Week 13 Story: King Arthur Will Not Allow Any Nonsense In His Court

Original Story:  Original Story from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Source.

Author's Note: This week, I really struggled with what kind of story I wanted to rewrite. I thought about having a point-of-view narrative from Arthur's adoptive father, about a land corrupt with slavery and a peasant named Arthur who rises and becomes the wisest king ever known. I thought about making the Sword in the Stone be lifted by a person of pure-heart and not because of bloodline because I believe there should be something more special about a protagonist than who their parent was. However, several rough outlines of these plot points in, I was running out of time. Instead, I decided to try a cometic, light-hearted tone of a King Arthur who will not put up with any nonsense in his court. One of those things being how all his knights abandoned Camelot's people to search for the Holy Graal, which they would never be able to find because of their sins. Another thing was how Merlin knew how the woman he loved, Vivien, would one day kill him, but Merlin does nothing to prevent his own death. In short, people made stupid decisions which caused a lot of chaos to befall Camelot later down the line, so I decided to make King Arthur put a stop to these stupid decisions. This is a very bad rough draft I had no time to polish so PLEASE tell me how you think I can improve it. Thank you!

King Arthur (1903) by Howard Pyle. Source.

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The Holy Graal

For Christmas dinner, the Knights of the Round Table had gathered in the revered halls fo Camelot to toast merrily for their good fortune and good fortune to come. However, the ruckus stilled as a brilliant light filled the halls. There was the Holy Graal, which Jesus had drank from during The Last Supper. A warm feeling filled the hearts of the people near it and felt bereft as the light dimmed and the Holy Graal vanished from sight once more. The ruler of these halls, King Arthur, felt grateful for the miracle and was about to announce for the party to commence when his right-hand-man Sir Lancelot stood.

"My King, forgive me but I ask that you pardon my oath to serve you and Camelot. The high purpose to find the Holy Graal is a calling I shall not ignore!"

To Lancelot's bold degree, all the other knights too proclaimed their wish to search for the Holy Graal.

"No. You are nor pardoned and as knights, you must still fulfill your obligations to me."

"What do you suppose will happen to Camelot if you suddenly leave? Bandits and foreign armies will march in and harm the people we swore to protect. And do you really think any of you are worthy to find the Holy Graal when I can see your own lust for honor through such a quest?'

The knights looked down, ashamed.

King Arthur spoke, "My friends, let us instead enjoy the company we have and should you still wish to go on this quest for the right reasons, train someone to take your place so the land will not be without protection."

The knights agreed.

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Merlin's Lover

King Arthur was looking over reports t his desk when his old friend Merlin the Wizard scrambled into the room. However, something was very different about his serious friend. For one thing, Merlin's pupils were heart-shaped which King Arthur was positive was impossible. However, King Arthur had no time to think on the matter further, for Merlin began to speak.

"Oh, Artie! She is just the most wonderful creature I've ever beheld. I just wish we could stay together forever! You know..."

King Arthur blinked. 'Ah, so Merlin is talking about Lady Vivien again, is he? Honestly, who would have thought the old wizard could act like a puppy in love." Something clicked into Arthur's mind.

"Merlin, what did you just say?'

"I said that Vivien is the heart of my body, and that--"

"No, before then."

"Before--oh, you mean how I said that I will gladly accept her face as the last I will ever see?"

"Yes, that. What does that mean?"

"Well, you see, Vivien plans on killing me with a spell that I'm currently teaching her! She's so talented at magic!"

"Merlin, come here real quick."

Merlin walked towards King Arthur and was promptly knocked out by a hit to the head.

Later that evening, Lady Vivien was charged with poisoning Merlin with a love potion and was charged with treason for her plans to weaken he crown by assassinating Merlin.

Week 13 Reading Notes: King Arthur Part B

 Original Story from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Source.

King Arthur (1903) by Howard Pyle. Source.

King Arthur's knights of the round table decided to search for the Holy Grail, which left the kingdom unattended and weakened.

King Arthur took a pilgrimage to St. Augustine and experienced a glimpse of holiness with singing and light. However, Arthur decided to be inspired to become a better man and better king.

The Holy Graal suddenly appears in Camelot's halls briefly. While the King is glad to have experienced a bit of its wonder, all the other knights want to search for it so shirk their duties in order to bring themselves honor. They vow to find it, and vows cannot be broken. King Arthur and the entire court is disheartened that the knights of the Round table are disbanded.

Sir Galahad is a perfect knight. In his quest to obtain a shield, he comes across an Evil dead man who cannot use his powers on Galahad because, "'I see about thee so many angels that my power dare not touch thee."' He is the son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic. (Elaine raped Lancelot by pretending to be his lover Queen Guinevere, also known as King Arthur's WIFE. Sir Galahad was conceived because of foreknowledge of his maternal grandfathert that he would become the greatest knight ever. Yet, Galahad also shirks duties by searching for the holy graal.

Sir Lancelot can not get close to the Holy graal in the old chapel because his sins are heavy and weigh him down. (Sins of worldly adventures for worldly desires. He tries to search for the Holy graal as if it is a worldly thing.) The holy graal heals another old knight.

Seige perlious to be sat by the knight who finds the Holy Graal.

Knight of a King to the Knight of God transition? Earthly, sinful knights are weak compared to heavenly, righteous knights.

Half of the Knights of the Round Table are killed in the Quest for the Holy Graal. Sir Lancelot goes back to Camelot after seeing his son, but Galahad continues the quest.

Galahad had a vision with the Holy Graal and sees much more joy in eternal life in Heaven compared to life on Earth. Galahad becomes prays to go to Heaven already, so he dies.

Morderd, Arthur's son and nephew, plots to kill Arthur. Arthur is wounded, Excalibur is returned to the lake it came from (despite one knight's plans to keep Excalibur for himself). Arthur sails to Avalon to be healed but is as good as dead to the mortal world. Guenevere becomes a nun and reject's any further affair with Lancelot (funny how she respects marital fidelity when her husband is dead compared to when he was alive). Lancelot also dies later. The end.

Retelling Ideas:

Lancelot was tricked into sleeping with Elaine, so how can sucha union be the prophetic conditions for the greatest knight who ever lived. Also, How was Galahad the greatest knight who ever lived if he decided to stop helping people when he was young to go to heaven a few decades earlier?

Kign Arthur tells the knights to care for their people more! Help their fellow men instead of mudering people to find the Holy Graal.

Week 13 Reading Notes: King Arthur Part A

 Original Story from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Source.

King Arthur (1903) by Howard Pyle. Source.

Uther Pendragon was the king but then died. The land fell into chaos over the right to succession, every knight wanted to become the new king. Merlin and the Archbishop revealed the Sword in the Stone in the Great Church. Whoever can pull the sword from the stone is the rightful king of England. However, people (nobles, knights, and other high-born) decided people could win the sword in a tournament. Sir Ector and his son Sir Kay enter the tournament. Except they forgot the sword from the inn so Ector's foster son goes back. However, inn is locked so Arthur decides to get sword from the stone. Arthur learns he is the rightful king of England and that Merlin brought him to Ector's house when he was a baby. Ector didn't know the son of Uther Pendragon lived in his house until that moment.

Except people don't want to except a boy as their king so months pass as knights travel far and wide to pull the sword from the stone. Over time, Arthur is crowned and promises to be a great king for the people. The scabbard has power so Arthur doesn't lose any blood.

Sword of Stone was for birthright. Excalibur from Lady of the Lake is magical and only used by Arthur in a deux es machina moment. Lady of the Lake asks a favor ( that she will not say) in return for excalibur. Arthur accepts.

Merlin visits in disguise and says that his sister's son will be his worst enemy one day.

King Arthur fights against a great knight and almost dies, except Merlin cheats for him so knight loses.

King Arthur asks Merlin for who to marry, he is most infatuated with Guenevere, the daughter of daughter of Leodegrance, King of Cameliard. Cameliard holds the round table, which apparently was a gift from Uther Pendragon. Merlin says if he can not be faithful to Guenevere, he could find other women as beautiful as she is that he could be faithful to. The round table is given as a dowry.

Sir Lancelot is to escort Guenwvere for the wedding preparations.

Merlin falls in love with a maiden (Nimue, Vivien) that he knows will kill her. However, Merlin continues to spend time with her and refuses to change the fate he saw. Merlin teaches Vivien magic, and Vivien buries Merlin alive.

Morgan le Fay is the sister of King Arthur. King Arthur killed a knight she loved and Morgan wantts revenge. She steals the scabbard of excalibur. King Arthur wants to punish her for treason, but almost accepts a gift from her that will kill him.

People decide to find the Holy graal despite Arthur's wishes and the kingdom is neglected in favor of the impossible graal.