King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone

King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone — page 1
In ancient times when Britain was still a wild and restless place there lived a noble king named Uther After many years of turmoil Uther defeated the invading barbarians and drove them from the land For this triumph his fellow British lords proclaimed him their high king or Pendragon meaning Dragon’s Head Soon after his coronation Uther-Pendragon met and fell in love with the beautiful Lady Igraine a widow whose husband he had killed in battle He married her and adopted her two young daughters Margaise and Morgan le Fay The price for this love was a high one however In his passion the king had asked for the help of his sorcerer Merlin in winning the hand of Lady Igraine In return he had agreed to give up their firstborn son Merlin had foreseen great evil descending upon the king and felt that he alone could protect a young heir in the dangerous times ahead Before long a beautiful boy-child was born But the joy surrounding the birth was brief for Merlin soon appeared to take the child away But the child was just born exclaimed Uther How did you find out so quickly Silently the old sorcerer led the king to a balcony and pointed upward There overhead was a great dragon formed by the stars Its vast wings arched over the countryside and its tail swept north beyond the horizon You see by this sign my lord that it is not I who calls for your son but destiny Sadly the king gave up his son for Merlin convinced him that the child’s great future was threatened Indeed Uther Pendragon died within a year from a traitor’s poison and Britain was once again plunged into darkness