Arthur: Becoming King and Falling in Love
Many, many
years ago, a man named Uther Pendragon was the king of Britain.
Uther was completely lovesick over a woman named Igraine of
Cornwall.
Igraine loved another man and wouldn't give Uther the time of
day.
Uther, feeling completely dejected, began to waste away. One day,
Uther received an email completely out of the blue from the famous
magician, Merlin.
To: KingUther@palace.com
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Subject: Igraine
Happy day to you, Uther! I have observed with my magical skills that you are longing for the fair Igraine. You know she loves another, and won't be with you as long as you are yourself. I am willing to change you into the one she loves if you make me a promise: you must give your firstborn son to me immediately after he is born. What do you say?
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingUther@palace.com
Re: Igraine
Merlin, old friend! It's a deal! I'll give you my son if you'll get Igraine to love me. How soon can we get this done?
And so Merlin changed Uther to look like the man Igraine loved and she fell in love with this new Uther. They wed, and soon thereafter, Igraine gave birth to a baby son. They loved the son they named Arthur, but their time with him was short. Hours after Arthur was born, Uther carried him to the gates of the castle and handed him off to Merlin. Merlin wanted to give Arthur a good home, so he took him to live with the knight Sir Ector and his son, Kay. Merlin didn't tell Sir Ector that Arthur was Uther's son, but he knew that as the baby grew he would learn how to be a good man and knight under Sir Ector's guidance.
Fifteen Years Later
It had been many years since King Uther had passed, and the country was ready for its next great king. Merlin knew that Arthur was prepared to be king, so he decided it was time for the leaders of Britain to gather together in London to find out who exactly their king was. He figured the easiest way to contact everyone through a mass email, so he quickly sent one out through his BlackBerry.
To: Undisclosed Recipients
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Subject: King
It is time for our great country to have a great king again! I invite all the leaders in Britain to hasten to London. When you get there, head to the great cathedral. Outside, you will see a huge stone pierced by a sword. The following words will be inscribed on the stone: "He who can pull forth this sword is the rightful king of Britain, Uther's son!" So, if you think that person might be you, please hurry to London and withdraw the sword. The person who does will be crowned king shortly thereafter.
Best,
Merlin
Hordes of men rushed to London, just knowing they were meant to be king. Of course, they all tried to pull the sword from the stone, but none of them succeeded. Because no one could successfully complete the task, it was decided that all the men who had tried would compete in jousts to decide who would become king. Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, were among the knights who decided to participate in the jousts. On their way to the jousts, Kay realized he had forgotten to bring his sword. He sent Arthur to fetch one for him, and the only sword Arthur could think of that was nearby was the sword he had seen sticking out of a stone. He quickly rode to the church and easily pulled the sword from the stone. At the time, Arthur had no idea what the sword in the stone meant. When Arthur handed the sword over to Kay, Sir Ector glanced at it and realized exactly what sword it was. Sir Ector quickly brought Arthur to the archbishop to tell him that Arthur was meant to be their king. The archbishop and all the other men nearby needed proof, because obviously, Arthur was just a young kid! Surely he couldn't have pulled the sword from the stone when powerful adults were unable to do so. So, the sword was placed back in the stone, and everyone took a turn again. Still, none of the other men were able to remove the sword from the stone. When his turn came again, Arthur pulled the sword forth just as easily as he had the first time. Everyone who saw dropped to their knees in front of Arthur, and cries of "Arthur is King!" ran through the crowd. Arthur was crowned king then and there by the archbishop.
Three Years Later
One of Arthur's allies was King Leodegrance of Cameliard. Leodegrance's only child was the lovely Princess Guenevere. It was love at first sight for Arthur when he met Guenevere, and he had to know how he could have her as his wife. As his father had done before him, he got the help he needed from Merlin.
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingArthur@excalibur.com
Subject: Guenevere
I've recently met King Leodegrance's daughter, Guenevere, and I am in love! I've only known her for a short time, but she is the light of my life! What do you think I should do?
To: KingArthur@excalibur.com
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Re: Guenevere
Arthur, this is serious. Are you sure that you love her? If you do, I know your mind won't be changed. But know that it won't always be easy with you and Guenevere. If you really think she's the one for you, you need to ask Leodegrance for her hand in marriage. I'm confident that he'll be happy you want to marry his daughter. Good luck, Arthur!
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingArthur@excalibur.com
Re: Guenevere
Merlin, I haven't been more sure about anything in my life. I know Guenevere and I are meant to be together. I've just sent some of my best knights to Cameliard to ask Leodegrance if I can marry Guenevere. I have to admit, I have a good feeling about it!
Arthur's good feeling was correct, because Leodegrance was more than happy to let his only daughter marry King Arthur of Britain. Guenevere went back to Britain with all of Arthur's knights, and they were soon married at the great cathedral where Arthur was crowned king. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced over the great pairing and their new queen.
Arthur and Guenevere's marriage was nothing if not eventful, involving accused affairs and kidnappings. But in the end, Arthur and Guenevere ended up staying true to one another and lived their lives out happily together.
Author's Note: The stories about Arthur are many and varied, so what I've told here might be completely different from the Arthur stories you know! If I had told all the various stories of Arthur, you would have been reading all day! I based my story pretty closely off of the stories of Arthur I read in my source. Of course, they obviously didn't have BlackBerries or email capabilities back then, but other than that, my story doesn't stray too far from canon. There are so many different stories about what happened between Arthur and Guenevere (most commonly spelled Guinevere), and most versions tell of her and Lancelot having an affair. Lancelot, as you may know, was considered to be one of Arthur's most trusted knights, and also a member of the knights of the round table. However, the source I used must have wanted to portray Guenevere in a better light, because it tells of her and Lancelot being close and even running away together, but never of her betraying Arthur. According to one version of the story, Lancelot and Guenevere had such a close relationship because Lancelot's main duty was to watch after Guenevere, which meant they spent a lot of time together. Guenevere and Lancelot were accused of having an affair together, and Arthur was extremely upset about it, and Lancelot and Guenevere ran away to insure their safety. After some time, they went back to Arthur and declared that neither of them had betrayed him. Arthur ended up forgiving Lancelot, and Guenevere stayed with Arthur for the rest of their lives.
Source:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- King Arthur.
Image Information:
"The Sword in the Stone." John Stokes. Weblink: Maddermarket Theater.
"King Arthur." Frank Dicksee, 19th century. Weblink: Logoi.
"Arthur and Guinevere Marry." Weblink: The Legend of Queen Guinevere.
To: KingUther@palace.com
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Subject: Igraine
Happy day to you, Uther! I have observed with my magical skills that you are longing for the fair Igraine. You know she loves another, and won't be with you as long as you are yourself. I am willing to change you into the one she loves if you make me a promise: you must give your firstborn son to me immediately after he is born. What do you say?
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingUther@palace.com
Re: Igraine
Merlin, old friend! It's a deal! I'll give you my son if you'll get Igraine to love me. How soon can we get this done?
And so Merlin changed Uther to look like the man Igraine loved and she fell in love with this new Uther. They wed, and soon thereafter, Igraine gave birth to a baby son. They loved the son they named Arthur, but their time with him was short. Hours after Arthur was born, Uther carried him to the gates of the castle and handed him off to Merlin. Merlin wanted to give Arthur a good home, so he took him to live with the knight Sir Ector and his son, Kay. Merlin didn't tell Sir Ector that Arthur was Uther's son, but he knew that as the baby grew he would learn how to be a good man and knight under Sir Ector's guidance.
Fifteen Years Later
It had been many years since King Uther had passed, and the country was ready for its next great king. Merlin knew that Arthur was prepared to be king, so he decided it was time for the leaders of Britain to gather together in London to find out who exactly their king was. He figured the easiest way to contact everyone through a mass email, so he quickly sent one out through his BlackBerry.
To: Undisclosed Recipients
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Subject: King
It is time for our great country to have a great king again! I invite all the leaders in Britain to hasten to London. When you get there, head to the great cathedral. Outside, you will see a huge stone pierced by a sword. The following words will be inscribed on the stone: "He who can pull forth this sword is the rightful king of Britain, Uther's son!" So, if you think that person might be you, please hurry to London and withdraw the sword. The person who does will be crowned king shortly thereafter.
Best,
Merlin
Hordes of men rushed to London, just knowing they were meant to be king. Of course, they all tried to pull the sword from the stone, but none of them succeeded. Because no one could successfully complete the task, it was decided that all the men who had tried would compete in jousts to decide who would become king. Sir Ector and his son, Sir Kay, were among the knights who decided to participate in the jousts. On their way to the jousts, Kay realized he had forgotten to bring his sword. He sent Arthur to fetch one for him, and the only sword Arthur could think of that was nearby was the sword he had seen sticking out of a stone. He quickly rode to the church and easily pulled the sword from the stone. At the time, Arthur had no idea what the sword in the stone meant. When Arthur handed the sword over to Kay, Sir Ector glanced at it and realized exactly what sword it was. Sir Ector quickly brought Arthur to the archbishop to tell him that Arthur was meant to be their king. The archbishop and all the other men nearby needed proof, because obviously, Arthur was just a young kid! Surely he couldn't have pulled the sword from the stone when powerful adults were unable to do so. So, the sword was placed back in the stone, and everyone took a turn again. Still, none of the other men were able to remove the sword from the stone. When his turn came again, Arthur pulled the sword forth just as easily as he had the first time. Everyone who saw dropped to their knees in front of Arthur, and cries of "Arthur is King!" ran through the crowd. Arthur was crowned king then and there by the archbishop.
Three Years Later
One of Arthur's allies was King Leodegrance of Cameliard. Leodegrance's only child was the lovely Princess Guenevere. It was love at first sight for Arthur when he met Guenevere, and he had to know how he could have her as his wife. As his father had done before him, he got the help he needed from Merlin.
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingArthur@excalibur.com
Subject: Guenevere
I've recently met King Leodegrance's daughter, Guenevere, and I am in love! I've only known her for a short time, but she is the light of my life! What do you think I should do?
To: KingArthur@excalibur.com
From: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
Re: Guenevere
Arthur, this is serious. Are you sure that you love her? If you do, I know your mind won't be changed. But know that it won't always be easy with you and Guenevere. If you really think she's the one for you, you need to ask Leodegrance for her hand in marriage. I'm confident that he'll be happy you want to marry his daughter. Good luck, Arthur!
To: MagicMerlin@wizards.com
From: KingArthur@excalibur.com
Re: Guenevere
Merlin, I haven't been more sure about anything in my life. I know Guenevere and I are meant to be together. I've just sent some of my best knights to Cameliard to ask Leodegrance if I can marry Guenevere. I have to admit, I have a good feeling about it!
Arthur's good feeling was correct, because Leodegrance was more than happy to let his only daughter marry King Arthur of Britain. Guenevere went back to Britain with all of Arthur's knights, and they were soon married at the great cathedral where Arthur was crowned king. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced over the great pairing and their new queen.
Arthur and Guenevere's marriage was nothing if not eventful, involving accused affairs and kidnappings. But in the end, Arthur and Guenevere ended up staying true to one another and lived their lives out happily together.
Author's Note: The stories about Arthur are many and varied, so what I've told here might be completely different from the Arthur stories you know! If I had told all the various stories of Arthur, you would have been reading all day! I based my story pretty closely off of the stories of Arthur I read in my source. Of course, they obviously didn't have BlackBerries or email capabilities back then, but other than that, my story doesn't stray too far from canon. There are so many different stories about what happened between Arthur and Guenevere (most commonly spelled Guinevere), and most versions tell of her and Lancelot having an affair. Lancelot, as you may know, was considered to be one of Arthur's most trusted knights, and also a member of the knights of the round table. However, the source I used must have wanted to portray Guenevere in a better light, because it tells of her and Lancelot being close and even running away together, but never of her betraying Arthur. According to one version of the story, Lancelot and Guenevere had such a close relationship because Lancelot's main duty was to watch after Guenevere, which meant they spent a lot of time together. Guenevere and Lancelot were accused of having an affair together, and Arthur was extremely upset about it, and Lancelot and Guenevere ran away to insure their safety. After some time, they went back to Arthur and declared that neither of them had betrayed him. Arthur ended up forgiving Lancelot, and Guenevere stayed with Arthur for the rest of their lives.
Source:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- King Arthur.
Image Information:
"The Sword in the Stone." John Stokes. Weblink: Maddermarket Theater.
"King Arthur." Frank Dicksee, 19th century. Weblink: Logoi.
"Arthur and Guinevere Marry." Weblink: The Legend of Queen Guinevere.
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