Dark ears twitched anxiously. Ruby eyes darted round the thinning forest. It had been far too long since the knight had walked the familiar trail. And it felt even longer since he had seen his son. How tall would the boy be now? Would Galahad still wish to be a knight? Would he still admire his father, having been apart for so long?

Lost in his own musings the knight only noticed the form heading towards him a moment before they collided.

"Father!" A child's excited voice shrieked as the two hedgehogs fell towards the grass.

Startled by the sheer force which had just struck him, Lancelot lay on the grass for a few moments. A dark shadow covered his face as Galahad peered down at him, gold eyes filled with concern.

"Father! Father!" Small hands shook the knight and Lancelot laughed.

"What is the matter, Galahad?" Fondly, Lancelot reached up to pet his son's quills, noticing the tears the lurked in the corners of the golden orbs.

The younger hedgehog's lip trembled, "You didn't see me coming, and you always see me Father!"

"Are you worried about me, Galahad?" For a moment, the knight mused how much Galahad took after his mother. Whilst Lancelot was never going to love Elaine, the knight did miss her concerned and loyal nature but it appeared Galahad would grow to embody those traits as well. "I'm alright Galahad, I am simply tired from my battles and my journey here."

Cautiously, the white furred hedgehog pushed himself back into a sitting position, although he seemed reluctant to ply himself away from the soft fur of his father's chest. Slowly, golden eyes examined the knight, noting the dark bruises on the tan muzzle. Although he was just six years old, Galahad was already aware that the dark fur his father possessed could be hiding a multitude of other injuries.

The child frowned, "Didn't you rest, Father?"

A deep laugh echoed in Lancelot's chest, hard enough to shake the young hedgehog that was resting on the knight's stomach. Wearily, and catching the sound of a distinct crack of his own back, Lancelot moved to sit up, pulling his son closer to his chest in a hug, "How could I stay and rest in Camelot when I was given time away from my duties to recover? Had I stayed there I would not get to spend as many days here with you."

Galahad buried his face in his father's fur and Lancelot smiled as he wondered what the boy would say next.

After several minutes in which the knight enjoyed the symphony of bird song which echoed in the forest, Galahad finally spoke, "How long are you here, Father?"

Noticing that his son had yet to look up at him despite asking a question, the older hedgehog bent his head closer to the child so that each time he spoke his breath tickled the child's ears, a trick which had sent his son into unstoppable laughter when he was a baby, "The king does not expect me to return for three weeks."

Without warning, Galahad flung himself at his father again, small, trembling arms looped around the knight's neck, "Are you really staying that long?"

The dark furred hedgehog placed a single hand on the child's back, "No, Galahad, I don't intend to stay here for that time."

"Oh." Before the young hedgehog pull away from the knight, Lancelot struggled to his feet with the boy in his arms. Exhausted, he rocked for a moment before he regained his balance, wincing as he felt Galahad's small, but sharp, claws digging into his arm.

"How little faith do you have in your father, Galahad," The knight scolded gently, "that you believe I would race here to see you and not spent time with my only child?"

Gold eyes stared up at the knight's tan muzzle and Lancelot had to fight back a laugh at the confusion he saw in those golden orbs, "But you just said…"

"That I wasn't staying here, yes." Lancelot playfully flicked a small, white ear, "However, Galahad, what you didn't allow me to say is that you are not staying here either."

"Huh?" The boy continued to gaze up in confusion.

"It is about time you came on an adventure with me, do you not think Galahad?" Lancelot was already braced for when the small arms returned and closed around his neck with all the strength the child possessed.

From where he had buried his face in his Father's arm, Galahad's soft voice spoke, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course. I promised I'd train you." Lancelot laughed at his son.

Squirming to pull himself up to his father's eye level, Galahad stared at the knight intensely, "Where are we going? When are we leaving? We're going to train aren't we? Do you visit many places round these parts, Father? What will I see?"

As he listened to the endless stream of questions, knowing his child too well to even attempt to answer any of the endless torrent of words at the present time, Lancelot frowned slightly. It was strange but part of the knight worried that others may be under the impression that the boy's impatience might have been inherited from the Lancelot himself. Hopefully the endless chatter and hyperactive nature belonged to Galahad's childhood not to the white hedgehog himself. Dimly, Lancelot's sharp ears caught the sound of his son's babble slowing as the younger hedgehog finally appeared to realise he wasn't receiving any replies. A single brow rose as Lancelot considered the ways in which he could improve Galahad's observational skills before the young hedgehog began his true career as a knight.

"Father!" Small finger's tugged at the knight's ear.

Growling slightly, Lancelot scowled at his only child, "Do not get cross with me when you were the one who stopped me answering."

White ears lowered as the knight sighed, "We're travelling to a lake near here and we will leave in the morning."

"But Father why can't we go now?" Lancelot winced as the child yelled in his ear.

Trying to give his son a disapproving look was not an easy task for the older hedgehog, if he was honest with himself Lancelot knew he indulged his child too often, and when he heard Galahad laughing at him, the knight finally gave up and pulled his son closer, "We leave in the morning, Galahad, because I have ridden here the moment I was given leave and therefore I am injured and exhausted. I am sorry if you are disappointed with that."

Suddenly Galahad blushed, a dark flush which seemed to glow against the pale fur and which spanned so much of the child's tan muzzle that Lancelot stared down at his son in alarm. Dimly the knight wondered if the boy would ever grow out of this violent response.

"I'm sorry, Father, I didn't think about how tired you would be." Galahad's golden eyes were suddenly fixed upon the ground and the small white ears were pressed as flat as they could get.

Gently, Lancelot hooked a single finger under the young hedgehog's chin and forced the fearful gold eyes to meet his own, "Do not look so ashamed, your childhood is the time where you learn things such as consideration and observation, better you make mistakes now when only I am around to witness them."

"If you believe that, Father." The young hedgehog continued to look at the ground as he blushed.

As the fatigue of his last few adventures began to descend, Lancelot quickly petted his son's quills, "You should also hope that blush of yours is a quirk of your childhood… Although, considering you are five years old now, I fear it may be too late for you."

Galahad scowled up at his father, the blush deepening. As the knight failed to fight back his laughter, Lancelot wondered what it was he found more amusing; that Galahad looked like a less intimidating version of the dark furred hedgehog when he scowled or that his son was blushing so deeply that the tips of his ears also appeared to be turning red.

At last the older hedgehog calmed down enough to speak to the child that was still glaring at him; "You are a peculiar child… but I love you despite that."

Pausing for a moment in his glaring, Galahad appeared to be in deep concentration, "I love you Father… but you tease me too much."

Cheerfully, Lancelot bounced the child in his arms, grinning despite the small claws that dug into the dark fur, "Ah my sweet, innocent, helpless, little child." The knight smirked, "Teasing you is one of the many joys of fatherhood."

"It should not be." Galahad frowned.

"When you get bigger, Galahad, you may battle me about it." Lancelot sighed wearily, "Now let us return to the nunnery, to rest up for our journey tomorrow." Noticing the unhappy look upon his son's face, Lancelot sighed again, "If you are truly so intent on not sleeping, I suppose I could watch your swordplay for a few hours."

The sun was almost set by the time that Lancelot had been able to persuade Galahad to come inside. Despite his exhaustion, the knight had found himself admiring the way his son was now able to transition between swings of each blade without losing his balance. Dimly, Lancelot noted the way in which deep cracks ran through the shaft of the wooden weapon and the older hedgehog found himself wondering how often Galahad was practising. Now however the knight found himself more interested in observing how Galahad's tiny fingers were pressed in a grip as he dreamed. Lancelot smiled, seemed his son was sword fighting in his sleep. Although the knight was aware he should follow his own advice and rest, Galahad seemed too defenceless to leave. After some time the older hedgehog's exhaustion became crushing and at last, Lancelot tore himself away from the child and staggered into his own chamber. It seemed the knight had just began to dream when he felt something move alongside him. Having learnt from his last visit that Galahad had little concern for privacy, a single ruby eye glanced up slowly to examine the small shape that was bathed in moonlight and met a single gold eye staring back as Galahad cuddled closer. Slowly, Lancelot reached up to pet his son's quills as the boy settled back into sleep. Galahad was actually rather adorable.

Of course when the small, silver furred hedgehog woke the knight before the sun had even risen the next day, Lancelot was forced to reconsider his midnight revelations.

"Are we going now?" The young hedgehog had purred as he bounced on his father's chest.

Lancelot had simply groaned, glanced out at the still dark sky, scowled at what he swore was an owl hooting and pulled the white ball of fur close to his side.

"No, Galahad, we are not going stumbling through the woods in the dark." The knight frowned at his only child, "Go back to sleep. We have three weeks together." Even as he, spoke Lancelot wondered if he would survive that long. Certainly the time he had taken to rest from the stressful role of a knight within the kingdom of Camelot looked like it would be neither restful nor relaxing. In fact, Camelot's greatest knight reflected, spending time with Galahad might not be any safer than defending a kingdom.

As Lancelot predicted, the moment he deemed it an acceptable hour to leave; Galahad practically dragged them both into the woods. However when the child went to retrieve the small, wooden toy he had treasured so much in the last two years, Lancelot stopped him.

The young hedgehog had stared up at his father in confusion; "But, Father, how will you train me?"

Slowly, the older hedgehog bent down and removed a small blade from the pack he was carrying for the trip, "If you are to be a real knight, Galahad, it stands to reason that you would need a real blade to train with."

Golden eyes widened in either surprise or alarm, "This is really for me, Father?"

"You may be a little young for such a weapon I admit," The knight rubbed his ear absently as he stared off in thought, "Certainly your mother would have my head if she knew I had given you such a gift… but you have shown great diligence," Lancelot paused as he watched the young hedgehog's face twist in confusion, "attentiveness, if you would prefer that Galahad, to your practise even with a toy blade and you are very mature and cautious for one as young as you are. I don't know how you have managed to have such a thoughtful outlook towards others, though I do feel sometimes I am the exception to your mature attitude and, how was it described to me… Ah yes, 'A great deal of personal restraint' but I suppose, given how little we see each other that is understandable."

The knight glanced down at his son, watching the boy turn the dagger over in his hands, "Neither your mother nor I had such a thoughtful outlook when we met… and we were both far older than you. I suppose my point here, Galahad, is that if I was once trusted with a sword as a young man, I see no reason you may not have a dagger."

Galahad nodded slightly but Lancelot wondered how much the boy had actually heard over his admiration of the small blade. The knife's sheath was not to impressive, a simple silver cover with a coiling dragon scratched lightly into the surface, but the blade itself was a work of art. Lancelot had, in a moment of nostalgia of the day in which he agreed to train Galahad, had the dagger crafted of a dark metal with a golden inlay in homage to his own favourite sword Arondight.

Golden eyes widened in a vivid mixture of emotions and the young hedgehog spun round to hung his father. However, moments before he reached the knight, Galahad froze. Blushing, the child slid the dagger back into its sheath the wrapped his small arms round his father's leg.

Laughing, Lancelot pet the small upturned quills, "I am very glad you have just proven how mature and thoughtful you are Galahad. I wouldn't like to get stabbed before we have even started our adventures."

Chewing his lip slightly, Galahad gazed up at the older hedgehog, "You are going to teach me how to use the dagger, aren't you Father?"

"Why do you think we are travelling to the middle of the woods? Until you are of age I am responsible for you actions." Lancelot laughed, "Now you are aware that the sooner we arrive at our destination the sooner I can begin to teach you?"

Although Lancelot could easily go faster than his son even in his injured and exhausted state, the knight found it amusing to watch Galahad trying to pull him along despite the difference in their heights. The young hedgehog may be a little unobservant and clumsy but he certainly had the enthusiasm to be a truly remarkable knight.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and has reviewed it so far, we are now moving to the true beginning of Galahad's training and as always feel free to request any scenes you would like to see.