with startling news. King Uther Pendragon has died, leaving behind a sword driven through an anvil and into a stone declaring that whoever pulls the sword from the stone shall be the king of England. Naturally, Sir Ector, wants Kay to have a chance at being King, so they all pack up and head for London, where a large tournament was being held. When Kay leaves his sword behind in their room in London, Arthur is sent to retrieve it. Unfortunately the door is locked, and Arthur must think of a way to find Kay a sword. As he is wandering around, he notices a sword stuck in an anvil outside of a church yard. After several attempts he manages to pull it free, and hurriedly runs to give it to Kay. Kay recognizes the sword for what it is, and initially claims to be the one who pulled it from the stone. However, he does admit once questioned by Sir Ector, that it was Arthur who pulled the sword from the stone. After testing Arthur, both kneel before Arthur, which upsets him greatly. After some initial revulsion by the lords at having a young person of no name of importance named king, everyone eventually agrees that Arthur is the true king, and is even welcomed, for King Uther's rule was incredibly chaotic. Merlyn reappears shortly after and reveals that he had known all along. This marks the end of the first book, and the beginning of the rising action. What Arthur really wants to do is end chaos that passes for law in his country. He wants his men, the knights of the round table, to help defenseless people and prevent the rich and strong from simply dominating everyone. Many young knights love t
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