King Ælle of the South Saxons was reinforced by another contingent of Germans brought over from the continent by his son Cissa. Together they lay siege to a port town, and after starving the residents for weeks they assault the walls and slay everyone. Men, women, and children are sacrificed to Wotan, the bloody Saxon war god.
King Uther marches his army on Cornwall. He is hasty, not even waiting for all his men to arrive. He leaves orders for the other contingents to follow as soon as possible.
Duke Gorlois won’t fight on the field. He has divided his army to defend two strategic castles, Tintagel Castle, on the coast, and Terrabil, at a strategic road junction ten miles inland. His treasure and wife are at Tintagel, while his main army is at Terrabil ready to sally forth and strike the king in the rear if he turns toward the treasure storage. King Uther sends three-quarters of his force to besiege Terrabil and the rest to Tintagel.
There are a few assaults made across the causeway, all of which end in disaster. Even after getting across the causeway, the castle’s walls and gates stop attackers. Uther sets up some trebuchets that hurl rocks and burning balls of pitch against the walls, but to little effect. King Uther rages in his command post.
The knights on guard one night see the king and his counselor Merlin silently depart from the tent, leave the camp entirely, and go to a nearby sacred stone in the distance. Merlin raises his arms and begins to chant, and a great thick fog forms at sea and moves in like a cliff to envelop the castle, the causeway, and the entire besieging camp.
Some hear the hollow clattering of hooves, the faraway shout of “The duke! The duke! Open the gate!” The postern door opens, and Duke Gorlois strides into the castle. The knights remain awake, out of curiosity, and before dawn notice the duke depart again, riding from the castle and becoming lost in the fog.
The night is cold and long. The knights are relieved of their guard duty. The air is eerie, too cold, with strange sounds intruding into a sleep that is troubled by dreams of dragons and blood.
In the morning, messengers come with news both good and bad. The good is that Duke Gorlois was killed in battle and Castle Terrabil taken in a fierce night battle. The bad is that Prince Madoc, the son of the king, was also killed in the fighting.
When Uther hears the news, sitting in state upon his throne set up in the war camp, he glances sharply at Merlin, who as always remains entirely impassive. Uther, hard as iron, takes on the visage of a man who has lost a son; he departs from the public eye to weep in private. Merlin shows no emotion, but appears exhausted.
The next day the body of the duke is brought to Tintagel. Under flag of truce, it is borne across the causeway and taken into the castle. Even across the straits, the keening and weeping of those inside is easily heard.
After a day, the king sends Belleus, under flag of truce, to the castle. He is admitted. Some time later he returns, with word for the king that the duchess Ygraine has agreed to surrender.
Everyone is triumphant. The king announces that justice has been done: The traitor is dead and now peace and unity can return to the land of Britain. The duchess comes forth with her household, all dressed in mourning black, and surrenders to the king, who places her into his protective custody.
Uther appoints keepers of the castles he has conquered, but never another Duke of Cornwall. He appoints Sir Thebert, a notable knight from Marlboro County, as the temporary warden of Terrabil. Uther also appoints a temporary garrison at Castle Terrabil.
Uther announces that he is going to remain at Tintagel, at least until the funeral for his son. As the army packs up to leave, messengers bring word that the Saxon King Aelle has conquered another city in the south. Uther accepts the news, but it does not seem to make him particularly unhappy.