Knights of the Round Table

The Knights of the Round Table are a sub-order of the Knights of Camelot, created by the former Prince of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon.

The Knights of the Round Table are loyal to their leader and ruler, King Arthur Pendragon, as well as to the people of Camelot. They are especially loyal to the three non-knight members of the Round Table: the incognito sorcerer Merlin, whom they treat as a beloved but foolish younger brother, Queen Guinevere, their trusted friend and moral compass, and the physician Gaius, their respected elder and advisor. Their enemies are Morgana Pendragon and those who wish to harm Camelot.

Creation
Fleeing from Morgana's immortal army in Camelot, Arthur led a group of outlaws, consisting of Merlin, Gaius, Guinevere, Elyan, Lancelot, Percival, Gwaine and Leon, to the Castle of the Ancient Kings. The group uncovered the Round Table, around which the old kings of Camelot would hold court. Sitting at a round table ensured that no man was afforded greater importance than another, reflecting the Kings' deep belief in equality for all. The group spent one evening together around the round table, during which Arthur offered everyone a choice as to whether to accompany him on a coup to seize back Camelot. Everyone accepted his offer. In a gesture of gratitude and respect for them all, Arthur knighted Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, and Elyan, breaking the Knights' Code's prohibition on commoners becoming knights. This gesture proved to all those at the Round Table that Arthur believed in the ways of the old Kings and old Albion. The four new knights, along with Arthur and Leon, who were already knights of Camelot, became the Knights of the Round Table.

Taking Camelot Back
The knights and Merlin returned to Camelot, armed with Arthur and Merlin's knowledge of the citadel and (unknown to all except Merlin and Lancelot), Excalibur, a sword capable of killing the dead (which the immortals had inadvertently become). The group then split up, Lancelot and Merlin heading to the Cup of Life to empty it of the blood it held, and the rest heading to the dungeons to free the king. Merlin and Lancelot were successful in their quest, and, with help from Gaius (who had followed them and stopped Morgause killing Merlin), destroyed the army.



The Dorocha Attack Camelot
Over a year after Morgana's betrayal, peace was restored to Camelot. Arthur took over the kingdom as Uther was still broken due to Morgana's betrayal. He had help from his uncle, Agravaine, who was secretly loyal to Morgana although Arthur  was unaware of this. Meanwhile, Morgana attempted to take revenge on Camelot again by tearing open the veil between the living and the spirit worlds, and summoning creatures known as the Dorocha. The Dorocha began to attack a village and Camelot, killing several people. They could not be stopped but are repelled by fire and daylight. Arthur learnt from Gaius  that the only way to defeat the Dorocha  would be to make a sacrifice.

Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin leave for the Isle of the Blessed. Lancelot continually encourages Merlin to leave and protect himself, but Merlin refuses. The group lights a fire and Arthur and Merlin search for more firewood, but a Dorocha attacks them and they lose their torch. The remaining knights, with only one torch left between them, decide to search for Arthur and Merlin. Hiding in an abandoned room, Arthur and Merlin attempt to reassure each other and Arthur tells Merlin that he is "a brave man," then joking, adds "between battles." Merlin replies, "You have no idea how many times I've saved your life," to which Arthur says if he ever becomes king, he will make Merlin the court jester. The Dorocha find Merlin and Arthur's hideout as Lancelot and the others battle their way through the derelict castle with only one torch. Merlin protects Athur by pushing him aside and allowing himself to be attcked by the Dorocha himself. Sir Lancelot begins to take Merlin back to Camelot, but on their journey they encounter the Vilia, water spirits which roamed free when the veil between the worlds was torn. They informed Lancelot that his and Merlin's help would be needed on the Isle of the Blessed, and so protected them throughout the night and healed Merlin. Meanwhile, Arthur and the knights take a shortcut towards the Isle of the Blessed by entering a cave infested with Wilddeoren, from which they narrowly escape. Lancelot and Merlin rejoin Arthur and the kinights as they continue their journey to the Isle of the Blessed.

Death of Lancelot
When Arthur, Merlin and the knights eventually arrive at the Isle of the Blessed, they are attacked by Wyvern. Merlin commands the Wyvern to leave but more Wyvern arrive. While Elyan and Percival hold off the Wyvern, the others move on and encounter the Cailleach. Arthur tells the Cailleach to close the veil but she informs him that she does not have the power to do this as she did not tear open the veil. After she knocks Gwaine unconscious with her magic to prevent him attacking her, Arthur tells her that he can sacrifice himself but before he can, Merlin renders him unconscious with his magic. Merlin then attempts to sacrifice himself but the Cailleach tells him that his time among men has not ended and that he cannot sacrifice himself. Lancelot then walks to the veil and vanishes, and the veil is repaired. After returning to Camelot, Arthur pays his fallen comrade honour, citing that they all owe him a great debt, and that Lancelot's legacy won't just be his sacrifice, but also his courage, compassion and unselfish heart. Arthur calls Lancelot the bravest and most noble knight he has ever known. Arthur creates a funeral pyre for his fallen friend, laying out his cloak and sword upon the blaze in lieu of a body.

New King
King Odin sent an assassin, the Gleeman, to kill Arthur, disguised as a entertainer in a circus group that had arrived in Camelot for Arthur's birthday. Although the assassin failed to kill Arthur, he succeeded in mortally wounding Uther. Desperate not to lose his father, Arthur went looking for Dragoon to help him with magic, not knowing that it was in fact Merlin. Arthur agreed to lift the ban on magic if his father was saved. However, Morgana learnt of this plot and planted a necklace that reversed the effects of the healing magic, resulting in Uther's death. Arthur was crowned King of Camelot.

Caerleon vs Camelot
Gwaine and Knights of the Round Table later joined the other knights on there ambush on King Caerleon. Upon King Caerleon's capture, Arthur was told by Agravaine that he should offer a peace treaty with Caerleon or kill him in cold blood. Merlin tells Arthur it is unlike him to not show mercy towards the enemy, but Arthur ignored his friend's suggestions and killed Caerleon, causing his wife, Queen Annis, to declare war upon Camelot. Morgana allies herself with the Queen, seeking to destroy Arthur and take Camelot as her own. Later, Arthur is told under Agravaine's orders again to end his relationship with Gwen, claiming that because she is a servant, their relationship is deemed inappropriate. Arthur tells Gwen of the news one night, and although heartbroken, she tells Arthur to listen to his heart. The next morning, Camelot sets out for battle. In their camp, Elyan and the Knights of the Round Table ensured Arthur that they will stand by him and fight in his name. Arthur feels that he made the wrong decision and has brought the war upon Camelot himself, and that he does not deserve their loyalty.

At night, Arthur (followed by Merlin) visits Queen Annis. He proposes the right of single combat, with one champion from Caerleon and one of Camelot fighting to the death for victory. Merlin is caught eavesdropping and Arthur saves him from being killed. Agravaine later gave Arthur's sword to Morgana and she enchanted it to make it too heavy for Arthur to wield before ordering Agravaine to give it back to Arthur. However, despite the fact that Arthur's sword was enchanted, their plan to kill him failed when Merlin used magic to help Arthur defeat Derian, his opponent, but he spared him to make peace with Annis.

Searching for Merlin
When Arthur and his knights were ambushed by Morgana's mercenaries, he fought against them but was separated from Arthur and Merlin, leading to Merlin later being captured by Morgana. When Arthur decided to search for Merlin himself, Gwaine accompanied him. As they were riding their horses through the woods, Gwaine continuously complimented Merlin. Soon they found Merlin, muddy and tired, then the three returned to Camelot, unaware that Merlin was now under Morgana's control via the implantation of a Fomorroh head. When Merlin went to serve Arthur's food, Gwaine tried to steal some, and was surprised at how rude Merlin was to him. Later, Gwaine, along with Elyan, Leon and Percival, caught Merlin while disguised as Dragoon the Great en route to Morgana's hut to find the mother Fomorroh. The four of them recognised him and tried to apprehend him, but Merlin's magical power bested them, much to his glee.

Rescuing Gaius
Following Gaius's, apparant treason and disappearance, Gwaine went to visit Merlin to see how he was coping. He agreed to help Merlin find Gaius. He informed Merlin that the substance he had found on Agravaine's boots was iron ore, giving him a valuable clue in telling him the only location in which iron ore could be found. He then travelled with Merlin to the mines. There, he caught Agravaine with a knife poised to kill Gaius. However, Agravaine was able to persuade Gwaine that he had simply come to find Gaius, having had the guards at the gate inform him that Merlin and Gwaine had left. He claimed he was simply using the blade to check if Gaius was breathing. Gwaine, though suspicious, made no further comment but his presence forced Agravaine to abort his plans to kill Gaius and together the two of them took him back to Camelot, where Gwaine informed Arthur that he had been kidnapped.

Lamia
On the journey back to Camelot from a village suffering from a strange disease, Gwaine, the other knights and Merlin came across a group of bandits who had captured a young girl. The knights attacked and saved the girl, who was apparently terrified and particularly distrustful of Merlin. Identifying herself as Lamia, she soon began to exert a power over the knights, making them aggressive and irrational. The knights became possessive of the Lamia and obsessed with her well-being, forgetting the original purpose of their journey, to save the village. Elyan and Percival have to break up a fight between Gwaine and Leon which was a result of the Lamia's influence. The Lamia transferred the disease to Elyan with a kiss, leaving him so the knights would find him the next morning. They brought him to Gwen and Merlin, who began to suspect the Lamia, though Gwaine and the others would not hear of it. Merlin tried to convince the knights to get Elyan back to Camelot for treatment, but the other knights, under the Lamia's influence, insisted on going to a deserted castle where she began to pick off each of them until Arthur rescued them. When Lamia disappears, and Gwaine goes out to look for her, Merlin starts to worry, saying that he should have been back by now. When Merlin finds Gwaine, he has caught the disease. Once Arther rescues them, Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival rush back to the village, where Gaius treats them. Percival is the first to recover, since he was the last to be affected. He looks over at an unconscious Gwaine and Elyan in concern, but Gaius confirms that they will be alright.

Lancelot returns from the Dead
Arthur tells Agravaine that he wishes to marry Guinevere despite everyone's opinion. This worries his uncle and he therefore informs Morgana. Morgana sets off in search for the Dochraid who tells her how to use a coin that can raise a Shade, a shadow of a dead person. She raises a Shade of Lancelot in the Pool of Nemhain and he goes to Camelot to try and win back the heart of Gwen (who by then has accepted Arthur's proposal).

Lancelot returns to Camelot
Lancelot returns to Camelot and everyone is overjoyed. Merlin however grows suspicious about his return. Gwen stays loyal to her future husband, so Morgana gives Agravaine an enchanted bracelet that will make Gwen love Lancelot once again. Agravaine gives Lancelot the bracelet which he then gives it to Gwen as a "wedding gift". Merlin discovers the nature of Lancelot's Shade, and, believing that Morgana resurrected him and Lancelot may harm Arthur, is prepared to use magic to stop him when he participates in a tournament.

Guinevere and Lancelot's Affair
During the tournament, Lancelot, although he initially wounds Arthur, yields his weapon, refusing to harm Arthur. Merlin is relieved that Arthur is alive but when he spots Gwen going to visit Lancelot, his suspicions increase. Lancelot manages to get Gwen into the Council Chambers in the dead of night. Merlin tries to stop Lancelot with his magic but since Lancelot is a Shade, he is unharmed and he knocks Merlin unconscious. Agravaine summons Arthur to the Council Chambers and they, along with the recovered Merlin, catch Lancelot and Gwen kissing. Enraged by this, Arthur attacks Lancelot and they engage in a fierce battle. Lancelot attempts to kill Arthur but Merlin disarms Lancelot with his magic, giving Arthur a chance to kill him. Gwen gets between the two and Arthur immediately stops. Lancelot and Gwen are thrown in separate cells. Gwen is later brought to the Council Chambers and Arthur angrily asks her what she was doing with Lancelot and why she would betray him in such a manner. Gwen apologises for her actions, telling Arthur that she has always loved him but somehow got drawn towards Lancelot after his return without knowing what she was doing. Arthur has Gwen banished from Camelot, unable to face executing her for her betrayal.

Lancelot Dies Again
Agravaine later goes to Lancelot's cell and gives him an order from Morgana to make Lancelot kill himself. Agravaine then informs Arthur about Lancelot's death and Arthur, who still respects Lancelot as a man of honour, orders Lancelot's body to be buried. Merlin goes to Lake Avalon and puts Lancelot's body in a floating pyre. He then frees Lancelot's soul from Morgana's control, bringing him back to life for a moment. The real Lancelot sees Merlin and says feebly "Merlin, thank you." Merlin gives a weak smile and Lancelot dies peacefully. Merlin casts the boat across the lake and ignites it using his magic.

Elyan possessed by a Troubled Spirit
While Arthur, Merlin and the Knights of Camelot were out in the forest, the group discovered a Druid shrine, erected for the sake of a troubled soul unable to find peace due to its unjust death. Merlin, made uneasy by a strange presence, warned the others not to touch anything, but Elyan, thirsty since Gwaine had drunk all his water, drank from a small well. However, in doing so, he disturbed and freed the tormented spirt. The spirit was that of a young Druid boy, dripping wet and deathly pale, who began to appear to Elyan, unseen by others. Initially he did not speak, first appearing to Elyan while he was in his bedroom, then began to exert his influence on him during the knights' training session, causing him to fly into a rage. Having been told by Gwaine that salt at the foot of the bed would ward off evil spirits, Elyan desperately put a ring of salt under his, which would later confirm to Merlin that Elyan had been possessed. The spirit, appearing a third time, then spoke to Elyan and told him that he wanted peace, but in order to get it Elyan had to kill the King to balance the injustice done to him while alive. Now under the spirit's power, Elyan agreed and went to Arthur's rooms at night, attacking him. Although he caught Arthur unawares, Arthur's superior skill saved him and the guards came in, causing Elyan to flee. Whilst trying to escape the castle, Elyan was apprehended by the other Knights of the Round Table and thrown in the dungeons. The spirit reappeared to tell him that he had failed him, which drove Elyan to torment. It was suspected that he was motivated by revenge for Arthur banishing his sister and Agravaine told Arthur he must put him to death to show the rest of Camelot that attempts on the King's life would be severely punished. Merlin, knowing that Elyan was not acting of his own accord, defended Elyan's case, leaving Arthur conflicted. Planning to exorcise the spirit, Merlin freed Elyan from the dungeon and tried to give him a sedative to allow him to remove the spirit, but the spirit warned Elyan and so he knocked Merlin out. Making his second attempt on Arthur's life, Elyan, armed with a crossbow, killed or knocked out three knights. He fired at Arthur, but Arthur had realised the danger in the nick of time and dodged the shot. Now completely under the spirit's power and speaking with the Druid boy's voice instead of his own, Elyan challenged Arthur in a sword fight. Arthur's skill meant he once again defeated Elyan. However, Arthur, having heard the child's voice instead of Elyan's, began to realise that Merlin had been correct and that Elyan was in fact possessed. He then let Elyan run. Gaius informed Arthur that in order to appease the restless spirit, the perpetrator of the injustice done to it in life would have to atone for his crime. Believing Uther to have been responsible, Gaius told Arthur he had no choice but to put Elyan to death since it was impossible for Uther to redeem himself. Arthur said nothing, but at night he slipped out of the castle, only to be tailed by Merlin. Arthur caught his servant, but allowed him to accompany him. Arthur travelled to the site of the shrine and summoned the spirit. He knelt before it and cast aside his sword, then revealed that it had not been Uther who led the raid on the Druid camp, but he himself. Arthur, filled with remorse, explained how he had led it in youth and inexperience and was still haunted by the memory. Promising that the Druids would be treated with the respect they deserved in future, Arthur finally gave the child's spirit peace, and so the spirit forgave him. He released Elyan, who, disoriented and confused, fainted. He was told that he would make a full recovery.

Morgana's Second Conquest of Camelot
When Morgana and Helios launched a surprise attack on Camelot, Elyan discovered Agravaine leading the invaders. Finding that Agravaine had betrayed them, Elyan vowed to kill him, as did Agravaine to Elyan. However, Morgana knocked Elyan unconcious with magic, telling Agravaine that they didn't have time to play soldiers. Elyan later joined with Percival to help Merlin hide Arthur but Morgana caught up with them. After Percival dissapeared, Elyan stayed behind to buy Merlin and Arthur time to escape and was captured by Morgana. She interrogated Elyan to find out where Arthur was hiding, but Elyan refused to tell her anything. Morgana therefore used a Nathair to "torture him to the limit of human endurance", as Gaius commented. When Elyan joined Gwaine and Gaius in the dungeons, he was catatonic. However, Elyan recovered some of his strength after a few days. Though he was still weak, he was soon able to walk and talk again, and when the guards came for Gwaine to force him to fight in return for food, he tried to help but was still too weak. After Gwaine won, Elyan tried to encourage Gaius to eat, though Gaius told him not to waste the food on him as he believed he was dying. Nonetheless, Elyan refused to take back the bread. Elyan was later rescued by Percival and Leon as they fought to retake Camelot, much to his relief and joy. He happily joked about having been trapped in a cell with Gwaine for a week and later watched on proudly as Gwen was crowned Queen of Camelot by his new brother-in-law, Arthur.

Trivia

 * Like Arthur's sword Excalibur, the Knights of the Round Table are never mentioned as a group. This might be because only they, Merlin, Arthur's wife Gwen and Gaius know of the existance of the table itself.
 * Arthur is the only knight that is married. His wife being his Queen, Guinevere.
 * As of Series 5, Mordred will be the youngest Knight of the Round Table. The youngest once being presumably, Elyan, with Leon, Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwaine, being the oldest.
 * The Knights take a liking to Mordred and treat him as one of their own even if he is only a trainee.
 * In the promo trailers on BBC One and Comic Con, Elyan is seen to be sitting a seat away from Gwen which could clarify his status as her brother or could just be pure coincidence. Now, of course, the seat is open so we are still to see if or who will take it.
 * It has been said that the Knights of the Round Table will not all sit in the same seat each time they meet.

In Legend


The Round Table was the table which King Arthur's knights sat around. It had no head, implying that all there were equal. Though the concept was created by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Round Table itself was created by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of Arthur's fabulous retinue. In other legends, Merlin creates the Round Table in imitation of the table of the Last Supper.