The Poison Rose: A King Arthur Tale Read online

  Arthur then declared: “After your long journey you must all enjoy a dance. If it pleases you come and dance in my castle!”

  Many of the people in attendance chose to move back up to the castle to the dance while the rest left to seek a place of residence in the city.

  Darkness crept over the entire land by the time the dance began. The great hall then lit up, brightened by the firelight of the torches that filled the entire hall. Visitors, friends, and relatives of Arthur poured into the gigantic hall. And then, near the front of the hall, a band had formed and began playing soothing music. It was ceremony for the closest relatives of the deceased to dance with each other, and so Arthur and Alice began the dance by dancing with each other in the center of the hall.

  Arthur looked forward to this dance. This time gave him the opportunity to dance and talk with his daughter. He could tell she was only dancing with him because she had to, but it was a start. “Alice what is wrong?” asked Arthur. It pained him to see his own daughter like this.

  “Nothing, let’s just dance!” exclaimed Alice. So Arthur didn’t pester her further. Instead they just danced together. A few minutes later Mordred tapped Arthur on the shoulder.

  “May I?” said Mordred, asking for a dance with Alice. Arthur nodded and gave him her hand.

  Arthur then moved away back towards his throne, sat down, and watched Mordred dance with Alice. He felt a longing to be with Alice, but thoughts again drifted to Guinevere. “What would you do?” he thought as he examined her old ring and looked up towards the ceiling. Several moments later Mordred approached Arthur and woke him from his trance-like state of contemplation.

  “Why do you not dance?” asked Mordred. “Your majesty, there are many women here who would love a dance with the king.”

  Arthur gave a fake smile. “Sorry Mordred, I’m just really in the mood for a dance.”

  “I am sorry. I know that today is a hard for you—a day hardest above all the rest. But you must come to accept the fact that your wife is dead, and that you as king must move on and find another woman. There are many women in this kingdom who would love to marry you.” Mordred could tell by Arthur’s silence that this was a foreboding thought. “But, there will be time for that later. For now come down and dance. They want to see the king in person.”

  Arthur nodded. “You are right Mordred. I must dance.”

  The dance continued and Arthur danced with several other women. As he was dancing, however, he spotted Alice suddenly stop dancing and run out of the hall and upstairs towards her room. Arthur stopped dancing and went to follow, but he felt a hand pull him back from behind.

  “Let her go,” said Mordred. “She just needs some alone time.”

  Arthur stopped and did not follow, even though he felt he should. Then there was suddenly a loud knock on the front doors of the hall. Arthur suddenly turned around and looked back at the doors. He heard another loud banging. The knocking seemed to silence everyone in the assembly.

  “Open the door!” yelled Arthur.

  Several men approached the door and lifted its metal latch. The door then flung open, revealing eleven armored riders. These intimidating riders came storming into the hall two-by-two, with one rider at its head. They seemed to bring a dark presence with them. All the riders were as morbid and serious as he had ever seen. Their horses were all black and brown and covered with a thick armor. One of the riders yelled in deep and authoritative voice, “Make way for the knights of King Arthur! Make way!” The crowds then scattered back to the edge of the hallway and looked onward at these men.

  Arthur moved towards the center of the room to await the message his knights would bring. The knight at the head of the formation moved quickly towards Arthur until he suddenly stopped his horse and hurled himself off. He quickly removed his helmet, revealing his short curly black hair and dark-brownish green eyes. It was Lancelot.

  Lancelot was one of Arthur’s long-time friends and allies and a very fit and handsome man. Lancelot was slightly shorter and skinnier than Arthur, but looked much younger than Arthur, even though in all actuality he was older than him by almost a decade (Lancelot was forty-four years old). In fact, Arthur always joked that Lancelot had the potion of youth, miraculously preserving his thirty years or younger complexion. In addition to his good looks and firm build, Lancelot was also a legendary archer—possessing skills in archery that surpassed even Arthur’s.

  The two didn’t waste any time and gave each other a strong embrace. “Brother you have returned!” exclaimed Arthur.

  Lancelot smiled. “It is good to see you Arthur. It seems like a long time has passed since we last saw each other, even though it has only been a few days.” Lancelot looked around in confusion at all the people now staring at him. “What is going on here? Why have all these people gathered?”

  Arthur knew he must have traveled straight here and didn’t talk to anyone on the way. “It is my wife,” said Arthur. “She is dead.”

  Lancelot looked just as upset as Arthur was. “This is distressing news indeed. And I regret to say that we do not bring any good news ourselves. We should assemble the knights as soon as possible.”

  Arthur nodded and whispered to Lancelot. “We will meet tonight. I will remain here for a few more minutes. It would be improper to leave so early, but I think I can sneak out. Bring the knights to the council room to await deliberation.”

  Lancelot nodded and approached his horse. “So be it Arthur!” Then Lancelot and the rest of the knights shouted, “Long live the king!” Lancelot smiled as he approached his horse, patted its head, and then quickly mounted it. He then blew his horn and led the knights out of the hall where they would place their horses in the stables outside and return to meet Arthur in the council room.

  Arthur spent more time dancing that night, but, as was planned, he was able to quietly sneak out of the hall unnoticed. Mordred followed. Although Arthur felt exhausted he knew that the night was not over, but, in reality, was just beginning. More than anything, however, he felt a powerful surge of curiosity in the report the knights would bring.

  Chapter 3: The Knights of the Round Table

  Aside from his own family, there was nobody Arthur loved and trusted more than his valiant knights. They had been there and served him ever since he became king, making a covenant to serve and protect Arthur’s kingdom. They had been with him and fought alongside him for over a decade. The fact that Arthur knew he still had his knights was very comforting.

  In preparation for the secret meeting Arthur moved up a spiral staircase, through a small hallway, and then entered the grand council room. The council room was one enormous round room, with a high dome containing an oculus in the center that, in the daytime, sent light beaming down on the middle of the table known as the Round Table. The Round Table was more than twenty feet in diameter and more than a foot thick. It was made of oak and black, except for its edge that was lined in solid gold; this made the table itself a valuable commodity. Aside from its size and material value the table was also elegantly carved and inlaid with ivory. The thirteen chairs that surrounded the table were no less ornamented or valuable than the table—being made of the same materials and hand-carved to perfection. It was no doubt the most valuable room in Arthur’s castle and he considered it most holy, entering only when necessary.

  Right now the room was relatively dark, lit only by the twelve torches that lined the room. In addition to the twelve torches, twelve banners decorated the wall, each containing a beast representing one of the twelve kingdoms. To the west were the kingdoms of the bear, the leopard, and the falcon. Then, to the south, were the kingdoms of the lion, the eagle, and the snake. To the east were the kingdoms of the wolf, the unicorn, and the tiger. Finally, to the north, where many of the lakes were located, were the kingdoms of the swan, the badger, and lastly, the kingdom of the dragon.

  Each of the knights were arrayed in their own colors and stood in front of their banner, with Arthur at the head of the table. In
front of the bear banner, to Arthur’s left, stood the fierce horse-rider Sir Percival. Percival was a big man, over six-feet tall, and had muscles like an ox. He was found by Arthur in jail after having stolen a ring in Camelot. It was there, that this then young boy was chosen to be a knight. Percival had since lost his desire to steal, at least most of the time, and instead went to see his wife and two children anytime he was in Camelot.

  Then to the left of Percival and in front of the leopard banner stood Sir Gawain—the compassionate defender and brother of Mordred. He had been a friend to Arthur for a long time and always wanted the heart to dictate action.

  Next to Gawain, and in front of the falcon banner, stood Sir Galahad, the pure and valiant son of Lancelot. Although very young, only twenty-two, and not as large as many of the other knights, he was a fierce fighter with both the sword and the bow and was not to be underestimated. His hair was long and golden and he possessed charm that made the women of the kingdom swoon over him.

  After Galahad and in front of the lion banner, entered Sir Lionel (appropriately named). Lionel’s favorite weapon, much like Percival, was the spear and he often used it in battle instead of a sword or bow. Then in front of the eagle banner stood Sir Tristan. Following Tristan and in front of the snake banner stood Mordred. Then, after these knights, was Sir Bedivere, in front of the wolf banner, Sir Ewaine in front of the unicorn banner, and Sir Lucan in front of the tiger banner.

  Then Sir Pellias (the gentle) stood in front of the swan banner. In front of the badger banner stood Sir Kay, the large beastlike warrior who could take ten down in battle at one time. Finally, to Arthur’s left and in front of the dragon banner stood Sir Lancelot.

  Here in this room, it must be stated, was the greatest assembly of men that had ever gathered, or most likely would ever be gathered. They each stood noble and strong—in a ring of companionship that they hoped would be eternal and was meant to be eternal since the day Arthur established the Knights of the Round Table.

  As was tradition they each drew their swords and pointed them up towards the oculus. Then all the knights began singing—a song that would fill the room with rejoicing and faith:

  “We travel far and wide,

  And to this great room we come,

  We are Knights, Knights of Arthur’s great table,

  We come to answer the ends of the law,

  To provide light where there is only darkness,

  To liberate the captives,

  To free the land of injustice,

  And bring to all men liberty!”

  This was the song the knights sang, Their voices were deep and their singing so powerful that the entire room seemed to rumble. Although it was dark and seemingly lifeless outside, inside this room it was full of life.

  After the singing ended Arthur motioned for his knights to sit down and lower their swords. Then he stood up to address the knights:

  “We have come because word has reached my ears of an alarming situation with a woman to the north-east of this land, a woman the people of this place call a witch. I have never heard of or seen witches before in this land, nor do I believe they even exist. But tell me, what have you all to say to this matter? What have you discovered in your wanderings to the east? Please, do tell, for I am very curious.” Arthur waited for several minutes but nobody seemed to want to speak.

  Finally Lancelot spoke up. “There is much you should know Arthur because since you have been detained in the castle with your wife much has occurred. So what should I say first knights?” He scanned the Round Table, not wanting to deliver all the bad news himself. But to his dismay he noticed all the knights were silent. “Arthur, the land has been corrupted. I don’t know how or when it began, but I know why. People have spoken of the witch that lives in the mountains—a witch that people say possesses a beauty beyond that of any woman who lives.”

  “So what is to be done with this witch?” asked Arthur. “Come! Tell me what you would have me do?”

  “It is not a question of what we would have you do,” said Lancelot. “We all know that this witch needs to be destroyed.”

  “No we don’t,” said Percival in a deep and rugged voice. “Few of our lands have even heard of this witch, let alone been affected by her. We should concentrate on other affairs.”

  “I agree!” exclaimed Tristan. “There are other nations that would as soon invade this land should we let down our defenses to focus on this witch.” The statement of these knights struck Arthur because he knew immediately of whom they referred—the Anglo-Saxon hoard led by the vicious Anglo-Saxon king named Cerdic. Many years ago Cerdic and his warriors invaded Arthur’s kingdom, only to later be driven out by Arthur and his army.

  This victory, however, did not come without a great price. Arthur lost many men in that battle and it was there Arthur felt pain in his greatest failure. There, on the fields of battle, he had a chance to end the Anglo-Saxon threat once and for all. It was on this field of battle that Arthur found himself face-to-face with the hefty, muscular Goliath of a warrior Cerdic. Cerdic had, as his only weapon of battle, one massive two-sided battle axe. Arthur, the most renowned of all sword-fighters in the land, fought fiercely against this massive long-haired Goliath. The battle continued for what seemed like an eternity until, at last, it seemed like Cerdic had won. Cerdic prepared to end Arthur’s life with one more swift swing to his neck, but his life was saved that day by an arrow that went swiftly from Lancelot’s bow right into Cerdic’s arm, forcing this great warrior to drop his battle axe.

  Cerdic roared in pain and ripped the arrow from his arm. He then looked back at his army, now nearly non-existent, all retreating on horseback into their kingdom while he was left to face all of Arthur’s army himself. Cerdic frowned, whistled for his horse, quickly mounted it, and then rode off up the distant hill. He looked back at Arthur and vowed to return again—but the next time with an army large enough to take over Arthur’s entire kingdom. The memory of this fierce Saxon warrior lingered in Arthur’s mind to this day.

  All of the other knights at the table must have been thinking of Cerdic and his massive and ferocious armies too, because, for several seconds, they were silent at the table. It was not until the brave Lancelot spoke that the silence was broken: “But now there is a much more dangerous threat than any army. Many of you have not seen our lands or people to the north. The people who came here to Camelot for the queen’s funeral were the lucky ones, the rich ones, the ones not completely affected by the witch’s evil spell. My province is to the north-east and includes that devilish mountain-land. I have seen some of my bravest men disappear, falling into the clutches of that vile woman.”

  “Why not let others speak then Lancelot if her terror is so spellbinding?” said Percival. That seemed to force Lancelot to silence as he extended his arm, giving the indication that someone else should speak to settle this knight’s rebuttal. Tenseness filled the room.

  Then Mordred looked across the table and stood up for all the knights to see. “Although I have been with Arthur during his time of grief and thus away from my land, the rulers of my province in the south-east have told me of the horror the witch has inflicted on the land. Our kingdom is close to her land, and I have lost many good men to this witch.”

  “It is just a woman!” explained Percival, jumping up from his seat. Suddenly this statement seemed to brew up a mountain of anger as many of the knights, who previously were silent, suddenly began speaking out of turn rashly and harshly at each other. Arthur waited for a few moments, hoping that this useless bickering would end, but when it didn’t, he suddenly raised his sword and caused all the men at the table to suddenly go silent.

  “In the name of all that we hold dear!” boomed Arthur. “We are knights and not some common rabble! We have made a covenant, a covenant to honor and respect each other. Let us not act like children over this!”

  The table was suddenly silent. The knights who were standing sat back down in their chairs and looked around at the ot
her knights, trying to find a sign of what to do next. They all respected Arthur, and his words made them stop and think. They thought Arthur was going to speak more, but after several moments of silence Lancelot found the strength to speak up again.

  “Many of you here think that there is no threat—that this woman is ‘just a woman,’ whatever that means. But know I would never call my wife ‘just a woman,’ for she is a smarter and stronger woman than I have ever seen in any man. So know that this woman in the mountains is not just a woman just as Arthur is not just a man. No, this woman has special abilities, the ability to make ordinary, sane, and even noble men lose all sanity and follow after her.”

  “Perhaps it is by their own vanity,” said Gawain.

  “Beware of who you are talking about,” replied Lancelot harshly. “These were some of my best friends, friends loyal, true, and strong—friends that are now, no thanks to this woman, either dead or good as dead. Have you seen the women of this land? It is not just an external flame that curses our lands. Instead, our lands have become stained with blood—the blood of our women and children who have died of starvation because there is noone to hunt, no father left to provide for them. Many women in the kingdom have committed suicide because their husbands left them. Your kingdom is certainly being ravaged Arthur, but not just by a physical deformity, but by a deformity of the spirit of the land—a land that is now only known for its death and suffering. It is time that we all wake up to what is happening beneath our noses.”

  “Let us not quarrel,” said Gawain, standing up and trying to resolve the conflict.

  Lancelot, however, did not heed Gawain’s call. Instead, he stood up and motioned towards a guard at the door, “Guard! Bring them in! In order for you to have a clear vision of what this is really doing to our people I have taken a woman, once the wife of my first in command, but now without a husband and destitute, and without enough food to support herself, let alone her two children.” The men watched as one toothpick of a woman entered the room, followed by two terribly malnourished children—children whose skin was a dusty dark brown and so tight as to be able to see the bumps of the ribs. They were clothed with nothing but rags, rags that barely covered their body. They moved forward like zombies, struggling forward through the room where they suddenly sat down silently on the floor. The woman’s flushed eyes stared up at Arthur.