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Illogical Fallacies
Just who did he think he was? Caliburn had chosen him, so according to ancient law he was the tried and true king. But, apparently, the sacred sword had forgotten what regality meant during its time in the stone because this “Sonic” was as far away from the definition as they come.
The role of king was an honor bestowed upon only the kingdom’s most worthy, and Sonic’s actions made Lancelot question said worthiness often.
Lancelot thrived in structure and routine, he craved cut and dry instruction and the old king was able to give him that. The dark king Arthur seldom indulged in the frivolous nature of conversation, always curt and impersonal when addressing his knights. It was easy to understand, Lancelot always knew what to do. This was in direct contrast to Sonic, however, who somehow made every interaction so needlessly intimate, chattering to the knights about their day and personal lives whenever life would offer him the chance.
The knight would kneel before him at his command, always willing to do as he says to protect his kingdom, but this Sonic would insist that he stand and “take it easy.” It was such a perplexing concept to Lancelot, he was a knight, time spent not serving his kingdom is time wasted. But Sonic didn’t seem to share his beliefs, citing that time off would “do him so good.”
Everything to the way he talked down to how he floated about the castle was criminally informal. It irritated Lancelot to no end, his kingdom was his life and with someone like that in charge, he couldn’t be completely sure his people were safe. He had no doubt in his mind that Sonic had good intentions, he had proven time and time again that he possessed a benevolent soul, but it took more than a kind heart to make a good king because the question still stood: Was he even competent enough?
“Hey, Lancelot.” Sonic ran up to him from his post at the wall. His fellow nights were off doing their various menial tasks so Lancelot was busy sitting at his post. Waiting for instruction left plenty of time for musings. “You think you can help me with somethin’?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Despite his grievances, he was still loyal to his principles and therefore the crown. He separated himself from the wall and walked toward the king who beckoned him to follow.
He figured the king would lead him out to the courtyard or through the front gate but instead, he took Lancelot on a tour through the busy kitchen all the way through the back archway on the wall that fed into the outdoors to the chicken coop.
“What could Sonic possibly need me here for?” Was all that Lancelot could think, but he knew to keep his mouth shut out of respect for his king.
“So, you're probably wondering what we’re doing out here.” Lancelot felt a bit nervous all of a sudden, he didn’t mean to say his thoughts out loud, had he and he didn’t notice? Sonic continued, “I want you to get me some fresh chicken eggs!”
Out of all of the things Sonic could ask of him, this was possibly what he least expected. Though, he had learned quite a long time ago that Sonic was one to subvert expectations. “Forgive me sire, but may I ask why you need me to collect these eggs?”
Sonic observed the hens and roosters that pecked at the floor, seemingly amused by their strange behaviors before looking over his shoulder to Lancelot. “First of all, cut it out with all that sire stuff.”
That was practically his catchphrase at this point. He said it so often that sometimes it made Lancelot question if his apathy toward formalities wasn’t actually apathy but was disdain. But for as much as Lancelot internally questioned him, he didn’t wish to anger his king by denying his request. “My king?” The knight suggested.
“Not there yet Lance.”
He was afraid to proceed, he wanted to appease his king but he never wished to push his boundaries either. “... Sir Sonic?” Those honorifics were a deep force of habit in the knight’s vernacular but he would try to make a continuous effort if that was what the king wished of him.
“Eh, close enough.” Sonic rapidly tapped his foot on the ground for a moment, an action Lancelot recognized him doing often. “Oh! I never did answer your question! We’re making a cake!”
His reply left Lancelot with more questions than answers, but as Sonic left him with a wave as he dashed off back into the castle he was left with none of them answered. The knight groaned to himself as he trudged over to the chicken coop, determined to get this task over with as quickly as possible.
The smell of clover was exchanged for smoke as he soon entered the kitchen. Lancelot made his way to the table to drop his bounty as Sonic sprinted over to his side. “So!” He exclaimed as he brought down a book, cracking it open to a recipe. “Let’s get started! I told J-.. Lamorak to go fetch me some milk.”
So that’s what his brothers and sisters in arms were up to, apparently, they were also on cake duty. But Lancelot had to wonder, who on earth was guarding the castle? And as Sonic asked him to go bring over a pot of flour he also had to ask himself, why are we making a cake anyhow?
They started by mixing all the dry ingredients into a clay bowl with the sorry exception of this sugar King Sonic asked for before Sir Lamorak returned with a bucket of milk. Sonic thanked him before sending him off with instruction, “go back to the inner gate tower with Percival for now. Oh! And take a book with you!”
So, apparently, the other knights of the round table were off guarding the castle while only Lancelot was on kitchen duty. This bemused him to the highest degree for many reasons. First of all, he possessed no particular prowess in the kitchen and had never been renowned for his culinary abilities. Second of all, shouldn’t he, the ultimate knight, be the first sent out to go guard the castle?
He would never show it, but as he continued wiping the contents of the bowl as his king instructed, dread started to pool in his stomach. Maybe this Sonic was planning on demoting him, maybe this was all a plan to measure his skills to see if he could be Camelot's newest kitchen wench!
Lancelot wasn’t stupid, he knew his first encounter with Sonic most likely didn’t leave the best impression with his carless swordsmanship. But, the knight knew for a fact that he could prove to Sonic he was a worthy knight if given the chance! It wasn’t a consequence that he was on the round table after all. But for now, as he poured the batter into a bread pan, he’d have to hold his tongue until a better time to propose a demonstration of his skills.
The cake was secure in the communal oven, Sonic stood over it with pride. “Welp, looks like all we have to do is wait. Good work dude, go give yourself a break.” The knight walked out of the room as confused as he walked in, still not understanding why he was tasked with making the cake. Before he had the chance to completely leave the facility, Sonic called after him, “And don’t go too far! You have to help me set the table!”
He reclined against the wall of the seemingly endless hallway. Normally, he’d prefer to do something productive in his free time or catch up on much needed sleep, but his head was still buzzing with unanswered questions and hypotheticals ranging from the possible to the absurd.
His eyes opened upon hearing the clicking of shoes down the hall. A page approached him, gesturing for him to follow. “King Sonic wishes to see you in the kitchen, follow me.”
Lancelot made his way into the kitchen to find a gleeful Sonic gloating about his perfect cake to any unfortunate passer-by. “Look Lance! The cake is done!”
Ah yes, that was another curious thing the king did. He had a propensity to shorten names and words to abbreviated versions of themselves, often until they were one syllable. He had done the same thing for Percival once before, calling her “Percy.” She asked what it was for and Sonic explained that it was a nickname, not unlike when someone would get a suffix like The brave or The foolish.
This explanation didn’t do much to clarify the situation for the knights so Sonic claimed that giving someone a nickname meant that you were friends with them, a term of endearment of sorts. So according to his logic, King Sonic was friends with Lancelot.
A wave of relief washed over the knight, cleansing him of the worry that had occupied his brain and clouded his rationality. So he was not upset with him and he was not getting demoted.
Lancelot wouldn’t betray himself and say that he didn’t enjoy being in the king’s good graces. Even with his self-proclaimed status as the dark king’s closeted and most trusted knight, there was a distinct distance between them. A professional barrier that kept Lancelot from truly understanding his former king; though it may have had something to do with him being an illusion all along.
Lancelot decided not to comment on his new name and simply dressed the table as instructed. Though questions still tickled his throat, he decided to simply come forth and ask. “If it wouldn’t trouble you, Sir Sonic, may I ask why have you called me in particular to assist you in this meal?”
“You don’t have to ask if you can ask questions, dude.” Sonic said as he continued setting the table. He had to take a moment to articulate his thoughts, the reason was deeper than Lancelot being the only one free. “It’s- Well I’ll just be honest. I feel like I don’t know you as much as the other knights. I thought if we did this together we could maybe bond a bit?”
Lancelot couldn’t withhold the strange expression that possessed his features. He still wasn’t sure if Sonic had all the right qualities to be king, but he was positive he had all the charisma required. It was obvious by every interaction with him that he loved his kingdom and his people, including his knights. Everything about him was world’s away from the cold, non-existent presence of the old king. Between Sonic’s flippant disregard for royal formalities and his open compassion for all who encounter him. Lancelot had whiplash.
“I’m sure we will grow fond of each other with time, Sir Sonic.” The knight’s words were unconfident, but they were not untrue. After all, he could never deny his king’s wishes.
---
It seems as though Lancelot’s feelings of unconfidence towards his king were universal because this had to be the first time of his tenure that a raid on the castle had been attempted. The thieves entered the castle lacking all pomp and circumstance which quickly awakened the body of the round table.
The knights spilled out of their rooms, filling into the hallways as they raced toward the throne room. They could hear their clumsy entrance from where they were, it seems as though the bandits decided breaking and entering through the windows was the right course of action to achieve their riches. Surly they didn’t find his king that Incompetent?
The knights turned the corner as they finished their race down the stairs. Sure enough there they were, cloaked by the veil of night as they scrambled away from the knights, the moonlight seeping through the windows acting as their only light.
Unfortunately for his malefactors, Lancelot had keen eyes, he could see rather well in the dark compared to his peers. Due to this fact, he decides to hop right into the heart of battle, gallantly brandishing his sword to teach them a lesson for daring to enter his king’s castle uninvited. He was reveling in the adrenaline, he felt like a squire at his first duel all over again. The knight hacked away at these villains, not aiming to maim them but hopefully deter them from ever stepping foot outside of the dungeon he was sure they would end up.
But with all good things come some sort of detriment, and in Lancelot’s perceived immunity his hubris had gotten the better of him. A jackal had made an attempt at his calf with a shiv, and they would’ve been successful if it wasn’t for Sonic leaping into the fray to kick the criminal in the chest, knocking the air and the fight out of them.
He offered Lancelot a quick smile before continuing the battle, but that was all it took to capture the knight’s attention. And he was sure it wasn’t intentional but his attention remained on Sonic throughout the fight.
Perhaps Sonic’s visage had also gone into battle, his smile was present but it morphed into something more intense, something emanating his passion for his kingdom. It was not unlike his face that short time ago as they dashed through the halls to save his kingdom from ruin, a smile not to portray his affable quality, but to act as a warning. Simply put, for brevity’s sake, don’t mess with whom Sonic cared for.
The king was just as good a knight as the rest, putting his all into the fight until the very last thief was hulled off into a holding cell in the castle’s basement before making sure all his knights were all in good health.
Gawain looked over his shoulders, noticing how miserable the captors looked. Though he couldn’t find it in himself to have any sympathy, in fact, he wanted to gloat. “My king, what shall we do with thine prisoners?”
Sonic shrugged his shoulders as he climbed up the stairs. “I think they learned their lesson. I’ll probably release them tomorrow.”
Gawain visibly recoiled, he obviously believed they deserved their due time imprisoned. “You mean to say that’s the only punishment they will receive? Are you sure-” The knight’s speech was quickly interrupted by the cutting glare of Lancelot.
“Do you question your king, Sir Gawain?” Lancelot’s mouth was in an indignant scowl, but his brows were furrowed with the underlying pompous pleasure from bettering his peer and appealing to his king.
Sonic placed a hand on both of their shoulders, continuing the journey back to their quarters. “C'mon guys, don’t fight. Y’know how I roll, I like giving second chances!” They all knew that, even after Merlina threatened to corrupt Camelot, Sonic was more than willing to give her leeway. “It’s late anyways, let’s go back to bed and deal with this in the morning.”
This is when Lancelot truly started to respect Sonic. He was compassionate, but he could put down his foot if he needed to. It took a good heart to forgive so easily, and Lancelot didn’t doubt that Sonic was a better man than him because he couldn’t picture himself ever as loving and able pardon so easily. He was powerful, but he was kind. His face in battle demanded respect yet his day to day countenance was warm and inviting.
And at least if he was going to be so forgiving, it was good he could back it up with his abilities in case things were to turn sour. Not to mention he looked good doing it.
---
Under Sonic’s rule Lancelot had ample free time to do as he pleased. This didn’t extend to just him, in fact, all the knights, cooks, maids, all the way down to the peasants that frequented the castle were allotted time to themselves. Though, it seemed that only Lancelot had a difficult time with this concept.
He was the textbook definition of a workaholic, always trying to maintain his status as the most powerful knight at the round table. But Sonic stressed the importance of time to himself, and Lancelot respected his input so he decided to give it a try.
He didn't know what to do with himself at first. He resorted to strolling the halls of the castle, observing the finite designs of the architecture. But perusing the same rooms he had seen thousands of times before didn’t offer much enrichment and the knight quickly found himself bored. He settled in the quiet corner of the library that he found he never truly appreciated.
It quickly became his little routine. When he was worn after training or a battle he’d find himself in the cozy corner in the back of the library. And as quickly as it became routine, Sonic found Lancelot’s little hiding place to go bother him whenever he pleased.
The ultimate knight was a man of few words, and he also intended to keep his pride, so he didn’t express openly how much he enjoyed Sonic intruding on his alone time. But truly, his king had grown on him.
As much as he was like a vine, weaving and twisting it’s way into your garden without permission, he was also like a ray of sun, seeping into your window, warming your skin.. also without permission. Entirely unintentionally Lancelot had let himself get attached to his king in a way he least intended. He had affections for his king, he adored his king, dare he say he loved his king. But a good knight knew his boundaries so he kept his insidious thoughts to himself.
Today when Sonic approached him he looked strangely dejected. His current expression making such strange juxtaposition against his bright colors and the chipper demeanour one would expect of Sonic. Lancelot couldn’t hold his tongue, this needed to be corrected, “Sonic?” His name without any formalities still felt out of place coming from the knight, but he didn’t wish to bother his king with the tradition he detested, “What has you so troubled?”
Sonic let himself fall onto the floor next to Lancelot, relaxing into the wall and slightly leaning to the knight’s side. “It's nothing. Just.. got yelled at.”
Lancelot cocked his head in confusion, “You were scolded?”
“Not you too, Lance!” Sonic groaned, pulling his legs into his chest and hiding his face into his knees. But his reaction only served to confuse Lancelot; he frowned thinking he was the cause of his king’s hurt. To his relief, Sonic picked up his head and turned to look at Lancelot. “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m just fed up, that’s all.”
They sat in silence for a moment, Lancelot wanting to quell his king’s frustration but not knowing how to proceed. Luckily for him, Sonic continued on his own volition. “So I was at this meeting with other royal people from other kingdoms, right? So we were talking and everything and it was my turn to talk. But when I got to talking everyone kept giving me looks!”
Lancelot couldn't help but feel offense on his king's behalf. Just who do they think they are disrespecting Camelot’s ruler? “Why would they do such a thing?”
“They think I’m not kingly enough. They’re judging me because I’m not all articulate like them. I’m trying my best but I’m not from here!” Sonic pouted, still deflated thanks to the picture of side eyes and judgmental glances still lingering in his mind. “It makes me think, you know?”
Seemingly, Sonic was always confident. From the moment Lancelot first met him he dared to challenge the ultimate knight in an unfamiliar world to his final fight with Merlina. It was a strange sight to see his characteristic certainty falter, it truly was a shame to see someone else eclipse his happiness. Lancelot decided it was up to him to cheer up Sonic, despite the fact that he was a quiet soul and this certainly wasn’t his forte. Regardless he would try his best.
Keeping his voice calm and steady, Lancelot started, “I thought that of you too in the beginning.” As the knight anticipated, Sonic’s face dropped. The knight continued regardless, “But you have more than proven to me that you are qualified to be king.”
“And what do you mean by that, hm?” Sonic wasn’t all too coy with his request for compliments. He felt no shame, he needed a pick-me-up.
And luckily for him. Lancelot had no qualms against complimenting his majesty, “Though your diction is rather informal for what is customary here, you have all the qualifications necessary to be king. You always put your citizens first before yourself, you are charismatic and cheerful. You are powerful, you are a natural-born lea-”
The knight decided to cut his tangent short. Sonic was giving him a strange look that he couldn’t place. He had a crooked, yet wide smile on him. And his cheeks! He couldn’t make sense of the incarnadine blush that had permeated across his muzzle. It’s presence was unwarranted, unless Lancelot had possibly managed to flatter the king in some way.
One would suspect the knight’s reaction to be reciprocal flattery, but a pang of guilt plagued him. He recalled the pitiful period where he doubted his king’s right to hold the throne. He believed it to be a mere eponymous gesture in the beginning, simply a titular title as gratitude. They didn’t have a king, he did a good deed, so he was some form of honorary nobility, surely not the real king, right?
But the more Lancelot thought about it, what gave the children of nobility the prowess to lead either? Surely they were no more or less equipped to lead in comparison to Sonic. In fact, he was sure Sonic was better suited for the job than some random aristocrat simply because of their familial background.
Sonic managed to recover by the time Lancelot was done analyzing the situation. He tried to play innocent, injecting all the coquettishness he neglected before but still prodding for compliments. “You never finished what you were saying…”
Lancelot thought for a moment. He wasn’t going to make a fool of himself mindlessly doling out compliments as he did before. Being more conscious with his words, he continued, “Do you remember when you had me prepare a cake with you?”
Sonic couldn't fathom what prompted this question. “Yeah?”
“Do you remember how you expected it to be sweet?”
The hero could only quirk his brow at that, but he had no reservations against playing into his knight’s little game. With a curious smile he responded, “I do, but what does this have to do with anything.”
Lancelot smiled back, though he didn’t concede to his king’s curiosity. “Did you like it anyway?”
“What are you getting at Lance?”
“Did you?”
Sonic cradled his cheek in his palm, the bend of his arm finding its way on his knee as he faced Lancelot with his continued face of interest. “I did, Lancelot.”
For being so patient and playing along , the knight decided to explain and give into his highness's peaked interest. “I think of you as the bread. Though you weren’t what I expected, I am still satisfied with the result. The cake lacked the sugar you craved, but you claimed it was better for you, did it not?”
“Yeah but what does sugar-free cake have to do with me?”
“Because,” Lancelot’s suave inflection never left him, though he softened his tone. It was playful in a demure sort of sense. “This kingdom is better with you, even without all the formalities one would expect of you. Merlina and her illusions were never what we needed as a people, even with her good intentions. You breathed life back into a dying kingdom. Though it cannot live forever, I know it will thrive as long as it has you as its ruler.”
Sonic thanked whatever angel was looking down upon him that he was in the position he was. If his cheek wasn’t cradled in his hand in the way that it was now he was sure his jaw would have dropped in shock. He managed to tame his expression for the most part with the exception of his wide eyes. He let his mouth move freely to express his reaction. “That was beautiful, Lancelot…” Sure, an analogy about cake was not what he expected to hear today, but his wistful, awestruck tone was more than enough to convey his sentiments toward it. “Thank you.”
The knight offered a brief smirk, “I’m glad I could lift your spirits.” He was relieved of his guilt, glad to have atoned for the preemptive judgment of his king by alleviating him of his soured mood.
They sat in the stillness of the library for a moment, the soft shuffle of pages being flipped and hushed feet crossing the floor. The presence of each other was mutually understood to be enough in the moment, it was pure and unadulterated, fulfilling in it’s uncomplicated existence.
They reveled in it until its simplicity was no longer welcome. Inevitably, Sonic started to itch for Lancelot’s active engagement again. He wanted to do something that could ensure Lancelot’s continued presence. Maybe something they could do together alone...“Hey Lance, do you maybe wanna go t-”
Before he could continue, the doors of the library flew open, revealing a frantic Sir Gawain glancing back and forth. His panic halted for a second when he caught the pair sitting on the floor.
The pair of hedgehogs recoiled away from each other as if the gentle exchange of words between them was a sort of surreptitious secret. Gwain was oblivious to their strange movements, however, as he rushed over to their pair. “The horses! They’ve escaped the stables! Please, hurry! Only you two can stop them!”
Sonic’s eyes locked with Lancelot’s. Their minds moved in the same motion, seemingly connected without words as with a simultaneous curt nod they dashed off. Sonic’s proposition would have to be left for later. And though he was frustrated, he at least could be thankful that he now had enough time to pick out the perfect location for their potential first date.
It was only fair that Sonic gave Lancelot as much thought as Lancelot obviously gave him.