Arthurian English Folk Series: The Son of a King, III

"Good will always triumph over evil."

The city of Camelot saw many seasons go by, after Uther had passed on his reign, and with the new king, Arthur, his son, the land held to the prosperity and abundance that had seen the previous era parade as one which saw a warming calm still all debates, disagreements, and disputes present at any point in its duration. It was only a short while, though, until a wicked evil came upon the kingdom as an enemy meant to do wrong and harm against not only Camelot but all of the land. A foe by the name of Daemon had invaded the world and sought to see an era of darkness cover all of humanity. Arthur, as the new king, was troubled by this, so he called for the counsel of his father's previous court. The ministers of this counsel told Arthur of a powerful sword that could defeat any enemy, as long as the wielder was true enough. The name of the weapon was Excalibur and no matter the opponent, it would always strike true for its right and true master. Upon hearing this, Arthur decided that the blade would be the instrument of Daemon's defeat, so he then set out to slay the new risen evil. Upon arriving at his lair, Arthur saw many ghouls, fiends, and goblins crawling about the cavern, and Daemon was seated in their midst with a dark and lecherous aura about him. Calling for a challenge, Arthur drew the sword Excalibur and charged forward to strike down the villain in his lowly home, but Daemon was no fool. He leapt deftly from his dark, stone carved seat and drew his own instrument of war - a massive two sided claymore wrent with the gnarled marks of cut and splintered bone. When the two blades met, a clang rang out that shook the walls of the cavern and even caused stone, rock, and boulder to break and fall, shattering the slate, silt floor upon which the two opponents stood. Ash, dust, smoke, haze, and acid filled the air wherein the two made for the bowels of the abyssal caverning. Falling from a hilled cliff, the pair tumbled down into an underground spring where cool waters could be heard running into a larger body of movement. Looking for its direction of travel brought both of their attention to a light dimly shining from a discernable break in the darkness. Hammering at each other the whole way, they both collapsed into a deep pool that shown with light at its surface. The first to break the surface was Arthur who swam for a thick green-mossed riverbank. Reaching the shore, he turned back to look at the water and saw Daemon huffing for the opposite bank. In the light, the dark king did not seem so villainous, as his form, by eye, was of clearer view. Knowing his engagement to be of the utmost importance, Arthur sprinted for a fjord in the river, and lunged forward to make it up bank of the now roaring waters. Daemon met him with his own blows until eventually the two were left enraged and disposed to barbarianism. Seeing no peace to be offered, Arthur beseeched Daemon for a trial to put to rest any indifference which may lay between them. Daemon, at a place of fury, cast his own blade to the earth only to hear out what Arthur may have to say. As a speaker of peace, Arthur said unto Daemon that all of which is his in the land may be shared as long as any and all wrong be put to an end and halted to no longer continue. Daemon heard this blessing and spoke a truce unto Arthur, so that as one who had sought to usurp the throne and conquer the land he would lay down his arms and be a brother to the king in the name of good and honor. Arthur then formed a pact with Daemon, so that as brothers, they would always be accountable for one another and prepared to speak with decisive finality on any and all matters that would arise as conflict. Seeing now that peace would always be the true might of any king, Arthur took the sword, Excalibur, and threw it into the crystalline depths of the cavern borne pool from whence both of them had came. Daemon, by liken gesture, unearthed an immense mound of dirt and buried his sword deep, deep underground, so that no one would ever find it. The two young kings, then, after making amends, journeyed back to Camelot to see each other recognized as brothers for the whole of the royal court to bear. On the day of Daemon's christening, he spoke unto Arthur a word of brotherly peace that went in the way of strength, will, valor, and valiance, so that any war which would be seeded in past combat would be quelled by the newfound reign of joy and compassion to be had from fraternity. Arthur was warmed greatly by this gesture, and from that day onward, Camelot was always a symbol for peace, wisdom, and valor.