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
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
On a Sunday morning in late November the great cathedral of London was filled to capacity As mass was being said a sudden murmur rippled through the crowd on the cathedral steps Turning to see the cause of the commotion the archbishop stopped in midprayer and walked toward the door In the churchyard he discovered a block of white marble with an anvil sitting on top Driven into the anvil gleaming in the pale winter sun was a sword Its blade was of flawless blue-white steel and the hilt was of highly wrought gold inlaid with rubies sapphires and emeralds Engraved in the marble block were these words Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword from This Stone and Anvil Is Rightwise King Born of England Ah so this is Merlin’s plan thought the archbishop smiling to himself A group of barons and knights suddenly pushed their way through the crowd each stating loudly that he should be the first to try A few managed to leap onto the stone and give the sword an unsuccessful yank before the archbishop stopped them Order Order he shouted raising his hands to quiet the crowd I hearby proclaim that on Christmas morning
one month from today all those who consider themselves worthy of attempting to pull this sword from the stone and anvil will be given the opportunity He who wins the sword thereby wins the kingdom A mighty roar of approval rose from the crowd Some even danced and stomped their feet Noticing how pleased they were the archbishop went further And to celebrate this momentous occasion a tournament shall be held on Christmas Eve With this the delighted parishioners swept the flustered archbishop onto their shoulders and carried him jubilantly around the stone several times before setting him down They hadn't had such cause for celebration in a long long time
