The king, with a small guard, rides to the Duke of Lindsey, meeting his vassal at Lincoln. Along with Uther are Merlin, Duke Ulfius, and many other noblemen, including Count Roderick.
The Duke of Lindsey has been recalcitrant in obeying Uther lately, being jealous of his prerogatives but dependent upon the king for defense against the Saxons of Deira and the northern Cymric Kings (under Malahaut as well. The Duke of Lindsey is one of the members of the Supreme Collegium.
The party reaches Lincoln, but the duke is not there. His steward promises that he will be back soon, and the party settles in for a week. The nobles go on a hunt. At last the duke shows up, and after a perfunctory formal greeting, the nobles retire to prepare for a feast.
It is clear that the duke is not happy with the king’s presence. Still, he is formal and never incorrect or insulting. A few knights think that the duke thinks that King Uther is arrogant and wants too much. He still needs proof that Uther is more than a tyrant. Even fewer knights notice that he is afraid of Uther.
The feast is good and plentiful, though not sumptuous. The king and duke at the high table are formal. After dinner the entertainment begins. Some bards sing, and some men tell of their battles. Then the king calls upon Merlin and demands that everyone hear of the “Adventure of Sword Lake.”
Merlin tells a tale about how he, protected by a select group of knights, came to a lake where an arm reached up out of the water, and gave him the sword. Uther stops the tale at this point.
“Merlin,” says the King, “Can you tell us more of this sword?” And, of course, everyone knows Uther has it, but Merlin then tells a part of the High History of Excalibur and ends by pulling it from under his robes, gleaming in the smoky halls and dispelling all shadows.
Duke Lindsey is sitting straight up in his chair by this time, as are his knights. They are, perhaps despite themselves, quite impressed. Lindsey’s attitude becomes warmer towards Uther, who is obviously enjoying himself even more.