Guinevere had committed adultery with Lancelot, made it known that they intended to punish the queen for her alleged misdeeds. As her final act as Arthurâs Keeper before she fled Camelot in fear for her own life, Guinevere sent word to Avalon that the king was near death. Soon after, Agatha and Fial swooped in to take the injured king to Avalon. Arthur begged Fial and Agatha to find Guinevere and protect her, but Agatha explained that Guinevere was gone, and Arthur would never see her again.
When Fial and Agatha arrived back at Avalon with King Arthur, the other sisters were furious. Arthur was a mortal and did not belong on the island. Agatha explained that she was simply trying to fulfill the prophecyâArthur needed to be safeguarded and bringing him to Avalon was the only way to heal him. Meanwhile, Morgan returned to the island after Lancelotâs death, revealing to her sisters that she was now carrying Lancelotâs child.
âWe should cut the thread of Morganâs unborn as punishment for her actions,â Vivienne said, seething.
The other sisters objected to such a severe punishment.
âChildren have no place on the Isle of Avalon,â Vivienne argued.
The disagreement caused a permanent rift between Morgan and Vivienne. Despite their initial misgivings, the other sisters knew that Vivienne was rightâa half-mortal child had no place on Avalon.
In the end, the Seven Sisters agreed to a compromise called the Great Truce. Because no one else could do the work of Morgan and Vivienne, each would resume her job measuring and cutting the threads of mortals. Neither was ever to return to the mortal world. Morgan and Vivienne consented, but decided to inhabit different parts of the island, each viewing the other with contempt bordering on hatred.
As part of the Great Truce, once King Arthur had fully recovered and Morgan had the baby, all agreed that Arthur, his entourage, and the child were to set sail for the edge of the known world. They would start new lives in this unknown land.
Morgan, as punishment for disobeying the laws of Avalon, would only see her child in the brief moments after the baby was born, and then, never again. Agatha would sail with King Arthur to the new world, where she would remain to ensure neither Vivienne nor Morgan left Avalon and broke the terms of the Great Truce. If either sister ever set foot in the mortal world, Agatha would be able to sense a sisterâs presence and would travel immediately to Avalon and inform the other sisters.
The sisters decided it was the only way.
Several months later, when the mortal and spiritual worlds united during the Feast of Samhain, King Arthur and his court, along with Morganâs only child and Agatha the Enchantress, set out from Avalon for new lands.
Now, Mrs. Tweedy, thatâs as far as I got into the story. But itâs not because I was bored. In fact, I gobbled up The Last Descendant , anxious to find out everything I could about King Arthur, Agatha, and all the rest. Although it was difficult reading at first, it got easier as I went along. But when I got to the part about Arthur sailing away from Avalon, something happened. I couldnât read anymore.
I had my second death-specter.
But it wasnât simply my second death-specter. It was the particular death-specter that one resident of Avalon had been anticipating for many years. It was also the reason Merlin Ambrosius had written The Last Descendant in the first place.
Â
Redundancy and Repetition
Maybe Iâm way off base to keep comparing life and literature, but each is supposed to resemble and inform the other, right? I know redundancy is high on most teachersâ What-Not-to-Do List, Mrs. Tweedy. In fact, I think you said that itâs the sign of an âundisciplinedâ writer. But the fact of the matter is, life is pretty redundant. Even when the facts change, some experiences feel so much like other stuff thatâs
When Fial and Agatha arrived back at Avalon with King Arthur, the other sisters were furious. Arthur was a mortal and did not belong on the island. Agatha explained that she was simply trying to fulfill the prophecyâArthur needed to be safeguarded and bringing him to Avalon was the only way to heal him. Meanwhile, Morgan returned to the island after Lancelotâs death, revealing to her sisters that she was now carrying Lancelotâs child.
âWe should cut the thread of Morganâs unborn as punishment for her actions,â Vivienne said, seething.
The other sisters objected to such a severe punishment.
âChildren have no place on the Isle of Avalon,â Vivienne argued.
The disagreement caused a permanent rift between Morgan and Vivienne. Despite their initial misgivings, the other sisters knew that Vivienne was rightâa half-mortal child had no place on Avalon.
In the end, the Seven Sisters agreed to a compromise called the Great Truce. Because no one else could do the work of Morgan and Vivienne, each would resume her job measuring and cutting the threads of mortals. Neither was ever to return to the mortal world. Morgan and Vivienne consented, but decided to inhabit different parts of the island, each viewing the other with contempt bordering on hatred.
As part of the Great Truce, once King Arthur had fully recovered and Morgan had the baby, all agreed that Arthur, his entourage, and the child were to set sail for the edge of the known world. They would start new lives in this unknown land.
Morgan, as punishment for disobeying the laws of Avalon, would only see her child in the brief moments after the baby was born, and then, never again. Agatha would sail with King Arthur to the new world, where she would remain to ensure neither Vivienne nor Morgan left Avalon and broke the terms of the Great Truce. If either sister ever set foot in the mortal world, Agatha would be able to sense a sisterâs presence and would travel immediately to Avalon and inform the other sisters.
The sisters decided it was the only way.
Several months later, when the mortal and spiritual worlds united during the Feast of Samhain, King Arthur and his court, along with Morganâs only child and Agatha the Enchantress, set out from Avalon for new lands.
Now, Mrs. Tweedy, thatâs as far as I got into the story. But itâs not because I was bored. In fact, I gobbled up The Last Descendant , anxious to find out everything I could about King Arthur, Agatha, and all the rest. Although it was difficult reading at first, it got easier as I went along. But when I got to the part about Arthur sailing away from Avalon, something happened. I couldnât read anymore.
I had my second death-specter.
But it wasnât simply my second death-specter. It was the particular death-specter that one resident of Avalon had been anticipating for many years. It was also the reason Merlin Ambrosius had written The Last Descendant in the first place.
Â
Redundancy and Repetition
Maybe Iâm way off base to keep comparing life and literature, but each is supposed to resemble and inform the other, right? I know redundancy is high on most teachersâ What-Not-to-Do List, Mrs. Tweedy. In fact, I think you said that itâs the sign of an âundisciplinedâ writer. But the fact of the matter is, life is pretty redundant. Even when the facts change, some experiences feel so much like other stuff thatâs
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