At last, Ertai made it to the castle of Camelot, which is Pendragon. He was warmly welcomed in by Arthur, the King of Camelot, as well as the hosts of the knights of the Round Table. He studied there under Arthur for many a year, until his skills were honed. Ertai also made use of his profiency in magic by mastering all first level spells, and by learning Latin. He oft took place in battles at Camelot, some spars, but some real battles when Camelot came under siege by the forces of evil. His battle skills were matched by few, and he stood his ground, along with others, among which were Clyde, Lancer, and Arthur himself. Sadly, during the second year at the castle Camelot, the castle was hard put under siege. The outer wall was actually breached in some places, but Ertai and the knights drove the enemy back, using their superior swordsmanship. The war was taking a toll on all; many of the knights of the round table were injured, and some were dead. Ertai, for some reason, had escaped serious injury; his right arm had a slash across it, and he had a cut above his right eye. After the siege of the castle, Ertai was promoted for his bravery and was given watch over Queen Guinevere of Camelot, who had taken ill and was in her bed. He stood guard all that long night, and around 12:00 at midnight, he thought he saw a shadow pass by the door to Guinevere’s chamber . Ertai was still fatigued from the days battle, and thought little of it, thinking it to be just his weary eyes playing tricks on him. But suddenly, Ertai heard sounds of laughter in Guinevere’s room. The laughter surprised him, but it was the kind of laughter that caused his heart to be chilled. For it was not the laughter of a jolly creature, but it was malicious laughter, such that the evil creatures bellow after the deed which they wished done was finished. Ertai ran straightway tothe room of my Queen, only to find the door locked and blocked. Ertai chanted a few verses, and after speaking a word of command, the door burst into flame, and all of a sudden exploded. Ertai stumbled backwards from the force, and suddenly faced the worst enemy that he had ever faced before in his life. It was a lesser daemon, a succubus; Ertai knew what it was, because of the various drawings contained in the book of Latin which he had studied. He drew his blade, and with no fear in his heart spoke Latin; “Leave this place, foul beast, before the anger of Camelot falls upon you!!“ The succubus seemed to smile as it responded to Ertai, in an older Latin language, but Ertai understood enough of it to become angered. The succubus said, “My job here is done. The queen is dead, and Camelot lay besieged. Now, move out of my way, fool, or face the same fate as your queen.” Enraged, Ertai ran at the succubus, and sliced with his sword blindly at it. There was a flash of light, and a horrible screech, as the blade sliced deep into it, and broke off in it’s body. Ertai suddenly felt cold as the beast ripped into his armor with a talon, seeming to freeze him in place. Struggling, Ertai drew his staff. Suddenly he felt a dark magic, as the creature begin to chant, and a black light started to surround Ertai, seeming to suffocate him. Ertai raised his staff and chanted a holy spell, causing the darkness to lessen. For what seemed like hours they battle for supremacy, but suddenly, Ertai’s staff was broken, and he fell. The darkness came.. and then nothing. Ertai awoke in the morning, amazed to be alive. As he asked a knight what happened, the story unfolded. “Somehow that thing got into the castle, probably when the wall was breached. It waited in the Queen’s room all night, until mindnight, when it’s powers would be strongest. The Queen is dead, Ertai...” Ertai attempted to sit up, and winced. “So.. that must have been why I heard the laughter...” The knight looked down at Ertai. “You heard it too? I thought I was dreaming, until I rushed out into the main all with a few other knights. You must be a very strong man, Ertai. You were able to hold off the succubus until we got there. It fled after we arrived, but we followed it‘s blood trail, and killed it.” Ertai looked up. “The creature is dead, then”? The knight nodded. “That is good.. now, if you don’t mind, I would like a bit of peace to sleep,” Ertai lied. The knight nodded, and went out of the room. Ertai looked around, and saw what was left of his father’s sword. “I have failed, father...” Ertai spoke as he lifted the sword up, and prepared to drive it down into his chest and end his life. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Ertai, surprised, dropped the sword to the floor, as he saw Arthur enter. He looked into Arthur’s eyes, and turned away... there was a fire there that Ertai had never seen before. Arthur sat down next to Ertai’s bed and spoke calm, reassuring words. “Ertai... do not blame yourself for Quinevere’s death... It could not have been prevented. There are powerful forces working for our foes. That beast’s sole purpose was to kill the Queen, at all costs. You were very brave my friend. A lesser man would have died from such a wound. We didn’t expect you to live mcuh more than a day, for the beast carried strong poison... but your armor seems blessed by the gods... either that or you have the strongest will to live of anyone. Anyway, I hope to see you up and about soon. We ARE still fighting a war, you know.” Arthur tried to laugh, but failed, as he frowned, and left the room. In a few days, Ertai was fully recovered. Queen Guinevere was buried, with a great burial, along with the other fallen knights from the war. Ertai shed no tear for them, as his tears had been stolen from him on the day of his parent’s death. With some thought, Ertai decided to continue His studies under Arthur, and hopefully gained the title knight of the round.
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