Chapter 3.
How King Arthur Beat King Leodogrance's Enemies and Revealed His Own Royalty.
The next morning, King Leodogrance watched helplessly as the Duke of North Umber arrived with his six promised knights and several heralds and esquires.
A crowd gathered to watch the great battle.
But it could hardly be a great battle, Leodigris thought when he had no knights to match up against the Duke of North Umber's men.
He used to have knights in his court long ago, but since King Arthur had taken control, peace had settled upon the land and the knights had gone where they were needed.
Watching her father, the Lady Guinevere urged him not to give up hope.
Somehow, she just had a feeling.
In the next moment, all watched as the mysterious white knight came riding back into town.
Behind him, incredibly, were the four famous knights.
The sirs Gawain, Awain, Geraint, and Peleus that everyone already knew and recognized.
We are saved.
Guinevere whispered as if hearing her, King Arthur and the four knights all raised their handkerchiefs in a salute as they passed beneath her tower.
I did this mysterious white knight the honor of fighting him before without knowing his name or station, the Duke of North Umber said nervously.
However, this is a more serious battle.
If he wants to fight me, he will identify himself.
He is not only good enough to fight you, Sir Gawain promised, but trust me, it is he who does you the honor.
The Duke of North Umber tried again.
Well, he said, you are only five, no match for our seven.
Yes.
That's the reason I will not fight you.
Please trust me, Gawain said, when I tell you that we five are an equal match for your seven.
The Duke of Umber turned bright red with embarrassment.
The fight began, and very quickly the fight ended.
Just as Gawain had promised, King Arthur's five were more than an equal match for the Duke of North Umber's seven.
Mordaunt was defeated and died in what would become one of the most famous battles in the history of King Arthur's court.
The people of Camilliard cheered and celebrated their great victory.
They wanted to fuss over the White Knight, but he had disappeared once more, leaving only the four knights for them to congratulate.
The next morning, however, it appeared that they had all celebrated too soon.
Far from surrendering, King Ryance was making more demands.
Through a herald, he had sent a message.
King Ryance not only commanded King Leodogrance to surrender his lands, but he also demanded that Leodogrance deliver the white knight who had killed Duc Mordant.
King Leodogrant spoke with great pride.
Tell your king that I will not deliver to him so much as one blade of grass from my land, and I would not deliver the white knight to him, even if I did know who he was.
The herald sighed.
Obviously, King Ryans had anticipated this response, for the next part of the message was that Ryans would soon be coming with a great army to take the things he wanted by force.
King Leodogrance called for Guinevere.
The great white champion has now saved us twice, he began.
People say this knight is your own particular champion and that he wore your necklace during battle.
Is that true?
Guinevere blushed and nodded.
Pray tell, then, daughter.
Where can we find him?
We need his help again.
And you are getting to the age where you need a husband.
Someone to defend our kingdom from its enemies.
Father, Guinevere said, I will lead you to the only man connected to all of this that I know.
And with that, she led her father straight to the gardener boy.
What is this, daughter?
King Leodogrance asked, as King Arthur's four great knights also gathered around.
Are you mocking me?
Is this some kind of joke?
Guinevere asked the gardener boy to remove his cap.
Arthur did so, and King Leodogrance immediately recognized him and called him by name.
Guinevere, who hadn't before realized that the golden knight she had seen was King Arthur, kneeled down horrified.
Oh, to think of the way she had spoken back to him and challenged him.
Arthur, however, made her stand back up.
He told her that he loved her and asked if she loved him too.
She did.
He kissed her.
She kissed him back.
King Ryance brought the war he had promised, but it was no match for King Arthur and his men.
Very soon thereafter, Arthur and Guinevere made plans to be married.
As a wedding gift and at Merlin's suggestion, King Leodogrance gave Arthur a very special piece of furniture.
The round table originally made for Arthur's father was an enormous circular table with fifty seats.
When the right knight appeared to take his seat, his name would magically appear carved in gold on the chair.
When that knight died, the golden letters would fade at once.
One of those fifty seats, Merlin told Arthur, was different from the rest.
That was a seat known as Seat Perilous.
It had this name because if anyone other than the true knight for whom it was meant sat there, he would die a sudden and violent death.
When Uther Pendragon died, he had left this table to his friend, King Leodogrance.
A few knights did sit at the table for some time, but lately the knights had all gone.
The great table had been put away in the basement, sadly unneeded and unused.
This table, Merlin promised, will increase the glory of your reign.
Your fame will never be forgotten.
And listening to Merlin, Arthur's eyes grew as round with excitement as the table.
The table and great glory would be his.
