The Once and Future King

Frustrated, Kay stalks off, but Arthur, unwilling to abandon the bird (Cully), sits by the tree and waits. As Cully moves deeper into the wild forest, Arthur follows. The Forest Sauvage is home to dangerous animals and even more dangerous humans, including outlaws and magicians. As night falls, Cully settles into a tree for the night, and Arthur waits below for the bird to fall asleep. Suddenly, an assailant fires arrows at him, and Arthur retreats for cover. He escapes the attack but becomes lost. He wanders the forest until he comes upon a clearing, where he sees a fully armored knight astride his horse. He approaches the knight and asks for help, but the knight, who introduces himself as King Pellinore, claims to be lost as well. For the past 17 years, he has pursued the Questing Beast, a task that he describes as his family’s duty. When Pellinore complains about the hardships of questing, Arthur invites him to stay at his father’s estate, if he will help him find the way. Pellinore agrees but then hears the wild cry of the Questing Beast and rides off in pursuit.

Arthur spends the night in the forest. The next morning, he wanders into a clearing where he finds a stone cottage and an old man drawing water from a well. The man is dressed in typical wizard fashion—robe and pointed hat—and introduces himself as Merlyn. Arthur follows Merlyn into his cottage, which is part musty library and part menagerie of mythical beasts (stuffed yet alive); it also features a talking owl and “a gun case with all sorts of weapons which would not be invented for half a thousand years” (31). Over breakfast, Merlyn explains that he was born at the end of time, allowing him to see the future. After breakfast, Merlyn offers to serve as the boy’s tutor.

They return to the estate, and Arthur introduces Merlyn as his new tutor. Sir Ector asks for credentials, and Merlyn performs feats of magic. Ector is convinced and hires Merlyn on the spot.

Arthur and Sir Ector’s “Dog Boy” (caretaker of the kennel) are close friends. While they cavort in the kennel one day, Merlyn calls Arthur for his first lesson. They cross the courtyard to the edge of the moat, and Arthur wishes he were a fish. Merlyn immediately turns him into a perch, and he tumbles into the water. Merlyn joins him and gives Arthur swimming lessons. Another fish approaches, seeking Merlyn’s help in curing its sick mother. Merlyn obliges and then introduces Arthur to Old Jack, a massive pike—king of the moat—who tells Arthur, “There is nothing […] except the power which you pretend to seek” (52). Just as the pike is about to devour Arthur, the latter swims away. A moment later, he and Merlyn are themselves again, standing on dry land.

Arthur and Kay practice archery while Merlyn naps under a tree. They decide to hunt at the edge of the forest, and Kay kills a rabbit. As they prepare to head back, they each fire an arrow into the air (a ritual at the end of each archery session). Arthur’s arrow soars high and true, but as it reaches its apex, a crow snatches it in its beak and flies away—an evil portent, Kay believes.

As Kay practices jousting in preparation for knighthood, Arthur complains that he will never be more than a squire because he is not a “proper son” of Ector’s. For “educational” purposes, Merlyn transports him to the forest to watch a real tournament with real knights. There, they meet King Pellinore, still in pursuit of the Questing Beast. Sir Grummore Grummursum soon joins them, and the two men square off for a joust. After several passes, both men are unhorsed, and they resume the battle with swords, but neither man gains the advantage. Dazed and tired, the two knights make a final charge, each colliding with a tree. They fall senseless to the ground, and Merlyn transports Arthur back to Sir Ector’s jousting field.

Arthur, stuck inside on a rainy day, begs Merlyn to turn him into a hawk, but the magician refuses, claiming he is not ready. Merlyn tells him that before he can fly, Arthur must listen to the wisdom of the other hawks and gain their insight. He then changes Arthur into a merlin (a small falcon) and releases him into the mews (the castle aviary) for the night. After a time, the birds awaken, and the leader, a peregrine falcon, quizzes the new recruit. He passes the test and is sworn in as a new “officer.” He then must undergo the “ordeal”: to perch next to Cully, who is violent and erratic, for the ringing of three bells. At the third bell, Cully grabs at the retreating Arthur, a clutch of feathers left in his talon. Arthur is celebrated for his courageous stand.

The next morning, Arthur wakes up in his own bed. Kay demands to know where he was during the night, and when Arthur refuses to tell him, they fight. His eye blackened, Arthur goes in search of Merlyn. In the wizard’s tower, he argues, “It is unfair that you are always turning me into things and not him [Kay]” (88). Life, the wizard replies, is not always fair, and Arthur must trust that his tutor knows what’s best for both of them. Arthur, however, is relentless, begging for an adventure he and Kay can share together. Finally, Merlyn tells his young charge to take Kay out into the fields after Mass until they come to “something.”

Arthur and Kay follow Merlyn’s instructions, and soon they come upon a woodsman in the forest. The woodsman, however, doesn’t respond to their questions, so they move on. Presently, they encounter a massive man—seven feet tall—sleeping under a tree. Without speaking, he directs them deeper into the forest. When the boys seem uncertain, the man—Little John of the Robin Hood tales—agrees to accompany them. He leads them to the stronghold of Robin Wood, which he explains is Robin Hood’s correct name. The outlaw welcomes the boys and tests their archery skills. Satisfied, he asks their help rescuing his comrade, Friar Tuck, from Morgan le Fay, an enchantress and the queen of the fairies.