Tristan. He was once known as the strongest Knight in all the Celtic kingdoms. Twenty years ago, everyone told stories about him—he was handsome, powerful, and deeply committed to justice. He was the definition of a true Knight. He actually lived in Camelot for a while, and it was during that time that Kay, thanks to the matchmaking of King Uther and the Queen, became Tristan's student. Tristan mentored Kay for a year before returning to his own kingdom.
But what truly made him a legend wasn't just his skill—or at least, not only his skill.
His other very famous title was: "The Son of Sorrow."
Before Tristan was even born, his father, King Rivalen of Lyonesse, died in battle. Soon after, his mother passed away following his birth. He was then raised by his uncle, King Mark. Tristan served King Mark as an outstanding Knight, and the King placed deep trust in the handsome young man.
That alone would be a sad story, but what made it even more heartbreaking was that Tristan fell for the wrong person—Isolde, the Irish Princess who was his uncle King Mark's fiancée. Isolde was the woman King Mark loved and had sworn to marry. Tristan was sent by King Mark to Ireland to escort Princess Isolde back for the wedding, but Tristan and Isolde fell in love during the journey. This affair with the Princess sparked the fierce jealousy of King Mark, the man she was supposed to marry. Caught between his uncle and his lover, Tristan was tormented by guilt and pain.
Ultimately, due to the pressure from King Mark's courtiers, Tristan was forced to leave his country.
That's when he came to Camelot. It was the only place he had remaining family—his sister, Queen Igraine, Uther's wife. Tragically, Tristan arrived in Camelot hoping to see his sister only to receive devastating news: Queen Igraine had died in childbirth!
Queen Igraine was Tristan's only sister, and he knew her secret: she couldn't have children!
This was the final straw. Tristan completely lost it. He believed it was all King Uther's fault and issued a Knight's Challenge to the King.
Kay witnessed that duel. Tristan was absolutely relentless, yet the result of the fight was that King Uther won...
To this day, Kay can't quite figure out what was going on with Tristan back then. Although he seemed completely insane, he was also clearly seeking death, as if he had come there for no other purpose than to die.
The result of the duel the next day was painfully clear: Owen lost.
But it was Owen's death that finally forced King Uther to accept the truth: the Black Knight standing before them was not alive!
In the Black Knight's movements, both King Uther and Kay could see the clear, distinct style of Tristan—exactly as he had fought in his last duel: the same furious, reckless abandon.
There was only one chilling difference: Owen had clearly run his sword through the Black Knight's abdomen, yet the Knight didn't bleed a single drop, nor did he even break his stride!
When Owen saw this, he froze in shock, just like everyone else. The Black Knight used that split second to drive his sword straight through Owen's chest.
And just like that, a promising young Knight's career was over...
After killing Owen, the Black Knight didn't stop. He walked up to King Uther's viewing platform, rested his two-handed greatsword on the ground, and once again threw down his metal gauntlet!
Faced with such a blatant provocation, Arthur once again sprang to his feet, but someone was faster than him this time.
Kay vaulted over the wooden railing of the platform and jumped into the arena, picking up the metal gauntlet the Black Knight had thrown down.
"I, Sir Kay, accept this challenge!"
"Tomorrow at noon, to the death!" The Black Knight showed no extra emotion, simply turned his head slightly to glance at King Uther, then hoisted his greatsword and walked out of the arena.
Staring at that familiar, yet alien, back, Kay was filled with mixed emotions.
"How could you be so foolish!" King Uther was furious. He couldn't believe the usually level-headed Kay would act so rashly. "I am canceling this duel!"
"No, Your Majesty. The Code of Knighthood must be upheld," Kay said calmly, shaking his head.
"But the situation is different! He's a dead man! You can't kill him!" King Uther wasn't stupid; he was just stubborn. But when his child's safety was on the line, he wasn't going to lie to himself anymore.
"Precisely why I must accept this challenge. Can you find anyone better suited than me?" This was one of the reasons Kay accepted.
It's true that the Death Knight is terrifying and most people couldn't stand up to him, but Kay is different. Given his current power level, dealing with a corpse isn't that difficult. Raising the dead? Kay's seen it before.
Back in Mesopotamia, he once fought a green mummy named Osiris, who claimed to be the God of the Underworld and Fertility. He was a resurrected god who was extremely tricky. Not only was he personally a powerful fighter, but he could also raise the dead on the battlefield, summoning an endless tide of undead if you weren't careful. Kay fought him a few times and was always forced to retreat because of the 'sea of corpses' tactic.
The Death Knight who is the resurrected Tristan is several classes below Osiris in power. He's really not much to worry about.
"I know Tristan, and haven't you noticed? He's actually much weaker now than he was when he was alive. I'm confident I can handle him!"
"He's already dead! What are you going to use to fight him? Nothing can truly kill him!" King Uther was still unwilling to budge. After all, he cared about his own son. If it were anyone else—like Owen—Uther wouldn't have bothered. In fact, if Owen had backed down, Uther would have been furious.
He played favorites like a pro. But hey, people aren't all the same, and everyone has their inner circle, right?
"That remains to be seen..."
While King Uther was trying to talk Kay out of the duel, elsewhere, Merlin was pacing nervously.
It needs to be said: Merlin is genuinely a good kid. Even though Kay once ordered him to be beaten half to death, he doesn't hold a grudge. On the contrary, once he learned the truth from Gaius, he became incredibly grateful to Kay.
Forget the beating for a second. The fact that Kay found out he had magic, was willing to cover for him, and even instructed Gaius to properly mentor him—that alone was enough for Merlin to be eternally thankful.