no idea that she was an evil sorceress and he was willing to do whatever Morgan asked of him.

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1 Morgan le Fey King Arthur learned that he had a half sister. Both he and Morgan had the same mother but different fathers. Morgan hated her brother because he had killed a man whom she loved while he was fighting against him in battle. She was also skilled in magic. She could cast spells, change shape, and make things disappear. However, she kept her hatred a secret. She was married to an elderly man and had taken a younger lover. One day she decided it was time to take her revenge. During a sunny afternoon, she was standing beside her brother Arthur. Together they were admiring a hawk that was being trained to hunt. As they raised their heads upwards to watch the flying bird, Morgan pretended to become dizzy and grasped her brother arm. Her long silk robe fluttered around his side and covered Excalibur. While Arthur continued to gaze at the bird, she used her skilful sorcery to exchange her brother s magical sword, Excalibur for her lover s ordinary sword. Gripping her robe so that Excalibur would remain hidden, Morgan slipped away from her brother and hurried into the castle to find her lover, Sir Accolon. He had

2 no idea that she was an evil sorceress and he was willing to do whatever Morgan asked of him. I have succeeded! The King has your sword and I have Excalibur for you! she said as she pulled the magical sword from under her cloak. After you have killed Arthur, I will kill my husband. Then you shall be the new King and I will be the new Queen of Britain! Her lover smiled in agreement as she told him the rest of the plan. The next morning, Morgan woke up and easily left her old snoring husband behind, still sleeping in the bed. The rest of the knights had left early for a tournament in Wales. Sir Accolon had gone as well after he had raided the castle s armour collection. He found some armour that was old and well used so that Arthur would not recognize him when he fought him at the tournament. He joined the tournament with Excalibur covered with a black cloth. As soon as he arrived, the young knight sought out Arthur and challenged him to a match. King Arthur asked his name, but Accolon did not tell him. Never one to back down from a fight, Arthur rode to his end of the field and prepared to joust. Accolon turned and rode in the opposite direction. The two men charged at each other at full speed. Arthur, who was a skilled horseman, knocked Accolon backwards off his horse on the first pass. As part of the rules of the game, Arthur dismounted and drew his sword. Accolon smirked beneath his heavy metal helmet. With Excalibur in his hand, he began to fight, breaking pieces off of Arthur s shield and armour. Because Arthur still had the scabbard, he did not bleed, but he did not feel the usual power he normally felt when he fought with Excaliber. He fought until he could barely stand up. Just as Accolon felt that he could defeat Arthur at last, Arthur stabbed him through the ribs. Accolon stumbled backward and dropped Exalibur. It clattered to the ground. Arthur gasped. So, it was Excalibur that let you fight so well? Who sent you? Sir Accolon begged for mercy. He confessed that it was Morgan s idea to steal the sword, have Arthur killed, murder her elderly husband, and become queen herself. Sir Accolon promptly died of his wound and Arthur left the tournament to recover at a convent. First, he sent his sister a message.

3 Back at Camelot, Morgan s husband was still snoring as she prepared to do her part of the bargain. She raised his sword and swung it over his head. Just as she was about to kill him, she heard a commotion in the courtyard. She looked out the window and saw her lover s body draped over a horse. She heard a messenger say that he had a message for Morgan which was The King is alive and will return to Camelot. Morgan s body twisted in anger and disbelief when she saw her lover s body and heard that Arthur was not dead. Her evil eyes blazed with anger as she rubbed her hands together trying to come up with another plot. She finally decided to find Arthur and take Excalibur herself. She left Camelot immediately and travelled for several days until she found the convent where Arthur was recuperating from his injuries. In her sweetest and most convincing manner, Morgan persuaded the nuns to let her visit Arthur s room. I am so worried about him, she said. So, in spite of Arthur s specific instructions that no one was to be admitted to his room, the nuns unlocked the chamber door and let in Morgan. Morgan entered the room and discovered that Arthur was sleeping. However, he held Excalibur gripped tightly in his right hand, so Morgan knew she would not be able to take it. However, the golden scabbard was resting loosely against the bed. Once the nuns left her alone with her brother, she snatched up the scabbard and tucked it under her long cloak. Arthur did not awaken and so Morgan said goodbye to the nuns and left, after leaving some gold as a donation. Later that afternoon, Arthur awoke and discovered that his scabbard had disappeared. He demanded to know who had taken it. I am sorry, my King, said an elderly nun who clasped her hands together nervously. Only your beloved sister came to visit. She was most concerned about you. It couldn t have been she who took the scabbard. Arthur left immediately in pursuit of Morgan and her small army. By morning he had caught up with her.

4 Stop! he cried. Return my scabbard!. But Morgan raced her horse toward a large lake and threw the scabbard into the deepest part of the water. When Arthur reached the lake, Morgan and her men had disappeared. Arthur wandered through a broad valley strewn with large rocks. Morgan knew that none of her warriors would win against Arthur now that he had Exalibur back so she had changed them all into stones until Arthur left to go back to Camelot. Morgan returned to her castle in the north of England and plotted further revenge. She waited several weeks and then sent one of her servants to Camelot with a message and a gift for Arthur. When the young woman arrived at Camelot, she was taken directly to the king. She said, Your sister, Morgan le Fey has sent me with this peace offering. She is most sorry that you lost your scabbard. The young girl handed the gift to Arthur which was a beautiful green velvet robe studded with precious emeralds and then stepped backwards. King Arthur was about to put it on when one of Merlin s apprentices whispered to the king that he should have the messenger put it on before he accepted it. Please, said King Arthur politely to the beautiful young woman who had brought the robe, model the robe for me. The young woman s eyes grew wide and she gasped for breath. Oh, please, Sire, she protested, this robe is only fit for a king. I cannot wear it. But Arthur insisted. The young girl didn t know what magic Morgan had wrapped into the beautiful robe, but she knew that the magic Morgan worked on her brother was always harmful. She hesitated, then she took the robe into her thin white hands and wrapped it ever so slowly around her shoulders. Whish! The robe and Morgan s young messenger went up in flames. Arthur s anger flared as he stared at the small pile of ashes in front of him. Then he vowed before all the knights of the Round Table that he would never again welcome Morgan le Fey back at Camelot.

5 Morgan le Fey Vocabulary Look at the list of words. Are there any words that you think you know the meaning of already? Beside each one, write a synonym or phrase that means the same thing as the word. Word From Story Fluttered Synonym or Phrase that Means the Same Thing sorceress raided joust smirked promptly commotion blazed recuperating plotted apprentices These words can also be sorted by what they do in their sentences. Beside each word in the chart, write N for Noun (a person, place, or thing), V for Verb (an action), or A for Adjective (a word that describes something). As a hint, 6 of them are nouns, 6 are verbs, and 2 are adjectives.

6 Summary Put the following events in their correct order by numbering them. Use #1 for the beginning. Morgan sent a green robe to Arthur along with an apology. Morgan le Fey got a young lover named Accolon. She stole his magical scabbard and threw it into a lake. Accolon died. Morgan used magic to steal Excalibur away from King Arthur. The messenger turned to fire after trying on the gift. Morgan lied to the nuns about wanting to see her brother because she was worried about him. Morgan le Fey married an old man She changed her guards and herself into rocks so that Arthur would not see them. She convinced Accolon to enter a tournament to try to kill Arthur.

7 Character 1. List two ways that Morgan used her magical powers in the story. a) b) 2. Think of two characteristics that best describe Morgan. Find an example from the story that proves that your characteristics best describe Morgan. Characteristic 1. Evidence from Story 2. Conflict 3. Give an example of how these three kinds of conflicts appear in the story: Conflict Type Person vs Person Who or What is it Between Example from the Story Person vs Self Person vs Supernatural

Comprehension Questions (Answer Key) Chapters 1-3

Comprehension Questions (Answer Key) Chapters 1-3 1. Where were Jack and Annie coming from when they saw the dove? school p. 4 2. Where were Annie and Jack going to celebrate Christmas? in Camelot p. 6