The Sword in the Stone

When an unknown country lad named Arthur attends a grand tournament in London as a squire to his stepbrother, Sir Kay, he inadvertently stumbles upon the true reason for the journey: to fulfill his destiny as the High King of all Britain. The first in Hudson's King Arthur series, The Sword in the Stone sets in motion the legendary adventure of Camelot, as Arthur heeds the call to his own greatness.

       As Sir Ector and his sons made their way through the city streets, a glint of sunlight on steel caught Arthur's eye. How odd, he thought. A sword thrust point-first into an anvil on top of a block of marble, sitting in a churchyard- surrounded by guards! London is so full of wonders! 

     The first event was the mock battle or melee. The contestants were divided into two teams - the Reds and the Greens. Sir Kay was with the Reds, who gathered at the southern end of the field, while their opponents took the north. They all readied their lances and brought down their helmet visors in anticipation of combat. Everyone looked to the archbishop for a signal. Slowly, he raised his hand handkerchief, paused, and let it flutter to the ground. From either end of the field, the thunder of thousands of horse hooves rolled forward, shaking the earth, rattling the stands - louder and louder until a terrifying crash of metal split the air. A shower of splintered lances rained down in all directions. The audience gasped, and a few ladies fainted. Nothing had prepared them for this scale of violence.