The Arthurian Cycle

"Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus"

sailorenoch, rottingraisins, & Rosyfox2002

Authors:
sailorenoch - Art Page
rottingraisins - Art Page
Rosyfox2002 - Art Page
CW: Suicide, WWII (Focused on the Blitz), and child death

Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus

Here lies Arthur, once and future King

Item#: 8307

Level3

Containment Class:

euclid

Secondary Class:

{$secondary-class}

Disruption Class:

vlam

Risk Class:

warning

link to memo

Assigned Site

N/A

Site Director

N/A

Research Head

Dr. Mahtab Dehlavi

Assigned MTF

RTF Upsilon-11 "Court of Camelot"

Assigned Site

N/A

Site Director

N/A

Research Head

Dr. Mahtab Dehlavi

Assigned MTF

RTF Upsilon-11 "Court of Camelot"

Artistic rendition of SCP-8307-1 presenting SCP-8307 provided by POI-1125

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation personnel are to monitor Llyn Llydaw, Dozmary Pool, and Llyn Ogwen for any possible anomalous activity. If anomalous activity is detected, the affected lake will be closed to the public for the duration of the activity and an additional five days following the cessation of said activity. Inquiries from the public regarding the closure of the lakes should be met with a cover story purporting elevated bacteria levels. Should activation of the anomaly occur, personnel are to monitor and document the cycle. Any and all attempts to disrupt the cycle once activated will result in immediate dismissal from the research team.

SCP-8307-1 holding SCP-8307

Description: SCP-8307 is a steel gladius with a total length of 54 cm from the hilt to the blade's tip. It is estimated to have been created between 100 and 400 CE. It has been observed to alternate locations between Llyn Llydaw, Dozmary Pool, and Llyn Ogwen. When SCP-8307 is received by a chosen individual, a spiral-class hermeneutic is activated.

Within the first week of activation, the recipient of SCP-8307 is promoted to a position of power within their community. Individuals associated with the recipient, including friends and family, are at risk of being compromised by the hermeneutic.

Each individual involved is assigned the role of a character from Arthurian legend, with the recipient always being assigned “King Arthur”. Roles vary between cycles; however, a “Lancelot” will always be selected as well. Each cycle affects the recipient and at least one other person, though the number of individuals involved can be as high as 25.

While each cycle yields a different outcome, both the recipient and the individual assigned as Lancelot have been observed to perish within five years of receiving SCP-8307. Any surviving individuals involved in the cycle cease to exhibit any anomalous properties, as well as objects bestowed upon them by SCP-8307-2 after the cycle concludes.

The blade itself has been observed to possess numerous anomalous qualities, such as being able to pierce most materials, indestructibility, resistance to dulling, and the emission of a glowing light.

SCP-8307-1 is a humanoid entity of European descent. It is responsible for bestowing SCP-8307 to recipients and will often be a guiding force throughout their journey in the cycle. Following the death of the recipient, SCP-8307 will be returned to the lake by either the recipient, an involved individual, or SCP-8307-2, completing the cycle. Afterwards, SCP-8307-1 enters a dormant state, which may last between 5 to 30 years, before seeking out a new recipient to take on the role of "King Arthur." In one recorded cycle, SCP-8307-1 was decapitated, but returned in the following cycle with its head fully reattached. In addition, SCP-8307-1 has been proven to possess anomalous abilities such as an extraordinarily long life span, water manipulation, teleportation between the three lakes affected by SCP-8307, and healing its own/others' wounds.

SCP-8307-2 is a thaumaturgist of unknown descent. Its appearance varies, but it will always serve as a mentor to the recipient of SCP-8307, providing guidance and directing them through the events of their respective cycle. It is theorized that SCP-8307-2 existed outside the cycle for centuries before becoming entwined within it. Following the death of the recipient, SCP-8307-2 vanishes, and any anomalous effects caused by it throughout the cycle cease. SCP-8307-2 has been proven to possess anomalous abilities such as an extraordinarily long life span, divination, creation/manipulation of matter, and shapeshifting.

Prologue

Just as much as they are about the people in them, stories are about those who first crafted them, and about those who go on to tell them, across years and years. As they do, stories can shift, morph, become something entirely unrecognizable. A benevolent fae, as told by one author, becomes a cackling witch in the hands of another. A third one might try to find the middle ground between the two.

King Arthur is a legendary figure who is only alive today thanks to those who sculpted his image. Each little piece that is added over the centuries is spun into even wilder tales by each new generation of storytellers. There is no one King Arthur, it would be impossible to connect each and every version of him in a coherent manner.

The legend of King Arthur never truly died. He lives, only his image shifts, morphs, changes each time a storyteller reincarnates him. From the flawed but noble King of Britain to a scared little girl with magical powers, there is no right way to depict him. You understand this and you know this is your story to tell.

The train station was filled with noise, from the chugging and hissing of machinery to the chattering and sniffling of those who were boarding. You glanced up at your older sister, then back at your mum, her eyes wet with tears. The train for Cornwall was due to arrive any minute. You had no idea what laid ahead. You were only twelve, and the whole world was at war around you.

"Promise me, no staying up past nine, no boys, and you’ll call me at least twice a week," Mum said, kissing your sister's forehead tenderly before shifting her gaze to you.

Her eyes were already overflowing with tears as she bent down and wrapped you into a tight hug. You could feel them, warm and wet against your neck, and you tried to pull away before remembering that it might be a very long time before you got to see your Mum again. You felt your own tears stain your cheek.

The train pulled into the station with a loud whistle. You watched as children of all ages, some younger, some older, started to board, all of them in the same position as you and your sister. They all knew the feeling of fear and uncertainty, every single one of them understanding that they might never return home.

"I'll talk to you later, Mum!" Alys called out, tugging at your hand so hard you almost lost grip of your luggage.

You could only manage a wave in response, fighting back the tears that formed in your eyes. Alys had always seemed so much stronger than you, though maybe it was that she was just foolish. Bravery and foolishness went hand in hand, after all.

The conductor tipped his hat to the two of you as you made your way down the train's aisle. You managed to find two empty seats next to one another, the leather cushions were rough and scratched-up with age. Alys dug her hands into her coat's pocket, fumbling for the tickets before pulling out two wrinkled ones, the edges frayed.

She elbowed you, giggling and pointing towards a boy with golden hair. The train hadn't even left the station yet, and she was already eyeing some boy, not even a minute after Mum had specifically told her not to.

"Kate! Kate…" she tried to whisper, but it came out more like a whine.

You ignored her, focused on pulling out a smaller bag with your art supplies. Mum had bought you new watercolors from France, and you were eager to use them. But Alys wasn't letting you off the hook easily. She never did. She kept nagging in your ear, stretching out the fabric of your sleeves with the way she was tugging on them.

"He looks like a toad with a wig on," you snapped. Her pestering annoyed you.

Alys giggled, her cheeks flushing as she adjusted her beret to hide the cowlick she never seemed able to rid herself of, still peeping at the boy.

A mother and her young son, no older than five, sat down across from you. Alys gave them a polite smile, but you only hoped the boy wouldn’t start crying. Children seemed to find one reason or another to start wailing and make anything unbearable. The train began to move, chugging more and more before speeding out of the station.

You sat and watched the bustling cityscape of London fade into rolling hills. Minutes turned into hours, morning turned to the afternoon. About an hour before dinner, you heard your sister grunt in frustration. She was holding a copy of Macbeth in her hands.

"I can’t read this! I’m supposed to write a paper on the themes of fate and free will in the story, but I don’t get any of it." She groaned, shoving Macbeth back into her bag and pulled out a book of paper dolls.

"Maybe you're just stupid." You teased, sticking your tongue out at her before hunching back over to draw.

The mother across from you gave you a disapproving stare, but you paid her no attention. Before long, dinner was starting to be served, and you and Alys made your way over to the dining car.

"I'm so tired of rationing," Alys complained, the chair almost tipping back as she plopped down. "I hope we get something with real meat this time! At least we won’t have to deal with Mum’s woolton pies anymore." She picked up her menu, her eyes shifting from left to right as she skimmed over it.

"When do you think this will all end?" you asked, your voice trailing off as you looked over your own menu. There were some fish dishes, better than the mostly vegetable diet you’d been eating, but not the meat you and your sister had wished for. "I mean, the last war like this lasted for…"

"1914 to 1918, so four years! I'll be 18 by the time this war ends if it lasts as long as the Great War did. Hopefully this one is shorter," Alys said, kicking her feet up. "They've got fish and chips here." She pointed at your menu, tapping her fingers on the page.

It had been a poor choice of dinner conversation, the looming dread of your situation making you both grow quiet as you ordered and ate. It was like a pit in your stomach that consumed all your thoughts. Your father was on the Western Front, and Mum stayed behind in London. You and your sister were alone now, hundreds of kilometers from your home with no family nearby.

Why did men build empires, empires constructed from the blood of civilians? Who did these vast kingdoms truly serve, other than a man’s ego? All empires were destined to fall, and the bigger they grew, the more likely it became. Yet, men seemed determined to continue this endless cycle of warfare, at the expense of everyone. Now the cavalry took flight, ascending in flocks and dropping destruction on anything or anyone it crossed. All kingdoms, all empires, would fall one day.

Your sister smiled at you, she then started to laugh. The frown plastered on your face for most of the train ride slowly curled into a smile, then turned into full-blown laughter. The thoughts still danced in the back of your head, but here, with Alys, you could afford not to think about them.

Evening turned into night, and you saw many more stars over the dark countryside than you could have ever fathomed over London. Alys grabbed a large wool blanket, and you laid down your head to rest against her shoulder as the blanket covered the seat.

Night turned into morning, and with it approached Cornwall, where the two of you would find your new home.

Discovery: SCP-8307 was first discovered in 1973 following investigations into the manga Princess Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table after an urban legend emerged surrounding the final chapter published in Monthly Shōjo magazine and adaptions. As part of the investigation, the research team interviewed Hayashi Kate, now designated as POI-1125, who was the primary writer and illustrator of the work in question. During this interview, she claimed that the contents of the manga were based on real events from her childhood. While the original urban legend was able to be confirmed as a non-anomalous hoax, a follow-up investigation into POI-1125’s claims was launched. The follow-up investigation corroborated POI-1125’s claims.

• The Cycles
• Cycle "1558"
• Cycle "1860"
• Cycle "1910"
• Cycle "1940"

In total, there have been four recorded cycles of the hermeneutic affecting SCP-8307. Due to the nature of the hermeneutic, as well as insufficient documentation regarding it, it is believed that the actual number of cycles may be much greater.

Date: 1558-1562
Location: Llyn Ogwen
Number of Individuals Affected: 25
Casualties: 5
Arthur: Cardinal Augustine Bramfield
Lancelot: Bishop Llewelyn Hornebolt
SCP-8307-2: Manifested as a middle-aged woman
Notes:

• The majority of those involved were clergymen.
• Cardinal Augustine at one point is claimed to have been granted powers of resurrection. He claimed to have resurrected and then converted multiple Roman Emperors.
• Cardinal Augustine was murdered via suffocation in 1562 by a group of unknown assassin.
• Bishop Llewelyn was accused, but was never sent to trial. Modern scholars believe in the involvement of Augustine's illegitimate son, Matthew
• Bishop Llewelyn passed from illness soon after the death of Cardinal Augustine.

Date: 1860-1863
Location: Dozmary Pool
Number of Individuals Affected: 2
Casualties: 2
Arthur: Abraham Rouse
Lancelot: Lionel Harwood
SCP-8307-2: Manifested as a traditional Christian depiction of Satan, referred to as "The Devil"
Notes:

• The two were former close political allies.
• Abraham Rouse and Harwood were both Members of Parliament under the newly formed Liberal Party.
• Due to an affair between Harwood and Rouse's wife, their relationship turned violent.
• After Rouse's wife left him to marry Harwood, Rouse challenged Harwood to a duel
• Rouse brought SCP-8307 to the duel while Harwood brought a pistol. Rouse was shot twice in the head.
• Harwood faced no legal punishment for Rouse's death but was expelled from Parliament.
• After the death of his wife in 1863, Harwood passed a few days later.

Date: 1910-1912
Location: Llyn Llydaw
Number of Individuals Affected: 12
Casualties: 12
Arthur: Arliss Lambton
Lancelot: Leon Wymer
SCP-8307-2: Manifested as a young man and a young woman, went by the name of Gene
Notes:

• All affected were involved in a single troupe that preformed mostly Shakespeare.
• Arliss was a young actor who was mentored under Leon. He received his first major role as Hamlet after receiving SCP-8307.
• During a production of Macbeth there were five cast members who died in a series backstage accidents.
• Arliss grew jealous of Leon's relationship with SCP-8307-2 and decapitated SCP-8307-1 with SCP-8307.
• On opening night of Macbeth, Arliss swapped a prop sword with SCP-8307 and stabbed Leon with it.
• A stampede ensued and five other cast members perished that night.
• Arliss was taken to court and found guilty for murder. He was executed soon after.

Date: 1940-1941
Location: Dozmary Pool
Number of Individuals Affected: 5
Casualties: 4
Arthur: Alys Fenwick
Lancelot: Laurette Chevalier
SCP-8307-2: Manifested as an owl/falcon

Chapter I

St. Mary's School towered over you. Mum said it was big, but you hadn’t imagined anything like this. The place looked less like a school and more like a cathedral with its intricate, gothic exterior. The lancet windows rose towards the stars and the panes were made of stained-glass depicting saints whose names were lost to you. Their kaleidoscopic faces refracted on the grassy fields. Their eyes seemed to follow you, reminding you that you would never escape heaven's gaze of eternal judgement.

Your sister held her luggage in one hand, your hand in the other. You told yourself it was so she wouldn't get lost, the way she tended to, but you knew this was a lie to cover your own insecurities.

You watched the other girls disembark the train, wondering how many of them were in the same situation as you and Alys. Looking up at your sister, you found that her eyes were fixed on a single girl, the same look in her eyes as whenever she set her heart on a boy.

The girl was tall, a full head taller than the flock of girls that seemed to follow her around. Her long, curly blonde hair fell to her waist, her light eyelashes softened her piercing blue eyes. She looked like a prince from a fairytale. She wore a puffy white fencing uniform, a heart embroidered on the left side. A shiny gold medal decorated her neck.

"Wow, did you just come back from a tournament?" Alys finally gasped after admiring her every move. The other girl opened her mouth to speak.

"A fencing tournament against only boys!" One of the girls in the crowd piped up, interrupting anything she was going to say.

"That's so impressive!" Your sister cheered. Typical, she was already trying to befriend the most popular girl. You tried not to roll your eyes. "What's your name? I'm Alys, and this is my sister Kate!"

"Laurette." Her expression remained cold as she approached your sister.

Alys looked like she was sweating bullets as Laurette drew closer. The girl leaned down to Alys' ear, whispering words you could not hear under her breath. Her fingers slid an envelope into Alys' front pocket.

Without another word, she pushed past you , walking off into the direction of the school. The crowd followed after her, almost trampling the two of you in the process.

"I've never seen a girl like her, have you? She's handsome and so mysterious," Your sister said, her voice filled with admiration.

She pulled the envelope from her pocket, revealing a gold wax seal with a floral pattern. She unfolded the letter, reading it quickly, her expression turning giddy.

"Well? What does it say?"

"It's an invitation to join Laurette for fencing practice." Alys carefully folded the letter and, making sure not to crease it, slipped it back into her pocket. "Isn't she marvelous?"

"She's just a spoiled rich kid whose parents threw money at her and signed her up for fencing classes. I bet she's a prude, along with most of the girls here."

There was a pang of jealousy in your gut. Your sister already had the most popular girl taking interest in her, while no one seemed to notice you. Alys furrowed her brows at your remarks.

"You really are an arse,” she huffed.

She grabbed her luggage and headed inside the school. You hurriedly trailed after her, already regretting your harsh words.

The ceiling was at least 15 meters high, with a second floor connected by a stairwell that branched left and right. At the heart of the staircase was a marble statue of Archangel Michael's triumph over Satan. He stood tall, his shadow cast over all the young girls and sisters scurrying around. Alys stopped to look up at all the intricate detailing and arches, adjusting her beret when it threatened to fall.

Your awe quickly turned sour, settling heavily in your stomach. Why did the church spend its money building grand temples when there were children dying in war?

All the girls filed into lines to receive their schedule and rooming information. Alys skipped over to the line for Year 10 while you dragged your feet over to Year 8.

Looking back on everything, it was clear why no one ever approached you. A permanent frown was painted onto your face and your shoulders were hunched. You judged everyone else harshly, even though you were more unpleasant than they were. You were scared. That was your only excuse, yet everybody else had reasons to be scared, too, and none of them seemed as cruel. More than anything, you wish you could have shown kindness in these last months, rather than acting like a cornered animal.

You spotted your sister talking to a girl in line with olive skin and black twin braids. Your ears perked up as you went to eavesdrop on their conversation, tuning out all of the other chattering.

"I worry about her. I mean, she's always been spoiled, but she's taking this all very hard", Alys whispered. You could barely hear her.

The other girl nodded in understanding, the two huddling closer together, likely to talk more about you. You turned away, grabbing your rooming assignment and schedule.

You felt a rush of relief when you saw that you’d be sharing a room with your sister instead of a stranger. You began to run up to her, but she started to walk with the other girl. You could tell she'd seen you, but she clearly wasn't interested in putting up with your whining at the time.

"Oh, is this Kate?"

The other girl looks at you like you were some pathetic wet creature. You crossed your arms, your face growing hot. You wouldn't be surprised if steam started coming out of your ears.

"Yeah!" Alys smiled at you, her tone condescending. She playfully reached down and messed up your neatly brushed brown hair.

"My name is Gabrielle Headley. I'm also from London!" The other girl bent down in a curtsey. "It's a pleasure meeting you two."

Her lips curved into a warm smile. Her demeanor annoyed you, for no real reason. She had to be hiding something beneath her polite exterior.

"Where are our rooms?", you asked. You had no interest in entertaining small talk.

"There's a dormitory, it's the one on the hill." Gabrielle pointed at a plain looking brick building.

"Who are you rooming with?", Alys inquired.

As the three of you walked, your legs felt weaker with each step, walking through the grassy fields and toward another building. Your feet felt like weights on the dormitory's spiral staircase. No matter how far you climbed up the stairs, the ascent appeared to never end. The other two merrily chattered on, paying you no mind.

"Laurette Chevalier", you heard Gabrielle say, "She's captain of the fencing team."

"Oh! We met her! She must be really popular here!" Alys readjusted her grip on her luggage. You reached out to hold her hand but she didn't notice.

"Well, she's different, to say it politely."

"I plan on going to fencing practice with her tomorrow, maybe we can be friends!", your sister exclaimed excitedly, innocence in her voice.

"How many steps have we walked?", you interrupted, out of breath.

"You noticed that, too? The building only has two floors, but the staircase feels like it goes on forever when you're going up." Gabrielle pressed her index finger against her lips in thought.

"I didn't want to say anything, but it does feel like we're walking in circles" Alys turned around, facing you. "Why don't we try walking backwards?"

She only took about five steps back until her butt hit the floor. She'd missed a step at the top of the staircase. A shrill laugh escaped your mouth. Gabrielle held her hand in front of her mouth as she let out a ladylike chuckle. Your sister got right back on her feet, only brushing down her dress.

"It worked, didn't it? So who's really winning?"

Alys marched over to room 213, you trailing slowly behind her.

"We're neighbors! I'm in room 211."

Gabrielle bid you two a farewell wave as she opened the door to her room.

The room was smaller than you had imagined. It wasn't much larger than a cupboard, and it was much smaller than your room back home. It was furnished with only a bunk bed, a desk and two chairs. Your sister dropped her luggage by the bed and went to creak open the window. A cool breeze immediately blew in, making you shiver. You grumbled, imagining how you would sleep in this bed.

That night, you tossed and turned, the mattress feeling stiff as stone under you. As if being anxious about everything wasn't enough, you couldn't help but wonder if you were really safe in Cornwall. 'What ifs' began spinning in your mind, your heart starting to race.

"Boo!" Alys' head poked out from underneath your bunk. Your body jolted awake, your head almost colliding with the low ceiling.

"What are you doing up?" You almost yell at her, annoyance in your voice.

"I couldn’t sleep with all your thrashing! But look!" Alys said, her fingers pointing to a large owl-like creature perched on the open windowsill. Blue ribbons danced from its tail feathers, catching the moonlight. You yelped at the sight.

"Get it away! What if it builds a nest right here, and we can't close our window anymore?"

"Just a minute, I want to see if I can help it get the ribbon off its tail. Some kids probably stuck it on, poor thing." Alys stumbled out of bed and began creeping toward the creature. As she got closer and closer, the bird swiveled its head, its eyes locking with hers.

"Noble woman, come forth", the creature spoke, its voice deep and articulate.

Alys, still in her horse-patterned pajamas, pointed at herself. Her head turned towards you in confusion. Your body tensed up. This had to be a hallucination of some kind. Maybe you had actually managed to fall asleep, and were dreaming, now?

"Me?" Alys hesitantly took a step forward, slowly inching closer to the creature.

"You hast a great tale that shall one day be told. Come forth and claim your duty as king. I perceive a longing for power in your eyes, a desire to protect the nation. Such power I can bestow upon those noble."

Before any questions could be asked the bird took off, landing on a nearby branch.

You were left speechless, your mind repeating 'What the hell?'. You looked at Alys, your mouth half-open in a confused, awkward laugh, but you found her with a strange determination in her eyes. A fire had clearly been kindled inside her.

Before you could say another word, her feet were up on the windowsill and she was leaping out of the window. You scrambled to climb down your bed to look below. Luckily, she seemed to have landed in some shrubbery by the wall of the dormitory. After detangling herself, she bolted off into the night.

It would be foolish to follow her, but you were used to following your sister into uncertainty. And you would be lying if you said you weren't curious.

The gravel was cold and rough under Alys' bare feet, digging into them in a way that nearly made her trip. She chased after the bird, yelling and shouting for a response. She could feel her heart thumping in her ears, adrenaline rushing through her body. Nothing felt like reality in this dreamlike trance.

The owl silently descended from the blue shade of the sky and perched on an outstretched branch of a small tree. Its wings rustled in the wind. The crescent moon hung low in the sky. The lake stretched as far as her eyes could see, damselflies flitting back and forth over the waters' surface.

"What are you?", Alys sat down on a patch of grass. She bent over to look at her own reflection in the water, finding herself flushed red with exertion.

"I bear many names across many centuries, yet you may call me Merlin."

"Like the wizard?" Her head tilted quizzically.

"Many answers you seekest, young child. Time doth reveal them at times, yet at other times, it doth not."

Alys' attention shifted to a ripple in the heart of the lake, growing larger and larger, until something broke the surface. It was an arm, cloaked in white samite and holding a sword in its grasp. The blade shone as bright and pale as the moonlight.

"Who is that?", Alys asked, rising to her feet.

"That is the Lady of the Lake. Speaketh to her fair, and she shall bestow upon thee the sword and the crown. For you are a noble woman, whose fate is entwined with the sword.", Merlin spoke.

Alys took a few steps closer, her toes grazing the water. The Lady of the Lake approached, now emerging fully from the water. Her hair fell down her back, and in her palms she held the sparkling sword, beckoning Alys to come forth.

"Are you sure this is for me? I think I recall legends speaking of this, but I am no warrior or king. I'm just Alys." Her voice was laced with doubt.

The water now reached up to her knees as she continued to tread deeper, her eyes looking up at the damsel.

"Thou art today, but morrow brings a new age. In times of war do lads your age not take up arms to serve their nation?" The lady motioned for Alys to take the sword from her palms.

"For which doth you prefer a sword or a scabbard?", Merlin ponders.

"What good is a scabbard with no sword? I pick the sword," Alys replied, enthusiastically. Her hand hovered over the hilt, the soft glow from the blade emitting light on her face.

"Fate told me you would say that."

The wind fell silent as her hands met the hilt of the sword. As Alys held the sword, the lakeside was overtaken by an endless teal void stretching out into every direction, seeming to go on forever. The only thing within it was a black sarcophagus, marked with a crucifix. Alys stepped forward, her fingertips tracing the engraving, finding a small inscription underneath:

"Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus"

She pulled open the sacrophagus, the marble slab that had been covering it falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Resting in slumber was a skeletal figure that once stood tall as king. He was garbed in a tattered cloak and plate armor, with a golden crown bejeweled with azure gems. The body began to jolt awake, and he positioned himself upright. His bony hand extended to her, inviting her to dance.

After a brief pause, Alys took the skeletal hands in hers and lifted him out of the coffin. Her feet began to swing into a triple step, shifting weight from right to left. Her legs bounced and kicked up and down into a Lindy Hop. She pulled the bony body closer while she spun to the rhythm in her head. As they twirled, each of his bones fused into hers, leaving no remains of him. Her clothes morphed into his plated armor and his crown, once a token of his royalty, now rested on her head. From now on until death, she embodied King Arthur.

"King Arthur, please save my land and do not declare warfare with fate", the Lady of the Lake spoke.

She was already beginning to be submerged by the waves, vanishing from view.

It was then that you caught up with your sister, just managing to make out something disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Alys was waving after her, thanking her bestowing for her gift, blissfully unaware of what would inevitably come of it.

"Only a foolish man picks the sword over the scabbard", Merlin mused.

"I guess I'm a little bit stupid", you could hear Alys giggle as you ran up behind her. She was admiring her new clothes and makeup in the reflection of the blade.

"What are you wearing?" you breathed, hands on your knees. You had to take a moment after speaking to catch your breath.

"It's cute! It feels a bit like I'm half-princess half-knight, no?" Alys pranced up to you, giddy with excitement. She boasted her new sword and swung it around like a toy.

"For Arthur hath been granted the sword Excalibur, but what is a king without his knights? Morrow morn, return to this lake with those whom you find most true, and I shall bestow upon them blessed gifts of equal worth to your sword." Merlin ignored you completely, addressing only Alys.

"So I can get a sword and outfit too, if I come here tomorrow?", you pressed the bird for answers.

"Morrow morn." The bird took to the skies, leaving you and your sister alone. As Alys lowered her sword, her garments reverted back to pyjamas.

King Arthur was now a fourteen-year-old girl, and his knights were to be his younger sister and his classmates.

• The Round Table
• Arthur
• Lancelot
• Kay
• Gawain
• Perceval

These personnel files are intended to track the connection between the characters of Princess Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and both their real-life and Arthurian counterparts. The 1940s cycle is the most extensively documented one, both due to being the most recently recorded cycle, and due to the cooperation of POI-1125. It is important to acknowledge that POI-1125's biases may influence the accuracy and presentation of the information provided in her account. Princess Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table should not be taken as gospel, but can provide additional context.

Real Name: Alys Fenwick
Arthurian Counterpart: King Arthur
DOB: 24/12/1925
Status: Deceased
Notes: Alys Fenwick was the older sister of POI-1125 and recipient of SCP-8307. She is the youngest recorded recipient of SCP-8307, beginning the cycle at the age of 14. SCP-8307 was received at Dozmary Pool in summer 1940. The cycle concluded in spring 1941, marking the shortest recorded duration for an SCP-8307 cycle. POI-1125 described her as naïve, a dreamer, and inclined to believe the best in others.

Real Name: Laurette Chevalier
Arthurian Counterpart: Lancelot du Lac
DOB: 30/5/1925
Status: Deceased
Notes: Laurette Chevalier was an orphan raised in a convent near Dozmary Pool. She displayed a generally cold and apathetic attitude toward most individuals, though POI-1125 described her as having an affinity for Alys Fenwick. She was an avid reader with an interest in classic literature. Her prior knowledge of Arthurian legend allowed her to understand the cycle at a basic level.

Real Name: Katherine "Kate" Fenwick
Arthurian Counterpart: Sir Kay
Other Names Kate Hayashi, POI-1125
DOB: 26/7/1928
Status: Alive
Notes: POI-1125 is the creator and main illustrator of Princess Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. She is the only known eyewitness and survivor of the 1940s cycle and has since dedicated her life to preventing any future cycles. In 1958, she relocated to Japan, where she currently resides with her family. Any communication with POI-1125 should be conducted through Dr. Mahtab Dehlavi.

Real Name: Gabrielle Headley
Arthurian Counterpart: Sir Gawain
DOB: 5/2/1926
Status: Deceased
Notes: Gabrielle Headley hails from a wealthy family, having evacuated from London to Cornwall in 1939. She was loyal and dedicated to the group, prioritizing the friendship among the other knights at the expense of her own feelings. She became a knight after accepting and completing a challenge against the Green Knight.

Real Name: Margaret "Peggy" Rey
Arthurian Counterpart: Sir Perceval
DOB: 20/7/1926
Status: See SCP-8191
Notes: Peggy lived with her fisherman father and grandfather. She is the only individual affected by the 1940s cycle who wasn't a student at St. Mary's School for Girls, Cornwall. POI-1125 described her as a collector of trinkets at best and a hoarder by most standards. She was characterized as prone to making simple mistakes. By accident, she provided POI-1125 with information regarding the 1910 cycle. She became a knight after assisting in defeating the Questing Beast.

Life is as grand as the legends of old tell. For today, my companion, Leon, brought me to a great pool. Some say this is where King Arthur received Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. I myself am a man of fantasies, so I was eager to make the trip up the mountain, and what happened next I still cannot believe! Out emerged a beautiful damsel, her hair the color of copper. In her palm was a sword, and not just any sword but, the very same that was told of in legends! She beckoned me forward, and I was lost for a moment as my hands grasped the hilt. I could feel another hand reach out and touch mine. From today forth I have been crowned king over all this land and I shall rule with a sword in one hand and a pen in the other.

Recovered Diary Entry from Arliss Lambton
Dated May 10, 1910

Chapter II

As the king laid in the fields, great danger blew in from the east. Dreadful dragons, a legion of them, all aligned in a formation. Their flesh was adorned with sage green scales, their claws as black as onyx. The dreadful dragons spewed a hideous flame that reduced all land to ash and dust. After them came, from the west, a single hare, not much larger than a teapot. The quivering creature was not made for battle, but its hind legs were made for fleeing. So the hare fled, the foul beasts swooping down like falcons. The hare plunged itself into the lake to escape the grasp of those claws. The hare finally freed itself, but drowned in its own foolishness.

But was the hare really the foolish one, or was it the man who placed a hare against a fleet of dreadful dragons?

Alys bolted awake in a cold sweat. The window had been open all night and the room was cold.

"Kate, I had two really strange dreams last night," she croaked as she crawled out of bed.

She staggered over to the window to close it, only to find a sword propped up against the windowsill. The very same sword that had appeared in her 'dreams'.

"Are you talking about the lake? I’m still aching from last night", you replied, slipping off the top bunk and landing with a thud.

"What time is it? If we're late, we can just say we got lost! Schools have a grace period for the first week!" Alys was changing into her school uniform as she talked, her voice muffled by the fabric. She smoothed down the maroon pleated jumper to straighten out any wrinkles. "We have to get to Gabrielle and Laurette before they get out of their room!"

She slipped her shoes on and dashed out the door. In her hurry, she had forgotten her textbooks, her rosary, and most importantly, Excalibur. How were you even supposed to bring a sword with you anyways? You glanced around the room and spotted Alys' violin case, stuffed under the bed to be forgotten about.

"You want us to go down to the lake with you before school?" Gabrielle’s sleepy voice echoed down the empty hallway. The sun had yet to rise, and most girls were still in bed.

"I’ll go with her," Laurette said flatly, already dressed, and her bags packed with books. You wondered if she had someplace to be, even before you'd woken her.

"What? But why do we have to go so early?" Gabrielle mumbled, rubbing her barely opened eyes.

"I can’t really explain right now, you wouldn’t believe me," Alys said, standing in the doorway. "I just need to make sure I’m not losing my mind."

"She’s right, I was with her last night!" you interrupted, peeking out from where you were standing behind your sister.

Laurette looked at you coldly, then pushed past Gabrielle to step out onto the corridor with you and Alys.

"Have fun, you three, I'll catch up with you later." Gabrielle's eyes narrowed just a bit as she spoke, the corners of her mouth curving down. She gently closed the door behind her with a creak.

The sun had just begun to rise over the lake, painting the sky with soft hues of pink and powder blue. Laurette knelt down close to the edge of the water, Alys plopping down next to her. She glanced at Laurette before turning her gaze upwards towards the clouds. Her body jerked upright, and her hand pointed towards something in the sky.

"There!" Her voice rang loud enough to startle you. It was the owl from last night, Merlin, now clothed with a wizard's cap patterned with stars.

"Is this all who are present?" Merlin circled over the girls. Laurette's expression remained still, not reacting at all to the talking bird, though her body tensed, her fingernails digging into her palms.

"Yes! It's my sister Kate and Laurette and I!" Alys introduced them all.

Merlin's soaring wings cut sharply through the air as he descended from the sky. Then, a brilliant beam of light cast down from the sky, bright as an angel. From the beam emerged two weapons, hovering in the air next to the bird.

The bird soared over to Laurette, a sword settling gently into her open palm. It was a saber, all black, with long white ribbons tied to the handle. As her fingers wrapped around it, her eyes flashed white and she stood still, as if frozen on the spot.

The second weapon was for you. It was a bright pink flail with bows wrapped around it. As soon as you grasped the handle, you were swept into a field of pink tulips that seemed to go on forever. Before you, in the midst of the suffocatingly pink landscape, stood a single door with a large, golden keyhole. It was tall, crafted from dark wood now weathered with time.

Where the flail rested in your palm just a moment ago, you now found a golden key, seeming to perfectly match the keyhole. You went to unlock the door, turning the key once, twice, then there was a click, and the door swung open by itself. A skeleton tumbled from the frame, into you and through you, colliding with something inside of you.

A great wave of pain overcame you as all your bones felt like they were being shattered like glass, and then miraculously healed again. You recoiled in pain, your body curling into a ball. This pain only lasted a few seconds, but for you, it felt like minutes. Then, it was replaced with a new feeling of unexplainable strength. Your uniform vanished, replaced by poufy pink bloomers and shimmering armor, adorned with bows from head to toe. Your shoulder-length hair floated and twirled itself into pigtails.

Everything was so pink you could vomit.

Then you blinked, and suddenly, you were back at the shore of Dozmary Pool.

Laurette stood completely still. She was now clad in flowing white garments, her armor accented with gold. Her voluminous locks were tamed into low pigtails, tied together with flowing white ribbons. You caught your sister staring at her reverently.

"You look like you came out of a renaissance painting!" Alys gleefully clapped, then turned to you. "You know, I'm the King of Britain, now, and you both are my knights!"

Laurette's cheeks turned to a hue of pink at the compliment, before furrowing her brows, her expression turning back into a pout.

"Sir Lancelot and Sir Kay, ye have been graced with holy gifts. Defend this land and its king with them, for soon, darkness shall consume all," Merlin declared.

"I am Lancelot and she is King Arthur. Am I understanding this correctly?" Laurette's expression was frozen in a vacant stare, her mouth partly agape. Her proud stance faltered, you could see her knees shake.

"Thou art correct." Merlin spread its large silver wings and took flight. "Call upon me, and I shall be there."

The owl disappeared into the now blue streaks of the sky. Laurette's knees suddenly buckled, and she sank to the ground. Her hands rose to her face, hiding her expression from your prying eyes.

"Are you okay?" Alys rushed to her side and gently wrapped her arms around Laurette's shoulders.

Laurette began to weep. Much later, you would realize it was your sister she was crying for.

Her sniffling quickly turned to silence as she stumbled to her feet, her garments having turned back into her pleated jumper.

"I'm heading to breakfast. I'll meet with you later to fence." Her voice was suddenly calm and quiet. Then she hurried off, leaving you and your sister alone.

"What's her problem?" you asked, snidely. "She acts all tough and gets scared at a little bit of pain?"

"I think she's scared. I mean, Merlin did say you were going to fight for me, and the country. Do you think we're going to be sent to war?" Her voice started to quake.

"I don't think so, we're too young for that."

"I heard that some boys our age from the orphanage where mom used to work were sent to the Western front."

You weren't sure what to say. The two of you sat in silence, the only sound that of the waves gently lapping at the rocks, until you decide to speak up:

"We should be heading back, I don't want— Oh!" You remember the violin case you'd dragged all the way out here. "Your sword's in here, by the way."

Alys nodded in agreement but didn't speak.

As you turned to head back towards the school, you remembered you were still wearing a hideous pink outfit. With a wave of your flail, it turns back into your school uniform.

Later that day, Alys found her way to the gymnasium, violin case in hand. You dawdled a bit, unsure of what to do with yourself all alone. You decided to secretly follow her, sneaking up behind her as she approached the building.

You hated that Alys was doing something without you, you weren't even old enough to join the fencing team. Alys always encouraged you to be more independent, adopt more hobbies, but all the other art kids were too snobbish to ever be friends with you. Alys had always made sure to include you in whatever she did, but it finally felt like she was growing out of your childish ways.

"Laurette!" Alys called out, waving her free hand.

"You don’t look like someone who’d join fencing," the girl who'd been standing next to Laurette piped up. She looked to be one of the senior members of the fencing team.

"Knock it off, I invited her." Laurette stood tall in her white fencing uniform. "Gear up. I want to see what you can do. We do sabre fencing here. Are you familiar with that style?"

Alys shook her head, she had never even held a sword before yesterday.

Laurette leaned in close to her, now whispering: "Actually, I wanted to talk more about what happened this morning. In private."

You watched from afar as Alys was introduced to the other members of the fencing team. There were about five girls, most were older than her and Laurette. It was strange that Laurette would be the captain, not being the oldest one.

As they began to train, Laurette and Alys excused themselves, finding a more secluded area to spar.

They stood, facing each other, a meter between them. Laurette took her stance, her left foot angled forward while her other foot was positioned behind, her body turned to shield her chest. You noticed she was left-handed like you were.

"This is the en-garde position. Your front foot is pushed forward while you back foot should be turned 90 degrees, making an L shape," she explained, watching Alys copy her every move. "Your grip on your handle is too tight. You have to be gentle with your touch, like you're holding a butterfly. If you grip too tightly, its wings will tear."

She closed the distance between her and Alys, laying her hand over hers. Alys' fingers relaxed at her touch.

"Gentle," she whispered to herself.

Alys watched as Laurette retook her position across from her, but spoke up before Laurette could:

"I wanted to ask, why did you cry earlier? I don't want to seem mean but you don't seem…" she cut herself off before she could finish her sentence.

"Sabre is more about attack than defense; whoever is the fastest wins. You can strike anything above the waist. If you're thrusting, target the chest. If you're cutting, go for whatever is nearest, usually your opponent's arm." Laurette ignored her completely.

"How would I apply this if I were in battle?"

"Stay quick on your feet, always protect your heart, and seize any opening you—"

Laurette was cut off by a guttural bark, unlike anything you had ever heard. More barks soon followed, ringing out across the yard. You stood up from where you'd been watching them, sitting cross-legged on the grass, to look around for the source of the noise.

Alys relaxed her stance, turning her head towards the fields. She put down her saber, instead grabbing her violin case, and darted off in the general direction of the noise.

After a moment of hesitation, you followed.

Alys led you around the back of the building and into a small clearing in the fields around a few big rocks of granite. On it stood a girl about your sister's age, her hair the color of kindling fire. In her palms, she held a pitchfork.

"Hey!" you heard Alys call out from afar. "Did you hear that noise?"

"Some noise that fox made, it went and grabbed one of my chickens," the girl yawped in a heavy Cornish accent.

Now that you and Laurette had reached her, you were able to get a better look at her. Her teeth were slightly crooked, her brows dark and thick, and she had a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

"That wasn't a fox, are you stupid?" you chimed in, pushing past your sister.

"Maybe— but I have eyes and I saw a fox grab one of my chickens!" she insisted, raising up her pitchfork.

"Instead of arguing, we could check what's actually making that noise." Alys put her violin case down on the grass, opening it up to pull out her sword.

"Can I have that? It would look really cool over my mantle! Or maybe I could give it to Squelette the skeleton!" The redhead eyed Excalibur, her hand slowly outstretched for it. Alys yanked it away from her reach, her face scrunching up like a prune.

"I think we should split up. I should—" Laurette began to speak before you interrupted her:

"I'll go with my sister. Why don't you go with the redhead?"

Laurette looked at you for a moment, then gave a simple nod, taking off in one direction.

You followed your sister to a small grove surrounding a pond. Suddenly, Alys grabbed your sleeve, pointing to something moving by the edge of the water.

You let out a shrill scream. It was grotesque, an unnatural creature with a head that twisted and coiled like a snake, its body covered in spots like a leopard, and hooves like a stag that clattered when it trotted.

Alys grasped your palm tightly as the creature locked eyes with the two of you. In her other hand, she held the sword. Within a second, her clothes flashed with a bright light, and then turned to the armor she'd worn last night. Her feet planted themselves firmly in the ground, her armored shoes digging into the dirt.

"What is that?" you whispered, cowering behind her.

"You think I would know?" She sounded just as scared as you were.

You took a step back, and the beast took that as its invitation to charge. Alys raised her sword above the crown on her head.

You couldn't hide behind your sister forever, it was time to take a stance. You felt something cold in your hand, and, looking down, realized your fingers were wrapped around the flail from earlier. You could feel your hair float up past your ears, tying itself into pigtails, and the weight of the armor on your body. You stepped out from behind your sister, facing the beast.

"Halt!"

You swung your flail high in the air, but the beast kept charging, charging into you. You were flung several meters into the air. The way you landed knocked the wind out, and you tasted copper as blood began to ooze out of your nose. Your vision began to blur, the sounds of commotion drowned out by the ringing in your ears.

"Kate! Kate! You okay?"

As your vision started to clear, your eyes refocused on Alys, leaning over you. Behind her, the other two battled the beast, its barking ringing out loudly.

You opened your mouth to speak but nothing escaped your lips. Your hands formed a little thumbs up. Alys whipped around at a shriek behind her, only to find the girl you met earlier being swallowed up whole. Alys let out a panicked yelp, dropping you back in the mud as she was distracted by Laurette and the creature.

"Don't panic. It has a really long neck. We should have time to get her out before she suffocates." Laurette calmly took her stand, beckoning the beast forward. "Follow my directions, Alys. I'm going to distract it, and you have to go for the head. Don't go further down the neck, or you could kill her."

"What? I can't! I never even held a sword before last night. You have to be the one to kill it!"

"I believe in you, Alys," Laurette said, softly. She then turned back to the beast, her expression hardening. She let out a loud bark, mimicking its guttural noises.

You could see Alys channel all focus into her next move. One misstep, and someone would die. She locked eyes with the wretched beast. Her arms flexed, her grip as light as if she was holding a butterfly. She leaped towards the beast, and, in one fell swoop, sliced through its neck.

The head rolled to the ground and the body collapsed. From the stem of the neck, gasping and squirming, emerged the red-headed girl, covered in blood and guts. She stuck her arm back into the neck stump, pulling out her chicken, still alive and squawking. She giggled.

"What are you guys, knights? You play pretend?" She started trying to shake off the blood like a wet dog.

You stumbled to your feet with your sister's help. The ground felt weird under your soles, the world still spinning.

You weren't sure how to answer the redhead's question. What were you? This wasn't pretend anymore, the corpse of the beast was lying next to her. The blood that dripped down your face was real, even if you couldn't comprehend anything that had just happened.

"I don't know." Alys shrugged, not knowing either. All of your armor vanished. Laurette stood over the beast, inspecting the corpse.

"Some fox that was! Never seen one like that!" That girl ran over to the corpse as well, putting the chicken on the ground. It clucked, clearly still a little shaken.

"That thing was like five different animals! None of them a fox," you interjected.

Your entire body ached. You were sure something was broken. From the corner of your eye you could see something lowering itself down from the sky, and turned to find Merlin, perched on a branch near your sister,

"The Questing Beast hath been slain," the owl spoke.

"Questing? Is this a quest?" The redhead looked around, clearly not identifying the bird as the source of the voice.

"Questing is an old-fashioned word for barking." Laurette fixed her hair and patted down her uniform.

"Who might this be?" The wizard glared at the new face.

"Ah! A talking eagle!" Peggy seemed to have finally spotted the bird. "I'm Peggy!"

"Peggy, thou hast a heart of self-sacrifice. Great potential lies within you as a knight", Merlin spoke. Peggy bobbed up and down on her heels. "Do you desire to join the Roundtable?"

Peggy ran around excitedly. Laurette sighed, grabbing her by her collar. She opened her mouth to protest, but Peggy had already started talking over her.

"Of course I'll join! I even know a secret spot!" She smiled, eagerly taking him up on the offer. Laurette let her go as if she'd been burnt, Peggy dropping back down from the tips of her toes.

"King Arthur's Kingdom was destined to fall," Laurette said, finally. "He tried to constantly escape his fate, but his sins, and the sins of others caught up to him."

"And who brings on the fall?" The bird perched high above the girls, looking down on them. It spread its wings, casting a shadow over them.

"Lancelot," Laurette murmured.

This was the burden she had to carry. Her hand reached for Alys'. Alys hesitated for a second, but soon her fingers intertwined with Laurette's.

"As long as you don't betray me, we'll be fine, right?" Her gaze met Laurette’s bright blue eyes, her chin tilting up for a response.

"You think we can break fate?" Laurette faltered as she looked at her unwavering smile.

She looked away, suddenly. Her fingers tightened around Alys' hand, like she was scared of losing her.

"Fate has nothing against the power of friendship."

Alys gave her a warm smile. Laurette let her guard down, letting the other girl's words reassure her. For just a moment, she would believe that her words rang true.

«Interview with POI-1125»

Interviewer: Researcher Mahtab Dehlavi
Interviewee: POI-1125; Katherine Fenwick Hayashi
Date: 15/3/94

«Begin Interview»

Dehlavi: Thank you so much, Mrs. Hayashi, for taking time out of your day to meet with me. Do you want any tea or water before we get started?

POI-1125: Tea, please.

Dehlavi: You know, when I was a kid, my mother bought me a VHS tape of Princess Arthur, the 1980s anime adaption. I was hooked immediately.

POI-1125: Did you watch it in English?

Dehlavi: English dubs sure were something back then. I've picked up the manga recently. I hadn't realized how much they changed from the source material.

POI-1125: Well, even in the Japanese anime, they censored most of the message.

<Dehlavi pulls out some teabags from a drawer and starts the electric kettle.>

Dehlavi: Is that why there's a new series coming out?

POI-1125: Somewhat, I was able to give more input this time around. It's also an OVA now, rather than made for TV, so they don't have network censorship to deal with.

Dehlavi: I actually wanted to talk to you about the new OVA. Well, more particularly, The Curse of Princess Arthur.

<POI-1125 chuckles to herself.>

Dehlavi: Are you familiar with the legend?

POI-1125: I was made aware of it circulating the web about a year ago.

Dehlavi: Do you have any idea how the legend started?

POI-1125: I think it started a few years ago in fan circles. I remember there was a small earthquake in- I believe the Kanto region of Japan, the same day the last chapter of the manga was released. There was a tsunami warning that went out, but if I recall correctly, no one was hurt nor was there any significant damage. After the airing of the first 1980 episode, an entire power grid was knocked out in Nara. Finally, with the release of the final episode of the OVA, came another earthquake, a 7.0 on the Richter scale.

Dehlavi: Do you believe Princess Arthur and these events are connected in any way?

<POI-1125 takes a pause. She proceeds to take a sip of her tea.>

POI-1125: It wouldn't be out the question, but honestly, I don't think my work caused any of it.

<POI-1125 takes another pause.>

POI-1125: Will this interview be publicized?

Dehlavi: No, this is just for internal archives.

<POI-1125 looks around and fiddles with her cup>

Dehlavi: Mrs. Hayashi, I can assure you I want to hear anything you have to say.

POI-1125: You can drop the Mrs., I prefer just Kate or even Kate-chan.

Dehlavi: Kate, I promise you, your information is safe here. I won't judge.

**POI-1125:**I just don't think you'll believe me. Police didn't, my husband didn't, my own Mum didn't, either.

<Dehlavi takes POI-1125's right hand into her own.>

Dehlavi: I promise, I'll believe you.

POI-1125: Princess Arthur was real, most of it. From the transformations, to Merlin, to Excalibur, to every single death. They were all my friends, my family. I was Sir Kay. We weren't the first it happened to either, and I suspect we won't be the last.

Dehlavi: One at a time. So the events of the manga Princess Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are loosely, or entirely based on real life events?

POI-1125: Entirely for the most part. I might have wound up exaggerating some things inadvertently, but everything that occurred in that manga is something I experienced.

Dehlavi: Is the location correct?

POI-1125: Yes, it all occurred in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, after me and my sister were evacuated there during World War II.

Dehlavi: You mentioned something about all of this having happened before. Do you know anything else about that incident?

POI-1125: Not too much, but it seemed eerily similar. The actor had recovered a sword that looked exactly like the one my sister had from Llyn Llydaw; misfortune seemed to follow his every step until he murdered a cast mate.

Dehlavi: Do you know what this has to do with King Arthur?

<POI-1125 adjusts her earrings and pats down her top.>

POI-1125: King Arthur is destined to fall, but his story doesn't end there. It's said that King Arthur will return. I think this is what this is, Arthur returning. He rises, then falls. He is killed, time and time again, but he will always return.

Dehlavi: So it's a cycle? Reflecting the legend of King Arthur, so to speak? But there are so many legends. Some of them contradict each other.

POI-1125: Exactly. I wanted to tell my sister's story, for those who would listen.

Dehlavi: I believe you, Kate.

POI-1125: Dr. Dehlavi, there is one thing I would like to request.

Dehlavi: What might that be?

POI-1125: I have no idea if you have the power to, or if it's even possible, but what happened to me and my friends, it can never happen to anyone again. Please, stop this cycle.

Dehlavi: I promise to do everything within my power to stop it.

«End Interview»

The curse of Macbeth is real! Death and misfortune seem to follow this production, yet I only grow more powerful. Only a few months ago, I was a nobody, groveling at the feet of that bastard. And he's truly a bastard, the son of a whore who takes after his mother too much. Ever since I received that sword and met that sorcerer, everything has gone my way. Leon is the only one who stands in the way of getting the crown I deserve. That fool still views himself as a mentor and friend to me. I have far surpassed anything he's done in his twenty years of acting in my five. I deserve everything he has, yet he only continues to take. He's taken my roles, my fame, and even my sweet Gene—that whore of a man! I'll make sure to give the audience a performance of Macbeth that will forever go down in history! That Leon will pay for his crimes by public execution, and the executioner shall be none other than me!

Recovered Diary Entry from Arliss Lambton
Dated March 10, 1912

Chapter III

"We need to tell Gabrielle about everything! She's going to be so jealous!"

Alys hoisted her violin case over her shoulder. You, her and Laurette were walking back to the dormitory after spending all day locked in a battle of wit with a witch by the name of Morgan. You'd left Peggy behind at your "meeting spot", the ruins of an ancient castle amidst towering granite rocks. To make the place more homey, she'd brought pillows and quilts.

"I don't think we should tell her. I don't want word to spread." Laurette's hair glowed in the setting sun, giving her the appearance of a halo.

Alys nodded, but you weren't going to listen to either of them. You wanted to see Gabrielle's reaction to realizing she could become a knight. As you stood outside the door to the dormitory, you heard sounds of commotion erupt from within.

"Huh, that's weird. Shouldn't almost everyone be in the dining hall right now? Does it normally get this loud on Saturdays?" Alys asked Laurette.

Laurette's lips were pressed into a thin line as her hand gripped the door handle. The usually quiet entrance hall was overtaken with chaos. Some girls huddled near the radio, others cried, seeking comfort from their friends or a sister, while a few hunched over the phones. Gabrielle was at one of them, gripping the speaker in both her hand. A line was forming behind her.

"What's going on?" you asked, running up to Gabrielle.

Her eyelashes were damp with tears that streamed down her cheeks. You tried to process the events unfolding around you.

"We have to call Mum," Alys stammered.

The buzzing of the radio confirmed your fears. You followed your sister to stand in line, watching other girls attempt to call their families, most not getting any response.

"Do you know how bad it is?"

You trembled, your head tilted up to meet your sister's eyes. She shook her head, unable to form any words.

"No one is receiving any sort of response. I'm sure they're bunkering down away from phones, or telephone lines have gone down." Laurette leaned over, her hand placed on your sister's upper back. Your sister frantically rotated each number and lifted the receiver to her quivering mouth.

But no one answered.

Dinner was silent, not just amongst your group. Even the other girls barely murmured above a whisper. Alys didn't speak the entire night, silently doing her homework before crawling under her sheets, pulling them up to cover her head.

You spent the night staring at the ceiling. You could tell Alys wasn't sleeping, either.

The next day, after Mass, your sister was able to contact Mum. Relief filled the two of you temporally, but it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until the war was won. Yet the news seemed to revitalize both of you, a spark of determination kindling in Alys' eyes.

"Get Gabrielle, we are going to head over to our meeting spot. I have something to ask of Merlin." Alys held the case in both of her hands as she marched past the fields.

The five of you sat on quilts covering the decaying masonry. Each brick was weathered by age and rain. The walls looked like they could crumble any second.

"Gabrielle, were you able to talk to your mum?" Alys asked.

Gabrielle shook her head no, sniffling to herself.

"I think all of us want Britain to win this war," Alys continued.

She rose to her feet and lifted Excalibur above her head. A breeze blew in through one of the holes in the wall, catching in her cape. Gabrielle's eyes widened.

"Wait—" Laurette stood to her feet, her hand wrapped around Alys' arm.

"You want me to take up arms with you to help defend Britain? But how would I even do that?" Gabrielle held her hands together in front of her chest.

"Merlin blessed Peggy to be Perceval. There's, like, a hundred knights in the legends of the Round Table. I'm sure he can squeeze you in."

Alys lowered her sword. Laurette let go of her arm as she did so.

"I'll have to decline. I'm not here to play dress-up and pretend."

Gabrielle got on her feet and started to climb down the side of the ruins. Peggy pulled her back by her shoulder.

"It's not some pretend game! Alys is really King Arthur, we can show you the lake where she got her sword!" Peggy begged, her green eyes seeming twice as large as they usually were.

"That will not be necessary." A deep voice came from the sky. It was Merlin. He landed on the rotted staircase. "I am not opposed to having more knights of the Round Table, but each must prove thineselves worthy."

Gabrielle stared, her mouth partly agape. "Excuse me, but— If I may ask, how does one prove herself worthy?"

"She must perform an act of great virtue. The time shall come for thee." without another word, he took off, disappearing into the sky.

Alys sighed. Her armor clattered as she sat back down on the stone. Gabrielle's brow furrowed in thought.

A few weeks passed, and you began to settle into a routine. Breakfast, mass, classes, and listening to the radio before you crashed in bed. Each week, you were required to do an air raid drill, and you would find yourself facing off against some monster of the week. Gabrielle started to join in on the adventures, even though she didn't have a weapon like the rest of you. She armed herself with whatever she could find, the funniest example being a frying pan.

Your sister started to grow closer and closer to Laurette. The two attended fencing practice together every day. She even got elected class representative, despite not even running. You still didn't have any friends, other girls your age avoided you, so you continued to cling to your sister and her friends.

Today you were on a train heading to St Ives for your sister's fencing tournament. It was the first time you had been to a town since you evacuated. Alys was clearly nervous, bouncing up and down in her booth.

"Peggy said her dad took her fishing here one summer, there's a beach and everything!" Alys giggled.

"We are only here for the fencing tournament. We'll probably only spend an hour in town." Laurette sat across from the two of you.

"Awwww." Alys pouted. "Hey, Laurette. What do you want to be when you grow up?" Alys asked, kicking her feet.

"I have always imagined myself becoming a nun and joining a convent. I was raised by one, so I feel like that's the path that's been carved out for me."

"What? But you're so pretty! Don't you want to get married?"

"Marriage was never in the cards for someone like me."

Laurette leaned her forehead against the window, watching the hills pass you by. Your brow furrowed in confusion at that statement.

"I always wanted to be a housewife!"

"Every time you are in Home Economics you either burn something or stab yourself sewing. I've never seen you do an even stitch." Laurette chuckled at her response.

"Okay, maybe that was a little lie." Alys smiled. "I guess I've always wanted to see the stars and the moon. I want to discover planets; maybe even to travel to the stars if that would even be possible, but I've never seen a woman scientist like that."

"Why not be the first then? The first person and woman to touch the moon."

"I want to be an artist," you decide to include yourself in the conversation.

"You should be," Laurette spoke. "I've seen some of your stuff, it's wonderful."

"Will there be any boys at the tournament?" Alys asked.

"Plenty of them, but they're all annoying at best."

They prattled on about the fencing tournament. You stopped listening at some point to focus on your sketching.

You weren’t really interested in the fencing tournament, so you’d already planned on sneaking out. As soon as the supervisor from St. Mary's focused on directing the fencing team through their stretching exercises, you ran off to do some shopping. You didn't have much money, though, just the pocket money from Mum, and everything seemed so much more expensive than you remembered. You wound up only being able to buy two bags of chocolate toffees, one for yourself and one for your sister. When you returned to the tournament building, you spotted Laurette, Alys, and someone else— a boy!

"Who's that?" You finger rudely pointed at him.

Glasses sported the bridge of his nose, teeth sticking out in an overbite. Alys wore a bronze medal around her neck, while Laurette had a gold medal around hers.

"George, he lives in Camelford, which is just a little west of us!"

Alys smiled, her arms were locked with his, but his eyes were wandering to Laurette, who pointedly ignored him in turn. You had to stop yourself from gagging and telling Alys her newest object of affection was eyeing another girl. George sniffled and adjusted his glasses.

The rest of the day seemed to take forever. You and Laurette didn't agree on much, but you both hated this George guy. Every time Alys looked away, he would glance at Laurette, but she only responded with a piercing stare that could paralyze any man. Even worse, Camelford lay in the same direction as St Mary's, so Alys graciously invited him to sit in your booth. You'd never seen Laurette look more visibly annoyed than the expression she wore the entire way home.

The leaves started to turn into vibrant tones of red and orange while the ground shriveled to a dull brown. Alys was sneaking out to see George at least once a week now, though half of the time he wouldn't show up, and the other half he spent asking if Laurette would be there. You couldn't care less about it all, at least that's what you told yourself. Your mind changed when you saw a note from Laurette asking Alys to meet her at the pavilion by the lake.

Laurette waited for her, seeming uncharacteristically unsure of herself. She was in her burgundy pleated jumper and tie, holding a bouquet of white lilies in her left hand, close to her heart.

She didn't have to wait long. Alys wasn't a minute late.

"What are those for?" she asked.

"For you. Gardening had extras, so I thought you might like some."

Laurette was stumbling over her words. Her palms were clammy. It was a far cry from her usual, calm and collected self.

"I'm not mad at you. Sorry if my note scared you."

"Oh well, that's a relief." Alys smiled, leaning against the railing.

"This is about George. I don't like him, and I think you should stop seeing him." Laurette's words stumbled out of her mouth.

"What? Oh, I know! It's because you want him! I read parts of Le Morte d'Arthur like you asked me to and— and—!" Alys' face grew hot with anger.

"I don't like him because he's disrespectful! He doesn't value women at all." Laurette spoke firmly. "He's also tried to make several advances on me, and was thrown into a rage when I told him off. We have to nip this problem in the butt before we start to mimic Arthur and Lancelot."

"How can I trust that you don't like him?" Alys began to calm down. She fiddled with a shriveled leaf on the lilies.

"I could never love a boy." Laurette's voice trembled as she said it.

Alys' expression softened. It was true. She had never seen Laurette show any sort of affection, let alone interest in any boy, let alone George. She swayed, wanting to believe Laurette with all her heart.

"Can you prove that you don't like him?" The words escaped from Alys' lips before she could think.

Laurette paused, mustering up all the courage she could. Then, quickly, she closed the distance between her and Alys. Their mouths were inches away from each other. Alys' face flushed pink. Laurette took her free hand in both of hers, leaned down, and pressed a gentle kiss against her delicate lips. It was just a peck that lasted less than five fleeting seconds, but between them, it felt like eternity. Alys’ heart thumped against hers, their heart beats synchronized in a symphony only they could hear.

"That's my promise to you. No boy will tear me away from you." Laurette stammered.

"I promise that too!" Alys replied, smiling nervously.

The pair broke their gaze, staring off in separate directions. Laurette, realizing that she was still holding Alys' hand, quickly let go.

"I need to go and do my paper on Macbeth. Um— bye!"

Alys ran off, her fingers tracing her mouth on her way back to the dormitory. Wasn't that assignment months ago?

At the time, you didn't understand what the big deal was - you heard about Judas kissing Jesus before he betrayed him. Was this sort of like that?

You heard Alys giggle and kick her feet that night in the bunk under you.

"What are you so happy about?" you grumbled to her. The white lilies stood in a large glass mason jar on the desk in your room, glowing white under the moonlight.

"Nothing, mind your bees." She tossed her pillow at your head, peaking out from the top bunk. You caught it, and threw it back in her face.

"Whatever," you acquiesce. "Hey, tomorrow, ask Merlin to give us horses."

"Why?"

"What's a knight without a horse? He can't expect us to protect Britain without horses." You wrapped yourself in a cocoon of blankets.

"He's going to say no." Alys laughed, flicking the lights off. "Goodnight, Kate," she whispered to you, still giggling.

Autumn leaves were replaced by snowfall. That Christmas, you celebrated Alys' fifteenth birthday. It was the first Christmas you spent without family and you couldn't help but cry about it. Mum sent you new, expensive paint brushes. Alys got quite a bit of spending money, and a pair of pumps, too.

Gabrielle was finally knighted over Christmas break, becoming Sir Gawain. You heard about her adventures with the Green Knight in great detail on New Years. The days slowly became warmer, until it was February, and the snow melted into a gross slush on the ground. Most days, the fields were covered with a heavy fog. You wished your mom sent you somewhere closer to the coast, like you thought she would, when you first heard you were being sent to Cornwall.

It was a cold, foggy day. That day, they'd fought a girl named Lucius, who retreated into the hills upon defeat. All of you were still in armor, celebrating at the castle ruins. You'd built a campfire to ward off the cold winds and all of you were crowded around it

"This shit is getting easy— you see how scared she got when I flung my flail?" You laughed, taking a swig from the green glass bottle of fizzy drink Peggy had brought.

"Watch your tongue." Laurette poured herself a cup and took a seat next to Gabrielle.

"I just wonder, where do you think they all come from?" Alys leaned out a window, trying to make out any of the landscape through the thick fog. She yelped when the stones gave way, falling on her foot. She kicked them off.

"It's nice having this armor, that stone would've crushed my toes," she chuckled.

"It's stupid that we don't have helmets," Laurette mused. "Or horses."

"I asked for horses! But Alys told me Merlin would think that was dumb!" you shouted.

"I mean, you could bring your own helmet and horse." Peggy patted her hat. "I brought my own hat."

"Yeah, and it's ugly."

Your hand reached over to grab Peggy's Tudor hat by the feather, but she jumped out of the way. You stumble, spilling your drink all over Gabrielle. She raised her hands with a gasp.

"It's fine," she politely says before you can apologize, pulling out her handkerchief. Laurette shuffles over to help her.

Gabrielle sighed quietly once she'd dried off.

"There's something I've been wondering," she said, getting your attention. "I was told this would be about protecting Britain and ending the war. Now it feels like we're just biding our time, acting out Arthurian legends like children playing with dolls- Are we really doing anything?"

Gabrielle looked around the room. Alys met her eyes, nodding. Despite dressing the part and doing everything she was supposed to, the war waged on, and she felt that she couldn't do anything to stop it. The rest of you were silent, but you could tell that Laurette and Peggy agreed, too.

"I don't think it's worth it, constantly risking our lives for some old man. Kate shattered her kneecap last week, and it’s only fine now because the Lady of the Lake healed her!" Gabrielle continued, impassioned.

"Are you saying you don't want to be a knight anymore?" Peggy asked. "But you just became Gawain-"

"I'm not saying that." Gabrielle made a helpless gesture with her hand. "I'm just saying, I don't know what the point of this is. I fought so hard to be a knight, and for what?"

The other four of you were silent. You weren't sure what to say. Gabrielle sighed away, climbing up the rotted stairs onto the castle tower.

"I'll be right back." Laurette whispered to Alys before she followed her.

"I don't think she's wrong but", Alys says. Her head is tilted, her crown almost falling off. " But I feel like that's all wars, isn't it? Everyone dies because some old man tell them to."

Peggy was quiet, turning her attention to stoking the campfire, throwing in old sheets of newspaper to rekindle the spark.

"Wait!" Your hand reached for hers. "Don't burn that one."

"Huh? What? Why?" She asked, handing you the newspaper. It was old and yellowed. You checked the front page to see that it had been printed in 1912.

"Shakespearean Thespian goes mad. Kills a man on stage and declares himself The King of Britain. Trial awaits," you read out loud. "Look at that picture, it's the same sword that Alys has! King of Britain… Do you think that he could also have been King Arthur?"

"Huh, you're right. I haven't really seen any swords that look like this, most are longer and thinner." Alys unsheathed it and held it in her palms.

"But Alys is King Arthur, and this happened in Wales." Peggy folded her arms. You opened your mouth to speak, but before you could, there was a deafening bang and then a tremor that seemed to go through the entire building around you. Screaming echoed from upstairs as the walls gave way as the ground shook with might. More tremors and bangs followed, you guarded yourself in a fetal position.

"Dragons!" Peggy screamed.

Thud

Something hit the ground. Laurette ran down the crumbling stairs as the ground stopped to shake.

"The floor gave out beneath Gabrielle and I—" Laurette was screaming in panic. "She fell of the tower!"

You looked over at your sister only to find her pale as death. With a pit of dread in your stomach, the four of you climbed down over the fallen rocks to look for your friend.

In a sea of crimson lay what was once Gabrielle, her head cracked open on the granite. Parts of her brain matter spilled out onto the grass. Dully, you were aware of a blood-curdling scream, and then Peggy ran up to her, cradling her head in her lap and trying to scoop up the chunks to put them back in.

Your memory is blurry about what happened next. You tried so hard to forget what you saw that day. You remembered helping to carry Gabrielle's body to the lake the fog, shaking all over. Laurette repeatedly called for someone named Nyneve. Alys had wrapped her head in a quilt, maybe in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but she was already gone.

"Lady of the Lake, please, we call for you! Anyone! Merlin!" Alys screamed, her voice echoed throughout the field.

But no one answered.

«SCP-8307 Exploration Log»

Personnel Present: Researcher Mahtab Dehlavi, RTF Upsilon-11; Junior Researcher Benedict Hart, RTF Upsilon-11; Junior Researcher Imogen Parsley, RTF Upsilon-11
**Location:**Llyn Llydaw, Wales
Date: 30/5/95
Foreword: Following the interview with POI-1125, anomalous detectors were installed at Llyn Llydaw, Dozmary Pool, and Llyn Ogwen. On the 30th of May 1995, anomalous activity was detected at the Llyn Llydaw location. In response, RTF Upsilon-11 was dispatched for further investigation.

«Begin Log»

Dehlavi: All roads leading to the lake have been blocked off. Detections have been going off rapidly.

Hart: You see anything, boss?

Dehlavi: Not yet, keep looking.

<Hart and Dehlavi continue to walk around the shore of the lake. Dehlavi continues to hold up her scanner.>

Dehlavi: You might have to go underwater for this one. All detections seem to lead that way.

Hart: On it boss.

<Hart chuckles to himself as Dehlavi rolls her eyes. He takes off his hiking clothes to reveal his diving suit. He starts to get more diving equipment out his backpack. Parsley approaches from where he had been setting up a barricade at the entrance to the lake.>

Parsley: Signs have been placed. We should have the lake guarded by morning. Found anything yet?

Dehlavi: There is certainly something here. Not sure if it's what Kate described, though.

Hart: If I see the sword, should I just go for it, or is that a bad idea?

Dehlavi: Extremely bad idea. We don't know how it's activated or what it does.

<Hart salutes and jumps into the lake>

Parsley: Wow, y'know, it's quite beautiful here. You think King Arthur really climbed his way up here to get Excalibur?

Dehlavi: King Arthur wasn't a real person, Parsley, or at least it's very unlikely that he was. If he did, in fact exist, then his story has been so thoroughly mutated by the legends that we have no way of telling, for sure.

Parsley: I mean the woman you talked to, she described Excalibur, didn't she? So if Excalibur is real, then Arthur might be— what if he's some reality bender, and all the legends are true?

Dehlavi: One step at a time, Parsley. Let's see what Hart finds first then we can tackle research.

Parsley: He's been down there for a good minute. Hart, can you hear me?

Hart: I wish I didn't. You know I could hear you nitwits talk this whole entire time?

Parsley: What? I can't hear you.

Hart: I know you can hear me just fine. Oh shit, there's something here.

<Parsley passes the radio receiver to Dehlavi>

Hart: It's some sort of woman, maybe a mermaid? Should I follow?

<The figure is blurry, the only thing visibile about her appearance her that moves with the water.>

Dehlavi: Proceed with caution.

<Hart's camera cuts off at this point.>

Hart: Bloody hell!-

Dehlavi: Hart, you still with us? Hart?

<Dehlavi and Parsley exchange glances. Dehlavi starts to run towards the lake where Hart entered. There's splashing, then Hart's head bobs above the water. His hand raises to give Dehlavi a thumbs up. He swims to shore.>

Dehlavi: Don't scare me like that!

<Dehlavi pulls Hart from the water. A hand emerges from the lake, holding a sword, now identified as SCP-8307.>

SCP-8307-1: I see three curious minds wander here for answers. I shall only offer you one: none of you shall be the future king. This gift bears an incredible weight to all who were blessed. Only a chosen few can wield it. May I ask one favor?

<They all look at each other. Dehlavi steps forward.>

Dehlavi: What might that be?

SCP-8307-1: You, the one clad in black, come forth.

<Dehlavi slowly walks to the shore. The hand dips back underwater. SCP-8307-1 emerges from the water, its head visible and now closer to the shore.>

SCP-8307-1: Our fates are tied together, though you are not the one Excalibur calls for. I have this one thing to say to you: No matter your efforts to halt fate, all your efforts will fail. King Arthur will return again.

<SCP-8307-1 submerges under the water. All anomalous activity ceases beyond this point.>

«End Log»

Chapter IV

Peggy knelt by what remained of the castle, her hands tilling the dirt as she planted lilies of the valley. The grass was still stained red in your mind. Your dirty fingers curled into your palm as your eyes shot knives at Laurette. The barren fields beneath the ruin were now covered in white flowers. Gabrielle had always called them Mary's tears.

For the first time in weeks, the sun beamed down from the overcast skies. A warm ray of light bathed everyone in a golden hue.

None of you had spoken much since Gabrielle passed. Alys had barely even murmured a word to you. Laurette never explained what she saw in those final seconds, and her silence began to linger and it festered into anger within you. Maybe if you hadn't done what you'd do next, if you hadn't acted out in grief and anger, then things could've turned out differently.

Alys finally broke the silence with quiet sobs. Laurette let her bury her face in her shoulders.

"Are we just going to stand around and do nothing? Isn't there anything we can do?" Peggy asked, finally.

Alys' head turned to face hers, her lips trembling without words.

"There's nothing we can do besides make sure it doesn't happen again. We can't bring back someone from the dead.” Laurette solemnly replied.

Peggy's eyes widened as if a lightbulb had been flicked on.

"What if we could? You've seen what kind of magic exists already. Why should this be the thing that's outside the realm of possibility?"

"I don't want you touching any sort of magic. Especially something like necromancy or dark magic," Laurette told her, firmly. "I've already lost one of you, and I refuse to let that happen to anyone else. This has gone on too long - we need to stop with all of this before it goes any further."

"Why can't we at least try? Are you afraid of Gabrielle returning because of something you're hiding?" Harsh words trickled from your mouth.

"Kate, shut the hell up and listen to me." Laurette cursed. Alys jumped at her tone, as sharp as her saber. "I tried to stop Gabrielle from joining in on this mess, but none of you ever paid me any mind!”

"Then tell us what happened before Gabrielle died! What did you two even talk about? Are you sure you didn't give her a shove of motivation?" Those were words you regret saying to this day.

Laurette stumbled back, like the accusation had physically hurt her. She turned to Alys.

"Alys, aren't you going to say something?" Laurette's voice cracked. She looked back and forth between you and Alys, waiting for anyone to come to her defense.

"You two, knock it off," Alys said, weakly. "The fall of King Arthur started with disagreement and inner conflict. We're all on the same team, so we need to work together."

"Is that all?" A pitiful expression stained Laurette's usually proud features. Alys’ shoulders weakly shrugged.

"I-I need to head home." Peggy looked shaken, she scrambled away.

"Kate, I need you to understand. I can't repeat what Gabrielle told me because I feel like if I did, all of us would be in danger. If you refuse to believe any word I say, then I can't help you break out of this fate."

"We need to all just get along and be friends, and we won't have anything to worry about," Alys said, but her voice was high and unsure, like she wasn't even convincing herself.

"Yet even when we were friends, Gabrielle still fell. Do you not think we can still fall even if I am friends with you?" Laurette shook under Alys' gaze.

"Lancelot causes Arthur to die! You know that better than anyone else, you said it yourself!" You shrieked, feet trampling over flowers.

"Why do you think I tried to warn you all? But everyone spoke over me, and I let it happen! Why do you think I cried when I heard I was Lancelot? I knew the weight of everyone's sins would be placed on me. That every single word I uttered could be used against me!" Her voice became hoarse from screaming and crying. Her sobs hiccupped. Alys ran back to her side.

"Kate, I think it'll be best if you leave." Alys looked at you with pity. Your stomach sank as you stumbled backwards. Your back turned, and you stormed off in the direction of the dormitory.

By curfew, Alys still hadn't returned to her room. Your ear pressed against the thin wall that separated your room from Laurette's.

"Kate didn't mean any of that…" Alys' words were muffled.

"I'm not worried about her… only us." Laurette replied. You weren't able to make out the middle section.

"I worry about her! It makes me sick, knowing I brought her along! If anything happens to her, how am I supposed to live with that?" Alys said, loud enough for you to make out her words.

Past that point, you could hear whispers, but you couldn't discern anything.

"I never had a friend before you. I don't think Gabrielle did, either. Even if I felt like one day we were going to fall, everything felt so perfect in those moments," Laurette spoke clearly.

More whispering and hushed tones followed.

You heard footsteps and quickly shuffled over to the desk, you sat on the chair, your arm resting on the table. Not suspicious at all.

Alys creaked open the door, fell into her bed and screamed into her pillow.

"Hey Alys, remember when we shared a bed?" You reminisced.

"And that time you threw up on me twice in the middle of the night. Or the time you stood up-" She lifted her head, her eyes were swollen and red.

"Stop! Don't make me remember that!" You jumped on the bed with her, rolling up against her side. Your fist pushed into her shoulder gently. "You think we can do that tonight?"

"Well, this bed is much smaller, but as long as you don't kick or throw up I might just allow it." She chuckled, softly, her tired face finally cracking a smile.

You seized the opportunity to roll on top of her. She was right, the last time the two of you had shared a bed it was at least twice this size, and you were half as big. You were squeezed together like packed sardines. It was uncomfortable, yet you never felt more safe.

Gabrielle's funeral was today. Peggy asked the three of you to stop by her house before the service.

Knock
Knock
Knock

No response. Laurette bent over and retrieved a key from underneath a piece of pottery. The front door swung open with a creak.

The sitting room was a mess, but she had clearly attempted to tidy up. From figurines of dogs, broken toys, and even parts of a submarine, Peggy kept everything. While the mess wasn't out of the ordinary, the map of the United Kingdom hanging above the fireplace was certainly new. A couch had been moved to the corner of the room to make room for a globe. Pins marked castles and landmarks across Wales and France. Balanced delicately on the open pages of an atlas were four little clay figurines, sculpted to look like you.

"Peggy?" Alys called out.

Laurette bent over and picked up a book in her hands. You recognized it - you'd seen it before, in St. Mary's library. Peggy must have stolen it. Laurette's fingers traced over the title, engraved into the front cover in gold letters: Perceval, the Story of the Grail.

"Look at this." Alys picked up a toy ship in her hand. A tiny clay figure of Peggy was placed inside the deck. "She's not here, but the coals are still warm, so she hasn't been gone for too long."

"The Holy Grail…" Laurette whispered "She was just talking about bringing the dead back to life."

Alys met her eyes. She walked across the small living room, and pushed open the door to her bedroom. Her cot was empty. Peggy was missing.

"We have to stop her." Laurette's voice hitched in a panic.

«Second Interview with POI-1125»

Interviewer: Dr. Mahtab Dehlavi
Interviewee: POI-1125; Katherine Fenwick Hayashi
Date: 4/8/96

«Begin Interview»

<Dehlavi pours tea into two cups. She takes a seat across from POI-1125>

Dehlavi: Good evening, Kate. I hope I don't take too much time out of your busy schedule today.

POI-1125: Not at all, just get me home before bed time. <She chuckles.> I'm not getting any younger.

Dehlavi: I promise.

POI-1125: You promise many things, but do you plan on keeping those promises?

Dehlavi: I keep my word the best I can.

<Dehlavi stands up. POI-1125 looks her up and down.>

POI-1125: Before we get started, I have a few questions myself. Pardon me, but how far along are you?

<Dehlavi smiles in response. Her hand lowers to her stomach area.>

Dehlavi: Twenty three weeks. She's been all I can really think about.

POI-1125: Oh my goodness! You should really be taking some time off!

Dehlavi: I think I'm going to wait a few more weeks. Thank you for the concern, but I really do enjoy what I do.

POI-1125: Any names?

Dehlavi: My husband and I decided on the name Azar. It's one I've had picked out since I was a kid.

POI-1125: Azar is a lovely name for a lovely baby girl. I just know you'll be a good mother. Apologies for distracting you.

<Dehlavi turns on the ceiling fan. She sits back down.>

Dehlavi: Oh, no apologies needed, but I do need to ask you just a few questions. <She takes out a notebook.> Firstly, are you familiar with any sort of woman or feminine figure in the lake?

POI-1125: Lady of the Lake, though I believe Laurette called her by a different name. Nyneve, or something similar.

Dehlavi: How would you describe her?

POI-1125: She was more of a force of nature than a person. She never actually felt real. Laurette said she had been speaking to her since childhood, sneaking off from the convent to ask for wisdom. I'm not sure what they discussed, when it was just the two of them.

Dehlavi: Was she ever a direct threat?

POI-1125: No, I only encountered her on three occasions myself. She came across like a distant and uncaring mother, but not cruel or violent.

Dehlavi: Was there anything else magical that acted as a guiding force?

POI-1125: Merlin, we talked to him much more. They were both forces of nature, forces of the cycle, really— making sure we played our parts.

Dehlavi: What about the Questing Beast and more human enemies like Morgan or Lucius Tiberius?

POI-1125: I think the Questing Beast must've been the work of Merlin, maybe Peggy was right about the whole fox thing. Morgan and Lucius were also girls just like us. Though Morgan was a bit unusual, it's hard to describe. I'm not sure how they gained their abilities, but I suspect Merlin had something to do with it, possibly something about the cycle?

Dehlavi: Interesting, did you meet any of those girls?

POI-1125: Well after everything I began seeing a girl who looked just like Lucius in my year. She isn't a person to be easily mistaken for. Her name was Lucrezia, and she didn't have many friends. She couldn't remember anything about magic. I never knew what happened to her.

Dehlavi: Has anything unusual occurred since the cycle ended?

POI-1125: Nothing that couldn't be explained.

Dehlavi: Thank you, Kate. There's one last thing I want to ask.

POI-1125: Ask away.

Dehlavi: I went to Llyn Llydaw with my team to investigate when you first informed us. I met the Lady of the Lake, she approached me and only me and said "Our fates are tied together all your efforts will fail. King Arthur will return once again." Do you have any clue what this means?

<POI-1125 purses her lips and her eyes narrow.>

POI-1125: I don't, but I'm sure that doesn't mean anything good.

Dehlavi: Thank you for your time, Kate.

«End Interview»

Chapter V

It's been four days since you'd last seen Peggy. Your sister had called her father, who had seemed more upset about his recently stolen boat than his missing daughter. You did get him to promise he would come home and check on her "eventually". No one had come to look for her, it was like she completely vanished; no one even noticed or cared. That wasn't completely true, though. Laurette, Alys, and you cared.

It was past curfew. Your lantern illuminated the foggy night with a soft, yellow glow.

"Peggy!" Alys called out.

Laurette and you continued to shout for her. Every day you would stop at the castle ruins and her home, but there was no sign of her. Laurette’s hand reached for Alys' in the dark.

"Alys, I want to speak to you," Laurette spoke in a hushed tone. "Alone." Her lips brushed against her ear.

Alys nodded and followed her. You snuffed out your lantern, following them at a short distance. It was lucky they couldn't see you in the fog. You hid behind a bit of shrubbery as they walked to an old oak tree to talk. Laurette leant against it, pursing her lips.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you and bringing Gabrielle and Peggy into all of this. I just wanted to make sure our families were safe, and I ended up ruining everything." Alys sniffled, quietly.

Laurette wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault," she assured her. "But you understand what comes next in the story, right?"

Laurette held her so her gaze met hers. Alys’ words caught in her throat as she tried to speak. No words came out. She could only nod, tears streaming down her face. Laurette held her tighter.

“I'm not going to let that happen.” Her breath hitched between her words. “I love you.”

"I love you too." Alys sputtered, barely holding back sobs.

"No, I mean I love you." Laurette held her shoulders, fixing her with her gaze. Alys froze, all words choked by shock. "We have to run away far from this lake, forget any of this happened. We can join a convent in Wales and grow old together! You just have to stop carrying the burden of trying to protect everyone and finally be free."

"What about Kate?" Alys' lips quivered, her breath shaky.

"What do you mean ‘what about her?’" Laurette replied, sternly. "Kate is fine here. If we take her with us, we'd still be the Round Table. Everything would follow us. You would still be King Arthur, and I want you to just be Alys."

"I can't leave Kate! Is there any other way to stop this?" Alys yelled.

Laurette broke her grip from Alys, her cheeks damp.

"It's either Kate or me. There is no room in the world for you to stay with both of us."

There was a darkness in Laurette's eyes that you'd never seen there before. You shivered, making yourself smaller in your hiding place. Laurette hesitated for another moment, then began to wander deeper into the fog.

Alys did nothing to stop her.

Laurette didn't come to class the following day, nor was she in her room, which laid eerily silent, both beds missing their occupants. Alys only held you tighter and didn't mention what happened between her and Laurette, but you knew. The guilt started to eat you alive.

It was past curfew again, the wind chilling you to your bones. You held your lantern up high, illuminating through the fog.

“Look!” Alys pointed up into the night. “Vultures by the lake! We should investigate.” There were no stars, only the crescent moon hanging low above the lake. The two of you stumbled through the shrubbery. A cacophony of flapping wings rang out as the vultures flew away on your approach, and you noticed something lying in the grass.

It was a hare, its throat slit by sharp talons. You felt relief wash over you that it wasn't Peggy.

"An omen." A deep voice came from the trees. Alys didn't turn around and pretended she couldn't hear. She held her lantern above her head, and the luminance caught a glint of shimmering, black armor in the dark. Alys went pale. "Let's head back."

"Halt!" A voice called out from the fog. A figure cloaked in black armor stepped forward, her chin the only part of her face visible. Her skin was pale as moonlight, and her lips were painted black. A purple cape flowed in the chill breeze. Alys' head tilted in her direction. The figure stood two heads taller than her, a shield in her right hand and a sabre in the left.

"Who are you?" Alys armed herself with Excalibur, her pleated jumper transforming into her armor. She shifted her body to shield you from the mysterious woman.

"I am the Black Knight, and I challenge you to duel. If I win, I desire for you to come with me." Her voice rang out loudly in the night.

"And if I win?" Alys retorted, her knuckles white around her sword’s hilt.

"I will return Laurette to you,” she promised.

Alys took a pause before taking a step forward.

"I accept. Kate, stand back." Alys ordered you. You knew your sister could win this, but who was this? You had come across a Red Knight and a Green Knight, but you never met this one before.

The Black Knight raised her shield high, forcefully shoving Alys back with it when the smaller girl charged her. The knight thrusted her saber forward and their blades clashed together with a harsh clang. Alys was able to execute a feint, using her newfound momentum to push the Black Knight back. She raised Excalibur to swing for the knight’s left hand, only to be blocked by the shield once again. The Black Knight remained focused on defense. Alys struck again and again, each attack more passionate than the last, but you could tell she was starting to wear herself down. That's when she spotted an opening. The Black Knight was left-handed, and every time she raised her shield to guard her right side, her left side was left vulnerable.

"Seize any opening." This was all for Laurette.

Alys lunged, launching her blade forward. It grazed the Black Knight’s armor at the same time as the enemy had stepped forward to block Alys' attack. This, however, only made the sword plunge deeper, cutting through the armor until it pierced straight through her heart. Blonde curls spilled out from beneath the helmet, and the rest of her armor shattered into a blood-stained pleated jumper. Her knees buckled as her body fell backwards. Alys tossed Excalibur to the side, catching Laurette in her arms.

"Laurette!" Alys screamed, her hand raised to hold her head. Laurette's eyes fluttered open as she weakly tilted her head to look up into the other’s eyes.

"Can you just keep holding me?" She murmured, her face twisted in pain. Alys held her as close as she could, eyes wide in horror at what she’d done.

"Kate, get help!" Her voice trembled as she shouted for you. "Ask the Lady of the Lake! Find anyone! Anything!" she begged.

Your heart raced. You wanted to do what she asked, but your legs wouldn’t move, frozen in fear.

"There's no need," Laurette whispered, her voice fading. Her hand reached for Alys’ and she held it up to her bleeding heart.

"I love you." Alys sobbed, fingers entwined with Laurette’s as she gave one last smile.

"I love you too." Laurette's last breath escaped her lips. Her eyelashes covered her eyes and her head slumped forward. Alys gasped for air, her tears strangling her. For an eternity she wept, still holding Laurette's body in her arms. Your lips trembled as you looked up at that horrid bird who stood by and watched everything unfold.

"Is this what you wanted? For all of us to die? Is it over? Have you finally won your stupid war?" You screamed at him. Alys looked up at the bird, her expression frozen.

"It’s not over until King Arthur dies, right?"

Alys’ voice was barely a whisper. She already knew the answer. You both did.

"Correct," Merlin spoke, perched high above you. Alys' body shuddered as she knew what she had to do next. She cradled Laurette's body in her arms, her head pressed against hers.

"Kate, I know you may never forgive me for what I will do next." She rose to her feet, Laurette limp in her arms, and started to tread into the water. "This is the only way I can protect you, for you will never be safe as long as I live. I will always love you, even when I am gone."

Your expression twisted into confusion, the realization only hitting you when Alys started to wade into the water. Your voice became shrill as you stumbled and shrieked for her to stop. Your cries fell on deaf ears. Her cape tears in two against the force of you yanking at it, desperately trying to get your sister to stop.

The force sent you tumbling backwards onto the silt. When you sat up, Alys was gone. Her head had submerged beneath the murky water, never to resurface.

You couldn’t even hear yourself scream. Your fists pounded into the ground, tears swelling from your eyes, pouring into the lake for what felt like hours. She was gone. Everyone was gone. It was all pointless.

A splashing noise rang out, and your head shot up.

It was not Alys. It was the hand of the Lady of the Lake reclaiming Excalibur.

Your body began to become overtaken by searing pain as she did, the same physical pain you felt when you first merged bones with Sir Kay. This time, it felt like your bones were being ripped from your body, and then, finally, everything became still. Your eyes trailed up to where Merlin had just been, but he wasn't there. You stared at yourself in the reflection of the lake. You were no longer wearing pink. You were back in your maroon uniform, hair falling messily on your shoulders. Everything had returned to the way it was.

Your final wish was to be brought back to Cornwall. You wanted to die there. You hadn't come back since 1945, and now, sixty-eight years later, you finally felt prepared to return to where everything fell. As you lay dying in bed, your head turns to look out the window. The last thing you see is Dozmary Pool, just as you had wanted.

From:

mdehlavi@scp

To:

bhart@scp

CC:

RTFUpsilon-11

Subject: Sad News

Dear Team,
It is with great sadness that I say Kate Hayashi has unfortunately passed. Many of you considered her a close friend. These are the current arrangements the family has made for service and I'll keep you all updated

Close

Please take time off if needed, but remember that above all else, Kate wanted the cycle to be stopped. Do not let these events deter you from our goal.

King Arthur returns!

For the Foundation was trapped in its outdated pattern recognizing ways

They were too busy guarding the lakes

To notice a girl named Azar pulling the sword from the stone

Close

★ SCP-8307 “The Arthurian Cycle” by sailorenoch
☆ "Let there be Green" by Rosyfox2002
☆ SCP-8191 “Fisher Queen” by rottingraisins
☆ Horned is the Enchanter by sailorenoch