‘Twas the month of December and the beginning of the long, cold months of the winter season and the knights of Arthur’s Round Table sat idle. The snow fell in large drifts blocking the paths out of Camelot and the travelers and merchants from faraway lands came no more. Until one day, when from the hills to the south of the castle, a lone peasant farmer was seen. The man seemed to carry himself with a large and present limp and blood soaked his garments. He reached about a mile away from Camelot when he fell with great force into a large snow-drift. The watchmen in large towers overlooking the great castle witnessed this all and sought out the knights. They burst into the room where all of the knights were congregated and shouted, “Sires, a man who is seemingly injured is out in the snow and in great danger from the cold.” The knights ran to their horses and rode with great difficulty out to the man, his face planted into the snow and a trail of blood behind him. Sir Bedivere picked up the man and placed him over his horse. They rode back to Camelot and placed him in the hospital where he was nursed back to health.

A week later, when the man was fully awake and able to walk, he requested an audience with King Arthur. Arthur agreed and promptly met the man in his hall, with the Knights of the Round Table around them. The man explained that a barbarian horde attacked his village and that he was the only one to escape, the rest were either dead or captured. He asked the knights to help him save his village, but only four knights would answer his plea for help, Sir Galahad, Sir Kay, Sir Bors de Ganis, and Sir Percivale. The four knights gathered their armor and supplies and rode out with the man. It took two weeks to find the village, for the heavy snow-fall had covered the man’s previous tracks. As the five men rode into the burned and destroyed village, a lone child was found, huddled in the ruins, they went up to him and questioned him as to where the barbarians had gone. The boy too shocked to even talk, simply pointed north the knights took the small boy with them and soon found a lone house in the woods while making their journey north. They placed the boy in custody of the residents and promised him that they would find his parents and bring them back to him. The five then rode out, back on the trail of the horde, the ground was trampled and scorched making it easy for the knights and the farmer to follow. It took a week until they finally spotted the barbarians and their prisoners. Upon the hill on which the knights and farmer sat, they thought of a plan. Sir Galahad, leader of the group was the brain behind their plan. Realizing that the barbarians outnumbered them 5 to 1, the four knights would ride out and distract the barbarians, fighting to the death, while the farmer would sneak around and free the villagers. The knights knew they would die but had to hold off the barbarians until the villagers could escape.

At dawn the next morning the knights rode down from the hill with their weapons drawn and hacked down each barbarian that laid in their wake. Upon horseback, the knights rode in a constant circle, killing many members of the horde who tried to go after them. There was great confusion and all of the barbarians, being as un-intelligent as they were, forgot to guard the prisoners, the farmer took advantage of the situation and freed them from giant cages that they were kept in. They were then led back up the hill and towards Camelot, but not before stealing the barbarian’s horses so that they could travel quicker. A party of five of the villagers rode ahead as quickly as they could to Camelot to alert Arthur of the situation. The knights, at this time, fought gallantly, Sir Galahad smote the king of the barbarians and everyone who came his way. It looked as if the knights might all make it out of the quarrel, when Sir Bors de Ganis was smote from behind and instantly killed. The knights had no time to mourn their fallen brother, as they were quickly surrounded. The barbarians offered no mercy, as Sir Galahad had killed their king. It was at that moment that each knight realized their fate, they were each going to die a horrible death at the hands of these barbarians so that the villagers could be protected. It was also unclear to the knights as to how the barbarians hadn’t realized that the villagers had escaped by now. Sir Galahad, Sir Kay, and Sir Percivale all clumped into a circle with their backs to each other to better protect themselves. The barbarians suddenly let out a large roar that even the villagers, now miles away could hear, and charged. The knights held them off, and cut down wave after wave of barbarians. Then without warning, a lone arrow was shot seemingly out of nowhere and smote Sir Kay. Sir Galahad was now very worried as to how much longer he could hold off the barbarians. He smote ten in retaliation for Sir Kay’s death, but the barbarians kept coming in great numbers. Soon Sir Percivale was surrounded and Sir Galahad only heard his loud, shrill scream for he could not see Percivale under the large pile of barbarians. And so only, Galahad was left when he finally accepted his fate.

He would not surrender, for that wouldn’t be chivalrous, he must fight to the death to preserve his honor, and so it was, that he fought valiantly until his death at the hands of a barbarian warrior’s sword. The villagers escaped and made it to Camelot safely. The rest of the Knights of the Round Table rode out and destroyed the rest of the barbarians, without losing a single knight. The villagers never forgot the heroic deed of Sir Galahad and his knights. His story is passed down from generation to generation and told to each knightly recruit as a lesson in chivalry.