Summary of One True King (novel)

One True King Plot Summary

Written by Soman Chainani, One True King is the third installment in The Camelot Years trilogy and the sixth and final book in the fantasy novel series, The School for Good and Evil. The book follows the fate of Camelot’s crown, Endless Woods, and a lot more.

On one hand, Tedros is trying to kill the Snake and become the One True King. Meanwhile, Japeth, who has killed his twin brother Rhian, is now impersonating him and seeking to take his brother’s throne to become the One True King. In an interesting turn of events, King Arthur has left behind a second secret will that includes a competition with three tests to decide who the real king would be. The three most dangerous and adventurous challenges will decide who will become the King of Camelot. Tedros and Agatha are trying to win the tests, meanwhile, Sophie is trying to get free from the snake, who is controlling her. With multiple twists and turns, the fairytale of Sophie and Agatha comes to a dramatic conclusion in this series wrap-up.

One True King Book Summary

The story begins with the coven, Anadil, Dot, and Hester, trying to find Merlin. To reach the Savage Sea, the coven is traversing through the upside-down kingdom of Borna Coric. Before dying in the previous novel (A Crystal of Time), Professor Dovey revealed that Merlin is in the Caves of Contempo, a place located on an island in the Savage Sea, where time runs backward.

The coven then sees a message in the sky that says- that King Rhian and Sophie’s wedding will take place on a set schedule. The message was sent from Lionsmane, a scim posing as King Rhian’s pen, but is actually from Japeth. The trio realizes that something is wrong with Sophie.

On the other hand, Sophie is essentially trapped in Camelot. At the end of A Crystal of Time, it was revealed that two scims enter Sophie’s ears, and now Japeth is controlling her. She is a mindless puppet who doesn’t remember anything and has no recollection of her friends either. While trying to remember her past of breaking free from it, she suffers extreme pain in her head.

Meanwhile, Agatha and Tedros have taken refuge in a safe house located in the Kingdom Avalon. The two have discovered King Arthur’s silver swan ring, which is the only one left to stop the Storian from dying and Japeth from getting all the powers of the One True King. Agatha and Tedros use Wish Fish to find Sophie and get to the Endless Woods. The Wish Fish bubbles send them to Camelot just in time as Japeth was about to complete his wedding ceremony to Sophie.

There, Agatha attempts to save Sophie but fails, instead, Sophie, who is under the control of the scims, tries to kill Agatha. Before the fight can become a full-fledged war, Excalibur gets placed itself in the stone, and the voice of King Arthur speaks from beyond, informing everyone about a competition consisting of three tests to determine who will be the king.

As per the rules, Excalibur will crown the winner itself while beheading the loser. Tedros also discovers that Rhian and Japeth are not King Arthur's sons at all, but their true parents are still unknown to him. Then, Tedros and Agatha are pulled back to the shores of Avalon in their Wish Fish bubbles, where they meet Guinevere, Hort, Tinkerbell, and Nicola.

With the help of Tinkerbell and her other fairy friends’ fairy dust, the group decides to go to the Sherwood Forest and wait until Arthur sends instructions about the first test. However, upon reaching there, they find that the whole area has been ruined by vandals as they were angry that Robin Hood worked in association with the Sheriff of Nottingham to fight the Snake in the previous book. The group then heads to Marian’s Arrow, where Agatha discovers Robin Hood’s green feather that leaves her a message stating- a strange royal crest. Outside she finds infinite scrolls raining from the sky, each one translating the rules for King Arthur’s first test.

Meanwhile, Sophie is trying to figure out more about her past despite the pain it gives her. She learns that the snake 'scims' must be in her head, messing with her memories. She uses her powers to take them out of her head and escapes. On the other hand, Anadil, Dot, and Hester search for Dot's father, who they believe may still be alive. Japeth catches up to Sophie as she reunites with Agatha, Tedros, Hort, and Nicola. Soon a fight insinuates, and it is discovered that Japeth is Rafal’s son.

At last, after completing all the tests, the time comes for the winner to be announced. Japeth is selected, and Tedros is beheaded, however, Merlin revives Tedros, and the results shown are said to be wrong. Japeth gets beheaded. The fantasy series ends with Tedros and Agatha becoming King and Queen of Camelot while Sophie pursues a romantic relationship with Hort.