5/15/2023 0 Comments Ikeeper guard![]() “I don’t care if they are elves, I’m going inside,” said Edmond. They often sported a mass of lustrous blond hair. In general, they were tall and slim, with delicate skin and fine features. Through the window, they could see a blazing fire and people - or were they people? Elves were not so different from humans at a distance. It was late in the evening when they rode into a village with an inn. “How do you think your horse feels carrying the two of us? ” asked Ellen “Ow, my buttocks hurt!” complained Rowland. “When we start to see people who don’t look like they’re elves,” said Rowland. “How will we know when we’ve left the Land of the Elves?” asked Ellen. “I’m so hungry, I’m not sure I can go on much longer,” complained Edmond. At night they slept under the stars, feeling sharp hunger pains, and in the morning they rose early and continued. They stopped to drink from a spring, and looked enviously at the horses as they nibbled the grass without any ill effects. We must leave this land first/ So the faster we go, the sooner we’ll eat.”Īt least the sun came out when they reached the lower slopes. I am going to buy some milk and cheese off this elf.”īut Rowland rode in front of him saying: “Stop! We must not eat anything until we leave the land of the elves!” They came across the stone hut of an elfin shepherd who looked after sheep and goats. “So? I defeated the Elfin King did I not?”Īnd so they rode on. You’re too young and weak to be a knight.” insisted Benedict. “Merlin entrusted them to me and gave me the title Childe to denote that I shall be a knight one day.” Naturally, he thought that their father’s sword and shield belonged to him. He had the same strong brow, thick chin, and blazing eyes. The eldest of the brothers was called Benedict, and he was the son who looked most like their father. Rowland was even younger, and more puny, than his father, Arthur had been when he first drew the sword from the stone. Under the mud, grime, and blood spatters, it still bore the family symbol of a dragon. On his left arm, he carried a battered shield, filled with dents, the marks of their father’s many battles and encounters. Their father’s heavy sword, Excalibur, hung from the same belt, inside a scabbard studded with jewels. Dark clouds hung not far above them threatening a cold drenching of rain.Įllen hung onto Rowland’s belt made of metal chain that was wrapped twice around his scrawny waist. The way home led them along a high pass between two crooked mountains. It does not trot, but ambles with a long smooth step. A palfrey is a kind of aristocratic horse, used in the Middle Ages. She sat sideways behind Rowland on his palfrey. Ellen, who had arrived at the castle by the king’s elfin magic, did not have her own mount. The four Children of Arthur departed from the dark castle. Tradition does not tell us - so we decided to use a little imagination to fill out some of the blanks. We wondered what happened next to the children of King Arthur. ![]() ![]() The traditional story ends with Rowland defeating the Elfin King in a sword fight and rescuing his siblings. The tale does not tell us how old Rowland is, but we do know that he is the youngest of the children. The word “Childe” with an “e” on the end means the son of a noble who is yet to win his spurs as a knight.
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