As the night drew on, and as everyone continued to sit around the table, Arthur and Little Johnny were told more of the Shadow and what evil they cast on the world. Bitty, Dolores, and the other gnomes told the boys that the Shadow, led by goblins, had forced them out of their homes to take for themselves. The elves told of their meadows being churned up and the giants told of their caves being buried by ogres and trolls. And Amzin told of his home, a mountain that was now occupied by a heinous dragon.

'I'm so sorry to hear that,' said Arthur as he looked around at all the saddened faces. It wasn't just him who was hurting.

'This Shadow will get what's coming to it,' growled Little Johnny. 'The Deputy and the Princess of the Fays will regret their mean ways.'

'And what happened to everyone,' came Arthur's great uncle as he combed his mustache, 'happened to Camelot itself.'

The thought of Camelot being real hadn't even crossed Arthur's mind and he was beyond awestruck once again. He pictured King Arthur sitting on his throne.

'What happened?' asked Little Johnny.

'Let's show them, shall we,' replied Mr Scarlett.

The elves bowed and rose to their feet. Then with a wave of their hands, the lights in the hall turned a dazzling bespeckled blue before parting from their source and flashing towards the table. There, they mingled and danced above the seats until Arthur saw a looming turret form from the luster. Then came another tower and another and another. Before long, the two boys were staring up at the likeness of the most majestic castle that beamed with magic. Unicorns, great stags and fauns pranced before it, and griffins, phoenixes, peacocks soared through its splendor.

'Whoa!' exclaimed Little Johnny.

'So–so–so that's Camelot?' asked Arthur.

'It is,' Mrs Scarlett replied. 'And a long time ago, it looked as wonderful as this. But it was lost. Lost to the Shadow.'

The elves waved their hands again and the castle turned dark. The turrets and towers crumbled, cracks shattered the walls, the creatures fled and flew away, and a violent storm grew above.

'Yikes,' gulped Little Johnny.

'Sadly, Camelot was not just lost to the Shadow. As time went on, the whereabouts, its location was lost too. And there is a possibility that the Shadow took your parents there, Arthur.'

Arthur slumped down in his chair as the castle disappeared and the hall's lights returned to their torches. 'So we won't be able to find them then?'

'We will,' came Arthur's great uncle. 'We will find them. We will find Camelot again.'

'But not only that,' Amzin said with passion, his voice as riotous as a giant's. 'We will take it back from the Shadow.'

Fists slammed the table with vigor.

'Hear, hear,' bellowed Arthur's great uncle.

'Yes,' cried Little Johnny, joining in enthusiastically with the fist slamming. 'Hear, hear.'

Once all the heartening had died down, Mr Scarlett turned to Arthur and said, 'Now, I'd like to show you something.'

'May I show him, Will?' Amzin burst out. 'It would be an honor to see the young prince in its presence.'

Mr Scarlett nodded. 'You may.'

The centaur looked at Arthur. 'Please, young prince, if you may follow me.'

'Can I come?' Little Johnny asked with a look of longing.

'Of course,' replied Amzin and Arthur in chorus.

The boys then got to their feet and together followed the centaur across the hall and through an archway etched with sparkling runes behind the tomb of King Arthur.

'Whoa!' Little Johnny croaked.

Beyond the entrance was a most brilliant and extraordinary chamber that seemed to hum and sing with magic and power. Stained-glass windows of colors that Arthur never knew existed encircled the three, sending glorious shafts onto a golden crown nestled above a glimmering shield adorned with a masted ship.

Arthur and Little Johnny couldn't take their eyes off of the display.

'Who's crown is that?' asked Little Johnny, though Arthur was sure he knew.

'That was once King Arthur's,' Amzin replied. 'And it will be Arthur's once Camelot has been reclaimed from the Shadow.'

'Whoa!' Little Johnny replied again.

'And is that Pridwen?' asked Arthur.

Amzin smiled. 'That is correct, young prince.'

'What's a Pridwen?' asked Little Johnny, looking confused.

Arthur gestured below the crown and replied, 'Pridwen is the name of King Arthur's shield.'

'Just incredible.'

'And do you know what's said of it, young prince?' asked Amzin.

'That it has magical powers and can turn into a ship,' Arthur replied.

'Really?' came Little Johnny.

'Indeed,' said Amzin.

Arthur wanted to get closer, to touch them, but he was scared to. It was all just so overwhelming. And the three just stood and stared until Little Johnny piped up.

'Any chance of telling us more about your prophecy, Amzin?' he asked.

'Follow me,' replied the centaur and he disappeared through another archway, the boys quick to follow.

Up another winding staircase they went, this one draped with tapestries depicting many of the magical creatures that were present tonight, all of them seemingly bending a knee of fealty.

'Oh, there's something else,' said Little Johnny.

'Yes?' replied Amzin.

'I'd like to apologize for calling you horseman before. It was a horrible, mean thing to say. A big mistake.'

'There's no need to apologize, young Merry Knight. We all make mistakes. And so long as we learn from them, it is good to make them.'

'Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,' Little Johnny breathed. 'Did you just call me young Merry Knight?'

'I did because that's what you are now. You're one of us.'

Little Johnny whimpered ever so and Arthur saw his new friend's eyes water over.

'You guys really need to sweep this place up,' Little Johnny then said with a sniffle. 'Dust is getting into my eyes.'

'Well being that you're now a Merry Knight, be my guest.'

Little Johnny wiped his face instantly with his gnarled hooded coat and replied, 'Actually, I think I'm fine now.'

Amzin burst out a laugh and Arthur smirked. The three then continued all the way up to the top of the tower, entering another chamber filled with all sorts of things. There were chalices, swords and bows, strange potted plants that grew all over the walls, ancient looking books and rolls of parchment that were stacked high and in every nook and cranny. There were also windows that peered into the fog surrounding the tower and the Isle of Avalon, and a huge telescope pierced up through the middle and out of the top.

'Big stargazers are the Merry Knights?' Little Johnny asked.

'Just me,' Amzin replied, as he led the boys over to a desk, where they sat down. 'It helps me with my visions and prophecies.' The centaur then gestured to all the rolls of parchment. 'And I have quite a few so I must write or draw them all down.'

'Quite a few?' said Arthur. 'There's more than quite a few.'

'Indeed. Now where did I put them?' said Amzin. The centaur rifled through the rolls of parchment that buried the desk until he found two and held them out for Arthur and Little Johnny. 'Yes, here we are. And here you are.'

The boys grabbed the parchments and were quick to unfurl them. And as Arthur stared down at the one he was given, he saw a drawing of a ship, its masts filled with air.

'Pridwen?' Arthur burst out.

'It is,' Amzin replied. 'But there's something else. Take a closer look, young prince.'

Arthur raised the parchment and saw three figures standing on the bow. 'Who are they?'

'My only guess is that two of them are you, boys.'

'The other?'

'I believe the other is stated in the prophecy that Little Johnny is holding. Little Johnny, if you would be so kind.'

Little Johnny cleared his throat and began dancing his gaze across the parchment. 'It says you saw a king, A new king. A king that will finally rid this world of the Shadow.' He looked at Arthur and gave him a smile before continuing. 'A king helped by two others. One, a little John–' He briefly popped his head back up to give Arthur another look and smile '--and the second, a young witch. A witch named . . . .'