A lovely young woman walked across the water and stood on the ground next to King Arthur. ‘I am the Lady of the Lake. Your sword, Excalibur, is waiting for you.’ There was a boat on the water. King Arthur got into it and went to the middle of the lake. He took the sword, and the arm went into the water. When Arthur came back to Merlin, the Lady of the Lake was not there. The sword was inside a scabbard. It was a very beautiful thing. ‘That is a magic scabbard,’ said Merlin. ‘No man can kill a person with that scabbard. Have it with you always, because an evil woman will try to take the scabbard and the sword away from you.’ King Arthur and Merlin went home again. Arthur’s knights listened happily to the stories of his journey.