Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix

"Is there anyone in this kingdom besides Arthur and Sir Ector who can knight me?"

Gawain said with a wry smile. Although Sir Ector had shoved him forward like a balloon, what he said was true.

Ordinarily, the greatest honor for a new knight was to be knighted by a great noble such as a king or duke. If some unknown knight performed the ceremony, and it was not on a battlefield, the recipient would feel humiliated.

Mordred had been knighted by King Arthur. Even if Sir Kay had knighted him, he would inevitably have felt inferior to the man and developed a sense of inadequacy.

If King Arthur could not knight him, he could wait.

"There is one knight who can fully take Arthur's place in knighting you. None can match his bearing; his swordsmanship is superb, his military achievements illustrious, and glory rests upon him. Even Arthur would struggle to eclipse his brilliance. It is said that he was raised by the Lady of the Lake, and thus he is called the Knight of the Lake. He wields a holy sword no less magnificent than Arthur's. He is the foremost of the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Lancelot."

The queen spoke the name of another great knight with an affectionate expression. That knight was Lancelot. As the highest-ranking knight, even a king could not dispute the legitimacy of a knighthood bestowed by him.

Of course, a king could knight any knight. That was the most honorable method; even for a prince, being knighted by the king was most fitting.

But if a knight was too brilliant and legendary, then being knighted by that knight was undoubtedly the greatest honor, even for a prince or king.

The medieval English knight William Marshal, the first Earl of Pembroke, Master of the King's Horse, commonly known as Marshal William, was the greatest knight in English history. From Stephen onward, he successively served Henry II, Richard I, King John, and Henry III, eventually becoming Regent of England. He was hailed as "the most loyal knight" and regarded as both "the greatest knight" and "the model of chivalry" of his time.

This old knight had knighted two kings.

Lancelot was undoubtedly the greatest knight of this age, a knight as loyal and exemplary as William Marshal, a man whose brilliance was as great as the sun's.

"Has Sir Lancelot returned to the country?" Gawain could not help asking.

"He is already on his way. He has stayed in France long enough." Queen Guinevere smiled, seemingly happy that he was returning.

Gawain was not happy. After Mordred, his second—and even more powerful—opponent had appeared.

Compared with Mordred, who was still the lowest-ranking of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot, as their foremost knight, was undoubtedly the most powerful figure in the kingdom besides King Arthur. Even Sir Kay, who constantly declared that as Lord Chancellor, so long as King Arthur was absent and the Round Table was not in session, Camelot was his to command—Kay, who served as Chief Minister, Lord Keeper of the Seal, and Steward of the Court—still fell short of Lancelot in power.

In terms of theoretical authority, Chancellor Kay was unparalleled. He was the Lord Keeper of the Seal, the Chief Minister, and the Steward of the Court, while privately he was also King Arthur's foster brother. But Camelot was a kingdom of knights, and the Arthurian dynasty governed through the Round Table. With his low rank, Kay held no advantage in the Round Table against its foremost knight.

In the legends of King Arthur, Mordred and Lancelot were the crouching dragon and young phoenix who brought about the fall of the Kingdom of Camelot. Now, one of them was going to hold his sword-bestowal ceremony, confer an honor upon him, and knight him. No matter how he thought about it, this would not bring him honor—it would only draw hatred.

Gawain took a deep breath and slowly said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, but I must refuse Sir Lancelot's knighting."

Queen Guinevere froze. Sir Kay froze. Even Mordred froze. Everyone in the banquet hall froze. Some even wanted to ask whether Gawain had eaten poisonous mushrooms and become delirious, babbling nonsense.

"Gawain, do you know what this means? If Arthur does not knight you, and you miss Sir Lancelot as well, then no one will knight you unless you complete the trial."

Sir Kay grabbed Gawain by the collar and whispered in his ear, feeling that Gawain was far too young and understood nothing at all.

There was a saying in Camelot: if King Arthur was qualified to nominate and appoint new members of the Knights of the Round Table, then Sir Lancelot had the power to expel those who did not meet the requirements.

There were one hundred and fifty seats at the Round Table, and there were always those whose strength was lacking, who merely filled their places. As the foremost knight and Camelot's military commander, Lancelot would review the qualifications of the Knights of the Round Table and duel them. With an absolute gap in strength, he would make them understand that they were unworthy of being Knights of the Round Table, then submit their letters of resignation to the king.

Therefore, if Gawain was knighted by Lancelot, no one would question his qualifications as a knight. It might even shake the standing of most of the Knights of the Round Table. That was the power of the foremost knight.

How could a knight acknowledged by Sir Lancelot be unqualified to take a seat at the Round Table?

Because of the special relationship between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot, Lancelot would certainly not refuse the queen's request. Yet Gawain was unwilling to accept his knighthood.

Mordred's feelings were the most complicated at that moment. He had been pleased that he had ruined Gawain's knighthood and prevented him from joining the Round Table, only for Queen Guinevere to bring out Sir Lancelot.

Just when he had felt disappointed, Gawain had unexpectedly refused Sir Lancelot's knighthood.

Why?

It was not only Queen Guinevere and Sir Kay who wanted to ask Gawain why. Even Mordred wanted to ask him why.

"More than the recognition of Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, I want the recognition of my uncle Arthur. Children all want the recognition of their elders. Even if Lancelot is Camelot's highest-ranking knight, and only as a knight is he more exalted than a king, to a child, his uncle is still the greatest."

Gawain took a deep breath. Although he had already regarded Mordred and Lancelot, the men who would bring down the Arthurian dynasty, as enemies, Lancelot was still the perfect knight in the eyes of the world and held a pivotal position in the Kingdom of Camelot. He could not show that he disliked or opposed him. That would only make people think he did not know what was good for him, so he could only invoke King Arthur.

"But Sir Lancelot is a knight as famous as your uncle Arthur, a knight whom even Arthur admires immensely. If Arthur were in your position, I imagine he would also be willing to accept the knighthood of his friend."

Queen Guinevere could not help saying. Though she supported Gawain more, that was because she disliked Mordred even more. Gawain seemed exceptionally firm in his wishes and decisions, which gave her a headache. If he had simply listened, with the queen whispering in King Arthur's ear, his advantage over Mordred would have been utterly overwhelming.

His stubbornness on certain matters always displeased her.