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

King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone — page 2

King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone — page 3 — After the death of the high king the struggle for leadership leadership tore Britain to pieces The great alliance King Uther had forged was shattered into dozens of quarreling petty kingdoms leaving no united force to oppose foreign invasion invasion Barbarians swept in once again and order gave way to chaos Marauding knights roamed the countryside taking what they wanted and burning the rest No one was safe at home and travel was even more dangerous with outlaws ruling the roads Fear was a constant companion of those who managed to stay alive After sixteen turbulent years the archbishop of Canterbury Canterbury summoned Merlin to help restore order Although the two men were of different faiths they had great respect for each other and shared much wisdom between them I am at a loss Sir Wizard confided the archbishop I don’t know how to help the people and they are suffering more each day If only Uther-Pendragon were here I share your concerns my lord but I have good news said Merlin Although the end of King Uther’s reign left us in the dark for many years it is at last time for the sun to return to Britain A brilliant sun my lord Perhaps the brightest that Britain will ever know

King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone — page 4 — But the sun was out this morning sire said the archbishop archbishop What has the weather to do with this I speak of the son of Uther-Pendragon the true heir of royal blood who lives in a distant land and must now be summoned summoned forth to keep his date with destiny His date with who asked the archbishop But the king had no heirs Alas that is our problem I wish to prove otherwise my lord replied Merlin If I have your leave to use my magic I shall create an event to bring forth this young heir and prove to the world that he is the true and rightful high king of Britain The delighted archbishop agreed immediately and Merlin withdrew to devise his scheme

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