湖中剑与圆桌武士

Frightened by the size of the rebel army, Arthur turned to the one man he trusted completely: the wise old wizard Merlin. 'They call me a child,' Arthur said, his voice heavy with worry. 'Perhaps they are right. How can I lead men who are twice my age into battle?' Merlin placed a gentle hand on the young king's shoulder. 'A true king is not measured by the number of his years,' Merlin answered, 'but by the courage in his heart and the wisdom he seeks from others. Trust the sword that chose you, and trust yourself.'

Arthur gathered every loyal knight he could find, though his small force was badly outnumbered. On the morning of the battle, he rode to the front of his men, lifted the ancient sword high above his head, and shouted words of courage across the field. His men, inspired by his fearless spirit, fought with all their strength. Arthur himself charged into the thickest fighting, and though he was young, he fought like a seasoned warrior, striking down enemy after enemy.

In the middle of the fiercest fighting, disaster struck. Arthur's blade, the very sword that had proven his right to the crown, snapped cleanly in two against an enemy's shield. Without a weapon, Arthur was suddenly in terrible danger, surrounded by enemy soldiers. A brave knight named Sir Kay rushed to protect him, and together they fought their way back to safety, though the broken sword now lay useless in Arthur's hand.

That night, exhausted and shaken, Arthur confessed his fear to Merlin. 'My sword is broken,' he said quietly. 'Without it, how can I continue to lead my men?' Merlin smiled a mysterious smile. 'Come with me,' he said. 'There is another sword waiting for you, one far greater than the sword of the stone.' Merlin led Arthur through a dark forest until they reached a still, silver lake, its surface as smooth and quiet as glass under the moonlight.

As they stood at the water's edge, the lake began to glow with a strange, beautiful light. Suddenly, an arm rose from the very center of the water, dressed in shining white cloth, holding a magnificent sword above the surface. The blade shone brighter than any star, its golden hilt covered in jewels that sparkled even in the darkness. 'That,' Merlin whispered, 'is the Lady of the Lake. Row out to her, and ask for the sword. Its name is Excalibur.'

Arthur found a small boat resting among the reeds and rowed silently across the still water. As he came close, the mysterious hand offered him the sword, and a gentle voice spoke from beneath the surface. 'Take Excalibur, young king,' the voice said, 'and use it always for justice, never for cruelty or greed. When you return it to me one day, your journey will be complete.' Arthur reached out and grasped the hilt. The moment his fingers closed around it, the arm sank silently back beneath the water and vanished.

Along with the sword, Arthur discovered a scabbard of soft leather threaded with gold. 'Guard that scabbard as carefully as the blade itself,' Merlin warned him. 'While you wear it, no wound shall ever cause you to bleed to death, however fierce the battle.' Arthur fastened Excalibur to his belt and felt new strength and confidence flow through him, as though the ancient magic of Britain itself now stood beside him.

With Excalibur shining at his side, Arthur returned to his army and led them into the final battle against the rebel lords. His men, seeing the legendary sword blazing in the sunlight, fought with renewed courage, and one by one, the rebel armies were defeated or persuaded to swear loyalty to their true king. Peace slowly returned to the troubled kingdom, and even the proudest barons finally knelt before Arthur, recognizing at last that destiny itself had chosen him.

In the years that followed, Arthur built a magnificent castle at Camelot, the finest in all of Britain, with tall white towers that could be seen from many miles away. There he fell in love with a gentle, clever woman named Guinevere, daughter of King Leodegrance, and the two were soon married in a joyful ceremony attended by lords from every corner of the kingdom. As a wedding gift, Leodegrance gave Arthur something far more valuable than gold: a magnificent round table, carved from a single piece of ancient oak, large enough to seat one hundred knights.

Arthur understood at once why the round shape mattered so deeply. At an ordinary table, one seat always sits above the others, and the greatest lord takes the finest chair while lesser men wait behind him. But a round table has no head and no foot, no first seat and no last. Every knight who sat there, whether a duke's son or a poor farmer's boy, would be equal in honor and equal in voice. Arthur summoned the bravest, noblest knights from across the land, including a skilled young warrior named Sir Lancelot, who quickly became one of the king's most trusted and beloved friends.

Around that famous round table, Arthur and his knights pledged solemn oaths: to protect the weak, to show mercy to the defeated, to speak the truth always, and to never fight for cruelty or personal glory, but only for justice. From Camelot, the knights rode out across Britain on countless quests, rescuing travelers from danger, defending villages from monsters and cruel lords, and searching for ancient treasures and lost wonders. Word of their courage and fairness spread to every kingdom, and people began to say that Camelot was the finest place in the whole world, where honor and justice ruled above all else.

One famous quest became a favorite tale told throughout Britain for generations. A terrible giant had begun terrorizing a small village near the coast, stealing sheep and cattle, and frightening every farmer who lived nearby. When word reached Camelot, Sir Lancelot volunteered at once, riding for three full days without rest until he reached the giant's rocky cave. The giant, twice as tall as any man, laughed at the sight of a single knight standing alone at his door. But Lancelot fought bravely and cleverly, using the narrow cave entrance to his advantage, and after a long and difficult struggle, he finally defeated the monster and freed the frightened villagers from years of fear.

When Lancelot returned to Camelot, he refused any gold or treasure as a reward. 'I did not fight for riches,' he told Arthur simply. 'I fought because those villagers needed help, and a knight of the round table protects those who cannot protect themselves.' Arthur smiled with deep pride, for this was exactly the kind of knight he had always hoped to gather around his table. Stories like this one spread across every corner of the kingdom, inspiring young boys and girls everywhere to dream of one day becoming knights themselves, brave and selfless, just like the heroes of Camelot.

Arthur ruled for many long years, guided always by Merlin's wisdom, protected always by Excalibur and its magic scabbard, and supported always by his beloved knights of the round table. Under his gentle but firm hand, the endless wars that had once tormented Britain slowly faded into peace. Farmers could finally plant their fields without fear, merchants traveled safely along quiet roads, and children grew up hearing songs about their brave young king who had once been nothing more than a humble country boy. To this day, storytellers across the world still remember Camelot's golden age, and the boy who pulled a sword from a stone to become the greatest king Britain had ever known.