Mordred
Mordred is the illegitimate son of King Arthur and Morgause. He is hidden away by Morgause to protect him from Arthur and Lot, her husband. Mordred is cared for by Sula and Brude on the Orkney Islands. Queen Morgause offers him a position in her court after he helps Gawain who fell and hurt his ankle on a cliff wall. The court believes him to be an illegitimate heir of King Lot When King Arthur summons Morgause to his court, Mordred is included in the request with her other sons.
Mordred learns that he is King Arthur’s son. He is an intelligent young man who takes quickly to politics and Arthur begins to give him responsibilities within the court. Arthur sees Mordred as his heir and makes him regent when he goes to fight the Romans. Thinking Arthur is dead, Mordred puts the plans that he and his father discussed in action to save the Kingdom. King Arthur is not dead and returns to Britain feeling betrayed by his son. The two meet to mediate their differences, but cannot escape the prophecy that Mordred will lead to Arthur’s death. The battle between the two men’s armies is started by accident and ends in the death of Arthur and Mordred.
King Arthur
King Arthur is the High King of Britain. The Kingdom is now peaceful under his reign. He is getting older and the younger generation does not see him as the older generation did; they did not witness his and Merlin’s adventures. Arthur sees Mordred as his only heir and prepares him for taking over the Kingdom. Arthur is suspicious of Mordred when he readily takes over the Kingdom upon the assumed death of Arthur. He wants to believe the best of his son, but others are able to sway his belief in him. He meets Mordred ready to battle for his Kingdom. He and Mordred are able to mediate their differences, but the battle is started accidentally and the two are swept into the fighting. The battle results in the deaths of Mordred and King Arthur, thus ending the reign of King Arthur.
Morgause
Morgause is King Arthur’s half-sister. She is the mother of Mordred by King Arthur and Gawain, Gaheris, Agravain and Gareth by King Lot. She uses magic to manipulate men to do her biding. She uses them in her attempt to gain power. Mordred does not like her. He is frightened by her power as a witch. She does not tell him of his parentage, but lets him think that he is the illegitimate son of King Lot. She uses her sons only giving affection when she feels it will benefit her. She is killed by her son, Gaheris in a fit of rage after he finds her with her lover, Lamorak.
Sula
Sula is the woman who has taken care of Mordred since he was a baby. Mordred believes her to be his mother. She loves him and dreads the day when Queen Morgause will take the boy from them. Sula and her husband, Brude are killed by Gabran on the orders of Morgause so that Mordred will have no connections to his past.
Brude
Brude is Sula’s husband. The couple raise Mordred as their son. Brude is a fisherman and teaches Mordred the trade. He is killed with his wife by Gabran on the orders of Morgause.
Gawain
Gawain is the oldest son of Morgause and King Lot. He is the heir to his father’s Kingdom. Gawain is hot tempered and wants to see battle. The peaceful Kingdom of King Arthur makes him restless, and his actions result in the war with the Romans. He is a loyal follower of King Arthur and dies when the King’s ship wrecks on the Saxon shore after a storm.
Gabran
Gabran is Queen Morgause’s lover. He does her bidding. He kills Sula and Brude at her request so that Mordred cannot return to the couple and must stay in her court. He goes with the family to Camelot. Mordred kills him in a fit of rage after learning that he killed Sula and Brude.
Gaheris
Gaheris is the twin of Agravain. They are sons of Morgause and King Lot. Gaheris is the least liked of Morgause’s sons. She does not give him any attention or love. This leads to a love hate relationship for Gaheris toward his mother. He is jealous of any lover that she takes. Finding her in the arms of Lamorak sends him into a jealous rage and he kills his mother and attempts to kill Lamorak. Gaheris cannot control his temper and is always causing trouble because of it. He kills Lamorak knowing that the King will not approve will have to banish him. He is the chief instigator against Bedwyr and one of the few to come out of the Queen’s bedchamber alive. He uses Mordred to escape Camelot and later dies of his wounds.
Agravain
Agravain is the twin of Gaheris. He is hot tempered and goes along with his twin’s crazy ideas. He wants to see battle and does not like King Arthur’s policies of peace with the Saxons. Agravain and Gaheris lead the group who storm Queen Guinevere’s bedchamber in an attempt to find she and Bedwyr in a compromising position. Agravain is killed during the fight.
Gareth
Gareth is the youngest son of Morgause and King Lot. He is doted on by his mother. He is the most sane of the brothers and is a calming voice to the brothers. He is a loyal follower of King Arthur and attempts to talk his brothers out of their harebrained ideas. He is killed when he is part of the group who storms Queen Guinevere’s bedchamber. Gareth is trying to stop the group and is accidentally killed in the heat of the fight.
Beltane
Beltane is a jeweler who travels to the Orkney Islands to sell jewelry to Queen Morgause. He met her at the court in York where she bought jewelry from him. Morgause hires him to make treasures that she can give to the King when she goes to Camelot.
Casso
Casso is the slave to Beltane, the jeweler. He has no tongue and cannot speak so people believe him to be ignorant and talk freely in front of him. Casso was taught to write by Beltane as a favor to Merlin who acquired the slave for Beltane. Casso is loyal to Merlin and sends messages he deems important to King Arthur. One message he sends tells Arthur where he can find Mordred.
King Urbgen
King Urbgen is a king in northern Britain. He is the husband of Morgan. Urbgen is embarrassed by his wife’s actions of stealing Arthur’s sword and for her infidelity. He is much older than her and she finds lovers of her own age. He is happy to see her sent to a nunnery for her betrayal of the King. He does not want his reputation sullied by his wife’s actions.
Morgan
Morgan is the sister to King Arthur. She desires power and tries to obtain it by stealing Arthur’s sword. This act puts her on the outs with Arthur and her husband, King Urbgen. She is sent to a nunnery for her actions. She is later given a court where she is treated like a prison and can do no harm.
Nimue
Nimue is the successor to Merlin. She is an enchantress who advises King Arthur. She is disliked by Morgan and Morgause who are envious of her power.
Bedwyr
Bedwyr is King’s Arthur’s best friend. Arthur entrusts him to run the Kingdom and protect Queen Guinevere when he goes off to battle. Bedwyr is the regent of the Kingdom. No one can get ahead in the court without his approval. Gaheris and Agravain and other young companions feel that he has too much power over Arthur and plot to bring him down. Bedwyr leaves Britain after the fight in the Queen's bedchamber. He does this to save her reputation and for the King.
Cei
Cei is King Arthur’s foster brother and loyal companion. He has been with Arthur since Arthur came to his father’s Kingdom to be raised in secret. He is killed during the battle with the Romans.
Lamorak
Lamorak is a companion to King Arthur. He falls under the spell of Morgause and becomes her lover. He proclaims that they were betrothed. He is with Morgause when Gaheris kills his mother in a fit of rage. Lamorak leaves the Kingdom for his safety. He is killed by Gaheris when he returns to the Kingdom to visit a friend.
Cerdic
Cerdic is the leader of the Saxons in Britain. He does not like King Arthur because of the fighting that the two of endeared. He is willing to keep the peace because Arthur is a tyrant on the battlefield. Cerdic deals better with Mordred. He does not have a violent past with him and can therefore have a more congenial relationship. This is why they are able to form an alliance.
