Arthurian English Folk Series: The First of Kings, II

"Knowing when to be decisive is the salvation of peace."

Many years after defeating the dragon, Siatos, Uther, one of the three brothers, came to rule over Camelot, a beautiful city in the ancient land. Within its walls, he was a powerful and wise ruler who always spoke a message of peace. One day, a band of criminals sought to undo the kingdom's peace, and when this happened, unrest was stirred in the city causing the word of unlawful behavior to spread. There were seven criminals in all - named Harlequin, Oaf, Buffoon, Clown, Jester, Joker, and Fool. Harlequin was the leader, and as a group, they would steal, rob, take, and thieve different goods from the people of the city like food, jewelry, and gold. When Uther found out about this band of criminals, he became upset that people were being assaulted by this group of villains and raised a party to hunt them down and deal with them. With a small group of knights, he searched the whole city and found the thieves hiding away under a bridge at the edge of the city's borders. In the open day air, he questioned the leader, Harlequin, and asked if the recent reports of crime had been conducted by his group of men. Harlequin responded by saying 'yes' and went on to inquire of Uther what he would do about it. Uther replied by saying that the crimes would need to be accounted for, but his court would do so. Instead of punishment, he took a net from the goods being carried by his knights and cast it into the river over which the neighboring bridge stretched and pulled out many fish to be prepared and cooked by not only the knights but the band of criminals as well. By sharing a meal together, Uther, Harlequin, and all of the knights and criminals were able to restore peace and prosperity to the city of Camelot as well as the whole of the ancient realm.