An excerpt from The Legend of King Arthur Traditional 1A long time ago, a baby named Arthur was born in a castle in Britain. His parents were the king and queen. Because the castle was under constant attack, Arthur's parents sent him to live with another family in the countryside. When Arthur was a boy, the king died. 2One day a stone appeared that had a large sword stuck inside it. Carved on the sword were these words: "Whoever pulls this sword from the stone will be Britain's new king." Many brave men tried to pull out the sword, but none of them could move it an inch. 3Years passed, Arthur became a young man, and the sword remained stuck in the stone. When Arthur's stepbrother, Kay, needed a sword, Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. He didn't realize the sword was special. Word about what Arthur had done spread, and he became King of Britain. Arthur kept the sword, called Excalibur, for the rest of his life and used it to fight many battles. 4Arthur was a good king. He invited the knights of Britain to meet in his castle. There, the knights sometimes argued over who would sit at the head of the rectangular table. To stop the knights from fighting Arthur had the men sit at a round table instead. At this table, no man held more power than any other. The men became known as the Knights of the Round Table. 5Arthur and the knights had many adventures. They helped people in need, and they fought dragons and other powerful creatures. Arthur kept Excalibur with him always. 6Before Arthur died, he asked his friend, Bedivere, to throw Excalibur into a nearby lake. Bedivere couldn't part with the beautiful sword, but he finally closed his eyes and threw Excalibur into the lake. When Bedivere reopened his eyes, he saw a woman's hand reach out of the lake and catch the sword. The magical Lady of the Lake took Excalibur under the water to keep it safe. When Bedivere told Arthur what he had seen, the great king died in peace. When are the legendary events recorded in this essay alleged to have taken place? A) in the past B) in the present C) in the near future D) in the distant future