A World of Another Kind

Chapter 38 The Battle

     A moment later, the Camelot army surrendered, and Merida approached Merlin who was now standing at the bottom of the cliff, and she gave him a nod of respect and appreciation. Then she faced all the people and declared, "We may have won, but the truth is, we have protected Camelot as well. Lancelot, who had been Arthur's most respected and loyal friend, is really your destined king; for it was him who actually pulled the Excalibur from the stone, not Arthur. It is time that you all hear the truth. Now with your true, rightful king, Camelot shall be ensured protection, peace, and a just reign by a true hero who deserves all the honor and respect you can give him. I am more than proud to call him my friend. Hail to King Lancelot!"

     "To King Lancelot!" cheered DunBroch and Camelot.

     Lancelot walked over to Merlin then handed the old wizard the Excalibur, bowing down to him with respect. "No one should ever have this except you. Now no one shall ever control you again."

     "Thank you, my son," Merlin replied, laying a gentle hand on Lancelot's shoulder. Then with his power, he dispersed the sword into sand. "Thank you for saving Camelot. You have done well. You will make a fine king."

     "Thank you, Merlin," Lancelot replied. "And thank you all," he added, turning to all of us. "I couldn't have done it without you."

     "And I thank you all for helping to save my clan," Merida chimed in. "DunBroch shall honor you all for centuries to come."

     "As with Camelot," Lancelot added.

     "I guess all the prophecies have been fulfilled," I said, turning to Kaylee. "Now we can all go home."

     "We shall celebrate tonight at my castle," said Merida. "And everyone is invited."

     "Now you have a kingdom to run," said Merlin, turning to Lancelot. "Oh, and here, give this to Guinevere," he added, handing Lancelot a potion. "This will break her enchantment."

     "Thank you, Merlin," Lancelot replied, dipping his head with appreciation. Then he turned to Merida. "Guinevere and I shall be there at the celebration tonight."

     "Excellent!" Merida responded with glee.

     After the Camelot army retreated, led by Lancelot, our army left the beach. From the clifftop, I watched all the ships sail away. The sun came out shortly after, and we were all so exhausted after fighting for about three hours. I was so thankful no one got hurt and was grateful that Regina healed my arrow wound with her magic. Once we got back to camp, we all bathed and relaxed.

     That night we all celebrated at Merida's castle, and hundreds of people were already gathered in the courtyard, ready for the celebration. There was going to be a grand banquet, dancing, and games such as cricket, archery, axe throwing, and much more. We all had a jolly splendid time, and Merida's mother, Queen Eleanor, along with Guinevere and Lancelot, accompanied us the entire night. Merida told us that she had not seen her mother smile and laugh so much in a long time which made me smile. We had a marvelous time dancing to Celtic music; it was so much fun and was the best time I've ever had dancing. When Kaylee and I were taking a refreshment break, we saw a short, fat, big-busted lady who wore a tall, white wig with ringlets, and she had an elegant, poofy dress on. She looked like a stereotype of Marie Antoinette, and I convinced myself she was going to offer Hook a slice of cake when she was approaching him. But then she said with a chuckle and a blush, "Oh! Aren't you a handsome young man! Dance with me!" Suddenly, she grabbed poor Hook's arm and dragged him out onto the dance floor.

     Kaylee and I giggled so hard, and I hollered out to Hook amusingly, "Have fun!" Hook certainly didn't look happy; for he had told us that he didn't know how to dance well, and that was why he refused to dance most of that night. He danced very awkwardly with the lady and looked very uncomfortable. Then he glanced toward our direction with an expression that I interpreted as, "Help me out here." Then the plump lady yanked him farther out onto the dance floor, and he disappeared into the crowd of dancers.