A Legend Changes

This story is based wholly upon the Arthurian Legend. It is a work in progress and so there maybe errors within the text. I hope those who know this legend well will understand that there are many versions of it, and therefore many variations of what happens throughout the tellings. 

Please read and leave comments, they will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Please bear in mind that this story involves the magic of speaking telepathically and unfortunately this site does not allow for italics, underlining or font change, so I would be very grateful if you could try to understand where certain spoken parts are not in speech marks and that they are meant to be in italics. It would be very much appreciated.

Chapter One: Mixed Emotions

   I always wondered why my life is as it is, but no one will ever know the life I’ve led. Somehow, I’ve always been different, always more than what was expected of me or something other than. Though I never knew that my life was about to be changed completely.

   As the chiming of metal on metal ringed in my ears and the whoosh of the arrows as they flew through the air until they hit their target, I watched my closest friends practice their fighting. Like them, I also had a sword, two and a half feet long, light-weight, yet powerful enough to cut through armour, skin and bone. It had an elaborate Celtic design around the handle; at the end of the pommel was a beautiful shining stone of aquamarine sapphire (my favourite colour). Along the flats of the blade was a central groove, this made the light shine off at odd angles and allowed my enemy to be blinded by the intense brightness. I also had a bow, made of ash and horse hair with very fined recurve tips.

   Unlike my friends I am a girl. Not just any girl, I am a knight just like them but I am also (unfortunately) the princess. Now, you’re probably wondering why I have this title in this day and age, and to be honest I don’t really know myself, but I am very good at it and I have beaten all of the others but one. That one happens to be Sir Tristan, my cousin and closest friend. We have known each other since birth and we always used to play knights when we were younger (with wooden sticks that is). I can’t recall any memory of me beating him; well, he is the best out of us all (except my father, maybe). He’s not just the best at armed combat, you should see him at archery; now that takes a lot of guts to try and beat.

   I don’t know how long I stood there staring, unaware of the happenings around me, I was too busy thinking. You could say I was far away, and I was. I was in a world of my own. At least I was until something small, sharp and shiny came buzzing towards my head. I came out of my subconscious state and quickly ducked down to the ground, as a dagger came spinning at me from one of the knights. A dull thud sounded, as the pointed tip hit the vertical wooden beam I was leant against just a second before. I stood up, yanked the dagger out and threw back towards its original point. This happened to be the spot where Sir Gawain was. He usually did things like that to me just to see my reaction. As my thrown projectile traced its path to him he stepped aside and laughed as it fell to the hard earth behind him. I rolled my eyes.

   ‘Wake up, Elara. I could’ve killed you. Best pay attention from now on,’ he said in a husky voice.

   ‘I’ll get you one day, and then you’ll regret doing that to me,’ I replied harshly.

   ‘You know I don’t mean anything by it. Anyway, you’re too quick for it to hit you.’

   ‘Mmph.’

   I unsheathed my sword and slowly paced towards him with a smirk on my face, my dark brown eyes narrowed slightly. Though I knew he wanted me to do this, I couldn’t help but do it anyway. He too unsheathed his sword, with a tingling sound as it rubbed against the leathered pine of his scabbard. He then spun it around him in his hand as if it were just a length of rope. Show-off, I thought.

   CLANG. Our swords struck each other in mid-swing and we began to duel. I lunged at him and he at me but neither reluctant to give the other the upper hand. I parried each of his swings swiftly and strongly. This lasted about ten minutes but seemed even longer when you’re the one whose being thrust at by a young man your own age and strength. It’s very tiring after just one minute.

   He again lunged at me but it was all wrong. I parried it, but at the same time twisted my wrist to unbalance his weapon. Once his grip was crushed, I flicked my blade and he let go of the pommel of his. The sword went flying to my right, a few feet away the tip stuck in the ground and he was left defenceless. I rested my tip under his chin and lifted his head up gently.

   ‘Dead,’ I quietly said, and smiled. I sheathed my sword and bowed to him before walking off to do a bit of archery practice.

   In the Table Hall we were sat at our usual seats around the table. I, as princess, sat at my father’s right hand and the others spaced out around the rest of the circular length. This was probably the noisiest time of day for me. The knight’s played jokes on each other during the day but in the evening the jokes are about other people, so the laughing is more intense.

   I was sat in a comfortable chair as always, cushioned and thick set. Though what I wore didn’t show my status as it should do. The knight’s main attire is leather jerkins and cotton shirts with their metal torso armour on, embellished with their appropriate coat of arms. This is also what I wear, or prefer to wear compared with the expected ‘princess’ fashion. Dress and tiara. The only time anyone will catch me wearing that stuff is at a ball or ceremony (even then I despise wearing such clothing). My father always says it brings the feminine side of me out better but I prefer to fit in with the boys rather than the ladies.

   As the starter was replaced by the main course (roast lamb and vegetables) I started to take in what the others were saying.

   ‘Honestly, you should have seen her face. Totally oblivious,’ said Gawain. Of course he’d be talking about me, not that I minded, it’s just that lately the knights have been politer than normal; not their usual selves. I don’t understand but I believe it has something to do with the year and the time I was born.

   ‘Lancelot, do you think that maybe you could cheer up a bit? You seem a bit low recently.’ asked Sir Galahad, the more boisterous of the knights.

   ‘Mmm? Sorry, I am down at the moment, something keeps getting at me,’ he replied. His voice was so charming. He was charming. I had to admit he was handsome and the one I liked most of my ‘brothers’. The knights are closer to me than just as friends, some closer than others. Tristan is much more a brother than a cousin, but Lancelot, well, where to start. I’ve always had a secret feeling for him, and I swear he has one for me too. Whenever I got too close to him he steps away. And as he spoke just then, I’m sure that he made a quick sideways glance at me, from Galahad’s point of view, but I couldn’t be sure.

   ‘Oh, I get it,’ said Galahad, which ruined my train of thought.

   To the left of me my father sat listening to them, laughing along to their remarks. He and I have never been apart (in the sense of across the country); sometimes I wonder whether that’s the reason I am more of a knight than I am a princess. He reckons so anyway. This is probably because my life has had more of a male atmosphere than a female one. I never knew my mother, Queen Guinevere; she died giving birth to me. I’ve been told I have her eyes and hair; and somehow I’m like a younger version of her. I think of her as beautiful, full of life, kind and gentle, but that’s because I’ve never been told much about her. Whenever I tried to question my father about it he always changed the subject or didn’t give a straight forward answer. Tristan says it hurts him to remember.

   ‘Well, it’ll soon be your birthday, Elara. Eighteen, so soon,’ said a deep voice beside me. I knew it was my father, he always says my name that way, as if I’m too fragile. The way that says ‘I’ll always watch over you’. I understood, he has already lost one loved one; to lose me would break his heart wholly.

   ‘Yes, I can’t wait,’ I said as enthusiastically as I could. Also, I knew the knights were listening because the noise had silenced. The problem was this was the thing that I was bothered about so much. Eighteen, why has it come so quickly? It seemed not so long ago that I was fifteen.

   ‘You know I have planned a ball for you.’

   ‘I had guessed. Does that mean I have to wear a dress?’

   He nodded, I groaned, the knights whistled and mumbled under their breaths. To be honest none of them had ever properly seen me in a dress, only in my outdoor attire.

   I picked apart my lamb. ‘I suppose there’s no getting out of that then?’

   ‘No, there isn’t,’ he said but he smiled all the same.

   ‘You know how I hate to wear them.’

   ‘Elara, you have a whole wardrobe of dresses that you haven’t even seen, let alone tried on.’

   ‘That is for a reason.’

   ‘Well, I hope you pick the nicest one. I’d like you for once to look as if you are my daughter.’

   ‘Not that I have any choice in the matter,’ I said as quietly as I could.

   My father is so persistent sometimes, but I try my best to please him. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I then turned my head to see the knights’ reactions. They each wore a smile too and their eyes seemed to be lit up from an inside light. All except Dagonet, he was the quietest of the knights, but once you got to know him he was more open.

   That was the worst part of the whole dress thing, having them see me in it and having to call me your highness. They have never called me your highness. Actually, they have never called me your highness ever since the day I threw a dagger at Gawain for calling me it as I walked inside during a downpour on a duelling day. I was probably seven or eight, but I had a good sense of aim from a very young age. Unfortunately, Gawain hadn’t known that back then. So I had to make sure that the dagger just missed his left ear.

   In fact, I do slightly like dresses (not that the knights know), but I just don’t like them when it involves me wearing them in public and having to do up my hair and have a glittering tiara on my head that shows everyone where I am (at the exact moment I don’t want to be found). It was true; I have got a whole wardrobe of unseen ball gowns and heels most of which were my mother’s. There is a good reason why I’ve never worn them, and that is because they are either too big or small for me or because I don’t like the colours or styles of them (well, the ones that I have seen, anyway).

   ‘No, you don’t. I’m making sure you turn up at the ball in a dress.’ He must have heard my remark. There was a slight hint of an order or demand in his words

   ‘Aw, tough luck, Elara. We get to see your feminine side after all,’ Bors commented, my least favourite knight. I just had to scowl, he just grinned back.

   I relaxed my face, but kept my shoulders strained. ‘Well, you’ll all be in for a surprise. I’m going to pick the best out of the whole lot, even if it takes me all day, every day, until the day.’

   ‘I can’t wait,’ said Galahad. ‘Well, boys, I suppose we will have to wait until her birthday to see the final result.’

   ‘What do you mean result?’ I asked simply, but with a bit of a hiss on the s.

   ‘Well, you will look completely and utterly different than you are now. Yes?’ I knew it was a question at the end but I couldn’t be bothered answering him, I had other business to attend to in my room, sorting what on earth I’ll be wearing. I’m sure I owned a low cut, knee-length coral blue piece that I absolutely adored (obviously, I never told anyone, not even my closest female friend. Though I suspected she knew).

   Walking to my quarters, still indulged in the evening’s happenings, I wondered why only I had to be the one to change. Surely the knights should be made to wear their best suits, cloaks and boots. I’ll have to talk to father about that tomorrow, if I have time to, what with all my hunting out the perfect outfit for my birthday ball.

   ‘Beth!’ I shouted as I entered my room.

   ‘Yes, your highness,’ came a soft toned voice from the servant door.

   ‘Beth, how many times must I tell you to call me Elara?’

   Too many times, frankly. ‘Yes, Elara.’ Still a bit formal, but I understood.

   ‘Now, did you know that I was expected to wear a dress for this ball?’

   ‘Of course. Your father came to me while you were outside with the knights.’

   ‘Great. I’m the last to find out. I bet the knights knew before me as well. They didn’t seem very surprised when my father brought it up.’

   ‘Well, you are the princess. So I suppose he wants you to be seen as that in front of the other lords and ladies?’

   ‘I know. But it’s just that most of them have met me the way I am when I’m around Tristan and Gawain and the others. I am also expected to talk politely and ladylike as well I suspect. Huh. I hate balls.’ Silence followed this as Beth and I walked through another door into my wardrobe. This just happened to be a long corridor with a rail along each side. The carpet underneath was hardly seen because of all the boxes and heels that had been collected for me over the years. Apparently most of the shoes had been given to me on each of my birthdays previously, by the lords and ladies of the land (mainly the ladies).

   ‘Can you remember if I have a blue knee-length dress somewhere?’

   ‘Oh, I remember. The one where as soon as you saw it you loved it so much that you made me put it back straight away?’

   ‘Yes, I think that’s the one. And you saw how my eyes swelled up too, I imagine?’

   ‘Faintly.’

   ‘Carrying on. Can you find it again?’

   ‘Oh, definitely. I always remember where I put your more precious items,’ she replied rather enthusiastically. She walked further down the aisle, almost to the very end. She stopped and reached out her arm and grabbed the hanger of something light. Pulling it out gently and folding it over the other arm, she strode back and, as she was half way back, my heart beat a little faster as my memory unwound to the first time I saw that shimmering silk and glittering sequins.

   ‘I hope it fits right.’ I hopefully added, perfectly.

   ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out.’

   Behind the screen I changed from my normal clothes into the dress. I needed no help getting it on (from around ten years old I preferred to do things by myself); although, I got Beth to help me with the tying up at the back. I do have a full length mirror in my chamber and I really didn’t want to see myself in it, just in case it didn’t suit me. I was quickly pushed away from that idea.

   ‘Wow! You look so... so pretty.’

   ‘Really?’ I had my eyes shut. ‘Can you lead me to the mirror please, Beth?’ She had changed my view of it in one sentence.

   She took my hand and gently pulled me towards the long pane of silvered glass in the corner. Wherever that was, I couldn’t tell.

   ‘Okay, ready?’

   ‘Ready.’ I suddenly opened my eyes and saw a beautiful maiden staring back at me. She wore a coral blue, knee length ball gown. She had curly brown hair, deep brown eyes. I knew it was me but was I honestly that same girl that just beat a strong young man at duelling earlier today with a simple twist of the wrist. I mean, this figure looked too fragile, even for a simple ride around the countryside on horseback. As soon as I saw my reflection I gasped and turned around.

   ‘Well?’

   ‘I... I... I love it. It’s perfect. And it fits.’

   Another thing that I had noticed was how light my body now felt with the lightness of the dress compared to the heavier fabric of my outside garments. My shoulders dropped as I didn’t have to concentrate on holding up any chain mail or armour.

   Then I realised Beth was speaking to me. ‘You still have to show the king what you’re wearing before the night.’

   I giggled as I looked over my shoulder to look at the back in the mirror. ‘May as well show them now, while I have it on.’

   ‘Them?’

   ‘My father and the knights. First, I think my hair needs fixing.’

   ‘May I?’ she offered.

   ‘Come on.’ I went and sat down on the wooden hard back chair. The thing about Beth was, that even though she was my main servant and she had certain duties. She loved to busy herself about the unimportant things (unimportant to me, anyway); things like hair, make-up, shoes.

   I sat there for a while, waiting while Beth untangled my thick, knot-prone locks. As the knots came out, my frizz became wavy sleeks of shiny velvet that smoothly fell down my back. I’d always had thick hair and most of the time it got in the way when I needed my sight most (for example, in duelling).

   ‘Finished,’ she declared. I stood up and slowly spun around. ‘Finally, you are now a princess.’

   ‘Now?’ I smiled. ‘I just have to get my father and the boys into the Hall.’

   ‘I’ll go get them for you. Wait here, ‘til I get back.’

   ‘Right.’ At least that gave me some time to clean my face and find some decent heels.

   Twenty minutes passed by quite slowly. I paced around the room, and started to worry. Worry about what they will all think, worry about if they’ll laugh or disapprove of my taste in colour, fabric, style. Just as I started to worry about something else the door opened and Beth came in.

   ‘They’re waiting.’

   ‘Now it all seems like a bad idea to have them all there.’

   ‘Too late. They seem very anxious and excited.’

   We walked down all the corridors, rooms and stairways just to get back to the Table Hall. Beth a pace and a half behind, the faint trace of a smile on her face; me with my hands balling into fists, then releasing and then crunching into fists again by my side. Right up until the last door, where I stopped a few paces away and starting panicking. ‘I don’t think I can do this after all.’

   ‘You’ll have to eventually, may as well do it now while it’s fresh on your mind.’

   The problem was it wasn’t fresh on my mind, because, by going to tell my father, Beth had given me time to think in a similar way to how the knights might think (which wasn’t very positive from my personal point of view).

   ‘Right, then. On the count of three you are going to walk in there smiling and very confidently stand before them as you are now. I bet all of them won’t be able to take their eyes off you. Ready? One, two, three.’

  Beth had a way with words, and as soon as she said three I pushed open the heavy oak door and strode into the candle light of the hall. They were all there, all seven of them, and I could feel the blood rush into my cheeks and make me blush. My heart pounded desperately in my chest as if wanting to burst out and scream. But I kept it closed up and smiled (perhaps unconvincingly) but it seemed to do the trick. I could feel Beth’s eyes on me all the time until I stopped, though that wasn’t bothering me. What I saw before me was enough to make me run back the way I came and lock myself in my room.

   Their eyes were wide, their mouths gaped open, and I wondered if they saw the same girl as this morning or the girl in the mirror. Though what they were really thinking I’ll possibly never know because their minds will work in an entirely different way to mine.

   ‘Elara... um. Wow,’ spluttered Tristan. The others shook their heads as if to see if what they were seeing was real or an illusion. I watched them, unable to speak myself, for fear of what I might say (or not say).

   ‘Well. I never knew you could transform from knight to princess in a matter of minutes,’ said my father, as he walked towards me. I turned my head to face him, but eyes still firmly on the others. ‘You look absolutely beautiful.’

   Then it hit me that he meant it and I came out of the comfort of my thoughts and approached the knights about their opinions. ‘So, what do you all think?’ I asked as I twisted from side to side to make the dress shine a bit more, add a bit more glamour to my entrance.

   ‘I think you should have waited to show us at the actual ball rather than tonight. I’m mesmerised,’ gasped Tristan, being the closest to me, he knows I understand him better as a friend than the others. There always seems to be a point where you can go up to with them. Beyond that things tend to get a bit awkward.

   ‘Yeh, he’s right. I don’t think I’ll see you in the same way anymore. Your highness.’ Gawain teasingly bowed to me, he knew it would get to me. I had the nerve to hit him with something, but I had nothing to throw and, secondly, it would be completely out of character for me to be so uncivilised. I simply turned my head to face the rest. Bors seemed bewildered that I would even consider wearing such atrocity, Galahad looked as if he had just seen an angel appear and show him reality, but what Lancelot was thinking was hardest to predict. He just stared solemnly at me as normal, maybe with a bit more respect and dignity than earlier.

   ‘You’re all speechless. I mean, it’s still me, Elara; I’m not someone you’ve never seen in your whole lives. Just because I’ve put on a dress doesn’t mean I’m a different person.’

   ‘I think it may be because they didn’t know this side of you existed. To be truthful, I was starting to worry whether you had any of your mother’s side in you at all,’ commented my father, but he sounded a bit reluctant to say those words.

   ‘Of course I’ve always had it. I just prefer to be who I want to be, not who everyone else wants me to be. Most people would think I’m some spoilt little girl who always gets what she wants and doesn’t even know how to protect herself from situations.’

   ‘What situations?’ asked Gawain, sarcastically.

   ‘Something that doesn’t need to be explained.’

   ‘Oh, doesn’t it?’ he remarked.

   ‘No, it doesn’t. Have any of you lot got anything to say or can we retire for the night?’

   They just shook their heads, and started walking towards the nearest door. My father left first, which was what I hoped.

   ‘Lancelot, can I speak with you for a minute please?’ I asked as the door closed behind my father’s back.

   The others stopped and slowly turned around.

   ‘Ooh, I wonder what’s happening here?’ asked Galahad.

   ‘That’s none of your business. I want to talk to him in private if you don’t mind. Good night.’ I bowed my head, and headed to the door I had entered through. I saw that Beth had already gone. Good, it was going to be completely private.

   ‘Elara, are we not staying in here?’

   ‘I was thinking along the lines of securely private, as in one of the smaller rooms.’

   ‘Ah.’

   It was easy to be more casual with Lancelot alone, he seemed to be more open towards me, but I never really change no matter what the company amounts up to.

   ‘Here we are.’ We were stood outside a smaller door than those opening into the Table Hall. I pushed it open and walked inside. After Lancelot shut the door behind him I started to think things through a bit clearer.

   ‘So, what do you think about this?’ I asked him, and at the same time spun around completely for him to see all sides.

   ‘It suits you very much. I’ve never seen anyone so radiant.’

   ‘You’re sweet, but you do know you don’t have to be formal all the time. You can be as open to me if you allow yourself to be, you know?’ I told him.

   ‘Yes, I know. It’s just that I never know exactly what to say. I mean, you are always beautiful in my eyes, but seeing you as you are now adds a whole new meaning to the word.’

   I’d never in my whole life heard such words from Lancelot. Never knew he could be so (how to put it) romantic, yet at the same time the knight I’d grown up closest to (except Tristan).

   ‘What exactly are you trying to say?’ I desperately wanted to know if he felt any feelings for me, feelings beyond the bonds of friendship. To know that he felt the same way about me as I did about him, that would be a shock. I truly felt like crying, and I could feel the tears ready to overflow, though not visible yet.

   ‘I’m trying to say that I haven’t seen you in the same concept as the others do. I wanted to tell you for a long time now, but there never seemed to be a moment that was the right one.’ As he spoke, he steadily crept towards me. I didn’t mind this at all; I was more worried about the words that were inevitable to be said by him. We looked each other in the eyes for some time. His deep blue eyes seemed to show me his unnoticed emotions, how long had he felt that way? How long had he bottled them up without telling me or showing any sign? Then I remembered, I had felt the same way about him for a long time too. The problem was that I might mistake his feeling as something different to mine. Was it more or less than what I felt about him? Was it true or was I allowing myself to believe I loved him?

   ‘Now seems a right moment,’ was all I could allow myself to say.

   ‘It does. I want you to know that I have always loved you as more of a sister than a friend. However, recently that love has mounted up from our years together. It seems more and I’m glad you asked me to talk now. For it seemed that I might have to tell you straight off when you’re attention is elsewhere but on me. I want to say that that love has grown and I hope that you feel the same towards me.’

   I took a deep breath in. ‘So... so, you mean to say that you... you... love me?’

   ‘Yes. That is exactly how I feel about you, Elara.’ His words were so steady compared to my babbling.

   I started to cry, yet giggle at the same time, it just overwhelmed me to hear that. The giggles suppressed, but the sobbing still continued. I raised my hands to cover my face, and I didn’t notice at first that he had his arms wrapped around me and gently stroking my hair. My sobs stopped but I had a few tears left to cry.

   I relaxed more then, and returned his comforting embrace. I brushed away the trails left by my crying and looked up. Our eyes met for the second time. But now his gaze was warm and soft. It happened so suddenly that my mind went blank, all thought extinguished. First second I was staring into his eyes, next second I felt his lips pressed gently against mine. His hold on me firmed up a little, and my arms (in return) rose up his back feeling the muscles from his life training. It seemed like an eternity, but eventually he released me. He didn’t wait for me to let go of him, he suddenly pulled away and walked through the door. I stared after him, transfixed and bewildered, yet at the same time confused. My hands fell to my sides and my gaze fell to the floor. I closed my eyes trying to recall that unexplored feeling, but it seemed out of my reach. It seemed it really did take two to experience love.

Note to Reader: This Book is entered in the Young Writer's Prize (for both genres) so please remember to vote on each chapter :D Enjoy!!!