The Once and Future King Book 3, Chapter 25 Summary

  • And now fifteen years pass. What a jump cut!
  • Lancelot is now an old man of forty-one.
  • Things are pretty much the same as far as Arthur pretending ignorance of the affair between his wife and best friend.
  • To the new generation at court, Arthur's pretty much a symbol for royalty now, and not an individual. Lancelot's the embodiment of heroism and Guenever is a romantic mistress.
  • We're reminded how Arthur and his knights had spent the last twenty-something years reigning in the Brutal Barons of Britain, and making the world safe for serfs and damsels.
  • Gawain has murdered King Pellinore as revenge for him killing King Lot.
  • Arthur and his knights have spread civilization all over England, so now the forests are safe, there are hospitals for the sick, education is flourishing, and even the horrible giants and dragons have been killed.
  • People are now thinking of themselves as English, instead of identifying with their ethnic groups and clans—like Saxons, Normans, and so forth.
  • Enter Mordred. We're sure he's wearing black, so you just know he's Up To No Good. And don't forget to cue the overly dramatic music.