Lancelle's Journal

Back to Lancelot-Less.

The following are a list of letters that Lancelot has written, primarily to Deirdre, their partner back in Past Avalon. The occasional non-letter or letter not to Deirdre is included as well.

## Season 2 Intro - Attack The Park

2018, September 16th
Dear Deirdre,
I don't know how I'm going to get this letter to you. I might try to stuff it in the mirror and see if I can get it to eat it. It regurgitated me, after all, it might work.
I felt so sure when I came here. I begged the Lady to show me what I must do to earn my sword, and she showed me myself doing things I never want to do. I don't know what made me do them, but I knew I should be stopped, and she sent me here.
But I haven't seen a glimpse of Big Me since I arrived, and now Shanelle is missing, and Galahad blamed me for the park, and -
Oh yeah, Galahad is here? I don't know what's up with that, he wouldn't explain, just kept saying it was my fault those people got covered in goo. Wouldn't answer my questions at all, just brought me to some kind of gaol. Some other man set me free some time later, told me to join a Large Group, and then immediately left.
Yeah, I don't know.
It's not all bad. There are so many people here, Deirdre! Hundreds, perhaps more. And they're all so very busy, but they make so many wonderful things with their business. They have music like you've never heard, and they enact plays broadcast to small magic windows, though I don't understand most of them. Shanelle gave me a disk that plays music and I'm hooked.
Sigh. Maybe Big Me took Shanelle.
You'd know how to find them. Or at least you'd have some plan to sneak into your mentor's library and steal a book that would, and we'd get caught and you'd turn me into a frog so I wouldn't get into trouble, and we'd somehow end up succeeding in the end, like we always do.
On my own, though... I have no clue.
I'm going to sleep now. The mansion this mirror is in seems abandoned, so I've been staying here.
I'll stuff this into the mirror tomorrow.
Good night, Deirdre.

## S2E12 - Suffer The Little Children

2018, October 24th
Dear Deirdre,
There is... so much I have to tell you. Some of it is huge. I think Ill build my way up to it.
I’ve been here for a while now, and it’s gotten easier. After my last letter, I found a place to live, and a friend to live with. It turns out the house I was staying in was not abandoned after all! I was woken up one night by a girl. It was a bit of a tense situation, but we rsolved it, and she allowed me to stay! Her name is Rhiannon, and she is a witch! And a very talented one at that. It’s been wonderful living with her - I find it easy to be comfortable around her, she reminds me so much of you.
Since then, I have occasionally gone out with other members of her ‘Big Team’ to do various things. Save people, mostly! It’s good work, and what a knight is supposed to do in the first place - but I am glad to not be alone doing it. Most recently, we were asked to babysit.
Yes, me, babysitting. You’d laugh if I told you this, but I actually volunteered! I had good reason to believe I’d be good at it! You’ll see.
It was me, a knight named Gwendolyn, a soldier known as Sherman, and a girl named Zip, who I thought was really cute. Sherman might be too, but it’s hard to tell under the mask he wears all the time. Gwendlyn and I happened to be having dinner together (important, but again, I’m working up to it) when some sort of flying metal contraption started falling out of the sky. Gwendolyn and I stopped it from crashing while Sherman rescued the occupants - he has great instincts, a good soldier - and Zip just... stopped it, somehow.
After that, a man showed up in one of those horseless carriages. This one was really fancy, and I recognized him- it was the man who told me to join The Big Team! Apparently he leads it, and that’s how he knows Gwendolyn and the others. He asked us to watch over the kid of some of his friends. Gwendolyn managed to convince him to let her drive his car (short for carriage).
He was kind of awkward around me. Maybe he knows my future self. I should ask him at some point.
I hope I didnt hurt him.
We arrived at the place, and it turned out to be another witch’s house! There seems to be a high number of witches in this reality. There were statues of gnomes in the yard (the gnomes here do not move - NORMALLY) and all sorts of witchy things around. The witch introduced herself as Mystic Madge, which seems like a hedgewitch name if I’ve ever heard one (remember when we went out to see that old hedgewitch in the petrified forest on a dare? I was so scared and she turned out to be really sweet and gave us a lot of scones? Like that). Her husband eventually appeared too, and did something to Sherman that the soldier seemed very uncomfortable with, so I interfered.
A knight treats those under her with respect and dignity! They may not have swords, but their souls shine just as bright!
The couple soon left to do on whatever adult couples do that leaves their kids behind, and we met the child.
It was Ser Galahad. But... as a kid? I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was - i’m here, after all - but... I already met the Galahad from this time. He’s an adult, and kind of a jerk.
I tried to introduce myself to Gally - as he prefers to be called - but he seemed scared of me. He recognized me.
Well, even if I am as good at kids as I apparently am, it’s hard to counteract being a known murderer, I guess.
I’m not proud of it, but I ran to the kitchen, with some half hearted excuse about making tea even though we just had some and Zip appears to be allergic, which is a word I don’t know but is probably bad. When I was there, something attacked me - I thought it was werewolves at first, the growling and all, but it manifested as menacing shapes in the dark. I dispelled it by harnessing the cauldron’s flame in my spear. It was like something from one of the Gwendolyn stories, you should have seen it! I would have been proud, but there was no time, as the cauldron tipped over and out fell Gwendolyn and Sherman, who appeared to have been captured inside.
Maybe you’re reading this, nodding your head, and going ‘that makes sense, they probably used newt toes and the tears of a pregnant duck’ or something, but that was a surprise to me.
As we left the kitchen, hoping to rendezvous with Zip, who was all alone with Galahad, the door lead instead to the outside. The gnomes came to life and attacked us. I tried to fight them, but it’s tough to fight gnomes with a spear (my instructor recommends a mace, but I didn’t have one) and they got all over me and started pulling my hair, which was \*really annoying\*. I like my hair!
We eventually beat the gnomes, Gwendolyn and Sherman proving again how good they are at what they do. As I went inside, i found Zip talking into one of those magical summoning bricks they use here. I showed her the one Rhiannon gave me, whiich stopped working, and she made it live again!
Everyone I’ve met here has been very impressive, but Zip’s powers are truly amazing. I know what to make of Gwendolyn and Sherman, and even Rhiannon’s powers seem familiar after growing up with you. But I have no frame of reference for Zip and it’s been really fascinating.
It turns out that the boy Galahad had summoned some sort of demon, and now kidnapped him. We went into the basement, where we fought both her - some sort of cat demon - as well as the large dog that accosted me in the kitchen. It was a tough fight, but we beat them, and Gwendolyn even let young Galahad make the final blow with her sword.
So... that brings me to the main thing that I wanted to work towards. The reason Gwendolyn and I were having dinner together.
Gwendolyn is my daughter.
<the rest of the letter follows after a mess of scratched through pieces of sentences>
She’s impressive. A knight, at her age. So... yeah.
I’ll write you again soon, Deirdre.
Love,
Elle

## S2E13 - A Ribbeting Nightmare (Hollow World)

Dear Deirdre,
I don't know the words to explain today's events. I have faint memories of you describing some spell you were studying once while I was doing archery drills - a way to enter someone's mind and memories, perhaps? It was either that or clearing their sinuses.
Either way... I don't quite know what happened. It was Samhain, or close enough, and as is tradition in Halcyon I was dressed up, and suddenly I was inside a different place, and I was a frog, and...
You're just going to think I had a dream.
Perhaps it was one.
Yours,

## S2E18 - Los Muertos Desaparecidos

2018, November 3rd
Dear Deirdre,
It hasn’t been very long since I wrote to you, but things have been very eventful here. Yesterday was the day of a festival in this world, a Day of the Dead.
I love festivals, and this one was no exception! I accompanied Gwendolyn and the Lady Rhiannon and their friends, who were all very nice - there’s Parrot, who wears a large round helmet at all times, Challenge, who does the same but with a mask, and Jake, who appears to be some sort of lycanthrope.
This Big Team is quite the traveling circus!
I felt a bit awkward being there, not really knowing most of them, but Gwendolyn reassured me that they can be my friends too.
Parrot told us about the festival and gave us all clothes to wear. There were colourful dresses and big hats. I had a tough time choosing, but I ended up going with the hat and facepaint,
The festival itself was a bit of a blur, but I remember having a very good time. I would like to take you to one sometime. Maybe you can visit me here? I think you’d like it, and I would love to introduce you to everyone.
The festival ended at a big cemetery, where various families had laid out offerings to deceased loved ones. Despite being about the dead, the atmosphere did not seem dour, until some of us noticed some suspicious people gathering. Apparently Parrot and Challenge had fought these people before, so we followed them, Rhiannon using some sort of magic to hide us, even though we weren’t invisible? You should explain this to me when I see you, I didn’t get it.
The people with sewn-up mouths led us to the site of some sort of black magic ritual. There were piles of bones topped with crystals, feeding energy into a staff held by their leader, a very large man the group informed me was called Silencio.
We wasted no time and attacked! You should have seen us, Deirdre, it was like we had trained to work together. Rhiannon zapped the staff out of his hand like it was nothing, the lycanthrope turned into some sort of rough muscular unicorn and tackled him and Challenge held off the other combatants barehanded while Parrot, Gwen and I took care of the ritual altars.
Once the ritual was disrupted, we took care of the man himself. He stood no chance against us as he ended with Gwendolyn’s sword in him, and my spear pinning him to the ground.
I felt like a gramlin presenting its owner with the spoils of a succesful hunt! I like this team. We can do good here. This is what being a knight is supposed to be about!
After all that, the spirits that werre being used as fuel for the ritual were released, and free to return to their families. Some stuck around, though, evidently here for us.
I met King Arthur. Apparently, in this time, he is dead... Deirdre, what do I do? Can we warn him? Would that work, would it still happen, would it mess everything up? I don’t know what to do. I am sworn to protect my king, but can I protect him if he’s already dead? But, in our time, he isn’t... I wish I could talk to you about this.
He hugged me, which was mortifying. I mean, we’ve done so before when we train together, and he’s a nice guy, but there’s a difference between Arthur the fellow trainee and Arthur the King. I’m not supposed to hug the king!
Social status seems to mean less here. I wonder of that is a good thing.
This morning, I felt like I was tagging along. They were nice, but I didn’t feel like part of the group. Now I do, and I am excited to be. I think I should let go of my fear of being judged for what I will do ten, fifteen years from now and just get out there. Make some friends.
I know just the thing, too. I’ll write it when I’m done with this.
I miss you, Deirdre.
Love,
Elle

## Season 2 - Elle's gift to Gwen for her birthday

The present is about the size of an average book, and wrapped in pale blue paper with a silver fleur-de-lis pattern. A tag tied to a ribbon says ‘For Gwendolyn’
Inside is a leather-bound, lined journal - the type one can buy at a bookstore, though evidently on the expensive side. On the front cover, in a square meant for writing the owner’s name, is written ‘Gwendolyn’s Adventures 3’
Every page of the journal is covered in hand-written text. A few pages have smears where the ink ran, but those have been painstakingly fixed and rewritten. Some of the pages have illustrations on them. These are... not very good, but obviously a lot of time has been put into them.
On the inside cover, a short letter reads:
‘Dear Ser Gwendolyn,
Ever since I met you, I wondered if you’ve read the books you’re named after.
I looked real hard, but could not find a genuine copy of Gwendolyn’s Adventures in this world. I imagine it only exists in Avalon.
It is important to me that you have a copy, so I made one. I rewrote the third book in the series, my favourite, as I remember it. In it, Gwendolyn, a young woman of humble birth, saves a gramlin from bullies. The gramlin turns out to have been a powerful spirit in disguise, and turns into an oathsword, making her a knight. Her hijinks as she tries to get used to her new powers and position and her compassion and bravery inspired me so much as a child.
It’s probably not quite as good as the real thing, but I imagine I got pretty close! I even made some illustrations.
I hope you enjoy it. Maybe one day you can return to Avalon and read the real thing. I hope that, even then, you will keep this copy as a reminder.
Happy birthday,
Elle

## Season 2 Trial - Big Boot Campy Camp

2018, November 9th
Dear Deirdre,
Sir Cyclone took us camping! Me, Gwendolyn, Challenge, Hesperus, and Freedo. cyclone took us camping. We all piled into a big carriage. At one point we stopped at a roadside merchant, where I bought a bag of small black fish. I also looked for skinning knives or bows, as I left my hunting supplies in Avalon, but they had none. What kind of merchant doesn't have hunting supplies! Instead, they had many potat products. I know you told me about potats, but I didn't really trust them yet! I did not buy any.
The merchant was apparently scared by the place we were going, but Sir Cyclone said we could handle ourselves.
The rest of the trip was very short as these horseless carriages are extremely fast. When we got there there was a mad scramble to get the best room which Gwendolyn won somehow.
A bit later we investigated some weird noises. I had an embarrassing moment in the attic as what I thought were eyes in the dark turned out to be holes in the roof through which I was seeing sunlight.
The noises were not a gramlin like I thought (i miss gramlins) but a racoon, which are native to north America whereas gramlins are not. We named the racoon Trevor and actually took it with us to Halcyon!
When we went fishing I was the only one to actually catch a fish. I caught a big bass, but Freedo informed me that potats are actually fish too! That made me trust them a bit more. It's so much easier to trust food when you know where it's from. I might eat a potat in the future.
There was a big commotion after that as Trevor the racoon jumped onto Hesperus' face, Challenge ended up in the water, and the boat nearly capsized. Luckily Hesperus saved us by levitating the boat with all of us in it!
Even with just one fish, there was enough food for all of us. Cyclone is a very nice man and a good commander. He reminds me of my dads... I hope they're doing well! Do you still check on them, even when I'm gone?
He left the fire early, and I caught him looking at me and Gwen sadly. He knew my adult self... maybe he is hoping I will do better? I hope so too. Gwendolyn is a wonderful young woman, and deserves a good father.
We sat around the fire a while longer. At one point Freedo, apparently unintentionally, caused a magical explosion as it appears he mistook a bag of magic wands for a bag of fireplace pokers. It was very funny! I like him a lot - both he and Challenge are a delight to be around, and they're all quite cute (I have never seen Challenge's face, but her voice is attractive).
After that, a rock came flying at us from across the lake! Challenge deftly caught it before it could harm us, and we tracked the source of the rock to the cabin, where we split up to find the intruder.
Gwendolyn, Freedo and I went down into the basement, where we found that the 'masheen' (Freedo taught me this word! He is very knowledgeable, not just about potatfish) that powers the magic lamps throughout the room had all its food stolen.
We went back upstairs just in time to see a figure flee to the attic, where we cornered a very scared young man with a glowing sword.
It was tense, but he was wounded, and eventually calmed down enough to tell us what happened - apparently he used to be in an order known as GREY (the same people I fought in the park), serving under his father. He realized that what he was doing was wrong and left, and had been living in the woods ever since.
A good knight does not follow orders blindly, and stands up for what is right, even if that involves standing up to their friends and family.
I... did not catch much of the rest of the conversation though, as... during this, several people mentioned that this was similar to something that happened to Gwendolyn.
I had not heard of this. Why had I not heard of this?
I didn't feel like it was the right time to ask, so I waited until we were back in Halcyon before I approached her, and she told me everything.
she

she was taken by grey three years ago almost
taken from her family and held for two years
tortured and imprisoned and god knows what else
she was only saved a few months ago
This is why Lancelot did what he did. These were his reasons.
I got so angry, Deirdre.
I left.
I understand now.
Grey will pay for what they've done to her.
They don't deserve to live.

## S2E20 - Sky's The Limit

2018, November 10th
Dear Deirdre,
I have a hard time putting into words what happened today. The moon broke, we saved an angel, I led an army of moles against an army of metal men, the earth fell on us.... the angel died. We were entrusted with a part of Creation itself.
This sounds... It sounds like too much. Like when five bards are competing for the same audience, so they keep trying to improve upon the same story. Until a hero that originally fought off a pack of wolves ends up being the long lost son of the king as well as a prophecied wizard, and fights a tribe of werewolves.
See. There we go. Somehow, in my attempt at constructing a ridiculous story for my analogy, I didn't even manage to get close to the ridiculousness of the truth of what happened today.
It might sound more convincing in the right order.
Gwendolyn invited me to come with her on a journey with her school peers, including Hesperus and Groundbreaker, to an observatory - a place where they look at the stars. The observatory itself was very impressive, but contained some errors. Apparently they believe the sun revolves around the Earth here, and that the stars are other Suns. I attempted to correct the man in charge, but he didn't seem convinced, and our argument was cut off as... part of the moon broke off. And started falling down to Earth. Towards us. Along with two spirits.
We jumped into action. Groundbreaker broke some sort of plumbing to create a spout of water, which Gwendolyn shaped into a gigantic hand to catch the falling spirits, but there were chunks of moon coming at us, so I ran up the water and destroyed them.
Scattered among the falling rocks were some sort of metal creatures that appeared to be the cause of the destruction, as they attacked us. Hesperus showed a mastery of some sort of divine magic as he encased the creature in a barrier of light, blocking its attacks.
I don't remember how we defeated it. Things were a blur for a while. The rest of the children fled back into their carriage, and Gwendolyn healed the damage to the woman spirit's chest. There wasn't any time to rest, though, as more metal men started falling.
The earth shaman, Groundbreaker, said she knew a cave we could hide in, and destroyed the path leading into it when we made it there. It was different than she remembered, though.
Inside the caves, we met a number of armored mole people. Ser Gwendolyn and I introduced ourselves and requested their aid in getting back to the surface safely. The moles seemed unhappy with our presence, and mistrusting, but we convinced them to bring us to their king for parlay.
The king's caverns were enormous, and there was much evidence of a well-maintained army preparing for invasion of the surface. The mole people appear to have no love for the people of Halcyon.
We told the king that if he assisted us, we would be out of his hair all the quicker, and he seemed receptive to our arguments until he saw Hesperus, at which point he exploded and started yelling. What did he do?
Despite this, we convinced him to attack the metal men assaulting Halcyon in a brilliant stroke of diplomacy - something about how, if they won, they would prove their dominance over Halcyon. The mole army marched off to battle, and the mole king invited us to join him in viewing his victory.
Only it wasn't a victory. The sounds of battle were quickly followed by the sight of the mole army in full retreat, scattered and broken.
The sight of a noble and proud army in such a dismal state affected me strongly. It reminded me of the stories of great battles of old, of desperate last stands against overwhelming force. Without thinking I rushed into the fray, unfurling the flag and letting loose a battlecry, hoping to rally their spirits and reform a line of defense.
Against all odds, it worked. The moles rallied around me, and we held the line. Gwendolyn directed the battle from the back lines, allowing Hesperus and Groundbreaker to go after the enemy leader.
While they were gone, Gwendolyn and I turned the tide of the battle, routing the robots with the mole army.
As we did so, though, the whole mountain started shaking, rocks falling from the sky. I wanted to save the moles, but they seemed nonplussed - I suppose they could dig themselves out quite easily. Instead, Gwen took the wounded spirits, bringing them to safety, while I attempted to reach our allies.
I found Groundbreaker fighting off the remnants of the metal army, while Hesperus was desperately holding up the entire mountain with his magic. The sorcerers here are something else... There seem to be less of them, but the ones I have met are immensely powerful.
Groundbreaker created a tunnel out of the mountain, where we met the spirits and the mole king again. The four-armed spirit knocked the king out. I don't know why, but I do not blame them; the man is no king. A king does not abandon his subjects to the collapse of their home. The mole people can do better.
The blue-skinned angel seemed to be feeling a bit better, and revealed the reason for her presence: an elaborate box she explained held a Sonata, a divine song; a piece of Creation itself.
And she wanted to entrust it to us.
How could we possibly be worthy of such an honour? Our group includes a squire, a full Knight, and two mages of considerable power, but this is a task even the full might of the Knights of the Round Table would strain to accomplish. Not a task for mere mortals (even if Gwen and I are part spirit)
We retreated to discuss what to do, but were cut off as another masked, one eyed spirit appeared, who seemed to be the leader Hesperus and Groundbreaker fought earlier. It made a grandiose speech about questing for the pieces of Creation to allow his master to become King of everything.
I was kind of worried as Groundbreaker spoke to it, thinking of changing sides... but it all ended up being a ruse, as she used the opportunity to spirit (ha) the angel to safety underground, and in the same breath, Hesperus tried to teleport away with the box.
Only the box didn't vanish with him, causing a mad scramble as Gwendolyn and I fought the spirit for possession of the Sonata. I managed to take it from him, blocking his chain with my spear, and I yelled at Gwendolyn to take it away.
She looked conflicted, but... she did. She flew away, leaving me there, alone with the creature.
Not for long, though; Hesperus and Groundbreaker reappeared, and we fought him together. It was tough, but there is already a King, and a knight of Camelot - or a squire for that matter - does not capitulate.
We beat him.
But at what cost... It appeared that he had one last trick up his sleeve, as he released a burst of magical energy, catching the angel and the four armed spirit. They had saved Groundbreaker from the damage.
I was left frantically trying to save an angel as she died in my arms. It was a profoundly desperate moment, and will stay with me forever. She trusted us. An actual angel trusted us. And we let her down.
We will have to do better, Deirdre.
The four armed spirit turned into a human while this happened. He seemed to know Gwendolyn and the others, maybe.
I didn't catch much of their conversation.
...
They say the trials of the knights pilgrimage are chosen for each knight specifically, and represent the duties and tasks the knight is destined to overcome.
If this was part of mine, I fear what Nimue expects of me. Perhaps that is part of why he - my older self - cracked. It was too much.
I hope I can handle it.
I hope your witch training is less stressful.

## Season 2 - Apocalypse Sonata

2018, November 27th
Dear Deirdre,
I used to think I was writing these letters to let you know I was doing well, that I am thinking of you, and that I will be home safe when I can, new sword in hand.
I now know I write these to let you know what happened to me, and why I can’t come back. These letters are my record.
I have seen and done more incredible things in the last few weeks than I can remember ever hearing about beforehand.
I joined a team - me, Gwendolyn, Muse, and Parrot - of ambassadors aboard a ship that was a person. A really cute person. Their name is GAIA, and they’re reeeeaaally smart. They know so much about everything, and can talk about it all for hours. I wish I could listen to them more. Or maybe see them.
I fled a floating city as it was destroyed by an invading army. Said army may have been looking for us. I may have helped in the destruction. It’s not my proudest moment.
I forged an alliance with a nation of shapeshifters, as well as a creature called Horrid that we previously thought was our enemy.
I met a wizard that was at the same time a lot of monkeys (okay, that one’s not that strange - wizards are weird), on a poisoned world that was once like Earth.
I found out that Lancelot also met him, ten years ago - eleven years in the future for you - and failed to protect that world.
I impersonated an enemy officer, tricked the crew of an entire ship into locking themselves in a room, and fought a centaur for control of the ship. Oh, and one of said officers gave me their number. I might call them? Do you think getting locked in a room by someone that then fights your superior officer would make you not want to go out with them? It should be fine, right?
I fought a dragon - A DRAGON, DEIRDRE - in space. Space is like the sky, but dark, and you don’t fall because there’s no ground to fall to. And I beat the dragon, just so you know.
All of these are... amazing, mind boggling, worthy of story and song. If someone wrote all of these down and I were to read it, I’d tell them that the new edition of Gwendolyn’s Adventures is ‘a bit much’ and ‘should probably have been six books instead of three’. This is what I wanted to do as a knight, what I dreamed I’d become But I can’t enjoy it anymore. It wasn’t meant for me. I’m living his life, as his replacement, and I don’t cut it.
I met him, Deirdre. Him. Lancelot. Myself. I went to see Nimue, and she didn’t show herself - I didn’t deserve it - but instead showed me him, and he talked to me. He told me the truth, and made me promise to take his place.
And so I will.
I’ll continue to perform my duties in Halcyon. I’ll be here for Rhiannon and Gwendolyn while I can, and the rest of the Big Team. I’ll find GREY, and do my part to punish them. But when it’s time, and we move on Hell, I’m not coming back.
I will miss you. I already did, so much, but... it was different when I thought I would see you again, and...
~~Oh my god please help~~
~~I dont want to go~~

If you don’t receive any more letters, this is goodbye. please dont forget me
Yours,
Launcelot du Lac
Elle

## Season 2 - Time Passes

Dear Deirdre,
Some time has passed, and while my fear has not lessened, its edges have worn off and faded to determination. I am in a position to do some good while I am here, and leave our daughter (I figured it out. I’m sorry she will never exist for us) the life she deserves. I can fight, and there is fighting to be done. Your sister’s daughter, Rhiannon, my friend, is missing. The city is under control of GREY, the faceless evil that hurt Gwendolyn and so many others here.
I was called back to the moon today for medical tests. This took somewhat longer than I had expected after they realized I had never been vaxeenated, which is when you intentionally induce sickness in children, which sounds like madness to me. I thus spent an afternoon having various diseases injected into me, as well as being bloodletted, presumably to immediately cure them. They kept talking about comparing them to someone else’s, in the next room over, for ‘analysis’.
I got to leave relatively quickly, though.
Upon my return, I did several things.
I left my presents for various people labeled in the Big Team base.
I made flyers with Rhiannon’s information, to spread around in my civilian disguise (I go by Lancelle Ott)
I made a website, publicly announcing my existence and my opposition to GREY. They may know who I am. They can come find me, and they will learn to fear me like they did my older self.
I then donned my armour, and went outside.
I will not return to the house until Rhiannon is safe.
Love,

## S2E37 - The Rescue (Enlighten Me Part 2)

Dear Deirdre,
We've done it, and she's safely back home, in her room. It was not easy, and it was paid for dearly, with I can only assume the life of the man who has been taking care of her for the last years. I don't know for sure.
I should have known something was wrong when he asked me to give her a letter if he did not return. We tried to find him after he got us through the barrier, but to no avail. It appears we were all separated, me and a warrior known as Domdom left to find shadows of ourselves, our own fears and doubts.
The sorcerer made a mistake, though. They gave my shadow the face of the wrong Lancelot. And after the last four days of searching, of fighting GREY in the streets and hanging out missing person flyers, I was more than prepared to beat myself senseless, regardless of how true an edge the shade's knived words had.
The warrior proved incredibly capable, despite my misgivings after he revealed the nature of his powers to be draconic earlier in the day. Some form of spiritual channeling? I will remain wary. Dragons can not be trusted, even if Dominik has earned my trust.
As we defeated our shades, the realm fell to reveal a warehouse, with the Lady Rhiannon locked in a magic circle, and the rest of our group locked in battle with the sorcerer.
Rescue, who had looked very troubled during the briefing and afterwards, subdued him and rescued Rhiannon and the other woman trapped in an impressive display of magic. It was terrifying to behold, and if I had not been ready to get Rhiannon I might have been ... I don't know. It achieved its goal.
We got her home safe. She appears drained, but unharmed. I gave her the letter, and told her to find me if she needs to. She knows where. I will be here while I can.
She's a good friend, a great witch, and a wonderful young woman, and she did not deserve any of that.
Neither do any of us, Deirdre.
Love,
Lancelot

## S2E39 - Greed Is A Sin (The Golden Fleece)

Dear Deirdre,
Sometimes I worry that as great as life in Halcyon is, with all of its magic devices, it might rot your brain. Today I found the stongest sign of this yet.
We were sent out by Sir Cyclone to find a doctor Antonio Eaton, who had been working on a cure for the lycanthropy plague that hit the city the day Shanelle went missing. G.R.E.Y was at there, of course. I created a distraction while the rest of the team - Gabe, Rekken, Squire, Freedo - got inside. I don’t know what they found in there, because in the midst of destroying another squadron of G.R.E.Y soldiers I... something happened to me I don’t understand. My powers...changed, grew dark. They felt wrong, corrupted, dangerous, and I... I think I was on fire.
I ran. I couldn’t stay there, I would have destroyed the neighbourhood including the building my team was searching. So I found a safe place, and I got it under control, somehow.
Maybe I need a teacher. I’m a squire without a Knight to follow.
In the allleyway I had fled to, I encountered a bunny lycanthrope who pointed a gun (like a small handheld crossbow - very dangerous) at me, accusing me of being GREY. That hurt almost more than the fire did. A large transformed who asked me to call him Monkey saved me, and took me to see Dr. Eaton, who was in hiding with them.
Dr. Eaton is an honourable scholar, even if he could use some more backbone. He explained that a woman known as Dr. Watson offered to let him use her Catalyst, which would complete the cure, but he was unsure. I wish I had talked him out of it then, even if I would not have found Shanelle again.
I escorted Dr. Eaton to the meeting with Dr. Watson, where the rest of my team emerged from a vehicle along with her, a different bunch of kids, a barbarian, and a bear. The bear immediadely hugged me and tld me how glad she was to see me again. This was Shanelle! Apparently she had been infected wih lycanthropy, and could not go back to her bakery.
The other scholar explained her ‘offer’. It was... abysmal. Her plans were to sell the cure for what i understand to be an obscene amount of money, and I am hardly poor. It was wrong, and she seemed to understand this even if Squire didn’t, because she immediately revealed an army of mercenaries she had hidden to force our hand.
And force our hand she did, even if we tried to negotiate. Rekken held an inspiring speech. I gave her the entire contents of my coinpurse - good Avalonian gold. It should have been enough. It wasn’t, and conflict ensued.
Gabe unleashed his light, and started pulling her back as she left. Rekken unleashed the lightning that powers her, holding back the mercenaries, while Freedo and Squire dealt with the other heroes, who Squire apparently had history with. Is this how the rest of the squires felt when the girl I had been dating turned out to be a werewolf and ate her neighbour?
I convinced Shanelle too help us. She is a good woman, with a good heart, and that does not change, whether she is human or bear. She knew it was wrong.
Her help left Dr Watson open, and I easily subdued her. She had her chance. We made our case, we paid for her catalyst. Now it is time for her to work. A lot of people depend on it, and if we can’t rely on her goodwill, we will create it.
That just left Gabe, who had lost control of his powers, unleashing waves of light that were destroying the cave around us. Everyone else got to safety, but I just... suddenly knew I could save him, that I would not be hurt. I felt Nimue’s presence, the calm strength of a lake like a gentle hand in my back. I wasnot hurt as I approached him, the tendrils of light bouncing harmlessly off me. I placed a hand on him, and he collapsed in my arms.
What possesses people to be like Dr. Watson? To be so consumed by greed that humanity is pushed aside? Perhaps this world has so many wonders one gets mesmerized, and... well, they all cost money. Perhaps too many things do. I was not homeless for long, Deirdre, but while I was it was hard. One can do nothing here without money, not even live. And while that is true in Avalon as well, we... it feels different. In Avalon, communities support each other, smaller as they are, everyone knowing each other. And Halcyon feels like it should be better, not worse.
I don’t know. I would say that it seems like a matter for scholars to debate, if thr person being debated wasn’t a scholar.
Who scholars the scholar? Not me!
Love,

## S2E40 - Paul Blart Space Cop

Dear Deirdre,
Are all teenagers this ungrateful, this rude?
I know that... our Gwendolyn will never be born if I go to hell like I must. But if she were, I have some Thoughts on how we raise her. What a brat! She had no reason to blame me for all that, and the comment on me not being her real dad, I... that hurt. I know I’m not. I am an inferior copy. I still care for her, and I’m doing my best. Olivia would have asked her out regardless of my interference, I just...
Urgh.
I started off today doing reconnaissance at the mall, which is like a walled market, and a favourite target of GREYs. I was incognito, the way secret agents are in the movies here, but I was made at the same time that I noticed another suspicious person dressed the same. As I confronted him, he talked about some... conflict that we were making difficult, and threatened the civilians present.
While I was there to protect them, I will not be cowed by these threats; the city is a dangerous place right now, but that danger is not on us, it is not the fault of the defenders. A savior should not be blamed for those they could not save when the villain is there to be blamed.
I told him as much, but still followed. Perhaps I put too much stock in people’s words. Vows are not as important to everyone as they are to knights.
I woke up in a doorless room with Freedo, Rekken, and a ghost named Redshift. The latter quickly got us out. Who imprisons a ghost in a room?
On the other side, the people who had taken us revealed themselves to be Synthos, aliens I was familiar with from GAIA. They had Gwen, so we rescued her, and the ghost caused enough of a distraction for us to get away to the mall’s carriage lot, where the civilians had been rounded up by these Synthos.
We fought them, of course, several of us engaging one Syntho, who incapacitated Rekken with a spear.
Spears are dangerous! I keep telling people not to underestimate spears. They may not be as glamorous as swords, but they are very effective weapons.
Gwendolyn threw me at the Synthos’ ship, that they were using to abduct people, and when inside we fight the guards. Gwendolyn gets the ship back on the ground with her piloting experience.
Apparently the Synthos had made.. a deal with someone. A deal allowing them to take humans for their purposes.
That’s not the kind of deal anyone but God has the authority to make, and He wouldn’t. We told them as much; deal’s off. Even got them to tell us who made it, even if it is a name I did not recognise.
Afterwards, I talked to Olivia. She’s a great person. Did I mention she is a robot? That’s like a sentient golem made of metal and wires, animated by the lightning magic that powers this world. When I first learned about what she was, I spent two days treating my phone like it was a person, Deirdre. You may laugh, but I think it is better to be respectful when you aren’t sure if something is a person or not. If stories told me anything, it is that a dismissive knight who kicks a tree will inevitably get eaten by a treant.
Anyway, I assured her, and told her it was a good idea to ask Gwen out on a date. Can you blame me for playing matchmaker? They’re really cute together, and I feel so proud when I see Gwen. I want her to be happy. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think Olivia needed me for this. She was going to anyway.
But still Gwendolyn yelled at me when Olivia did not show, blamed me for it, told me to stop interfering in her life. How is this my fault? I understand being hurt, that’s a hurtful situation, but I...
I wasn’t in the greatest control at the time anyway as I may have been under the influence of the married iguana, a plant they grow here for recreational purposes. I may have yelled and summoned my spear.I hope I didn’t scare Freedo and Redshift.
Yours,

## S2E42 - Order Without Mercy

2018, December 21st
Dear Deirdre,
Some things happened recently that made me realize that even if I am only here temporarily, even if I am on borrowed time, I could probably use some help while I am here. The fire at the laboratory, for one, and... I may not have hurt anyone directly, not in a way that won’t heal, but I’ve come close. Much closer than I’d like to admit.
I don’t know how to explain it, Deirdre. It’s like sometimes I am just suddenly... different, and I remember what I was like before, and how I felt before, but whatever caused the change it’s... permanent. No matter how I try, I can’t go back to thinking, or feeling, the way I did before it.
I think it is making me like him. Like the world noticing the differences, noticing my attempts to steer myself away from that path, and bringing me back onto it forcefully. I can’t control it, and I need help.
I may have got it, though.
I fought a chimera today. I swear, a real, genuine chimera. It had the claws, the tail, the five heads and everything, and it talked. It said some pretty cruel things about me, even if they were true.
This chimera is apparently the boss of some sort of thieves’ guild in Halcyon, and the original excuse GREY had for seizing control of the city, so a week ago when the Big Team caught wind of a meeting he had planned in a restaurant, it seemed like a good time to take him down. Sir Cyclone agreed, but needed some convincing letting us assist. I believe he may have been worried that we would be hurt in the attack. I can sympathise... It is tough, leading soldiers into a fight, knowing some may not return.
It is still their job, and they will not appreciate your protecting them. So we - me, Gwendolyn, Freedo, Challenge, Sherman and a new girl called Shadoweks who is some sort of rogue herself - spent the week gathering information on this meeting. I took the direct approach, and asked Chimera’s minions politely. You could call them... pointed questions?
At the end of the week, we had enough information to impress Sir Cyclone and, honestly, myself. Challenge and Shadoweks had infiltrated the rstaurant itself, Freedo had somehow acquired Chimera’s financial ledgers (on some sort of small square), Sherman noticed that GREY was giving the entire area a wide berth, and Gwendolyn found out which of his lieutenants would be there, including someone called Orbital she had some history with.
The actual offensive went fairly smoothly. An older hero, a woman named Sledge who is, uh. Impressive? Informed us of the plans. We chose to enter through tunnels. Freedo used his magic to sneak us past whole groups of lizardmen guards, and there we split up, me and the soldier heading to Security, as he apparently knew how to operate such devices (Security rooms are equipped with numerous amounts of magical mirrors that give one sight into other places). I punched my way through more guards to get there. Once we did, we noticed the guards there were already out cold. Someone else was there.
We never did figure out who, though. The mirrors showed us chaos. Sledge ramming her way through hordes of chimera’s men alone, which was mesmerizing. Gwen fighting Orbital in the vault, and onthe top floor, where Chimera was supposed to be, a hero named Godspeed fighting something and losing.
I decided to go help him, rather than Gwen. She’s strong, she can handle herself, and most of all, I... don’t think she would appreciate my help right now. Sherman wanted to come, but I persuaded him to stay there. I regret that most of all. He is a competent soldier, and we could have used him up there. At the time, the mirror room seemed likea vital strategic location, and I thought we should hold it.
I got grabbed by an enormous claw the moment I arrived, but I burst out, and the chimera revealed itself.
It was a harrowing fight. Challenge and Freedo fought with me, and I can say I would be overjoyed to have knights half as brave on the Table. They gave me an opportunity and I took it.
I took down a chimera, Deirdre!
Or, well,one of the heads, at least. But it was enough to buy time for the cavalry to arrive, and chimera capitulated. We celerated! Challenge taught me a victory pose used herein Halcyon called a dab, which I mastered quickly.
Speaking of the help I said I got...
I asked Godspeed. He seemed like an honourable warrior, powerful and just, and I had heard of him before. I told him I needed help, and he gave me his phone number.
He also said he knew what I was, and that he didn’t trust me. That if I went down the same path, he and the others would take me down.I felt the gaze of the entire room upon me at that moment. A room full of people so strong they would be called legends in Avalon. Sledge, who I had seen shrug off an army like it was nothing. I am not too proud to say I was scared.
But that’s what I wanted, isn’t it? To be stopped? I told him as much...
I hope I was convincing.

I’ll probably have nightmares about this, to join those I already had. I wish I could sleep. I haven’t had a good rest in weeks. I took sleep for granted, Deirdre. There is nothing better. Blissful, peaceful, dreamless sleep, without hellfire or his face...

If you were here, maybe you could make me a sleeping potion or something.

I wish you were here.

Elle

## Goodbye Letters

Dear Alex,
I’m leaving for Ferinon today to rescue Lancelot. I know I told you I was going to help with that, but I haven't been entirely honest about it.
Ferinon won't let him leave. Not without a replacement. So I'm staying there.
I'm sorry to let you know like this. I've wanted to tell you since space, but... I saw no way to do so without having you stop me, and I couldn't have that.
You've been a great friend. I leave Fleur and Percival to you.
## Elle
Dear Lady Rhiannon,
I regret doing this to you more than anyone else. You have been more of a friend to me in the last months than anyone has ever been excepting Deirdre, and I am incredibly grateful for all that you’ve done. I wouldn’t have wanted to have been freeloading in anyone else’s not-actually-abandoned mansion.
By the time you read this letter you will know why it’s here. You’ve been planning this rescue for months, after all. You may have been sneaking through the hundreds of secret passages in this mansion, but I notice when you aren’t around. The house feels less alive. I know how important getting your uncle back has been for you.
Which is one reason I don’t feel as bad. Even if I know this will bring you more grief, even if I know what awaits me. I can help bring him back to you.
Still, I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me.
You’re my best friend.
## Elle
Dear Gwendolyn,
Unless something went very wrong, you know by now why I left you this letter. I’m sorry for doing it like this. For not telling you. I wanted to, but you would have stopped me, and I need to do this.
You see, I know why it didn’t work last time. Or, well, he knows. Hell doesn’t let go that easily. It will drag him back, unless… unless there’s a replacement.
And what am I but a replacement of him?
This isn’t that different, really. I promised you I would help you the night we met. I also promised him I would help. He contacted me, once, in space. Through Nimue.
Thank you for everything, Gwendolyn. The last few months have been a gift. I feel so privileged to have met you, and I remain incredibly proud of you, your endurance, your heart, and everything you’ve achieved.
I hope you have a wonderful life, with your family all back together.
Anything left of me you may have or do with as you see fit. I would appreciate it so much if you could deliver my letters, and the trinket on my spear, to your mother.
Better 21 years late than never.
Yours,
Elle. Only sort of your father, but as proud as if they were.
--
Dear Sir Cyclone,
Thank you for all your assistance during the months I have been here. I understand now how troubling it must have been for you to enter a police station only to find a younger version of your friend. I no longer blame you for the way you acted.
You are a great commander. I know how hard it can be to wrangle a group of children into a fighting force, but you do a wonderful job of it, and you’ve done a great job of supporting Gwendolyn in her father’s absence.
I won’t be around anymore, but he will. Trading one Lancelot for another. I hope he can improve, rehabilitate. You might get your friend back.
You’ve been an inspiration.
Lancelot the Younger

## S2E66 - Fall of the Zodiac: Part 1 ( SEASON FINALE )

2019, February 13th
Dear Deirdre,
Today was momentous in many ways. I want, more than anything, to start this letter by expressing my personal joy, the sense of victory and achievement I feel at this moment, but it feels wrong to do so.
Today was the bloodiest and most gruesome battle I have seen since coming to Halcyon. The city saw destruction and casualties far greater than it has seen in a long time, and I was only able to see a small part of it. People died. Homes were destroyed. People were changed, families were separated, and heroes fell.
GREY, the organisation I have been fighting with the Big Team since my arrival, launched a city-wide offensive against the population of Halcyon. They seized control of Zodiac City, spread their lycanthropic potion through the city as a cloud, and terrorized the citizens with regiments of armoured soldiers and transformed. Bee people swarmed the skies.
The city’s defenders, of course, fought back, including us. We tried to save as many as we could, but it was a losing battle, and we knew it. Godspeed fell, and Rescue got hurt as I saved him – a tactical decision, but one I regret. Godspeed is formidable, and would have survived. Rescue is too, but was protecting civilians. I suppose I wanted to impress someone I see as a mentor figure.
I’m just glad Rescue’s safe.
We did flee, though, and abandoned the rest of the city to GREY. I don’t know what happened between that and our return. Perhaps we could have saved more, but we could not have won if we had stayed.
We spent some time at a field hospital, getting treated for our injuries (I was fine). I had a moment with Alex that… Well, you know me, I love a lot of people, sometimes at once. You, GAIA, Alex, Janice…
This isn’t like GAIA, or Janice. It’s more like you.
Even that respite was brief. The hospital got attacked by giant termites. We fought them off, but the nurse explained that they can’t hold any hospital for long – the termites dig into any fortified location they set up, and undermine any defense.
The situation was bleak, and I don’t know how much longer after that the hospital held.
So I feel somewhat guilty that, to me, today feels like the day of my greatest victory. I suppose that comes with being a knight – my calling involves bloodshed, and being at the center of tragedy. That means that when I take pride in my work, the moments I feel good about are moments of tragedy, moments of fear, and for some… their final moments.
It is chilling to think about, but I do not feel that there is anything wrong in me taking pride in my accomplishments.
We decided to do something about the termite threat, but a surface army cannot fight one that burrows underneath. Thankfully, we had one potential ally:
The mole kingdom.
We had had diplomatic relations with them before. The relationship was strained, but we thought there was hope – I had led them into battle successfully once before, and their people seemed to respect me. In addition, Challenge had their admiration as an athlete.
More so than I knew, even. The negotiations with the King were difficult. Despite our best efforts, and a speech by Challenge that I believe would have ended the war between Camelot and Asgard decades before it did, they seemed unconvinced.
Until Challenge took off her mask, and revealed herself to be Matilda Kepler, star athlete of Big High.
And someone I know! I have met Matilda, Deirdre. I’ve spoken to her, I’ve seen her regularly at school. How long have I been fighting with Challenge? I can’t believe she did not tell me. Did she believe I would think of her differently, that I would mind?
I can’t help but feel a little betrayed.
It affected the Mole People too, though far more positively. The mood in the room shifted immediately. The removal of her mask lent credence to her words, lent charisma to her voice.
They followed Challenge into battle.
The fight was chaotic and desperate. We had cornered the termite people in their fortifications, a hastily constructed mound in the ruins of the city we fought to save. They were entrenched and, on the top, an enormous termite queen issued orders.
We fought valiantly. When the queen’s magic destroyed the environment around us, Rescue held us into the air on floating platforms. I disabled her magic, and when the mole king was captured, and his subjects lost hope, Challenge spoke courage into their hearts.
It just wasn’t enough. Even with the allies we found, we were losing, and this time there was no retreat.
But as I looked around at the situation, I felt a sense of calm come over me. A certainty of purpose and a certainty of skill, and a presence. Nimue.
She appeared. I saw her, through the shimmering portal, through the water, smiling at me motherly. She gave me my sword – Joyeaux, I knew – and I knew it was time.
I routed the army. It felt amazing. I have never felt so strong, so quick, but… most of all, I have never felt more sure that I was doing the right thing.
With her army defeated, the Queen was vulnerable, and my team wasted no time. Rescue used his platforms to launch Challenge and Parrot at her, and they took her down.
We did it.
I did it.
I’m a Knight!
As I’m writing this, I am sitting dressed-up next to Alex (who is wearing a hideous suit, I love her) in a waiting room. We are about to go on stage at some sort of theatre to talk to the people of Halcyon.
I’m a knight.
I’ll see you soon, Deirdre. I love you.
Yours,
Sir Lancelot du Lac of the Knights of the Round Table