In a booming voice, the Christmas Knight declares that he has come to see King Arthur. Arthur stands and calmly asks the knight to identify himself, but the knight ignores the question. The Christmas Knight knows about the curse on the kingdom and challenges the king saying, “The spell of the Dark Wizard has robbed Camelot of its joy [...] Has it robbed you and your men of your courage as well?” (27). The taunt strikes home, but Arthur explains that he has already sent his three bravest knights to the Otherworld and they never returned. When the Christmas Knight tells him to send more, the king angrily insists that he will not ask anyone else to face the perilous monsters and magic of the Otherworld. The knight decrees that Arthur’s cowardice dooms his kingdom to lose everything it has achieved– “all beauty, music, wonder, and light, all that Camelot has ever been or could ever be” (29). To the dismay of everyone, including Jack, Annie proclaims that she and her brother will go on the quest to the Otherworld. Despite Morgan Le Fay and King Arthur’s protests, the Christmas Knight accepts Annie’s promise.