Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 17
Among the many Knights at Arthur's Court who were the sons of Kings were
Sir Mordred and Sir Agrawaine, who had three brothers, Sir Gawaine, Sir
Gaheris and Sir Gareth. And their mother was Queen of Orkney, sister to
King Arthur. Now Sir Agrawaine and Sir Mordred had evil natures, and
loved both to invent slanders and to repeat them. And at this time they
were full of envy of the noble deeds Sir Lancelot had done, and how men
called him the bravest Knight of the Table Round, and said that he was
the friend of the King, and the sworn defender of the Queen. So they
cast about how they might ruin him, and found the way by putting jealous
thoughts into the mind of Arthur.
As was told in the tale of the marriage of Arthur, Queen Guenevere's
heart had gone out to Lancelot on the journey to the Court, and ever she
loved to have him with her. This was known well to Sir Mordred, who
watched eagerly for a chance to work her ill.
It came one day when Arthur proclaimed a hunt. Sir Mordred guessed that
Sir Lancelot, who did not love hunting, would stay behind, and would
spend the time holding talk with the Queen. Therefore he went to the
King and began to speak evil of the Queen and Sir Lancelot. At first
King Arthur would listen to nothing, but slowly his jealousy burned
within him, and he let the ill words that accused the Queen of loving
Sir Lancelot the best, sink into his mind, and told Sir Mordred and Sir
Agrawaine that they might do their worst, and he would not meddle with
them. But they let so many of their fellowship into the secret of their
foul plot, that at last it came to the ears of Sir Bors, who begged Sir
Lancelot not to go near the Queen that day, or harm would come of it.
But Sir Lancelot answered that the Queen had sent for him, and that she
was his liege lady, and never would he hold back when she summoned him
to her presence. Therefore Sir Bors went heavily away. By ill fortune,
Sir Lancelot only wore his sword under his great mantle, and scarcely
had he passed inside the door when Sir Agrawaine and Sir Mordred, and
twelve other Knights of the Table Round, all armed and ready for battle,
cried loudly upon Sir Lancelot, that all the Court might hear.
"Madam," said Sir Lancelot, "is there any armour within your chamber
that I might cover my body withal, for if I was armed as they are I
would soon crush them?"
"Alas!" replied the Queen, "I have neither sword nor spear nor armour,
and how can you resist them? You will be slain and I shall be burnt. If
you could only escape their hands, I know you would deliver me from
danger."
"It is grievous," said Sir Lancelot, "that I who was never conquered in
all my life should be slain for lack of armour."
"Traitor Knight," cried Sir Mordred again, "come out and fight us, for
you are so sore beset that you cannot escape us."
"Oh, mercy," cried Sir Lancelot, "I may not suffer longer this shame and
noise! For better were death at once than to endure this pain." Then he
took the Queen in his arms and kissed her, and said, "Most noble
Christian Queen, I beseech you, as you have ever been my special good
lady, and I at all times your true poor Knight, and as I never failed
you in right or in wrong, since the first day that King Arthur made me
Knight, that you will pray for my soul, if I be here slain. For I am
well assured that Sir Bors, my nephew, and Sir Lavaine and many more,
will rescue you from the fire, and therefore, mine own lady, comfort
yourself whatever happens to me, and go with Sir Bors, my nephew, and
you shall live like a Queen on my lands."
[Illustration: LANCELOT COMES OVT OF GVENEVERE'S ROOM]
"Nay, Lancelot," said the Queen, "I will never live after your days, but
if you are slain I will take my death as meekly as ever did any
Christian Queen."
"Well, Madam," answered Lancelot, "since it is so, I shall sell my life
as dear as I may, and a thousandfold I am more heavy for you than for
myself."
Therewith Sir Lancelot wrapped his mantle thickly round his arm, and
stood beside the door, which the Knights without were trying to break in
by aid of a stout wooden form.
"Fair Lords," said Sir Lancelot, "leave this noise, and I will open the
door, and you may do with me what you will."
"Open it then," answered they, "for well you know you cannot escape us,
and we will save your life and bring you before King Arthur." So Sir
Lancelot opened the door and held it with his left hand, so that but one
man could come in at once. Then came forward a strong Knight, Sir
Colegrevance of Gore, who struck fiercely at Lancelot with his sword.
But Sir Lancelot stepped on one side, that the blow fell harmless, and
with his arm he gave Sir Colgrevance a buffet on the head so that he
fell dead. And Sir Lancelot drew him into the chamber, and barred the
door.
Hastily he unbuckled the dead Knight's armour, and the Queen and her
ladies put it on him, Sir Agrawaine and Sir Mordred ever calling to him
the while, "Traitor Knight, come out of that chamber!" But Sir Lancelot
cried to them all to go away and he would appear next morning before the
King, and they should accuse him of what they would, and he would answer
them, and prove his words in battle. "Fie on you, traitor," said Sir
Agrawaine, "we have you in our power, to save or to slay, for King
Arthur will listen to our words, and will believe what we tell him."
"As you like," answered Sir Lancelot, "look to yourself," and he flung
open the chamber door, and strode in amongst them and killed Sir
Agrawaine with his first blow, and in a few minutes the bodies of the
other twelve Knights lay on the ground beside his, for no man ever
withstood that buffet of Sir Lancelot's. He wounded Sir Mordred also, so
that he fled away with all his might. When the clamour of the battle was
still, Sir Lancelot turned back to the Queen and said, "Alas, Madam,
they will make King Arthur my foe, and yours also, but if you will come
with me to my castle, I will save you from all dangers."
"I will not go with you now," answered the Queen, "but if you see
to-morrow that they will burn me to death, then you may deliver me as
you shall think best."
"While I live I will deliver you," said Sir Lancelot, and he left her
and went back to his lodging. When Sir Bors, who was awaiting him, saw
Sir Lancelot, he was gladder than he ever had been in his whole life
before. "Mercy!" cried Sir Lancelot, "why you are all armed!"
"Sir," answered Sir Bors, "after you had left us, I and your friends and
your kinsmen were so troubled that we felt some great strife was at
hand, and that perchance some trap had been laid for you. So we put on
armour that we might help you whatever need you were in." "Fair nephew,"
said Lancelot, "but now I have been more hardly beset than ever I was in
my life, and yet I escaped," and he told them all that had happened. "I
pray you, my fellows, that you will be of good courage and stand by me
in my need, for war is come to us all."
"Sir," answered Sir Bors, "all is welcome that God sends us, and we have
had much good with you and much fame, so now we will take the bad as we
have taken the good." And so said they all.
"I thank you for your comfort in my great distress," replied Sir
Lancelot, "and you, fair nephew, haste to the Knights who are in this
place, and find who is with me and who is against me, for I would know
my friends from my foes."
"Sir," said Sir Bors, "before seven of the clock in the morning you
shall know."
By seven o'clock, as Sir Bors had promised, many noble Knights stood
before Sir Lancelot, and were sworn to his cause. "My lords," said he,
"you know well that since I came into this country I have given faithful
service unto my lord King Arthur and unto my lady Queen Guenevere. Last
evening my lady, the Queen, sent for me to speak to her, and certain
Knights that were lying in wait for me cried 'Treason,' and much ado I
had to escape their blows. But I slew twelve of them, and Sir Agrawaine,
who is Sir Gawaine's brother; and for this cause I am sure of mortal
war, as these Knights were ordered by King Arthur to betray me, and
therefore the Queen will be judged to the fire, and I may not suffer
that she should be burnt for my sake."
And Sir Bors answered Sir Lancelot that it was truly his part to rescue
the Queen, as he had done so often before, and that if she was burned
the shame would be his. Then they all took counsel together how the
thing might best be done, and Sir Bors deemed it wise to carry her off
to the Castle of Joyous Gard, and counselled that she should be kept
there, a prisoner, till the King's anger was past and he would be
willing to welcome her back again. To this the other Knights agreed, and
by the advice of Sir Lancelot they hid themselves in a wood close by the
town till they saw what King Arthur would do. Meanwhile Sir Mordred, who
had managed to escape the sword of Sir Lancelot, rode, wounded and
bleeding, unto King Arthur, and told the King all that had passed, and
how, of the fourteen Knights, he only was left alive. The King grieved
sore at his tale, which Sir Mordred had made to sound as ill as was
possible; for, in spite of all, Arthur loved Sir Lancelot. "It is a
bitter blow," he said, "that Sir Lancelot must be against me, and the
fellowship of the Table Round is broken for ever, as many a noble Knight
will go with him. And as I am the judge, the Queen will have to die, as
she is the cause of the death of these thirteen Knights."
"My lord Arthur," said Sir Gawaine, "be not over-hasty; listen not to
the foul tongue of Sir Mordred, who laid this trap for Sir Lancelot,
that we all know to be the Queen's own Knight, who has done battle for
her when none else would. As for Sir Lancelot, he will prove the right
on the body of any Knight living that shall accuse him of wrong--either
him, or my lady Guenevere."
"That I believe well," said King Arthur, "for he trusts so much in his
own might that he fears no man; and never more shall he fight for the
Queen, for she must suffer death by the law. Put on, therefore, your
best armour, and go with your brothers, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth, and
bring the Queen to the fire, there to have her judgment and suffer her
death."
"Nay, my lord, that I will never do," cried Sir Gawaine; "my heart will
never serve me to see her die, and I will never stand by and see so
noble a lady brought to a shameful end."
"Then," said the King, "let your brothers Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth be
there."
"My lord," replied Sir Gawaine, "I know well how loth they will be, but
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