The King attempted in vain to construct massive fortresses on the land, but being the last in Scotland, the dragons fought underground every night.

The emergence of the Red Dragon and its transformation into Excalibur symbolizes the mystical and supernatural elements of the Arthurian legend.

Arthur Thomson, in his Interpretation of the Paintings in the Lounge of Ramsay Lodge, said:"Merlin, calling to those who had come to see this wonder, said that on the morrow the red dragon would rise from the loch below (now Duddingston) in the form of a sword, and to him

[3] Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in his Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur, wrote: "Thou therefore take my brand Excalibur, Which was my pride: for thou rememberest how In those old days, one summer noon, an arm Rose up from out the bosom of the lake, Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful, Holding the sword—and how I row'd across And took it, and have worn it, like a king; And, wheresoever I am sung or told In aftertime, this also shall be known: But now delay not: take Excalibur, And fling him far into the middle mere:

"[5]In this scene, the Red Dragon emerges from the nearby Duddingston Loch, transforming itself into the legendary sword Excalibur.