The Legend of Prince Valiant

The Legend of Prince Valiant is an animated television series based on the Prince Valiant comic strip created by Hal Foster. Set in the time of King Arthur, it is a family-oriented adventure show about an exiled prince who goes on a quest to become one of the Knights of the Round Table. He begins his quest after having a dream about Camelot and its idealistic New Order. This television series originally aired on The Family Channel for a total run of 65 episodes.

Premise

Like the original comic strip, the series begins with the fall of Thule, the fictional kingdom to which Prince Valiant is heir. Valiant, his parents, and a group of survivors from the castle are exiled by the ruthless conqueror Cynan to a hostile marsh across the sea. The young prince, deeply saddened by this defeat and vengeful towards Cynan, attempts to make the best of his new life but craves some greater purpose. He finds this purpose when he has a series of dreams about a kingdom called Camelot, King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table. Valiant becomes enraptured with Camelot's New Order, which is founded on the ideas that might does not make right and that truth, justice, honor and friendship should be the guiding forces in people's dealings with each other. Against the wishes of his father, Valiant leaves the exiles' settlement in search of Camelot so that he may serve King Arthur as a Knight of the Round Table.
During his quest, the prince meets two peasants who fall under the spell of his dream and join him. The first that he meets is Arn, a wandering peasant with great skills as a woodsman but who is ashamed of his class, illiteracy, and clumsiness. The second is Rowanne, the daughter of a blacksmith, who is feisty, unorthodox, and an expert with a bow and arrow. These three quickly become best friends and find Camelot together, but before they can become knights, they must undergo training, face off against various enemies, and do a bit more growing up.

Season one (26 episodes)

The first few episodes of the series deal with establishing Valiant's backstory and character, uniting him with Arn and Rowanne, and locating Camelot. Two main story arcs guide the rest of the season: 1) Valiant's training and emotional maturity; 2) Cynan's growing threat to Camelot. Through trial and error, Valiant learns the value of humility, patience, responsibility, and controlling his temper. This serves him well as he encounters various emissaries, both good and evil, connected to Cynan that indicate his ambition to invade Camelot. By the end of the season, Valiant has proven himself enough to be allowed to lead an army back to Thule and reclaim his homeland from Cynan's forces. He successfully does so with the help of Arn, Rowanne, Merlin, and his father King Williem. The season ends with Valiant bidding farewell to his parents and childhood home, returning to Camelot, and being knighted by King Arthur. There are also several stand-alone adventures that cause the trio of Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne to grow in fame throughout the kingdom.
Several key storylines begin during the first season that would not be resolved until the following year. The most obvious is Arn and Rowanne's desire to be knighted — their training and coming of age sagas continue throughout the second season. The love triangle amongst the trio is pushed to the background towards the end of the season and will resurface with new complications later on. Recurring villain Duncan Draconarius slowly undergoes a process of redemption that has yet to be completed. Another character, Denys, is briefly introduced yet will come into his own as a recurring character during the second season. Conflicts that are left to percolate until the second year include Camelot's hostilities with the Viking nation, the fallout from the massacre of the Viking peace delegation, the threat posed by a newly exiled Sir Mordred, and the beginnings of popular discontent towards Arthur's New Order. Also unknown are the final fates of the villains Robert, Cynan, Dylan, and Lord Maldon.

Season two (39 episodes)

Three main story arcs guide the overall course of the second season: 1) Valiant settling in as a knight and honing his leadership abilities; 2) Arn and Rowanne coming to terms with their insecurities as they continue to work towards knighthood; 3) the growing threat posed by the various factions of Mordred's New Dawn, a corruption of Arthur's New Order. Mordred and his partner Lord Maldon prey upon the public's prejudice against non-native Camelotians and fear of an imminent Viking invasion. The situation grows steadily worse over the course of the season as Mordred forms alliances with Camelot's enemies and a traitor within Camelot takes steps to ensure its downfall. By this time, Arn and Rowanne have both earned their spots at the Round Table, while Valiant has risen in status to become one of the leading knights of Camelot.
Towards the end of the series, King Arthur enacts a drastic plan to foil the New Dawn, a plan that goes awry due to Maldon and causes Arthur to be buried alive. Queen Guinevere then makes the surprise move of proclaiming Prince Valiant to be Arthur's chosen heir and the new King of Camelot. Camelot continues to lose ground against its enemies until a series of surprise events turn the tide of battle: the Vikings acquire information about Mordred that causes them to end their alliance; the general public revolts against the New Dawn's forces; Valiant defeats Mordred in combat and reclaims Excalibur; and Arthur returns alive and well. The series ends with King Arthur back on his throne and saluting the future of Camelot under the New Order as Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne stand by his side.
Other notable storylines develop over the course of the season that influence the main plot arcs. One is the introduction of Princess Aleta and King Hugo of the Misty Isles — these characters add new dimensions to the Valiant-Rowanne-Arn love triangle and the danger posed by Mordred's forces. The Northland storyline also complicates the love and war arcs while providing the catalyst for Arn and Rowanne to finally achieve knighthood. Duncan Draconarious is revisited in a few episodes that place him firmly on the side of Camelot. Several stories focus on Valiant's young squire Denys, including one that finalizes the fate of season one villains Cynan and Dylan. Also, there are the stand-alone adventures that add to Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne's growing legend in Camelot.
Some unresolved and underdeveloped plot threads are worth pointing out at this juncture. One is Valiant and Aleta's marriage, an important part of the comic strip that never transpired onscreen. Another is Rowanne's relationship with King Michael of Northland, which developed rather abruptly and lacked definite closure as the series geared up for its finale. Lady Morgana, introduced in the first season with the potential to become a major antagonist, is forgotten about until the very end of the second season.

Characters

Main characters

Prince Valiant — exiled prince of Thule, Valiant is courageous, noble, kind, and headstrong dreamer who is fiercely loyal to and protective of Camelot and his friends. He can be reckless and egotistical on occasion. He wields the Singing Sword, sister blade to Excalibur, and rides a black horse named Caliburn. He is knighted after defeating Cynan and later falls in love with Princess Aleta on first sight. He matures later on and briefly becomes King of Camelot. Valiant is the only character to appear in every episode of the series.
Arn — insecure but good-hearted wandering woodsman, Arm believes he is unworthy of knighthood due to his illiteracy, social status, and occasional clumsiness. Arn possesses great tracking and survival skills and rides a brown horse named Crux. Orphaned in a Viking raid, he now considers Valiant and Rowanne his family. He harbors an unrequited love for Rowanne. He is later knighted after defeating the treacherous Baron of Lionsgate and his son who were plotting against Camelot.
Rowanne of Bridgesford — strong-willed, spirited peasant who rejects tradition, Rowanne is determined to become the first female Knight of the Round Table; she rides a white horse that is never named. She is temperamental and stubborn, but a romantic at heart, which leads to vicious love triangles and fits of jealousy. She is a highly proficient archer who learned the blacksmithing trade from her father. After stopping numerous plots against Highland and Camelot, Rowanne was knighted at the same time as Arn, choosing Camelot over her courtship with King Michael.
Merlin — a mysterious royal advisor, Merlin possesses great wisdom and a knowledge of alchemy and other sciences that laymen mistake as magic. He is an intellectual man who remains in good physical shape despite his age. Merlin traveled the world in his youth, then raised and protected Arthur from infancy. He mentors Arthur and Valiant through direct counsel and cryptic suggestions.
King Arthur — ruler of Camelot and founder of the New Order, Arthur is a living legend to his people since the day he freed Excalibur from a stone. Stern and fair, he firmly believes in ruling through peace, truth, and honor rather than warfare. He is extremely sensitive to betrayal, especially that of Sir Mordred. Arthur enjoys an affectionate marriage to Guinevere and a lasting friendship with Merlin. He regards Valiant as central to the future of Camelot.
Sir Gawain — an egotistical veteran Knight of the Round Table and a mighty warrior who is considered the brawn of the Gawain-Bryant duo. Justifiably renowned and respected, Gawain is one of four knights who survived the legendary Combat of the Thirty. He is ladies' man with a short fuse when anyone threatens or insults his king. Gawain trains Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne, forming a particularly close bond with Valiant.
Queen Guinevere — serene and elegant ruler of Camelot, Guinevere is an intelligent and strong woman who is fully capable of taking the lead in a crisis. She is in charge of the kingdom's cultural activities and fully supports the New Order. Deeply in love with her husband Arthur, she serves a calming influence on him. Despite regretting not having children, she sees Valiant and his friends as Camelot's second generation.
Sir Bryant — stoic and just veteran Knight of the Round Table, Bryan is a noble, thinking-man's warrior who is considered the brains of the Gawain-Braynt duo. He emigrated from Iberia with his wife and son, who were subsequently murdered by highwaymen. He takes his responsibilities as a knight and role model extremely seriously, and trains Valiant, Arn, and Rowanne for knighthood.