Arthur II Chapter 10

10.

Lawnslot placed the sword he had inherited from his father on the ground. He knew his father until death separated them at the age of ten. It happened at his home in Normandy. There were mornings when he used to walk at the beach with his father. It was always peaceful with the tall grasses swaying to the breeze and the roar of the waves onto the sandy beaches. If you pay attention to the creatures there you might get glimpses of the gulls and the occasional fishing boats. The fishermen could be from either side of the channel but then no one cared. It was not about boundaries but of survival. Food was an essential part of the need to survive.

“Lancelot, you are mon fils.” The young lad then aged ten looked to the towering figure draped in the thick coat with his broad sword hung at the waist belt. He wore the fur-lined footing which he had no trouble stepping on the sandy beach. They were not alone; there were followed by three guards. The elder man was cautious. He has several enemies.

“Lancelot, this is also your land. When I am gone, you will inherit all of his.” The elderly man told him. “I am King Bon of Normandy. I arrived here as a vassal to my Lord and fought by his side for years. In that period, I carved the length of the land that spanned the hills to the beach as far as you could see. This is the land I fought and won with the sword, Arondight.”

Arondight looked like any broad long sword in the design but the difference is the hilt. The design on the hilt is that of the creature known as the Dragon with its wings tucked and the flame spurted from the jaws was on the head of the hilt. The tail of the dragon formed the handle on the hilt spread from the left to the right. The blade itself was molded from two pieces of metal melted and molded into one before it was sharpened to its length of three feet. The blade was engraved with characters that were taken from the runic designs.

“Arondight was loaned to me an old friend. He loaned it to me before he left the land. He was not a warrior but he was more powerful than one. Before he left me, I was told that my legacy was only up to this stretch of the land but his son will take on more fame that I can envision.”

“Why are you telling me this, father?” Lawnslot then as a young lad asked him.

“It’s the right of the son to know his legacy. I am getting old and the war tires me now. Before you leave, promise me two items. One is not sought vengeance on my death. Vengeance has a way of repeating itself and it will never end for many generations. If you are to retake the land, do so in your name.”

“And your second wish, Father,” Lawnslot recalled asking.

“Two, beware of the ladies. They are not what they appeared to be. They can seduce you and destroy you without a thought of your well-being. Trust no one but only yourself.” King Bon continued. “Your ride is here. It’s the ladies who will take care of you for now.”

“And yet you tell me not to trust ladies, Father.”

“True but these ladies will teach you the way of the King.” King Bon replied. “See the boat there. I want you to follow him. Here, take Arondight with you. Prove me right.”

There was a lady on it and she took Lawnslot onto the boat. The later was reluctant but the elderly man was insistent. The lad climbed into the boat holding the one item cherished. The boat pulled away with the lad. The lad kept on looking at the father of his. It was then the lady told him to look away.

Lawnslot saw then the three guards that followed his father drew their swords. His father was unarmed. What he saw next was the murder of his father by the ones that were to protect him. He was to jump off the boat but was restrained by the lady.

“Young one, your day will come when you return to reclaim the throne.” Lawnslot saw his father fell, and then he turned away. He had not returned to the land there since. However, when he is alone by the pond, he will think of that day. 

“Did you come to see me or was I to see you?”  Lawnslot heard the druid whom he was waiting for. They were by the pond and that time Lawnslot held no sack of foods.

“You called me,” Lawnslot replied. “Do you remember?”

The druid nodded. He motioned to Lawnslot to seat by the pond banks.

“I sensed trouble, Lawnslot. It’s written on the wall.” The druid voiced out. “It’s not the Legion. It’s something else. 

Something that may have followed me from the old days.”

“Merlin,” Lawnslot addressed the druid by the name. “You have a long history of what you told me.” Lawnslot turned to pick up the sword. “I know of a new threat. The invaders from the North are coming. I hear they are under the leadership of two brothers. United and powerful.”

“And you fear that they will stay on like the Romans. Then you will have two enemies to fight with.” Merlin replied. “Does your sword tell you differently?”

“Arondight…. I can feel the vibrations. How does the sword feel on one’s hand?” Lawnslot motioned to the sword towards Merlin. The broadsword had to be held with both hands for it was heavier and the blade was longer. “I wield it for it was given to me by my father.”

“Arondight is the slayer sword of the demons. It rivals the best of sorcerer and witches.” Merlin told Lawnslot. “Your father once had wielded it to kill them.”

“Don’t ever mention my father, druid? Why did you rescue me? I could have been left to die by my father.” Lawnslot did not like to hear the memories. That was why he called himself the Ghost. He was already dead to the present.

“I had you rescued you from death at birth and from it on several occasions. The final trade-off was your father’s wish that the ladies save you. Your father knew he was to die so that you can live. He died because it was fated. One of the sad things that I do occasionally get to see before it happened. I ….”

“Druid...... stop talking. Tell me of the coming days.”

Merlin looked to the sky and then muttered some words before he looked to the pond. The water on the pond swirled and then the image of the Wall appeared. Just when Lawnslot was to ask the next question, he saw the bloodletting call of the northern invaders as they rushed the wall. On the wall was the Romans and then there were the local warriors. They were fighting back to back against the invaders.

“We are allies?” Lawnslot called out. “It won’t be.”

The image changed then to the huge Bear who charged at the invaders. Two flying creatures with the flames on them attacked the Bear. Then the image dissipated in the pond.

“Show me more, druid. I demand of you.” Lawnslot called out. Merlin did not reply to him but sat there looking at the sky.

“The Bear is I. I will fight the invaders. Both the Romans and Northern barbarians. None will ever conquer this land as they did on my father’s.” Lawnslot spoke up.

“The Bear is indeed not you but there is one other more powerful and influential than you. He is the Big Bear. His image unseen here for it’s not ready to be unveiled yet.” The druid looked to the South.

“Big Bear? Am I not the …”?

“No, Lawnslot. You are the Ghost.” The druid laughed. “You will always fight in the shadow.”

“You talk in riddles, Druid.”

“Only when the time comes, the riddle will be unraveled.”