King Arthur & Balin: A Knight with Two Swords

Sir Balin is a character in the Arthurian legend. He could have been King Arthurs best and bravest knight at one time. He was a knight before the Round Table was formed, While the king is virile and strong at the beginning of his reign, Balin was a poor knight to start. His destiny is sealed by the arrival of a mysterious damsel bearing a sword that only the most virtuous knight in King Arthur's court will be able to draw which Balin draws with ease. He is so good at combat, he got into trouble several times. Eventually, he is killed in combat against his brother fulfilling a prophecy about the destiny of one who bears the damsel's sword. King Arthur is a legendary British King who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries AD. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. Le Morte D'Arthur was one of the earliest printed books in England, published by William Caxton in 1485. Most of the later works are derivative of Malory's as is this series of books. According to William Caxton, Sir Thomas Malory's original book titled Le Morte D'Arthur (The Death of Arthur) was finished in the ninth year of Edward IV. It was about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Claxton's own story of how the book was brought to him and why he printed it may be read in his own preface. From this we learn also that he was not only the printer of the book, but to some extent its editor also, dividing Malory's work into twenty-one books, splitting up the books into chapters. If the reader wants to read all the books in Volume One and/or Volume Two they may be purchased under the title "Times and Death of King Arthur." This book is an edition based on Caxton's work which was translated into English from Sir Maloy's French in the late 1400s. This edition retains the chapters of Malory's Book II, Volume One and it is easier for the reader to follow the story using modern English and updated spelling.