King Arthur and His Knights | Page 4

Kay must have a weapon."
So he rode on till he reached the churchyard, dismounted, and tied his
horse to a sapling. The ten knights who guarded the sword had gone
away to see the combats in the tournament. Arthur ran up and pulled
lightly but eagerly at the sword. It came at once from the anvil. He

hurried to Sir Kay, who was waiting for him on London bridge. Sir Kay
knew that the weapon was the one that had been fixed fast in the stone,
but he said nothing to Arthur, and the two soon overtook Sir Hector,
who had ridden slowly to the field where the tournament was taking
place. Sir Kay immediately told his father what had happened.
The good knight at once spoke with great respect to Arthur.
"Sir," he said, "you must be the king of this land."
"What mean you, sir?" asked Arthur.
Sir Hector told the wondering youth the reason why he was destined to
be king. Then he said:
"Can you put this sword back in its place and pull it out again?"
"Easily," replied Arthur.
The three returned to the great stone, and Arthur put back the sword.
Sir Hector tried to take it out, but failed.
"Now, you try," he said to Sir Kay.
But Sir Kay, in spite of great efforts, also failed. Then Arthur, at Sir
Hector's bidding, tried, and at once pulled forth the sword. At that Sir
Hector and Sir Kay knelt before Arthur.
"Alas," said Arthur, raising them from the ground, "my own dear father
and my brother, why do you kneel to me?"
"Nay, my lord Arthur," said Sir Hector, "I am not your father. You are
of higher blood than I am. Long ago, when you were a little baby,
Merlin brought you to me to take care of, telling me that you were to be
the king."
"Then whose son am I?" cried Arthur.
"There are two stories: the one that Merlin tells, and the one that old

Bleys, the master of Merlin, tells. Merlin brought you to me, saying
that you were the son of King Uther and Yguerne his wife. But because
the king was dead and the lords powerful and jealous, he told me to
guard you in secrecy lest your life be taken. I did not know whether the
story was true or false then, but you were a helpless child, and Merlin
was a wise sage, and so I took you and brought you up as my own."
Arthur was so astonished that he did not ask to hear the tale that Bleys
told. He stood gazing at Sir Hector, who said:
"And now, my gracious lord, will you be good to me and mine when
you are king?"
"I will, indeed," replied Arthur, "for I am more beholden to you than to
any one else in the world, and also to my good lady and foster mother,
your wife, who has reared me as if I were her own child. If it be God's
will that I shall sometime become king, ask of me then what you will."
"Sir," said Sir Hector, "I ask that you make my son Sir Kay, your foster
brother, the steward of all your lands."
"That shall be done," said Arthur, "and more. He shall have that office
as long as I live."
Then the three went to the Archbishop of Canterbury and related to him
the story of Merlin and all that had occurred. At his request they told no
one else.
At the command of the archbishop on Twelfth day, which is the sixth
of January, all the great lords assembled in the churchyard. Each tried
to draw forth the sword, and each failed. Then the untitled people came
and tried. Everyone failed until at last Arthur stepped forward. He
hardly more than touched the sword when it came away in his hand.
At this many of the great lords were angry.
[Illustration: "He hardly more than touched the sword"]

"He is but a boy," they said, "and not of high blood."
They refused to believe the story of his birth told by Merlin and Sir
Hector. And because of all the quarreling, it was decided to have
another trial at Candlemas, which fell in the month of February. Again
Arthur was victorious. Then the great lords decreed that there should be
another trial at Easter, and again Arthur succeeded. Next they decided
to have a final trial at the feast of the Pentecost, which fell in May.
Meanwhile, Merlin advised the archbishop to see that Arthur had a
bodyguard. So the archbishop selected several knights whom the
former king, Uther, had trusted. These were Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias
and Sir Bedivere; Sir Geraint and Sir Hector and Sir Kay