Arthur approached, his face solemn, his tread purposeful and slow. Charis offered the sword, but the Duke did not take it. He knelt before her and raised his hands. She spoke to him and then placed the sword across his upraised palms.

Then did Arthur rise, lofting the sword. New sunlight dazzled along its tapered length in a keen flash of gold. He waved the blade in the air, and an expression of awe slowly transformed his features.

'Come,' said Merlin, turning again to the horses. 'We will join them now.'

We rode back to the causeway, crossed it, and turned towards the grove, leading Arthur's horse behind us. Charis greeted her son with a kiss, and me as well.

'Have you seen it, Myrddin?' cried Arthur, holding the sword reverently, his face alight with the singular beauty of the weapon. For indeed it was a thing of dire beauty: long and slender, cold, deadly. Two crested serpents, their red-gold bodies entwined, jewelled eyes winking, formed the hilt. Forged long ago of an art far surpassing any now known, it was, as Merlin said, the weapon of a dream, made for the hand of a god.

'Oh, yes,' replied Merlin, touching the blade with his finger-tips, 'I have seen it once or twice. What will you call it?' He did not say that he himself had once worn it.

'Call it?'

'A weapon like this must have a name.'

'Has it a name, my lady?' Arthur asked Charis.

'No name that I know,' she replied.

'The Lady of the Lake has told me that the blade is made of steel far stronger than any in Britain,' said Arthur.

'Call it Caliburnus,' suggested Merlin.

Arthur's brow wrinkled. 'Latin – meaning?'

'Caledvwlch, the Cymry would say.'

'Cut Steel!' declared Arthur, lofting the weapon once more. 'Very well, as I am a Roman Celt, I will call it Caledvwlch.'

Arthur was well pleased with his new weapon. He lightly held the sword in his hands and fingered the strange markings on the blade near the hilt. 'These figures,' he said, turning once more to Charis, 'I cannot read them. What do they mean?'

'It is Atlantean script,' she explained. 'It says here, Take Me Up," she turned the blade over, 'and here: Cast Me Aside:

Arthur frowned over this. 'I will never cast it aside,' he vowed and, raising his eyes to hers, said, 'I am in your debt, my lady. Whatever you ask of me, if it is in my power, I will do.'

Charis smiled. 'The sword is a gift – obtained for one king and given to another. I ask nothing in return.'

'Yet,' Arthur replied, letting his glance slide once more along the flawless length of the sword, 'I would deem it an honour to repay you in any way I can.'

'Come,' said Merlin, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. 'Let us go into the hall and break fast. Have you forgotten what day it is? It is the day of the Christ Mass. Let us begin the celebration at once.'

With that, we began threading our way up the narrow track to the Fisher King's palace. Arthur gazed out, as the landscape fell away below, watching the radiant fingers of sunlight sweep the hills and hollows round about. By the time he stepped through the great arched gates and into the palace yard, he was firmly captured by the natural enchantment of the place.

We did not wait to be greeted, but hurried in to the hall to warm ourselves. Avallach was there, and upon seeing us he came forth to greet us with glad welcome on his lips. His hand, however, was pressed to his side, as it always was when his wound distressed him.

'God be good to you!' he called, his voice a low thunder in the hall. 'Merlin! Pelleas! How often I have thought of you these last days and longed for your company. Come, sit by the hearth. Have you travelled far?'

'Merlin came to us last night, but you were in your chambers and we did not like to disturb you,' Charis explained, Unking her arm through her son's.

'Grandfather,' said Merlin, holding his hand out to Arthur, 'I present to you Arthur ap Aurelius, Duke of Britain.'

King Avallach looked long on the young duke, holding him in his gaze that became at once sharp and formidable. Arthur endured this scrutiny with good grace; he did not flinch, nor did he counter it by growing haughty, as I have seen men do. Arthur stood square-shouldered, head erect, eyes level, motionless, letting the other make of him what he would.

In all the years I had known him, I had never seen Avallach react this way with anyone – certainly not with a guest in his house. Charis opened her mouth to intercede, but Merlin urgently pressed her hand and she subsided.

His appraisal finished, the Fisher King raised his palm shoulder high, saying, 'Hail, Arthur, Duke of the Britons, I greet you. Long have we awaited your coming.' Avallach then stepped forward and enwrapped Arthur in a great embrace. A simple enough gesture, but more than that somehow.

Merlin looked on, with narrowed eyes. The significance of this act stirred him, and his senses quickened. He was, I knew, seeing far more in Avallach's welcoming embrace than Charis or I.

'It is the union of forces, Pelleas,' Merlin explained later. 'Do you not see it? Do you know what this means?' Before I could protest that I did not understand, he rushed on. 'It is true! All that we have hoped for Arthur, all that we have worked for – the years, Pelleas, the years we have worked! – it is coming to fruition! Arthur is the Summer Lord! His reign will establish the Kingdom of Summer.'

'Because Avallach greeted him?'

'Because Avallach recognized him.'

'But we have always known it would begin with Arthur.'

Merlin raised a forefinger. 'We have always hoped Arthur would be the Summer Lord. There is a difference.'

I still did not see how Avallach's greeting changed anything, or why Merlin thought that it did. But I believe that Avallach had grown increasingly sympathetic to the subtle promptings and presences of the spirit. Over the years he had grown in wisdom and holiness – through his discipline of prayer and meditations on the holy writings Bishop Elfodd brought him – so perhaps he saw something in Arthur that moved him.

But it did not matter what I thought. Merlin, for whatever reason, had seen something in the welcome AvaJlach gave Arthur that kindled the certainty of the Summer Realm within him. And that was enough.

After breaking fast, we rode down to the abbey to attend the Mass of Christ. Merlin again presented Arthur to Abbot Elfodd, who prayed for him and commended him for ending the rebellion at last. The Christ Mass was read, and hymns were sung by the monks, who afterwards passed among us with the peace of Christ on their lips.

As we were leaving, Avallach bade Elfodd to join us at eventide to share our meal. In all, it was a fine and happy time, though I could not help remembering the festive and joyous celebrations I had seen in old Pendaran's and Maelwys' court; nor could I help recalling the masses led by saintly Dafyd.

Oh, but those were times long past now, and I did not think I would ever see their like again.

That night, as we.gathered before the hearth after our evening meal, Merlin produced his harp and began playing. We listened for a while, whereupon he stopped.

'When I was a child,' he said, 'on nights like this my mother would tell me of the vision my father, Taliesin, had entrusted to her. As you know, it has ever been my work to advance this vision and establish it in this worlds-realm.

'But Arthur, I have never spoken the vision to you as it was spoken to me. And, though you know of it, you have not heard it as I heard it. Tonight you shall, but not from my lips. I would have you hear it from the one who has ever guarded it in her heart.' And, looking to his mother, he said, 'Speak to us of the Kingdom of Summer.'

Charis observed her son for a moment, then rose to stand before us, erect. Her hands clasped before her, she closed her eyes and began to recite.