"I'm sorry, love, but time cannot be wasted! I have to get this sword back to my brother before it starts."
Arthur had been sent to go and fetch Sir Kay's sword before the tourney began because his brother forgot it as he was in a hurry. Arthur gladly obliged, always happy to help out. He felt like he had a purpose going to retrieve the sword and he was proud of it. With Arthur was his love, Isabella. They had been together for a couple of years and it seemed that everywhere they went, they went with each other. They were always by each other's side no matter what.
When they arrived at the house, they found the door to be locked. Isabella tried the doors on each side of the house but those were locked as well.
"So what are we to do now, Arthur? Your brother needs his sword to fight in the tourney. He cannot just defend himself unarmed," Isabella said.
"I am not sure. I have to do something. I cannot fail him because he is counting on me..." Arthur responded.
Isabella shuffled around and kicked her feet at the ground trying to think of an idea. As she kicked at the earth, she noticed that she had pushed a rock towards Arthur. At that moment, she thought of something.
"I have an idea! I remember a couple of days ago seeing a sword at the churchyard. No one has attended to it for months. I am sure you can take it and Sir Kay can borrow it for the tourney. It most likely will not be missed."
At this point, Arthur was desperate to find a solution as the tournament was to start in thirty short minutes. He immediately agreed and he and Isabella jumped on their horses and rode to the churchyard.
Once there, he ran to the large rock that oddly had a sword stabbed into it and easily pulled it out. He then went to the tournament and gave the sword to his brother. Arthur's father, Sir Ector, noticed that the sword came from the sacred rock that no one had been able to get out.
"Wait one second, son. Where did you get that sword?" Sir Ector asked.
"I got it from the rock in the churchyard, father. I figured I could borrow it for Kay since the house doors were locked," Arthur responded.
"That sword. Whoever pulls that sword from the rock is said to be King! That is you, Arthur, you are the chosen one. The King!" Sir Ector rambled on and bowed.
"Huh?" Isabella said.
"What do you mean?" Arthur inquired
***********************************
Soon after, many things changed. Arthur found out that he was actually the son of Uther Pendragon, not Sir Ector, and became King of the country.
"What about us, Arthur? So you are just going to abandon me is that what you are telling me?" Isabella argued.
"I am sorry, Isabella. I am. But I have been tied to Guenevere. It is said that we are to be married. There is not much I can do about these things."
Since becoming King, Arthur had been obligated to marry princess Guenevere. The two families were very powerful and it was agreed that in order for the people to accept the King, he needed the right Queen on his arm to lead and do great things for the country.
"Fine, Arthur. Go ahead and marry that one who you do not really love. To be honest with you, I regret telling you about that sword. If I knew you would throw away our love like this I would have never gave you that idea. Consider this the last time you see me. Enjoy your new life as King." Isabella mockingly bowed at Arthur and left.
Arthur did not want to lose Isabella but he had a job as King. He had to protect his country and serve them the right way. He had no choice. Arthur truly wanted to yell at Isabella to come back and tell her how much he loved her. But instead, he put on his sword, placed his crown on his head, and sat on his throne. Tomorrow was a new day.
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| "King Arthur drawing the sword" Source: MythFolklore UnTextbook |
Bibliography: "The Drawing of the Sword," by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table (1902).
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore UnTextbook
Hi Christine!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of King Arthur and a love triangle it is typically about Guinevere, King Arthur and Sir Lancelot. I found it really interesting that you decided to include a girl that King Arthur would love before marrying Guinevere. I especially liked the twist that you added with Isabella that she would be the one to encourage him to pull the sword out of the stone. This is especially ironic because this would lead him to have to marry Guinevere. You really put a new twist on a classic tale. Your story had a great balance or dialogue and description and you broke it up into easy-to-read paragraphs. I just suggest adding more figurative language to it. Tales about King Arthur come right from fantasy and storybooks so I would love to see more imagery in your retelling. But overall I really enjoyed your story and I look forward to reading more!!
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your story and how you stayed true to it but definitely made it your own. Isabella had nothing but the best of intentions when suggesting grabbing the sword from the courtyard. Little did she know how it would change everything for the both of them and pushed him into the arms of another woman at that. Great job.
I am quite familiar with Arthurian Legend and Lore. I really like your retelling of this story.
ReplyDeleteAs I read it I kept wondering who Isabella was. I kept thinking, I don't remember her in any of the stories. So, I laughed when I read your author's note, I thought, that's why I don't remember her--because you added her in!
I think adding Isabella was a great addition to your story! It made becoming a King a bit more challenging for him. Otheriwse in the story it's a happy event with no conflict, but you added an interesting level of conflict that wasn't there before. And adding conflict is what makes a good story great!
The only suggestions I have is to read your dialogue outloud. Doing that you can better tell when to pause, and so you will know where to put commas or periods. Additionally, reading out loud helps you edit and make dialogue sound more natural. So, revising your dialogue would be a good idea. Other than that, great job!
Hi Christine! I really like the idea of Arthur having a love interest before Guinevere. It will make it even more tragic when Guinevere betrays him later on. Arthur was willing to sacrifice love for his country but Guinevere would not.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a few missing commas and a couple of grammatical errors. I would recommend reading out loud or having someone else proofread for you. It would help to polish the story just a bit. Great job!
I am guilty for loving to read love stories, and I like the ones with good endings. This one did not have a good ending so it did make me sad, but everything cannot always be perfect. I like the way you told the story with the two characters. You used just enough detail especially the detail about kicking the rock. It added a visual to the story. Your author's note was informative in all the right was for someone who has not read the original story. I think Isabella was a great addition to the story. If I were to change something about the post it would be the font. To me this font is distracting and hard on the eyes, but overall everything else looks great! I enjoyed reading the story, and the picture you chose goes perfectly with it as well. Good job on the story!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your story. I'm from the other class (Epics of India). I was searching around and came upon your portfolio. I like the font of your blog. I thought the story flowed well. King Arthur is something I recognize. Why did he have to marry Guinevere? This is a bit cold on Arthur's part. It's sad to see someone change because of their status. The dialog back and forth helped with the character development. It would be awesome to learn more about Isabella. With this story, it makes us not a big fan of Guinevere. Great job explaining how he got the sword and everything. I wonder what other stories would fit your mold of having a true love before becoming famous/rich/powerful. You should add another twist to the story where Arthur finds another way to stay with isabella. Having his brother give some input on the new king would be interesting.