"It befell in the old days that Rome, at need... withdrew her legions from England." "Then stood the realm in great darkness and danger... for every overlord held rule in his own tower... and fought with fire and sword against his fellow." "Then against these dark forces rose up a new force... wherein flowered courtesy... humanity and noble chivalry." "Your kinsmen have been here before us." "He is still here." "I cry Morgan Le Fay rightful Queen of England... and her knight champion, Modred, Lord of the Isles." "I cry Arthur Pendragon, Duke of Gwent." "God keep you, stepsister." "God spare you, stepbrother." "Merlin the Wise made us meet here, and we're here." "Do we meet as foes?" "We meet as kinsmen." "To put an end to bloodshed and restore a throne." "Which of us speaks as the king of that throne?" "He who is Uther Pendragon's son is high king of England." "I am the only issue born to Uther in true wedlock." "No son was born to him by his rightful queen." "Yet your father was sire to a son." " Born in shame." " His son nonetheless." "Morgan Le Fay is the rightful heir." "And Modred the rightful king." "My lady, we are met here so that he that is rightful king shall prove it." "Come." "What words are those carved upon the stone?" ""I am the sword Excalibur." ""Whoso pulleth me from this anvil..." ""is the rightwise born king of all England. "" "How do we know this is the sword the legend spoke of?" "If it be the true sword, why did Merlin alone know where it lay?" "Because the King, Uther Pendragon, revealed it to me alone... the night before his death." "Then I shall take what is mine." "Sire?" "That is not the true sword." "It is the true sword." "It is witchcraft!" "Let no man say otherwise." "Then we must summon a council at the Ring of Stones... of the chiefs of all the land." " They shall decide, my lord." " Aye." "They shall decide to hang thee from a tree, and all thy witchcraft within." "Though you be the unnatural brother of this lady... take care you do not hang beside him!" "We shall meet again at the council of the Ring of Stones." "The King of England!" "You are not." " What?" " Not yet." "You have still to prove it by deeds, not words." "Return it to the anvil." "With a heart of furious fancies" "Whereof I am commander" "With a burning spear and a horse of air" "By the wilderness I wander" "By a king of ghosts and shadows" "I am summoned to a tourney" "And leagues beyond the wide world's end" "Methinks it is no journey" "Enough." "My belly's as limp as a bell rope and as hollow as a broken promise." "This Arthur of yours must be 100 leagues the other side of nowhere... on a charger made of nothing." "Arthur's real enough and man enough to ride, as we do, in pursuit of glory." "Alas, good Lancelot, how far, in the name of reason... will you chase this puffball fancy knight?" "Who?" "Arthur?" "To the world's end and beyond." "We're there already." "It is the valley of death." "The devil himself has plowed it under." "Not so, good Lancelot." "I hear the song of life." "Sweet music to my hungry ears." "Four men against one hen." "Chivalry, hide thy face." "Come, we'll look for something fiercer as a foe." "Sir, by your leave, my spirit is willing but my stomach cries for quarter." "Eat then, and join me later at the Ring of Stones." "Shall we see King Leogrance at the Ring of Stones?" "Yes, but not his daughter." "Guinevere is here with me now." "Here in my heart, as she ever has been since the day we met as children." "And as she always will be, till the day this heart no longer beats." "Kind words." "I shall make her queen of all this island." "Queen of all England." "How good the growing of the unhatched egg." "From hereon this is Modred's land." "I shall travel a different road to you." "Go by the downs, and let me go through the forest." " 'Tis not as we planned." " It's as I plan it now." " Why?" " If one of us is ambushed... the other will live to confound Modred at the Ring of Stones." "Please, God, it will be you." " Ride with him." " No." "'Tis your blood Modred seeks, not mine." "Stay with your master." "Ride alone you shall not." "I'll go through the forest and you shall take Bedivere... or none of us move a step from here till doomsday." "I see I've been foster-father to a mule." "Very well." "Go through the forest, and Godspeed you." "You have always been more a father to me in wisdom and strength... than he who sired me." "Without you, I endure life." "With you, I rejoice in it." "Godspeed." " Which road has Arthur taken?" " Through the forest." "Sire, what of my reward?" "You promised me enough gold to silence me." "Was there ever enough gold in Christendom to silence a traitor?" "Nevertheless, silence him." "Here we part company." "Bring me word to the Ring of Stones when Arthur is dead." "Within the hour." "Where would you have gone without me?" "To the Council of Kings at the Ring of Stones." " I do not want you there." " Why not?" "Your life might be in peril." "Where you go, there I go also." "Did I have to say as much in words?" "Why are you late, sir knight?" "Why?" "How late am I, my lady?" "I've been waiting for you here since dawn." "Alas, my lady." "How was I to know?" "You should have known by magic." " Magic?" " It's May eve." "I made a wish in the pool for a knight to come and carry me off." " And I am the knight?" " Of course you are." " May I ask my lady's name?" " Elaine." " Of what place?" " Of Astolat." "Come nearer." "Perhaps you'd like to ride." "Where are you taking me?" "To your home, if you'll tell me where it is." "I told you who I was, but you haven't told me who you are." "I am Lancelot of the Lake, King Ban's son of Benwick." " Where is Benwick?" " In France." "Then whatever are you doing in England?" "I come in search of a great hero called Arthur Pendragon." "What will you do when you find him?" "Ride the wide world by his side." "What will you ride in search of?" "Giants and unicorns... and beyond England, the sea of white bears and witch whales." "Beyond the sea, the happy islands where no one ever grows old... or so Gareth the harper tells me in his songs." " Have you a lady?" " No." "Then I shall be your lady." "One day you will come back and take me to the happy islands." " What is it?" " Nothing that will harm you." "Who stands?" "Come forward and declare thyself!" "Why do you seek me?" "Why do you lie in hiding like a knave?" "So it's a nest of knaves." "Good sirs, draw your swords before my friends arrive." "Five to one is all Arthur himself could hope for." " Are you Arthur's man?" " To the death." "Kill him!" "The lists are open." "Who'll tumble in them next?" "Behind you." "Thanks, my lady." "I am for thee, lone knight." "Declare for them or stand off!" "Not while I live." " I yield." "Fair fight." " Fair fight?" "Ambush." "What now?" "Now, my lady, I shall take you home to supper." "That meddler again." "I thank you for the help I did not need." "Those are brave words, if hardly grateful." "Do you deny you spoiled my fight?" " Why, do you seek another?" " Do you not owe me one?" "Come, pay your debts." "With broadswords, if you wish." "Sir Lancelot, I'm hungry." "I'll be with you in the passing of a minute." "Take care she does not witness the passing of a knight." "I've never met your like before." "In combat, you have no peer." "I am Lancelot of the Lake." "By the faith of my body, I must know who you are." "I am Arthur Pendragon." "Why do you break a sword that served you with such might?" "It struck you." "Then you shall have mine... and may it serve you half as well." "My lord, while I live, I shall remember this hour." "I ache in every bone." "I shall not be able to forget it." "Stand and declare thyself, plowboy." "I'm no plowboy, sire." "I am Percival of Astolat, and I ride in search of my sister, Elaine." "A thousand pardons to yourself and to your horse." "Yonder is the lady you seek, I think, asleep and safe." "We've been searching the countryside for you." " I've been in such a battle." " A battle?" " We fought five men." " We?" " This knight and I." " This knight and you?" "He and that other knight." "Who are you?" "I am Lancelot of Benwick, and this is Arthur Pendragon." "Milord." "Milords, let me be your man and ride with you." "Make me a knight errant." " What errant would you seek?" " The Holy Grail, my lord." "Your ambition soars high for such young wings." "Will you not help me to prove myself worthy of it?" "If all goes well with our cause, seek us at Camelot." "If there is to be war, seek us upon the battlefield..." " and prove yourself in combat." " I shall, my lord." "Thank you." "Come, sister." "Good-bye, Sir Lancelot." "I shall be awaiting you when you return from the happy islands." "Till then, my lady, fare you well." "Happy islands?" "Where are they?" "Who knows, my lord?" "Perhaps in the heart." "Do you not seek them, too?" "I know but one island, and not a happy one." " My task must be to make it so." " Where is it?" "We stand upon it now." "It shall be happy, my lord." "We shall make it so." "We are not many people." "We are one people." "Bound together by the sea about us and our enemies from without." "We do not have many causes." "We have one cause:" "England." "England, which now stands in mortal peril." " We alone can save it." " How?" "There must be an end to all strife among us..." " to the burning and the killing." " You're not our judge nor our leader." "But he claims to be our judge and our leader." "Beware this man, my lords!" "He would overthrow the King's true heir and take the crown himself." "I claim from no one what is not rightfully mine." "That from a man who is not even rightfully born!" "Let me speak." "My lords... the true ruler of England is her law." "It is as old as these stones... which were raised to the measure of the sun... and the motion of the stars." "Each one is balanced by its neighbor... with all the cunning of a mason's skill." "If each stone keeps in balance... then all will stand forever." "So it is with England." "Let each man keep in balance with his neighbor... and all our world stand still." "I am Mar, King of the Picts." "Does any man here dare tell me what I must do?" "Not one man, nor a hundred, nor a hundred thousand... but the people of England." "In the dark night of their wretchedness... crushed with hunger, fear and misery, they cry out, "Let there be peace!"" "Hear him?" "He would lead every villein in the land against his master." "He would make us serve the peasants who were born to serve us." "Who is Arthur Pendragon to speak such words to kings?" "Which of you is a true king?" "Mar who comes from Rome with his painted Picts... and burns this land?" "Mark and his Cornish pirates?" "Bryan and his slave raids on our unprotected coasts?" "There is no true king in England until this council names one and obeys him." "It is ordained that I shall be the rightful king of England." "I will be king, my lords." "With peace if I can, by war if I must." "Neither I nor my friends lack bows and spears... and if the people lack goods, which you plunder... they do not lack anger nor courage." " Choose!" " Let the traitor perish... while his treason is still black upon his lips!" "Arthur, ride!" "What is it to be, my lord, Camelot or the battlefield?" "To the battlefield!" "We'll crown you king by Christmas!" "King of all kings" "To be her son" "She chose" "He came on so still" "Where are you going?" "Home." "Was your village left standing by Modred's men?" "No." "But if I'm to starve to death, I'd sooner starve to death there than here." "I love this horse like a brother." "I would kill him and you could eat his flesh... if it would give you half the courage of the man you're deserting." "Keep your horse." "King of all kings" "To be her son" "He told" "He came on so still" "What shall I give thee as a Christmas gift?" "Fine words from a knave whose pockets are as empty as his wits." "Is this empty?" "And a right Merry Christmas to you." "And a right Merry Christmas to you, Sir Gareth." "Gently." "Gawaine's as gentle as a bear on a bee swarm." "Gareth's too full of festive spirit." "I would I were." "I'm rusting faster than my sword." "I sing of a maiden" "That is matchless" "King of all kings" "To be her son" " How is the night?" " Even time has frozen solid." "When should we attack Modred, my lord?" " When the first spring thaws set in." " Why not now?" "No army can fight Modred and the winter, too." "This is not fighting as I know it." "It's a kind of creeping death." "Nevertheless, we are fighting as surely as if we were in the field." "This is the season of the year when men give gifts... to those they most esteem." "I esteem thee more than any other man." ""Friend shall I be." "Call me not other." ""This is a pledging 'twixt brother and brother. "" " Christ is born." " He is born." "Does each man know the plan?" "Every man is in his place and every man has his orders." "Do they but obey them and Modred will never forget this day." " Modred will not forget this day." " May he not live to." "May this be the sword that bids him sweet farewell." "Is that all the strength they can muster?" "Old men and lame boys?" "The day is ours already." "England is ours already." "Death to Arthur!" "Stand and behold, Arthur is dead!" "The day is mine!" "Arthur lives." "The day is still ours!" "Give ground!" " Give ground?" " Aye." "They're in retreat." "Now for the kill." "Pursue and slay!" "We have them!" "Spurs to horse and death to foe!" "Will you see my banner shamed?" "Fight the dragon banner to the earth!" "He has won his spurs, my liege." "He has one hundredfold." "Fight on, Sir Percival." "And now for England!" "Forward!" "They fall like apples in a gale!" "The day is ours!" "Hail to Arthur, King of England!" "My lords, do you accept Arthur Pendragon as your king?" "Then accept also his pardon... whereby he doth absolve you all from retribution... so that ye keep the peace of England." "In true penitence, I do confess my wrongs against King Arthur... and beg leave to serve him loyally as his knight." "That leave I freely give." "Sire, I request of thee that this knight be put to banishment." "Would you have me break my word?" "The war is over, Lancelot." "I begin my reign in peace and in honor." "This man will destroy it!" "Sire, must I stand rebuked by this mongrel knight?" " I'll give thee satisfaction." " Sir Lancelot, stop." "Put up your swords." "Are you knight or outlaw?" "Cool your hot blood and keep your place... which is high enough, but not above the good of the realm." "Arthur Pendragon will be crowned king in the city of Camelot." "There also will he wed the Princess Guinevere." "Then shall you all assemble... to pay homage to him and to his queen." "So be it." "I am King Ban's son of Benwick, rebuked by you before this company." "While that man lives, I will not pay you homage." "By the wilderness I wander" "By a king of ghosts and shadows" "I am summoned to a tourney" "And leagues beyond the wide world's end" "Sing up, Lancelot." "Where's thy voice, Lancelot?" " With thy heart in thy boot?" " Let him be, you rattle bait." " Whose shields are these?" " Ask whose they were, sir knight." "Are they all three slain?" "Not slain, would you say, squire?" "Not slain, squire, but put to sad, sore shame." "Our lord and master stripped them of all." "Armour, horses, and their lady." "And off they went on foot like penitents." "What lady is this you speak of?" "The lady under escort of the three knights." "Didn't send her away." "Then your master is a knave and a dog." "Then by your leave, we will throw dice for your horse now." "Await me here." "State your purpose." " You hold a lady against her will." " Perhaps." "Not against mine." "I bid you let her go free." "If you would free her, 'tis simply done." "Slay me first." "That shall be my pleasure." "But heed you fight fiercely." "If I slay you at white heat... then the lady's heart will melt like butter in my hand." "You will be melting in another place, sir knight." "Where is the lady?" "If I am to hazard my shield with you, she must accept me as champion." "There the lady stands." "My lady, will you take me for your champion?" "Tell me first, sire, who are you?" "He who would be your champion." "And why do you champion my cause?" "Because I've seen many wonders, but none in this world as beautiful as you." " Sire, she is..." " Brigid." "I take you for my champion, sir knight." "For the lady!" "He is all bark and no dog, Your Highness." "He barks well enough." "Now let us see how he bites." "I cry quarter!" "You'll cry in quarters unless you swear to take the lady where she desires to go." "And because you've dishonored good knights... you'll give up your armor and hang your shield on that tree." "I swear it." "Mend thy ways, sire." "There is some good in you." "Guard the lady well." "On my honor." "You are free, my lady." "Whither do you go from here?" "To the wedding of King Arthur and Princess Guinevere at Camelot." "Will you ride there with me?" "I wish it could be so, my lady, but it cannot." "Sir Addle-pate Oaf yonder will conduct you there in safety." "Tell me, sir knight, who are you?" "Forgive me, my lady, but there is shame upon my name." "I think that you have never done a shameful thing... nor ever will." "For that, may God's mercy be forever with you." "May God's mercy be forever with you, too." "Every knight in England must be here today." "I were that Lancelot were here." "To upset another apple cart?" "If he upset 100 apple carts... it would be a fair price for the sight of his face again." "She ever grows more beautiful." "They are ill-matched." "If they are not we will make them so." "Long live King Arthur!" "Long live Queen Guinevere!" "My lords, come forward... and do each his homage... as ancient custom doth decree." "My liege." "It is said on this day of great rejoicing... that any man may ask one favor... and that the King will grant it, providing it be not against the realm." "That is true, and I will do it if it be not against the realm." "My master asks of you this honor... that he may be the first to do you homage." "Who is your master?" "Sir Lancelot of the Lake, King Ban's son of Benwick..." "Knight Commander of the armies of England." "I grant his request." "My liege, I am your man, and by mouth and hands..." "I swear to serve your cause against all others." "I fought Lancelot and lived." "Sir Lancelot... by mouth and hands I swear we shall not part again." "Sire, forgive my discourtesy at the Ring of Stones." "I rebuked you too sharply, and I say it before this company." "Pay homage also to your queen." "Guinevere, this knight is my banner, sword and shield." "This is the knight who came so swift to my rescue." "But so late to my wedding." "Sir Lancelot, I thank you for your rescue of my lady." "In gratitude, I make you henceforth the Queen's champion." "I shall ever be in your quarrel to be your knight in right or in wrong... at the hazard of my body, from this day forward to my death." "Be thou my champion in right or in wrong." "You stand here in the presence of your peers... to become knights of the Round Table." "Therefore each man shall say aloud this vow:" "I will fear God... honor the King... and defend this realm with honor and with might." "With God's good grace..." "I will hold myself true to this fellowship of knights." "In the name of each man here, I vow in God's name... to do battle against all evildoers." "But never in any wrong cause, nor do any outrage." "I will defend the helpless and protect all women... and be merciful to all men." "I will honor my word... and I will speak no treason nor slander." "I will be true in friendship... and faithful in love." "All this I do swear on the hilt of my sword." "Do all here swear it likewise?" "So be it." "God grant long life to the table round!" "So England was blessed with peace... for while Arthur and Lancelot were united in friendship... no force of evil was strong enough to prevail... against the chivalry of the Round Table." "Zounds!" "Does my hair look like an apple?" "'Twas that loon with his harp." "He did it on purpose to spoil my aim." "Your aim's as poor as his music." "Put up your bow, Gawaine." "We can grow new apples quicker than we can grow new ears." "My new hawk against yours, I'll split that apple before you do." "Taken." "By your leave, my lady." "Stop daydreaming." "You're at court now, not in a meadow." "Milady... this is my sister, Elaine." " You're welcome here." " Thank you, my lady." "Milady, I beg you to make her a lady-in-waiting." "She refuses to stay at home anymore." "Is that what you would like?" "Music!" "You owe me a hawk, sir knight." " Sir Lancelot of the Lake, my sister." " My lady." "Have you found the happy islands yet?" "Happy islands, my lady?" "Have you forgotten them as easily as you've forgotten me?" "Forgotten you?" "A thousand pardons, my lady, but how grown-up you are." " Do you think so, too?" " Everyone does except you." "Are you still making midsummer wishes?" "No." "That was the only one I shall ever make." " Is your horse well?" " Berrick?" "Yes." "He will remember you." "He'll be delighted to see you again." "When may I see him?" "Do you presume a knight of the Round Table... has nothing better to do than to show you his horse?" "When may I see Berrick?" "He was part of my wish." "You shall see him tomorrow, my lady." "Where have you seen that child before?" "In a wood, one midsummer's eve." "She made a wish in a pool for a knight to come riding by and carry her off." "And did a knight come riding by and carry her off?" "Not while I was there." "Am I deceived, or do I scent a pair of royal turtledoves?" "What is that?" " An old coin." " It's beautiful." "It's yours." "Thank you." "You are not deceived." "We must set a trap to catch our turtledoves." "My lady, that is a new necklace you are wearing this evening." " May I admire it?" " If you wish." "An old coin." "How curious and charming." "Only one who loves most deeply gives such an unusual token to his lady." "I had not noticed it." "Fie, my lord, to give such a gift... then not notice it when it is worn in your honor?" "It was given to me by Lancelot, not the King." "By Lancelot?" "I wish I could charm you into such a gift, sire." "What must I do to deserve it?" "If I please you with my dancing, will that be a beginning?" "I'm already in your debt, my lady." "May I be likewise honored, my lady?" "Alas, my lady, you have come off worst." "But never mind." "Lancelot shall dance with you for the rest of the evening." "I shall command it." "Well, sire, now we're alone, what is this great secret?" "A pleasant one, I hope." "Not pleasant and no longer, unfortunately, a secret." "A delicate matter and yet I must be blunt." "A court is a very elegant place, my lady... and doubly so when you are queen of it." "But its walls not only have ears... they have eyes, and they have lips." "No one is safe from them, my lady... not even the King himself, and not even you." "Are you trying to tell me that I have enemies?" "Everyone in a court has enemies." "If the Queen's could make a lie of her that men believed... it would break the Round Table and destroy the kingdom." "What lie could they make of me?" "One that would involve Lancelot." "Lancelot is my husband's friend." "And Modred is your husband's enemy." " Does my husband know of this?" " Not from my lips." " Then I shall tell him." " No." "Why not?" "If Arthur believed you and banished Modred..." "I should no longer be able to keep an eye on him, which I do very well here." "If he disbelieved you... you would have done yourself grave harm in his trusting eyes." "And what of Lancelot in all of this?" "It is Lancelot for whom I am concerned." "He is the torch with which Modred would light up England." " It is horrible." " It is life." "And Lancelot is too vulnerable... to be out of reach of this mischief." "He should be safely married." "Married?" "I'm glad it is I who sit watching your face at this moment... and not Morgan Le Fay, my lady." " Do you suspect me, too?" " No, my lady." "But I am just as artful as she at weaving guilt out of innocence... if it be for the good of my cause." "Lancelot should marry." "It is not too cruel a sacrifice for the throne he serves." "Why so silent, child?" "I'm trying to find the courage to ask you a question, my lady." " Why is it so difficult?" " Because..." "Is it about Sir Lancelot?" " How did you know, my lady?" " I guessed." "Now ask me your question." "Does he love anyone, my lady?" "He has never told me so." " Then there isn't anyone else?" " No, no one." "Does he ever notice me or speak about me?" "I'm sure he does." "My lady, would he marry someone who loved him as much as I did... even if he didn't love them very much?" "Even if he only loved them very little?" "Would any woman be wise to marry a man who did not love her, my child?" "It could bring heartbreak with it." "My heart would only break if I thought I might never see him again." "Then you would marry him no matter what the cost?" "Yes, my lady." "Yes, I would." "Gawaine, you station yourself downwind." "I'll wait above the river." "Elaine was speaking of you as we rode here." "She does me great honor." " I've come to know her very well." " I trust she pleases you." " Does she please you?" " Yes, why not?" "How much does she please you?" "Saving yourself, I would be her servant before all others." "Lessen, Sheba!" "Lessen!" "Drop, Sheba!" "Lancelot, there is something I must tell you." "I know that you love me." "You would never tell me so, but I know that you do." "While it was our secret, no harm or shame could come of it." "But it's no longer a secret." "And we have enemies." "Those enemies would be silenced... if you wed Elaine." "It is my wish that you do so, for she loves you, too." "All through the war, Arthur would speak of you." "I fought beside him shoulder to shoulder, and you were ever in his heart." "You must not be in mine, too." "I will do as you bid me." "Thank you." "Come, Sheba." " Well flown." " Yes, she stooped well." "Sire, if it please you, I will go to the north as captain of the marches." "You, Lancelot?" "Why?" " There's good fighting in the north." " There always is." " The Picts are in revolt." " The Picts are always in revolt." "Sire, you know me better than any man living." "My sword arm has been idle too long." "I'm sick for the sound of battle." "I understand that." "You have my leave to go." "I would also ask a favor of the Lady Elaine." "Will you go with me, my lady, as my wife?" "Yes, my lord." "Happily." " My lady." " My child." "Our blessings go with you both." "My lady and a favor of my wife..." "I will remain your champion and carry your scarf as I have always done... in loyalty and in honor." "God go with you." "How we shall miss him." "I am missing him already." "Advance the banner!" "Lower lances!" "Raise lances!" "Forward!" "On!" "Which of us grieves most, I wonder, to see them depart?" "Whichever of us has the tenderest heart." "Good." "Then neither of us is grieving." "Is there any sign of them?" "A messenger, a horseman?" "I feel my husband is near at hand." "I wish I had your faith, milady." "Then do not falter in your own, Gawaine." "I tell myself three months is but a quarter of a year." "But already I feel they've been gone three centuries." "They will come home safe." "I can feel him very close to me." "I'd be even closer to him if he'd taken me instead of that harper." "Would you sooner Gareth had watched over my safety?" "No, milady." "He has no more sense of responsibility than his own silly harp." "Milady." "Never a sign of a bow." "Will we ever see a Pict?" " Aye, they burrow earth like badgers." " Or dissolved into highland mist." "Ready to smother us to death." "Silence!" "Form ranks!" "Form ranks!" "Flame your arrows!" "Shields!" "Hold firm, you old blusterer." "Milord, I've blustered my last bluster." "Was I such an uncouth knight after all?" "You were as goodly a knight as I have known." "Forward!" "On!" "My lady, gently." "Nan, help me quickly." "All these months away." "Now he is here, and I'm not ready to greet him." " You were told not to fluster yourself." " I'm not flustering myself." "Truly I am well now he is here." "My lady." "My lord." "A lady wise as ivory bone" "A pearl in gold that golden shone" "A lady fair" "A love where on my heart may cling" "Her blitheness nevermore be gone while I sing" "The Scottish mist has rusted all his notes." "I will her well, she wills me woe" "Methinks my heart will break in two" "For sorrow's mine" "In God's own greeting may she go" "That lady mine" "A lovely song, Gareth." "But why such a sad one?" "Aye, strike up a gay tune." "Will you dance, my lady?" "Percival's here!" "Never was a face more welcome!" "Never was a heart more cold and weary." "Come, sit by the fire." " Bring meat and wine." " Yes, sire." " What news of the court?" " You will know more than I." "We?" "We've heard nothing since we left there." "How long have you been gone from Camelot?" "Too many weeks." "Percival, is all well with you?" "I am upon a quest, sire." " What do you seek?" " The Holy Grail." "At Pentecost, when the Round Table met, every knight save you sat in his own place." "Then suddenly we heard the crash and cry of thunder... louder until we thought the walls must tumble inwards and destroy us." "And then the tumult died, and the hall was filled with light... a hundred times more clear than day." "And no knight could speak." "Then we heard music, as if the skies were filled with joyful song." " Then a voice spoke." " A voice?" "But the strangest thing..." "And this is something I do not even now understand." "What?" "Every knight heard the music and saw the light... but I was the only one who heard the voice." "What did it say?" "It said, "Percival, my knight..." ""who has come out of worldly life into spiritual life..." ""go forth." "Seek the Holy Grail..." ""blessed for in that our Lord drank from it at the last, sad supper." ""And when he died upon the cross for all mankind, it held his precious blood." ""Seek it..." ""till the end of the faith in what is eternal may be renewed." ""For in good time, the cup will return to Earth..." ""and there remain, that men may be at peace with one another." ""Blessed be God who lives and moves in all things eternally. "" "Amen." "The King granted me leave to go forth upon my quest... but in his heart it saddened him to see me go." ""First Lancelot, now you," he said." "He's a lonely man." "You are twice welcome, my brother Percival." "Your coming has brought great joy to us both." "My lady, will you see to his comfort?" "I must make my round of the guard." "All the happiness in my world is here with me now." "And mine is all renewed." " What is it?" " Nothing, my liege." "Is loneliness nothing?" "I'm not lonely." "I am... and I think you are, also." "Great tasks bring great demands upon the human spirit... and sometimes great weariness." "I often must watch you walk, when none may follow or comfort you..." "I least of all." "You most of all." "My lord, I honor you above all men." "I watch with wonder how you bring justice and mercy to your people." "And I long to serve you better." "With far more love and understanding than I possess." "But a king such as you stands in need of a greater queen than I." "I love him also, Guinevere." "I did not know my sister could be so happy." "Whoever has put his trust in you, you have made happy." "Who knows better than I?" "What I do not know, is why I came to be chosen for the holy quest... instead of the truest knight in Christendom." "Every worldly conquest I ever sought, I have achieved." "And never have I been beaten in a quarrel, were it right or wrong." "But in holy things, I must fail... for there's a sin in my heart which blights me." "And no power will ever make it pure again." "If there's a weight of sorrow in your heart, let mine bear half the weight." "But I know there is no sin in your heart... or my own would look black and lost." "There's no sin in you, Percival." "And you will find what you seek." "The voice who spoke to you was God's." "My lord, Lancelot." "Come, sit by me." "I will tell you the dream I dreamed... about our son." " You're certain it's to be a son, are you?" " I saw him." "He was armed all in white." "His shield and spear were white." "So was his horse." "He had your eyes, your smile, and your bearing... and yet he was like no one, save himself." "There was a great light about him." "I envy you such a dream." "You know, do you not, that my dream will come true?" "They always have." " Yours haven't." " Why did you say that?" "You never found your happy islands." "Strange that you should remember that idle jest of mine above all others." "It was no idle jest." "These are my happy islands." "I never want more than this from life." "Have you indeed been made so happy by so little?" "So little?" "If I had all my life to live again..." "I would have nothing different." "Do you understand, Lancelot?" "Nothing different." "I want you to remember that always." "I will." " Is Modred here?" " With King Mar." "What does Modred so far knoweth?" "Why have we been summoned here?" "Why did you come, unless you guessed my purpose?" "I'll not join in plots against Arthur till the country's divided." "Nor I." "What will divide it quicker than a clash between Lancelot and Arthur?" " His head is full of wild nonsense." " Not wild or nonsense." "There is a fraying link in Arthur's chain." "Lancelot is the Queen's lover." "Why else do you think I'm here, my lords?" "If Mar will but sue for peace, I will do the rest." " I sue Lancelot for peace?" " Once the war here is at an end... what is to keep Lancelot from returning to the court at Camelot?" "Once at Camelot, Lancelot and the Queen will betray themselves." "I put my oath upon it." "I crawl to Lancelot for peace terms?" " It's madness." " Wait, let me hear Modred out." "I smell method in his mind." "Read it." ""Sire, I give thee loyal greetings." ""The border is now under such good rule as you would have." ""The Picts, under their leader Mar, having sued for peace." ""With Gareth and Gawaine I send my son Galahad..." ""for whom, in giving him life..." ""my lady, his mother, died." ""Than hers, no heart was ever more constant, more gentle..." ""and more forgiving." ""I pray you, take means to send my son to my father..." ""that he may have joy in his grandchild." ""Be certain of our friendship." ""And Her Grace, the Queen, may know that I am her true servant still." ""Lancelot." ""Knight. "" " When should you return to the north?" " As soon as it please you, sire." "I will give you letters to Lancelot, and then you shall go." "Sire, Lancelot must come back." "He has been too long away." "You are right." " Sire, it is too soon to send for Lancelot." " Too soon, when the war is over?" "Mar will be up in arms again as soon as his back is turned." "Lancelot still serves England best from the marches... and would not come, save by command." "Therefore, command him not." "Let us see to the child, my lady." "I'll speak with Merlin later on this matter, when his tongue is not so sharp." ""When his tongue is not so sharp. "" "I would that I had the old raven's throat between my fingers now." "Fingers leave bruises." "Merlin is old." "His death could easily look more natural." "Make it so." "Merlin, I sent for you some hours ago." "Why did you not come to me?" "Let us not quarrel over Lancelot." "If your real reasons be sound, I pledge to leave him in the north." "But if they be the whims of an old tyrant, I shall recall him... and risk your scolding." "What do you say?" "Lower lances!" "Raise lances!" "Knights and ladies... for as much as Sir Lancelot of the Lake... has kept the King's Guard on the northern marches well and faithfully... and is now returned to court at the King's desire..." "I do proclaim, in the King's name... 12 days of holiday... with such tournaments, feasting, dancing and merrymaking... as shall be devised hereafter." "A plague take the tournament." "Why must I run with every knight who wants to shout for his lady?" "So that every lady will shout for you." "The dunce will think they shout for his ballads." "Then he'll sing them, one upon another... till they shout even louder for mercy." "What's that, milord?" "A lady's favor?" "Why not?" "Is it in memory of the Lady Elaine?" "I need no scarf to remember her." "By my soul!" "Lancelot is wearing a lady's favor on his arm." "A favor?" "But is he not still in mourning for his wife?" "I thank God some lady has called his thoughts back." "Sires, ladies... what is the most difficult art in the world?" "It is to shave an egg." "But Cohl the dancer will shave a dozen eggs with his toes... without breaking one." "If you doubt me, lay your wagers on the number he will break." " Two." " Four." "Seven." " I wager he breaks none." " Impossible." " What will you wager?" " A kiss." " Is that the Queen's new rival?" " I wonder." "Agreed." "So far so good." "Take your wager!" "The Lady Vivien had best take care." "We are all a little jealous of her, are we not, my lady?" "Leave me." " But, madam, who will tend to you?" " I will tend myself." "You were right, my lady." "The Queen has gone to Lancelot." "Your men are waiting and ready." "Fetch them to the east tower." "Go." "This time we shall not fail." "The King shall have proof absolute." "You mustn't be there when they're taken." "Arthur must think we are innocent." "Wait here." "Maybe we will not fail." "Who is it?" " My lady." " Close the door." "What brought you here?" "I must know what I've done that you should hurt me." "You come here at this hour to ask me that?" "When else could I ask you?" "In the presence of the court so that you could shame me?" "But it's high treason for you to come." "You dishonor us both." "You cannot stay, nor come here again, nor speak to me beyond my duty." "Is it a part of your duty to humiliate me for all to see?" "This is all in your mind." "I beg of you, return to your chamber." "Speak with me tomorrow where no harm can come of it." "Why did you ignore me tonight?" "Has your love for me turned to contempt?" "Why?" "I must know why." "My lady, in only one thing have you mistaken me." "I do not love you." "It is not in my nature to love or honor." "It's only my nature to fight, sport, eat, and fight again." "Was it all a lie?" "Did you never love me?" "If I did, nothing lasts forever." "Least of all folly." "What are you saying?" "Did you yourself not warn me that Modred watches our every move?" "Is he such a fool not to be watching us now... hoping it is you and not the Lady Vivien I favor?" "As for the Lady Vivien, she and I are of a feather." "The demands on one another are light." " We do not commit high treason." " Stop." "I beg you, say no more." "I will not degrade myself before you again." "Who is it?" "Death." "They're waiting on the stairs." "Then it was I who had too little faith." "It's too late for silence, Lancelot." "You're trapped at last." "Modred's men." "He and Morgan have been waiting only for this moment." "Traitor knight!" "We'll have your head on a pole, and your trollop, too." "She'll go to the stake in a fancy sackcloth smock." "Come out, or we'll batter down the door!" " What is it?" " My sword." "Simon took my sword to mend the scabbard." " We're lost." " If we're lost, all is lost." "King, kingdom, England." "Agravaine, if you withdraw and quit this place..." "I swear on valid knighthood I will answer to the King." "You shall to the King, and his queen with you... in Modred's presence." "Agravaine, I will give myself up and stand trial if you will spare Lancelot." "Give ground." "I'll unbar." "I had..." "All that has befallen shall be accounted for to Arthur... but never by you." "Sires, you've heard proof spoken under oath and without malice... that the Queen's grace did secretly, and at night... and without the knowledge of her husband... go unattended to the quarters of Sir Lancelot." "You shall give your voice, each one of you, for or against the accused." "You will bear in mind, if they be guilty, the penalty by law for high treason." "For the man... that his head be smitten from his body, and his body be dismembered... and his quarters hung up on the highway, to the admonition of all traitors." "For the woman... that she be conveyed to the public square... there to be burned alive before the people." "Sires, give your voice." "Whether guilty or not guilty." " Sir Tor?" " Guilty." " Sir Lionel." " Not guilty." " Sir Ector." " Guilty." "I heard a great lie and rode here without rest." " Where is Lancelot?" " I know not." "The King is here, and the trial has all but ended." "Trial?" "Therefore it is found, by true count of voices... that Lancelot of the Lake and Guinevere Queen... are each of them guilty of high treason... against our sovereign lord, King Arthur." "My liege..." "I ask authority for men at arms sufficient to take the traitor Lancelot." "Most noble King, I give myself into your hands." "If it is a plead for mercy, your coming is ill-timed, Sir Lancelot." "Verdict of high treason has been brought against you and the Queen's grace." "Why is the Queen not with you?" "Because the Queen has been so greatly wronged... that I will hold her in safety until it is righted." "Traitor!" "Touching her loyalty and mine, I will give full account." "But first I must speak of a friendship from which all else has sprung." "In the old days, I rode in search of a man and found him, became his friend." "We fought side by side and endured all things together." "And if at times we differed and fell out... still I will say that no two men living were truer friends." "Then, again riding forth, I met a woman." "And from that hour I loved her." "Her name is Guinevere." "She's your queen." "My friend was your king." "It pleased him to make me her champion." "Therefore I remained her servant and no other's... saving only the lady, my wife... to whose soul may God give gentle rest." "A man and a woman may love each other all their lives with no evil between them." "Such love is good... for by denial and suffering the heart is purified." "Be that as it may... if any knight will say that the Queen is not a true wife..." "I will make it good upon his body." "My liege, this man is no longer free to offer battle." "He may only be condemned." "Sir Lancelot... according to the law, the penalty for you and Guinevere the Queen is death." "But by my authority as sovereign lord of this realm... neither the Queen nor you shall die." "Punishment there shall be." "Therefore I decree that Guinevere... my queen that was... be conveyed to the convent of the holy nuns at Amesbury... there to remain until the day of her death." "Sir Lancelot, when this land was in need and peril... you gave service in its cause that ill deserves rewarding by a headman's ax." "Therefore you shall be banished from this realm of England... never in your lifetime to return." "The penalty is death!" "The sentence is banishment!" "Sire, I give you thanks for your grace and mercy to the Queen." "I will abide this banishment... though it be harsher than the losing of my life." "My liege, it is you who have taught us that no king of England... may set himself above the law." "Men and women, high and low, are alike before the court of justice." "But you have twisted the law to your private favor." "If you shield the living... who shall avenge the dead the outrage of murder?" "You have broken the oath taken in this very hall." "My lords, sires... the last word in this matter has been spoken." "The last word in this matter has not been spoken." "Do you challenge the King's authority?" "King only so long as we call him king!" "Is it kingly in a man to shrink from justice when it cries its loudest?" "Are there no knights who believe... that the proud and strong should follow none but he who is stronger still?" "Is he a king or a man of straw... blind to all, save his own grief, and sick in the soul?" "How strong is Arthur without Lancelot?" "As strong as a man in the thick of battle who has his sword struck from his fist." "A common pikeman could run him through." "Thus did Modred succeed in his intent." "The great bond was broken." "With the Queen taken from all men's eyes in sorrow and disgrace... and Lancelot banished from the land... evil days returned to England." "Hearken, you who command the opposing armies." "It is agreed that while this parley lasts... that no knight shall draw his sword." "If any sword be drawn on either side... a trumpet shall sound and dreadful war begin." "Arthur Pendragon, you asked for this truce." "What do you hope it shall gain you?" "Modred, this carnage I seek to avert... is unlike the old war we fought against each other." "Once you led outlanders against me." "Enemies of England." "This time I lead Englishmen against you, because you are the enemy." "If I must war against my people and my knights... the stroke that strikes them dead is death to me." "The doom is yours, not mine." "Modred, beware!" "None will emerge victor in this holocaust." "Friend will slay friend in this mist, not knowing whom he slays." "Before us lies only the darkness of utter destruction... the end of chivalry, the end of all our world." "In the name of God, I beg you to forswear this war." "Upon my terms." "What are they?" "First, you shall withdraw your armies from all this land of the west." "Second, the lives and chattels of the people of the west... shall come under my domain." "Last, that the Round Table shall be disbanded... never to reassemble." "These are not terms to offer equals!" "They are terms to shame the vanquished!" "If I agree these terms, will you pledge to wage no further wars?" "If I be not provoked." " I agree the terms." " No!" "Let it be done in writing!" "Treason!" "Arthur, my noble lord." "God forgive me." "I come too late." "What place is this?" "The chapel of the sword." "Excalibur." "Returning whence it came." "No longer bright, no longer glorious." " Tarnished by my own hand." " My lord." "Modred." "You were right." "I should have destroyed him." "Therefore do it, before he grows again in strength." "I will." "My sword." "Stained by the blood of my own people." "Cast it into the sea, Lancelot." "Swear it." "I swear." "Go to Guinevere." "Tell her..." "I love and forgive her." "Friend shall I be." "Call me none other." "This is a pledging betwixt brother and brother." "Wait at the hall of the Round Table until I join you there." "Let me go with you." "What I must do must be done alone." "I bring you sad tidings, my lady." "The King is dead." "His message to you was brief, two words." "What were they?" "Forgiveness and love." "Thank you." " To the death!" " To the death." "What is it?" "It was I who brought this fellowship to ruin and to death." "My heart is too sick to pray." "The music." "Do you not hear it?" "I hear nothing." "The light." "It almost blinds me." "But the hall is unchanged." "The cup." "Cup." "Percival, my knight and servant... this high vision is granted to such as are pure in heart... to the end that faith in what is eternal may be renewed." "Of fellowship and honor, naught is lost... and of all knights, Galahad, the son of Lancelot, shall be most worthy." "Give comfort then to Lancelot... whose guilt is all forgiven... and whose heart shall now know peace." "Blessed be God who lives... and moves in all things forever." "English"