In an age of treachery and darkness, one king brought peace and prosperity to his land, defended it from every danger, and expanded it to an empire that would rival Rome itself. His wise counselor taught him the ways of justice and to value truth.
At his command a loyal band of fearless, gentle knights protected the helpless, struggled against evil, and faced unimagined peril in the search for the holiest of relics. Though his queen and his best knight would betray him, though his own son would defeat him, though the shining kingdom he had forged would fall into ruin, still he set the standard by which all other leaders would be judged for
centuries.
He was the legendary King Arthur...
THE SWORD AND THE STONE
In the old days, as it is told, there
was a king in Britain named Uther Pendragon.
He was a good king and mighty, and much of his
strength he owed to his chief counselor
Merlin. For Merlin was an enchanter who could
read the stars and hold converse with the
fairy world; Merlin knew the secrets of
nature and the hearts of men; to him the
future was as clear as the past, and of either
he could speak when he chose; and he could change
his shape at will. So that it was a small
wonder that King Uther prospered with such
counselor
Now, at that time, the duke of
Tintagel, in Cornwall, made war on his overlord,
King Uther, and came against him with an
army. In the fighting the duke was slain
and his men yielded, all except those in his
castle of Tintagel, which was held by his
lady Igraine. Because she was a brave and
noble lady, King Uther's lords pleaded with
him that he should make peace with her, and
to this, Uther agreed. When he saw the
Lady Igraine, with her beauty and dignity
he fell in love and took her for his Queen.
At the same time, he gave in marriage the
two young daughters of Igraine and the dead
duke, Margawse and Morgan le Fay. Margawse
was wedded to King Lot of Orkney in
Scotland; and Morgan le Fay, who for all of
her youth, was as skilled in sorcery as
any witch of three times her years, was
wedded to good King Uriens of Gore.
Soon after this, Merlin came to Uther and
said, "On a certain day, a son will be born
to your queen, and because there are things
which are hidden from other men yet not
from me, I know that it would be well if you
were to give me the child when he is born,
that I may take him secretly to a good
knight whom I know and so shall he grow up
in safety."
And because he ever trusted Merlin's counsel,
King Uther agreed to this.
   
Midi: "Mist Covered Mountain"
Sequencer: Barry Taylor
Used with Permission
Graphics by Angie
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