This story is inspired by Arthurian legends. I wanted to pronounce Mordred as an intolerable threat to Camelot and the tragic hero Lancelot as his only real challenger. I found much of my inspiration from the searing 1981 John Boorman film Excalibur.
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Mordred was a fierce and terrifying English knight and rumoured to be the half-son of Morgan, the evil sister of the great King Arthur, banished for her wicked witchcraft. Mordred wore armor of gold color to signify his warlike intent to overtake the treasure that was Camelot, Arthur's revered democracy-oriented English kingdom. There was only one knight in Arthur's court who could challenge the ferocity of Mordred; it was the wayward but daring knight Lancelot who himself wore armor of pure shiny silver color to signify his loyalty to those who employed him fairly.
Mordred had ripped through the English countryside with his band of mercenary warriors on horseback. They had over-run half of the minor kingdoms and feudal manors of England (apparently under the order of the evil Morgan). Mordred's forces had arrived just beyond the hills of Camelot and were waiting to strike at the full moon. Mordred wanted Arthur's blood to glow on his sword under the moonlight when he declared victory (supposedly for his mother Morgan).
Lancelot was in Arthur's chambers and advised the king to allow him to fight Mordred. Lancelot warned Arthur that there was no other knight who could defeat Mordred. When Arthur asked him why Lancelot was willing to fight the barbarous Mordred, Lancelot replied he was happy with the wages paid to him by Camelot and that he knew he was the only knight skilled enough at swordsmanship to tackle Mordred. Arthur consented and ordered his knights to allow Lancelot the room to tackle Mordred on his own. The stage was set.
Lancelot was in the chambers of Queen Guinevere (Arthur's wife), and he told her he would defeat Mordred on the battlefield. Lancelot and Guinevere were secretly engaged in an adulterous affair, and Arthur had no idea his trusted mercenary-knight, Lancelot, had fallen in love with the Queen. Arthur walked into Guinevere's chambers and found his wife passionately kissing Lancelot. Arthur was enraged and pulled Lancelot into his chambers for a serious talk.
Arthur demanded to know why Lancelot was betraying him and seducing the Queen. Lancelot replied that the Queen was indeed innocent and that he took advantage of her fears of battle, knowing that the entire realm believed only he was brave and skilful enough to defeat the evil Mordred. Lancelot told Arthur he was always a wandering mercenary but fell in love with Camelot and Queen Guinevere and could not help courting her feminine fears of the terribleness of war, especially since Arthur was almost always busy with kingly affairs to notice the Queen's private anxieties. Arthur was still furious but consented to pardon the Queen but also demanded that Lancelot make amends for his betrayal, since his wages from Camelot were fair, by assuredly defeating Mordred on the battlefield. Lancelot agreed and advised the king that Mordred's forces would strike on the next full moon.
Arthur prepared his battle arrangements for the full moon battle, heeding the advice of the war-shrewd Lancelot whom he pardoned and was awaiting his battlefield redemption. Arthur's consultants and high-ranking knights suggested they build a semi-circle progression for the full moon battlefield, so as to create as much man-to-man coverage under a sky brightly lit by moonlight, and Arthur agreed. Arthur reminded his knights to allow Lancelot to fight Mordred alone, and they consented. No one but Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot knew of the adulterous affair which Lancelot promised to redeem himself for by fighting Mordred.
It was the full moon and Arthur's forces were on the field some distance straight ahead of the walls of Camelot, and they discovered that Mordred's army was already there waiting for them. Mordred was in his gold armor with a spear and sword on horseback, and Lancelot was on horseback by Arthur's side, carrying his sword and shield. Mordred looked more sinister than ever, and he had the posture of a man resolved to resort to any kind of cruelty for victory. Lancelot was not afraid, but he wondered if his redeeming deed would restore the honors of Camelot and reconcile Arthur with the Queen. All Lancelot knew was that he was intent on taking down the nearly immortal Mordred.
The two forces clashed, and at first Arthur's side had the clear advantage but as the battle wore on, Mordred's forces were encroaching more and more. Mordred was the spearhead of the advance and no one could withstand his cruel spear and sword. Mordred cut down Arthur's soldiers left-and-right, and Lancelot was approaching Mordred from the other side, disposing of Mordred's warriors efficiently while keeping his focus on the dangerous Mordred. Finally, Mordred and Lancelot were face-to-face. It was gold versus silver, and perhaps evil versus good. Mordred swung his sword and struck Lancelot across his chest, and Lancelot fell off his horse. Lancelot regained composure and struck Mordred's left leg as the barbaric knight was riding by attempting to behead the valiant and redemption-minded knight. Mordred grabbed his left leg in pain, and Lancelot pulled him off his horse and onto the ground. Mordred got back up, and both he and Lancelot were armed with their swords and ready to strike. Mordred thrust his sword towards Lancelot's chest, but Lancelot swung around and used his own sword to flick away Mordred's before striking him right across the neck.
Mordred lay on the ground, clasping at his bleeding neck. Lancelot stood over him and noticed for the first time what a terrible gold helmed the evil knight wore. Mordred lay dying and knew Lancelot had defeated him. With his last breath of hatred, the gold-armored knight swore to Lancelot that Camelot was still struck by the forces of Morgan, Mordred's mother, since no one could prove that Mordred was Morgan's son. Lancelot defiantly retorted that rumors that create fear and paranoia will not usurp a kingdom based on empathy and trust and that it truly did not matter whether or not Mordred was Morgan's son. Mordred died, and Lancelot was congratulated by Arthur who was calling back his forces which once again gained the clear upper-hand and was forcing the remainder of Mordred's army into retreat.
Arthur and his knights were feasting and drinking with the Queen to celebrate the incredible victory over the forces of Mordred. Lancelot was there but was very quiet, as he knew it was his last meal at Camelot; he was going to leave the next morning. Arthur remarked to Lancelot that they would never know if Mordred was the half-son of his sister Morgan, and Lancelot assured him that Mordred was gone forever. Lancelot told Arthur he had accomplished his deed of redemption and would leave Camelot in the morning, and Arthur wished him well. The next morning, as Lancelot rode away from Camelot on his loyal horse, the evil Morgan sneered and noted to herself that even though the nearly-immortal Mordred was dead, he had begotten a terrible son, and Morgan intended to make sure that her grandson would be the ancestor to a line of warlocks.
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