Disappointment

As the king of Camelot, Arthur possessed the loftiest status, the greatest power, the holiest radiance, and the most glorious deeds. Whether he slew dragons, destroyed terrifying monsters, or defeated mighty foes, they were merely small embellishments amid his starlike splendor.

The glory he had gained now could no longer bring him heartfelt joy, because he already possessed far too much of it.

But Gawain was different. As his successor and the child of his sister, even the smallest measure of glory Gawain earned was more worthy of Arthur's sincere delight than any glory Arthur had gained himself.

King Arthur could not wait to introduce his nephew to his Knights of the Round Table and to the nobles throughout the kingdom. He wanted to recount Gawain's deeds in the great hall, make his name known, and grant him a seat among the Knights of the Round Table. Yet just as he rose to speak, Gawain opened his mouth. "I'm sorry, Uncle. Those are not my deeds. They are merely the work of bards."

King Arthur's excitement vanished in an instant. His expression turned grave as he stared at Gawain as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. The pressure of the king's gaze made Gawain feel as though a mountain weighed upon him.

Queen Guinevere watched the ugly expression on her husband's face. She knew her husband well; Arthur Pendragon was clearly angry.

"Your Majesty, just as I do not know you and have only heard of your deeds among the people, you never truly knew me either. These deeds were only stories I made up in childhood, after hearing so much about you and coming to admire you. In Northern Europe, men were supposed to become warriors or pirates, not knights. I invented tales of a wandering knight only so that one day I could make them real myself. And because I share your blood, the people of Camelot believed that I should naturally be this valiant, so those deeds must naturally be true."

A fine layer of sweat formed on Gawain's forehead. He felt the pressure emanating from his uncle, King Arthur. For some reason, his lies had reached Arthur's ears, and Arthur had believed them without the slightest doubt. In truth, the people of Camelot had also firmly believed the boasts surrounding Gawain's deeds.

Once King Arthur personally announced them to everyone in the banquet hall, if they were exposed, both Gawain and Arthur would lose all face. Gawain, in particular, would be utterly disgraced. Forget inheriting the throne—even becoming a knight would be unacceptable to anyone.

No subjects would be willing to swear loyalty to a king with no achievements who relied on lies to steal his position, and no Knight of the Round Table would accept a liar into their glorious ranks.

"You are a knight, the King of Knights. That is why I too dreamed of becoming a knight."

Gawain lowered his head humbly. "Because I admired you, I longed to be like you. I even invented tales of adventure, and it was my fault that Your Majesty misunderstood."

King Arthur looked at Gawain with mixed feelings. His anger had unexpectedly dissipated because of those words. Gawain sounded sincere, and Arthur had no way to determine whether he spoke the truth or lied. Even he could not see through men's hearts. Yet he believed Gawain. He believed what Gawain said was true, just as he had heard of Gawain's deeds from the people and believed them without the slightest suspicion.

Like father, like son. In Chinese, this might carry a somewhat derogatory meaning, but in English, it was simply an objective observation.

England had a famous saying: like father, like son!

It meant that a son would surely resemble his father.

Fathers and sons were always alike. As a king who had accomplished great deeds, Arthur possessed boundless glory and countless legends, so naturally he had never doubted Gawain's deeds.

If someone had told him that there was a wandering knight in the kingdom claiming to have defeated giants and evil dragons, rescued a princess, and now wished to apply to join his Knights of the Round Table—

Then, as king, he would first have his men investigate whether those claims were true, then personally examine the knight's worth, or send Sir Lancelot to do so.

But if that knight were Gawain, the thought of doubting him would never even arise.

It should be said that since Gawain was his sister's child, his nephew, was it not only natural for him to accomplish such things?

"Gawain, do you know that you have lost your chance to become a Knight of the Round Table?" King Arthur said in a subtle tone.

"The Knights of the Round Table are the models of knighthood. I am not qualified to become one of them, but at the very least, I wished to be honest with you."

Gawain explained respectfully, "My mother taught me that winning friends through pretense, gaining results through deception, using wealth obtained through begging to bestow favors and display generosity, wishing to earn achievements without effort, or seeking respect by doing good deeds in the easiest way possible—anyone who wants to do such things is a complete fool."

As Arthur listened to Gawain's words, he reached out and stroked the pentagram embroidered upon his clothes. It symbolized the five virtues of knighthood: generosity, courtesy, chastity, piety, and friendship.

If King Arthur personally knighted Gawain, then even if there were voices of criticism, no one would dare question it in light of Arthur's prestige.

Even if everyone understood what Gawain's deeds really amounted to, for Arthur's sake and because Gawain was heir to the throne, no one would make trouble for themselves by defying public opinion.

"Gawain, I know you, but I do not understand you. That is not something for which I blame myself; it is my regret, the regret of a lifetime.

Many years ago, on this very Christmas Eve, when I was your age, I drew Excalibur from the stone and was then acclaimed king by everyone. Although the political situation was complicated at the time and my coronation met with many twists and turns, I overcame it all.

Now, you do not even seem qualified to become a knight. All the deeds surrounding you stem only from your vanity. Your reputation was praised into existence by those seeking profit, and your glory comes from my position.

You can easily obtain everything you desire. You were born into a happy family. You have never experienced setbacks. You were born a prince and will inherit a kingdom in the future.

But someone like you cannot become a knight. Odin's curse has robbed you of courage, Gawain."

King Arthur's tone was exceedingly calm, but those calm words were undoubtedly the harshest accusation in Gawain's heart. This was absolutely not the time to argue. Gawain lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have disappointed you!"

"No. Arthur the king may be disappointed, but Arthur your uncle is not. Your childhood was different from mine. You were happy, because your father was there to care for you, your mother loved you dearly, and I, as your uncle, can also be someone you rely on. So you need not blame yourself. You can proudly say to me and to everyone in Camelot, 'My uncle is King Arthur!'

If growing into someone worthy means becoming like me, losing both father and mother in childhood, then I would rather you be an ordinary person. I love you, Gawain!"

King Arthur shook his head slightly, then leaned close to Gawain and greeted him cheek to cheek, kissing him on the cheek. Gawain looked startled and flustered. He had never experienced this tradition passed down from the Roman Empire, neither in his previous life nor in Denmark, so he could only press his cheek to Arthur's and say, "I love you too, Arthur!"