EPISODE 73
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LAMORAK :
…Between last time in Edinburgh, and now this…
I’m starting to think you enjoy taking my shirt off.
[ morgan Judges. lamorak wiggles his eyebrows at her. aglovale withers. ]
MORGAN :
Not wasting any time, are you.
AGLOVALE :
How is he?
MORGAN :
All seems well. Viviane’s magic was of great help, or else…
…I think you’d be dead already, Lamorak.
As things are, you’ve lost a bit of muscle mass, at most.
AGLOVALE :
Perhaps Merlin was wrong after all…
Maybe the Grail isn’t behind this?
MORGAN :
It’s possible, yes.
Or perhaps the Grail’s “intentions” aren’t what we assumed them to be.
AGLOVALE :
…How are you feeling, Lamorak?
LAMORAK :
Good. Even better than the last time I can remember.
C’mon, I killed a giant!
AGLOVALE :
Yes, well, the giant almost killed you, too.
LAMORAK :
Almost!
AGLOVALE :
Don’t brag.
MORGAN :
( Why would the Grail let him regain consciousness? Is it trying to ensure he’ll live so it can siphon energy off him…?
Why now?
…I must find out more about the Grail. )
ISEULT :
Guinevere!
GUINEVERE :
Iseult!
MARK :
Arthur.
ARTHUR :
Mark.
[ tristan is Not vibing rn, awkward :/ ]
ARTHUR :
What a cozy home you have.
That hunting trophy is…
…interesting.
MARK :
It’s Tristan’s. I prefer to stay away from weapons, but I do appreciate the art of hunting.
And Tristan is an excellent huntsman.
TRISTAN :
Oh, you flatter me, uncle. <3
You did bring down some quarries when the Irishmen came to visit, though.
MARK :
[ sighs ]
Because you were off wandering who knows where, young man.
ARTHUR :
If there’s one thing we may readily agree on,
it’s that Sir Tristan is away more often than not.
TRISTAN :
Last I heard of it, I was going on quests for the Round Table, my lord!
MARK :
…
GUINEVERE :
So tell me, Mark.
You still entertain close ties with the Irish, for them to come over for courtesy visits, yes? Are you still allies?
MARK :
Indeed, dear Guinevere.
They are first-rate trade partners. Despite a few disagreements, we are on good terms.
GUINEVERE :
Disagreements?
TRISTAN :
Oh, they’re mostly about me, my queen⎯
MARK :
Tristan.
Badmouthing another kingdom behind their back is hardly proper.
TRISTAN :
…It isn’t my intention, uncle.
To tell the truth…
Save for a few exceptions in Iseult’s family,
the Irish have no love for me.
ARTHUR :
Was Meliodas not Irish himself, though?
TRISTAN :
He was. It comes up rather often.
Well, Lyonesse comes up often, for the most part.
“When will you pursue your father’s dreams of reconquest, Sir Tristan?”
GUINEVERE :
I thought Meliodas had given up on that design…?
MARK :
He used to be quite vehement about it for a while before letting it fall to the wayside, yes. But he passed his title on to Tristan.
TRISTAN :
Even if I had any wish to take back a colony that even my father never knew…
…that would mean battling Estrangore over it, and I have no intention to do so.
MARK :
…
TRISTAN :
Not to mention it would mean going to war against Dinadan and Brunor!
Alas, my heart cannot love and wish them harm at the same time. ( I’m looking forward to unhorsing him next tourney, though. )
ARTHUR :
Methinks…
…that the Irish are hostile to you because they feel robbed.
You helped put an end to their dominion in Cornwall.
Perhaps they’re still angry over it
and are taking out their frustrations on you.
TRISTAN :
It’s possible.
Maybe they’re taking the chance to do so while they still can.
After all…
They know being overly aggressive will have consequences
when I ascend the throne of Tintagel alongside Iseult.
MARK :
…
And yet
you claim to be of Lyonesse…
…and not of Cornwall.
TRISTAN :
I⎯
MARK :
Tristan.
Take the ladies on a walk, will you?
Arthur and I have business to discuss.
GUINEVERE :
What a pleasant beach, despite the cold.
ISEULT :
Right!
GUINEVERE :
If the water wasn’t ice cold, I’d even dip my feet in.
Alas…
I lack Sir Tristan’s dedication.
[ tristan waves hello!! ]
GUINEVERE :
Look at him, the big fool,
pretending he isn't affected by Mark’s moods.
ISEULT :
Oh, you know, I’m already happy when he admits he’s not doing so well. I won’t demand he make the face to match, too.
…He’s so handsome. 🥰
GUINEVERE :
Well, if I was ten years younger…
ISEULT :
Oh no you don’t!
You wouldn’t dare!
GUINEVERE :
Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty enough on my plate with my own husband.
ISEULT :
……..Oh? ;3
GUINEVERE :
That’s not what I meant⎯ ( Though I have no complaints ~ )
No, I meant to say…
Tristan seems exactly like the kind of man one would lose sleep over,
and I’ve enough of that to deal with with Arthur.
ISEULT :
…I’ve heard he doesn’t like coming to Tintagel overmuch.
I’m so glad you’re here, though. I wish I could see you more often.
GUINEVERE :
So do I, Iseult!
It’s not that he doesn’t like Tintagel, he…
I believe that it evokes some sort of melancholy in him, despite the fact he’s never known it.
ISEULT :
I’m not sure I understand.
I mean, I’m a foreigner, and…
Mark has never been willing to bring up political details with me.
I think they make him uncomfortable. ( And just like his nephew, he doesn’t talk about his feelings. )
GUINEVERE :
…Did you know it took a coup d’état for him to ascend the throne?
ISEULT :
Yes. Him and Tristan’s father.
GUINEVERE :
Indeed.
Gorlois and Igraine of Cornwall were the royal couple once.
I know they dealt a lot of trouble following the Irish invasions, but
I cannot seem to recall whether they were still in power at the time of the coup.
They were Morgan’s - Morgan le Fay’s - parents.
This said, it just so happens that Igraine is also
Arthur’s birth mother.
ISEULT :
…Arthur’s? But…
Is he not the son of Uther Pendragon?
GUINEVERE :
He is.
Igraine had Morgan with Gorlois…
…and Arthur with Uther.
In a way, that makes Morgan and Arthur pretenders to the throne of Tintagel.
But I think that in Arthur’s eyes, the problem lies elsewhere.
ISEULT :
…It’s about the rebellions, isn’t it?
…I think Mark regrets them.
Listen, I know our relationship may seem strange from an outsider’s point of view, but
I care for Mark from the very bottom of my heart.
He’s a brilliant man, and we have many, many interests in common. I know him well enough to know he’s sincerely trying to improve the situation, but…
He’s clumsy.
Always on his guard, like a wounded animal…
I watch him snap, sometimes, then regret it.
GUINEVERE :
…And yet remorse isn’t enough, once the harm has been done.
ISEULT :
Of course.
I feel bad for him…
…and I fear for him, too.
I’m afraid he’ll let his misery sweep everything away,
leaving him nothing but regrets.
ROUND TABLE TRIVIA
Many decades ago, Britain had to contend with invasions from Ireland.
[ the crossed out parts of the map are colonies ]
The Irish settled on colonies along the western shore of the isle, one of which was Lyonesse.
Various wars and rebellions drove the colonizers away, but a few regions retain marks of their time under Irish dominion.
For a long time, Irish lords attempted to conquer the land again, but these “reconquests” are largely seen as fruitless obstinacy, as they are too expensive and lack any real support from the locals.
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