Five years passed quickly in the land of Camelot, although no more quickly than the laws of Time would allow. David had worked hard to become an admirable king, per what he had told Adele he would do when he met her.
"You cannot deny the facts!" he said heatedly, standing next to her. Adele did not look up from the tapestry she was working on. "Did I or did I not pledge that I would become the most splendid king who ever ruled?"
"You did," Adele confirmed.
"And in five years, have I done that?"
"Indeed you have."
"I have not. I'm nothing like what I said to you that I'd be." He frowned and sat down on the floor several feet away. "I'm a failure. That's that."
"That's not true, David," Adele scolded. "You're the greatest warrior in all of England."
"But for what? Might isn't always right, Adele."
"Nonsense," Adele laughed. "Of course it is. To be right and lose couldn't possibly be right."
David stood and began to pace around the room. "Might and right. Battle and plunder. That's what keeps getting to me. Merlin used to frown on battles, yet he always helped me win them. I'm sure it's a clue. If only I know how to figure it out. I feel like I'm always walking down a winding dimly lit road, and in the distance I the outline of a thought, like the shadow of a hill. I stumble towards it, and fumble around, and finally I get there, but when I do, it's gone. Like it was never there to start with, and all I hear is a small voice telling me 'Go home, David, it's too dark for you to go out thinking.'" He sighed and leaned against the back of a chair dejectedly.
"My poor dear," Adele cooed, turning to look at him. "Let me see you do it. Walk out loud for me."
"Alright…" David agreed and stood up fully again. "Proposition: It's far better to be alive than dead."
"Far better, yes," she agreed.
David took a step forward. "If that's so, why do we have battles, where people get killed?"
Adele puzzled for a moment. "I don't know. Do you?"
"Yes. Because somebody attacks."
"Of course, that's very clever of you!" She smiled happily for a moment, then became thoughtful again. "Why do they attack."
David left his 'trail of thought' and walked over to Adele, kneeling next to her. "I need to confess something I've never told you before for fear you wouldn't believe me."
Adele scoffed. "How ridiculous. I would never not believe you!" she assured him.
"You know Merlin brought me up, and taught me everything I know. But do you know how he taught me?"
"How did he teach you?"
David looked up into her eyes earnestly. "He changed me into animals."
Adele laughed. "Oh, I don't believe it for a minute!"
"You see, there you go. But it's true, I swear. I was a fish, a beaver, a squirrel, even an ant. Every time he turned me into an animal, he wanted me to learn something. Before he made me a hawk, for instance, he told me that while I would be flying through the sky, if I would look down at the earth, I would discover something."
"What did you discover?" Adele asked curiously.
"Not a thing. Oh, was Merlin mad! But tonight, on my way home, while I was thinking, I suddenly realized that while you're in the sky looking down at the earth, there are no borders… no boundaries. Yet, that's what somebody always attacks about. And you win by pushing them back across the boundary line that doesn't exist."
"It does seem odd, now that you put it that way," Adele admitted.
David returned to his little path of thinking. "Proposition: We have battles for no reason whatsoever. But, why? Why do we have battles?"
"Because knights love them!" Adele answered dotingly. "They like to charge in and whack away. It's splendid fun. You've said so yourself."
"It is fun…" David conceded and took a step forward on his path. "But it doesn't seem like enough reason." He stepped back dejectedly.
"I think it is. And besides, it's awfully exciting to see your knight in armor riding bravely off to battle. Especially when you know he'll be home in one piece for dinner." She smiled lovingly at David.
"That's it!" David yelled. "It's the armor! I forgot about that! Only knights are rich enough to have armor. They can declare war when it suits them, go slice up peasants and soldiers, and come home unharmed because peasants and soldiers don't have armor. All that can happen to a knight is an occasional dent." David ran helter-skelter towards the fireplace. "Wrong or right, they have the might, so wrong or right, they're always right, and that's wrong. Right?" he said quickly.
"Absolutely," Adele answered quickly, though she hadn't really caught the gist of what he'd said.
"That must be why Merlin helped me win. He hoped that I would take all this might that knocking about in the world and do something with it. But what…?" He put his hand on top of his head in deep thought.
After a significant pause, Adele cleared her throat. "Yes, what?" she prompted him.
"I don't know. It's gone. I've thought as hard as I can, and I can walk no farther." He sighed and sat down in a luxurious looking chair. "You see? I'm still not a king. I win ever battle and accomplish nothing. When the Greeks won, they made a new civilization. I'm not creating any civilization. I'm not even all that sure I'm civilized." He put his chin in his hands, looking dejected once more.
Adele rose and walked towards him, massaging his temples for him. "You shouldn't work so hard, dear," she admonished him. "Let's have a quiet dinner, and you can walk some more afterwards." She smiled down at him.
David nodded. "Bless you," he said quietly and kissed her. He took her hand and started to walk towards the dining hall. Several feet from the door, he stopped, and his face glowed with inspiration. "Adele, suppose we create a new order of chivalry?" he asked excitedly.
"Pardon me?"
"A new order! A new order, where might is only used for right—to improve instead of destroy! We can invite all the knights, good or bad, to lay down their arms and join! We'll take one of the larger rooms in the castle and put a table in it where we all can gather!"
"What would they do at this table?"
"Talk, discuss! Make laws, plan improvements!"
"Really, do you think the knights would want to do such a peaceful thing?" she said with a look of disgust on her face.
"We'll make it an honor—something very fashionable so that everyone will want to join. And instead of whacking away for no reason, they'll only whack for good—defending virgins, restoring what's been done wrong in the past, and helping the oppressed. Might for right. That's it! Not might is right, might for right!" He swooped her up and spun her around several times.
"It sounds wonderful!" she assured him, laughing.
"And it will be civilized. Young men, not old, burning with zeal and ideals. A new generation of chivalry! PAGE!" he bellowed. He was walking around the room excitedly, almost running.
Boots entered the room, out of breath. "Yes … yessir?" he asked, trying to stand up straight still.
"Tell the heralds to mount the towers, and have their trumpets. Assemble the court in the yard. Send word that there is to be a proclamation.
"Yes, sir," Boots answered, and ran out of the room again quickly.
"It would have to be an awfully large table," Adele pointed out. "And wouldn't there be jealousy? The knights would all claim superiority, and want to sit at the head of it."
"Then we'll make it a round one. That way there is no head!"
"What a splendid idea! My father has one that would be perfect! It seats a hundred and fifty, and he's never used it."
"Have I had a thought?" David asked her excitedly. "Am I at the hill, or is it only a mirage?"
Boots ran back in. "Sire, the heralds are waiting. Should I give them the signal?"
David shook his head. "No, not yet. I may be wrong. This may be crazy. If only Merlin were here!" He said down dolefully. "He would know for certain! Knights at a table…"
"A round table," Adele interjected.
"A round table. Might for right. A new order of chivalry. Shining knights going around the countryside like angels in metal, sword-swinging apostles, battling to undo evil… It's so naïve… adolescent… so juvenile… infantile… it's pure folly… it's… it's…" He sighed again.
"It's wonderful." Adele put her hand on his shoulder encouragingly.
"Yes, you're right. It is. It's wonderful. It's amazing." He jumped up. "Go and give the signal!" he told Boots excitedly.
"Yes, sir." Boots obeyed and left once more.
"The heralds will ring through the country, and tell every living person everywhere…"
"That there's never been a better king in all of history than Camelot's David Jacobs…" Adele cooed and hugged him. David hugged her back and then walked outside, holding Adele's hand. The two walked out onto the balcony in order to give the declaration.