The Poison Rose: A King Arthur Tale

by Matthew Argyle

  “Yes,” replied Arthur once he finished chewing. “What do you know of the ‘poison rose,’ a person we believe is the woman who lives in the mansion on the highest peak of the highest mountain?”

  Merlin, who before was so eager and upbeat, was now suddenly silent and looked slightly distressed. “Oh, you don’t want to know about that. The less you know and interfere with the affairs of that woman the better.”

  “But I must know,” said Arthur. “I am king and her evil spells are taking over the land.”

  “What do you mean? What are her spells doing?”

  “They are taking over the land and the hearts of those who live in it. The forests all around her home have begun to die. The animals have become fierce. They can no longer survive on greenery and are eating each other. At first this was happening only near her mansion, but her evil has begun to spread outward and I fear that if nothing is done this corruption will spread until it fills the entire kingdom.”

  “What of the men?” asked Merlin, this time not sounding as surprised.

  “They are disappearing,” said Arthur. “More grievances come to me every day. Wives are mourning for the loss of their husbands and children for the loss of their fathers. As days go by more and more men seem to be under a type of spell. Either because of a spell or their own selfish desire they go to the woman’s mansion to face the challenge that they feel she gives her—the challenge to make her fall in love with them. But it always ends up the same way. They either totally disappear or they return broken-hearted. If they return they no longer have any longing for love or the joy that comes from love. I have never seen such a terrible expression on the face of a man or father and I never want to. In addition, many of the women and children of the kingdom have grown terribly frail. I just don’t know what to do. I met with my knights and they told me that they reached her gate, but heard a voice, a voice that said to ‘come alone and win my heart.’ They went as far as to call this woman a witch.”

  “A witch indeed,” said Merlin sadly. He suddenly stopped eating and rushed back to put the dish away.

  “Don’t tell me you actually believe in witches,” said Arthur. “You are a wise man and shouldn’t believe in fairy tales…”

  “Oh and you are wise enough to know what a wise man should believe huh? Fairy tales are based on truth Arthur. And indeed there is much truth in what they say of witches. If my diagnosis is correct we are dealing with a special type of woman here, a woman that would be best described as a witch.”

  “What do you know of witches?” Arthur waited for a few minutes, but could see that, to Merlin, this was an especially sensitive subject. “Merlin, I must know. I cannot protect my kingdom any longer unless I know what is going on and where this woman came from.”

  “Fine,” said Merlin grudgingly. “I will tell you when witches first began. It all began long ago, long before your reign, when a certain woman ran away from her village, a village that was being raided by a band of wicked men—men who would take women away from their homes, make love to them, and then leave them alone to die in the wilderness.”

  “That is terrible,” said Arthur.

  “Indeed,” replied Merlin. “But it all began with one woman who escaped these evil men. They chased after her, but eventually lost track of her. By then, however, she was lost in the wilderness. So she wandered for miles through rough plain, forest, bog, mountain, and marsh, until she finally reached a dry, weedy prairie, barely able to walk a step more. There, being nearly dead, her entire skin parched from the sun, she collapsed to the ground prepared to never take another breath. But she was surprised to find that she had fallen on fresh dirt. Looking around she noticed that all around her the vegetation was dead, except for one beautiful rosebush directly in front of her from which grew one ripe, seemingly perfect, red rose. She would later find out that it was not just any rose, but a special red rose that never wilted. The rose being there was quite surprising for her. She had not supposed a rose would exist in those parts. She found the rose odd but beautiful, so she broke it off. She could feel the thorns of the rose stem prick her skin as she pulled it, causing it to bleed. It hurt but she didn’t care. She took the rose and brought it close to her so that she could die with this rose in her hand. But miraculously from the moment she touched the rose she did not feel near to death, but felt life in her again. She found that this rose had magical powers—it had the ability to make her beautiful, strong, and powerful; but this was not the greatest power of all. She also found it had to the ability to make every man she met fall desperately in love with her.”

  “How did she know that?” asked Arthur.

  “Well, as she was journeying she found a cottage, and at this cottage there lived a man, the leader, in fact, of the band of raiders. The moment he looked on her he instantly fell in love with her. You see, you would think that this man would want to make love to her and then leave her, as he did to all the other women. Instead, however, he found the inclination to feed her, take her in, and not do anything unlike a gentleman without her express permission. The woman was surprised by this, and realized that from the moment she grabbed the rose she became connected to it and had magical abilities. She used the man until she was sick of him and then killed him, took his cottage and land, and that is where witches began. The Palace of the Poison Rose was later built.”

  “Tell me, you know this land and its history much better than I do. Where did this witch come from? What is her history?”

  “I don’t know her history very well, but I know the history of the witch before her,” said Merlin. “You see, all witches begin as simple and ordinary women. But then they become witches because of an injustice done to them.”

  “An injustice? What type of injustice?”

  “Well for each witch it is different and it really doesn’t matter, as long as the injustice was powerful enough to grant her an insatiable anger against mankind. And you can’t tell a witch just by looking at her. Witches are very good at hiding their true identity, and they often have spies in the world who support their wicked purposes, so you must be cautious. Besides my hut, there are few places beyond a witch’s vision. In addition, witches are often secretive. You only know a witch exists if they give you permission to know they exist. The fact that the witch let men from your land return to tell the tale, including your knights, means that she is planning something—something to get revenge against the world of men. You see, she doesn’t need men to build her palace; she could have built it herself, but she wants to use men in the same way they tried to use her.”

  “Do you know the history of the witch before this one?” asked Arthur. “What of her?”

  Merlin seemed reluctant to speak, but also paradoxically relieved at the same time. His mind was swept back in time. “It is said that she was a normal girl once. But she was the daughter of a witch, a witch who plagued this land for many years, long before you were king. The witch was finally killed, but her evil did not go away. Death of one witch simply spawns another. This witch was embittered by her mother’s death and became the new witch, taking over her mother’s old spot until she eventually died, leaving the mantle to the witch you now know as the ‘Poison Rose.’ I suppose that this witch is also looking for a young woman to be her apprentice and take up her mantle should something happen to her. You see, the truly amazing power of witches comes not in their potions or ability to transform into terrifying beasts, although these are terrifying powers, but rather in their ability to deceive through inner and outer beauty. Even the greatest men can be deceived by a witch and once they fall for her they are gone. The witch will forever have them in her grasp. Witches do not care completely about themselves, but are all for their ideals. They want witches to live and dominate; so they prepare in case something should happen to them.”

  “But how can I stop her?” asked Arthur. “I can’t simply trample down her gate with a massive army and kill her. Making it through the forest alone would be dangerous for my me
n.”

  “No, you can’t. Witches are special creatures. They are creatures that were humans, but because of some traumatizing or magical event, they change. They bind themselves to their new-found powers, and when this happens they cannot be killed in a normal way.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I am suggesting you play by her rules,” said Merlin. “If the voice your knight heard that day said to ‘come alone and win my heart’ then that is what you have to do. You are the king and she wants you and the only way you can defeat a witch is by playing her game and beating her at her own game.”

  “I cannot do that,” said Arthur. “My kingdom needs me here. If I leave them then what will they do?”

  “You don’t need to leave them for a long period of time. Just leave for a few days. Meet the woman, get to know her better, see if you cannot find a way to beat her, and then leave. This will be better for you. Get out of there before you get attached to her.”

  “But that is exactly what she wants. She wants me to come to her. That is how she wins.”

  “Well, it seems like you don’t have any choice,” said Merlin. “The way your land is turning against you—if you don’t do something soon she will have automatically won. This isn’t a game that you don’t lose if you don’t play, for if you don’t play then you will, in fact, assuredly lose.”

  “I know. I know. But I can’t even fake it. I can’t even fake loving a woman now.”

  “Because your wife died, I know. And I am sorry, I truly am. But you must understand that your wife died for a reason. Maybe that reason was so that you could learn to love another person. The only way to truly defeat a witch is through selfless love.”

  “Love,” laughed Arthur. “I don’t know what love is anymore. How can I know my love won’t be in vain?”

  “Don’t you understand?” replied Merlin. “We don’t know. Love is something that must always be a belief just as gravity is always a truth. Because we cannot prove love or its existence by any physical means we cannot classify it as a mathematical or scientific truth. This shows that no matter how elevated in knowledge we may become there will always be a need to believe—and more importantly always a need to believe in love. We simply don’t know whether or not our love will be reciprocated, but that is how it must be.”

  Arthur sighed, again thinking of his lost Guinevere and Alice who currently seemed to despise him. “Love has betrayed me.”

  “No, you have betrayed it,” said Merlin. “You have lost your wife, yes, but you have not lost your heart. You will always love her, but that doesn’t mean you can’t love another person. Think of your own daughter.”

  Arthur was silent. Apparently he was not satisfied with the answers Merlin was giving him. Merlin then spoke again: “Know that the role and destiny of a true king is to face the ultimate test of a witch…” Merlin grabbed his cane, lifted himself up away from the table and moved slowly over by the fire. “That is why a witch is a witch.” Merlin looked down into the fire, moved his cane over it, and watched the flames fly up against it. His voice suddenly turned deeper and much more somber. “No matter how hard you alone try to fight against her and no matter how virtuous you are, in the end the witch will win. Alone you cannot win because the magic of the witch was created to fight against men.” Merlin looked back at Arthur, who sat himself down against the wall, looking exhausted. “Oh, I am sorry… don’t listen to me. It is just the mumblings of an old man…but know that, despite the difficulty of this task, you are king and as king you have the responsibility to fight against this evil.”

  “She cannot be defeated then?” asked Arthur, sounding depressed.

  “No, I did not say that,” replied Merlin. “I said that no man can kill her. I didn’t say a woman couldn’t.” This seemed to rouse Merlin up to his feet as he lifted himself up from ground. “Know Arthur that you are not alone or lost in the fight against this evil.” Merlin stopped talking and moved out of Arthur’s sight for a moment, returning with a long object encased in black leather. “I have been keeping this safe until you were ready for it,” said Merlin as he placed the object on the table in front of Arthur. He ran his fingers down the leather case until he grabbed ahold of an elegant black handle and drew from the sheath a shining sword.

  The sword was far longer than any sword that he had previously seen. The blade was so sharp and shiny that it made it seem like it had never been used before. It even seemed to emit a bright white light. Merlin lifted the blade up from the table and pointed it up towards the ceiling. “Meet Excalibur,” said Merlin, as he moved the blade through the air. “I crafted the blade myself and it is a sword like no other, built to fight against the evil magic of the witch. It is lightweight and unbreakable, made from material not known to this land. Indeed, it is a sword that kings from all around the world would envy possessing. Although no man can defeat a witch, this sword will help you in your fight. It will be a light and defense for you when only darkness exists. See! Hold it in your hands!”

  Merlin carefully handed the blade to Arthur. Arthur grabbed it, got up from the table and swung it around several times in the room. He was impressed by the fluidity and swiftness at which he could swing the blade. Immediately after he held it he felt that it possessed some mythical quality. He felt empowered just by holding the sword, like he had never before felt with any other sword.

  “Good! Good!” exclaimed Merlin like a happy old grandpa. “Know that to defeat a witch you must have courage, intelligence, and heart, but this sword will help. Read the inscription and you will see.”

  Arthur looked down on the blade of the sword, near the handle, and read these words engraved in the metal, “Excalibur—The Sword of the Heart.”

  “I have been saving this sword for you when you were ready and in dire need of it, and I feel that the time has come. So now, my dear Arthur, I give the blade to you. I created this object with a hope that this would be a source of power for you when I could no longer help. And yes, Arthur, besides any advice that I can give you, I cannot really help you. My old joints are feeble and my heart is weak. Some days I can barely go outside my hut to gather food and water. You see, it takes all the strength I have to carve these statues. But, besides my knowledge and experience, I can give you this sword to be a guide and strength for you in life.” Suddenly Merlin seemed to get more serious. Arthur could sense a tenseness in his voice. “I sense that you suspect that this task will be much more simple and easy than it really will be. But it will not be simple or easy. In fact, it will be very complex and your most difficult task to achieve yet. You may have fought with the sword and bow against legions of the men of this world and led your armies to countless victories and yet, you may still fail against her.”

  “Why? How? What can one woman, even a witch, do against me?”

  “Her magic is not just ordinary magic. And you, most of all, will be the most vulnerable to her attacks. You see, her attacks prevail against all men, but most especially those men who are alone and proud of themselves. She will hit you where it hurts most if you are not careful—your heart. Remember Arthur, the battle you fight will not just affect your own life, but the life of your entire kingdom, both in the present and in the future.”

  “I can’t do it,” replied Arthur. “I think I have finally come to realize that this mission is far too difficult for me to accomplish alone.”

  “Do not underestimate how difficult the mission will be and, especially do not underestimate the power of the witch,” replied Merlin. “But also do underestimate yourself—for it is often the most unlikely of individuals who make the greatest mark in the history of the world. Indeed, what are we, me a rambling old man, and you a young warrior with a sword? How can we actually fight against the darkest magic imaginable? Remember this Arthur. The greatest men and women are those who, when the world grows dark and filled with great evil, show everyone that there is still light left, even if that light can only come from within the deepest chasms of their o
wn heart.”

  Arthur thought about Merlin’s words and, especially in these moments, appreciated the counsel of his wise old friend. Indeed, after this discussion Arthur knew what he had to do—he could resist it no longer. “I will go after the witch,” said Arthur. “I will leave tomorrow towards her palace as soon as the sun rises.”

  “Very well,” said Merlin. “You may sleep here for the night of course. Right next to the fireplace would be a good place.” The talking between the two men then shortly ceased. Both were extremely tired. Arthur finished the rest of his dinner while Merlin grabbed a few old blankets and made Arthur a bed in front of the fireplace. The rest of the night in Merlin’s abode passed quickly and quietly. Merlin retired into his small bedroom to sleep for the night, dismissing Arthur for the night, while Arthur lay down nervously awaiting the anticipated events of the next day. He didn’t know what the next day would bring and this kept him up for a few minutes, but his body eventually forced him to drift away into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 6: The Poison Rose

  It would be nearly a day ride by horse to the witch’s palace in the north-east from Merlin’s abode in the south-western part of his kingdom and Arthur didn’t want to be forced to travel in the dark through the witch’s land. Although Arthur enjoyed every visit with Merlin, he didn’t enjoy the long horseback ride that was required of him. This ride was much longer than any he had ever taken before because he would be going much farther north-east than Camelot.

  Arthur woke up early that morning to the sounds of frogs coming from the moat outside of Merlin’s hut. A glimmer of sunlight peaked down through the window. When he woke up he found Merlin was still asleep and didn’t bother to wake him. Instead, he changed, packed up his things, ate a small breakfast, and then quietly left his hut. Once outside and beyond his moat he found Llamrai right where he left her. She was sitting quietly, half-asleep next to an oak tree. He woke her up by gingerly patter her head. She seemed quite happy to see him after a long night alone outside.