Sir Kay was taken aback. He hadn't expected this young woman to be standing up for Sir Gawain.
At that moment, Prince Arthur spotted Kay and immediately turned to Gwen. "It's no use talking to me about this. Kay is here—tell him!"
Now, that was a perfectly normal thing to say, but for some reason, Kay felt like Arthur was trying to cover his tracks, like he was desperately trying to avoid letting Kay know what was going on.
Before Kay could think any more about it, Gwen, fueled by agitated emotion, rushed over to him.
"Sir Kay, I really don't think Gawain did anything wrong. He shouldn't be treated the same way as that despicable knight!"
Gwen's boldness surprised Kay.
In the past, Gwen had been absolutely terrified of him. She wouldn't have dared to speak loudly in front of Kay, let alone argue with him so fiercely.
Could this be the power of love?
"Why shouldn't they? Didn't they both commit the same offense?" Kay asked sternly. "I don't believe there is anything wrong with my ruling. If you disagree, you are perfectly welcome to appeal to the King." But love doesn't grant you a free pass. While Gawain's actions weren't exactly a mistake, Kay knew the boy was a hothead who liked trouble. If he didn't toss him in a cell to cool off, who knows what he'd do next.
Kay wasn't about to spoil Gwen just because she asked.
At this point, Gwen seemed to snap out of her intense state. Sir Kay wasn't Arthur—Arthur might indulge her, but Kay absolutely would not!
Ever since Gwen and Arthur traveled to Ealdor together, the two had developed strong feelings for each other. Gwen admired Arthur's kindness and bravery, and Arthur loved Gwen's resilience and down-to-earth nature. Their relationship quickly heated up when Gwen took care of Arthur after he was thrown into the dungeon. They both knew the other was interested, but neither had actually said anything.
Today, when Gwen was harassed, the news quickly reached Arthur. The Prince, of course, couldn't tolerate that. He immediately grabbed his sword and rushed out, intending to defend Gwen's honor and look like a hero in front of his crush. Arthur had a great scenario planned out, but reality didn't go his way.
When he arrived, he found that someone had already swooped in and played the hero. Arthur was seriously bummed out. He finally reached the tournament grounds only to see the girl he was crazy about cheering wildly for another man. He even watched that jerk walk over to Gwen with flowers, which nearly made Arthur explode right there.
He immediately charged over, ready to throw down his gauntlet and challenge the jerk to a duel if he tried anything inappropriate with Gwen.
Thankfully, nothing happened. Arthur had also calmed down a bit. If he dared to challenge someone to a duel right in front of Kay just because of a jealous rivalry over Gwen, the consequences… Arthur didn't even want to think about the punishment waiting for him. More importantly, Arthur knew very well that Kay would never approve of him and Gwen being together.
King Uther definitely wouldn't approve, and Arthur couldn't bear to imagine what Gwen would face if they were discovered. So, Arthur was feeling incredibly guilty and nervous, scared to show any sign of his true feelings.
Kay, meanwhile, didn't suspect a thing. In his mind, there was no way Arthur would get involved with Gwen. Impossible!
So, although he found Arthur a little weird, he just assumed the Prince had gotten bored and snuck out of training.
"What are you doing here instead of training? King Uther is taking this tournament very seriously, and you know exactly why. Don't mess this up for me. Get back to the training grounds immediately and get back to work. You have to win the championship!"
The trouble Arthur caused recently couldn't just vanish. While Kay had perfectly managed the conflict with the Kingdom of Cendred, it didn't erase Arthur's original blunder.
If it hadn't been for the water creature incident, where Arthur bravely risked his life and earned back some goodwill, there would be a lot more resentment brewing, especially since Arthur's initial actions were both foolish and had severe consequences.
This upcoming Knight's Tournament is Arthur's big chance for redemption. If he can win the champion title in front of the people of Camelot, his popularity will immediately soar, helping to offset the previous negative fallout.
Lately, King Uther has kept Arthur on a short leash, making him train relentlessly with Kay to ensure he snags the championship.
This isn't just a competition; for Arthur, it's a crucial political mission to secure his position as the legitimate heir!
Both King Uther, Princess Morgana, and Kay are taking this deadly seriously. Morgana, who used to constantly find ways for Arthur to slack off, has been even more stressed than the King lately. She's actively pushing Arthur and personally overseeing his diet.
Bottom line: Arthur shouldn't be here right now.
After Kay's harsh lecture, Arthur had no choice but to slink back to the Knight's training grounds, where he channeled all his frustration into his workout.
Meanwhile, Gwen was shocked into reality by Kay's dressing down and began to rethink her relationship with Arthur. She had to admit, Arthur's constant thoughtfulness and caution had made her a little too confident.
She couldn't believe she had just questioned Kay's decision to his face. While she still believed he was wrong to imprison Gawain, she never would have dared to challenge Kay before.
She didn't have the guts, the right, or the social standing.
After Kay sent Arthur packing, Gwen immediately realized the huge gap between them. She was a servant; Arthur was the Prince!
...
Though the realization was heartbreaking, Gwen forced herself to push aside those complicated feelings. Right now, her priority was helping Gawain. She felt responsible for his imprisonment, so she had to get him released.
Of course, she now understood she didn't have the power to do it herself. She'd been naive enough to think Arthur could just order Gawain's release, but she realized how childish that was.
But all hope wasn't lost. She might not have the power, but someone else did:
Princess Morgana!
Thinking quickly, Gwen immediately went looking for Morgana. But she didn't find the Princess. Instead, she found out about something far more serious: because Gawain had participated in a duel before the tournament, he had been disqualified from competing!
Gwen immediately panicked. If being thrown in a cell was just a temporary hardship, losing his spot in the tournament would directly impact Gawain's entire future!
This was a massive blow for any knight. The Knight's Tournament had become a huge annual event. Every year, young knights who distinguished themselves would catch the eye of powerful noble lords, who would then grant them land and title, making them landed knights.
There is a world of difference between a knight who only holds a title and a knight who holds land—they are two completely different classes.