Two years later that which Merlin had foreseen took place, and King Uther fell sick and lay dying, with his good Queen Igraine weeping at his bedside. Then Merlin came to see the king at the head of all the nobles and asked, "Is it your wish that Arthur, your son, should be king when you are gone?" And before all the great lords gathered there, King Uther said, "That is my wish and my command." After that he spoke no more, but died. And soon Queen Igraine was also dead, for she did not long survive her lord. And again as Merlin had foreseen, once the land was without a strong man to rule it, the nobles fell to quarrelling amongst themselves and gathering each of them his own army and marching against his neighbor; and in the heart of each one was the thought, "Wherever he is, what is this child Arthur to me? Surely I myself am more fitted to be king than any other in the land? And so it went on for many years with all Britain in great turmoil and distress.

But in the house of Sir Ector, young Arthur grew into a handsome lad, courteous and brave; skilled in horsemanship and all knightly feats, obeying and honouring those whom he thought his parents, and ever loving his supposed brother, Kay. Often Merlin would come to Ector's house and talk with Arthur, telling him strange and marvelous things and teaching him much that a king should know; though Arthur guessed not why he was thus favored by one whose wisdom had been respected by a monarch.

When Arthur was some fourteen years old, Merlin caused, by his enchantments, a large stone to appear before the great church in London. Upon this stone was an anvil, and thrust into the anvil was written in letters of gold, "He who draws forth this sword is the rightful king of Britain."

When the people saw this, they all marveled and many tried to draw forth the sword, but they all failed. Therefore ten knights were chosen to guard the stone and the anvil day and night, that they might keep watch for him who was to be their king.

Soon after, a great tournament and jousting were proclaimed in London for New Year's day, and knights came from over the land to try their skill at arms, many amongst them hoping to draw the sword from the anvil.

Kay, recently ordained a knight, was eager to show his skill before strangers and wished to test his courage in the tourneying, so he begged his father permission to travel to London to take part in the great gathering. To this Sir Ector agreed and set forth together with Arthur as squire to the newly ordained knight.

On the day of the jousting, the three of them rode to the place of the contests; but in his eagerness, Kay had forgotten his sword and left it at the inn. Upon arrival, Kay realized his mistake and commanded Arthur to ride back to the inn to fetch it for him.

He rode along the streets looking for someone from whom he might borrow a sword, but he saw no one at all. Just as Arthur was despairing, he saw before him the great church, and there, in front of it, the stone with the anvil and sword.

Even the ten knights who guarded the stone were gone to the tourneying, so no one saw Arthur when he dismounted and walked up to the stone. He took hold of the hilt of the sword and gave a mighty pull, but to his surprise, the sword came out the anvil easily. He mounted his horse and galloped back to where Kay waited for him at the entrance to the tourney-ground. "Here is a sword for you brother," he said.

Kay looked at the sword and knew at once that it was the sword of the anvil, for he had stared at it the day before, wondering if he might try to draw it free. He went to Sir Ector and held out the sword. "Here is the sword from the anvil father. Am I to be king of all Britain?"

With wonder, Sir Ector asked him, "How did you come by it?"

Kay stared at the ground and slowly said, "My brother Arthur gave it to me."

Sir Ector summoned Arthur and questioned him, and Arthur said, "I drew it out from the anvil that my brother might not lack a sword. Have I done wrong?"

The three of them rode back to the church and Sir Ector and Kay tried to remove the sword after Arthur had put it back in the anvil. They both tried with all of their strength but could not budge it.

"Now Arthur shall try," said Sir Ector. And when Arthur set his hand to the hilt of the sword, he drew it forth with no effort.

Marveling, Sir Ector said, "You shall be king of Britain, Arthur."

"For what reason shall I be king, father?"

Sir Ector pointed to the letters of gold that were graven on the anvil, "Because it is decreed," he said. And he knelt before Arthur and Kay knelt beside him.

"Do not kneel to me, father," pleaded Arthur with distress.

"I am not your father, lord, said Ector. And he told Arthur of how Merlin had brought a little child to him wrapped in a cloth of gold. "And I thought then, and have thought ever since, that you came of nobler blood than I or mine," he said.

But when Arthur knew that he was not Sir Ector's son, and that Kay was not his brother, he wept and said, "You and your lady have ever been kind to me, and I could not have loved you more had you been my own parents, nor could I love Kay more were he truly my brother, and now I must lose you all?"

"You must be king," said Sir Ector gently, "for it is decreed, and only one who was a coward and worthless would shirk a duty God has set upon him."

Yet Arthur still wept. "I shall never forget all you have done for me. When I am indeed king, ask what you will of me, and it shall be yours."

"I am an old man," said Sir Ector, "and for myself I ask nothing. But there is Kay. If you would make him seneschal of all your household, then should I be well content."

"It shall be son," promised Arthur.

Afterwards, Arthur had to replace the sword in the anvil, and then once again, in full sight of all the people gathered there, he had to draw it forth; and with one accord they called to him as their rightful king and all the lords who were weary of the quarrelling made peace and swore to follow Arthur, so that all the land was his.

His first deed when he was crowned was to fulfill his promise to Sir Ector, and make Kay his seneschal, the chief lord of all his household.

Good Sir Ector and his lady died soon after, but Sir Kay the Seneschal grew up to have a bitter tongue which he took no pains to curb. He was quick to anger, and his ungracious ways lost him many a friend; but Arthur always loved him, and for himself, not merely for the remembrance of the childhood they had passed together. And for his part, Kay loved Arthur jealously, serving him with devotion even while he criticized what he chose to regard as folly: the king's rashness in danger, his unfailing generosity, and the trust he showed to all.

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