Jian

Jian

The world was in turmoil and leaderless without the benefit of a king. Hundreds of warriors gathered support of farming communities and other warriors and some veterans of war, all in a bid to claim the throne. 

Sir Robert of the Lowlands, a burly man that could swing his axe so hard that it would fell a tree in one stroke, was often favored to win the crown, but he was held back by the last contender for the prize, Sir Kay a close friend. Their armies fought each other on the battlefield many times but every battle ended in a stalemate.

The problem was that without the legendary sword, Excalibur, many of the claims were invalid and most of the people were just not sure who to support. 

So after warring with each other, the strongest warlords met together under the flag of truce to deal with the problem of Excalibur and young Arthur, a squire was amongst them and he listened in on the discussions.

"Excalibur! Why must we be given the impossible task? The land needs a king, now! It doesn't need an old sword from a fable told by a fool!"

"And yet", came a dissenting voice across the table, here we are."

"Sir Kay," the first man said. "You and I have fought side by side in the old days and we fought each other just last week! If we do not come together as one people, we will kill each other."

"I have no argument with you, Sir Robert of the Lowlands. You are right that we will be a divided land if we continue to fight, so I propose that we search for Excalibur."

"Ha!" , sneered Sir Robert. "A quest, Sir Kay? More like a fools errand. Search for a mythical sword that no one has seen and then once we find it, draw it from the stone! Sounds simple enough, right lads?"

There were a few murmurs of laughter but most remained silent. Sir Robert looked around the room and shook his head and ran his hand on the top of his bald head.

"Alright,. alright. Excalibur.  So exactly where should we look? Would it do any good to offer a reward for it's location?"

Sir Kay put his hand on his red bearded chin, leaning forward on the wooden table. "Merlin always said that only the worthiest would be able to see it, but he did say that it's location was here in the land and it was going to be due north, not northwest or northeast but... North."

Sir Robert's brow furrowed and he looked away from the table banging his fist on it, his face showing a bit of red. "Merlin and his riddles! Always a riddle wrapped up in an unanswerable question!" He sighed again

Sir Kay spoke again. "How about this, then. We go to the people, you and I and we tell them that we're at a truce and that we understand the need to find Excalibur"

Sir Robert scoffed. "Then what? We find a forge who can build Excalibur? That sword was said to be able to pierce armor with the tiniest touch and it's weight was greater than 20 armed men! No blacksmith could make such a blade!"

Sir Kay looked at his companion, brother in arms and competition to the throne. "Excalibur is real, Sir Robert. I know it's real. It's out there waiting to be found!". He grasped Robert's had. "Brother, we both want the same thing! To unite the kingdom! It doesn't matter to me, who wins the crown as long as he is just."

Robert looked at his old friend. The two of them had fought long and hard against each other for almost a year, without a clear winner. The continued fighting wasn't doing any good to the kingdom

"Alright. So we really look for Excalibur?"

"Yes, brother, We tell the people that we will find Excalibur and that we will be gone for a month"

"A month", Robert murmured. "Alright, agreed"

The next morning, the two of them stood before the kingdom and told them that the truce was still in effect and that both of them were going on a quest to find Excalibur. The people applauded this decision and were content to wait until they had returned.

Sir Kay and Arthur headed due north towards the mountains while Robert headed to the northern plains with his squire.

On the 3rd day, Sir Kay and Arthur stopped by a quiet lake in a glade and rested for awhile. 

Arthur sighed as he took the pack from his back and started serving the provisions.

"Do you really think we will find Excalibur sir?"

Sir Kay laughed. " We're alone now, little brother, you don't need to address me as sir.

In answer to your question,. though l, I believe that one of us will find Excalibur. It wants to be found. The Lady of Lake embued the sword with a spirit, one that knows the needs of the people."

*But, Kay, what if the sword is only a legend? What then?"

Sir Kay sighed, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility. "If it's not real then we just saved the kingdom from war for a month. Perhaps after a month of peace, we can find some other way to resolve our differences"

Arthur nodded his head and sat down by the tree and did his best to not fall asleep.  

“Little bro, get some sleep don't worry about it. I'm going to need you fresh, come morning.”

Arthur nodded his head again and he closed his eyes as he let himself sink into slumber on the soft grass.

The glade seemed to slowly fade away like ripples in a pond. A glowing green object appeared far in the distance penetrating a fog.

“Arthur……”

“Hmmmm….?”

“Arthur…” came a voice in a fog. “Over here….” The fog lifted and there in the middle of the glade was the magnificent sword in the stone, glowing green in the night, inviting Arthur to draw it from its resting place.

“Rise and shine, little bro!”

With a start, Arthur awoke, bolt upright, heart pounding in his chest and sweat on his brow.

Sir Kay grinned down at his young sibling. “Say that must’ve been some dream! Whose the girl?”

Arthur shook his head again trying to wake up. “Girl?”. 

“Yes, girl!” Kay said laughing. “You were breathing heavily!”

“No, no..it was Excalibur!”

Kay slowly takes turned to his brother.  

“Excalibur? You dreamt of Excalibur?”

Arthur nodded his head. Kay walked around the glade, stroking his beard 

“What is it, brother? It was only a dream”

Kay turned back to Arthur. “Little bro, the legend says that the closer you get to the sword, the more it calls….to the wielder”

Arthur stares at his older brother dumbfounded. A cold sweat dripped down his back.

“A squire? “came another voice. “Hah! A squire will become king? Now that is rich one!”, Sir Robert chortled as he and his squire came into the glade.

Sir Kay smiled to himself and shook his head.  

“I realize that it sounds unlikely, but the legend does actually say that. Part of my knight training included taking on scribing as well and I used my position to read the legends.”

Sir Robert scoffed again. “Scrollworm!”

Sir Kay took the jab in stride and laughed.

Arthur, on the other hand seemed troubled and focused on something else in the glade. His eyes peered into the glade, much like a cat getting ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey.  

The two knights watched in silence Arthur ventures further ahead of them, towards the edge of the glade.  

“Arthur?”, Sir Kay called out. Both Robert and Kay followed Arthur to the edge of the glade. As they caught up to him, they saw him holding a sword in his right hand and a scabbard leaning by a rock nearby.

Sir Robert looked at the scene incredulously, shaking his head. “Are you going to tell me that…that …” , pointing at the sword in Arthur's hand. “Is supposed to be Excalibur?”

Sir Kay stood silently looking at Arthur and the sword. The hilt of the sword had a small, winged guard, and red tassels at the bottom. The blade itself was almost paper thin.

“Arthur, “ Kay began. “Where did you find this?”

Arthur looked at both of them pointed towards the stone with the first two fingers of his left hand.

Robert threw his hands up in the air, growled and laughed, walking around the stone. He came closer to the blade and tapped it lightly and the blade rang in a vibration that even Sir Kay could feel.

“A quest for a mythical sword ends with squire holding child's toy! If the people won't believe a fake sword made by a blacksmith, they certainly won't believe this.”

Suddenly, as he said this, his face fell for a moment, then cleared and a smile appeared.

“Let's go back!”

Sir Kay looked back at Robert, his mouth hanging open. “Ummm, what?”

Robert stopped for moment and looked at Kay. “Well, we found Excalibur, didn't we? Yeah the people won't buy it, but that's okay. Maybe the people will realize that they have to make the choice themselves and give up looking at a sword to make the choice.”

Kay looked down and shrugged his shoulders watching Robert leave the glade. “Oh well. Come on little bro. Sheath the sword and let's pack up and head out. 

Arthur did as Kay asked and followed his brother.

“Kay,” Arthur began..” I really did pull this sword from the stone. Don't you believe me?”

Kay mounted his horse and looked at his brother. “In fact I do. Now, we have to present the sword to the people and they have to believe too. Do you believe that this is Excalibur, Arthur?”

Arthur looked down at the ground and then to the sword in his left hand….”I don't know”

Kay looked ahead. “I'm a believer, Arthur. Right from the start. That is Excalibur and you are the rightful King of our land. Now, we must prove to the people that this is Excalibur.

3 days later, Sir Robert, his squire, Sir Kay and Arthur stood before the people on an open field.

Sir Robert had just finished explaining that Excalibur had been found by the squire, Arthur at which point, Arthur was to unsheathe the blade.

Arthur did as he was asked and drew the blade from it's sheathe and the blade sung as it sliced through the humid air. The crowd gasped at the sound.

"So, " Sir Robert started. "Is this Excalibur? Is squire Arthur your King?"

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Arthur heard some saying things like "so young, too young" and "can't be Excalibur. It's not even a real sword."

Robert smiled in satisfaction.

"Yes, it is beautiful piece of craftsmanship and I salute it's maker, but this toy cannot be the sword of legend and this boy, cannot be king!"

There was a murmur of assent.

"Therefore, since Sir Kay has renounced his claim to the throne in favor of his little brother, and the boy cannot be king, that makes me the best choice now, doesn't it?"

Again, the crowd murmured and shuffled their feet, some of them started to open their mouths and shout "hail, King Robert", but the words seem to catch in their throats.

Robert glared at the crowd, wondering if he had now become king of cowards who were too scared to be loyal.

Sir Kay spoke up. "People of the land. I have a proposal"

"I think we've had enough of your proposals, Sir Kay., Robert growled.

Kay ignored the comment and continued. "Let there be a duel here and now between you and Arthur. Battle axe against sword. Whomever is the victor is the king."

Arthur gaped at his older brother. "Ummm.." he began. "Sir Kay....".he tried to say.

Kay turned to Arthur. "Believe, Arthur! Believe! Trust Excalibur!"

Arthur swallowed hard, looking at his brother hoping to get out of this somehow. His stomach seemed to turn itself inside out as he looked at the gigantic figure of Sir Robert and his Battle Axe.

"Boy," Robert said his eyes seemingly boring into Arthur's skull. "There is no honor in killing you. I know that is what, Sir Kay is planning. I have no wish to kill you at all, but this land needs a king. You can surrender now and avoid all of this."

Arthur wanted to surrender. He felt the urge to lay down the sword and run back to his brother or run away from the field of battle in shame, like a dog with it's tail between his legs. Instead he sheathed the sword and held it out in front his chest and walked around the field.

Sir Robert took a step and swung his axe overhead in a stroke that would have cleaved through flesh as easily as it would a log. Instead, it hit the soft ground, missing Arthur by inches.

Robert snarled as he heaved the axe upwards again getting ready to strike. This time, he swang his axe horizontally from right to left,. missing Arthur again as he sucked underneath the first swing. The second swing came a little lower than the last and Arthur stepped backwards, feeling the wind from the axe touching his face.

When the third swing came, Arthur pressed his sheathed sword at an angle, deflecting the axe swing upwards. Then, in a swift motion,.he unsheathes the sword and it sung in a small arc, slicing through Sir Robert's breast plate, which fell to the ground in a thud.

Sir Robert, realizing what had just happened, stared at Arthur,.his jaw open as he dropped the axe to the ground.

"You.....it..... really is Excalibur...", his voice barely a whisper. He dropped to his knees and looked up to Arthur. "I have always said that the people should make the choice and I have made mine. My axe, my land ,my wealth.and my life, are yours to command, my leige! You are King Arthur!"

At once, all the people bowed in respect to the new King.