"Better she remembers her obedience at all times," Lady Windermere spoke evenly to the horse. 

The horse looked very concerned and broke eye contact. 

"How will people believe me and follow me here? We are quite far from the nearest village and further still from any town." Arthur asked. "They will ask who will pay them and feed them," 

"Every good Knight must create a legend. I have just the thing," 

"Aqualisha!" She called out to the sky. There was a pause. Arthur wondered what was happening. 

Then there was an almighty call of an Eagle. A beautiful brown and white Eagle descended from the skies and landed atop the saddle of the horse. 

Lady Windermere gestured at Arthur's sword. 

"Aqualisha will take your sword, Excalibur, to the town of Ambleside, you must be there in two weeks from now. There it will be embedded in stone. Many will try to withdraw it, but only you will be able to Arthur. You must not tell anyone; it is an ensorcelled sword. This will enable your legend to begin."

"Excalibur," Arthur repeated as if in a dream. 

"For now, you may have this shorter sword," lady Windermere pointed to the sword beneath the shield on the saddle pack. The sword looked very familiar to him; it was uncannily like a newer version of his rusty blade he had lost. 

"Fly Aqualisha!" The lady passed the sword to the Eagle, which grasped the sword in its talons and with an almighty cry and beating of its wings it flew off with the sword. 

Arthur was stunned. He couldn't believe all of this could happen, let alone to him. He watched the Eagle disappear past the tower. 

"Now if you please," sighed Lady Windermere, I must rest. 

"Of course, my lady. I will be on my way. You have given me three tasks to get busy with," the lady raised her eyebrows invitingly. 

"Oh?"

"Bring you loyal subjects, reclaim Excalibur and prove to you that you haven't made a mistake in choosing me to be your sole loyal Knight," the lady smiled, although it was a tired smile. 

Her cheeks and face, whilst still containing her beauty was starting to look haggard. 

Arthur bowed and gave her hand a final kiss, he bid her farewell and mounted Seraphim's saddle. 

Seraphim seemed eager to get some distance from Lady Windermere, Arthur couldn't work out why the horse had such an aversion to her. 

"Now he's a true Knight, he's got 'is 'orse" the guard at the gate tipped his helmet at Arthur. "Sir Arthur, we bid you farewell and safe adventures," Arthur thanked them as he passed through the castle gateway. 

"Try not to lose the horse this time," the other guard shouted out after him. 

*

Lady Windermere watched Arthur disappear through the gatehouse. She waited until the guards at the tower signalled that he had passed the furthest hillock and was beyond visible range. 

Finally, she could release her illusion. She collapsed into the arms of her maidens. 

The beautiful castle Windermere suddenly turned decrepit and ruined. The tower had many stones missing, the walls were cracked and in disrepair. The roof of the grand Hall was rotten and leaking. 

She desperately hoped that her plan would work. She needed tradesmen to repair the place, but she also needed people to restore her magical well. She needed to absorb their Life Force. 

"Take me to my chamber," she instructed her maidens and then passed out. 

*

It took some weeks for Arthur to return, in fact it took him four weeks almost precisely. 

He trotted up to the iron portcullis and was greeted by the guards who waved him through. 

"Lady Windermere needs you sir Knight, she has declined in health and energy since your departure," the captain of the guard urged Arthur. "Do you bring others, I see?"

Arthur looked over his shoulder and gestured for the trail of people behind him to follow through the gatehouse. 

At the head of the trail were several tradesmen on horses, further back a few wagons, some with supplies, others loaded full of peasants, further back and trailing over several hundred metres was a scattering of walking peasants, all were eager to earn a wage.  

Arthur had promised a fair and generous lady of the castle at Windermere. He had promised riches to those who would work for her favour and honour and title to those who used their skills to impress her. 

He had gathered quite a following. The boon to his credibility, of course, was effortlessly extracting Excalibur out of the stone in front of a hundred witnesses, some of whom were minstrels, who were already spreading the tale of Sir Arthur Pendragon, the mighty wielder of Excalibur the magical sword. 

This was after many hundreds of brave knights had attempted to extract the sword from the stone. 

Arthur had noticed the Eagle trailing his journey throughout the lands. It had watched his every move. He wondered if it had somehow reported his progress to its mistress. 

From what he had seen nothing was impossible for her.