Lancelot


 * This article is about the deceased knight, Lancelot, for the episode he is introduced in, see: Lancelot.

Sir Lancelot was a friend of Merlin and a former Knight of Camelot. He was also the first person to love Guinevere. Following his death on the Isle of the Blessed, he was raised from the dead by Morgana, albeit as a Shade, making him a shadow of his former self. With his task complete, the shade killed itself but Lancelot's soul was freed by Merlin, allowing him to die in peace.

Arrival in Camelot
Lancelot first met Merlin when he saved him from a Griffin, Merlin suprised at his courage, took him back to Camelot. When it was revealed only noblemen can join the Knights of Camelot, Merlin used his magic to create a seal of nobility. Merlin asks Gwen to provide clothes and armour so Lancelot looked like he was a nobleman. Lancelot became attracted to Gwen as soon as he met her and insisted on calling her "My Lady" despite her telling him she wasn't a noble so shouldn't be addressed that way. He asked Merlin what kind of relationship he has with Gwen and seemed pleased when Merlin said they were just friends. He later told Arthur that he thought she was beautiful. Lancelot tried out for the knights and, although at first Arthur is unimpressed, he quickly identified that Lancelot has potential. Lacelot started out having a job cleaning the stables, Arthur aproched him, and using brooms as bow staffs the two men dueled. After the duel, Arthur said that Lancelot had passed his first test. Lancelot moved on to basic training, soon he was excepted into the knights of Camelot.

However when Uther asked Geoffrey of Monmouth to check the seal of nobility, it was revealed to be a forgery and Lancelot was thrown in prison. Arthur, however, let him out and told him to leave Camelot and never return. Lancelot decided to fight the Griffin as he felt he had a duty to do so.

Before leaving to fight the Griffin he visited Gwen's home as he needed armour. She asked him not to leave but he insisted it was his duty, knight or not.

When the Griffin attacked again Arthur and the other knights were nearly all killed. Lancelot tried to kill the Griffin but it was only when Merlin enchanted his lance that the Griffin was killed. Arthur then appealed to Uther to reinstate Lancelot as a knight, thinking it was Lancelot who killed the Griffin.

Lancelot revealed to Merlin that he knew he was a magician and promised to keep his secret, however he also said he could not stay and take credit for killing the Griffin when it was really Merlin. He announce to Uther and Arthur that he intended to leave in order to redeem himself for lying to them (Lancelot).

Travelling Abroad
Lancelot travelled around after leaving Camelot and eventually started to earn a living by fighting for others entertainment, believing his life had become meaningless. He was working in a fighting ring run by a group of bandits when he saw Gwen had been kidnapped. The bandits had mistaken her for Morgana and were holding her for ransom. Realizing Gwen's life would be in danger if her true identity was discovered, Lancelot worked to free her, giving Lancelot a reason to live again. They shared a kiss and their feelings for each other were rekindled. However, when they tried to escape, they were captured and set to be executed. But they were saved by Arthur and Merlin, who had come to rescue Gwen.

While returning to Camelot, both Arthur and Gwen went out of their way to appear indifferent to each other. Lancelot was not fooled by this and quickly realised that they had strong unspoken feelings for each other, Merlin later confirmed this and although he had realised his own feelings for Gwen, Lancelot decided he wouldn't risk coming between her and Arthur. He left once again, asking Merlin to tell Gwen that while they weren't meant to be, she had changed his life (Lancelot and Guinevere).

The Fall of Camelot
After Camelot fell to Morgause's Immortal army and Morgana was crowned queen, Merlin sent word to him for help. Along with his friend Percival he saved them from Morgana's knights, and went with them to an ancient Castle. Within the Castle Arthur proposed to fight the the Immortal Army to save his father, Lancelot was the first to stand up, saying that Arthur taught him the knight's code and will be honoured to fight, proud. He was later knighted by Arthur as a Knight of Camelot, before discussing plans on how to take back Camelot. Together with Merlin, they sneaked into the tower, to break the enchantment, while the other's went to save the other knights and Uther. Although he was wounded during the final fight, he survived, and later went with the other new knights to bring Guinevere from the Castle of the Ancient Kings, wearing the knights' armour with the great crest of Camelot (The Coming of Arthur).

Knight of Camelot
A year later, he is one of the knights that ride out with Arthur to face an unknown enemy which has attacked a village. When the group are attacked by the Dorocha, he saves Merlin when the warlock's magic proves to be useless against the evil spirits. He later travels with Arthur and Merlin to the Isle of the Blessed to restore the veil between the living and the dead, but not before promising Gwen that he will protect Arthur with his life.

Later while looking for wood with Merlin he pleads with his friend to return to Camelot, as his magic cannot help him against the spirits. However Merlin refused, much to Lancelot's dismay. Later Merlin is seriously injured by the Dorocha, providing the Arthur with the dilemma of whether to take him back to Camelot or abandon their quest (The Darkest Hour: Part One). Arthur anounced that they had to return Merlin to Giaus or he would die, but Lancelot and Leon expressed the need to finish the quest. Lancelot was given permission to take Merlin back to Camelot so that Gaius can aid him. While taking a brief rest by a stream, the Vilia reveal themselves to Lancelot. They explain they are the kind spirits of the brooks and streams, also released by the sundered veil. They wish to help restore the balance and mean them no ill will. They tell Lancelot that both he and Merlin are necessary to heal the veil. When Lancelot expresses concern for Merlin, the Vilia reassure him by explaining that the young warlock has a future that has been written the dawn of time and they will heal him. They also provide Lancelot and a recovering Merlin with shelter and protection from the Dorocha for the remainder of the night.

By morning, Merlin is healed and the both of them head out to reunite with Arthur and the other knights. While taking shelter the two friends discuss why they are going back to help Arthur. Merlin guesses that Lancelot is helping Arthur because of Gwen. Lancelot explains that he respects Arthur and Gwen's happiness with the prince is what matters to him more than anything.

Later while being attacked by the Dorocha, Merlin summons Kilgharrah, who comes to their aid by eliminating the spirits attacking them. Upon learning Lancelot identity, the Dragon appears to treat him with reverence, calling him "the bravest and most noblest of them all", a statement that Lancelot did not believe to be true, but the Dragon is adamant about. While Merlin talks to the Dragon and says goodbye to his old friend, Lancelot learns that Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the veil and that Merlin plans on taking the prince's place. Later he expresses his admiration for Merlin and wonders if he had the courage to sacrifice his life as his friends were planning (The Darkest Hour).

Death
thumb|left|288pxAfter reuniting with Arthur and the knights, they travelled to the Isle of the Blessed, where only Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot knew a sacrifice had to be made. As they saw the veil, Arthur approached the Cailleach and offered himself to save his people. Merlin, however, prevented this by throwing him aside magically. The Cailleach asked Merlin if he would give up his life to save Arthur's, but then stated that his time among men was not over and it was not yet his time. She turned to the veil, revealing that during their conversation Lancelot had sneaked past them and walked into the veil himself. Lancelot turned to look at his old friend one final time before turning back to the black abyss, smiling, and then disappeared into the veil with his arms spread out wide to meet his fate. His sacrifice healed the tear between the two separate worlds once again, leaving Merlin calling out in grief.

After returning to Camelot, Arthur paid his fallen comrade honour, citing that they all owed him a great debt. Arthur named Lancelot's legacy as more than just his last sacrifice, but also his courage, compassion and unselfish heart. Arthur called Lancelot the bravest and most noble knight he had ever known, a destiny Kilgharrah had foreseen and spoken of earlier.

Arthur built a funeral pyre for his fallen friend, laying out his cloak and sword upon the blaze in lieu of a body. While holding Arthur's hand and staring at the pyre, Guinevere mourned over the loss and distressed by her belief that Lancelot gave his life to keep a promise to he made to her: to protect Arthur with his life (The Darkest Hour).

Return from the Dead
thumb|right|312pxUpon learning that Arthur intended to make Gwen his queen, Morgana travelled to the Dochraid and asked her advice regarding a magical coin Morgause had given her. With it she was able to resurrect Lancelot from the dead, but as a shade without the majority of his memories and merely a shadow of what he had once been.

The shade Lancelot still possessed all his skills, but could not remember anything other than his name, and was enthralled to Morgana. She filled his head with the information she needed him to know so he could pass as his old self, and he returned to Camelot, telling everyone that somehow he had cheated death but could not remember how. He claimed that he had been found by travellers who took him in, and he went with them till he had recovered sufficiently to return.

However, noticing several oddities in Lancelot's behaviour and discovering he could not remember that Merlin possessed magic, Merlin knew almost immediately that something was wrong. Upon study, he came to the conclusion that he was a victim of necromancy, the darkest form of magic.

Using a pentacle, Merlin confirmed that Lancelot was in fact a shade, and he and Gaius therefore kept an eye on him, suspecting him of ill intent towards the King. In the meantime, Morgana enchanted a bracelet for Lancelot to give to Gwen in order to resurrect her old feelings for him. Lancelot, pretending it was a gift of goodwill for her marriage, gave the bracelet and she soon began falling in love with him again. Lancelot participated in the celebratory jousting tournament and continued to win until he was facing Arthur. Lancelot's first blow wounded Arthur, who refused to yield despite being in poor shape, thus putting himself in great danger. On the second run, however, Lancelot yielded in a reflection of the old nobility he once possessed.

Now that the spell was complete, Lancelot had Gwen meet him in the middle of the night. Merlin tried to intervene, but could not prevent Agravaine from leading Arthur straight to them, thus catching Guinevere kissing Lancelot. Filled with fury and hurt, Arthur turned on Lancelot and the duo commenced a vicious sword fight. Though Arthur was at first winning, Lancelot managed to gain the upper hand, leading Merlin to have to intervene to save Arthur's life. Incensed, Arthur went for the kill but Gwen, near hysterical, begged the two to stop. Lancelot and Gwen were both thrown into the dungeons where Gwen cast aside the bracelet.

Arthur had Gwen exiled from Camelot, but before he could pass judgement on Lancelot, a final order from Morgana came ordering Lancelot to kill himself, thus sparing Arthur the need to punish him. Arthur, melancholic on hearing the news, assumed Lancelot had done so out of guilt and because of his strong sense of right and wrong, commenting that he had always been a man of honour "in all ways but one". Arthur therefore gave orders for him to have a proper burial. Merlin then took Lancelot to the lake and and performed a blessing on Lancelot's body. This temporarily resurrected Lancelot for a few seconds where it was shown that his soul was now free from Morgana's control and he was restored to his true self. He looked at Merlin and spoke his final words: "Merlin, thank you". Lancelot finally died in peace and Merlin cast his friend's body across the lake in a floating pyre, igniting it with magic (Lancelot du Lac).

Legacy
Prior to the events of Lancelot du Lac, Arthur forgave Gwen for the affair. Lancelot was indirectly mentioned in A Herald of the New Age, The Hunter's Heart and The Sword in the Stone: Part Two, when they mentioned his and Gwen's betrayal. And it is rumoured that he will return in Series 5, despite him being dead.

Merlin
Merlin appears to be Lancelot's best friend. Lancelot was willing to die for him when he sacrificed himself at the Isle of the Blessed. Merlin did many things for Lancelot, like attempting to make him a Knight of Camelot and giving him comfort when he needed it. They shared secrets between each other, like Merlin having magic and Lancelot loving Guinevere. When Merlin sent word for Lancelot to help Arthur take back Camelot he arrived as soon as he could. After he became a Knight of Camelot, and sacrificed himself a year later to vanquish the Dorocha, Merlin mourned very heavily as did everyone else. When Lancelot was resurrected as a Shade, moments after returning to Camelot, Merlin suspected he was not being himself, and something sinister was at play. Lancelot, working for Morgana, after kissing Guinevere in front of Arthur, was ordered by Morgana to kill himself again. When he did, Merlin temporarily returned him from the dead to free his demented soul. When he was freed and reanimated he spoke his last words to Merlin, "Merlin... Thank you," before dying peacefully, as Merlin mourned even heavier than the first time.

Guinevere
When Lancelot fist saw Guinevere he was instantly attacted to her, and called her names like, "My lady". Gwen was sad when Lancelot left, as she shared her emotions with Morgana. Lancelot reunited with Guinevere, when she was impersonating Morgana, and helped her escape, sharing a kiss before parting. In the process, Lancelot was captured by Hengist's men, ad was later ordered to be fed to the Wilddeoren. But he later discovered that Gwen didn't escape, and that she was set to be fedto the Wilddeoren as well. But they were both saved by Arthur and Merlin, escaping death. Lancelot left when he discovered that Arthur was in love with Gwen, thinking that she deserves better. When Lancelot reunited with Guinevere again, they had little interaction, he only, along with the other Knights, guided her back to Camelot safely. When Arthur intended to sacrifice himself, Gwen asked Lancelot to bring him home safely. Lancelot promised he'd give his life for Arthur, and meant it literally. Gwen mourned at his burial, longer than everybody else did. When Lancelot returned from the dead moments before Arthur and Guinevere's wedding, as a Shade loyal to Morgana, he was ordered to give Gwen a bracelet that will bring back her old feelings for him. Once he did so, Guinevere cheated on Arthur by kissing Lancelot while Arthur came into the room. The Shade and Arthur had a duel, and thanks to Merlin's magic, Arthur won. Gwen stopped the fight, and her and Lancelot were imprisoned. This resulted in Lancelot being ordered to kill himself and Gwen being exiled from Camelot.

Arthur
Lancelot was good friends with Arthur, despite them both being in love with Guinevere. Arthur insisted on Lancelot being a Knight of Camelot, only to discover that it was forgery. He later decided to free Lancelot from prison and told him to leave. But soon after, Lancelot (and Merlin) killed the Griffin. Arthur demanded that Uther knight Lancelot, but he refused. Upon discovering that Merlin defeated the Griffin, Lancelot left Camelot. Arthur next saw Lancelot when he was fighting alongside him to kill a Wilddeoren. Arthur later discovered that Lancelot and Gwen were in love, and was heartbroken. But Lancelot soon discovered that Arthur was also in love with Gwen, annd he selflessly departed. A long time after, Arthur gladly welcomed him into his small resistance against Morgana. Lancelot was later Knighted. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table then fought and defeated the Immortal army, and survived. As a Knight of Camelot, he served Arthur honourably, and Arthur said that he was the bravest and noblest of all his Knights. Lancelot proved that by sacrificing himself for Albion when the Dorocha were let free. When Lancelot returned from the dead as a Shade in league with Morgana he fooled everyone into thinking that he was the real Lancelot, and later enchanted and kissed Gwen which resulted in his second death and Guinevere's exile. But Arthur still believed that Lancelot was a brave and noble Knight, ordering he have a proper burial.

Gaius
Lancelot and Gaius had a similar bond to Gaius and Merlin, since Lancelot lived in the same household. He gladly supported Lancelot as he tried to become a Knight of Camelot, but Lancelot decided to leave when he killed the Griffin. Gaius next met Lancelot several years later when both of them were part of a resistance set up by Arthur to defeat Morgana. Lancelot was then made a Knight and they succeeded in taking back Camelot. As a knight, Gaius, Merlin and Lancelot lived in the same household. Gaius appeared to be very sad both of the times Lancelot died.

Percival
Lancelot first met Percival when Percival's village fell at the hands of an Immortal army. Percival and Lancelot then agreed to help each other find Lancelot's old friend, Arthur, and defeat the army. When they met with Arthur, they were both Knighted and they all succeeded in defeating the Immortal army. As a knight, they both went on many adventures and like everyone, Percival was sad both times Lancelot died.

Morgana
Lancelot respected Morgana when he arrived in Camelot. However when she turned evil, Lancelot plotted against her. He thwarted her tear between the worlds which resulted in his death. Upon learning that Arthur and Gwen were engaged, Morgana remembered that Gwen and Lancelot were once in love. She resurrected Lancelot as a Shade to break up the couple. Lancelot then returned to Camelot to let hell break loose, and their plan succeeded. Morgana's last order to Lancelot was to kill himself. Quite a while later, Arthur and Gwen ended up marrying, with Gwen being crowned queen and Morgana's previous plan no longer having effect.

The Great Dragon
Lancelot only met the Great Dragon once, but in that time he told Lancelot that he was the "bravest and noblest of them all..." Lancelot was at first frightened by Kilgharrah and raised a sword, but when Merlin stopped him, he respected Kilgharrah as a magnificent creature and appeared to be proud that Merlin had the ability to command him.

Gwaine
Gwaine and Lancelot appeared to be friends as they were both Knights of Camelot and friends of both Merlin and Arthur. Like all others, Gwaine was saddened both of the times Lancelot was killed.

Leon
Leon and Lancelot appeared to be great friends since they took part in many events together as Knights and were good friends of Arthur. When Merlin was on the brink of death, Leon said, "If there's anyone to get Merlin back, Lancelot can." Lancelot died twice, and both times Leon was very upset.

Elyan
Elyan and Lancelot seemed to be friends since they were both Knights of Camelot. Elyan mourned both of the times Lancelot died.

Uther
Although Uther believed Lancelot was truly noble, he held a grudge against him for lying to him about his heritage.

Agravaine
Lancelot, as his true self, did not suspect Agravaine was in league with Morgana. The only time they worked for each other was when Lancelot was a Shade attempting to break up Arthur and Guinevere.

Lancelot_And_the_Vilia.png Vilia
When the Veil was torn and Merlin was on the brink of death, Lancelot was taking him back to Camelot when he found the Vilia. They had a conversation before they cured Merlin. Lancelot smiled as they provided them protection from the Dorocha.

Personality
Lancelot had a very strong sense of right and wrong. He was never comfortable with the idea of lying about his social status in order to qualify for knighthood. He also refused to take the credit for another's work, as he refused to do so when Merlin killed the Griffin and everyone thought he had. Lancelot was polite and respectful towards people higher ranked than himself even if they treated him unfairly.

During his duel with Arthur, Lancelot defeated the prince through trickery rather than skill. However, in a real battle a warrior would need every advantage they could get and earlier in the episode Arthur believed that Lancelot was not ready for a real battle. Therefore, Arthur accepted his defeat and allowed Lancelot to join the Knights of Camelot.

Lancelot was willing to risk his own life to save the people he cares about. He developed feelings for Guinevere as soon as he met her but despite his feelings for her he left so he wouldn't come between her and Arthur. This showed that he was very selfless. Eventually, he sacrificed his life to keep to a promise he had made to Gwen; to protect Arthur with his life.

Kilgharrah greatly respected Lancelot, telling him that he was the bravest and most noble knight in Camelot. Although he was certainly a courageous and noble man, Lancelot apparently had some insecurities about his own courage because at first he was doubtful that what Kilgharrah said was true. This shows that in addition to his courage and selflessness he was also very humble.

Abilities
Lancelot was a highly skilled swordsman and one of the very few who was able to fight Arthur as an equal and defeated him during their duel. It should be noted however that he defeated Arthur through trickery rather than skill (Lancelot). Like Arthur he was capable of defending himself against numerous opponents at once defeating several of Hengist's bandits before finally being subdued. When he and Merlin went to search for the Cup of Life he fought against numerous immortal knights and drove them into the path of Excalibur, which was being wielded by Merlin, resulting in the knights defeat. Hengist was impressed by Lancelot's combat prowess noting that he was a skilful warrior (Lancelot and Guinevere).

In addition to being a formidable opponent with a sword, Lancelot was skilled with a lance using it to slay a griffin that attacked Camelot. However his lance was made more powerful by Merlin's magic and Lancelot claimed that it was Merlin, not he, that had killed the griffin. Although, he lost his memories and much of his personality following his resurrection, his skills did survive, and during his duel with Arthur, he would have won, if Merlin hadn't telekinetically knocked the sword out of his hand. He also defeated every other knight in jousting, even Arthur, although he refused to go in for the kill. Also after his ressurection, Lancelot, because he was now a shade, became resistant to magical attacks as he resisted Merlin's attempt to knock him unconscious with magic.

Trivia

 * Knight Valiant, Lancelot, and Gwaine are the only male characters to have an episode named after them.
 * He is also the only character, place or creature to have three episodes named after him, (Lancelot (episode), Lancelot and Guinevere and Lancelot du Lac).
 * Lancelot is the only character who has died twice (three times if you include the time he died when he was a Shade).

Memorable Quotes

 * "I would die for you one hundred times over." to Gwen
 * "Live for me, or everything that I am has been for nothing." to Gwen.
 * "You have nothing to be sorry for. You reminded me of who I am. I will die with faith in my heart... that is worth more than anything." to Gwen.
 * "My feelings do not matter. I will not come between them." to Merlin on Arthur and Gwen.
 * "I heard you. I saw you. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, but I cannot take the credit for what I did not do. There'll be no more lies, no more deceit." to Merlin.
 * "You're the bravest of us all and he doesn't even know" to Merlin on Arthur.
 * "My name is Lancelot my lady, I am yours to command..." to Morgana
 * "Merlin... Thank you..." to Merlin