"And so ended
Camelot. If you want your final papers back, they will be
available in about a week. I will have grades posted within the
next few days. It has been a pleasure having all of you in
class. Feel free to stop by my office any time you get the
chance."
There was always something about the last day of class. There was so much left to say, and no time to say it. Every semester Professor Schmidt promised himself he would manage his time better, yet here he was, skimming over some of his favorite material just to wrap the class up.
He sighed as he sat down to his stack of final papers. He wasn't sure why he even bothered writing comments on them. Between ski trips and going home for the holidays, English tips were the last thing on most students' minds. But there were always one or two who took the time to stop by, so Ryan uncapped his pen and picked up the stack. He flipped through the papers until he found the one he was looking for. Erlin, Mark.
"There is something that always draws me to this one," he muttered as he turned the cover page. A sharp wind blew the paper out of his hand. Ryan looked up with a start. His desk was gone. His office was gone. He was outside, it was cold, and he could hear people coming.
I will never forget that night. We were about three days' journey from Camelot. The men were sitting around campfires, reliving the victory. The Roman soldiers actually ran. Some deserted and joined us, others just fled to the hills. The battle only lasted a few days. King Arthur was the strongest king in Europe.
The messenger almost collapsed from exhaustion when he reached the camp. "Arthur. Rebellion. Took the queen." The poor man wasn't making much sense, but he refused to rest, even for a drink, until he spoke with Arthur. Only Gawain, Arthur's cousin, and I were allowed in the tent with Arthur to hear the message. As soon as Arthur had marched out to Rome, Mordred started his rebellion. He started slowly, stirring dissension among those whom Arthur had punished for various crimes. Then he made a bold move. He declared himself king and demanded that Guinevere marry him immediately. Of course, she refused, so he had her locked in a tower until she changed her mind. Camelot was at war. Everyone had chosen a side, and the country was falling apart.
We pulled up camp in the middle of the night. We didn't stop for food or rest. We made it back just before dawn on the second day. The city was burning. Some of the soldiers urged Arthur to stay back, but he led the way, charging into the city. Most of the people dropped their weapons and knelt as soon as they saw the king. Apparently, Mordred had spread a rumor that Arthur had fallen in battle. With so many people unwilling to continue the fight, Mordred's rebellion fell apart almost immediately. But Mordred was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, we all assumed that he had fled the country.
Arthur declared a general amnesty for everyone in the rebellion. He understood that most of them had been deceived into believing that he was dead. He was willing to forgive any who asked, as long as they were willing to make restitution for any damage that they had caused. He was in the middle of his declaration of forgiveness to the people when he collapsed. I was close enough to see the arrow in his back. I rushed to him, but it was too late. The king was dead.
Mordred fired that shot. I did not see him, and he was never caught. But I know it as well as I know my own name. After Arthur's death, Camelot fell apart. Some of Arthur's men tried to hold it together, but with no strong leader, and no heir, it was impossible. Guinevere lived out the rest of her days in a convent. She had many offers, but after losing Arthur, she could not marry again. As for myself, I left the country. It was too painful to watch what was once a great kingdom crumble.
Ryan was shaking. He was back in his warm office, but he couldn't get warm. It was too awful. He had no idea what had happened, but it was real. He had witnessed the death of a king. Ryan glanced down at his hands, trying to make them stop shaking, and noticed a handwritten note at the bottom of the last page:
Professor Schmidt,
I really enjoyed this class. Some of the literature was really great. I hope my last paper wasn't too intense. I just wanted to make my point. It is true that the legend of King Arthur grew with the telling, but that doesn't mean that the man never existed. The best stories are based on a grain of truth, right?
M. erlin
There was always something about the last day of class. There was so much left to say, and no time to say it. Every semester Professor Schmidt promised himself he would manage his time better, yet here he was, skimming over some of his favorite material just to wrap the class up.
He sighed as he sat down to his stack of final papers. He wasn't sure why he even bothered writing comments on them. Between ski trips and going home for the holidays, English tips were the last thing on most students' minds. But there were always one or two who took the time to stop by, so Ryan uncapped his pen and picked up the stack. He flipped through the papers until he found the one he was looking for. Erlin, Mark.
"There is something that always draws me to this one," he muttered as he turned the cover page. A sharp wind blew the paper out of his hand. Ryan looked up with a start. His desk was gone. His office was gone. He was outside, it was cold, and he could hear people coming.
I will never forget that night. We were about three days' journey from Camelot. The men were sitting around campfires, reliving the victory. The Roman soldiers actually ran. Some deserted and joined us, others just fled to the hills. The battle only lasted a few days. King Arthur was the strongest king in Europe.
The messenger almost collapsed from exhaustion when he reached the camp. "Arthur. Rebellion. Took the queen." The poor man wasn't making much sense, but he refused to rest, even for a drink, until he spoke with Arthur. Only Gawain, Arthur's cousin, and I were allowed in the tent with Arthur to hear the message. As soon as Arthur had marched out to Rome, Mordred started his rebellion. He started slowly, stirring dissension among those whom Arthur had punished for various crimes. Then he made a bold move. He declared himself king and demanded that Guinevere marry him immediately. Of course, she refused, so he had her locked in a tower until she changed her mind. Camelot was at war. Everyone had chosen a side, and the country was falling apart.
We pulled up camp in the middle of the night. We didn't stop for food or rest. We made it back just before dawn on the second day. The city was burning. Some of the soldiers urged Arthur to stay back, but he led the way, charging into the city. Most of the people dropped their weapons and knelt as soon as they saw the king. Apparently, Mordred had spread a rumor that Arthur had fallen in battle. With so many people unwilling to continue the fight, Mordred's rebellion fell apart almost immediately. But Mordred was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, we all assumed that he had fled the country.
Arthur declared a general amnesty for everyone in the rebellion. He understood that most of them had been deceived into believing that he was dead. He was willing to forgive any who asked, as long as they were willing to make restitution for any damage that they had caused. He was in the middle of his declaration of forgiveness to the people when he collapsed. I was close enough to see the arrow in his back. I rushed to him, but it was too late. The king was dead.
Mordred fired that shot. I did not see him, and he was never caught. But I know it as well as I know my own name. After Arthur's death, Camelot fell apart. Some of Arthur's men tried to hold it together, but with no strong leader, and no heir, it was impossible. Guinevere lived out the rest of her days in a convent. She had many offers, but after losing Arthur, she could not marry again. As for myself, I left the country. It was too painful to watch what was once a great kingdom crumble.
Ryan was shaking. He was back in his warm office, but he couldn't get warm. It was too awful. He had no idea what had happened, but it was real. He had witnessed the death of a king. Ryan glanced down at his hands, trying to make them stop shaking, and noticed a handwritten note at the bottom of the last page:
Professor Schmidt,
I really enjoyed this class. Some of the literature was really great. I hope my last paper wasn't too intense. I just wanted to make my point. It is true that the legend of King Arthur grew with the telling, but that doesn't mean that the man never existed. The best stories are based on a grain of truth, right?
M. erlin