When King Uther Pendragon heard news that his Queen had given birth to a healthy son, his thoughts leapt forward to a mighty kingdom under the red banner of the Pendragon. But great was his rage when he learned that Merlin, his advisor and sage, had claimed the babe as payment for his service and fled with the child into the night. And though the King searched for many years, he heard no more than rumor about the whereabouts of Merlin or the royal prince. As Uther fell ill with age, he saw strife emerging between his commanders and rival Kings, as each sought to position himself for the King's inevitable end. But hope came from an unexpected quarter. In Uther's final days, a mysterious stone appeared in the countryside. No ordinary stone, this -- for a hero's blade was embedded within it, its hilt raised toward the sky, and carved in perfect letters upon the stone were the words: "Whosoever draws me shall be the true King of all Britain."

The squabbling began as soon as the bells pealed Uther's passing: each petty King sought power over his neighbors, and every man with a strong arm sought to draw the Kingsword from the stone. But the blade held fast. Years passed, and men found other ways of loudly claiming their rights to the throne -- particularly in fierce tournaments of arms. One such contest was held near the all-but-forgotten Kingsword; it was attended by an acerbic young man named Sir Kay and his squire and foster brother Arthur. Proud Kay quickly loosed his harsh tongue when he discovered that his wide-eyed squire had not brought a sword for him -- and he sent Arthur off with a kick and a shout to return with a weapon suitable for his brother's honour. Not wishing to bring shame upon the family which had raised him, Arthur searched all around the encampment... until he spied a sword, wrapped in vines, rising unattended from a boulder. Looking around to ensure it was unclaimed, Arthur quickly grasped it and slid it out easily.
Returning just before Kay's first battle, he pushed the sword into his brother's waiting glove and watched him ride out onto the field. But all heads turned when the unknowing knight hoisted the glittering Kingsword in salute to his opponent. A great outcry began which brought men rushing from all over the encampment: "Where did you get this?" they cried to Kay. "Is this boy to be our King?" they scoffed. Kay puffed up his chest and, seizing the moment, claimed the sword as his own. He foolishly offered to draw it again for those assembled, and the whole encampment followed Kay back to the stone. But once replaced, the sword would not budge for Kay's hand, and he was forced to admit that his squire had pulled it for him. Hands pushed Arthur forward, and the young man quietly drew the Kingsword once more. After a moment of stunned silence, the cries of "Cheat!" and "He is just a boy!" began, only to be silenced by a deafening thunderclap -- then Merlin the Sorceror stood before them for the first time in nearly twenty years.
"You see before you the true-born son of Uther Pendragon, your King," he intoned in a voice which made more than one man in the crowd quail. "He will rule by right of blood, and by right of the sword. You will not be disappointed by his valor, untested though he is. I say to you now, Arthur Pendragon is your King!"
The bells pealed once again across the land, for Britain had found her ruler at last -- one who could lead a unified assault against her enemies from across the sea. But one heart did not rejoice at the tidings... and Morgan, half sister to Arthur, set her dark plans in motion.