The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights

Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan le Fay, has always been jealous of him: “She joyed in bending and warping men to her will through beauty and enchantment, and when these failed she used the blacker arts of treason and murder” (109). Morgan plans to have her lover, Sir Accolon, kill Arthur and then give the crown to her husband, Sir Uryens, as a puppet ruler under her command. Using dark magic, Morgan fashions a replica of Excalibur and its scabbard, which she substitutes for Arthur’s own weapons.

Soon after these plans are made, the king goes on a stag hunt accompanied by Accolon and Uryens. After exhausting their horses in the chase, the three men track the stag on foot and kill it. Now miles from the castle, they look about for shelter during the night. A boat comes floating down a nearby river, and the trio is welcomed aboard by beautiful maidens offering food, wine, and a place to sleep. After partaking of this hospitality, the men fall into an enchanted slumber. The next morning, Uryens finds himself at home in his own bed. Arthur awakens in a prison, where he learns that the owner of the castle, Sir Damas, is conscripting knights to defend his property against his brother, the rightful owner. Rather than rotting away in a cell, Arthur agrees to become Damas’ champion.

Meanwhile, Accolon wakes up outdoors beside a deep well where he is accosted by a dwarf. The dwarf gives Accolon the real Excalibur and its scabbard with instructions that he is to fight Arthur the next day and bring the king’s severed head back to Morgan as proof of his victory. Still under Morgan’s spell, Accolon agrees. He’s then invited to dine with the lord of a nearby manor, Sir Outlake. Accolon learns that Outlake has been wounded and cannot defend his property by fighting the champion of Sir Damas. Accolon agrees to fight in his place.

The following day, Accolon and Arthur engage in battle. Arthur can’t understand why his magical sword and scabbard are failing him. Accolon is on the point of killing Arthur when the king gets hold of the real sword and realizes the weapon substitution. He pins Accolon to the ground and forces him to confess Morgan’s plot. Arthur grants the knight mercy, but he dies if his wounds anyway. The king retires to a nearby abbey to recover from his injuries. While he sleeps, Morgan steals Excalibur’s scabbard though she can’t take the sword itself without awakening Arthur. Later, when the king realizes the extent of his sister’s treachery, he goes in pursuit. As he and his followers are on the point of overtaking Morgan, she turns herself and her knights into standing stones.

Once Arthur leaves, Morgan and her henchmen reassume human form. She threatens vengeance against the king and retreats: “She went to her lands in the country of Gore, and she strengthened her castles and towns, and armed and provisioned them, because in spite of her brave message she lived in fear of King Arthur” (124).