Chapter 45: Sword in Stone 2 (rewrite)

The news of the sword in the stone spread rapidly through the city, with more and more people gathering to see the legendary weapon. Knights from far and wide had converged on Camelot, all eager to pull the sword from the stone and claim the title of the new king of Britain.

Morgan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Who decided that pulling the sword from the stone would make someone the new king?" she demanded.

To Morgan, becoming a king was a matter of great importance. It required not only the right lineage but also the talent and capability to lead. In terms of heritage, she believed herself to be the rightful heir. Lott, with his extraordinary abilities, seemed more suited to rule. So, the notion that anyone could become king merely by drawing the sword seemed absurd to her.

Seeing Morgan's agitation, Lott intervened, "Let's go see for ourselves what's happening."

He was also contemplating the implications of the sword in the stone. [Merlin is likely behind this.]

Morgan's ears perked up at Lott's thought. "You know something about this?"

Lott's thoughts were indeed focused on Merlin, who he suspected was involved in the matter. Despite Morgan's doubts about Merlin, she knew he wouldn't intentionally harm Camelot at the moment. So, who could Merlin be trying to make king?

Morgan was certain Merlin wouldn't have set up the sword for his use. "Lott, are you saying this sword is the legendary holy sword?" she asked.

"Probably," Lott replied. [It is indeed a holy sword, but not the one from the legends. It's just a more ordinary holy sword that even Merlin could create.]

Morgan felt slightly reassured. As long as the sword wasn't something that could devastate a city with a single swing, it was manageable. Lott, meanwhile, was thinking about Merlin's efforts to place King Arthur on the throne. [Merlin spared no effort to ensure Arthur ascends.]

Morgan's curiosity was piqued again by the mention of King Arthur. She knew that Arthur was her sister, a person with the same bloodline as the Red Dragon and one who had been favoured by their father. Merlin viewed her as the most powerful heir.

"What do you think? Can Arthur pull out the sword?" Morgan asked Lott.

"Let's wait and see," Lott responded. [Of course, it's meant for Arthur. Merlin has set it up so only those of the Red Dragon bloodline can draw the sword.]

Morgan, realizing the implications of Lott's words, became even more intrigued. If Arthur could indeed pull out the sword, would Morgan, sharing the same bloodline, be able to do so as well?

While she considered this, Morgan had been trying to uncover the identity of King Arthur. Despite her efforts, she had found no conclusive answers. Most of the knights she encountered were too prominent to be Arthur, and those who seemed appropriate were not women disguised as men.

Should she confront Lott or keep investigating?

After some thought, Morgan decided to keep probing indirectly. "Let's hurry over there. If someone has already pulled the sword from the stone and claimed the title of king, we'll be too late if we don't act quickly," she said.

[This is unlikely.] Lott thought. [I had assigned someone to a task last night, so they should still be on duty and unable to reach the stone yet.]

Morgan's attention was drawn to Lott's words. He had mentioned assigning someone special to a task—Ector's adopted son and the chief of the Knights of the Round Table, Altria.

Connecting the dots, Morgan realized that Lott's comment about seeking vengeance for his father's daughter had been about Altria, not her. Morgan felt a mix of relief and disappointment. "So, I misunderstood the situation," she thought. [It seems Lott's plan involved targeting Altria, not me.]

Morgan acknowledged her mistake and decided to make amends. However, she couldn't ignore the fact that Altria's resemblance to her was striking. She suspected that Merlin's interference was behind the unsettling feeling she had experienced when first meeting Altria.

[Merlin's tricks never cease to amaze me.] Morgan mused. [I'll deal with this cunning magician later. For now, I need to figure out how to handle this situation.]

Turning to Lott, she asked, "Should we have our people try to pull the sword? If we succeed, it might disrupt Merlin's plans and render his scheme useless."

Lott agreed. [If we can get our people to attempt pulling the sword and succeed, Merlin's plan will indeed be thwarted.]

With renewed determination, Morgan and Lott prepared to confront the situation at the stone and uncover the identity of the new king of Camelot.