(Ragnarok: Pandora) Chapter 76: Welcome to Camelot
Pandora and Icarus are sitting in the carriage, Pandora looking out into the distance. “I think I see Camelot up ahead! What kind of place do you think it is!? From the legends it sounds AMAZING!”
Icarus nods. “It does sound amazing but… let’s not get our hopes up TOO high right?”
Pandora grabs his arm and tugs at it. “Come ooooon! Don’t be so glum! It’s exciting! And it’s with you, so it’s even better!”
Icarus feels himself getting rustled back and forth and rolls his eyes. “I… yeah it does seem kinda cool,” He points ahead into the distance. “Is that it over there?” He asks and the driver nods.
“Yep yep! Next stop Camelot! Please remember all your belongings!”
As they approach Pandora is on the edge of her seat, looking out at the giant walled city. The walls have several giant golden chains extending from the walls, pinning them to the ground, the walls finely decorated in ornate stone carvings and covered in gorgeous banners of the Camelot crest and Arthur himself. It is surrounded by smaller farm-villages as far as the eye can see, the city of Camelot surrounded by gigantic walls. “Icarus look at those banners!” She yells as giant silk banners are floating around them as they approach each embroidered with various slogans. ‘The Excaliburger. New at McArthur’s’. 'Blemishes BEGONE! At Tristan’s beauty’. ‘Not strong enough yet? Work out at Gawain’s Weighty World!’. ‘Percival of the knight’s corps wants YOU!’. ‘Starting soon: The great Lancelot Joust!!’. and many more as they pass.
Icarus raises an eyebrow. “Are these… advertisements???”
Pandora’s eyes sparkle as she looks at the beautiful signs. “This is awesome! They’re beautiful!”
Icarus stares at her sparkling eyes and happy grin… “Yeah… very beautiful…”
They start landing in front of the city in a small village. Pandora jumps out and starts sprinting towards the first big sign she sees.
Icarus leaps out to run after her. “HEY! Pandora wait up! Don’t just run around randomly! Weren’t we going INTO Camelot?!” He calls out and catches up to her grabbing her arm and yanking her around her fluttering hair framing her look of surprise as he pulls on her.
“S-sorry…” She says looking up at him and the two pause. “You’re right. Sorry. I got a little excited there…” She says moving some hair behind her ear looking a little sheepish.
Icarus blushes as he looks at her and clears his throat, spinning on his heel so she doesn’t see his reddening cheeks. “... it’s fine. This place is pretty incredible already… Didn’t Arthur say he would send a tour guide?” He asks changing the subject.
Pandora looks up at him with sparkling eyes. “You think it’s another knight! Oh what if it’s someone from his stories!”
“I guess? But let’s just get into Camelot for now. I guess a tour guide for Camelot would reasonably be in Camelot,” He says as they step through the small outskirt village and approach the giant wall in front of Camelot following the dirt path, however as they begin to approach they come across a small booth on the side of the road with a wooden post out in front blocking the path, a large group of people standing around just past it, chatting. As Icarus tries to jump over it he suddenly finds a sword pointed at his face from a knight on the other side.
“Icarus!” Pandora yelps in worry as the small booth’s operator clears his throat.
“Do not jump the post, young man,” The old man says and Icarus jumps back to step up to the booth with Pandora. “Names, reason for visit and visa?”
“Uuuuh…” Icarus and Pandora share a look. “What is this group of people exactly?”
“They are tourists waiting to get in. First time in Camelot I assume? We just need to get the paperwork in order. So. Names and reason for visit?”
“Tourists… well names are Icarus and Pandora. And… we were invited? We don’t have anything like a visa…” He questions and the man raises an eyebrow.
“Invited you say? By whom exactly? What idiot wouldn’t give invited guests a visa?”
Pandora smiles proudly and puffs her chest out. “King Arthur Pendragon!” She says and everyone falls silent for a few moments, even the group of tourists quieting down. After a few moments everyone bursts out laughing. “W-what’s so funny?”
“AS IF Arthur would invite YOU to Camelot! Even IF he did surely THE king of our great nation would remember to give you proof of such a thing, would he not?!” The operator says through teary laughter. “Leave Queen of Sin. You are not welcome in our great nation.”
Pandora instinctively puts her hands up in front of her chest and looks to the ground in shame. “But…”
Icarus slams his palm on the table. “DON’T you talk to her like that!” He snaps shooting the booth operator a glance, quickly finding swords pointed at him. He takes his hand off the table and steps back. “Whatever…” He says grabbing Pandora’s hand and walking away.
Pandora timidly follows until they find a bench overlooking the gates, Icarus wrapping Pandora in his wing as if to shield her. “I… I’m sorry.”
“For what? That guy’s just sour, HE didn't get a personal invitation from Arthur.”
She gives a little laugh looking up at him wiping away a tear. “Yeah… must be it right?” Her smile is clearly pained.
Icarus gently leans her up against him. “Hey. He also doesn’t know you. Don’t take his words to heart alright?”
The two sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes until they are interrupted by the ringing of a loud bell somewhere over by the titanic walls of Camelot. Icarus can faintly make out a man stepping out onto the wall.
“Make way Make way! The gates are opening!” He calls out.
The booth operator looks down at his pocket watch. “What? They are not supposed to open for another hour!?” He says as the group of tourists get out their camera, Icarus and Pandora getting up to check out the gate opening. Suddenly the two front-most golden chains begin to strain and jingle Icarus and Pandora both gasping in awe as the walls begin to come apart. Each enormous block moving out of the wall smoothly gliding along the ground as if assisted by magic. The booth operator looks confused as he sees someone coming out of the ‘gate’. More like the opening. Riding on an unusually GIGANTIC golden-furred horse, finely armored in silver, easily standing 5 meters tall. It strides with grace and strength as it stops a short distance from the tourists, sitting itself down and allowing the rider to get off.
“Good boy. Sit tight Llamrei,” As the figure approaches, Icarus and Pandora make out a feminine form, walking with grace and confidence, enrapturing the tourists who quickly begin snapping pictures. Dressed in a matted pink diamond-checked short shirt exposing her slim waist and belly-button, a long frilled skirt in equal pink colors, talls heeled sandals on her feet. However what is most notable about this woman is her incredible amounts of jewelry. Each of her fingers adorned with a clearly high-value ring, a bracelet and shoulderpad both clearly chosen to match with golden and purple diamonds engraved on them, a necklace of a golden star resting carefully resting in her ample boxom. Her pink eyes shoot a glance at the tourists followed by a smirk.
“Sorry boys. No entry outside the tour horse,” She says with a flick of her short golden bop, having pink frosted tips. She strides up to the booth and sets a hand down, leaning on it clearly not hiding her feminine figure. “Hey there. I’m here to pick up some guests? Arthur said they’d be here about now?”
The booth operator fixes his color. “I-I uh… There um.”
She taps her long pink nails impatiently against the wood. “Are they here or not? You didn’t turn them away did you?”
“W-well I… you see… i-it’s…”
“Do you know how to speak with full words? It’s truly not a good look for Camelot to have people’s first interaction be with someone so… what’s the word?” She waves her hand around. “Aphasic.”
Icarus walks up to the woman. “Excuse me.”
The woman briefly glances over, her eyes moving back to the operator before it locks back onto Icarus. She spins back around sitting herself onto the table of the booth. “Oh my. Aren’t you that young lad, Icarus. From Crete. How quaint. And I see you’re with your little girlfriend there,” She leans to the side to get a look at Pandora who is hiding behind Icarus from the operator.
Icarus blinks a few times. “Um… n-not my girlfriend but… Pandora is actually the one who was invited. I’m just invited WITH her. And THIS guy made her, an honored guest of King Arthur VERY upset. She cried, you know?” Icarus can tell there is some kind of power dynamic at play between this woman and all the knights around.
The lady rolls her eyes hopping off the table to stride up to them. “Oh forget him,” She grabs Icarus’s collar and corrects it. “Nice clothes,” She starts and Pandora feels a little sting in her heart seeing the woman put her hands on him so shamelessly.
“Um… excuse me but… are you the tour guide?” She says trying to gently put herself between Icarus and this woman.
“Oh that Arthur. He forgets to give you visas that I SPECIFICALLY make Gawain carry around everywhere. AND he didn’t tell you who I was?” She rolls her eyes. “I swear that idiot would forget his head if I did not ensure it was attached in the morning.”
Icarus raises an eyebrow. “In the morning? What are you his assistant or something?”
The woman laughs with the back of her hand in front of her mouth. “Oh you silly boy. In a manner of speaking I suppose that is my role as well.”
Pandora suddenly seems to put two and two together. “You’re… YOU’RE LADY GUINEVERE!!!!” She yells out excitedly.
The woman gently curtsies to the two. “The one and only. Now then. I believe you two need to relax. Come,” She says spinning on her heel and striding back towards the gigantic golden horse. As they approach Guinevere turns and waits looking at Icarus.
Icarus pauses briefly. “Um… yes?”
“Well? Are you not going to help two fine women onto the horse?” She asks and gestures to the giant magnificent beast. Icarus looks a little confused but jumps onto the giant horse with ease helping Guinevere up as she demonstrates how to do it. “Just hold Icarus’s hand and step on the footholds. Simple and elegant. As a maiden should be,” She informs though gently taking the reigns. Icarus helps Pandora up and Guinevere whips the reigns a bit making the giant horse stand. “Alright Llamrei. Back inside. Chop chop, or… clop clop?” She looks back at the two who both look at Guinevere a little confused, as Llamrei begins his trot towards the opened gates. “Oh come ooooon. That was funny wasn’t it?”
Pandora giggles. “S-sorry yes… but… I just wasn’t expecting you to make jokes, Lady Guinevere. You were so… serious just earlier?”
Guinevere waves her hand dismissively. “Well I saw you two sitting on that bench as I approached so I knew he messed up. Very cute by the way. Comforting your girlfriend like that,” She says and Icarus and Pandora swiftly look away from one another to hide their blushes.
“T-that wasn’t… I was just comforting her cause of that… guy in the booth. She’s not… my girlfriend.”
“Y-yeah it wasn’t anything else! W-we’re not… together like that...”
“Mmmmmhm. Sure kids. Whatever you say. Now,” She says as they close in on the giant gates. Pandora and Icarus gaze into the city, seeing sprawling streets filled with colorful merchant booths, old medieval houses each also with a brightly colored roof, all showing a direct upwards route towards the enormous castle with its golden peaks on the towers. Tall strangely colored trees adorning the sides of the road, with lampposts accompanying them each one glowing a different shade, mostly red, orange and yellow. The walls are painted with doodles and graffiti of different kinds. Icarus notices something strange about the kids running around. There are… gods AND humans here? Guinevere stands up, spinning on her heel holding out her hands. “Welcome you two! To the city of legends and brightness CAMELOT! The iridescent city of legends!!”