There was a time when England was without a king-- King Uther Pendragon had died.
One day, a large stone was noticed in a churchyard. In it, a naked sword was lodged. About it was written, "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England."
People were intrigued and determined to pull the sword from the stone. Even mighty knights tried. The sword did not budge.
The lords of the kingdom decided to put on a tournament to see who could attempt to win the sword.
Among the participants who signed up were Sir Ector, his son Sir Kay, and his foster-son Arthur. The day before the tournament, Sir Kay had taken his belt off and forgotten about it.
Come the day of the tournament, he didn't have his own sword. En route to the tournament, he begged Arthur to go back home and fetch it for him.
When Arthur reached home, no one was there to let him in, as everyone had left for the tournament.
Arthur rode away angrily. He sent out to get the sword in the churchyard and give it to Sir Kay.
Arthur grabbed ahold of the sword once he reached the churchyard and pulled it out with ease.
Arthur gave the sword to his foster-brother, Sir Kay.
Sir Kay presented the sword to his father, Sir Ector, and said that he was the rightful king. Sir Ector was in shock and eventually found out the truth.
Sir Ector worked with Arthur to determine if Arthur had truly gotten the sword of his own accord. Arthur's ability to wield the sword was tested, which served to confirm his royal ancestry.
Sir Ector begged King Arthur to make Sir Kay the seneschal (governor) of all his lands. Arthur agreed.
Eventually, all came to know of Arthur's ability to wield the sword. Rich and poor knelt before him.
Arthur was knighted, given his crown, and sworn in.
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