Chương 1: Memories.
"Sir Mat..."
"Stop!" the young man exclaimed instantly, turning to his old acquaintance. "I've asked you to just call me Mateo... I'm not a knight..." He turned away due to the rush of bad memories. "I'm not a knight anymore..."
"Sir... Mateo..." the approaching old man quickly corrected himself. "I'm sorry things turned out this way..."
"Forget it, Hector," the young man waved his hand dismissively. "Do I really need those high-society conversations or damsels in long, lavish dresses? Of course not!"
"Um..." the old knight replied, clearly flustered.
However, it wasn't the first time he had heard strange words from this young man's mouth. It was precisely because of his straightforward nature and these incomprehensible words that he had become a recluse at the royal court. It had even gone so far that he was banished beyond the capital, into the forest, stripped of all titles and honors. Of course, his inability to be a knight had played a role in all of this. A knight, not a warrior.
"I'm sorry... I confuse you with my quirks," Mateo apologetically rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I mean habits..."
"Don't worry about it, Mateo," the old man smiled. "I've already come to terms with your unique behavior."
"Only you truly understand me, Hector," the young man also smiled back at his friend. "So, what brings you to me?"
"You see, Mateo, I have a request for you," the old man took a step closer. "I need you to..."
"I don't take girls as apprentices," the young man interrupted.
Mateo cast a scrutinizing look at the girl with golden hair and bright green eyes who had been hiding behind his friend earlier. She stood with dignity, just like a knight, and her serious expression clearly revealed the determination of these noble warriors. Ah, there it was, chivalry. She even looked noble in peasant clothing. However, her eyes conveyed her displeasure.
"Mateo, she... He's a boy..." the old man spoke with a strange tone.
"A boy?.." Mateo repeated in shock, then turned to the child. "Are you... a Tranny?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," the child frowned. "A Tranny?"
"Alright," Mateo massaged his nose. "So why should I take care of him?" In the end, he believed his friend because knights don't lie, right?
"You see..." the old man hesitated slightly. "This boy is destined to become the King of Britain in the future..."
"Sir Hector..." the blond boy called out worriedly, his voice sounding quite feminine.
"It's alright, I trust him," the old man reassured him.
"What's your name, kid?" Mateo seemed to have an inkling of who stood before him. "I mean, the boy."
"I am Arthur Pendragon," the boy answered with his head held high.
"Wow..." Mateo let out a whistle. "Hector, did you bring me someone of royal blood?"
"I beg you, old friend," the old man pleaded, "you must teach him the art of wielding a weapon. I was able to make him a knight, but as a warrior, he will excel under your tutelage more than with me!"
"Hector, don't downplay your achievements," Mateo began.
"You are ten times stronger than me! No, a thousand times!" Hector interrupted him.
Mateo looked perplexed at Arthur. Right before him stood one of the most famous historical figures, also known as King Arthur! The man who pulled the legendary sword Excalibur from the stone! The man who founded the Knights of the Round Table. And he was supposed to teach him? Regardless, if Hector was asking him, he simply couldn't refuse his only friend, the one who had always shown him understanding.
"Sigh..." Mateo sighed heavily. "Alright..."
"Thank you," in that one small word, the old man managed to convey the sincerity of a true knight, something Mateo could never replicate. "And you know what? Let's show your new student what you're capable of."
"What are you up to, dude?" Mateo raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
"We'll have a spar, just you and me," Hector declared resolutely. "I may be old, but I can still fight."
"That's true..." Despite his age, Hector was still well-coordinated and could hold his own against many young knights. "But you don't have your weapon."
"Will you lend me yours?" Arthur was shocked as he looked at his mentor. He knew that asking for someone else's weapon was unbecoming for a knight.
"Yes, of course!" With a flash of light, Mateo's hands were equipped with a shield and a sword of the highest quality. Arthur couldn't help but be awestruck by this splendid gear.
"Impress Arthur with something," Hector took the weapon and shield and assumed a fighting stance.
"Alright," Mateo's hands instantly materialized a strange weapon that amazed both the old man and Arthur.
The paired swords were clearly shorter than standard swords, with one end curved downward like a hook, and the other sharpened. The hilt, protecting the hand, was crescent-shaped, with sharp ends aimed at the enemy.
"What is this?" Hector spoke with a hint of fear.
"Shuangou."
"What..."
"Hook swords, in short," the young man chuckled.
"Swords, axes, hammers, spears, tridents, knives, bows..." the knight mumbled monotonously under his breath. "Now this too?..."
"Well, you did ask me to impress him with something," Mateo innocently smiled.
"I meant..." the old man covered his eyes. "Never mind. Arthur, step back," he addressed the boy, who had been staring at the exotic weapon in an un-knightly manner.
"Yes..." realizing he was being impolite, Pendragon collected himself and stepped back.
"Are you ready?" Hector grinned in anticipation.
"Always ready!"
Hector immediately lunged at Mateo, launching a direct sword strike. Mateo easily deflected the blow with one hand, while the other hooked the opponent's shield using the hook sword and pushed it down, breaking through the defense. The old man's eyes widened in shock as the young man, in a swift move, seized the weapon he had parried earlier with the reverse grip and aimed the sharp end of Shuangou at his neck. Hector couldn't block the attack in any way: the shield held the hook of the second weapon, and the sword was also locked by the hook of the first Shuangou, with the hook literally sliding along the blade of the sword, preventing it from being pulled out of this clever trap. In the end, the sharp end stopped just centimeters away from his unprotected skin.
"I surrender..." the old man squeezed out, breathing a sigh of relief. "This weapon is simply incredible!" He then returned the borrowed sword and shield.
"I like it too," the young man smiled.
"Your skill is astonishing," Arthur approached them.
"Oh, boy, back in the day, he defeated ten knights with just a stick!" memories flooded over the old man.
"That's actually the Bo staff," Mateo corrected him.
"Well, I'll leave you two now."
"You're leaving already? Maybe you'll stay and have a meal with us?" Mateo's mood instantly soured.
"Sorry, but I still have matters to attend to," the old man crouched before the blond boy. "Arthur, learn well, pay attention to every word he says. Maybe he's not a great knight, but he's a perfect warrior. Learning from a perfect warrior is an honor for anyone, especially for the future ruler of Britain."
"I will do my best," Arthur nodded decisively. "Thank you for everything, Sir Hector. I will never forget you."
"Take care of him, Mateo," the old man looked at the young man, then turned and walked towards his home.
"I will."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Hey, Mateo!" someone nudged him on the shoulder.
"Oh!" Mateo exclaimed in panic. "Sorry, Mordred... I was lost in thought."
The two knights were strolling down the corridor of the royal castle without haste. One of them was fully clad in steel armor, leaving no part of him exposed, while the other was dressed in simple, sturdy clothing. Mordred's steps echoed throughout the corridor, while his companion's were nearly silent.
"I asked you how you met our King," the knight in armor repeated impatiently, his voice muffled by the helmet.
"She was brought to me by an old friend," the young man spoke with sadness. "I don't take girls as apprentices, but that time I was deceived..."
"Her? You know the King can't be a woman!" Mordred reproached him.
"Tsk," Mateo clicked his tongue. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Hey! You can't just change the subject like that!" the knight continued to protest loudly.
"You're too loud for a knight, dude, relax."
"Heh, you need to relax more than I do," Mordred retorted.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, why do you stick out your chest in your armor like you have breasts?"
"HEY!" the knight yelled even louder. "How dare you say something like that?!"
She was well aware of the reputation this commoner had in the royal court. Everyone in the castle cast disdainful glances at him, including the noble knights who considered him a disgrace to all of Britain. Only Mordred and King Arthur treated him with respect. He lacked the stature of a noble and the spiritual refinement, but he possessed a simple and kind human heart. She too didn't particularly care for all the etiquette, and when her mother enchanted her into the form of a boy and brought her to him, she thought he would start giving her lessons in knighthood. However, instead, he made a warrior out of her. In the end, she had to learn all the intricacies of etiquette on the fly.
"They just don't know the real him," she thought every time someone showed disrespect to her teacher.
She would have stood up for him, but the teacher didn't allow it, saying he was used to it. The young man endured all these humiliations for the sake of their King, as he himself confessed to her once: "I'm here only for Artoria," he had told her then, which had pierced her heart.
"No, seriously," he couldn't understand the agitation of his companion, "you're a guy, so why did you stick out your chest in your armor?"
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Mordred yelled and turned away.
"Okay, okay," Mateo patted him on the back, "I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Hmph!" the knight continued to sulk.
"Come on, you'll forgive your teacher," the young man smiled.
"Tell me, if I were a girl, would your attitude towards me change?.." the knight spoke with a strange intonation.
"Well, uhh..." Mateo began thoughtfully. "I guess you would then become the lady of my heart!"
"WHAT?!"
"I'm comfortable with you, you don't pay attention to my quirks... I mean, habits, and you accept me as I am... I think I..." At that moment, he noticed there was no one else around him. "Mordred?" He turned around and realized that his student had stopped in one place without moving. "Mordred?"
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