Dala Bengba's Song

Long, long ago, a dragon suddenly appeared.

It brought disaster, carried off the princess, then vanished without a trace.

The kingdom was in grave danger. Who was the bravest in the world?

A hero arrived and shouted loudly,

"I shall take the finest sword, climb the highest mountain,

Charge into the deepest forest, and bring the princess back before you."

The king was overjoyed and hurriedly asked his name.

The young man thought for a moment and said,

"Your Majesty, my name is Dala Bengba Bandebedibu Dobiruweng."

King: "Say that again."

Young man: "Dala Bengba Bandebedibu Dobiruweng."

King: "Was it Dala Bengba Bandebedibu Dobiruweng?"

Young man: "Yes, yes, Dala Bengba Bandebedibu Dobiruweng."

The hero Dala Bengba mounted the fastest horse,

Setting out from the castle with everyone's hopes upon his shoulders.

He defeated attacking monsters and won twelve gold coins,

Countless scars bearing witness as he slowly leveled up.

In the queen's palace, an old man holding a lute plucked its strings and played music. His granddaughter, a little girl who looked eight or nine years old, sang Gawain's "Dala Bengba's Song" in a clear, sweet voice.

It was said that Gawain had written it based on the tale of how, under the alias Dala Bengba, he saved a princess and defeated a dragon.

The little girl's expression was so innocent and pure. Even the overly strange tune and melody merely seemed exotic to the people of Camelot. The nobles of Camelot, a cultural desert, lacked refined cultural literacy. Compared to the poetry of this era, they simply found "Dala Bengba's Song" as heavenly as celestial music.

Yes, that was exactly what this era was like.

A young man who had never seen a woman before could run out of the mountains and think every woman was beautiful. An uncultured barbarian could hear someone speak with even a little eloquence and think them cultured.

In the dark Middle Ages, the only beacons of civilization were the fading afterglow of Rome, the Byzantine Empire, and the more distant land of Persia.

Compared with ancient poetry, "Dala Bengba's Song" was simpler, more accessible, and easier to understand. Accompanied by music, it also sounded more relaxed. Poets such as Greece's Homer and Rome's Virgil were simply far too elegant.

What a bunch of bumpkins.

Gawain could not help thinking that. When he thought that such a pop song could actually become a famous work of civilization in the Kingdom of Camelot, and that he would become Camelot's Virgil, his face flushed. Thinking of how later generations might record him, he was so embarrassed that his toes could dig a three-bedroom apartment into the ground.

Since Gawain had accepted Arthur's pioneering knight's decree, he had naturally and honorably become a knight. And since he was a knight, how could they not hold a celebration?

What better way to celebrate than by singing of Sir Gawain's former adventures?

Although Gawain had admitted before Arthur that he had no such deeds to his name, and that the adventure stories circulating among the common folk were false works of fiction, only Arthur and Queen Guinevere knew that. As long as neither of them exposed the lie, it naturally counted as one of Gawain's glorious tales.

"Sir Gawain, in the song, the princess clearly married you. Why are you still unmarried now?"

Princess Anne came before Gawain with a white cat in her arms. The cat yawned, squinting its eyes while slowly swishing its tail, as though reflecting the little princess's uneasy, apprehensive mood.

In "Dala Bengba's Song," Gawain had married that princess—what was her name again?—and they had lived happily ever after. Yet the real Gawain stood right before her.

That princess must have been breathtakingly beautiful, lovely enough to shame the moon and flowers, like Venus, the goddess of beauty from myth. Otherwise, the dragon would not have personally abducted her.

Gawain had encountered such a beautiful princess and fallen in love with her. Could he truly take a liking to Anne?

The little princess lacked confidence in her appearance. She was too young; her face had not yet matured, and her figure could hardly be called full. But whether someone had the potential to become a beauty could already be seen in childhood. Like the little bard girl singing now, who was more striking than Anne in terms of appearance.

"Your Highness, I could not remain in that country, because I am King Lot's son and Arthur's nephew. I have my own country and my own dreams. My future lies upon the land of Britain. I could not abandon my homeland and my people, so I returned. To commemorate the love between the princess and me, and to make up for that regret, Dala Bengba and the princess lived happily ever after in my song. It was merely a fairy tale."

Upon hearing Princess Anne's question, dark lines appeared across Gawain's forehead. He could feel Queen Guinevere's amused gaze upon him, as though she found it especially entertaining to watch Anne interrogate him.

Should he admit to lying right in front of everyone, or continue the lie? In truth, there was no need to say it.

Sir Kay had personally summoned the bard in front of everyone to celebrate Gawain becoming a knight and to build his reputation. If Gawain denied it now, Sir Kay would undoubtedly lose a tremendous amount of face, while Gawain himself would be utterly disgraced.

As Arthur's nephew, Camelot's rising political star, the honor of his family could not be sullied. If Gawain was a hero, then he had better remain a hero. Otherwise, they would not mind in the least if Gawain became a dead hero. This image absolutely could not collapse.

"So that's how it is. Then do you think I can become the princess in your heart?" Princess Anne asked boldly, her face red. Even as a little girl, when she saw her handsome and valiant prospective fiancé and heard that answer, her heart could not help blooming with joy.

The expression of the young princess, just beginning to understand love, was especially adorable. Even if her looks were a little lacking, the vast territories she stood to inherit and her immeasurable wealth meant that, as a princess, she had no need for beauty to enhance her worth.

Gawain froze instantly. Honestly, although he had been transported into this world for nearly a month and had begun working hard to adapt to its daily life, customs, mainstream culture, and even values, dating a six-year-old girl still crossed his absolute bottom line.

He wanted to refuse, but in an instant, he felt Queen Guinevere and Sir Kay's harsh, blade-sharp gazes, as though they wanted to kill him. Those were no longer looks—they were knives.

Princess Anne's marriage did not concern her alone. As the princess of the Kingdom of Brittany, she was to marry in the name of Camelot's future queen.

If Gawain rejected Princess Anne, then Anne would inevitably have to marry Mordred.

To put it bluntly, this was not a marriage between Gawain or Mordred and Princess Anne. It was a political marriage between Arthur, King of Camelot, and the King of Brittany.

"I am willing to wait until you grow up," Gawain finally answered beneath those piercing stares. Princess Anne's face immediately showed disappointment. "Not even now?"

Gawain felt sweat break out all over his body. Seeing the pitiful look on the little princess's face as she was about to cry from disappointment, he sensed the queen and Sir Kay's killing intent grow even stronger. If they had not been in the banquet hall before such a large crowd, Sir Kay would probably have dragged Gawain outside and given him a thorough beating, while the queen would have taken a stick to teach Gawain some "loving discipline."

Of course it was not possible now. If he agreed, that would be far too criminal.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You are still too young," Gawain said, swallowing hard. Under the enormous pressure, he seemed hurried and uneasy.

"Because I have no confidence at all right now. Gawain is the most handsome man I have ever seen. Even Adonis, Endymion, and Orion may not compare to you. You will also build achievements of your own, and like in the story of Dala Bengba, you will meet even more beautiful noblewomen and princesses. What if..."

Princess Anne dejectedly revealed her reason. Gawain had explained why Dala Bengba married the princess, while the real Dala Bengba—Gawain himself—had left that princess. Knowing the truth made her happy, but it also made her uneasy.

"Your Highness, you seem uneasy about your appearance and lack confidence in your charm. But in all of Camelot, the greatest woman is Queen Guinevere. Therefore, if you remain by the queen's side, her guidance can likewise help you become a great woman. You must understand that true charm does not lie in outward appearance. A woman's outer beauty is an expression of the beauty within her heart. Beauty of appearance alone is not true beauty. Arthur chose such a great woman."

Gawain gave the queen a slight nod, then took Princess Anne's hand and led her to the queen's side. "Only a great woman possesses the greatest charm. For example, the great woman emulated by queens throughout the ages is the Virgin Mary. Once you become as great a woman as the queen, then whether you like me or whom you wish to marry will be up to you, Your Highness."

Gawain's words temporarily soothed the little princess, and she was persuaded by him.

When she had been in the Kingdom of Brittany, the ladies-in-waiting around her had told her that the queen was the greatest woman in Camelot, and that becoming the queen would help one become a great woman.

"I am willing to study hard at Queen Guinevere's side in Camelot, so that I may become a woman worthy of you," the little princess promised Gawain with a nod. Those words immediately made Gawain breathe a sigh of relief.

Little girls, as human cubs, were often emotional creatures. Like the children he had encountered before, who needed coaxing even to eat. He had some experience in coaxing children.

Queen Guinevere looked at Gawain and was fairly satisfied with what he had said.

In truth, Arthur had initially intended for Princess Anne to marry Mordred. An illegitimate son could not inherit the throne through the queen, but he could obtain the throne through marriage.

This was Arthur's form of compensation.

Arthur was a just king, and also a magnanimous king. The two might sound contradictory, but in truth, that was his compromise.

The king's wishes were only the king's wishes, and the queen had wishes of her own. The people who truly held the power to decide were not Arthur and Queen Guinevere, but the King of Brittany and Princess Anne.

Of course, those with the most crucial power of decision were still the King of Brittany and the important ministers around him who advised him.

"Your Majesty the Queen, how did His Majesty the King come to like you? Was it because of your beauty, your father, or your purity, kindness, and greatness? What is the difference between liking someone and loving them? And what does it feel like?"

Princess Anne set down her white cat, tugged at the queen's collar, and asked.

"Anne, listen to me. Liking someone means simply liking them. It is merely the stirring of the heart in an instant. How could it come from complicated calculations of kingdoms, politics, power, wealth, and other interests? Even if it is only unrequited love, those feelings are still pure and beautiful.

The reason such feelings are pure is entirely because they are earned by exchanging one's own heart. If you want someone to like you, then the prerequisite is that you must also be willing to like them."

"But what if I like him, yet he thinks I am too young, not pretty enough, and does not like me?"

"Then there is nothing to be done. Feelings that receive no response, with no calculations of mutual interests, no weighing of gains and losses—feelings that, even without an intimate relationship, still hope the other person will like you, still wish to marry them, still wish to bear children with them together—those are undoubtedly love."

Princess Anne listened blankly to the queen's words, her gaze drifting. The emotions in her heart were so intense.

The queen's words seemed to reveal that, besides the king, she had another beloved in her heart.