When I was but a baby, my brother Galahad set off to become a knight. My mother would often tell me the stories of his adventures and my head would swim with the thought of the glory and honor he must have felt. When I was seven years old, I decided I would become a knight too. I started doing all the thing I thought a knight would do. When I was 16 I decided I was ready, and I set off for Camelot to become a knight of the round table.

I decided if I was to be a knight, I had to do it on my own. When I arrived at Camelot, I marched straight up to the Castle gate and demanded to see King Arthur so I can become a knight. The guards laughed and sent me away. But I didn't let this stop me, I simply figured, if the direct approach didn't work, I'll try the not so direct approach.

I got a job as a stable boy, shoeing the knights horses and such, I planned on moving up to armor polisher so that I could talk to some of the knights. That didn't work out too well, the stable master saved that job for his favorite worker, his son. What a way to get a good job, know someone, well, I knew someone, but I was determined to do this on my own.

I decided the stable boy position was getting me nowhere, so I got a job in the Castle kitchen, mopping floors and doing dishes, at least, this got me into the Castle, now if I could only see King Arthur, I'd show him I was worthy.

After about a year of kitchen work, I was promoted to busboy. I think it was more to do with the huge banquet being given in honor of King Arthur's son getting married to Princess Gattinella. They needed some extra muscle to clear the tables.

I didn't care, this was my chance and I wasn't going to let anything ruin it for me. I took special care on the night of that banquet, I didn't want to drop or spill anything and make myself look like a klutz. I almost made it the whole night, doing the best and fastest job of everyone, and then I made the mistake of looking in the wrong direction at the right time. I looked the Princess in the eye and that was it, I felt the spark. That spark that can make the strongest man in the world turn to putty. I was in love.

I realized what I was doing, picked up my tray of dishes and practically ran into the kitchen. On the way in, I slipped, falling flat on my rear right there in front of everyone. I didn't look back, but I could hear the laughter, that was it, I was never going to be a knight now, why would King Arthur want someone better suited to be the Jester as a knight?

I went to the kitchen and hid there for a little while, I was ready to take off out the back door when I heard the ruckus out in the banquet hall. I crept to the door and peaked through the curtain. There, right in the middle of everyone I saw him, still on his horse, the biggest terror in the entire land, the one man that even King Arthur feared, The Black Knight.

He grabbed the Princess and spoke his challenge. "If anyone here is brave enough to come and rescue this damsel tonight, she will return unharmed. I can't promise the same for her hero, but if there is no one here brave enough to challenge me, she will never return." The Black Knight turned and rode out of the castle. King Arthur turned to his knights, he saw instantly, that none of them wished to take the challenge, not even his beloved Sir Lancelot.

I don't know what came over me; I burst through the curtain, jumped over the tables into the middle of the hall. "I'll rescue her, and bring her back myself." I turned and bowed to the King, then I ran out of the Castle on foot, I didn't even have a sword. I ran straight to the stables, grabbed one of the practice swords from the barrel and took the plowing borrow. I headed out through the forest after the Black Knight.

I rode for what seemed like several hours, but it was probably less, then I got to a clearing, my path was blocked by a large, dark shadow, it looked like a man on a horse. I yelled to him, "Aside sir, I must pass!" The figure sat stationary, I was about to yell it again when he came into focus and I realized who he was. I was coming up onto the Green Knight, the knight of the forest, he steps aside for no one (except for the Black Knight I suppose), and he won't let you run the other way either.

I had no choice; I had to fight him. So I raised my sword and charged. It came as no surprise to me when he knocked me from my mule. What did surprise me was when he dismounted, surely he knows the mounted man has the advantage in a fight.

You deserve a more fair fight child; I've seen grown men with less spunk than you've got. He came at me with his sword. We fought for a long time, and then he did something that gave me the upper hand. I don't know why, but he put down his shield and took off his weapon belt and helmet. The only difference between us now was he had armor and I didn't. I saw this as my chance and went at him full force.

Not long after, he was getting tired, I pushed harder. I must've pushed too hard because my sword broke. So I made a diving roll toward his weapons belt and grabbed the first weapon I could get my hands on. A Mace, I've never used a mace! I just started swinging that big heavy thing around. Then, just when my arms were starting to feel like jelly, he tripped and fell on his back. The force of the landing made him drop his sword. Now he's defenseless, and I've got a big heavy mace that I could crush his skull with, but I didn't. I asked him to yield.

He thanked me for sparing his life and asked that I do him a favor, it seemed a bit odd, but I agreed. The favor he asked of me was to save that girl, and don't take pity on the Black Knight as I had done him. I agreed and grabbed his weapons belt and sword, and then I jumped on his horse and took off again after the Black Knight.

About half way through the forest is the Red River, the domain of the Red Knight. I knew I would encounter him, but I was hoping he wouldn't be as stubborn about moving aside as the Green Knight had been. When I got to the river I slowly started across it, keeping a careful watch for the Red Knight. I almost made it when my horse's legs gave out and we spilled into the river.

We both got up fine, but I had lost all the weapons. My horse trotted off to the edge of the woods where the grass was thicker. I started searching for at least the sword. All I was able to find was a dagger, when I came back to the surface, I saw him, standing on the edge of the river watching me, so I made sure to keep the dagger below the water.

"You're fishing in my river boy!" he said as he looked around to assess what I might be able to do.

"I'm not fishing; I'm trying to find my stuff." I was pretending I didn't know who he was.

"That's not your stuff! It belongs to the Green Knight, if you've got his stuff, then that must mean you defeated him in battle, which means you know who I am. So prepare to die, boy!" He drew his sword and started wading into the river after me. I waited until he was close enough then I lifted my hand out of the water, making sure I splashed him good when I did, then I threw my dagger at him, hitting him directly in the head, killing him instantly.

I had never killed anyone before, but it was either him or me. I grabbed him and dragged him out of the river, I needed more weapons, and he wasn’t going to be using his. I took his shield, helmet, and weapon belt. Then I mounted my horse and again, I took off after the Black Knight.

I rode as fast as I could to the Black Knights Castle, after all, he said she had to be rescued tonight, and it was fast approaching Midnight, he might try to use that as the time he meant. As I approached the Black Knight's castle, I saw the princess in one of the windows. She was gagged and bound, but she looked unharmed. Now, all I had to do was attempt to rescue her and he’ll let her go, if he was a man of his word that is.

I couldn't see him so I yelled out to get his attention, stupid me, he hadn’t seen me yet either, but once he knew where I was, he shot and killed my horse. The horse and I fell to the ground and my leg got pinned under it. This was not a good position to start a battle in. I pulled with all my might to free my leg, but it wouldn’t budge. I could hear the Black Knight approaching, I needed to do something and fast.

I took off my helmet and set it down next to the horse, then I shoved my shield as far under the horse as I could and pushed my helmet under the shield, then I put all my weight and strength on my shield. It worked, the horse moved just enough for me to free my leg. I stumbled to my feet as quickly as I could. I could tell though, my leg was broken. I put on my helmet and picked up my shield and sword, just in time to block the Black Knight's first blow.

A strong blow, it nearly knocked me back down, there’s no way I could defeat him. I tried my best though, we fought for hours, first he would get the upper hand, then I would, but neither of us held it for long. He didn’t say a single word the entire battle, until dawn approached. The closer the sun came to rising above the horizon, the weaker he seemed to become. This battle was mine, I could tell, and so could he. Just before the sun showed itself, he finally spoke, "Stop! I beg you."

I was a little thrown by his request, but I stopped. He dropped his sword and removed his helmet. "You are a worthy opponent good sir, please tell me that I might know who bested me, what is thy name?"

I was about to tell him the name I was using at the castle, but instead I told him my real one, "It’s Gawaine." I said.

"Gawaine? You mean, you’re not a knight?"

"Not yet." I told him how I was trying to become one, but I wanted to do it on my own.

"So you figured, if you beat me, King Arthur would make you a knight?"

"Not at all," I said, "the princess you kidnapped, I love her."

The Black Knight bowed his head and said one last thing, "Until next time." Then he faded away into nothingness. His armor collapsed to the group and his castle began to crumble. I tried to go save the Princess, but she was already out of the Castle, apparently, I had been followed.

Out of the woods stepped Sir Galahad with the Princess, he led two horses, his own, and the Red Knight’s. "You look like you could use a ride, brother." He helped me onto the Red Knights horse, and then he helped the princess onto it behind me. He picked up the Black Knights armor and mounted his own horse and we rode off to Camelot.

When we arrived, we were greeted with cheers and congratulations. Sir Galahad was getting all the glory though, then, King Arthur himself approached Sir Galahad and bid him kneel. "Sir Galahad, you’ve done well, you saved both of them, I bestow on you my royal blessing and…"

But before he could finish, Sir Galahad stood up, "No, Sire, I deserve nothing, for I did nothing, it was Gawaine that bested the Green Knight, then without any effort at all, bested the Red Knight, and finally, he bested the Black Knight. Look at him you’ll see the evidence."

King Arthur looked at me and saw the mixture of armor and weaponry I could tell he recognized most of it.

"Well then, it seems I owe you the praise and thanks son, dismount." I tried to dismount gracefully, but my ankle was killing me. I held in the pain as best I could, but King Arthur noticed. I limped over to him and knelt.

King Arthur drew Excalibur from its sheath and ritually placed the blade on my shoulders and spoke, "I dub thee Sir…" I heard my brother whisper, "Gawaine sire," "…Gawaine. Rise Knight and join the ranks of your brothers of the round table."

So, that's how I became one of the Knights of the Round Table.

And to this day I still wear the Black Knight's armor, the Red Knight's Helmet and Shield, and the Green Knight had fished his weapons out of the river and brought them to Camelot himself and offered them to me. I took only the dagger I had used to kill the Red Knight, and the mace.