Tuesday 25 October 2022

The Ancient Sword of My Fathers


He comes in through
My Window at night.
He's Real.

He's getting to Know Me, now.
He Speaks to Me.

He Says He wants to Be Me 
or He'll Kill Me.




....you never HAVE had a single Original Thought 
in your entire Life, have you....?





Arthur :
Merlyn, What Have I Done?

Merlyn :
You have broken...
...what could not be broken.
Hope is Broken.

Arthur :
My PRIDE Broke it.
My RAGE Broke it.

This excellent Knight, who fought 
with Fairness and Grace
was meant to win --
I used Excalibur to 
Change that Verdict.

I have lost for all Time
The Ancient Sword of My Fathers...
whose Power was meant to Unite ALL Men,
not to serve the Vanity of a single Man.

I am nothing.

The Lady of the Lake.
Take it!
Excalibur.
Is it true?
Take it! Quickly!
Thanks be to God, You're alive.
I, the Best Knight in the world, Bested!
This is a Great day.
For My search is over, My King.
Make Me your champion.
But your life and lands are far from here.
I give up My castle and My lands.
Here is My domain...
...within this metal skin.
And I pledge all that I still own:
Muscle, bone, blood,
and the Heart that pumps it.
And a Great Heart it is.
Sir Lancelot, You Will be My champion.
We killed every one of them!
Burnt their ships!
Lancelot, how'd You fare in the North?
We spared a few to tell what fate they met
at Arthur's hands.
- And You, Uryens?
- Victory!
Lot, and You?
We drove the invaders back into the sea.
Gawain, You?
The East is ours again.
The West is free and with us.
The wars are over!
One Land, one King!
Peace!
Stand back!
Be silent.
Be still.
That's It!.
And look upon this moment.
Savor it.
Rejoice with Great Gladness.
Great Gladness.
Remember it, always...
...for You are joined by it.
You are one, under the stars.
Remember it well then, this night...
...this Great victory...
...so that in the years ahead You can say:
'I was there that night,
with Arthur, The King.'
For it is the doom of men that they forget.
Your wisdom has forged this ring.
Hereafter,
so that We remember Our bonds...
...We shall always come together in a circle...
...to hear and tell of deeds good and brave.
I Will build a Round Table...
...where this fellowship shall meet.
And a hall about the table.
And a castle about the hall.
And I Will marry.
And The Land Will have an heir
to wield Excalibur.
Knights of the Round Table.
It's Sir Lancelot.
Lancelot, welcome.
This is a Great day.
Everything is prepared.
We'll leave at dawn.
Guenevere...
...here is Arthur's Greatest Knight
come to escort You to The King.
They want Me to ask You if...
...any one of them could win your Heart.
I'm a fighting Man.
I'm sworn to the Quest.
But surely there must be some lady
somewhere in the world who inspires You?
There is one.
Who is she?
Oh, go on, tell Me.
You.
You're teasing Me.
I Will Love You always.
I Will Love You as My Queen...
...and as the wife of My Best Friend...
...and while You live...
...I Will Love no other.
By the blood of Jesus Christ...
...I join You in marriage.
Man to WoMan.
King to Queen.
Arthur to Guenevere.
Don't You know Me, Lord Merlyn?
Morgana of Cornwall.
You have your Father's Eyes.
I remember You.
When My Brother, Arthur, was born
You came and took him away.
And now You leave his wedding.
Because I am a creature like You.
What is The Stone that burns?
Sulphur. To mix with mercury.
What is that root?
Mandrake.
The essence of it can prolong the act of Love.
And if too much is taken?
Pain and death.
That's It!.
Oh, You do know something of The Art.
Do You have the Sight?
Do You see The Future?
Sometimes, I dream of things that come to pass.
Look now.
What do You see?
What Will be?
I see a castle of Silver and Gold.
Up there.
That plan is well-known.
You'll have to do better than that.
It is a lonely way, You know.
The way of the necroMancer.
Yes, to know too much...
...'lacrimae mundi'...
...the tears of the world.
But the power? The joy?
Moments. Fleeting moments.
I can ease your loneliness.
Let Me help You. Teach Me.
The days of Our kind are numbered.
The one God comes to drive out the Many Gods.
The spirits of wood and stream...
...grow silent.
It's the way of things. Yes.
It's a time for men and their ways.
Run home to your mother, boy.
Take Me with You.
I want to be a Knight.
I'll find food for You.
Did You like the rabbit?
Do You know what it means
to serve a Knight who serves a King?
Jump up.
I'll run.
Listen boy...
...it's more than 20 days from here.
Twenty days! The world's not that big.
What's that?
Camelot, The King's castle.
- Cavalry!
- Lancelot, welcome.
Hey, Lot.
Hey, Lancelot. Great to see You.
Will You train this lad to be My squire?
Who'll give Me My armor and Sword?
Kitchen knives and greasy spits
shall be your weapons, boy.
To the kitchens.
Look!
Staying?
There's a meeting of the Round Table.
No. I can't.
Sorry, old fellow.
What're You doing here?
This is no place for an old Man.
I built it, dullard.
- All on your own?
- Yes, and for the likes of You, it seems.
Oh, well, then You can tell Me
the way to the kitchen.
Follow your nose.
I'm dreaming.
I must be dreaming.
Get away from there, boy.
Lancelot doesn't come, once more.
But We must fill his cup
to show Our Love for him.
Watch Guenevere.
Remember what I told You about them.
Your Eyes never leave Me, Merlyn.
Can't I acknowledge Beauty?
Can't You acknowledge Love?
Perhaps You ache for what You've never known.
Perhaps You lust for what You cannot have.
Cannot have, but You promised.
Your secrets.
You said You'd show Me everything.
I've shown You too much already.
Are You counselor to The King,
or to My Sister?
At your service, sir.
Then answer Me this.
For years peace has reigned in The Land.
Crops grow in abundance, there's no want.
Every one of My subjects enjoys
his portion of happiness and justice.
Tell Me, Merlyn, have We defeated Evil?
It seems We have.
Good and Evil,
there never is one without the other.
Where hides Evil, then, in My Kingdom?
Always...
...where You never expect it.
Always.
I know where.
Where, Sir Gawain?
I cannot say.
You must speak your Heart.
You sit at the Round Table.
Where is this Evil?
He's Our Best and bravest.
Why then is he never here?
Without Lancelot this Table is nothing.
Is there anyone here
who doesn't think him a god?
And now to be driven from us
by a WoMan's desire.
In the idleness that comes with peace,
I see that gossip has bred its own Evil.
I Will forgive your...
...hasty words.
Come.
Drink from Lancelot's cup
and partake of his goodness.
You dare accuse the Queen, Gawain?
I do!
I protest My innocence.
Were I not King, I would make You pay
with your life for what You've said.
- Will You not champion Me?
- I cannot.
I'm your King,
and I must be your judge in this.
Lancelot must do it.
He also stands accused.
I decree...
...that at sunrise two days from now...
...the champions Will meet,
and the Truth shall be known.
For by the law of God...
...no Knight who is false can win in combat...
...with one who is true.
You are the people I Love Best in the world.
- Then why can't You defend Me?
- The law!
My laws must bind everyone,
high and low, or they're not laws at all.
- You are My husband.
- I must be King first.
Before husband?
If need be.
Before Love?
Lord, We are innocent...
...but not in Our hearts.
To hold her once in My arms,
I would sacrifice everything:
Honor.
Truth. My sacred trust. God...
...save Me from myself,
purge Me of this Love...
...so that I can defend her.
I fight against myself.
Oh, God!
My Lord, the sun is upon the field.
The Queen has no champion.
I deMand justice, as is My right.
So it is.
Let Me champion the Queen!
Since no Knight comes forward,
I deMand justice.
Is there not one of You?
Let Me through.
Boy, kneel.
In The Name Of God...
...of Saint Michael...
...and Saint George...
...I make You a Knight.
Rise, Sir...
- Perceval.
... Perceval.
Lancelot!
It's My task, Perceval,
to prove the Queen's innocence.
I yield to your mercy, Lancelot.
The Queen is innocent!
Look at your laws now.
Look what they have done.
- Save him, Merlyn.
- He has no Will to live.
Bring him back, whatever the cost.
Whatever the cost! Do it!
So be it.
- Will he live?
- Oh, yes.
- Will Guenevere...?
- Yes.
- Merlyn, Will I ever have a son?
- Yes.
No riddles, nothing but a simple yes?
That frightens Me.
But a King should be afraid,
Arthur, always...
...of The Enemy waiting everywhere...
...in the corridors of his castle...
...on the deer paths of his forest...
...or in a more tangled forest...
...in here.

Welcome, welcome back.
Take your place again, Lancelot.
My Lord.

Look! Sir Lancelot! He's back!
No more going.
They miss the battlefield.
I think We do, too.
We have lost Our way, Arthur.

It is not easy for them without
the hard teaching of War and Quest.

It is only your example, Lancelot,
that binds them all.

Which is the Greatest quality of Knighthood?
Courage? Compassion? Loyalty?
Humility?
What do You say, Merlyn?
The Greatest?
Well, they blend like the metals We mix
to make a good Sword.
No poetry. Just a straight answer.
Which is it?
All right, then.
Truth. That's It!.
Yes. It must be Truth, above all.
When a Man lies,
he murders some part of the world.
You should know that.
I must take My rest in the forest.
Hasn't Merlyn mended your wound?
It is deep.
You'll be sorely missed. Heal yourself...
...and come back.
Do You still have the Sight, Merlyn?
Are they together?
Yes.
You warned Me of this, all those years ago.
What must I do now, kill them?
I can tell You nothing more.
My days are ended.
The Gods of once are gone forever.
It's a time for men.
It's your time, Arthur.
I need You now, more than ever.
No.
This is the moment
that You must face at last...
...to be King alone.
And You, old Friend?
Will I see You again?
No.
There are other worlds.
This one is done with Me.
That's It!.
Bat wing. Snake skin.
Is this all You've learned, Morgana?
To deal in potions and petty Evil.
And where have your meddling arts
brought the world?
To the edge of ruin.
I'm worn thin and threadbare.
I've tried to guide men,
or meddled in their afFairs...
...as You would have it, for far too long.
The time has come for Me to go.
Forgive Me. Where are You going?
Whence I came.
Merlyn, take Me with You.
The Charm of Making,
You swore to pass it to Me.
You think You're ready?
Are You worthy?
I am.
I am.
Then follow Me.
What is this place?
Here, You enter the coils of The Dragon.
Here, My power was born.
Here, all things are possible...
...and all things meet their opposites.
The Future?
And the past.
Desire?
And regret.
Knowledge?
And oblivion.
Love?
Oh, yes.
Look.
More.
Show Me more.
Show Me The Dragon.
Tell Me the sacred Charm of Making.
Even though such knowledge would burn...
...and blind You?
Then burn Me.
Look into the Eyes of The Dragon,
and despair.
I destroy You. I consign You to oblivion.
Arthur...
Excalibur, into the spine of The Dragon!
The Sword! The Land!
Yes, Merlyn. That's It!.
Set the world to rights.
Call The Dragon.
Mend The Sword.
Speak the Charm of Making.
You fool!
You thought You would trap Me.
You are trapped yourself, by the same
sorcery You used to deceive My mother.
You're nothing.
You're not a god, You're not a Man.
I shall find a Man and give birth to a god.
The King without a Sword!
The Land without a King!
Love Me.
Love Me.
- Guenevere...
- Forget and Love Me.
I have conceived a son, My King...
...My Brother.
I could kill You now, Brother.
But I want You to live to see Our son be King.
God save us from Morgana.
And save us from her unholy child.
Is he dead?
No, he lives.
A Knight...
Help us.
Help us, please.
We're dying. Our children are dying.
Where is The King?
Please, help us!
We must find what was lost.
The Grail...
Only The Grail can restore leaf and flower.
Search The Land...
...the labyrinths of the forests...
...to the edge of...
...within.
Only The Grail can redeem us.
Search.
Seek.
Where do We look for it?
Portents...
...signs...
...follow.
The King has Spoken.
I Will ride forth 
In The Name Of that Quest.
We Will find this Grail or Die.
Have You found it? 
The Grail.
It's Me, Perceval.
We Will never find it.
Gawain!
You seek what Arthur wants?
That thing they call 
The Grail?
- I do.
Then follow Me.
They were looking for it, too,
but they weren't good enough.
Mordred, My lovely, clever boy.
You have crossed the Great wasteland.
You are burning with thirst.
Drink.
For ten years and a day You have searched.
Is it so long?
And tell Me...
...have You found what You seek?
I have found nothing but sorrow and death.
I never thought to hear laughter again...
...till I saw this boy.
He promised Me The Grail.
Is it here?
You have searched too hard.
Take your ease.
Drink, and join with Me.
Bors! You're here!
Meliot! You, too.
You are alive.
There is no Grail,
as these good Knights have found.
They serve Me instead.
There are Many pleasures in the world,
Many cups to drink from...
...and they shall be yours. Drink.
No!
He's no good, Mother.
Take him to the tree.
No!
There is a Grail!
What is the secret of The Grail?
Who does it serve?
Arthur, the secret was in My grasp.
I failed You.
When am I going to be King, Mother?
When the time comes,
I Will send You to your Father.
You Will take what is yours
and then You Will be King.
No spear. No Sword.
No arrow.
No lance. No blade.
No weapon forged by Man...
...Will harm You whilst You wear this armor.
Any message for 
your dear Brother, My Father?
You are My message.
Keep a distance, Mordred.
I have come to claim what is mine, Father.
Show yourself.
I cannot give You The Land...
...only My Love.
That's the only thing of yours I don't want.
The Quest Knights have failed.
They're all dead.
You are dead, too.
I shall come back 
and take Camelot by force.
Uryens!
Renounce The King 
and I'll spare your life.
Never!
So be it.
Uryens...
I was afraid to help You.
Perceval, never give up The Quest.
I saw The Grail, Uryens.
It was in My grasp.
I failed.
You are the last of us. Try again.
I am not worthy.
You must... You...
Listen!
Follow.
They call You.
All around is death!
Death everywhere!
All of You Will come to death...
...for it is Our constant companion
through life as We trudge...
...through this weary...
...and tragic scene
of the valley of the Shadow of Death.
Look at the Great Knight!
Peace and plenty they promised.
But what did they give us instead?
Famine and pestilence.
- Lancelot, is it You?
- And death.
Because of their pride,
and because of their sin...
- It's Me, Perceval.
... God has left the world.
They made themselves God...
...and Christ has abandoned us.
Lancelot, won't You help us?
Come back to us, Lancelot!
Arthur needs You!
Lancelot!
I can't give up Hope, Lancelot.
It's all I have.

What is the secret of The Grail?
Who does it serve?
You, My Lord.
Who am I?
You are My Lord and King.
You are Arthur.
Have You found the secret...
...that I have lost?
Yes.
You and The Land are One.
You and The Land are One. 
Drink.
I am wasting away.
I cannot die 
and I cannot live.

Drink from the chalice.
You Will be Reborn 
and The Land with You.
Perceval...
...I didn't know how empty was My soul...
...until it was filled.
Arthur!
Ready My Knights for battle.
They Will ride with their King once more.
I have lived through others far too long.
Lancelot carried My honor
and Guenevere My guilt.
Mordred bore My sins.
My Knights have fought My causes.
Now, My Brother...
...I shall be King.
Guards!
Knights!
Squires!
Prepare for battle!
Guenevere...
...accept My forgiveness...
...and put your Heart to rest.
We've suffered too long.
I have always loved You, and still Love You.
I loved You as King...
...sometimes as husband...
...but one cannot gaze too long at the sun.
Forgive Me, My wife, if You can.
I was not born to live a Man's life...
...but to be the stuff of future memory.
The fellowship was a brief beginning...
...a Fair time that cannot be forgotten.
And because it Will not be forgotten...
...that Fair time may come again.
Now once more I must ride with My Knights...
...to defend what was...
...and the dream of what could be.
I kept it.
I never dared to hope, all these years,
that it was in your keeping.
I have often thought...
...that in the hereafter of Our lives...
...when I owe no more to The Future...
...and can be just a Man...
...that We may meet and You Will come to Me...
...and claim Me yours...
...and know that I am your husband.
It is A Dream I have.


It is only Me and My son.
All other Knights of the dukedom
have rallied to Mordred.
What's that smoke yonder?
That is Mordred's army.
Then let us camp here tonight,
and fight tomorrow.


Merlyn...
...if only You were at My side,
My Old Friend, to give Me Courage.
There are no War Tricks
that Will fool 
Mordred and Morgana.

More than I ever did, 
I need You now.
Where are You, Merlyn?
If only You could see Me...
...wield Excalibur once more.


Arthur...
Where have You been these 
Many years?
- Is it true that Morgana...
- Stories.
You Brought Me Back.
Your Love Brought Me Back —
Back to where You are now...
...in The Land of Dreams.
Are You just a dream?
A Dream to some...
...a nightmare to others.


Kay, wake up, My Brother.
I was dreaming.
Of Merlyn?
Yes. He spoke to Me.
I dreamed of him, too.
Merlyn lives.
He lives in Our Dreams now.
He speaks to us from there.
He said I would fight bravely tomorrow.
I have returned, enchantress.
You are beautiful.
Yes.
Magnificent.
Have You used up all the Magick
You stole from Me...
...to keep yourself so young?
Have You any Magick left...
...to do battle with Merlyn?
Nothing to fear from an old Man
You vanquished long ago...
...who only wants to see
how powerful You've become.
You see, Morgana,
You Made Me into A dream...
...a Shadow.
A Shadow.
You must be Greater than ever I was.
I once released The Dragon's Breath...
...so Uther could lie with your mother
and beget a King.
It almost destroyed Me.
But I expect You 
could do it quite easily, couldn't You?
I see no mist.
Have your Powers faded, too?
The Charm.
That's It!.
Use the Charm.
Have You forgotten 
The Charm of Making?
Use it.
Yes, use it.
That's It!.
Oh, good.
Oh, that's grand.
That's better than I ever was.
Careful.
It can Damage Your Beauty.
A fog is rising.
Fog?
That cannot be.
My Mother has a sense 
for such things.
She said there would be no fog.
It Will stand against us in battle.
Merlyn?
Where are You? 
Where are You?
Mother?
My Dear, Sweet Boy.
- Where are they?
- Listen.
They won't know how few We are in the fog.
We'll use the old ways.
Speed up horse.
They're attacking from behind us!


Turn about!


Look to the rear!


You dogs, move!


There are too Many!


We can't hold them!

Lancelot, is it You?
Is it True?


It is.
Lancelot's with us.
He's back, he's with us.

Oh, My God!
Arthur…!!


Arthur... Forgive.
My Salvation is to Die,
a Knight of the Round Table.

You are that
and much more.

You are its 
Greatest Knight...
...You are What is Best in Men.

It is The Old Wound, My King.
It has never healed.

Guenevere...
...is she Queen again?


She is, Lancelot.

The fog is lifting.
No, Perceval.

Come, Father —
Let us embrace at last.


Perceval...
...take Excalibur.
Find a pool...
...of calm water...
...throw The Sword into it...
No.
Obey Me, Perceval.
Do it and Return.


When You cast it in...
...What Did You see?

I saw nothing, but 
the wind on the water.
….My King, I couldn't do it.
Excalibur cannot be lost.
Other men...

Do as I Command.
One Day, a King will come...
...and The Sword will rise again.




New Power operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. It is open, participatory, and peer-driven. It uploads, and it distributes. 

Like Water or Electricity, it’s most forceful when it •surges•. The Goal with New Power is not to HOARD it but to •channel• it.’ “

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