The Boy and the Jewel that Made Him King

The Boy and the Jewel that Made Him King

Hannah Mulliken
Grade 6


It was a frosty Christmas morning in Londontown many years ago. The snow was quickly falling, snowballs whizzed by and a nippy wind blew fiercely against the shutters of the old stone church. Despite the weather, the whole congregation still gathered inside, intrigued at what the renowned wizard, Merlin was telling them about the rightful heir to the throne.

Sorrowfully, many years ago, King Rinus perished in battle, leaving an orphaned baby in the hands of an evil counselor. Because the infant was endangered, Merlin rescued him and gave him to Sir Ector, who named him Kay. Now, eighteen years later, Kay was as unprepared as everyone for the astounding secret Merlin was to reveal.

As the people huddled in the drafty church, there suddenly came an earsplitting crash outdoors, shaking the entire church building! Curious, the people rushed outside. Across the churchyard an impeccable rainbow of colors burst from a massive jewel, blinding them all. When the colors died down, Kay excitedly ran to examine the jewel. He was awed at its splendor and beauty, yet surprised that a sword hilt was sticking out of it. Etched on a gold plaque were the words, “Whosoever pulleth the sword from the jewel is the rightful heir to the throne.”

All the knights attempted the great feat, but the task was impossible! Surely, Kay, who was not yet a knight, couldn’t do it, or could he?

About ten days later, a tournament was held in Londontown for all the knights of the kingdom. Afterwards, the winners would endeavor to retrieve the sword from the jewel. Instead of hiring a squire for the tournament, Sir Ector allowed Kay to perform the tasks for him, though they were difficult. Kay worked hard. He prepared and finally, the day arrived.

It was a chilly winter day and the air was filled with noise from the horses and buggies that filled the narrow cobblestone streets. When father and son reached the tournament grounds, Sir Ector realized that Kay had accidentally left his sword at home.

“Son! My sword is not here!” he exclaimed, “Hurry and retrieve it!”

There was no use in going all the way back home, so Kay galloped to the churchyard and grabbed the sword from the jewel.

“Here is a sword for you to use!” he panted.

“It isn’t mine!” Sir Ector told him.

“Gladly would I have fetched yours,” responded Kay, “but it’s too far, so I snatched the sword from the jewel!”

But, no one seemed to believe him.

The Merlin’s voice was heard: “Then, let us all depart to the churchyard and see if the boy is telling the truth.”

Everyone agreed. The people mounted their horses and galloped away. When they reached the churchyard, an unusual sight met their eyes. In the place of the jewel, which had stood their minutes ago, was a gold crown, embellished with pearls, rubies, diamonds, and sparkling emeralds. The people gasped. It was true; Kay was the King of England.

A shout went up, “Hurrah! Hurrah! Hail King Kay!”

Merlin smiled, knowing that the people were happy again. They had a king who would learn to be as wise as he.



Hannah Mulliken has written: “I’ve always been interested in writing. Ever since I was able to read and write, I’ve been writing stories and poems. Since writing is my favorite subject in school, I do it often. During my spare time, I’ll sometimes write stories and even songs. Someday I hope to write books about Christ that will be published and maybe change lives.”