EPISODE 101

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AGLOVALE :

 I remember the day

I first met Gawain.

Father, whom I was squiring for at the time, was about to leave on a quest with her.

She was seventeen, and had only just joined the Round Table. 

More importantly, she had just

revealed herself to be a spy. 

She’d infiltrated the castle through the kitchens, passing herself off as a servant…

…in order to eavesdrop on conversations and report back to Loth, her father.

And despite it all…

…she’d been pardoned, and made part of the Round Table.

I found it outrageous.

Or perhaps…

…I was outraged because my father was.

He didn’t stay that way for long, though.

He ended up liking her quite a lot.

Fatherly instincts were simply part of who Pellinore was.

So I, little by little…

…learned to like her too.

For two years, we were good friends, even.

GAWAIN : 

And then, she took off her bodice and showed me her huge ti⎯

AGLOVALE : 

Gawain, please! 

AGLOVALE : 

She was there when I was knighted,

and we were paired together for our first quest.

Lamorak liked her a lot, too…

Perhaps too much, as he’d say now.

But…

…it didn’t last.

When Pellinore died, my world collapsed. 

At the time, I grieved for more than just my father.

I grieved for my mother and youngest brother, who’d vanished shortly thereafter.

I grieved for my life as crown prince, suddenly forced onto the throne…

…and 

for my friendship with Gawain.

I began to avoid her,

then resent her.

That resentment turned into pure, irrepressible,

insatiable hatred.

AGLOVALE :

 Sir, why do you insist on keeping her at the Round Table?

She turned against you, against your knights.

Should she not suffer the consequences? 

ARTHUR : 

…

Aglovale…

You’re hurting, I understand that.

But it is that hurt that drives your every action.

…

…as Gawain’s own hurt drove hers. 

[ aglovale falls into arthur’s arms. wouldn’t we all ]

ARTHUR : 

…

I loved your father very much, I did.

And I’m sorry I let the situation escalate to this point.

But Pellinore agreed to that duel,

and its outcome absolved Gawain of any wrongdoing. That is how these things work. 

…

I give you my word that I’ll keep an eye on Gawain.

But most of all,

I won’t let you face this trial alone. 

I’m here, by your side.

You may stay in Camelot for as long as you need.

AGLOVALE :

 On that day, Arthur

saved my life. 

By talking me out of my revenge, by caring for me, by promising he’d support me…

I owe him much and more. 

He’s been such a positive, kind presence…

…but if I’d known…

…would I have changed my mind? 

Would I have left the Round Table? 

How to reconcile my gratitude, my admiration for him…

…and the terrible truth I've learned? 

Is it not this lie

that led us here? 

I accepted my father’s fate because I believed that the duel was fair. 

I repressed everything, put it all to the side…

…because I believed in that lie. 

I can never look Arthur in the eye again,

or even justify the way I feel about Gawain,

if justice isn’t served. 

GAWAIN : 

Aglovale, please…

I don’t want to kill you. 

AGLOVALE : 

…

GAWAIN :

 ( A weak blow. His arm’s too badly wounded to⎯ 

How did he…? )

AGLOVALE : 

I’ve made up my mind, Gawain.

I cannot accept a compromise. 

Surrender. 

ROUND TABLE TRIVIA 

Duels between knights, part one

In Merlin’s time, druids and monarchs ruled together, and the monarch was elected by their warrior peers under the druids’ watchful eye. 

Merlin : 

The monarch’s role is to preserve balance among their people. They cannot make any decision without consulting their druid, so the druid and monarch rule together.

As centuries passed, influences (notably by Germanic tribes) led to some changes in the system, giving the monarch more power and putting the decisionary and military might in their hands.

Merlin : 

This world’s falling apart! (Hmpf!)

That is how judiciary duels were born : the monarch now has the power to settle conflicts through combat, without the druid’s insight. 

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