Then he looked for the scabbard, but could not find it. So he returned to the abbey he had left. When Arthur was gone, Morgan and her men were changed back into their human likenesses as before, and she said, “Sirs, now we may go wherever we wish.”
Then Morgan le Fay said, “Did you see Arthur, my brother?”
CIV.15
“Yes,” said her men, “and he would have found you if we had stirred from our places. For by his angry countenance he would have caused us to flee.”
“I believe you,” said the queen.
So then as she was riding she encountered a knight leading another knight on horseback behind him; he was bound hand and foot, blindfolded, and was destined to be drowned in a fountain.
When she saw this bound knight she asked, “What are you going to do with that knight?”
“Lady,” he said, “I am going to drown him.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I found him with my wife, and she will suffer the same death soon.”
“That is a pity,” said Morgan le Fay. “Now, what do you say knight? Does he speak the truth of you?”
“Nay, truly, madame, he does not speak the truth.”
“From whence do you come?” said Morgan le Fay. “Of what country are you?”
“I am of the court of King Arthur, and my name is Manessen, cousin to Accolon of Gaul.”
“You say well! For the love of Accolon, you shall be delivered, and you shall have your adversary put in the same situation in which you were just held.”
So this Manessen was set free, and the other knight was bound. Then Manessen unarmed him, and put the other knight’s arms on himself; he then mounted on horseback with the knight before him, and then threw him into the fountain, and so drowned him.
Then he rode back to Morgan and asked if she wished to convey any message to Arthur. “Tell him,” she said, “that I rescued you not for his love, but for the love of Accolon; and tell him I fear him not while I may change me and mine into the likeness of stones. And let him know that I will do much more when I see my chance.”
So she departed and went into the land of Gorre, and there she was richly received. She made her castles and towns strong, for always she had great dread of King Arthur.
When the king had rested himself well at the abbey, he rode home to Camelot and found his queen and his barons very glad of his coming. When they heard of his strange adventures, as it was told before, they all had marvel at the falsehood of Morgan le Fay. Many knights wished to burn her. Then Manessen came to court and told the king of his adventure.
V I.6
“Well!” said the king. “She is a kind sister! I shall be avenged on her before I die so that all Christendom will speak of it!”
The next day, a damsel came with a message from Morgan le Fay to the king, and she brought with her the richest mantle that had ever been seen in the court, for it was covered all over with precious stones, and they were the richest stones the king had ever seen.
Then the damsel said, “Your sister sends you this mantle and desires that you should accept this gift from her, and in whatever way she has offended you, she will make it up to you as you see fit.”
When the king beheld this mantle, it pleased him much, although he didn’t say anything. The Damsel of the Lake came up to the king and said, “Sir, I must speak with you in private.”
C IV.16
“Say on,” said the king, “whatever you would like to say.”
“Sir,” said the damsel, “do not put on this mantle until you have seen more; on no account let it come near you nor near any of your knights until you command the bringer to put it upon herself.”
“Well,” said the king, “it shall be done as you advise.” Then he said to the damsel that had come from his sister, “Damsel, this mantle that you have brought me—I would like to see it on you.”
“Sir,” she said, “it is not seemly for me to wear a king’s garment.”
“By my head,” said Arthur, “you shall wear it before I put it on my back or on the back of any man who is here.” So the king had the mantle put on her, and she immediately fell down dead without speaking a word, her body burned to ashes.
Then the king was even angrier than he had been before, and said to King Uriens, “My sister, your wife, is always trying to betray me, and sometimes I wonder if you or my nephew, your son, is in collusion with her to destroy me. As for you,” said King Arthur to King Uriens, “I do not believe that you are involved in her plans, for Accolon confessed to me with his own mouth that she would have destroyed you as well as me; therefore, I do not believe you are involved. As far as your son Uwain, however, I am a little suspicious. Therefore, I order you to send him from my court.” And with that, Sir Uwain was sent away.
12 Gawain, Uwain, and Marhalt
When Sir Gawain learned that Sir Uwain had been sent from court, he prepared to go with him, “for whosoever banishes my close cousin also banishes me!” So they departed together and rode into a great forest, where they came to an abbey of monks where they were well lodged.
When the king learned that Gawain had left court, great sorrow was made by all the people. “Now,” said Gaheris, Gawain’s brother, “we have lost two knights for the love of one.”
So in the morning they heard mass at the abbey and rode forth until they came to the great forest. Then Sir Gawain saw in a valley near a turret twelve fair damsels and two armed knights on horseback, moving to and fro near a tree. Then Gawain noticed that a white shield was hanging from that tree, and as the damsels went by it they spit on it, and some threw mud upon the shield. Then Gawain and Uwain went and greeted them, and asked why they did that to the shield.
C IV.17
“Sir,” said the damsels, “we shall tell you. There is a knight in this country who owns this white shield, and he is a well-accomplished man in terms of knightly skill, but he hates all ladies and gentlewomen, and therefore that is why we do this dishonor to that shield.”
“I shall tell you,” said Sir Gawain, “that it seems an evil thing for a good knight to despise all ladies and gentlewomen. Perhaps he has some cause to hate you, and perhaps in some other place he loves ladies and gentlewomen and they love him in return, if he is such a knight of prowess as you say. Now, what is his name?
“Sir,” they said, “his name is Marhalt, the son of the king of Ireland.”
“I know him well,” said Sir Uwain. “He is as good a knight as any alive today, for I saw him once prove himself at a joust where many knights had gathered, and at that time no man could withstand him.”
“Ah,” said Sir Gawain, “damsels, methinks that you are to blame; and it seems likely that he hung that shield here and will be back to get it before long, and then your knights may challenge him on horseback. It would be more to your worship to do thus, for I will stay here no longer to see a knight’s shield so dishonored.” At that, Sir Gawain and Sir Uwain went some distance away from them. And then they noticed Sir Marhalt was coming on a horse, riding straight at them.
When the twelve damsels saw Sir Marhalt, they fled to the turret in a panic, and some of them fell as they ran. Then one of the knights of the tower flourished his shield and called out, “Sir Marhalt, defend yourself!”
So they ran together, and the knight broke his spear on Sir Marhalt, but Sir Marhalt smote him so hard that he broke his neck and his horse’s back. The other knight of the turret saw that, and dressed himself toward Marhalt, and they met so violently that this knight of the turret and his horse were both struck down, dead. Then Sir Marhalt rode up to his