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It has been a month since Arthur and Rama set out to defeat Ravana. They slaughtered many Rakshasas along their journey and defeated Ravana's brother, the giant Kumbhakarna. Stopping to make camp a few days from Ravana's palace, the heroes were once again sitting around the campfire sharpening their weapons while the food cooked. Rama was still prying into Arthur's past to learn more about him.
Arthur told Rama about how he grew up in the care of a foster father, how he discovered a mystical sword named Excalibur in the stone and the legend that his homeland had involving the sword. That whoever frees the sword will become the king, and that true identity of the sword was in fact a wizard named Merlin.
"Wait! You are telling me that a wizard was actually the sword?" Rama asked as he sharpened his arrows.
"Yeah. But he is more of a mystical creature that can use magic to take human form. He was a Kitsune, a kind of fox spirit that grows another tail every hundred years until they reach nine-tails. At that point they can become as powerful as a god. In addition, they spend their lives practicing magic and developing a form of elixir that allows them to live forever," Arthur responded.
"So then what happened?"
Arthur told him about his journey to a foreign land far to the east. How he found the sword he uses now and how the legend about this Sword of Heaven was the same as Excalibur, but instead gave the wielder Heaven's blessing as king of any nation. And then he told Rama how he discovered that the enemy that Merlin had recruited him to defeat was actually his half-sister, and that she too was a Kitsune.
"So does that mean you're immortal?" Rama asked hesitantly.
"Actually no. While my strength, speed and magical capabilities can match any fox's and therefore a god's, being only half Kitsune I cannot form my own elixir."
"So then you live a mortal life?"
"Yes...." Arthur began.
"Unless I help you kill Ravana," Arthur thought to himself.
"Actually, there seems to be a few different ways that exist in this world to allow me to become immortal, or at least to where I won't die of natural causes like old age or sickness," Arthur responded out loud.
Rama noticed Arthur's eyes looked sad talking about his lack of immortality, so he decided to bring the conversation back to his sister. "So what happened in the battle with your sister?"
Snapping out of his trance, Arthur responded, "She escaped, but luckily we took back what Merlin was looking for. She vowed to go to war with me and after I returned to my homeland and took the throne, she and I went to war for many years...She even used magic to deceive me and seduce me and gave birth to my son...."
Rama could not believe his ears at the treachery and sickness of using magic to seduce someone, let alone family.
"I went to battle against my son Mordred. And in the final battle, I killed him but not before he delivered a fatal blow of his own..." Arthur said once again gazing into the fire with sadness in his eyes.
"A fatal blow? So how are you still alive?" Rama asked wondering if this is where Shiva came to Arthur. Shiva bringing Arthur here is the only thing Arthur has shared with him up till now.
Before Arthur could tell him, Lakshmana, Rama's brother came running into their camp. "Rama!! Rama!! My brother, she has been taken!"
Catching his brother as he tripped and almost fell into the fire, Rama begged him to clarify as to who has been taken and by whom.
"Ravana has kidnapped Sita. Since none of his servants have been able to defeat you in combat, he came and took her in order to crush your heart. He plans to make her his wife!" Lakshmana told him.
Rama felt a wave of anger come over him as he heard the news, "Go home brother. Arthur, we leave now to slay the demon."
"Calm down, Rama. I understand your anger," Arthur said as he stood and sheathed his newly sharpened sword. "But do not let it cloud your judgment or your actions. In order to win a fight against a demon king, one must have a clear head."
They put out the campfire, sent Lakshmana home and made their way to Ravana's palace.
Author's Note: This is the last opportunity I had to share Arthur's story with Rama. This also seemed a good opportunity for people who did not read my story from last semester to learn a bit more about Arthur's past and what happened in the story last semester. I'm sure some people are shocked about what happened between Arthur and Morgan Le Fay and the creation of Mordred. But sad to say that's one of the myths and it's one that I chose to keep with. In order to lead up to the final battle, I thought I would end this story with the duo learning about Sita's kidnapping. I know before I said Rama's brother won't play a major part in this story, but I decided to write him in as a messenger who tells the duo that Sita's been taken by Ravana. Sadly, I wasn't able to fit in the story involving how Arthur learned the sword style he uses, but thankfully I gave some information in the previous chapters in this story. Anyways I hope everyone enjoys this, and I look forward to writing about the final battle in this story.
Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend. Donald A. Mackenzie 1913
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