False Crowns

The dungeons were horrible. Not that he was shocked at all. Tedros had only been in them to talk to the mistral sisters and that one time when he got locked inside by the traitor Keu but he never took in much due the state of affairs until recently that it was down right horrible. What he hated most was that he wasn't in the dungeons. He had been taken to them when his friends were imprisoned but instead he was dragged there to watch them be imprisoned. Afterwards they marched him to a balcony where he could watch the show that Rhain was putting on for the people. He stood on a stage with Sophie.

Tedros tried warning Rhain what he was doing. That even claiming to be the son of Arthur, the Eldest son, he was in danger because he was not the one who was supposed to be the on the throne. Rhain mocked him for it.

The king stood on a stage trying to address his kingdom.

"And I, the new king-"

"Who falsely sits on Camelot's throne?"

The crowd turned to see a figure atop a horse. The animal was clearly dead, nothing more than decayed flesh and bone much like the villain zombies had been six months earlier. It's rider, however, was not.

They were clad in green armor. Everyone in the crowd seemed terrified. Only one person wore armor like that in the endless woods. The knight hopped down. They pulled off their helmet to let sleek, oil black hair tumble over their shoulders as a single green eye glared at the king.

A black sword was sheathed at their hip. The knight approached "A king who is not Tedros," they hissed. The knight began approaching the crowd departing "A king who lied to get the truth."

Rhian stood stock still as the knight stepped on the stage. They were taller than him, a dark looming presence "What word?" He asked "If there is anything in the woods you need dear citizen-"

The knight whistled sharply. Their bony horse whined before changing into a bone dry crow. It landed on the knight's shoulder, coughing up a scroll. The seal on it was Camelot's Royal seal.

Rhain broke the wax and unfurled the script.

Free Tedros Pendragon And His Allies Or Prepare For Siege At Midnight, Tonight.

Rhain looked up "You think you'll ride into my kingdom and steal my throne from me. I am the lion, Arthur's eldest son, the one true king! And who are you?" He snapped, fury finally moving him.

The knight smiled "I am the Green Knight."

Rhain looked at them "The Green knight?" He asked, confuse as it made no sense. The Green Knight he was thinking of was dead. Flet snatched at Rhain but a pirate stopped them. Until everybody heard the choked gasp of pain.

On the stage, Flet had turned on the pirate. Their hands had been ungloved as black, rotted, bony fingers sealed tightly around the neck of their would-be attacker. The pirate gasped for air as something black grew up his throat. The air smelled rancid and disgustingly of dead flesh. Flet dropped the pirate, who was dead as his skin peeled off his skull like old wall paper. The knight turned on the king "I Am Flet La Fae! The Green Knight, child of Morgana La Fae and The Original Green Knight. If I do not get my requested filled by the end of this day, then Camelot will suffer a attack worst than anything the woods darkest evil could conjure." Their words boomed louder than anything Rhain had said, the crowd was silent and horrified.

There was brief movement. Japeth rushing forward to tackle them when the knight turned on him next. Rhain choked a cry, gasps and screams went up in the crowd. Yet he stopped short. The knight was taller than him by a good foot making them impossibly larger than life. Their green eye bore down on him. He didn't move, seemingly paralyzed in place by Flet's gaze upon him. Then he fell back to his rum. From so far away even Tedros could tell from the look on Japeth's face that something horrible had happened.

The knight leaned down to whisper something in his ear, their hand an inch from his throat just in case. They stood up once more and turned to the crowd "Bring The Requested Or Else." The bone bird let out a raspy croak and in a flash of smoke, both Flet and it was gone.

An hour later, Tedros was forced to sit in the throne room and listen to the twins argue about what to do.

"We need to prepare for an attack."

"We should try figuring out what that was about."

"Japeth, that stranger plans to attack us Tonight."

"Maybe you should let me handle the planning of attacks since that was my job before now."

"I'm not wasting time to research a random attacker when we need to prepare-"

"Excuse me," Tedros said finally, tired of listening to them go in circles about whos and whats "Why am I here?" He asked.

Japeth didn't look at him, focusing on the map laid out before him. Rhain looked over "Well, despite the fiasco of today. Seeing as we're family and you were raised in Camelot, we might need to learn a thing or two about the kingdom," he replied.

Tedros frowned "That really can't be true."

Japeth rolled his eyes "Unfornately for you, it is. Rhain is very insistent on family bonding and since you're the son Arthur had with Guinevere, that still counts as being family," he grouched. Then looked up "Actually. Do you know anything about this Knight? You'd obviously have to know more about the stories being the son our father raised."

Tedros chewed his lip. He did know things from his dad's stories but he wasn't going to be telling them a damn thing about it "What was their name again? Flet Le Fae?" He asked. Both nodded. He sighed and closed his eyes to lean forward "They're my cousin. We met briefly once when I was younger, dad took me to their home and left me with some knights to go find them."

He remembered that day. Dad and the knights went to a forest with green trees. The knights were talking and joking around as Arthur stopped and commanded everybody to stay there. He was going to ask Flet a question and would return briefly.

Tedros stared at the table "Whatever dad was hoping they'd do, obviously didn't work," he said, feeling a tightness form in his chest.

Japeth looked at him "Where is this home of theirs?" He asked.

The Prince groaned and leaned back "Problem with Flet, their home is like Avalon but worse. I don't know anything besides that it's called The Green Forest."

Rhain looked between his brother and Tedros "Fine, family meeting dismissed. Tedros and I will try finding out stuff on Flet, Japeth plan for the siege," he said. Japeth nodded and continued looking over his map.

Tedros was semi thankful Rhian wasn't forcing him along with any of his goons but tried to distance himself from the other boy. Rhain strode forward "So," The false king said.

"So," Tedros replied.

"Flet, are they always that deadly?"

"No. I never met them fully until today."

"So that's a first for all of us then."

"Yeah."

More silence and walking.

"What was Dad like?"

Bad nerve. Tedros felt himself curl up on the inside at the phrase "Good, nice, didn't do well in the final years."

"Oh. I am sorry for asking about that," Rhain apologized.

Tedros sighed "I get what you're trying to do with the whole Earn My Trust And Use Me Again thing. But you don't have to, I have no information to give about Flet besides they're a cousin and live in a place called The Green Forest."

Rhain stopped and looked at him "I know it seems like that but Japeth meant what he said about me in the throne room, you're family and we're going to have family bonding time," he stated.

Tedros quriked an eyebrow up "I don't believe any of that is true but I'm currently stuck in a rock and a hard place," he said. Saying it made him feel just a little bit better, like Agatha's attitude had been rubbing off on him.

Rhain shrugged "If that's how you see it then-"

"No, like look." Tedros put a hand om Rhain's shoulder "I get the whole well meaning gestures and inclusiveness but I have been through some much fucking bullshit from a lot of people trying to be nice that at this point I don't actually give a shit if you are being nice or going to stab me in the back again, I learned it with Sophie, I learned it with Agatha, and I'm learning it with you." With that Tedros turned around and walked the way they had came.

"W- Where are you going?"

"Dad never kept anything of the family story in the main library, so you've been going the wrong way this whole time." He smiled to himself. A little glad to get a leg up on Rhain and hoped that whatever was happening tonight would go right.