Very well...
I was in England,
my lady... During a recent summer... Touring
England, Scotland and Wales... As I came close to a place in England, something called to
me... Although I was on a tour with others, I left the tour and traveled on my own... For
I could not refuse this call, which seemed to pull at my very soul...
The place that called to me was the place the archaeologists agree was the original true site of Camelot... The place of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, of Merlin the Magician, of the beautiful Guinevere, of the magical sword Excalibur, and of the mystery that has always surrounded Camelot...
I saw Camelot first from a distance, my lady... The land around it was flat,
but Camelot itself rose up from the countryside... It was a high hill, surrounded by
trees... It took me some while to climb the winding path to the summit... And when I
reached the top, I was surprised to find that it opened up onto a flat plateau... There
was beautiful grass growing all over that summit... But no trees grew there... As I looked
around, I could see evidence of walls that had once surrounded the entire top of the
hill... Long since crumbled into dust...
I wanted to 'feel' the magic of this place, my lady... So I sat
down and opened myself to that which surrounded me... My skin told me of the warm sun and
gentle breezes... Warmer by far than at the base of the hill... Soft billowing clouds
moved gently across the sky, without ever once blocking the sun... The tree tops
surrounded the hillside but they did not block the view... I could see for miles in all
directions... The birds sang in the trees; they were everywhere... And I could smell the
wild flowers and the grass and the natural scents that lingered there...
But most of all, my lady, I listened to the hill... For the source of its
magic lay below me... Deep in the hill... It was a strong magic... Powerful, resting, yet
full of grace... Much like a leopard, my lady... Powerful and even dangerous, but only
when filled with purpose...
And as I sat there, I thought on the wonders of this place and all that Camelot had brought to the world... And I wondered how much was the people and the time, and how much was the magic of the place... And I let the magic seep into me... Indeed, it lingers there still... And after a while, when my soul had absorbed what it could, and the time felt right, I left that enchanted place and walked on back down the hill...
<smile>
You would go there, my lady? Then I shall tell you the name it is known by today... It is called Cadbury Castle... And it stands in South Cadbury in Somerset, near Glastonbury...
Yes, my lady, there is more... For Camelot was but the first of my pauses on that wonderful journey... I soon discovered that the magic had not finished with me, for it called me on to Avalon...
But that is another tale...
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