So sorry for the long wait. Thanks to all who reviewed, you helped me get back to the story! I made this one extra long for you. It's almost like a history lesson with a twist :)
You wish to know of Excalibur? Very well, child. You have heard the tales of it I assume? Then let me tell you the truth. I crafted Excalibur from Mordred's staff, the same staff that he murdered the Mage King for.
No young one, he did not give it to me. I had to steal it. Yes, it was very dangerous. Can I continue?
Shortly after stealing the staff, I began to craft the sword, utilizing an abandoned blackmith shop I had come across in my travels. It was while I was sharpening the blade of the sword, that I realized that my successful theft of the old Kings staff could be repeated, and that all of my hard work in forgeing a weapon capable of defeating Mordred, would be in vain. While I could not completely stop the sword from being stolen, there was a way that I could halt it. I had heard of runes that could be enscribed onto the sword that would bind it to the earth, only, as far as I was told, once the sword entered the earth, there was no way for it to be removed. At a loss, I pleaded to the Lady of the Lake for help and guidance.
The Lady, sensing my plea, drug me down into the depths as I bathed. Cloth swirled lazily through the water, curving gently around her form. Her hair was as gold as the sun, and floated around her like a Halo. The cerulean gown she wore, matched the still waves around us making her pale face shine like alabaster. She was divine. Face to face with the Lady, it was hard at first for me to grasp what she was saying due to me being...in awe. She was every bit as beautiful as the stories said. And every bit as powerful. She instructed me to go to the lake, and drop the sword into it, swearing it's return the following day. Indeed, the next day as I washed my clothing, my hand, seeking a cloak flowing downstream, dipped below the water and instead of cloth, emerged grasping the hilt of a sword. Before the tip could touch the air, the Lady ushered me under the surface.
Once again finding myself under water, it took me a moment to realize that the Lady was again addressing me. When I began to pay attention, I realized that the Lady was trying to tell me about the work she had done on the sword. Through her magic, she had bound the sword to the current King of England, Uther and the Pendragon also told me that she had improved upon the runes that I had only believed to be a mere idea. She had told me that once in stone, only a Pendragon, or the direct heir would be able to unsheathe the sword from the earth. The stone acts as a sheath, and it is theultimate safe for the sword to be placed in, ensuring that it is protected from theft.
Before she released me from our encounter, she told me one last thing. Something that she made me swore to never tell another.
For the first time in my life, I fear that I must break a vow I have made someone. You are the boy's guide, young one. You will need to know everything, for when you two meet, he will know nothing. Be patient. With time, he will began to understand. But for now, back to the story.
According to the Lady, there is a secret to the sword. One that was not told to the Pendragon's. It is true that the sword is tied to the Pendragon bloodline, but contrary to what they were lead to believe, the sword is in fact, just a sword. A tool. A powerful one, yes. But ultimately just a tool to draw out, and focus, the power contained within the bloodline of the Pendragon's. The sword will not work for any other line, as the power of the Pendragon bloodline is as old as it is unique.
But that my dear, is a tale for another time.
You wish to know of Vortigern? Curiosity may very well be your downfall young one. Very well. You've progressed faster than I thought you would. Consider this "story time" a reward.
As a Pendragon, Lord Vortigen has power within him. Not as much as his brother, King Uther but enough for Excalibur to draw from. Fortunately The Lady had the forethought to ensure it was not used against the people it was meant to protect. A test, if you will. The sword, once in hand, will cast deep inside the one who holds it, searching to see if it that person is worthy.
To be considered worthy, one must be, in their heart, righteous. Someone who would be willing to stand up for the weak and needy, and protect the innocent. Someone who above all else, would be willing to sacrifice their life and everything that they stood for, for another. When Excalibur has deemed someone worthy, a connection is established. The sword pulls the magic forward from the Pendragon, shown by the blue fire lit in their eyes, and the blue glow emitted from the blade. At that moment, a Pendragon has accessed their power, and through Excalibur, can unleash it upon their foes.
Unfortunately for King Uther, he did not realize that the younger brother that he had grew up with, had allowed envy and greed to change him into someone... malicious. As children, Vortigern had always been jealous of his brother, but once Uther became King a sharp mind turned that jealousy into something much worse.
Before the purges, before the war even, Prince Vortigern, at the time, was sent to train during the summer with the mage Mordred as a diplomatic effort arranged by the Mage King and King Uther. King Uther agreed to this for many reasons. The main one was to show the public that the mages were not be be feared, and that peace was in fact possible. Each side demanded something in return. The crown demanded that all mages wear special "bracelets" made of gold to identify them as being mages. The mages demanded land in England to settle freely. According to Lord Bedivere, who was in charge of escorting the Prince too and from the meeting point-
No, child I do not know where they met at.
According to Lord Bedivere, Mordred was supposed to be showing Vortigern various magical tomes and spells that all mages used frequently, all of which were supposed to be harmless. Mordred was to convince the crown that the mages had no ulterior motive. We know now that was a terrible mistake.
As time passed, and King Uther became more successful and brokered peace with other lands, the Prince began to request the scheduled meetings moved up and last longer. King Uther, beginning to hear whispers of mages rebelling the alliance with the crown, agreed hoping that once again the fateful meetings would bring peace.
It was not to be.
Recognizing his potential for power, Lord Mordred had begun tempting the Prince with various magic. He began showing him the flames he could control with a single finger, the tomes filled with archane studies detailing ways to summon a fae or create creatures a blind man would be afraid of. Any and all knowledge was given to the Prince, because Mordred recognized something in the princes eyes. Something that shined bright in his own eyes. Obsession. For the Prince, raw magic was a drug that he would soon become addicted to just like Mordred.
Sadly for the Prince, he could not use magic. Not without help at least. Knowing this Lord Mordred began leaving tomes out about "binding" magic, ways for two people to share power. For he knew that once he found them, the prince would not hesitate to do whatever necessary to perform magic. Mordred had plans, plans the young prince could help him with. In exchange for the binding, the prince would help him rule the mages.
Only once Vortigern found the tomes, instead of running to Lord Mordred like he believed he would, he began to read them, study them, and create his own plan. For the two of them, were more alike than any ever suspected.
After reading the tomes, Prince Vortigern approached Lord Mordred with a deal. In exchange for binding their power together, once his brother, King Uther was defeated, they would both rule England together. As it's rightful Kings.
Both getting what they wanted, they began to implement their plan slowly.The plan was to allow the mages' fury to build like a crescendo, until the very force of it was enough to crumble the kingdom. Once it was at it's peak, and the Mage King was out of the way, with Mordred as the new ruler of the mages, nothing would stop them from claiming England as their own. Not even Uther.
Mordred began stirring up tempers amounst those he was closest to, managing each time to spread his poisoned filled words farther. 'Our King has already allowed them to chain us like dogs! These pretty gold bracelets will make it easier for them to hunt us and put us down like them too.'
Prince Vortigern on the other hand, worked to make sure that the crown remained ignorant of the fraying tempers. In meetings, he passed along well wishes from the mages, and failed to comment on rumors of discontent. After they had turned enough people to their cause, they turned their focus to the next step. The Mage King, and with him gone, the Mage Tower.
As you know child, the tower is a representation of our power. We put our power into it as we built it, and so whoever controls it, controls the magic contained in it. That is why we are so selective of who we choose to lead us.
The Mage King's death was...the beginning of the war. One that Lord Mordred played a key part in. Walking into the Mage Tower, Lord Mordred dismissed those closest to the King, his advisors, telling them that he wished to speak with the King regarding the meetings he had arranged between himself and the Prince.
As the advisors descended the tower, the mage rebels rushed to ambush them, killing them and cutting off all access to the King. Once the Mage King was dead, Lord Mordred, now the self proclaimed "ruler" of the mages, did not lose momentum. Using the deceased King's staff, he climbed to the top of the Tower with the rest of his followers and called upon the dark forces to bring him an army. Once he had his army, he waged war with King Uther from the top of the tower.
No child, it was not that same day. Due to how much energy it took to raise the dark forces, Mordred had to recover. But just because he could not use his new found power, does not mean he could not use new found influence. The mages, now King-less, drew to Mordred like a moth to flame, eating up his words of rebellion. While some removed their bracelets and fled, others were afraid of disobeying their new king and began preparing for war.
With Mordred in control of the tower and his army preparing to march toward King Uther, both Mordred and Vortigern believed defeat impossible.
They had everything figured out. The only thing that they had not counted on was me. Once I had heard the news of the Mage King's death, I began to make my way back to England. And when I made it back..well you know what happened after that.
After passing through several wary guardsman, I was finally granted an audience with King Uther. I explained to King Uther, Prince Vortigern and the kings' general, Lord Bedivere, that I was there to assist them in defeating Mordred, and pulling it out of cloak, presented them Excalibur. Telling King Uther about the "power" of the sword, withholding his heritage of course, I began to feel a bit..anxious as I held the sword out to him. I did not know this King, nor did I know if he would pass the swords "test" but for the sake of everyone, I knew that he had to. I had to have faith that The Lady would not have went through the trouble of tying something to this man and his bloodline, if she were not certain of this man's character. So with trembling fingers, I held Excalibur out further, waiting for him to grasp the hilt of the sword.
Not knowing what to expect, I was disappointed when nothing happened as his hand lifted the sword from mine. My mind began to rush with memories, rethinking every rune I had carved, every spell I could have said over the fire, but didn't, was there any herbs I could have used, trying to figure out in what moment I made a mistake, where I had went wrong.
In my panic I almost missed the moment that King Uther grasped the hilt in both hands. The gasp he let out as a wave of pure power came across the room, making cups overflow onto tables and rattling the windows, was as if a drowning man had just come up for air. His eyes, grey in color, blazed with an azure fire from within echoed by the blue script running along Excalibur. The room had gone quiet. Prince Vortigern stared at the sword with a carnal craving in his eye. Before I departed, I left the King, and his company, with these parting words: "The sword will only work for Uther Pendragon, or his DIRECT heir."
Fearing the swords power, or more accurately the destruction of Mordred, the Prince began to backpedal. He began insisting upon ways that the war could be won peacefully, even demanding that the King allow him to go speak to Lord Mordred. King Uther would not allow him, fearing that if his brother entered the den of the rebel mages, he would not return. Unable to warn Mordred about the sword, and unable to defeat Uther alone, Vortigern could only plead to his brother once more, as he was handed the crown and Lord Bedivere rallied his soldiers with a war cry, to spare Mordred's life.
He was unsuccessful.