Whilst out on a routine hunting trip, Arthur and his men encounter a huge and terrifying monster. It has the body of a lion and the head of a serpent, with a huge pair of dripping fangs. Arthur and his men run for their lives. Finally, they reach safety and turn to look back at the ominous woods. Merlin realizes one of the party is missing. A beat, and we hear a man’s dying scream echo through the darkness…

Gaius explains that what they encountered was a Questing Beast, said to have been conjured from the nightmares of a long-dead King. It is a creature of great power from the Old Religion, whose bite is always fatal. Uther refuses to acknowledge such folly and sends the Knights out to kill it.