by Matt Phelan
“Sword leg?” asked Erec.
“Yes! A sword where my leg once was, you see!”
“But Bors, dear fellow,” said Hector kindly, “with each step you took you would sink into the ground. You would always be stuck somewhere.”
Bors considered this.
“Ah. That is true. You were always the smart one, my friend. Fine. Mace leg, it is!”
Erec laughed, looking down at the new spring grass.
“And what of you, Sir Erec? What will you do without my constant company?” asked Bors.
“Oh, I don’t know. . . .” Erec trailed off. He stared into the distance. “I might . . . there is a fair maiden . . . no, that’s not quite right. Bit of a spitfire, actually. Back on Orkney. Greer is her name.”
“You wish to court her, Erec?” said Magdalena with a smile.
“Not exactly court her. I don’t know how that would go. I don’t know if she even likes me. I just want to talk with her again. Not sure why, but there it is,” he finished.
“Perhaps you’ll settle down in Orkney,” said Bors.
“Maybe not Orkney,” said Erec. “I hear Ireland is nice, though.”
“Magdalena?” asked Arthur. “What say you, Black Knight?”
“I am a knight, my king. I will fight by your side as long as knights are needed.”
“Good to hear,” said Arthur.
Magdalena turned now to Mel, who sat beside her.
“And you, Melancholy Postlethwaite,” she said. “You have been a squire, an archer, and a budding magician. What does the future hold for you?”
Mel thought for a moment, watching the sun rise. She smiled.
“I think there is still more in the world for me to discover, Magdalena. I truly do not yet know what I will be.”
“I am sure it will be extraordinary,” said Magdalena. She hugged Mel close.
They all sat in contented silence for a while, listening to the chirping of the birds.
Eventually Erec cleared his throat.
“Sire, have I ever told you about the time I slew forty dragons?”
“I do not believe you told the whole story, Sir Erec,” said Arthur.
Erec lay back with his hands behind his head.
“Well then, settle in. It is quite a splendid tale indeed. . . .”
A Note From the Bridge Troll
I have been around a long time. By “around” I mean under my bridge, but that bridge has been crossed by all of the greats and not-so-greats at one time or another.
Now, I try to have an open mind about people. I am still waiting for my goats from that last band of knights, but they still might come through, so I will reserve judgment for the moment. However, here are some of my thoughts on some other big names of our Age, along with a helpful ranking of my own devising.
King Arthur
Where does one start? Did you know that he became king when he was still a boy because he pulled a sword from a stone? I am not even kidding. Speaking of swords, Excalibur (you know a sword is good when it has a name) was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. None of that has gone to his head, though. Arthur is a good man through and through, the tops of your species, in my humble opinion. A great and wise ruler, a kind and thoughtful gentleman in an age of brutes, and a regular Joe who always has time for a chat with an old troll. The legends of Arthur are many and well worth reading.
Rating: FIVE GOATS
Sir Lancelot
His full name is Lancelot of the Lake, or “du Lac” if you are being fancy. That is because he was raised by the Lady of the Lake. Wonder why she never gave him Excalibur? He seems worthy, with many adventures and heroic deeds to his credit. Everyone will tell you that Lancelot is the greatest of the Knights of the Round Table. Everyone but Lancelot, that is. He is a troubled one in some respects. Dwells on his own character flaws. I am no gossip, but there have been whispers about Lancelot and . . . No! I shan’t spread rumors. Look him up yourself if you are curious.
Rating: FOUR GOATS
Morgan Le Fay
Morgan gets a bad name in some of the stories. Personally, I’ve always liked her. She has a wicked sense of humor. Unfortunately, she can also be just plain wicked. We all have our bad days! You will find Morgan Le Fay in many tales about Arthur and Merlin. They are all different enough from one another to make you wonder: Who is the real Morgan Le Fay?
Rating: FOUR GOATS
Sir Galahad
Another of the great ones, although just between you and me, his good looks and general air of perfection are a bit much at times. Some say he is actually the son of Lancelot, which would explain his knightly valor but, again, I am not going to peddle hearsay. His legends will explain the whole story, including the fact that he eventually found that Grail everyone wanted.
Rating: THREE AND A HALF GOATS
Sir Lamorack
Ugh. That guy.
Rating: ONE GOAT
You want more? You’re not even offering me a chicken, let alone a goat! No, I am tired. It is nap time under the bridge. If you want to know more about Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table, you can find ample stories of their adventures. Happy reading.
Now go away.
A Note From the Author
I fell in love with King Arthur and his knights as a kid, mostly through books. Today, you can find several excellent versions, some that tell the tales faithfully and some that (ahem) stretch the premise a bit. Here is a list of the books that sparked my interest years ago and remain personal favorites to this day.
—Matt Phelan
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, written and illustrated by Howard Pyle
The Story of the Champions of the Round Table, written and illustrated by Howard Pyle
King Arthur, adapted by Sidney Lanier and illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
Tales of King Arthur, written by James Riordan and illustrated by Victor Ambrus
Prince Valiant in the Court of King Arthur, written and illustrated by Hal Foster
Castles by Alan Lee, written by David Day
The Once and Future King, written by T. H. White
About the Author
MATT PHELAN is the author and illustrator of many books for young readers. The first book in this series, Knights vs. Dinosaurs, was named an ALA Notable Book and an Indie Next Pick, as well nominated for several state awards. His graphic novels include the New York Times–bestselling Snow White, which was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, School Library Journal, and the New York Public Library; Storm in the Barn, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award; Around the World; and Bluffton. He is also the author and illustrator of the picture books Pignic and Druthers, and has illustrated several books by other authors, including The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, winner of the Newbery Medal. Matt Phelan lives with his family in Pennsylvania.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used to advance the fictional narrative. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
KNIGHTS VS. THE END (OF EVERYTHING). Text and illustrations copyright © 2020 by Matt Phelan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Cover art © 2020 by Matt Phelan
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Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc’h
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Names: Phelan, Matt, author, illustrator.
Title: Knights vs. the end (of everything) / written and illustrated by Matt Phelan. Other titles: Knights versus the end (of everything)
Description: First edition. | New York, NY : Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2020] | Audience: Ages 8–12 | Audience: Grades 4–6 | Summary: “The four daring knights and one intrepid archer enter the Faerie Realm, where they find dangerous warlocks, a mysterious knight, and one very nasty dragon”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019041787 | ISBN 9780062910974 (hardcover)
Subjects: CYAC: Knights and knighthood—Fiction. | Characters in Literature—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Fantasy. | Humorous stories.
Classification: LCC PZ7.P44882 Knq 2020 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019041787
Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-291099-8
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-291097-4
2021222324PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
Greenwillow Books
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