Book 4: The Departing

Camelot

     At this time, I was in mourning because I knew the end was nigh.  Although all the knights had returned from the Holy Grail quest, I knew that the seats were no longer being filled and no more words were appearing on the seats.  No new knights were possible to replace the dead ones.  Evil was also stirring in the land because knights were breaking fellowship, and riots were breaking out.  Launcelot was avoiding Guinevere because he knew that he had sinned and wanted to redeem himself. Guinevere thought that Launcelot had a new love and told him to leave the Castle.  So Launcelot took his horse and left, and no one knew where he was.

     Later that year, a wounded knight came to the Castle and needed Launcelot to heal him.  At that moment Launcelot returned and healed the knight.  I was sad because I knew that Lady Nimue had predicted that after this healing the kingdom would start to fall.

     Guinevere and her maidens went into the woods for May Day.  A knight of mine, Melliagraunce, decided to kidnap her since she was unprotected.  He took Guinevere to his castle.  Launcelot came to rescue Guinevere and when he arrived the knight was fearful and gave up Guinevere.  When I arrived the two knights made peace.  I told them that in exactly one week they would meet again and fight.  Mellaigraunce tricked Launcelot and Launcelot fell down a trap door into a dungeon and was stuck there for a week.  Launcelot escapes with the help of a maiden, and kills Melliagraunce in the battle.

Guinevere at the stake

     Launcelot and Guinevere decide to meet in the garden at sundown.  Unfortunately Sir Mordred, the son of Morgana le Fay, overhears their plan and watches them in the garden.  Lancelot and Guinevere agree to go to Guinevere's room, and Mordred follows.  Mordred thinks he will catch them and bring shame upon the kingdom and me.  Mordred tells me about their plan and I send 12 knights to kill Launcelot.  This was incredibly painful for me to see my own wife betray me with my best knight.  Launcelot slays all the knights including Sir Gawain's brother and flees with several knights into the forest.  When I heard from Mordred what had happened, I told them to burn my wife in the morning.  I was torn between the two decisions, but justice had to be done.  In the morning, as Guinevere is led to the stake, Launcelot rides in, kills many knights, and rescues Guinevere.  Unfortunately he accidentally kills Sir Gareth.  Sir Gawain is enraged that Gareth was killed, and he vows to slay Launcelot without resting.  I regretted my decision to burn my Queen because now the land was doomed forever.

   I took my men to Launcelot's castle and after a great battle we made peace and Launcelot returned Guinevere to me.  I was touched by Launcelot's gesture and remembered all the great things he had done and so we made peace.  Launcelot then fled to France forever.  We had peace for a while, but Gawain forced me to declare war on Launcelot because he was still mad.  We took a great army to France.  I left Mordred in charge of the kingdom.  While Gawain was fighting Launcelot, Mordred declared me dead and tried to marry Guinevere.  Guinevere escaped and sent me a message.  I came back to rescue her and we fought a great battle.  In the end, Gawain was killed.  I was very sad and wept at the loss of a great knight.

     I sent word to Mordred that I wanted a truce for a month.  When we arrived on the battlefield, one of his men drew his sword to kill a snake.  My men thought that they were attacking, and the fight began.  Almost all the knights were killed in a battle that lasted all day.  At evening, I met Mordred and my men told me to leave him alone but he attacked me.  I killed him with my spear but he hit me with his sword right before he died.  We both fell to the ground.  I sent a knight to throw my sword into the lake from which I had received it.  He reported that a hand came out of the water and took Excalibur.  My men took me to a sea where Nimue and the lady of the Isle of Avalon and my sister Morgana arrived on a boat to take me away.  I told the knights to tell everyone that I had to go to the Vale of Avalon to be healed.  I promised to return when Britain needed me the most.