Arthur and Regina

“You are such a perfect couple! How did you meet?” A typical dinner party question.

“We met at work.” Our typical dinner party reply.

But of course, there was more to the story!

REGINA : I have been searching for my Sir Lancelot almost all my life. He first appeared in the bedtime stories my father, Leo De Grange, read to me as a child. Of course, those stories were sanitized. I only knew Sir Lancelot as a very handsome, very brave hero who went about killing dragons and saving damsels. And the damsel that he saved most often was Queen Guinevere. Predictably, with the name of Regina, I imagined myself in the role of that gracious sovereign lady. That did imply that I would be married to King Arthur but, for some reason, that implication never interested me too much.

ARTHUR: To put it bluntly and honestly, I am a bastard. Not in behavior, you understand; I do try to behave honorably.

My father, Eustace Penman, had a one-night stand with the beauty queen, Irene Gorlois, and here I am.

So, I was raised by Ector and his wife. I did not know that they were not my real parents and their son, Kai, was not my brother, until I was in my early teens.

We were often visited by “Uncle” Emrys Merton, who told me I had inherited my mysterious grey eyes from Irene and my red gold hair from my father.

“I hope you haven’t inherited his temper and his morals as well” he said.

“Uncle” Emrys was the one who told me, on my father’s death, I had now become the custodian of a society, The ARC Arthurian Readers Club, and a cabin, Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies.

He said he hoped I would prove a better custodian than my father and gave me Malory’s Morte d’Arthur and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King to read.

“Don’t be like Uther Pendragon or Eustace Penman. Be true to yourself!” Uncle Emrys told me.

For me, being true meant looking beyond the Arthurian myths and legends, to find the real historical source. When I said as much to “Uncle” Emrys, he did not seem entirely pleased, which rather confused me.

But I pursued my quest for truth by taking courses in archaeology and classic literature at university, specializing in Roman and early post-Roman times. I studied ancient manuscripts preserved in the vaults of the British Library—including one written within the living memory of Arthur’s time and read current books by Geoffrey Ashe, Chris Barber, and Graham Phillips.

REGINA: Having been a dreamy bookworm as a child, I continued to be a dreamy bookworm and graduated to adult literary fiction, novels in modern settings, fantasy fiction, swords and sorcery, romantasy, science fiction and historical fiction.

But I always chose stories based on the framework of Malory’s Morte d’Arthur.

I studied Arthurian literature and creative writing at university.

I was still searching for my Sir Lancelot, despite the revelations about the character the adult fiction had given. My Sir Lancelot should meet the physical appearance described by Tennyson. He must have a broad clear brow (which I interpreted as having enough room for an active brain), large dark eyes and coal black curls.

Of course, he must also be French, be a superb athlete in some field (with the appropriate muscles), have a respectful attitude to women and polished manners. Being rich and famous (or potentially so) would be a bonus.

I found him in the university library. He was a French student, an artist and poet with a gentle manner, a creamy accent, dark eyes and black curly hair. We shared a catalogue drawer for the subject Pre-Raphaelite Poetry. He was returning to France the following week. We exchanged telephone numbers on slips of paper torn from the back of our student diaries. I lost mine almost immediately and he did not ever contact me.

On a plane trip, I sat next to another potential Lancelot. He was the current World Fencing Champion. He did not hesitate to tell me that he had never been defeated and thought it highly unlikely he would be in future. He must have stepped straight out of the Camelot musical Act 1. I just wanted to slap him down or get someone (or three) to do it for me.

Then there was one, gentle and sweet, with raven winged eyebrows and incredibly long black lashes veiling his dark eyes and a head of glossy black curls .

He asked me to be his plus one for a dinner dance; but it turned out he was steadfastly celibate and preparing to enter a monastery.

ARTHUR: After University, I stepped straight into the role of President of the ARC Arthurian Readers Club.

Initially I did not understand the extent of the ARC’s activities and I never understood the financial side. Fortunately, my brother Kai is a brilliant accountant and handles all the financial matters.

It seemed obvious to me that my duty was to facilitate research into the identity of the true historical figure of King Arthur.

“Uncle” Emrys told me that the main activities of the ARC were their annual conference and hosting Artisans in Residence in Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies.

For the first two years I was too busy with my research to organize a conference and I was not interested in promoting Cloudbank Cabin, because the writing, art, and music produced there were required to be based on the works of Sir Thomas Malory and Lord Alfred Tennyson.

Kai informed me that the conference was the main money earner for the ARC and that our membership numbers were dropping.

I told Kai and Emrys that I did not have time to attend events, organize conferences, and manage artists’ retreats. I would need a Vice President.

In spite of mutterings of nepotism, I appointed my newly discovered nephew, Gavin Orkney, to the position.

Gavin attended all the events for me. However, Kai stated that Gavin’s jet-setting charm-schmoozing and frequent social improprieties were costing us more than the small increase in membership numbers warranted.

Ector started saying that I should marry and produce an heir while there was still an ARC to hand down.

REGINA: Where do you find work which is directly connected to Arthurian literature?

I did some work as an editor and considered adding a Librarianship degree to my qualifications.

My father suggested that I should apply for the position of secretary which had just opened up at the ARC. It turned out that Leo was a friend of Emrys Merton and Ector, Arthur’s foster father.

Emrys said that he expected me to organize conferences and arrange for Artisans in Residence for Cloudbank Cabin. He hoped to regain the members who had left by providing activities that would suit their interest in the myths and legends.

“You will end up marrying Arthur.” Emerys said, as if it was a certainty.

The first time I visited Cloudbank Cabin, to get it set up for a writer to move in, it felt as if the cabin was holding its breath, as if it were waiting expectantly and weighing me. I cleaned it throughout and changed some of the pictures on the walls for ones I found in the vault. With new linen on the beds and flowers on the table, the place felt much more loved and welcoming.

I relaxed on the porch, which overlooked the Fog Lake, with a cup of tea. As I watched a great shaggy dog clambered up the shore of the Fog Lake. “Cabal!” I said, recognising King Arthur’s war hound.

The whole cabin seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief.

ARTHUR: I was glad to hear that the membership numbers were rising. I was glad not to have dealings with Cloudbank Cabin and sure that I would be able to turn the emphasis of the conferences towards the historical Arthur in the future. I wanted to complete more research before I undertook organizing a conference.

Kai was happy that our finances were now in better shape.

Gavin said that Regina brought a regal presence to the ARC.

Emrys said “You will marry Regina for better or worse,” as if it was a certainty.

After a fairly long courtship, marred at times by differences of opinion about how the ARC should operate, Regina and I married. I was away from home often visiting archaeological digs. There was no sign of an heir arriving. I thought maybe Regina was overworked and needed an assistant. I had Gavin and Emrys.

So I broached the subject with Regina.

“You need an assistant - a Queen’s Champion, if you like. I know just the person! He is a young French poet, well versed in Pre-Raphaelite art and literature.”