The Poison Rose: A King Arthur Tale

by Matthew Argyle

  Arthur carefully lifted the wand up from its stand and removed the old parchment. He looked down at the paper and noticed that, written in dark ink, was a spell with the title, “Magical Age-Ending Spell.” The rest Arthur couldn’t understand, for it was written in some foreign language, a language Arthur figured was very old and only spoken by wizards and witches.

  Arthur smiled and felt empowered as he grabbed Merlin’s old wand and waved it through the air. “I am wizard!” he declared. “I now have all power. There are no witches to oppose me.” Suddenly he found that, by holding this wand, his mind was filled with terrifying delusions of power. He could imagine Merlin of old as a great wizard, wielding his magical wand and destroying thousands and thousands of enemies with one swift stroke.

  Then suddenly he realized the pride that Merlin spoke of, the pride that caused him to succumb to the witch, the power that made him think he could even control love. He suddenly dropped the wand towards the ground in fear. “Ah, that man should ever be this powerful! How awful would this be!”

  Arthur suddenly felt this last task to be far too difficult for him to accomplish. “How am I to end magic forever?” Arthur thought. “Will not people ridicule me as the man who made life boring and unmagical?” But then Arthur thought about Dani and the evil her magic enabled her to do. He then thought about Merlin’s words, about how people would create fantasies in their own minds and hearts and how this would sustain them. He now knew what he had to do.

  So there, in Merlin’s cave, he reached down and picked up Merlin’s ivory wand. He then gazed over to the wand stand beside where the wand was, and there spotted another old manuscript. Next to where Merlin’s wand was he found the old magical map. He knew this must have been the map Merlin spoke of.

  So Arthur left the cave and did as Merlin had instructed. He went to the top tower of his castle in Camelot and there cast the final spell of all spells, ending magic forever in the entire land. Then, in the top tower, he broke Merlin’s wand in two and threw it out over the city. Thus by ending magic in the land forever Arthur ensured that a witch or wizard would never be born in his kingdom again. Instead, love would be its own magic.

  Chapter 24: The Final Chapter

  10 Years Later

  It becomes necessary to detail what happened to Arthur’s kingdom many years after he had defeated the witch and ended magic forever. Although Arthur had Merlin’s map and knew of his destiny to go towards the western land of Avalon, he had many things he still desired to witness and accomplish. Gratefully to Arthur it so happened that, within about ten years’ time, he was able to witness and do all that he desired.

  In the peaceful years that passed Arthur spent much more time with his daughter Alice. He took her outside of his own city often, where Arthur taught her everything he knew—how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to sword-fight, how to ride a horse, and most importantly, how to have fun. Thus in the years that ensued Alice and Arthur developed a bond so strong that nothing would ever be able to break it.

  Of course, Arthur still spent much time at his kingly duties. He was able to see his kingdom thrive and grow in abundance. He was also able to joyfully behold Lancelot and Elaine welcome three more children to their family—two girls and one boy. It was a joyful time for the both of them.

  The power of true love filled Arthur’s entire kingdom with peace and prosperity. But, despite how much love Arthur’s people had for each other Arthur found that his heart was still corrupt. There was a part of his heart that could not be mended by any magic or love. This was the scar of the witch on his heart, a heart that above all feared to experience the pain of unreciprocated love again.

  Although Arthur knew of his possibility to retreat to Avalon for some reason he felt he needed to stay and, if possible, live in his own land and meet a beautiful woman to marry. So Arthur held many glorious dances in his castle with the hopes of meeting a woman to fill the void in his heart, but the more dances he held and the more women in the kingdom he met, the more he realized something was still wrong. Arthur, the man who was used to getting everything his way, now knew that there were some things men were not meant to get.

  Thus Arthur turned his heart to spending much of his time in his study, composing what he felt would be the ultimate novel—a journal of his own experience with Dani, the Poison Rose. This would be most powerful story he knew—finally a story he could tell that would be based on his own experience. The evil was all the more real, but more importantly people in the future would know of love, of magic, and of witches.

  After ten years passed Alice, now twenty-four, was ready for marriage. It was a day to be the most joyous of Arthur’s life. Indeed, of all the reasons for Arthur to stay in his kingdom, this was the most important. Arthur would wait until Alice was to marry and then, when the time was right, he would pass his kingdom onto another. And he found no better time to do this than at their wedding. Arthur sent an announcement forth throughout the kingdom informing everyone to come to a great marriage and coronation.

  Once the message was sent abroad nearly everyone throughout Arthur’s now grand and great kingdom came to attend his daughter’s wedding. And it was there, as Arthur stood in the top tower of the castle, that Alice entered.

  She looked more beautiful than ever before, much like Guinevere did when he first fell in love with her. Her smile was radiant. Her hair was long and blonde and she was dressed in all white. “You look like an angel my fair daughter,” declared Arthur. “I have been waiting for this day for ten years now and it is finally happening. You have found your love and may your love last an eternity! Virtuous and lovely women are certainly a gem!”

  Arthur embraced his daughter, letting a few tears slide down his cheek. “Father, what is wrong?” asked Alice.

  “Nothing,” replied Arthur. “These are just tears of joy.”

  Although Arthur said it was fine she knew that deep down he suffered. “Father, tell me, there are many women in the kingdom that adore you. Why not be with them? They are beautiful and lovely. I miss my mother, but to not move on and stay here and wait cannot be that great of a life.”

  “I am sorry Alice,” replied Arthur. “But I think I know how Merlin felt after he fell in love with a witch—although you may learn to live without her the scar will always remain with you. So, my young sweet Alice, although I managed to defeat her love, she still left me with a scar, for I am forever haunted by the poison she put in my heart. Thus I cannot find it possible to love another woman again, for the moment I see a woman I am reminded of the evil side of love, the poison that fills your heart when true love goes awry. It is not the women, dear Alice. It is me…it is the price that must be paid.”

  “Because of the witch,” said Alice.

  “I will not say, only that it was meant to be. So I am sorry if it pains you, my dear daughter, to be forced to see me alone these long years. But I have not been idle.” Arthur pointed to his desk where there stood a thick book. “The tale of the Poison Rose will be told to others. If I have contributed anything to this world then that will be it.”

  Tears formed in Alice’s eyes and she jumped at her father, hugging him with every fiber of strength she had. “Oh father, you have done more for this world than any other man has. Come and you will see the fruits of your work. Downstairs as we speak I have gathered everyone to witness our wedding and coronation.” And so the two descended the stairway in the castle where they entered the great hall and saw a massive audience waiting for them.

  The daughter of King Arthur, born through his lovely now long-parted wife, moved up the steps to be wedded to her future husband. It was Sir Galahad. Galahad would take the place of King Arthur, ruling the kingdom and making peace against any evil that could come of poisoned love. Between Galahad and Arthur’s daughter there was no fake or evil love. Instead, the love between the two was just as strong as the love that existed between Arthur and Guinevere.

  Tears streamed down his cheeks as Arthur was able to pronoun
ce the young couple as husband and wife. It was in these moments that he was finally able to realize the cycle of life, a cycle meant to keep all things in eternal balance. Arthur was granted the kingdom by Merlin, a wizard who had fallen for witch, but had to give up his love for the good of the world. Arthur too also lost the love of his life because of a witch. Evil had triumphed in poisoning and in the end, tearing apart, their love on this earth. Nothing about the future was certain, but in these moments one thing was—true love would always eventually triumph over poisoned love just as good triumphs over evil and this made Arthur happy beyond measure.

  Arthur then shouted for all the people in the hall to hear: “My friends, you have now experienced both the light and dark side of love. You have seen what great joy can be felt to those whose love is pure and holy, however, you have also seen what great misery, sorrow, and pain can be felt when love grows sour. May love never again go sour!”

  Looking down over the couple he had now officially married he removed his crown and placed it on Galahad’s head, smiling with solid confidence and declaring before all those present: “May you both ever rule this holy kingdom in peace and prosperity. Love is the guiding force behind any great kingdom so let your love never die or be corrupted!” Then, after having crowned his successor, he moved to Alice and placed his wife’s old crown on top of her head. “I know of nobody better able to wear the crown of Guinevere than Alice. May she be the heart that knits the kingdom together in love.”

  Suddenly cheers filled the room. That moment was the moment above all other moments for Arthur’s kingdom—the kingdom had finally been completely cleansed, purified, and set right again. The light of the sun streamed through the windows and shined down over Galahad and his wife. But in those moments, when Arthur was ready to go back up to his tower, he watched as his lovely daughter and her new husband, turned around and faced him.

  “Now it is time that we honor you father, a man much more than a great king, but a great hero,” said Alice. She then motioned for two of her servants to approach the throne. The servants reached and pulled off a cloth from two massive objects revealing two great statues, statues that Arthur immediately recognized. “These two statues will always be here in this great hall near the king’s and queen’s seat. They are the statues of you and Guinevere carved by Merlin himself. And ever grand and beautiful they are. Now turn to your people Arthur. You, dear father, are a savior of all these people! Look out over these people, for they all honor and respect you, and will revere you and honor you long past your death. Mark my words! Generations hence you will be known as the great King Arthur. Hail King Arthur, who shall always be king, with or without a crown and with or without life!” Looking back Arthur felt a reassuring peace fill his soul, like his entire life was worth it for this one moment in time—a moment that would live forever in his memory but could only be contained in a few words.

  “As long as this great kingdom stands we shall celebrate this day as the day of our great King Arthur!” declared Galahad. “Long live the bounteous king, for the days of peace and love has finally come upon this land!”

  “HAIL KING ARTHUR!” cheered the crowd triumphantly, as if they all knew what to say in these few moments. “HAIL KING ARTHUR, THE MAN THAT DEFEATED THE POISON ROSE!”

  ******

  Once the wedding and coronation celebration was over the knights were once again assembled, with Arthur making the announcement that he would soon move to the west, by sea, to a mysterious land called Avalon. He declared, “In one of Merlin’s book I found at his hut, called The Island of Avalon, it described this magical island. It was described as a strange, wonderful land, such as was not seen in the whole world. It was described as paradise, being covered with gardens of flowers, plantations of fair trees, and terraces of lawns. It was beautiful there, and from the highest plateau on the island people would be able to see the sea and the land and appreciate both for what there were.”

  In order to better secure peace in the future Arthur then established a new system of government with Galahad as King and Lancelot as the leader of the Knights of the Round Table. Indeed, Arthur learned that power in the hands of one man could easily be corrupted and by separating this power the chance that an evil king alone would rule would be greatly reduced.

  Arthur then read aloud Lancelot’s commission to the world, which was to lead the knights in governing the twelve provinces and work with the king in establishing and maintain the peace and prosperity of their people. Lancelot and Galahad, as father and son, would thus rule Camelot and its knights in peace for as long as they lived.

  But this was not the only change that Arthur made in the government of his kingdom. With Lancelot now in Arthur’s old position as head of all the Knights of the Round Table, Galahad as King, and Mordred dead, there were three vacant positions in the Round Table. These three positions were to be occupied by, firstly, Lancelot’s wife Elaine, who would take over the governing of Lancelot’s old province and who would finally be able to live with Lancelot in that land as often as time permitted. It was clear by Arthur’s first selection that he now knew that a woman could be just as “knightly” if not more so, than any man. And the next two selections would only verify this idea more, for, and to the request of Percival, his wife was given the status of knighthood, being placed to govern the province left by Galahad. Finally, the last knight was Alice herself, Arthur’s own daughter, who possessed too free and wild a spirit to be anything less than a knight. She was given the task of governing over Mordred’s old providence to the south-east. Although at times she was required to be away from Galahad on knightly duties, she found joy and peace in being with Galahad in their castle whenever time permitted. So these three noble and virtuous women entered the room and stood with the other knights around Arthur’s table.

  Arthur found great joy in being with the Knights of the Round Table one last time and, before Arthur’s departure, the knights all raised their swords, pointed them up towards the oculus, and sang as was custom:

  “We travel far and wide,

  And to this great room we come,

  We are Knights, Knights of Arthur’s great table,

  We come to answer the ends of the law,

  To provide light where there is only darkness,

  To liberate the captives,

  To free the land of injustice,

  And bring to all men liberty!”

  But then, as if prepared beforehand and to Arthur’s surprise, the knights sang more:

  “And to the great King Arthur we bid farewell,

  May his life be blessed!

  The man who killed thousands with the sword

  And defeated the evil of the witch!

  Love will forever be our banner,

  The new banner of these,

  The Knights of the Round Table!”

  Galahad then motioned for the guards to bring something into the room. A few moments later they entered the room carrying a folded-up cloth and handed it to Lancelot. Lancelot looked at Arthur and smiled. “Arthur, to remember you we will forever carry this banner into battle.” Lancelot, Gawain, and Galahad held up the large banner outstretched.

  Arthur laughed with joy. The entire banner was red, just like the shirt he used to taunt the witch, except down the center was the image of Excalibur. “This is to remember, great Arthur, that nobody will ever take our hearts. This will forever be our flag, the flag of the kingdom of King Arthur!” So from that time forth the massive flag hung from the highest tower in Camelot, waving for all to see.

  Finally, after all that had been done, all the knights began their farewell chant, singing loudly and powerfully like they never had before:

  “We come and now draw swords,

  For we are Knights of Arthur’s Round Table,

  We now part, but not in spirit,

  For in spirit we are all one—

  All Knights of the great King Arthur!”

  The knights each drew their swords again and raised
them up towards the oculus, light pouring down it as if the heavens themselves approved of such a glorious acclamation.

  So, the Knights of the Round Table were complete and this brought Arthur great joy.

  ******

  The memory of the witch gradually left the minds of all the people. Instead, their minds were filled with the joy of the marriage of Alice and Galahad. This glorious reunion proved to all the people of the kingdom what Arthur proved with his marriage to Guinevere—that true love was possible and was worth fighting for. It gave everyone in the kingdom a godlike hope, a hope that they again could find love, and that love was its own kind of magic.

  Once the meeting with the knights had concluded Arthur went up to his tower where he went to write down his last experiences. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Lancelot come into the room. “Lancelot, what gives me the pleasure?”

  “I think you know why I have come Arthur,” said Lancelot. “Do you really mean to leave us? All of the knights feel sadness at your departure. Tell me Arthur. Why are you leaving? You will miss out on so much.”

  “The love I have for Alice is great and I would live as long as I could in this land if it were not for a wound—a wound that has never really healed.”

  Lancelot pointed towards the dagger wound in his side. “No, not that type of wound,” replied Arthur. “My most painful wound was the wound of lost love, the love that I had for the witch, a wound which, in this land, only death could heal. Thus I place all my trust in Merlin’s words—that by moving to Avalon I may find peace for the wound in my heart. But now I feel joy.”

  “What type of joy do you feel my friend?” asked Lancelot.

  “Joy in knowing that my tale is told, that my mission in this kingdom has been accomplished,” replied Arthur. “It is great relief to me in knowing that the Age of Magic has finally ended, never to be experienced in this way again. I think I finally understand Merlin’s words and the reason why Merlin lived away from society for long. It wasn’t just to be apart from me so that I would not learn of his wizardly ways. It was for another reason as well. He always repeated to me these words, ‘I would corrupt the world and the world would corrupt me.’ I never understood those words until now. My heart is in a delicate state now Lancelot—a dysfunctional state, for were I too stay here in the world I would risk spreading the very same poisoned love that I fought against while alive. I know now that, until my heart is magically healed, I will never be able to truly love a woman again. There is too little stone left to make a statue of me, as Merlin might have said. So it might be said that I would corrupt the world. But, in addition, the world might be able to corrupt me because I would find, in exploring the world, that not everyone in the world has has a heart like mine—one that now is extremely sensitive and powerful, even with its inability to truly love. So I, like Merlin, must leave this world.”