Fiction Excerpt 4: Guinevere and the Round Table

On one of his adventures, Arthur had met the Lady Guinevere (/gwin*ә*veer/), daughter of King Leodegrance (/lee*oe*dә*grantz/). He had never forgotten her, though for a long time he had hidden his thoughts in silence. One day, he sent a train of knights to the court of King Leodegrance to ask for Guinevere’s hand in marriage. “This is the best news I have ever heard,” replied Leodegrance. “I shall send King Arthur a present that will please him: the round table that Uther Pendragon gave me, so grand that one hundred and fifty knights can sit around it.” When King Arthur heard that Guinevere was coming to be his bride, his heart filled with joy. He chose his best friend and chief knight, Sir Lancelot (LANCE-uh-lot), to ride to meet her and bring her on her way. It was a fine summer morning when Lancelot and Guinevere met. Guinevere rode on a white horse, bridled with gold. She was dressed in green and gold, more beautiful than any woman in the world, and she paused under a blossoming apple tree as Sir Lancelot approached her. He was dressed in a full suit of gleaming armor. From that moment, Lancelot and Guinevere were in love. But Lancelot served King Arthur, and Guinevere was to be Arthur’s bride. So Lancelot escorted the lady to Camelot, King Arthur’s home, where Arthur awaited his bride under a canopy, with flowers strewn all about. The marriage and coronation followed as soon as possible. The round table was set up in the great hall. King Arthur planned to invite knights to sit at it, but only those who swore to follow the highest standards of thought and action. The Knights of the Round Table were to uphold the knightly code of chivalry— exhibiting honor, loyalty, and courage; displaying courtesy to all women; and spreading goodness throughout Britain.

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