Once and Future King
Merlin was in the Puzzle Wood near Camelot, collecting herbs and plants for his magic and Gaius' medicines. Merlin's wonderings took him unconsciously to the glade where the sword Excalibur rested imbedded in a boulder. He walked over to it and gave a gentle tug to make certain it was still secure. The sword did not move, even by his hand. Arthur would remove it when he became king. Smiling, Merlin walked away a bit, but when he looked back, he saw a young boy of about ten, standing by the stone, looking curiously at the sword. Merlin could have sworn he was alone in the glade.
"It is a puzzlement, is it not?" Merlin said to the boy, who appeared to be of a noble family judging by his clothes.
"Who put it there?" the boy asked.
"No one knows. Some say a great wizard put it there," Merlin answered with a sly smile. "I couldn't pull it out."
"Of course not," said the boy. "You're old." Merlin bristled slightly at this statement. He hadn't even reached thirty yet.
The young boy climbed up on the stone. "Well, I don't think you can pull it out. You're no bigger than a wart," Merlin retorted.
"Humph," the boy said, took hold of the hilt with both hands, and pulled. The sword came easily out of the boulder. Merlin stood there in shocked surprise.
"See? That wasn't so hard," said the boy as he waved the sword about.
"I think you should put the sword back," advised Merlin, and the boy slid Excalibur back into the boulder.
"Aw, I was going to take in home for my own sword," the boy whined as he jumped down.
"What is your name, young man?" Merlin asked.
"Alfred, son of Ethelwulf," he replied. Merlin smiled and nodded. Now he understood what he'd seen in the Crystal Cave the previous day. Viewing the future can be very disconcerting.
"You can get the sword when you become king," Merlin told the boy as he started back to Camelot. "And your people will call you 'great'."