King Arthur's Knights
'Leave your noise, fair lords,' rang out the voice of Lancelot, 'and I
will open the door to ye, and then ye may do to me what ye will.'
'Do it then,' they cried, 'and we will give you your life until we take
thee to King Arthur, to be judged for your treason.'
Sir Lancelot unbarred the door and held it open a little way, so that
one knight only might enter at a time. One entered, a big slow man,
named Sir Colgreve, and swiftly Sir Lancelot slammed the door and
fastened it, to keep the others out.
Sir Colgreve turned and struck at Sir Lancelot; but the latter put the
stroke lightly aside with his sword, and gave so swift and keen a blow
upon the other's helm that Sir Colgreve fell down dead.
Then, while the others hammered and yelled outside the door, Sir
Lancelot swiftly took off the armour of the dead knight, and with the
help of the queen and her waiting-women was armed in it.
Again the knights outside had begun to dash at the door to beat it
down. Sir Lancelot, when he was armed, strode to it and cried out:
'Let be your noise, and go away, for ye shall not prison me this night.
And I promise ye, by my knighthood, that I will appear to-morrow before
the king, and then such of ye as dare may accuse me of treason, and I
will then prove that I am a true man and no traitor.'
'Fie on thee, false traitor,' cried Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, 'but
we will have thee this night and slay thee.'
'Then, sirs,' replied Sir Lancelot, 'if ye will not take my counsel,
look well to yourselves.'
With that Sir Lancelot threw the door open suddenly, and while the
others struggled and tripped over the bench between them he had run two
of them through.
Then in that narrow antechamber there was as fierce a fight as ever
brave knight might wish to see. Sir Mordred from behind urged on the
others with evil words, telling them to slay Sir Lancelot; while he
launched at that knight all manner of foul names.
Fiercely did Sir Lancelot fight, for he was full of rage; and as in the
narrow place in which he stood, no more than two could come at him at
once, he could not be overwhelmed by their numbers. There were ten of
them, and so full of force were his blows and so skilful his thrusts,
that in a little while seven lay slain, two were badly wounded, and the
last, who was Sir Mordred, barely escaped with his life, and bore a
deep wound with him.
Sir Lancelot, sorely wounded, returned to the queen, and said:
'Madam, I know not what is this treason with which they charge me; but
I doubt not it will go ill with me, for I have killed many of the kin
of the king and of Sir Gawaine this night. And I misdoubt me that the
king himself will be my foe also. Nevertheless, I will save you, if it
is in my power, from the danger that threatens you.'
'Go ye, Sir Lancelot,' the queen besought him, 'ere the men-at-arms
come, which are so many ye may never hope to escape them. I dread me
sorely that much ill will come of this, and of the evil plots which our
enemies weave about us.'
Then, kneeling, Sir Lancelot kissed the queen's hand, and went from the
prison; and the people who had assembled outside at the noise of the
fighting wondered to see only one knight issue forth, his armour dented
and broken, and dabbled here and there with the blood of his wounds.
Sir Lancelot took his way to the lodging of Sir Bors, who showed his
great gladness to see him again. And when he had been unarmed and his
wounds stanched and bound, Sir Lancelot told him what had befallen him.
'And now I beseech you,' said Sir Lancelot, 'be of good heart, in
whatever great need we stand, for now I fear war must come of it all.
But what is the treason they would charge me with I know not; yet I
dread it meaneth much evil plotting against me and the peace of this
fair kingdom.'
'Sir,' said Sir Bors, 'your enemies and those that envy your great fame
have spread many evil reports about you. They say that you plot to slay
the king and to take Queen Gwenevere to wife, to reign over this
kingdom with you.'
With that Sir Lancelot was so astounded that for some moments he could
not speak. Then he said:
'By my confession unto Heaven, this is as foul a plot against me as
ever fiend could fashion. And it showeth how far they will go to pull
me down and dishonour me. And doth the king know of these evil
rumours?'
'I know not,' replied Sir Bors, 'but I doubt not that Sir Mordred will
not rest his horse till he hath found the king and poisoned his mind
against thee.'
'Had I known of this,' said Sir Lancelot, 'I would have brought the
queen away with me and put her in a safe place, for now I know that her
enemies and mine will not rest until she and I be slain.'
But Sir Bors counselled him not to attempt a rescue then, for day was
breaking, the town was awake, and the court would be full of the armed
retainers of the slain knights.
Then, while Sir Lancelot rested himself, Sir Bors went out to the
lodgings of such of his kinsmen as might not be gone with the king, and
he found that now all had returned to London with the king, that Sir
Mordred had met them on their way, and had told King Arthur of the
fight, and had, moreover, charged Sir Lancelot and the queen with
conspiring together to gain the crown.
Sad indeed was Sir Bors to hear this; but, going about the town, he got
together the kinsmen of Sir Lancelot and such of his friends as would
cast in their lot with him in so weighty and terrible a thing as civil
war. By seven of the clock he had got together good and valiant knights
to the number of fourscore, all horsed and armed.
Then he told them to betake themselves to a privy place in a wood
beyond the city walls to the north, and there in a little while came
Sir Lancelot with Sir Bors, and held counsel with them. He told them
all that had befallen him in the fight with the twelve knights, and
they in their turn related how Sir Mordred had met them and had told
his evil tales against the queen and Lancelot, and how for long the
king was too wroth and too sad to listen. But afterwards, when Sir
Mordred told how Sir Pinel, who had spoken of these things, had been
poisoned at the feast given by the queen, King Arthur had wept, and
then was very stern and quiet and said no word more.
'Now, my lords,' said Sir Lancelot, when they had done speaking, 'ye
know well how evil are these plots, how baseless are these foul rumours
against me. But now they have been launched against me, and I have
slain men on account of them, I fear we shall be hard put to it to get
peace again. Those men were set on to betray me; and I doubt not mine
enemies will have the queen burnt, to revenge themselves upon her and
upon me. Therefore, fair lords, what counsel do ye give?'
'Sir,' said Sir Bors, when they had spoken together a little, 'we think
there is but one thing to be done first: that ye knightly rescue the
queen, if your enemies force the king to put her to the stake. For if
she be burnt, then it would be to your shame, seeing that you vowed
yourself her true knight when she came, a young fair bride, to our
king, twenty years agone. And in whatsoever way ye would rescue her, ye
may count upon us to our last breath.'
With a great shout all the other knights raised their right hands in
the air and cried: 'Yea! yea!'
Then, by the advice of Sir Lancelot, they kept hidden in the little
wood, while one went into the city to learn what was being done, and in
what manner the queen was to be treated.
Meanwhile, in the hall of the palace of King Arthur, men sat or stood
with anxious looks, glancing in silence at the king, as he walked up
and down apart, with a stern look on his face.
Then Sir Mador strode forward and said:
'Lord, I do require you to perform your promise to me, to wit, that the
queen be brought to the stake, unless one be found to do combat on her
behalf.'
'What I have promised I will fulfil,' said the king; and men sorrowed
to see how heavy of anguish were his looks, and full of sorrow his
words.
'Lord king,' said Sir Mordred, 'we have shamefully suffered much wrong
at the hands of Sir Lancelot. I appeal to thee that he be seized, so
that the kin of those whom he slew this last night may have vengeance
upon him.'
Then came Sir Gawaine forward quickly, and his face was dark with anger
and his words hot.
'Lord,' he cried, 'listen not to such tales, for I doubt not it was
only by evil plots that Sir Lancelot was forced to slay those whom he
slew. For I trust not Sir Mordred.'
'So God us help,' said Sir Gareth and Sir Gaheris, 'we too will not be
known to be of the same mind as our brother Sir Mordred.'
'Then will I do as I deem it best, to gain what I deem right,' replied
Sir Mordred.
'I believe that thou wilt do it in thine own hidden ways,' said Sir
Gawaine, and looked fiercely at his brother, 'for in all unhappiness
and evil thou art to be found, if men but seek in the darkest place and
look for the most secret foe.'
'I appeal to you, lord,' said Sir Mordred to the king, 'to proclaim Sir
Lancelot a false traitor to you and to your realm.'
'And I,' said Sir Gawaine, 'will bid ye remember, lord king, that if ye
will make war between us and Sir Lancelot, there will be many kings and
great lords hold with him. And I would ask you, how many times hath Sir
Lancelot done noble deeds on our behalf and proved himself the best
knight of us all? Did he not rescue twenty of us from the dungeons of
Sir Turquine? Hath he not avenged shame upon the king and the queen,
and the fame of the Round Table many a time? Methinketh, my uncle, that
such kind deeds should be well remembered.'
'Think ye,' said the king, 'that I am not loath to begin so evil and
terrible a thing as civil war? Man, it rendeth my heart to think it.
And I tell thee, Sir Mordred, I will not begin it, except I have proofs
of what ye charge upon Sir Lancelot. And as he is the best knight of ye
all, and the most valiant, I will not judge him before I hear him. If I
know him well, he will come hither and challenge the knight to combat
that doth bring these charges against him, and in that will I trust,
for God shall surely defend the right. Therefore, let a messenger be
sent to Sir Lancelot requiring him, by his knighthood, to appear before
me here, and make answer to the charges thou hast against him.'
This was not as Sir Mordred desired; for he did not doubt that if Sir
Lancelot came he would have little trouble to persuade the king that he
was innocent. When the messenger was gone, therefore, Sir Mordred sent
a servant after him, who slew him in a wood and hid his body under a
bush.
Meanwhile, Sir Mordred counselled Sir Mador to repeat his demand that
the king should cause the queen to be led to the stake, since no knight
had come forward and offered to fight for her.
For a time the king put him off, hoping that as soon as Sir Lancelot
received his commands he would come instantly. Very anxiously did the
king look to the door, hoping to see the tall form of his best knight
come towering through the hall.
Instead thereof came the crafty servant of Sir Mordred, throwing
himself at the feet of the king.
'Gracious lord,' cried he, panting as if from swift running, 'I have
even now come from the place where Sir Lancelot and his friends are
hiding. I am one of their servants, but I hate their treason against
ye, and therefore I am come to tell you of this greatest treason of
all. They have slain your messenger, my lord, him that came requiring
Sir Lancelot to appear before thee. Sir Lancelot ran upon him when he
gave his message and slew him, saying, "Thus do I answer the saucy
words of him who shall not much longer be king."'
The king looked at the face of the messenger long and sadly. The pain