You have to admit, Gwen's idea was brilliant—it's always easier when you have friends in high places!
Morgana's efficiency was top-notch; before long, Gawain was brought before the King.
The moment Gawain entered the Great Hall of the Palace, the entire royal court was waiting for him.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
While Gawain's bow to King Uther was technically correct, his tone was far too casual. His words lacked the typical fear and respect that people usually showed for the monarchy. He didn't use any humble phrases, like "Your loyal servant, Gawain," and his whole attitude carried an unspoken hint of sarcasm.
King Uther frowned. He didn't like this young man. He was too flippant. Both his words and his bearing were a million miles away from the traditional chivalry Uther upheld. However, as a King, Uther had to show some graciousness. After all, Gawain wasn't one of his vassals, and with knights from all over gathered for the tournament, Uther wasn't going to punish him for such a minor offense.
"Welcome to Camelot, Sir Gawain. Next time you offer a greeting, I suggest you include your name."
Uther offered a slight jab, then instructed a nearby knight to hand over Gawain's credentials. After the whole fiasco with Lancelot, Camelot had gotten much stricter about verifying identity. Thankfully, Gawain's papers checked out. His father had indeed been a foreign knight who died in battle many years ago, and Gawain had inherited the title. Though he had no lands granted by a king, he was definitely a member of the noble class.
Gawain didn't pay any attention to Uther's subtle sarcasm. Instead, he kept staring at the women in the hall, not even sparing Morgana. However, when he saw Kai standing next to Morgana, his expression instantly changed. He gave Kai a polite nod and stopped staring at Morgana.
Gawain knew perfectly well who had saved his life, so he wasn't going to be disrespectful toward Kai's fiancée. He might be a bit of a rogue, but he wasn't heartless. That courtesy didn't extend to Gwen, though; he immediately started staring at her quite boldly.
His brazenness made Gwen blush, and she fidgeted, not knowing what to do with her hands. Every so often, she would glare at Gawain, urging him to behave.
Their flirtatious exchange didn't go unnoticed by everyone, but two people definitely caught it.
One was Morgana. Initially, she was annoyed by Gawain's lack of respect—even though she appreciated his heroism, it didn't give him the right to be rude. But she quickly noticed the dynamic between Gawain and Gwen.
This observation suddenly made Morgana happy. Morgana and Gwen were practically best friends; though their relationship was technically mistress and maid, they were more like sisters, and they were very close. Seeing that something might be brewing between the two, Morgana was genuinely delighted for Gwen.
Even though Gawain was just a struggling, landless knight, he still had a noble title, was handsome, and seemed principled. He was a great catch for Gwen.
With that thought, Morgana instantly warmed up to Gawain, deciding he was actually a pretty decent guy.
The other person who noticed wasn't so pleased: Arthur. When he saw Gwen and Gawain exchanging glances, he nearly lost control of his temper and challenged Gawain right there. Fortunately, both Kai and Uther were present, so despite his raging jealousy, Arthur didn't dare act out.
"Sir Gawain, may I know the reason for your visit to Camelot?" Uther asked after reviewing Gawain's credentials.
"The Knights' Tournament, Your Majesty," Gawain answered directly.
Uther raised an eyebrow and asked, completely poker-faced, "Oh. And are you aware that Camelot law stipulates that any tournament participant is forbidden from engaging in private duels, or they will be disqualified?"
"Yes, I am aware," Gawain replied, still showing no nervousness.
"Then I hereby announce that you are disqualified from the tournament. Do you accept this judgment?" Uther disliked any breach of the law; he believed that laws were meant to be followed.
Gawain was prepared for this. In fact, he wasn't all that invested in the tournament anyway. He had mainly come to see the world. As a knight, he enjoyed fighting high-level opponents, but he didn't care about the rest of it. He had no desire to become a vassal to any king, as he held a cynical view of nobles and kings. He preferred a wandering life, disliking the high-and-mighty pretense of the aristocracy.
Just as Gawain was about to accept Uther's ruling, Morgana stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I don't believe this matter should be so easily decided. While Gawain's actions did violate the law, he had a compelling reason, and therefore he deserves clemency."
No one in the hall, except Gawain, was surprised to see Morgana step up. After all, the only reason Gawain was brought here was because of her intervention. Arthur and Kai understood best of all: Morgana was speaking up primarily for Gwen.
If it weren't for Gwen, would Morgana even know who Gawain was?
Kai remained neutral; he didn't really care what happened to Gawain (Kai was unaware that Gawain would become one of the most famous Knights of the Round Table in the future).
Arthur's feelings were more complicated. On one hand, he agreed with Morgana: Gawain had fought to defend Gwen from an obnoxious noble. On this point, whether professionally or personally, Arthur completely supported him. He might even cheer for Gawain if he set aside his own feelings.
On the other hand, Arthur utterly disliked and was hostile toward Gawain because of his obvious interest in Gwen. Deep down, Arthur wished this guy would just disappear quickly.
King Uther furrowed his brow and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Morgana then explained the full details of Gawain's duel.
"Gwen is a citizen of Camelot. When she was being harassed, Sir Gawain upheld the noble spirit of chivalry and stepped forward to stop the misconduct. If a person who does that is punished, what will others think of Camelot?"
Morgana made an excellent point, and she knew Uther's weakness: he cared deeply about appearances. If he, the King of Camelot, punished someone who was trying to help one of his own citizens, it would look terrible. People might assume Uther was afraid of the noble who harassed the maiden.
Uther considered this for a moment, then looked to Kai for his opinion.
Kai didn't have any strong feelings—it was a small matter. But he agreed with Morgana's argument.
"I think Morgana is right. Regardless of anything else, Gawain's original intent was to protect a citizen of Camelot."
Uther nodded, ready to let the matter drop, when he noticed Arthur standing off to the side, deep in thought. Uther assumed Arthur had an opinion, so he asked, "Arthur, what is your view?"
Arthur was startled by Uther's sudden question.
"I think..."
As Arthur spoke, Gwen stared intently at him, hoping he wouldn't say anything that would disappoint her.
Feeling Gwen's intense gaze, Arthur felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew, no matter how much he denied it, that he was jealous. Luckily, Arthur was a man of principle. Despite his inner discomfort, he chose not to lie.
"Morgana is correct."