The Wedding of King Arthur

   This addition to the story shows the feast that celebrates the marriage of King Arthur and his new Queen, Quenevere. During this celebration King Arthur assigns three of his knights quests that pertain to things that happened during his feast. These events were a white stag ran through the feast followed by a white hound, and another is a man that rode by and forcefully abducted a woman. King Arthur decides it a good idea to fetch these items back to his court to test his knights. The three knights he chooses is the newly knighted Sir Gawain, Sir Torre, and Sir Pellinore. The first knight, Sir Gawain is sent off to retrieve the white stag. In doing so he comes across a knight who wishes to combat him. Gawain defeats this knight and the knight begs for mercy, but Gawain does not wish to show him mercy. Just as Gawain is going to strike down this man, his lover moves in front of the blade and Gawain accidentally kills her. Word spreads of this accident and when Gawain finds the white stag he is captured by four knights for what he has done. Gawain's brother Gaheris explains how this came to be and that Gawain is King Arthur's nephew, and he is released on one condition. He is forced to bring back the dead body of the woman he slew and beg forgiveness from the king and queen for what he has done. Queen Quenevere explains that since he has done this he must always fight for woman everywhere and grant mercy to any knight that may ask for it. The next knight Sir Torre is sent to retrieve the white hound. Not long after leaving Torre comes across a dwarf who explains that he must first fight two knights in order to pass onward. He does so and defeats them and grants mercy to them both, and sends them on there way to King Arthur. When Torre finds the white hound he is warned by a woman that trouble will soon follow him if he takes this hound, but Sir Torre rides on to complete the quest that he has been entrusted with. Danger soon does follow him, when a knight rides to him demanding he return the hound to his lover. They then engage in combat and Sir Torre asks if he will yield and the knight replies that he will never yield. Not soon after this does a woman come along claiming to kill this man, and that he is a false knight who killed her brother. The knight then begs for mercy and runs away, but Sir Torre pursues him and kills him. The knight then returns to Camelot with the hound, and he is proclaimed by Merlin to be a knight that will also uphold his knighthood and his rewarded by Arthur with land and honor. The final knight is Sir Pellinore on his quest to seek out the woman that was taken. When he finds her there are already two knights fighting over her, the one who took her, and the womans cousin. Sir Pellinore asks them to cease their fighting for he will be taking the woman back with him. Then the two knights propose a challenge in which Pellinore must defeat them both. Pellinore accepts and quickly kills the knight whom which took the woman. The cousin then asks mercy after seeing Pellinore's tremendous strength and asks only that he treat his cousin with honor and dignity. Sir Pellinore then sets off for Camelot, but before arriving there he hears a plot in which to take King Arthur's life, and it is spoken by one of his close knights. The following day at dawn Pellinore rides to camelot and delivers the woman and completes his quest for Arthur. This ending leaves you with questions such as who wants to kill King Arthur, and why, and will they succeed in there plot? The answers are sure to lie in the rest of the story of King Arthur And His Noble Knights.

The Knight With Two Swords

     In this new and further explanation of the story of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, it tells the story of Sir Balin and Balan, two brothers who are destined for a terrible and ill found fate. The story of them begins when Sir Balin is presented a test similar to that of the sword in the stone presented to Arther. A woman arrives in King Arthur's court explaining how she possesses a sword that only the noblest and true of heart knight can remove from her sheath. Sir Balin being the final knight to attempt this, succeeds in removing it. The woman warns the knight about the terrible fate that will come to him by possessing this sword, but Sir Balin wishes to keep the sword and discover the fate that God has for him. Within a few moments after taking the sword, the Lady of the Lake arrives in the court asking Arthur to now carry out the favor for her. She asks of him to bring her the heads of several men one of them being Sir Balin. King Arthur cannot bring himself to do such a terrible deed. In that moment Sir Balin recognizes this woman as the murderer of his mother and in that instance slices off her head. Arthur is furious about this and sends him off never to return to his court. In order to avenge this insult unto King Arthur in his own court, one of his knights rides off to avenge the King and slay Sir Balin. However, when the confront eachother Arthur's knight falls. To make matters worse, the fallen knights lover discovers the dead knight and then takes her own life in sorrow for her lost lover. Sir Balin wants nothing more than to be able to return to the court of King Arthur, so in order to do so he sets off the bring the enemy of King Arthur, King Royns to his castle. Upon doing so he meets up with his brother sir Balan. His brother says he will ride with him on his quest to capture King Royns. The two brothers, with Merlin's guidance, succeed in doing so and Arthur claims to be in Balin's debt. King Arthur gives Balin a quest of curiosity one night when he hears a man go by mourning aloud. Sir Balin goes after the man to bring him back to Arthur after Sir Balin promises him his protection. Upon leaving the man is struck down by a knight who possesses a power of invisibility. Sir Balin feeling sickened for having failed this man in protecting him goes out seeking this man. His journey eventually brings him to the castle of King Pelham were he gains entry to a feast. During that evening at the feast Sir Balin cuts the head off the invisible knight Sir Garlon. The king is outraged and attempts to kill Balin himself in honor of his fallen brother. In the beggining of there combat, King Pelham breaks the sword of Balin and sends him fleeing throughout the castle searching for a weapon. Balin stumbles upon a room of a dead man lying next to a blood covered spear. He takes the spear and kills the pursing king. At that instant an earthquake shakes the castle and causes it to crumble. Merlin eventually comes to the aid of Balin under the fallen rubble. Merlin explains that this was the spear used to pierce Jesus Christ when he was on the cross, and now by doing this he had caused a terrible time of poverty and death to shadow over the land. Sir Balin rode fast on his horse away from this land with a sickened and heavy heart for the deeds he has done. Sir Balin rode on until he came to new castle and was welcomed by the guests. They told them that it was custom for a new knight passing through to battle with a nearby knight on his island. Sir Balin explained how his horse was tired and could not. However, the hosts offered him a fresh horse and one man gave him a fresh shield that he told would better protect him against this knight. Balin took this shield and rode of to face his opponent. He met this opponent and they battled until both were stricken with wounds and were not long for the world. Sir Balin asked the knight his name and he replied by telling him Sir Balan. Balin removed the helmet to see the bloodied face of his brother and wept on his chest. The man who had given the shield to Balin did so in order that Balan would not recognize his brothers markings on his shield. Balin as well died there with his brother, and Merlin came to erect a tomb for both of them to be buried in. The woman was not the only one who had warned Balin of his bad fate that would befall him by this sword, but also Merlin and he had said that he would oneday kill his own brother, but Balin thought this impossible. This shows the wisdom that Merlin possesses and the tremendous journeys these knights of King Arthur go on in order to seek nobility and honor, sometimes only resulting in hardship and sadness.

Merlin

       In the beginning of this book, the opening story to the adventure of King Arthur shows the introduction of Arthur's mentor and powerful allie, Merlin. Before the days of Arthur a king named Uther Pendragon ruled England and Merlin served as his mentor as well. Through Merlin's guidance Uther becomes a very successful ruler. One day in the thick of a war, Merlin makes a deal with Uther to ensure that the king will win this war and recieve what he covetted, the opposing king's wife. In return for this service Merlin tells Uther that they will conceive a child, and that he must raise this boy. Uther agrees and all as he says comes to be. This boy that is born is Arthur. Time passes and Uther dies, but Arthur is unaware that he is to take the thrown, so England is thrown into a long rulerless era. When the time comes that Arthur is ready to take the throne, a test is presented to him. A sword driven into an anvil resting on a stone bears the words "whoever pulls this sword from this stone and anvil is king of all England by right of birth" (14). This ment that whomever was able to remove the sword was the true son of Uther Pendragon, and the next rightful ruler of England. Lords and knights from all over try and fail to remove the sword, the only one who is able to with ease is Arthur. Arthur is then crowned the new King of England. This sword does not become Arthur's permanent weapon. One day Merlin takes Arthur to a lake where there resides the mysterious Lady of the Lake. This lady gives to Arthur the sword Excalibur and a magic sheath to carry it in. This sword is a very powerful weapon, and in return for it the Lady asks only the Arthur to do her a favor whenever she is to ask for it. Through Merlin's guidance Arthur wins many battles, including one fought against eleven kings who refused to accept Arthur as their king. Arthur went on to be with many women over his time before eventually marrying the daughter of King Lodegrance, Guinevere. Before meeting his wife he slept with one woman whom he did not know to be his half-sister, and Merlin told Arthur that she would birth a child that would oneday destroy Arthur. Arthur wanted to change this prophecy without Merlin's knowledge so on the day that the child was fortold by Merlin to be born, Arthur ordered that all the babies be brought to him. He then put them on a ship and cast them out to see without a crew, only to sail to a promising death. The ship crashed upon rocks, and one baby's cry was heard by a man near by. This baby was the one Merlin talked about and he was then raised by this man and his wife. The story of Merlin ends here without the prophecy awaiting its fullfillment and a king who thinks he has avoided this crisis.