MINNEAPOLIS - 1989 - MOVIE THEATER SHOWING "THE SWORD IN THE STONE"
A young Emma was escorted with her foster siblings into the theater.
"Okay, come on," a woman said. "Everybody stick together."
Indistinct conversations sounded.
Arthur said, "Archimedes, look. Merlin, look, I'm a squire!"
"Oh, uh, very nice, boy," Archimedes replied. "Yes, indeed. A fine monkey suit for polishing boots. A stooge for that big lug Kay. It's what all the squires wear. And I thought you were going to amount to something. I thought you had a few brains."
Emma stole a candy bar from someone's pocket.
"Don't," the attendant warned.
"What?" Emma asked.
"Don't."
"I'm sorry."
"I wasn't talking about the candy bar, Emma."
"How do you know my name?"
"I know many things. And I'm here to tell you, don't let her do it."
"I don't understand."
"When you do something that you're not supposed to do, even if you do it for the right reasons, bad things will happen, Emma. Bad things."
The theater screen showed an animated young Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone.
The Attendant continued. "One day, your friend will have the opportunity to remove Excalibur from its stone, but she must not. Leave the sword alone."
"Shh!" a girl said.
Emma turned back and the Attendant was gone.
CAMELOT
Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival raced on horses through the forest to the shore.
"Is this the place, Lancelot?" King Arthur asked.
"Have faith, Arthur," Lancelot said. "Merlin's prophecy was quite clear. This is it."
"The prophecy isn't what I'm worried about. Someone beat us here." They drew swords and approached the sword in the stone.
"You're too late," Kay told them.
"Sir Kay, do not give into dark temptations. That sword is not yours to take."
"Why not? Because of some prophecy from some old wizard? So I should accept you as my king? No thank you. I just need to take what I want, and then I shall be the greatest king in all the realms." Kay moved to take the sword from the stone. It didn't budge, and he exploded into a dust cloud.
"Your turn," Lancelot said.
"I suppose it is," King Arthur stated, removing the sword from the stone easily. However, the curvy tip of the sword had already been broken off.
"Where's the rest of it?"
"This is all there is."
"How can you take the throne with half the sword?" Percival questioned. "What will you tell the people?"
"Nothing. All they need know is they have a king. In the meantime, we have a new quest to begin. We must make Excalibur whole!"
The sword tip was decorated with the same metal filigree as the Dark One dagger.
YOU ARE READING
Sound of Surviving
FantasyNevaeh and her family are transported to another world. One is cursed to forget and two are cursed to remember. A young boy brings his biological mother to his hometown, and everything everyone knew quickly changes. [Tuesday updates (for the time be...
