The Flower of King and Knights

The Once and Future King

Ector was amazed at the speed the animal moved as it stayed ahead of the charging horse behind it. The creature climbed and then jumped from tree to tree. The speed of it was a sight Ector could barely believe. He spurred his more and more until they came to a clearing with a village not far from there. Ector just lost sight of the squirrel when he noticed a young child, a young girl at a second glance.

She was being chased by a man on horse, his armor was foreign to Ector, similar to Nordic armor, though this man had his body covered with plates, which was far from what he had seen in photographs and museums before. But that was an issue he felt could be looked at later.

He unsheathed Caliburn and charged at the man as he grabbed the girl and began to take off with her. The man in armor saw Ector and swung his axe. It was a wild swing, and missed Ector as the young king plunged the sword into the man’s armpit, through the shoulder and into his head. Ector grabbed the girl and helped to the ground as the man fell dead.

“Go to the woods, and stay there!” ordered Ector to the girl.

“But my father.”

“I’ll tend to that my child, just get in there and stay safe.” The girl ran back to the woods as Ector charged into the village. He didn’t see Merlin riding behind him, the dragon head now in full glory, the mouth now breathing a full fire, and it eyes burning with a reddish wrath.

Ector slew one enemy after another. The men of the town at first running away from the Viking raiders, drew whatever arms they could find and pushed the raiders from the town. The attack from the villagers and the presence of the dragon’s head gave the raiders fear and they retreated from the town down a road into the forest. Ector, looking at the raiders running down the road turned to a villager, “Tell me, does that road led back to their ships?”

“I think so, my lord. But it also leads to a small monastery as well.”

“Monastery?”

“Aye, tis the one where the queen now lives.”

“Gwynevere?”

“Aye…sir, where you going to?”

Ector charged the horse after the men, as Merlin approached the villager. A few questions told Merlin where Ector was heading, Merlin then summoned the mist again and charged into it towards help for the king.

Ector rode hard after the men. He prayed as never before hoping to reach her in time. He arrived to the monastery, slaying two raiders as they were hacking at the bodies of some nuns. He heard a scream coming from down the road to the lake of Avalon. “Oh lord no,” he whispered before galloping off to the cry.

He saw Gwynevere and several other nuns surrounded by the raiders as Ector charged at them. He hacked through two more men, making the rest move back before they realized it was one man attacking them. They turned and readied to charge the man.

“King Ector, please leave us,” begged Gwynevere.

“Never! I will not leave you here to die.”

“But if this is what my penance is…”

“I’m not leaving my family behind, that’s it.”

A raider called out to Ector, “Leave while you can little one, this isn’t your fight.”

Ector roared back to the man. “This is my fight. These women, this country are all my charge. I am here to protect my people from all threats.”

“And who are you? The king of England?” asked another raider as the others began laughing.

“I am Ector Pendragon, son of Arthur, son of Uther. I am the right kings of these lands, protector of these people. These are my people, my family, and these lands are my home. And nothing and no one will threaten them. Not you, not Morgan the whore, not Mordred the bastard, not even Lucifer can march on these lands in war. Any who come here to bring death will die by my blades!”