The Winter King

Back in Derfel’s present day, Igraine complains to him about the lack of romanticism in his stories, that there is no sword in the stone or lady in the lake as in the legends of Arthur. Derfel insists that he is telling the story as it happened and that he will not depart from the facts for the sake of the narrative, although he then admits that he does change certain details for dramatic effect, such as making Arthur’s appearance on the battlefield more sudden and unexpected than it really was.

The narrative then returns to Derfel’s chronicle. Arthur’s forces rout Gundleus’s, and he is taken prisoner. Arthur cuts a striking presence on the battlefield, wearing plated armor he won in single combat across the Channel. He pulls off his helmet to greet his sister Morgan, revealing a “strong, bony face that was full of enthusiasm […] it was a big face and strong one, yet what impressed me most about him was that look of kindness and the impish humor in his eyes” (117). Arthur greets Derfel and appoints him a warrior under the charge of Owain. Then, with Gundleus defenseless before him, Arthur withdraws his sword and presents the hilt, promising not to kill him until the council has decided his fate.