“Ah!” *thud* His sword fell off his hands with his back sprawled over the muddy field. “Not again…” The boy picked himself off the ground and reaches out to the sword on the field before engaging in an offensive stance. “You still want to continue?” Though taken aback, the man who knocked him down smiled and braced himself for the attack. “Alright then! Let’s do this!” The boy smiles back as he lunges forward, delivering strike after strike to the man and before long, the sun set over the horizon.

“That was tough kid, can’t believe you’re still standing after all that.” The man and the boy sat on the field with their hands behind their back as they looked at the beautiful scenery before them. “That wasn’t enough sir, I believe I can still do better!” The kid exclaims with full confidence, the look in his eyes were those of a hero, a true hero.

Twelve years later…

“Gawain! How many times have I told you, you can’t keep looking out for everyone.” Confused, Gawain shakes his head replying, “There are innocents out there being enslaved and killed without mercy for no reason! I can’t just stand there and do nothing!” The man on the throne lets out a sigh before standing up and walking towards Gawain. “Look, I understand where you are coming from, but this is our world, there are bound to be those tied to such demise and we can’t possibly help every single person. We are but humans after all, we can save some but not all. Remember that.” The man pats Gawain on his left shoulder before leaving the throne room.

Clenching his fist in annoyance, Gawain refuses to acknowledge his king’s words as he raised his sword against him. “Then I shall no longer be your knight, I want to be a hero, someone who can same everyone!” With that, the man stopped in his tracts as Gawain stormed past his tossing his helmet onto the floor… “King Arthur, you can’t just let him…” The man smiles raising his fist and clenching it, “It’s alright, this is the path he chose and I will support him.”

“Why doesn’t he understand?” The enraged Gawain raises his sword sending a huge swing at a tree instantly splitting it apart. Suddenly deep in the woods he heard a scream, immediately he snapped out of his fury and raced towards the source of the sound only to see a woman being chased down by two burly men with axes in their hands. “Witch! This is as far as you go!” The two men inched towards the cornered maiden fell against a tree, covering herself body up and closing her eyes. “Please someone, help me…”

As the men were about to grab onto her, Gawain leapt forward in one swift strike, slicing one of the men’s arm off sending him rolling on the floor in pain and horror. The other man gasp in fear at the sight of all the blood, then he looked up where Gawain stood with anger written all over his face. “You! White armor, that insignia… Your king sent us here, why are you killing us!” The man turns around attempting to escape only to feel a sharp pain driving through his body, looking down, he could see the end of the metal blade on his torso, in a split second, he was out cold.

Gawain retracts his blade sending the man’s corpse onto the floor before offering a hand to the lady. The lady looks up with tears in her eyes and smiles, “Thank you so much knight of Camelot. I’ll repay you in any way possible, so please come with me to my village!” The two soon made their way to a nearby village that looks torn down and behind times. As the woman showed him to way to her home, an elderly later rushed over to embrace her with tears flooding her face. “My dear Rose, thank god you’re alright!” Then she looks over at me with joy on her face, “Thank you knight of Camelot for saving my Rose.” The woman blushes and covers her face, “Stop mum… It’s embarrassing…” As the scene before him unfolds, Gawain couldn’t help but laugh and smile thinking to himself. This is what a hero should be, someone who saves others and brings smile to people’s faces.

Night broke in soon after Gawain decided to settle down in the small village, Rose led Gawain to the guest room, “I’m sorry but this is the only room we’ve got…” Gawain smiles and nods replying, “It’s alright, this room will do just fine.” After Rose left, Gawain sits down on bed, something didn’t feel right. “This village looks torn down and I haven’t seen anyone here but those two… The men in the woods were calling her a witch? Plus, why would Arthur want to kill this woman?” He gets back up onto his feet removing his armor and was ready to go wash up.

Entering the bathroom, it was dark and eerie with a pail of water at the corner with a small bar of soap beside it. Gawain meticulously removed his clothing making sure no one was around before scrubbing his body with the bar of soap. *knock* *knock* “Knight, I have prepared some spare clothing for you, please take your time.” Soon later, Gawain was done bathing and has changed into the clothing Rose had prepared for him.

Walking back to his room, Rose walks up to him and smiles, “Sorry those were my dad’s clothes, can’t believe they actually fit you. Do join us for dinner whenever you are ready.”

“Father? I don’t see him around.” Rose looks down in silence, Gawain then realizes her father was no longer with her as he bows down in apology. Rose shook her head and waves her hand over her face, “It’s fine.” Before heading out to the dining table, Gawain follows suit right behind her. Right as he passes by the door to the dining room, from the corner of his eye, he saw a giant rat scampering into a hole, two doors away from where he stood. “Rose, I don’t feel well, maybe I’ll go back to the room and rest. You two can carry on without me.”

After Rose has entered the room, Gawain made sure no one was following him as he crept down the living room towards the door with a hole. A pungent smell filled the air around the door as Gawain bends down to look through the hole. To his horror, there were dead bodies piled up in the room and rats were feeding and nibbling away on their rotting flesh. Gawain stood back up in shock as he surveyed the area, there was no one around and he knew he had to clarify something.

Entering the dining room once more, Rose was no longer there, on the table was a silver plate with a cover over it. A voice echoed throughout the room as the door behind Gawain vanishes, “Go on, dig in, knight of Camelot.” Gawain inched towards the plate, lifting the cover, before him was the corpse of the man whose arm he had sliced off. The eyes of the man were no longer there leaving empty eye sockets where there was a mouse looking at Gawain. The man had all his teeth removed and his nails all clipped off, suddenly he felt a gust of chill air blow by him, there sat Rose on the other end of the table. She points at the corpse with her knife and fork in hand, “Dig in, shall we?” Skillfully, she cut a slice of meat off the man’s arm with her fork stabbing into it. Then she lifts her fork, sending the rotting flesh into her mouth, a devilish smile etched across her face as she licked the blood off her lips.

“Witch…” Gawain was all but defenseless as he had nowhere to run to and no weapons to fight with. Rose stood up as she advanced towards Gawain, wrapping her arms over his neck, “Are you not hungry?” Running her knife across Gawain’s face, Rose licked off the blood that dripped off the fresh cut she had just made. Gawain stood rooted to the ground immobilized and in pain, the shirt he had put on soon became constrictive and he started gasping for air. “I saved you… yet…”

Rose shook her head and turned Gawain to face her, she opens her mouth revealing a set of sharpened canines as her eyes turned blood red. “Those men were going to be prey anyways, but you had to kill them and take my food. So now, you pay with your body.” She pushed Gawain onto the table beside the rotting corpse, Gawain attempted to retaliate but to no avail. Right when Rose was about to sink her teeth into Gawain’s neck, a man appeared out of nowhere, slamming her off Gawain.

“Kid, are you alright?” The man’s armor shone brightly in the dark as he lifted his sword, cutting Gawain free from the shirt that he was wearing. “Arthur…” The man smiled patting Gawain on his head, “I underestimated her powers, this woman isn’t an ordinary witch, she’s a demon who has been collecting corpses and reanimating them to manipulate people. Stand back, she’s powerful.” Arthur readies himself lifting his sword before him, “Excalibur!” The sword in his hands started glowing as the hilt of the sword opened revealing a sapphire crystal. The blade of the sword suddenly lit up with blue fire as Arthur pointed it towards Rose. “You’re reign of terror ends here demon!”

Rose’s body started to deform as claws broke free from her fingers and her beautiful face ripped apart into two, revealing her bare bones. As the demon screamed, bright red flames covered its body and a black aura surrounded it causing a strong gust of wind to gather around it. With a loud roar, the black aura exploded outwards revealing the demon within. It had a face of a dragon with horns protruding out of its head, it was massive with dark black wings that had holes punctured in them. Its claws were as black as the night as its eyes glowed up bright orange.

“Gawain, stand back, this foe is beyond your level.” Gawain looked at his king who stood before him with a serious and worried look, he had never seen his king so serious as fear started taking over his body. The demon lunges out at Arthur as he swings Excalibur at it, the demon exploded into a cloud of black smoke before reappearing behind Arthur grabbing onto his leg. Arthur reacts quickly by sending a huge wave of light from his blade which cut off the demon’s fingers. The demon winced in pain as he stared at Excalibur in annoyance, but soon the fingers it had just lost grew back and with a smirk on its face, the demon disappears once more.

“Above you!” Gawain yells as Arthur looks up to see the demon flying down grabbing onto his face and sending him pummeling onto the floor. “Arthur!” The demon stomped down hard on Arthur’s chest knocking away the Excalibur from his hand. The fear stricken Gawain could only watch as his king was powerless against the demon.

Suddenly, Excalibur split into four pieces as each piece pierced the demon causing it to fall backwards on the floor. The pieces combined again returning to its original state as Arthur got back onto his feet. The demon lashes out its tail at Arthur, only to have it being cut off by Excalibur. “It’s over…” Arthur walks forward in pain as he raises Excalibur over the fallen demon, the demon vanishes and reappears beside Gawain in its human state. “I might be a demon but I’m just doing what I can to live! I was born into the world like this, I didn’t choose to become a monster!” Rose fell on her knees looking up at Gawain with tears in her eyes, “Please, help me…”

“Move aside Gawain, this foul creature must die! Don’t let it fool you!” Without hesitation, Gawain stood between Arthur and Rose, “Sir, she isn’t wrong, I think we should…” Arthur leapt forward pushing Gawain aside, blood flew across Gawain’s face as he saw his king sending the final blow through Rose’s body. “Arthur…”

To his dismay, Rose’s hand had formed that of the demon’s and pierced through Arthur’s chest, Arthur stares down at Rose as he twisted Excalibur sideways sending a line of blue fire through her body. Rose screamed in pain as she bit down hard on Arthur’s neck ripping off a huge chunk of flesh before vanishing into the air as ashes…

Arthur fell down to his knees motionless but still conscious, Gawain rushes over to his side with tears flowing down fast and free. “Arthur… My king… No…” Arthur raises his left hand and places it on Gawain’s cheek, “You have a kind hard, an aptitude to be a king. Maybe under your rule, Camelot would change for the better… Take Excalibur… Rule all of Camelot kid… My time has come…” With that, his arm crashes back onto the ground as a pool of blood formed around his dead body…

A few days later…

As he sat on the throne before all, he felt uneasy and unsure, but one thing he does know was that Camelot shall continue thriving under his rule and that bringing smiles and hope to everyone was his primary goal. However, some disapproved of him being the ruler and soon a rebel was led against him, Arthur’s own son, Mordred, led this group and years of war ensued as a new legend began to unfold…