Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 18

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 18

So the Queen was led outside the gates, and her rich dress was taken

off, while her lords and ladies wrung their hands in grief, and few men

wore armour, for in that day it was held that the presence of mail-clad

Knights made death more shameful. Now among those present was one sent

by Sir Lancelot, and when he saw the Queen's dress unclasped, and the

priest step forth to listen to her confession, he rode to warn Sir

Lancelot that the hour had come. And suddenly there was heard a sound as

of rushing horses, and Sir Lancelot dashed up to the fire, and all the

Knights that stood around were slain, for few men wore armour. Sir

Lancelot looked not where he struck, and Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth were

found in the thickest of the throng. At last he reached the Queen, and,

throwing a mantle over her, he caught her on to his saddle and rode away

with her. Right thankful was the Queen at being snatched from the fire,

and her heart was grateful to Sir Lancelot, who took her to his Castle

of Joyous Gard, and many noble Knights and Kings had fellowship with

them.

 

After King Arthur had given judgment for the Queen to die, he went back

into his Palace of Westminster, where men came and told him how Sir

Lancelot had delivered her, and of the death of his Knights, and in

especial of Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth, and he swooned away from sorrow.

"Alas!" he cried, when he recovered from his swoon, "alas! that a crown

was ever on my head, for in these two days I have lost forty Knights and

the fellowship of Sir Lancelot and his kinsmen, and never more will they

be of my company. But I charge you that none tell Sir Gawaine of the

death of his brothers, for I am sure that when he hears of Sir Gareth he

will go out of his mind. Oh, why did Sir Lancelot slay them? for Sir

Gareth loved Sir Lancelot more than any other man."

 

"That is true," answered some of the Knights, "but Sir Lancelot saw not

whom he smote, and therefore were they slain."

 

"The death of those two," said Arthur, "will cause the greatest mortal

war that ever was. I am sure that when Sir Gawaine knows Sir Gareth is

slain he will never suffer me to rest till I have destroyed Sir Lancelot

and all his kin, or till they have destroyed me. My heart was never so

heavy as it is now, and far more grievous to me is the loss of my good

Knights, than of my Queen; for Queens I might have in plenty, but no man

had ever such a company of Knights, and it hurts me sore that Sir

Lancelot and I should be at war. It is the ill will borne by Sir

Agrawaine and Sir Mordred to Sir Lancelot that has caused all this

sorrow." Then one came to Sir Gawaine and told him that Sir Lancelot had

borne off the Queen, and that twenty-four Knights had been slain in the

combat. "I knew well he would deliver her," said Sir Gawaine, "and in

that, he has but acted as a Knight should and as I would have done

myself. But where are my brethren? I marvel they have not been to seek

me."

 

"Truly," said the man, "Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth are slain."

 

"Heaven forbid any such thing," returned Sir Gawaine. "I would not for

all the world that that had happened, especially to my brother Sir

Gareth."

 

"He is slain," said the man, "and it is grievous news."

 

"Who slew him?" asked Sir Gawaine.

 

"Sir Lancelot slew them both," answered the man.

 

"He cannot have slain Sir Gareth," replied Sir Gawaine, "for my brother

Gareth loved him better than me and all his brethren, and King Arthur

too. And had Sir Lancelot desired my brother to go with him, he would

have turned his back on us all. Therefore I can never believe that Sir

Lancelot slew my brother."

 

"Sir, it is in every one's mouth," said the man. At this Sir Gawaine

fell back in a swoon and lay long as if he were dead. Then he ran to the

King, crying, "O King Arthur, mine uncle, my good brother Sir Gareth is

slain, and Sir Gaheris also," and the King wept with him. At length Sir

Gawaine said, "Sir, I will go and see my brother Sir Gareth."

 

"You cannot do that," returned the King, "for I have caused him to be

buried with Sir Gaheris, as I knew well that the sight would cause you

overmuch sorrow."

 

"How came he, Sir Lancelot, to slay Sir Gareth?" asked Sir Gawaine;

"mine own good lord, I pray you tell me, for neither Sir Gareth nor Sir

Gaheris bore arms against him."

 

"It is said," answered the King, "that Sir Lancelot slew them in the

thickest of the press and knew them not. Therefore let us think upon a

plan to avenge their deaths."

 

"My King, my lord and mine uncle," said Sir Gawaine, "I swear to you by

my knighthood that from this day I will never rest until Sir Lancelot or

I be slain. And I will go to the world's end till I find him."

 

"You need not seek him so far," answered the King, "for I am told that

Sir Lancelot will await me and you in the Castle of Joyous Gard, and

many people are flocking to him. But call your friends together, and I

will call mine;" and the King ordered letters to be sent throughout all

England summoning his Knights and vassals to the siege of Joyous Gard.

The Castle of Joyous Gard was strong, and after fifteen weeks had passed

no breach had been made in its walls. And one day, at the time of

harvest, Sir Lancelot came forth on a truce, and the King and Sir

Gawaine challenged him to do battle.

 

"Nay," answered Sir Lancelot, "with yourself I will never strive, and I

grieve sorely that I have slain your Knights. But I was forced to it,

for the saving of my life and that of my lady the Queen. And except

yourself, my lord, and Sir Gawaine, there is no man that shall call me

traitor but he shall pay for it with his body. As to Queen Guenevere,

ofttimes, my lord, you have consented in the heat of your passion that

she should be burnt and destroyed, and it fell to me to do battle for

her, and her enemies confessed their untruth, and acknowledged her

innocent. And at such times, my lord Arthur, you loved me and thanked me

when I saved your Queen from the fire, and promised ever to be my good

lord, for I have fought for her many times in other quarrels than my

own. Therefore, my gracious lord, take your Queen back into your grace

again."

 

To these words of Sir Lancelot's King Arthur answered nothing, but in

his heart he would fain have made peace with Sir Lancelot, but Sir

Gawaine would not let him. He reproached Sir Lancelot bitterly for the

deaths of his brothers and kinsmen, and called Sir Lancelot a craven and

other ill names that he would not fight with King Arthur. So at the last

Sir Lancelot's patience and courtesy failed him, and he told them that

the next morning he would give them battle.

 

The heart of Sir Gawaine leaped with joy when he heard these words of

Sir Lancelot, and he summoned all his friends and his kinsfolk, and bade

them watch well Sir Lancelot, and to slay him if a chance offered. But

he knew not that Sir Lancelot had bidden the Knights of his following in

no wise to touch King Arthur or Sir Gawaine. And when the dawn broke a

great host marched out of the Castle of Joyous Gard, with Sir Lancelot

at the head, and Sir Bors and Sir Lionel commanding on either side. All

that day they fought, and sometimes one army seemed to be gaining, and

sometimes the other. Many times King Arthur drew near Sir Lancelot, and

would have slain him, and Sir Lancelot suffered him, and would not

strike again. But the King was unhorsed by Sir Bors, and would have been

slain but for Sir Lancelot, who stayed his hand. "My lord Arthur," he

said, "for God's love, stop this strife. I cannot strike you, so you

will gain no fame by it, though your friends never cease from trying to

slay me. My lord, remember what I have done in many places, and how evil

is now my reward." Then when King Arthur was on his horse again he

looked on Sir Lancelot, and tears burst from his eyes, thinking of the

great courtesy that was in Sir Lancelot more than in any other man. He

sighed to himself, saying softly, "Alas! that ever this war began," and

rode away, while the battle ended for that time and the dead were

buried.

 

But Sir Gawaine would not suffer the King to make peace, and they fought

on, now in one place, and now in another, till the Pope heard of the

strife and sent a noble clerk, the Bishop of Rochester, to charge the

King to make peace with Sir Lancelot, and to take back unto him his

Queen, the Lady Guenevere. Now, the King, as has been said, would fain

have followed the Pope's counsel and have accorded with Sir Lancelot,

but Sir Gawaine would not suffer him. However, as to the Queen Sir

Gawaine said nothing; and King Arthur gave audience to the Bishop, and

swore on his great seal that he would take back the Queen as the Pope

desired, and that if Sir Lancelot brought her he should come safe and go

safe. So the Bishop rode to Joyous Gard and showed Sir Lancelot what the

Pope had written and King Arthur had answered, and told him of the

perils which would befall him if he withheld the Queen. "It was never in

my thought," answered Sir Lancelot, "to withhold the Queen from King

Arthur, but as she would have been dead for my sake it was my part to

save her life, and to keep her from danger till better times came. And I

thank God that the Pope has made peace, and I shall be a thousand times

gladder to bring her back than I was to take her away. Therefore ride to

the King, and say that in eight days I myself will bring the Lady

Guenevere unto him." So the Bishop departed, and came to the King at

Carlisle, and told him what Sir Lancelot had answered, and tears burst

from the King's eyes once more.

 

A goodly host of a hundred Knights rode eight days later from the Castle

of Joyous Gard; every Knight was clothed in green velvet, and held in

his hand a branch of olive, and bestrode a horse with trappings down to

his heels. And behind the Queen were four and twenty gentlewomen clad in

green likewise, while twelve esquires attended on Sir Lancelot. He and

the Queen wore dresses of white and gold tissue, and their horses were

clothed in housings of the same, set with precious stones and pearls;

and no man had ever gazed on such a noble pair, as they rode from Joyous

Gard to Carlisle. When they reached the castle, Sir Lancelot sprang from

his horse and helped the Queen from hers, and led her to where King

Arthur sat, with Sir Gawaine and many lords around him. He kneeled down,

and the Queen kneeled with him, and many Knights wept as though it had

been their own kin. But Arthur sat still and said nothing. At that Sir

Lancelot rose, and the Queen likewise, and, looking straight at the

King, he spoke--

 

"Most noble King, I have brought to you my lady the Queen, as right

requires; and time hath been, my lord Arthur, that you have been greatly

pleased with me when I did battle for my lady your Queen. And full well

you know that she has been put to great wrong ere this, and it seems to

me I had more cause to deliver her from this fire, seeing she would have

been burnt for my sake."