King Arthur (Tales of Arcadia)/Synopsis (2023)

Biography of King Arthur from DreamWorks's Tales of Arcadia franchise.

Losing Guinevere

Arthur Pendragon was Morgana's brother and was born to become the King of Camelot. He also became betrothed with Guinevere, and the three of them often went to the Wild Wood to play and escape their troubles. However, while Guinevere and Morgana came to love the magical creatures around them, Arthur feared the magical creatures, which was evident when he swung at Nari with a toy sword and called her a demon even though she wasn't doing anything harmful, though none of them knew she was part of the Arcane Order.

As he grew up, Arthur married Guinevere and became the King of Camelot with Merlin as his advisor and Guinevere as his Queen, while Morgana became Merlin's student and practiced the magical arts with him. He also founded the Knights of the Round Table, consisting of knights he found to be the noblest and bravest. However, Guinevere went with Morgana into the Wild Wood one day and stumbled upon the nest of a Stalking, and was killed by said Stalking even though Morgana tried to save her. This led Arthur to become fueled by an obsession with killing off all magical creatures, including trollkind, while Morgana sought to free trollkind from his genocidal campaigns. During his campaigns, King Arthur raided the lands of innocent trolls who had nothing to do with him, even going as far as to force them to leave their homes behind and imprisoning them in his dungeons, one of them being Deya, who was given her human name Callista.

Eventually, in a battle outside Camelot, Arthur sliced off his sister's hand and caused her to fall to her death. As a result, Bellroc and her right-hand, Skrael, revived Morgana and used her in their plans. During the Battle of Killahead Bridge, as Morgana tried to reason with her, Arthur was killed by Bellroc. Following his death, Bellroc and Skrael revived King Arthur and turned him into the Green Knight, with him joining the Arcane Order and giving in to their plot to destroy the universe and remake the world by using Nari to unlock the Genesis Seals and unleash the Titans alongside them, as he now believed that it was the only way to redemption. Afterwards, Merlin created the Amulet of Daylight with Morgana's left hand, which was cut off by Arthur and not Merlin himself, even though she would claim to Jim nine centuries later that Merlin took her hand.

The Hunt for Nari

King Arthur, as the Green Knight, was the mysterious armored foe described by Blinky who was attacking both him and Jim Lake Jr. down beneath Hoboken, New Jersey, with Aja, Krel, and Toby watching the footage from an old television, the latter commenting that the mysterious enemy looked scary. When Aja and Krel try to introduce themselves, Blinky tells them to wait because he and Jim need to face down the foe who's attacking them, but when they tell him that King Fialkov and Queen Coranda gave Gaylen's Core to Kanjigar and Vendel, Blinky recommends that they consult the Soothscryer, right before the screen fades to static.

After this, he uses the corrupted Excalibur to shoot an Onyx Shard at Jim Lake Jr., with the shard moving closet towards Jim's heart so that the Green Knight can slowly use his anti-magic to corrupt him. So, Merlin put Jim in stasis to stall the process of the Onyx Shard's corruption. After that, the Green Knight appears to Douxie as a fearsome, shadowy figure. He has his Shadow Mephits enter him, looks at Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan, and calls him a boy. He then thrusts his Onyx Shards at him, but Merlin activates the magic crystal in their flying ship, and the Green Knight magically disappears.

Nonetheless, the Green Knight and the Arcane Order continue to chase the protagonists after they settle in the levitating Camelot powered by the Heart of Avalon. The Arcane Order attempts to board Camelot after it collides with their own flying castle using the icy planks created by Skrael's magic, but Galahad sacrifices his own life so that Camelot can be broken free from them while Nari uses her magic to create a time rift to the 12th century. However, the Green Knight appears, and combines his anti-magic with Bellroc and Skrael's magic, firing it at Camelot, causing it to tilt and Douxie, Jim Lake Jr., Claire Nuñez, and Steve Palchuk to fall through the time rift and into the 12th century. Then, the Green Knight, Bellroc, and Skrael fire their magic at the Heart of Avalon, destroying it and causing it to crash into and destroy Arcadia Oaks-High, but not before Merlin uses a magical spell to fire his magic at the Arcane Order's flying castle, which causes them to flee temporarily.

A Change in Events

After time-traveling to 12th century Camelot, the Onyx Shard that penetrated Jim's armor ceased its corruption because it did not exist back then, and King Arthur's knights capture him along with Douxie, Claire, and Steve. The four are taken to King Arthur's throne room, where he tells Sir Galahad, one of the Knights of the Round Table, to double their patrols because Gunmar is threatening their borders. After Sir Lancelot shows Arthur the four who were captured and introduces them as trespassers, Arthur immediately tells Jim, who is a half-troll by this point, that trollkind were not welcome to Camelot after he banished them. However, Morgana walks into the throne room and confronts him for this, but Arthur refuses to listen to her and accuses Jim of being a spy of Gunmar. Douxie then introduces himself as Merlin's apprentice and assures Arthur that Jim is not a threat, but Arthur tells him that it is his judgment to make.

When Morgana asks Arthur how the nature of trollkind is a crime, he tells her that it is when they ravage their lands and take away their loved ones, referring to the time when Guinevere was killed by a Stalkling. He then tells her that he made his laws to keep Camelot together, and tells Jim that the penalty for leaving the Wild Wood is death, even though his knights took him out of the Wild Wood and brought him into his throne room. He then has Lancelot and another knight bring Jim into the sunlight to torture him to death by slowly and painfully turning him to stone, but Claire saves Jim by using her shadow magic to bring the sunlight away from Jim, something Morgana is fascinated by since she herself is also a practitioner of shadow magic.

Claire tells Arthur that just because he's scared of Jim doesn't mean that he's evil and that he will find failure if he gives in to his own fear, and Morgana pleads him to listen to Claire. Reluctantly, Arthur decrees that Jim can remain alive, but has him taken to the dungeons by Galahad. He then asks Douxie if he should be with Merlin, but Douxie lies to him that he was busy recruiting Claire and Steve in his war against trollkind. After hearing this, Arthur has Douxie go back to Merlin and Steve go with Lancelot to the barracks, while Morgana takes Claire as her handmaiden.

Later on, King Arthur overhears Morgana talking with Claire about ending his genocidal crusade against trollkind once and for all, and questions her about it. He tells her that she is too blinded by her sympathies and that trolls never stop attacking them, but Morgana calls him out on it because he drives them off from where they live, imprisons them in his dungeons, and doesn't expect them to come for Camelot. Arthur then looks down from the balcony at the villagers and the knights, admitting that he's lost enough of his own people to trolls, and concludes that to keep his people safe, he'll kill all of the trolls in his dungeons at dawn. Following this, Arthur confronts Steve while the latter's singing distracts the guards from killing the trolls in the dungeons, and has his men draw their swords to kill the trolls. However, Arthur notices that the trolls were freed from their dungeons, so he has his knights chase them and sound the alarms, but Douxie tricks him and two of his knights by using his magic to create an Infinite Hallway. Angered, Arthur tells him that if he doesn't stop his enchantment, he'll behead him.

Later, he and his knights see the escaped trolls at Camelot's entrance and cornered by the sun's light, and use this as an advantage in an attempt to kill them all. However, Douxie uses his magic to close the gate between the knights and the trolls so Arthur's men can't kill the trolls and Claire uses her shadow magic to block the sun's light so the trolls can escape, but Arthur concludes that Morgana is the culprit. Nevertheless, the gate opens and Arthur and his knights continue to chase after the trolls, but Gunmar punches one of his knights, capturing the knight and telling Arthur that the Wild Wood is his own domain and that he decides who lives or dies, before having his Gumm-Gumms kill the knight. He then proceeds to tell Arthur that he and the Gumm-Gumms can only be pushed so far, so when Arthur tells him that his crusade isn't finished, Gunmar warns him that a war is coming.

Back Into the Wild Woods

As Arthur believes that Morgana was the one who was behind the trolls escaping from Camelot due to shadow magic having been involved, he summons her into his throne room, but she tells her that she was in her quarters the entire night. He responds by saying that the trolls have fled into the Wild Woods and tells her to help him kill them all so as to test her loyalty, and will have her decapitated if she doesn't do what he says. He then leads his knights and Morgana across Killahead Bridge in another campaign to kill all of the trolls who have fled to the Wild Woods, and they eventually chase Jim and Callista after the latter pushes Jim in their sight as a distraction, but they lose sight of them when the two of them escape into the Wild Wood. So, Arthur decides that his followers and Morgana head out on foot before venturing into the forest.

Douxie, in an attempt to get him and Morgana to reconcile, tries to make him feel better, but Arthur tells him he'll be feeling better after dealing with Morgana. Douxie then reminds Arthur that he is lucky to have Morgana and that she was only looking out for the trolls, and asks him if killing the trolls is truly worth hurting her feelings, but Arthur ignores his pleas. However, Douxie gets an idea from Archie that he can make Arthur and Morgana remember what started their whole conflict with each other, so he uses his magic to help Arthur and Morgana remember what happened in their past, and the two of them explain their backstory and admit that they miss Guinevere.

Just as it seems that hope for their reconciliation has been found, Lancelot posthaste tells Arthur that he found a Gumm-Gumm, so Arthur tells Morgana that he won't lose anyone else to trolls before setting out to go with his knights to kill said Gumm-Gumm. As they see the Gumm-Gumm wandering in the Wild Wood and doing no harm, they do a sneak attack. One of Arthur's knights shoots at it with a crossbow and two more chain it, with Morgana shocked and horrified by what they are doing. Arthur finally kills the Gumm-Gumm by kicking it into the sunlight where it slowly turns to stone, and he and his knights cheer after their kill. However, it ends shortly when Bular suddenly attacks the knights all at once, but just as he is about to kill Arthur, Douxie saves his life while Merlin traps Bular with his magic.

Arthur decides that he won't use Excalibur on him and instead has two of his knights take Bular to Camelot, as he plans to host a private tournament there to prepare for the battle against Gunmar and his Gumm-Gumm horde, where the winner of the tournament stands at his side and is given the honor of killing Bular. After having Bular taken to Camelot, Arthur tells Morgana to pick her side in the war and that she must not return without a kill. He, Lancelot, and Galahad encounter a trap laid out by the trolls, but Steve decides to investigate it, resulting in him being shot by arrows from the trap even though he survives, resulting in the path being cleared. After Jim is found once again, Arthur tells his knights that the first one to catch him gets a fiefdom, even though Merlin warns him that it is too dangerous.

Following this, Arthur knocks Jim to the ground and catches Morgana in the act of helping him and Claire. He attempts to execute her because she refused not to return with a clean sword, but she uses the Shadow Staff to protect herself, and they both clash. Having seen this, Merlin uses his magic against Morgana to protect Arthur, resulting in Morgana feeling betrayed by Merlin and becoming increasingly paranoid of everyone around her, even Claire. Thus, she uses her magic against them and creates shadow beings to fight against them, resulting in a battle just outside of Camelot.

To defend himself, Arthur uses Excalibur to shoot a magic beam that knocks everyone back, so Morgana fights him personally and points out his hypocrisy, with Arthur telling Morgana that he denied her for so long because she is his sister, but he now sees her as a demon. Just as Morgana is about to kill Arthur for his misdeeds, he uses Excalibur to slice off her left hand, resulting in her falling to her death off of a cliff. Horrified and angered by what he has just done, Arthur destroys Excalibur, screams in frustration, and falls on his knees before returning to Camelot with Merlin, Douxie, Claire, and his knights.

Hosting a Tournament

While King Arthur is grieving over Morgana's death while on his throne, Merlin offers him a drink to feel better, but he knocks it over. He tells Arthur to rally because Camelot still needs him to protect them, and when Arthur picks up a piece of the shattered Excalibur, he drops it and backs away because it reminds him of the day he killed Morgana, believing that the kingdom of Camelot is shattered just like Excalibur was. However, Merlin tells him that he is going to repair Excalibur and possibly mend their hearts broken by Morgana's death.

After receiving Excalibur back from Merlin and it was repaired by Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, King Arthur makes a speech to the people of Camelot, telling them that they have suffered from many of their sufferings and that even though his enemies claim that he was broken, he has overcome. He also shows them the repaired Excalibur and announces a private tournament he was planning earlier. As he watches the tournament, two children roleplay as he and Morgana right in front of a chained Bular, but he orders them to stop, and when Bular scares them off, Arthur lets the tournament continue. When Steve faces off against the Rose Knight, the latter easily defeats him by punching him in the face, which leaves Arthur shaking his head.

During the half-time of the tournament, Arthur has Archie, and a gnome face off each other, and Archie incinerates the gnome with his fiery breath. After that, the Knight of Skulls faces off "Sir Clairee of the House of Nuenz", who is Claire Nuñez in disguise as a knight, as she came to the assumption earlier that he is a servant of the resurrected Morgana even though he really serves Queen Sophia of the Dark Isles, which Arthur is unaware of. As the Knight of Skulls prepares to kill her, she uses her magic to defend herself, which Arthur is disgusted by as he made sorcery forbidden in Camelot. When two knights drag her away, one of them takes off her helmet, and Arthur dismisses both her and the Knight of Skulls for being without honor.

As soon as Arthur dismisses the both of them, one of the Changelings prepares to kill him, but Claire uses her magic to teleport the Changeling into the arena. As King Arthur faces him, the Changeling frees Bular, who immediately tries to kill Arthur, but Douxie protects Arthur with his magic, and the latter continues to fight Bular. However, the Dwärkstones used by the Changeling destroy the walls of Camelot, allowing Bular to escape, but when the Changeling tries to destroy Camelot's towers, Douxie's magic shields them. Morgana speaks through the Changeling, and Arthur is surprised to see that she came back to life. Steve and Lancelot defend Arthur before Douxie, Merlin, Claire, and Archie arrive. Douxie then uses his magic to trap the Changeling before he and Merlin finish him off in a fiery blast, and Arthur dubs Steve as "Sir Steve of Palchukia" for his valor. Afterward, Arthur sees the destruction caused by Morgana's attack and asks Merlin how they will be able to face them by themselves, and they decide to go to the good trolls in Dwoza.

History Gets Restored

When Arthur arrives at Dwoza, he goes to Vendel and pleads with him to help defend Camelot, telling him that Gunmar and the Gumm-Gumms seek vengeance on both trolls and man. However, Vendel refuses because he remembers Arthur's prejudice against trolls and thinks that Arthur expects him to fight the war for him, but Arthur explains that he wants them to fight together as equals and for trolls and men to live in peace if they win the war. He then tells him about a secret weapon that can help the trolls, which later turns out to be the Amulet of Daylight, forged by both Douxie and Merlin. It is after this when Vendel agrees to fight alongside Arthur, and they and Merlin speak to the crowd of Dwoza. Merlin announces that he has created an amulet that will choose a troll to send the Gumm-Gumms into the Darklands and become the first Trollhunter, and Arthur tells the crowd that the amulet's magic will activate the Killahead Bridge for it to be used as a barrier for the Gumm-Gumms and finally end the war. Vendel says that Arthur's men shall train the bravest trolls.

Following the speech, Arthur takes off his crown in shame of what he's done and looks down from the cliff where Morgana fell to her death. When Douxie arrives at the site, Arthur admits that he thought magic was what took everything away from him but that it was his own doing, and that he was evil and not Morgana. However, Douxie tells him that even with all of the crimes he's done, the war isn't over and there's still a chance for him to redeem himself and asks him to help save the ones he's wronged. When Arthur asks Douxie who he is, the latter tells him that he's nobody and that history won't remember him but he'll fight for goodness regardless. Douxie also tells Arthur that he knows that the latter's story will be told, but it's up to him what legacy he leaves behind. When Arthur asks who will stand with him, all of his knights and Archie arrive and support him, and Douxie gives Arthur his crown back, after which Arthur tells his men that they shall be remembered as warriors.

King Arthur then faces Gunmar and the Gumm-Gumms with Douxie, Merlin, Archie, Jim, Claire, and his army including Steve, who briefly texts his girlfriend, Aja Tarron, that he's going to die in battle. After that, he makes a speech to the Knights of the Round Table that they will not surrender to the forces of darkness. When the sun goes down, Arthur and Gunmar's armies clash and the Battle of Killahead Bridge begins as Skrael, Bellroc, and Nari watch from a distance.

While Arthur fights during the Battle of Killahead Bridge, he sees Gunmar and tells him that he has terrorized the surface lands too much, and they clash. During their skirmish, Gunmar uses the Decimaar Blade to knock Excalibur out of Arthur's hands, so the latter asks Nimue for a blessing to strike down Gunmar, and Excalibur uses its magic to knock back the Gumm-Gumm King. As he faces Gunmar, Morgana appears and tortures Arthur with her magic, despite him telling him to stop because their blood is the same, but stops after several moments.

Arthur admits to Morgana that she was right about trolls and man being equals and that he has wronged her and all magical creatures in Camelot. He goes further on to explain that he is now fighting to save the magical beings from his own violence. Though Morgana believes that it is a trick, Arthur tells her that it is both of their redemptions and that he should've listened to her, but Bellroc sneaks from behind and fatally stabs Arthur before telling Morgana to show her loyalty to the Arcane Order and disappearing. Before the Battle of Killahead Bridge is finished and Gunmar and the Gumm-Gumms are banished to the Darklands by Deya, who is hailed as "Deya the Deliverer", as he dies, Arthur tells Galahad to let the legends say that Camelot fought to the death.

Corrupting the Trollhunter and Final Battle with Morgana

After the time travel part of Wizards ends he then is revealed to be the Green Knight when Douxie and his friends come to rescue Jim from the Arcane Order's clutches. Before that, though it was implied after he freed Morgana from the shadow realm. He met face to face with Merlin and then he impaled him. After killing Merlin he went on a rampage after Douxie and Krel. Sometime later in the endgame of Wizards, he fought Morgana to the death where both of them ended fighting each other the roles switched as the Arcane Order's ship crashed on them.