Author’s note: I ran out of winter clothes. It’s still cold so Gawain gets a comfy jumper. I know it doesn’t look medieval. I know the decorations don’t either. Fight me. 😂
To Miss Guinevere
Thank you for your discretion. Please accept this as a token of my friendship.
It is a little early, but blessed Yule.
Mithian
–
“After careful consideration… Knight to D5.”
The two had made their way onto the ramparts, taking a much-needed break from Yule preparations. Morgana had spent all morning sending out court invitations and preparing for the upcoming masquerade. Lancelot had been saddled with a no less tedious, but much more thankless job – he had to choose which soldiers would have to work during Yule and would not get to see their family. Both tasks were rather draining. Lancelot and Morgana stretched their break for as long as possible, circling the ramparts twice as they reached the final stage of their chess game.
And the sorceress was winning.
“Tower takes pawn at B2,” Morgana said. Lancelot smiled at her, a strange expression playing on his face as they turned the corner.
“Bishop to D6.”
“Tower takes tower. Check.”
Morgana frowned, placing her hand on her chin in contemplation. Something was odd. The future Duke had been making strange moves one after another, some of them completely illogical. She couldn’t read him anymore. The sorceress could not predict what Lancelot was doing. And his moves weren’t helping him, either – Lancelot had just lost two of his pieces, one of which was very powerful, but the future Duke did not seem to care in the slightest.
Something was odd.
Morgana stopped in her tracks, cocking her head quizzically.
“What are you doing, Lancelot?”
The future Duke did not reply. Morgana was forced to look at his back as Lancelot stopped in front of her, scratching his chin as he pondered in silence. Ater a few moments of that, Lancelot finally spoke up.
“King to E2.”
“…All right, bishop takes tower. Your last tower, my lord.”
“I am well aware. Pawn to E5.”
What.
“Really?” Morgana replied. “A pawn? I’ve got my entire army bearing down on your king, and you decide to move a pawn? Are you mocking me?”
The future Duke glanced back at her, a teasing, almost mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“Think about it, Morgana.”
–
She did.
Lancelot excused himself shortly after, promising to finish their game during the masquerade. He then left her on the ramparts.
Morgana did not return to castle preparations. She couldn’t focus. She didn’t want to. For the rest of the day, the sorceress was absent from court, retreating to her chambers and restlessly pondering over her chessboard. Lancelot’s words bothered her more than Morgana would ever admit. The sorceress wanted to win. She was going to win.
No matter what.
Morgana hadn’t had this much fun in months.
–
–
–
Tales of Camelot 
What a fun chapter!
I realized I didn’t comment on what Gawain was up to in the last chapter, but that was merely because I had nothing significant to say except that I liked it. But now the plants have multiplied? Is he going to see it?
Poor Morgana. She has no real appreciation that she must play with EVERY piece on the board. She should try playing a match where both sides remove their queen at the start.
That was sweet of the princess of Nemeth (can never remember her name when I ask my brain what it is) to give Guin the earrings. Not to mention the box. That’s a good box too. Guin can’t stand the woman, but it would be too rude to refuse the gift. She’d be asked to explain why, and that would just cause more trouble.
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Aw, thank you! I adore Yule decorations both in real life and in the sims, so this was a lot of fun to prepare. I’m going all-out for next chapter. 😁
The plants have grown and multiplied! He might see it, but he might not. The dice will decide on that one. Oooh, a match where both sides get rid of their Queen from the beginning? Something tells me she wouldn’t like that one bit.
Haha, her name is Mithian, but I consistently type her name as Mithain in my notes and then autocorrect thinks I’m either trying to spell methane, or mithril. It is a good box! I would love a box like that. Maybe even more than the earrings. That’s probably weird. And you have a point about her refusing – wearing them will get noticed, but not wearing them will also be noticed. What to do.
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Gwen deserves lots of presents ;-;
I’m wondering if Lance, in a similar way to Morgana, has realised that he’s opened up to someone and then is sort of like ‘oh, shit’- and maybe his weird chess moves are a way to ‘cover up’ what she might see in him through his actual chess moves (if that makes sense?) Like a facade upon another facade I guess. Also I love Morgana’s winter coat < 3 I'm not too sure what he meant by 'think about it' though. Maybe that's what he's trying to get across? like 'don't make yourself too easy to predict'? Look at the little garden growing < 3 All that paperwork on Yule… Sarah looks like she's plotting something there…A fun Yule game! Let's turn Uther's portrait into a dart board! Ten points for hitting him in the eyes and twenty for the crotch! Aww Sarah leaving Yule treats for the hungry prince, bless her. I loved Gawain putting the presents down for the kids in the morning. They all deserve a great Yule…
…except Uther, Crown Prick and Aggrovaine.
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All the presents! 😁
That’s a good theory! One we’re unable to check because peeks into Lancelot’s head are very very rare, but playing complicated mental games is something they’re both capable of.
Hey, I worked hard on that portrait! 😆 Uther darts does sound like fun, though. Hahaha, seems like all three of them are on your naughty list this year. No presents for them. 🎁
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Ah.. That is very wise of Lancelot. To hold up a mirror in the form of a chess match for Morrie and reflect her most critical flaw back to her. I’m glad she’s mulling over his words and I hope she gets it. I can’t figure out his intention for helping Morrie. They did have a bonding moment so he could simply be genuinely helpful to a friend and I am just a skeptical being lol. Then again, a lot of this is my own projection of what I think Lancelot is doing. This might not have been his objective at all even. 😄
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So far we’ve only had one peek into Lance’s head and that was as a child. His current intentions are anyone’s guess, though you can interpret them in many ways. Is he just being friendly? Is he gaining her trust so he can stab her in the back later? Does he just like to play games? Who knows? Well, I know, of course. But I’m not going to tell you. 😇
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I love the snow-covered landscape and the atmospheric images ❤
The Christmas decorated dining hall is so beautiful even though you have compromised with the medieval effects 🤩
I certainly do not complain 😉
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I had a lot of fun decorating everything. The place will go back to dread and tension eventually, but not this chapter. I’m enjoying it very much. 😊
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Mithian sent Gwen earings? That’s kind if her… I hope. There’s also a possibility that Morgana and Lancelot are not the only ones playing a chess match in this chapter. After all, Mithian’s behaviour towards Gwen mainly changed once Gwen spoke about Arthur with far too much fondness… Is Mithian planning to use that somehow? Not that I know how it could benefit her yet, but I don’t trust anyone around here 😅 I do wonder why Mithian is so set on nobody finding about her faintining. Feels like there could be more to it than just her not wanting to show weakness.
So Lancelot is actually trying to help Morgana with this chess match, it’s not just sizzling, he’s making a point. You keep doing this to me, every time when I think I it’s impossible to like him even more. Poor dude will be drowning in all this fan mail from me 😆
Speaking of drowning in mail, that scene with Arthur and his grumbly stomach and lack of sweet rolls 🥹 Reminded me how young he still is. Of course, Sarah takes care of them all. Well, all apart from Uther and Aggro, obvs. I wonder how come she never tried to poison Uther over the years. I suppose she’s rational enough to know that would bring too much instability to the land and be a threat to the young Pendragons while they were too young… but you know, they could totally handle it now, right? I’ll stop plotting…
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Ooooh, ever the sceptic, I see 😁 Who knows? Maybe Mithian is genuine, or maybe she’s playing games just like the rest of them. Usually it’s “innocent until proven guilty”, but in Camelot, that attitude will get you killed, so a big dose of suspicion is never a bad thing here.
Aw, and he’d like it, too. Poor guys never gets any fan mail. It all goes to Arthur, Nimueh and Gawain. Then again, he did pose for you with his shirt off. Or was that Arthur? It’s been so long I can’t remember who did what. 🤣
He really is still very young. Sarah? Poison Uther? My, why-ever would she want to do that? 😇 (In my head, Sarah is pouting, going “I don’t poison them to kill them! Why does everyone keep assuming that? Feh!”)
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Haha the posing was definitely Lancelot. I’ve always been a Lancelot stan, it’s just intensified now 🥰
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The pictures and the Yule decorations shown in this chapter are beautiful. 🙂 I hope Morgana is able to properly think about what Lancelot said and come to the right conclusion (and not something weird that he didn’t mean).
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Yule is one of my favourite holidays and these chapters coincided with actual real life Yule perfectly. So I went all out on the decorating 😁 a little too much. I’m still finding and deleting garlands all over the castle, haha. Let’s hope that Morgana has time to think, and comes to the right conclusion.
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