Realization hit John like a ton of bricks and he felt... He felt nearly sick to his stomach. No. He swallowed and let Sherlock do as he wished. The blonde stepped over and removed the shroud covering the sword.

"Excalibur..." He whispered, "I kept it all these years. I didn't return it to the Lady of the Lake. I couldn't. It was my last piece of Arthur and it pained me part from it. Stupid. But the King, he meant a great deal to me. Just as you mean a great deal to me Sherlock."