was completely baffled by the sight. Princess Anne also looked over in confusion, only to see the queen's equally bewildered expression.

Sir Kay was stunned. He was utterly stunned.

He considered himself more familiar with Gawain's situation than anyone else, because Gawain had received his knightly training at his father Sir Ector's castle.

Gawain's uncle was King Arthur.

Everyone knew that.

At first, Gawain's results in knight training had been poor. Among the knight attendants of his cohort, anyone could outperform him.

Considering that Gawain had never received knightly training in Northern Europe and had only joined halfway through, it was barely understandable.

That was until Sir Ector threw Gawain and the worst-performing apprentice knights of his cohort into the dog kennel alike, making them learn how to get along with dogs.

On the surface, it was dog training, a way to cultivate affection with the dogs. In reality, it was punishment.

When a group of burly men crawled into the dog kennel, the dogs were furious.

Think about it from the dogs' perspective. While you were sleeping sweetly, a group of humans, instead of sleeping in their own houses, came over and occupied your kennel.

It undoubtedly hurt the dogs' sensitive, fragile hearts. A dog without a kennel was a stray dog.

Thus, the knight attendants fled from the enraged dogs' bites. Some were injured badly enough that they had to return home to recover. Only Gawain persevered. Protected by his armor, not only was he not bitten by the dogs—he bit the dogs instead.

When his father Sir Ector saw this, he could not help writing to his son Kay, saying that in all his years as a knight, he had never seen anything so bizarre.

Yet Gawain, who had bitten the dogs, truly did train them into complete obedience.

Though he did not understand it, Sir Ector was deeply shaken. Still seated in his wheelchair, he praised Gawain and encouraged the apprentice knights of the same cohort. At the same time, he inadvertently revealed that Gawain's uncle was King Arthur.

Later, just as the letter said, whether in swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, wrestling, or anything else, Gawain improved remarkably. Whenever he appeared, he never lost, even against fully fledged knights.

In the eyes of Sir Ector and Sir Kay, father and son, Gawain must have relied on King Arthur's power and prestige. The moment he declared that his uncle was King Arthur, his opponents' hands went soft, their legs went weak, and all strength left their bodies.

Sir Ector denounced the moral decline of the age. These knights had no knightly spirit at all. They had actually surrendered without fighting, bowed before another's power, disregarded knightly honor and the etiquette of duels, and deliberately lost to him.

Sir Ector was old after all, and confined to a wheelchair. He had no way to deal with King Arthur's nephew. So he simply declared that Gawain had graduated with "excellent results," but did not hold the customary sword-girding ceremony to knight him, saying it would be better for King Arthur to do so.

As he had said, whoever fathered the child should raise him. Arthur, Gawain was your nephew. If he was to be knighted, only you could knight him.

King Arthur and Sir Kay had been both amused and exasperated upon receiving Sir Ector's letter. Yet they did not think Gawain was using power to oppress others. They merely felt that modern knights were inferior generation after generation, so spineless that they fawned over the future heir to the throne.

A dog backed by its master!

"By Jupiter, this is magic!" Sir Kay could not help saying. Others might have their legs turn weak upon hearing Gawain say, "My uncle is King Arthur," and instinctively seek to flatter him, but Mordred alone should have been an exception.

Because his uncle was also King Arthur. Yet now his legs had gone weak too. Clearly, Mordred had not yielded to Gawain's power, nor was he trying to flatter him. Therefore, this was magic Gawain had been born with.