THE CHRYSALIS
EPILOGUE
It was never going to take King John long to go back on his word of
course - and it didn't. In fact, at John's request, the Magna Carta
was annulled by the Pope less than three months after it was signed, to
the great anger of not just Treguard but virtually every English
subject. Just as Mogdred had predicted however, this was the King's
undoing, for he effectively united the Normans and Saxons in their
common interest of resisting him. They would never trust him again.
The King spent the remainder of 1215 fighting against a rebel army
led by his own barons, while still trying to hold off the invading
armies of Louis VIII of France. In fact by May 1216, much of England
was effectively ruled by the French King, the first successful
incursion by France since 1066. However, the English barons soon found
Louis' rule even less to their taste than John's, and internal
opposition to the King declined. In any case, King John only lived
until October, dying of a violent spasm of dysentry, and was succeeded
by his nine-year old son, Henry III. All opposition melted away and
England united to drive out the French invaders for good.
Their reward was the re-issue of Magna Carta and ironically, England
would in the centuries that followed become even more powerful in its
own right (under the rule of the Plantagenets) than the Norman-Angevin
realm that had once enslaved it (under the Plantagents' own ancestors).
In the shorter term, Treguard and the Northguard, now referring to
themselves simply as the Powers-That-Be, became the new King's
guardians of the North. The Opposition led by Lord Fear would grow in
power against them however, and Treguard's long struggle to bring
justice and peace to the North of England would be a long and gruelling
one, made all the more difficult by the Dungeon's ongoing expansion
further and further across the Kingdom, which allowed Fear to spread
his menace further afield than ever before.
It would be a very long time indeed before Treguard would finally
discover Lord Fear's hybrid origins, and thus see the final piece of
Mildread's premonition click into place. During that time, Treguard
would continue to employ Dungeoneers from the far future in his
struggle to contain Lord Fear. As before, it would be with only minimal
success - the key to defeat after defeat after defeat had indeed been
found in victory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
NOTES ABOUT "THE CHRYSALIS"
I first thought of the idea of writing "The Chrysalis" quite a few
years ago as I'd long felt that there were serious discontinuities
between earlier and later seasons of Knightmare that needed tidying up,
or at least explaining away. Most prominent among these was the
introduction around the fifth season of a clear division of allegiances
among the characters who appeared in the show i.e. The Powers-That-Be
versus the Opposition. Although there was nothing wrong with this idea
in itself, I'd always regarded the implementation of it as a bit of a
botched 'retcon', in that it came more or less out of nowhere without
any clear explanation for it, and yet was now one of the most central
aspects of the programme. Beyond this also lies the problem of
introducing a new central villain, Lord Fear, again completely out of
nowhere, and without any explanation for who he was, where he came
from, and why he hadn't previously bothered to show his face. By the
same measure, there was no real explanation for why two previous key
players in Knightmare, Merlin and Mogdred, had completely disappeared.
Brother Mace did mention in season five that Merlin was no longer
present in the Dungeon (the only direct reference made to his departure
in the series as far as I can remember), but offered no further details
than that. "The Chrysalis" offers, in my optimistic opinion, the most
workable explanation for all these omissions.
My reference to Pickle as half-elf-half-imp is just the obvious way
to resolve the long-standing discrepancy between the TV series and the
books - in the TV series Pickle's an elf, in the books he's an imp.
Yes, it's an easy way out, but at least it's better than just trying to
ignore it the way most people have in the past.
Most of the historical background information in "The Chrysalis" is
in fact very accurate. The unsympathetic view of Richard I ('Coeur de
Lion'), for instance, which is in stark contrast to his legend, is
based on the indisputable fact that, for all his courage and military
genius, he was a ruthless and greedy killer. In effect he overthrew his
father, Henry II, and at times he behaved barbarically on Crusade -
the massacre he ordered at Acre for instance was a genuine historical
event. He was also a neglectful absentee monarch - far from being the
glorious hero of the medieval English monarchy that he has usually been
proclaimed to be, he only spent around six months of his ten year reign
in England, and on one occasion even said that he would have happily
sold London if he was given a high enough bid for it. Like his Norman
forebears, he was first and foremost a French Duke who saw England as
nothing more than a usable possession. (Indeed he had far more in
common with King John than distinctions from him.)
The information around Magna Carta is largely correct, although I did
take one or two liberties with timing, most noticeably by indicating
that the first invasion of England by King Louis VIII was about a year
earlier than in reality.
The story is set between the Knightmare novellas "Fortress of
Assassins" and "The Sorcerer's Isle", written by Dave Morris. It is
largely consistent with Morris' first four Knightmare books ("Fortress"
even includes the occasional mention of the early developments of Magna
Carta that this story picks up on), although there is one minor
contradiction - early in "The Sorcerer's Isle" it is indicated that
Treguard and Pickle had been present in Acre in the Holy Land from 1211
to 1216, and had not been back to England at any stage during that
time. However "The Chrysalis" is set in 1215, and at no stage in the
story do Treguard or Pickle appear anywhere EXCEPT England. I decided
on taking this route as King John and Magna Carta were a key part of
the plot that I needed Treguard to be present for. In any case I felt
that if Treguard were in the Holy Land for all those years, there would
be no room for the Knightmare Challenge during that time, which doesn't
look likely on watching the TV series, and wherever possible I like to
try and keep my stories consistent with both the TV shows AND the books
(though not the Yearling titles - see below). To reconcile this, it's
not much of a stretch to simply assume that Treguard and Pickle return
to the Holy Land at some time after "The Chrysalis" to take up their
misadventure with "Erica and Launcelot".
Further to this, a rough guide to continuity as I see it could be
taken as follows...
The first book of Knightmare is set several years before the first
two seasons of the TV series. The misleadingly-named "The Labyrinths of
Fear" is set between seasons two and three. After season three (around
the year 1211), Treguard starts his mini-Crusade in the Middle East in
"Fortress of Assassins", and returns to England late in the year 1214
for season four on TV (explaining why the Dungeon had changed so much
since the previous season). In the immediate aftermath of that is "The
Chrysalis". After this he returns to Acre for "The Sorcerer's Isle"
then returns to England once more for season five. Where the Yearling
titles would fit in, I'm not so sure. It's not that I can't figure it
out - they're clearly set at some point during the last three seasons
of the TV show - it's just they're such a departure in style and plot
from the previous books that I don't accept them as canonical, so I've
never bothered trying to be more specific. (Not that anything I've
written so far actually contradicts them.)
Incidentally, my previous fanfic, "Theatre of Dreams" is set about
seven years after the last season of Knightmare. If you should read it,
note the bit where Merlin mentions Lord Fear building his power "In a
way which none could ever imagine", and that he doubted that "Lord Fear
could profit from Mogdred's downfall." Before anyone asks, these are
indeed references to the events of "The Chrysalis". As I wrote "Dreams"
several years before "Chrys", it goes without saying that I was setting
the backward references up deliberately - and it took quite a bit of
doing to get the pattern right!
Merlin refers to himself as "Leilocen" (pronounced Lie-lo-Kun) when
he is praying in episode 2. This is not merely another of the countless
names that Merlin was reputed to possess, but his REAL name. It's one
of the great ironies of the Arthurian legend that Merlin, one of its
most fantastic and other-worldly figures, is in fact one of the few
characters in the whole story whose historical existence is supported
by some solid evidence. Leilocen was a sixth century bard who went mad
after witnessing a terrible battle between two large armies (one
probably Pictish, the other probably Romano-British) near the forest of
Caledon (which was probably somewhere near the modern border between
Scotland and England), and fled into the wilderness. When he finally
returned to human society he began making wild and obscure prophecies
(on which were based the infamous "Phrophetiae Merlini") to anyone who
would listen, which admittedly was not very many. Nevertheless it was
from these that Merlin gained his reputation in Celtic mythology as a
seer and a wizard.
The story in the prologue of the Talisman of Fortune being retrieved
by a dungeoneer refers, of course, to Julian Smith (now Jason Karl) and
friends' successful quest in series two, only the second ever winners
of the Knightmare Challenge. Also, you may notice that Aesandre being
bribed by Lord Fear with the Shield of Justice in the third episode is
a rather handy bit of retcon, as it sets up Ben's winning team from
season five taking it back from her - although how Barry's team in
season seven end up retrieving it as well is a bit more difficult to
explain away, but seeing that they never bothered to do so on the TV
show, I won't try for the time being either. Likewise, Skarkill steals
the Sword of Freedom from the King so that Julie's team can steal it
back (also in season seven)!
- Martin Odoni, March 2003.
EPILOGUE
It was never going to take King John long to go back on his word of
course - and it didn't. In fact, at John's request, the Magna Carta
was annulled by the Pope less than three months after it was signed, to
the great anger of not just Treguard but virtually every English
subject. Just as Mogdred had predicted however, this was the King's
undoing, for he effectively united the Normans and Saxons in their
common interest of resisting him. They would never trust him again.
The King spent the remainder of 1215 fighting against a rebel army
led by his own barons, while still trying to hold off the invading
armies of Louis VIII of France. In fact by May 1216, much of England
was effectively ruled by the French King, the first successful
incursion by France since 1066. However, the English barons soon found
Louis' rule even less to their taste than John's, and internal
opposition to the King declined. In any case, King John only lived
until October, dying of a violent spasm of dysentry, and was succeeded
by his nine-year old son, Henry III. All opposition melted away and
England united to drive out the French invaders for good.
Their reward was the re-issue of Magna Carta and ironically, England
would in the centuries that followed become even more powerful in its
own right (under the rule of the Plantagenets) than the Norman-Angevin
realm that had once enslaved it (under the Plantagents' own ancestors).
In the shorter term, Treguard and the Northguard, now referring to
themselves simply as the Powers-That-Be, became the new King's
guardians of the North. The Opposition led by Lord Fear would grow in
power against them however, and Treguard's long struggle to bring
justice and peace to the North of England would be a long and gruelling
one, made all the more difficult by the Dungeon's ongoing expansion
further and further across the Kingdom, which allowed Fear to spread
his menace further afield than ever before.
It would be a very long time indeed before Treguard would finally
discover Lord Fear's hybrid origins, and thus see the final piece of
Mildread's premonition click into place. During that time, Treguard
would continue to employ Dungeoneers from the far future in his
struggle to contain Lord Fear. As before, it would be with only minimal
success - the key to defeat after defeat after defeat had indeed been
found in victory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
NOTES ABOUT "THE CHRYSALIS"
I first thought of the idea of writing "The Chrysalis" quite a few
years ago as I'd long felt that there were serious discontinuities
between earlier and later seasons of Knightmare that needed tidying up,
or at least explaining away. Most prominent among these was the
introduction around the fifth season of a clear division of allegiances
among the characters who appeared in the show i.e. The Powers-That-Be
versus the Opposition. Although there was nothing wrong with this idea
in itself, I'd always regarded the implementation of it as a bit of a
botched 'retcon', in that it came more or less out of nowhere without
any clear explanation for it, and yet was now one of the most central
aspects of the programme. Beyond this also lies the problem of
introducing a new central villain, Lord Fear, again completely out of
nowhere, and without any explanation for who he was, where he came
from, and why he hadn't previously bothered to show his face. By the
same measure, there was no real explanation for why two previous key
players in Knightmare, Merlin and Mogdred, had completely disappeared.
Brother Mace did mention in season five that Merlin was no longer
present in the Dungeon (the only direct reference made to his departure
in the series as far as I can remember), but offered no further details
than that. "The Chrysalis" offers, in my optimistic opinion, the most
workable explanation for all these omissions.
My reference to Pickle as half-elf-half-imp is just the obvious way
to resolve the long-standing discrepancy between the TV series and the
books - in the TV series Pickle's an elf, in the books he's an imp.
Yes, it's an easy way out, but at least it's better than just trying to
ignore it the way most people have in the past.
Most of the historical background information in "The Chrysalis" is
in fact very accurate. The unsympathetic view of Richard I ('Coeur de
Lion'), for instance, which is in stark contrast to his legend, is
based on the indisputable fact that, for all his courage and military
genius, he was a ruthless and greedy killer. In effect he overthrew his
father, Henry II, and at times he behaved barbarically on Crusade -
the massacre he ordered at Acre for instance was a genuine historical
event. He was also a neglectful absentee monarch - far from being the
glorious hero of the medieval English monarchy that he has usually been
proclaimed to be, he only spent around six months of his ten year reign
in England, and on one occasion even said that he would have happily
sold London if he was given a high enough bid for it. Like his Norman
forebears, he was first and foremost a French Duke who saw England as
nothing more than a usable possession. (Indeed he had far more in
common with King John than distinctions from him.)
The information around Magna Carta is largely correct, although I did
take one or two liberties with timing, most noticeably by indicating
that the first invasion of England by King Louis VIII was about a year
earlier than in reality.
The story is set between the Knightmare novellas "Fortress of
Assassins" and "The Sorcerer's Isle", written by Dave Morris. It is
largely consistent with Morris' first four Knightmare books ("Fortress"
even includes the occasional mention of the early developments of Magna
Carta that this story picks up on), although there is one minor
contradiction - early in "The Sorcerer's Isle" it is indicated that
Treguard and Pickle had been present in Acre in the Holy Land from 1211
to 1216, and had not been back to England at any stage during that
time. However "The Chrysalis" is set in 1215, and at no stage in the
story do Treguard or Pickle appear anywhere EXCEPT England. I decided
on taking this route as King John and Magna Carta were a key part of
the plot that I needed Treguard to be present for. In any case I felt
that if Treguard were in the Holy Land for all those years, there would
be no room for the Knightmare Challenge during that time, which doesn't
look likely on watching the TV series, and wherever possible I like to
try and keep my stories consistent with both the TV shows AND the books
(though not the Yearling titles - see below). To reconcile this, it's
not much of a stretch to simply assume that Treguard and Pickle return
to the Holy Land at some time after "The Chrysalis" to take up their
misadventure with "Erica and Launcelot".
Further to this, a rough guide to continuity as I see it could be
taken as follows...
The first book of Knightmare is set several years before the first
two seasons of the TV series. The misleadingly-named "The Labyrinths of
Fear" is set between seasons two and three. After season three (around
the year 1211), Treguard starts his mini-Crusade in the Middle East in
"Fortress of Assassins", and returns to England late in the year 1214
for season four on TV (explaining why the Dungeon had changed so much
since the previous season). In the immediate aftermath of that is "The
Chrysalis". After this he returns to Acre for "The Sorcerer's Isle"
then returns to England once more for season five. Where the Yearling
titles would fit in, I'm not so sure. It's not that I can't figure it
out - they're clearly set at some point during the last three seasons
of the TV show - it's just they're such a departure in style and plot
from the previous books that I don't accept them as canonical, so I've
never bothered trying to be more specific. (Not that anything I've
written so far actually contradicts them.)
Incidentally, my previous fanfic, "Theatre of Dreams" is set about
seven years after the last season of Knightmare. If you should read it,
note the bit where Merlin mentions Lord Fear building his power "In a
way which none could ever imagine", and that he doubted that "Lord Fear
could profit from Mogdred's downfall." Before anyone asks, these are
indeed references to the events of "The Chrysalis". As I wrote "Dreams"
several years before "Chrys", it goes without saying that I was setting
the backward references up deliberately - and it took quite a bit of
doing to get the pattern right!
Merlin refers to himself as "Leilocen" (pronounced Lie-lo-Kun) when
he is praying in episode 2. This is not merely another of the countless
names that Merlin was reputed to possess, but his REAL name. It's one
of the great ironies of the Arthurian legend that Merlin, one of its
most fantastic and other-worldly figures, is in fact one of the few
characters in the whole story whose historical existence is supported
by some solid evidence. Leilocen was a sixth century bard who went mad
after witnessing a terrible battle between two large armies (one
probably Pictish, the other probably Romano-British) near the forest of
Caledon (which was probably somewhere near the modern border between
Scotland and England), and fled into the wilderness. When he finally
returned to human society he began making wild and obscure prophecies
(on which were based the infamous "Phrophetiae Merlini") to anyone who
would listen, which admittedly was not very many. Nevertheless it was
from these that Merlin gained his reputation in Celtic mythology as a
seer and a wizard.
The story in the prologue of the Talisman of Fortune being retrieved
by a dungeoneer refers, of course, to Julian Smith (now Jason Karl) and
friends' successful quest in series two, only the second ever winners
of the Knightmare Challenge. Also, you may notice that Aesandre being
bribed by Lord Fear with the Shield of Justice in the third episode is
a rather handy bit of retcon, as it sets up Ben's winning team from
season five taking it back from her - although how Barry's team in
season seven end up retrieving it as well is a bit more difficult to
explain away, but seeing that they never bothered to do so on the TV
show, I won't try for the time being either. Likewise, Skarkill steals
the Sword of Freedom from the King so that Julie's team can steal it
back (also in season seven)!
- Martin Odoni, March 2003.