The companions bury Arthur by hand on Avalon's shore, refusing to use magic because grief demands hard labor. Morgan inscribes a stone with 'HIC IACET ARTHURUS REX QUONDAM,' and Bedivere blows a mournful horn. That night, Nimue and Collum talk about his unknown parentage; Collum glimpses iridescent butterfly wings on his back in the mirror, and Nimue suggests there is something unrevealed about his nature.

The next morning the company departs Avalon in a bronze caravel provided by Morgan, with Palomides now joining them as a sworn knight of the Round Table. Morgan warns of dark times ahead. As they fly toward Britain, they begin planning resistance against Lancelot, identifying potential allies in Dyfed, Cameliard, and Cornwall.

Mid-voyage, Guinevere reveals Collum's true parentage: his mother was a flower-fairy, and his father was Sir Bleoberys, the knight Collum killed in a meadow long ago. Collum confronts the devastating truth that he is a father-killer, but reframes Bleoberys's death as a man finally finding his lost son. The crew accepts him as half-fairy, half-Frank.

Suddenly the ship is forced down by Merlin's magic, crashing into the sea near Cornwall, where enemy ships fly Lancelot's colors. With battle imminent, Collum impulsively dives overboard with the anchor, plunging to the seafloor. There he meets the Lady of the Lake, embittered that Arthur betrayed her cause. She thrusts Excalibur into a stone, daring him to take it.

Collum cannot pull the sword free. Realizing the age of chosen heroes is over and he must claim his own destiny, he smashes the anchor down on the stone, splitting it open. He retrieves Excalibur and rockets to the surface with the legendary blade.