|
It was soon discovered by Sir Ector that Arthur had indeed pulled out the sword in the stone. Arthur freed the sword once again for proof, the people of the land cried out that they will have him as their king with no more delay. Merlin then came forward to tell the lords and barons that their chosen king was the true son of Uther Pendragon. So Arthur placed the marvelous sword from the stone on the altar of the church and swore to be a true king as his father had wished. He promised to stand always for justice, truth, and honor, and to rule his people wisely. The Archbishop made him knight that same day, and then crowned him king of Britain. Merlin took Arthur to a magic lake when the sword from the stone was broken in a fight. At the lake, an arm clothed in white samite reached up from the center of the lake holding a shining sword with a golden hilt studded with jewels, a jeweled scabbard, and a belt. A beautiful maiden known as the Lady of the Lake offered Arthur the sword, which she named Excalibur, as a gift, then she summoned a wondrous barge that took the King across to the lake. As Arthur buckled on Excalibur, Merlin told him to guard the scabbard well because its power would protect the King no matter how much he was wounded. Later, Arthur married the beautiful Guinevere, set up court in Camelot, and established the Order of the Round Table. Several stories were told of these famous knights who vowed to live nobly and fight valiantly, including Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, Tristan, Gareth, Percival and more. Arthur's glory and popularity grew, but the years of peace did not last and his later days were full of sorrow. Knights rode out searching for the Holy Grail and did not return, when it was discovered that his bravest knight and best friend, Sir Lancelot had fallen in love with his wife, Queen Guinevere. Sir Mordred, his half-son, went to Arthur to lay charges of treason against Lancelot and Guinevere. He planned to create civil war and seize the throne while the King was dishonored. Arthur knew that the fellowship of the Round Table and his own happiness was over when he heard Mordred's story. With great sadness he declared Sir Lancelot an outlaw and that the Queen was to be burned to death, as the law stated. On the day of Guinevere's execution, Sir Lancelot came with his men and rescued her, traveling to his castle in France. Arthur was forced by his honor to follow and leave the treacherous Sir Mordred to rule England. When Arthur heard the news of how Mordred had taken the crown, he returned to England to battle with the traitor. There was a series of bloody confrontations before they met at Camlann at last. Before the momentous battle, Arthur had a vision of Sir Gawain who warned him not to fight Sir Mordred, "Call a truce for but a month, for if you delay awhile Sir Lancelot and his knights will come to your aid and together you will defeat the usurper." A truce was decided. Arthur and Sir Mordred, each with fourteen knights, would meet at a spot between the two armies. Neither trusted the other, so both gave an order to their men to come quickly and kill the enemy when they saw a drawn sword. Right as the treaty was being signed, one of Sir Mordred's knights, without thinking, drew his sword to kill a snake he saw in the grass. Both armies attacked, the battle lasted all day long until only King Arthur, Sir Lucan, Sir Bedivere, and Sir Mordred were left. In a fit of rage, Arthur leaped toward Sir Mordred and plunged his spear deep into the knight. Sir Mordred swung his sword and cut into Arthur's helmet with a final effort. After that, Arthur was carried by Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere to a chapel by the lake where the setting sun lit. Sir Lucan soon died from the strain on his deep wounds, leaving Sir Bedivere to attend to the King. Arthur commanded Sir Bedivere to take his sword Excalibur and cast it into this lake so it could return to the Otherworld. For two times Sir Bedivere went to the lake but could not bear to do the deed, and on the third time Arthur sternly said, "Would you betray your King for the price of a sword? Do as I bid you, before I die." This time Sir Bedivere took Excalibur and threw it far out into the depths of the lake. As it fell downward, a long pale arm reached up and caught it by the hilt, waved it three times in the air, and slowly vanished. It was a sign that the Lady of the Lake had her gift once again. Sir Bedivere returned and told Arthur what happened, and the King was satisfied. Arthur then commanded Sir Bedivere to take him to the shore. When they reached it, a white barge came into view. On it stood three queens and countless ladies, all veiled in black, weeping and moaning at seeing the wounded, dying King. The King's lifeless body floated away on this barge, leaving some to believe that he will one day return and his great kingdom would be restored.
|
|
King Arthur |
|
King Arthur |
|
Summary 2 |