Sprout Reads Arthuriana

Characters

Arthur

Griflet, but not that Griflet - this one is younger

Merlin

King Pellinore

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Summary

Griflet asks Arthur to knight him so that he can go avenge Sir Miles by jousting the knight by the well who mortally wounded their guy. Merlin says that the knight he'd be challenging is way out of the boy's league and he should just forget it because it would be a shame if the kid died - he would grow up to be a great knight.

Arthur considers this before asking Griflet, who is basically his age, to pinkie swear that he'll come back as soon as he's unhorsed. Griflet promises, and Arthur knights him.

Griflet rides out to the well and challenges the massive knight who is hanging out there. The knight looks at him and says "Hey man, I'd rather not kill you, so maybe don't do that." Griflet demands the challenge, and the knight obliges.

The joust goes predictably. Griflet is struck so hard that his shield is split in two, and both he and his horse fall.

Characters

Arthur

Ygraine

Ulfius

Merlin

Ector

Griflet, but not that Griflet this one is younger

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Summary

Ulfius stands and accuses Ygraine of treason for not speaking up that Arthur was her son sooner. He blames her for the ensuing wars over his legitimacy.

Ygraine, with an unbelievable level of patience, declines to duel Ulfius about the allegations. She instead turns it onto Ulfius and Merlin, saying that they knew better than she what happened to her son. Merlin had Arthur taken away when he was just born, and she had no way of knowing Arthur was indeed her son or not.

Merlin and Ector both confirm what Ygraine says, and mysteriously aren't accused of treason for not saying anything sooner. Arthur, on the other hand, isn't concerned about any of that. He embraces his mother and kisses her, and celebrates the Queen Mother's arrival with a feast that lasts eight days.

Nobody gets in trouble for treason, and instead it seems like everyone is having a great time until a bloodied squire shows up and reports his knight, sir Miles, is dead.

Everyone starts clamoring over what to do until a young squire steps forward. His name is Griflet, but he's not *that* Griflet - This one is about Arthur's age - and requests that he be knighted so he may go and avenge the death of Miles.

Characters

Arthur

Pellinore

Merlin

Ulfius

Brastias

Ygraine

Morgan le Fay

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Summary

Pellinore and Arthur are talking when a woodsman brings Arthur a fresh horse - but Pellinore hops on it and thanks him. Arthur protests, but Pellinore reveals the horse actually belongs to him.

Arthur offers to take up Pellinore's quest for a year to give him a break, but Pellinore insists that it will only be him who catches the beast, or his son should he perish before seeing that happen. He takes off, leaving Arthur alone again and without a horse.

While Arthur is resting by this well, he's approached by a boy younger than him who asks why he's so sad, which Arthur responds to with basically "...stuff." The boy then says he knows who Arthur is, and knows his father. Arthur is pissed and tells him to leave him be.

An old man then comes to the well and asks Arthur the same question - why are you so sad? Arthur says that, among other things, a weird kid said he knew Arthur's biological father. The old man confirms that yes, that is in fact correct.

Unsurprisingly, this is Merlin, who can't resist turning into other people only to immediately reveal himself. He then tells Arthur that he just had a child with his half-sister by his mother Ygraine, and as a punishment from God he will be killed by that child. What a fun lil way to deliver horrific news!

Arthur says that Merlin may be a magician, but that he does not plan on dying on the battlefield. Merlin assures the boy king that his death will at least be glorious, unlike his own where he will be buried alive indignantly.

Arthur returns to Carlion, where he asks Ulfius and Brastias who his parents are. They both confirm that his parents are, in fact, Uther Pendragon and the lady Ygraine. Arthur doesn't buy it.

Characters

Arthur

Morgause

Gawain

Gaheris

Agravine

Gareth

Pellinore

The Questing Beast

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Summary

Arthur heads back to Carlion from Cameliard after parting ways with Ban, Bors and Leodegrance. Once back, he meets Morgause, who is married to King Lot of Lothian and Orkney. She's accompanied by her four sons who are important later but mostly just get passing mention now (doing my boy Gawain dirty).

Morgause was ostensibly sent to deliver a message to Arthur, but actually is there as a spy. Arthur, being literally a teenager, sees a hot woman in her 20s who seems really interested in him. He propositions her, not knowing she is his half-sister by Ygraine. The resulting incest leads to the birth of Mordred, certified eventual Arthur-killer. Bummer, dude. Morgause sticks around for about a month before heading back to Orkney with her kids.

Arthur has a hard time sleeping. He dreams that serpents and griffons raze his kingdom, burning everything before he finally manages to slay them.

In the morning, he needs to shake off his bad dream so he takes some knights on a hunting trip.

On this hunt, he sees a marvelous deer and sets off after it.

The deer is so fast and runs so long that Arthur's horse collapses, exhausted.

He rests by a spring, when he hears a bizarre sound (the book describes it as the sound of 30 hounds at once, but I'm taking artistic license. I think the point is it's a weird sound)

Across the water, he sees a strange creature - the questing beast! A Bizarre creature with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the front legs of a hart and the back legs of a deer.

After drinking some water, the beast lets out its strange cry again before sprinting off into the brush. Not long after, a burly man erupts from the brush on foot. He says he's pursuing a strange beast and describes it to Arthur, who points him in the direction of his quarry. The man laments that his horse died of exhaustion during the hunt before crashing through the brush after it. This guy, King Pellinore, would spend his entire life chasing the questing beast without catching it.

Characters

King Arthur

King Ban

King Bors

King Leodegrance

Guinevere

Merlin

King Uriens

King Idres

King Nentres

King Rience

Nero

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Summary

King Arthur and his besties Ban and Bors make their way to King Leodegrance, who is under siege from King Rience of North Wales.

Leodegrance is thrilled to see Arthur, Ban and Bors and hosts them in his castle of Cameliard. It's there that Arthur first sees Guinevere, whom he immediately falls for (never mind that he literally just had a kid with Sanam last chapter, he's a child this makes sense).

While they're talking, Ban and Bors begin to head back to Benwick and deal with Claudas. Arthur begins to leave with them, but they tell him he should stay and take care of stuff in Britain. They'll take the plunder he gave them to amass an army, and they'd call on him if they need him. They also extend the offer that if he needs them again he can reach out to them again. This is where Merlin makes his presence known, confirming that they will definitely need his help down the line.

Merlin's prophecy is as follows (paraphrased for the sake of clarity):

In a year or two, the brothers will need Arthur's help, and he will come down in force and strike their enemies down. The eleven kings will all in a single day fall to two knights - brothers from their kingdom named Balin and Balan.

Meanwhile, the eleven kings seethe as they hideout in Sorhaute, a city in King Uriens' domain. They are badly injured and receiving medical attention as they learn of the attack from the Saracens on their shores: 40,000 men at least.

With Rience busy with King Leodegrance, they resolve to take a defensive posture. They maintain an allegiance with King Rience and another guy named Nero who are actively still harassing Leodegrance, but otherwise they put Kings Idres and Nentres in different cities to watch over the land and sea while the others take their remaining forces to handle the attacking Saracens.

Character

To be frank, there are a ton of guys named here including ones we've never heard of before so I'm just going to list the ones we *have* heard of because these sections are getting stupidly long

Arthur

King Ban

King Bors

Lionses

Phariance

Ulfius

Brastias

Ector

Kay

Lucas the butler

Griflet

Merlin

Bleise

King Leodegrance

King Rience

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Summary

Arthur and Kings Ban and Bors praise their gaggle of remaining knights (the text says forty, but I think this might be forty in the biblical sense, meaning "a lot") for their chivalry and feats of arms on the battlefield. After the pep talk, the knights charge to meet the eleven kings' army in battle once again (this time they only have their cavalry).

The knights charge, and the three kings join the fray. The rebel army is pushed back across a little river, when Merlin shows up and tell Arthur he's already done well enough.

In the aftermath, Merlin points out that his 30,000 men have become 15,000. Arthur may have been pressing the attack, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. He also mentions the kings of the north have other problems they may not be privy to yet - namely that 40,000 Saracens have landed in their lands to raid.

Merlin advises the boy king to give the bulk of the spoils of war to Kings Ban and Bors for their service so they may distribute it to their knights, as well as reward his own men for their valor. Arthur, deferring to Merlin, agrees and the army heads back. Merlin takes his leave, heading to his master Bleise in Northumberland to tell him of Arthur's battle so he may record it.

After dictating the story of the battle to Bleise, Merlin gets up to his classic shenanigans. He disguises himself as an old trapper, covered in dark furs and wearing big boots. He approaches Arthur and asks for a gift. Arthur initially brushes himself off, asking why he should. In his usual way, Merlin makes a cryptic threat about him losing everything.

Ulfius and Brastias look at each other, immediately clocking the wizard as being up to his usual antics, and tell Arthur, who is suitably embarrassed for comporting himself so poorly in front of Merlin.

Later during the festivities, Arthur meets a beautiful woman! No, it's not the one you think. It's probably not the other one either. This woman's name is Sanam, and she's the daughter of an unnamed earl at the festivities. Like father like son, he comes onto her, but unlike Ygraine with his dad Sanam returns the affections and they have a child out of wedlock named Borre.

Characters

Ban of Benwick

Bors of Gaul

Lot

Arthur

The King of the Hundred Knights

The rest of the kings, but they're mostly referred to in aggregate so don't worry about it.

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As Lot marvels at Bors' capacity for intense acts of violence, Ban charges into the scene. The brothers leave destruction and gore in their wake. It was like this (Ban has the red shield, Bors has the blue shield)

Seeing the havoc they're wreaking and tired of being "the guy who rescues guys and horses," the King of the Hundred Knights rushes Ban and gets him with his spear.

The thing is, Ban is a badass, and in response to his charge the King of the Hundred Knights has Ban bearing down on him with a blow mighty enough to split his shield and his horse!

The King of the Hundred Knights retaliates, stabbing Ban's horse dead before retreating.

Lucky for Ban, Arthur was nearby and saw him get unhorsed

Arthur finds a random knight, kills him in a single blow and takes his horse to Ban.

Meanwhile, despite getting their asses handed to them left and right, the rebel kings (and Duke Eustace) refuse to back down.

Lot explains that they will shift to a cavalry-only strategy, and also for good measure they should kill anyone on their side who seems afraid or like they want to leave.

Characters:

Arthur

Lucas

King Agwisance

Bloias de La Flandres

Gwinas

King Ban

King Bors

Briant

Bellias of Flanders (wait... Is this just Bloias de La Flandres??)

Lot

Nentres

Brandegoris

Idres

Uriens

Kay

Griflet

Ulfius

Brastias

Ector

Eustace of Cambenet

Cradelment

Clariance of Northumberland

King with the Hundred Knights

Lionses

Phariance

Bleoberis

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Summary

Lucas the butler sees the Irish King Agwisance kill Moris de la Roche and runs at him with his spear hard enough to knock him and his horse over. That's right we're still doing horse stuff!

While in the fray, Lucas saw Bellias of Flanders and Sir Gwinas, who are additional knights on Arthur's side in the fighting, and gets them some horses from unnamed low-rank knights. The text makes a point of mentioning that though the fighting is terribly hard on both sides, Arthur is glad to see his men on horses again. Did I mention last chapter they said the word "horse" or some variant of it (e.g. horsed, horses) over 40 times in 3 pages?? Anyway, no more horsing around - back to the fight!

Ban and Bors stand ready with their knights, who are so horny for violence they're literally shaking waiting for the go ahead to join the fray. Meanwhile, Lucas starts to form his own little squad within the battle. This posse consists of big names such as:

Gwinas, the guy from earlier!

Briant, some other guy we haven't heard about before!

Bellias of Flanders, also from just a bit ago!

The group finds themselves against six of the kings: Lot, Nentres, Brandegoris, Ides, Uriens and Agwisance. Eventually they are joined by actually important knights, Kay and Griflet! They press the attack against the kings, who are on the back foot.

Arthur himself takes to the field, slaying 20 knights and wounding Lot as he rides past, but leaves Kay and Griflet with the boys to win their own glory against the kings.

Ulfius, Brastias and Ector (the old guys squad), on the other hand, find themselves against the rest of the rebel kings (and one marvelous Duke): Eustace of Cambenet, Cradelment of North Wales, Clariance of Northumberland, King Carados, and the King with the Hundred Knights. They clash with these kings until the retreating Lot comes to them, wounded but not done yet. He tells the kings that with the way things are going presently they will lose. He devises a new strategy (I'm not sure when this happens, because I assume the old guys squad is right there??): He will take about half of the remaining men to retreat and rejoin the fighting after the half that stays tires them out. They agree on the game plan and Lot sets off with the King with the Hundred Knights, Agwisance, Idres and Duke Eustace of Cambenet. However, they're in for a surprise!

Ban and Bors signal the charge, leading their ambush into the fray. Lionses and Phariance from the tournament take the vanguard and engage King Idres in combat. Idres begins to worry, seeing his men around him falling left and right. Agwisance and Eustace see the position Idres is in and begin to ride to his aid.

Bors, however, knows the danger his two knights are in and rides in with a terrifying fury. Lot immediately sees Bors and realizes the position they are all in, and begins saying a prayer on the battlefield.

The King with the Hundred Knights asks him who the rider is, and he tells him that Bors of Gaul is a legendary warrior, and he wonders how he made it into Britain without them knowing (a knight tells him Merlin did it, but given there have been no knights in the conversation yet I like to think this is Merlin just hanging out being weird). King Carados says that he will engage Bors, and asks for Lot to back him up when he needs it.

Bors' godson Bleoberis (whose name makes me giggle like an idiot) is serving among Bors' bodyguards, bearing his standard. Bors, excited to test the mettle of these northern knights, immediately skewers a knight on his spear and kills him instantly. Drawing his sword, he engages the rest of the host and eventually Carados is struck down. However, before he is killed he is rescued by the King with the Hundred Knights, who is the best team player on the rebels' side.

Characters

Arthur

King Ban

King Bors

Merlin

Ulfius

Brastias

Duke Eustace of Cambenet (Previously just called The Duke of Cambenet)

King Clariance of Northumberland

Kay

Griflet

Lucas the butler

King Brandegoris

King Idres

King Agwisance

King Nentres

King Lot

The King with the Hundred Knights

Pinel

Melot de la Roche

Gwimart de Bloi

Clariance de la Forest Savage (not to be confused with King Clariance who is also present)

Ector

King Cradelment of North Wales

Sir Morganore

Lardans

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Summary

Ooooh boy does Malory not skimp on named characters during battles. Arthur's army attacks right at the end of the previous chapter, and this battle is chaotic right out the gate. The pavilions that the kings were sleeping in were knocked down on top of them, and by the time morning came around 10,000 men were dead already.

However, to deal with the numbers advantage that the eleven kings had, Merlin hatches a plan with kings Arthur, Ban and Bors. The french kings go to their host of 10,000 men hiding in the woods and wait, so that the rebel kings believe Arthur only to have 20,000 men and get overconfident. Then, after day breaks, they join the fray, fresh and ready for battle. Ulfius and Brastias are tasked with taking 3,000 men of arms to cut off any tactical withdrawals, where they hold the line and slay countless enemies.

The eleven kings, humiliated by how outclassed they are, take to the field in a rage. It is here where we begin to play Battlefield Musical Chairs!

Ulfius has his horse slain from under him, and begins fighting on foot. He is holding is own, but Duke Eustace of Cambenet and King Clariance of Northumberland have it out for him. As they move to attack him, Brastias rushes in and strikes the duke hard enough to knock both him and his horse down. Clariance turns his attention to the incensed Brastias, and they ride at each other hard enough that both of them fall to the ground with their horses (whose knees break, leaving both men *also* without a horse).

Sir Kay the seneschal joins the fray with his six buddies that seem to always be with him, cleaning up like they did during the tournament. He sees Griflet and Lucas the butler knocked to the ground, horse and man, by Kings Brandegoris, Idres and Agwisance.

Seeing Griflet on foot, Kay rides to King Nentres, knocks him off of his horse, and brings that horse to get him back in the fight. Kay then sees King Lot and strikes him hard as well. The King of the Hundred Knights rides to Lot's aid, strikes down Kay and takes his horse to give to Lot.

I have made a rudimentary aid to show what is happening right now. Squares are knights, triangles are horses (with the owner's knight listed on them):

Griflet rides through the battle and sees that Kay is without a horse, so he finds Pinel (just a guy, as far as I can tell - the book introduces him as "a good man of arms"), kicks him of *his* horse, and passes it off to Kay:

Lot, in similar fashion, sees that Nentres is unhorsed. He runs to Melot de la Roche (another guy we have not heard about before), knocks him down and takes his horse to pass off to Nentres.

The King of the Hundred Knights, not content to just be "that guy who had a bad dream," rescues Idres (who apparently ended up on foot at some point?) by bringing him a horse that he took from Gwimiart de Bloi:

Lot then strikes down Clariance de la Forest Savage and gives his horse to Duke Eustace. Uh-Oh! It would appear things are looking dire for Ulfius and Brastias, who are still on foot as the last king present is re-horsed. (Sorry Clariance, apparently you don't get a horse).

The kings swear revenge for the damage they've taken, but they are interrupted mid-synchronized monologue by Ector, bold and eager to fight despite his age. He is joined by Arthur, who slices through King Cradelment of North Wales, giving that horse to Ulfius. Oh! We aren't done! Cradelment is still up, if wounded, and who should ride to his aid but the King of the Hundred Knights, certified horse-getter! He strikes down Old Man Ector, taking his horse and handing it off to Cradelment before he can get injured any further.

Arthur, seeing Cradelment on Ector's horse, is so furious that he strikes Cradelment with enough force to break through a quarter of his helmet and shield, killing the horse! C'mon, man! The horse didn't want this!

Back to Kay, he finds Sir Morganore, seneschal to the King of the Hundred knights, and takes *his* horse to Ector, his father, who then mugged another knight named Lardans and took his horse to Brastias who "great need had of an horse," filthy and covered in dirt and blood.

Now we're in business! Brastias, newly horsed, sees Griflet rescue Lucas, who has fourteen knights on him. Really? Fourteen knights for the butler???

Brastias rides in to support, leaving a wave of gore behind him. He strikes through the top of the helm down to his teeth, takes another arm off which goes flying, took another guy's shoulder and arm off, and was a veritable storm of blood and body parts on the field.

Griflet, seeing Brastias absolutely clean house, takes one of the now-knightless horses and props Lucas on it, bidding him to "revenge his hurts," supporting Brastias in his butchery.

Characters:

Merlin

Arthur

The King of the Hundred Knights

King Ban of Benwick

King Bors of Gaul

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Merlin advises that Arthur's forces send fore-riders to scout ahead before the battle. They run into the fore-riders from the North, who are *also* scouting before the battle.

Arthur's scouts learn where the eleven kings are preparing for war, and proceed to ride back to tell the kings.

Meanwhile, the King with the Hundred Knights is asleep in his field-pavilion thing, and he's not sleeping well.

In his dream, a terrible wind blows down all their castles and towns, and a great flood washes the wreckage away. He wakes up to the sound of scouts yelling that they are under attack from Arthur's forces in the dead of night!

The villains of this story all gather, bitter about their loss at Carlion.

The rest of the chapter, various kings commit various amounts of men of arms (🏇 is just being used as shorthand for "men of arms on horseback because thats a lot to keep writing):

The Duke of Cambenet: 5000 🏇

King Brandegorus of Stranggore: 5000 🏇

King Clariance of Northumberland: 3000

King of the Hundred Knights: 4000 🏇

King Lot, of Lothian and Orkney: 7000🏇

King Urience: 6000🏇

King Idres of Cornwall: 5000🏇

King Cradelmas: 5000 🏇

King Agwisance of Ireland: 5000🏇

King Nentres: 5000🏇

King Carados: 5000 🏇

So for those of us who are counting at home, that should make 55,000 men of arms on horseback, right? Check my math here. Because apparently this doesnt make 52,000 men on horseback and 3,000 on foot but instead 50,000 men on horseback and 10,000 men on foot! That math isn't mathing!

The Kings take their armies and march onto Castle Bedegraine, which is one of Arthur's.