On this land called Britain in this era, everyone knew of the one who called himself "King," named Vortigern, the incarnation of the White Dragon known as the "Despicable King." He was, without doubt, the strongest being of the age.
Five years ago, he defeated the northern rebel army formed jointly by King Uther of Camelot and the First Court Magus, the "Sage" Merlin. There were even tales that he had, with his own strength alone, crushed legions of hundreds and thousands of mighty warriors. On that day, the dragonfire burned so fiercely that it melted the armor upon the warriors' bodies and the swords in their hands into rivers of molten iron, which poured upon the Cotswold Hills in central Britain where the battle took place, creating a silver ruin still visible to this day.
Even if King Uther himself struck, he was no match for a single exchange.
Even the "Sage" Merlin could only manage to escape alive by fleeing with King Uther.
It was precisely after that battle five years ago that Vortigern's power grew ever more immense. The northern rebels grew increasingly ambitious. If not for their fear of the towering walls of Camelot and the impregnable ancient mysteries they bore, Vortigern would long since have marched south, sweeping across the entire land.
He was already unstoppable.
At least, until today.
Until this day—!
...
The ancient verses say: the chalk-white dragon feared the eagle of the south, thus it circled in the north, and for ten years did not descend.
Legend of King Arthur
...
[Your fame spread far and wide]
[Unlike Princess Morgan le Fay, who was long since renowned within Britain as a genius magus, you—an outsider—had been completely unknown until this day. Though King Uther and Merlin had, more or less, guessed at the origins of you and your companions, it remained only speculation—for Britain was isolated from the world, and few here knew of the matters within the Roman Empire to the south]
[But from the banquet of this day onward, your renown soared, and you began to stand side by side with Morgan]
[You understood this was intentionally driven by King Uther and Merlin]
[They sought to bind you and Morgan together—to push forward the matter of marriage]
[To this, Morgan chose tacit acceptance]
[She acknowledged your ability, and she acknowledged your existence]
[As a "princess," as the future King of Camelot, if she must choose a partner, then perhaps you would be a suitable choice]
[Though never spoken aloud, you perceived this intent from her]
[Yet you were but thirteen years old now—such matters were, for you, far too early]
[What you required next was not romance, but survival and development]
[Under the guise of the "Equinus" family, you needed to take root in Britain, to stabilize yourselves upon this soil]
[Only by securing your footing would it be easier for you to inscribe into this era the ancient mysteries of the Age of Gods that lingered upon this land]
[And as mentioned before, King Uther had already chosen for you an abundant tract of soil]
[It was in southern Britain, likewise south of Camelot, not far from the settlement that would in future be the capital of England—today's London port]
[It neighbored the sea, lay upon the Thames, yet was situated amidst vast grasslands]
[King Uther promised to let you claim land and build a "city"]
[To build a city named "Equinus," a city within the kingdom, a kingdom within the kingdom]
[And so, in a single day, you walked the banks of the Thames, letting the waters rise to your knees; in a single day, you crossed the stretching grasslands, claiming dozens of miles of soil; behind you, you raised a city; in a single day, you piled earth into walls, stacked stone into towers, raised wood into fortresses]
[You erected countless "great windmills"]
[The "City of Windmills," Equinus, was founded here]
...
The "City of Windmills," Equinus, was a magnificent ancient city that existed over a thousand years ago, and one of the rarest great wonders across all of human history. It was worthy of being named alongside the pyramids of ancient Egypt and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia as an achievement of ancient architecture.
Its walls stretched for a hundred miles, encircling dozens of miles of territory. Its vast windmills drove the flow of water across the ground, constructing a perfect natural cycle of power within. Ancient Arthurian poetry described how, when King Arthur entered the city built and governed personally by Subutai, what he beheld was not the ancient mysteries of Camelot, but instead a realm filled with human culture and the beauty of nature.
It is difficult to imagine, in that ancient age, what staggering manpower and resources were required to forge such a vast city.
Still harder to imagine, what kind of mind conceived such a perfectly cyclical design.
The Poems of Subutai say: he claimed land in a day, built a city in a day.
What remained for later generations was only the phenomenon—
And today, broken yet brilliant, a fragment of shattered stone walls.
"The City of Windmills" — The Pinnacle of Classical Architecture
...
[Equinus was founded here]
[The Huns who came with you could pasture within, and they could also settle, till the land]
[You ordered them to scatter upon this soil the seeds they had carried from the southern continent of Europa, letting them take root and sprout. You did not forbid the natives of Britain from dwelling within the city either. You brought your own people and horses, yet you did not prevent them from mingling with the locals. Nomadic peoples may gallop powerfully on horseback, but they are ever unsettled—mighty for a time, but never lasting. What you required was a stable rear base]
[As for "governance," this was for you a matter of great familiarity]
[Within the city you established laws belonging solely to "Equinus." You set reins that all must obey]
[At this time, the land of Britain was in a season of famine. The earth bore no grain. King Uther survived relying upon the grain you had brought aboard ship]
[But in this year, the southern seeds sprouted and grew upon this soil, and soon yielded a bountiful harvest]
[Thus the "City of Windmills" gathered ever more people of Britain, the Celts]
[Thus, under your support, this year of famine was endured in peace by the Camelot Kingdom of Britain. Vortigern in the north still glared with covetous eyes, yet did not lead the Angles southward to plunder]
[This year, Morgan le Fay often visited your "City of Windmills." She seemed to love the great windmills that spun dozens of meters high across the wilds, to love the feel of the wind, and above all, to love pulling you—busy as you were—up to the tops of the windmills to speak with you of "mysteries"]
[This year, because of the many horses you brought from the north, the land of Britain, once lacking in steeds, now birthed many warriors who called themselves "knights"]
[And most of all, in the "City of Windmills"]
[The nobles of "Equinus" faithfully upheld the many laws you had decreed. They were called the knightly class—and the commandments you set became the knightly code that knights henceforth would follow]
[This year, your father declared his retirement]
[And you governed the City of Windmills under the title of "Archduke"]
[You were called by the people the "Archduke of Knights"]
[The Duke of the Knights]
[...]
Before him, knights were but wandering warriors.
After him, knights sat high in the halls of power, and at last could fight for the things they vowed to protect.
Origins of Western Knighthood