In the time before history was separate from lore, the cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth told the story of how the ancient isle of Albion was inhabited by creatures both fantastic and terrifying. Giants ruled the land, dragons struggled for power, fae ran amok, and demons terrified them all. The priest also told tales of men who were capable of facing down these creatures, led by the king to supersede all kings. This character of both life and legend was known by some as Ambrosius Aurelianus. Others knew him as Artorius, Arthwr, or Arcturus. Ultimately, though, posterity would indelibly come to know him as Arthur Pendragon.

Records of King Arthur’s impressive deeds of strength and courage passed through the pens of many, as would those of his knights who gathered ‘round his table. Together, they forced Rome back to its motherland, even as its mighty Caesars were strangling other kingdoms far and wide. The Saxons fell by their swords, some insisting Arthur slew three hundred of their kind in a single battle by his sword alone. The foundation of Camelot saw the end of the rule—and lives—of all giants, and the knights forced the fae to the shadows of their own distant lands. Through these great deeds, Albion became a land of safety and prosperity, led by King Arthur; his queen and keeper of the Round Table, Guinevere; and their loyal men of the sword.

Peace could not last forever, though. Betrayal struck the court when Mordred uncovered Guinevere’s affair with the greatest of all the knights, Sir Lancelot. He used the resulting confusion to contest his uncle’s rule, and the knights’ loyalties split between the defector, their king, and the man who’d stolen their queen’s heart. All came to an unfortunate end at the Battle of Camlann, when Mordred and Arthur struck each other down. There follows how the dying king entrusted Sir Bedivere with his sword Excalibur so that he might return it to the Lady of the Lake. Then Arthur was taken by shrouded women, and they drifted through the mist to the Isle of Avalon. There he rests in death-like slumber until such time that Albion, now known as Great Britain, needs their great king to take the throne and save their nation from destruction and fear once more. At that time, he shall rise and take his place as his nation’s great protector.

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At least, that is how the stories go.

In truth, a man may be mighty by what deeds he can claim, but a king is best measured by who and what he commands. It is his entourage that speaks his words, his army that wields his strongest weapons, and his family that expresses his heart. While Arthur waits to be called upon for his service, his strength lies in those who helped him come to greatness: the knights of the round table, those men of such valor that they were unmatched by any they confronted; his queen, who guarded the honor and love of those men and stood as a beacon of their loyalty to those values; and perhaps the most mysterious of them all, his advisor, the wizard Merlin.

Little is known of Merlin, the man who guided Arthur from conception to death, from one end of his grand destiny to the other. Some called him a man, others saw only a beast. His power made him wise beyond reckoning—or perhaps drove him to raving lunacy. No one knew after he left court, never to return, but his predictions nipped at Camelot’s heels to the bitter end.

Perhaps Arthur would be needed in the future, but his destiny had always been closely tied to those who stood by his side, led his forces, whispered in his ear. If he was to return, then they would surely come with him.

This is the story of those who stood in his shadow—those who did his bidding, those who defied him, and, in particular, those who would come to break free.