The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Now, ere the King and Queen and their Court had recovered from their
astonishment at these things, there suddenly appeared at that part of
the forest whence the hart and the hound had emerged, a knight and a
lady, and the knight was of very lordly presence and the lady was
exceedingly beautiful. The knight was clad in half-armor, and the lady
was clad in green as though for the chase; and the knight rode upon a
charger of dapple gray, and the lady upon a piebald palfrey. With them
were two esquires, also clad for the chase.
These, seeing the considerable company gathered there, paused as though
in surprise, and whilst they stood so, there suddenly appeared another
knight upon a black horse, clad in complete armor, and he seemed to be
very angry. For he ran upon the half-armed knight and smote him so sorry
a blow with his sword, that the first knight fell down from his horse
and lay upon the ground as though dead; whereat the lady who was with
him shrieked with great dolor.
[Sidenote: _King Arthur and his Court behold a knight carry off a lady
prisoner._]
Then the full-armed knight upon the black horse ran to the lady and
catched her, and he lifted her from her palfrey and laid her across the
horn of his saddle, and thereupon he rode back into the forest again.
The lady screamed with such vehemence of violent outcry, that it was a
great pity to hear her, but the knight paid no attention to her
shrieking, but bore her away by main force into the forest.
Then, after he and the lady had gone, the two esquires came and lifted
up the wounded knight upon his horse, and then they also went away into
the forest and were gone.
All this King Arthur and his Court beheld from a distance, and they were
so far away that they could not stay that knight upon the black horse
from doing what he did to carry away the lady into the forest; nor could
they bring succor to that other knight in half-armor whom they had
beheld struck down in that wise. So they were very greatly grieved at
what they had beheld and knew not what to think of it. Then King Arthur
said to his Court, “Messires, is there not some one of you who will
follow up this adventure and discover what is the significance of that
which we have seen, and compel that knight to tell why he behaved as he
did?”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine and Gaheris undertake the adventure of these
things._]
Upon this Sir Gawaine said, “Lord, I shall be very glad indeed to take
upon me this adventure if I have thy leave to do so.” And King Arthur
said, “Thou hast my leave.” Then Sir Gawaine said, “Lord, I would that
thou would also let me take my younger brother, Gaheris, with me as mine
esquire in this undertaking, for he groweth apace unto manhood, and yet
he hath never beheld any considerable adventure at arms.” So King Arthur
said, “Thou hast my leave to take thy brother with thee.”
At this Gaheris was very glad, for he was of an adventurous spirit,
wherefore the thought of going with his brother upon this quest gave him
great pleasure.
So they two went to the pavilion of Sir Gawaine, and there Gaheris aided
Sir Gawaine as his esquire to don his armor. Then they rode forth upon
that quest which Sir Gawaine had undertaken.
Now they journeyed onward for a very considerable distance, following
that direction which they had seen the hart take when it had sped away
from before the hound, and when, from time to time, they would meet
some of the forest folk, they would inquire of them whither had fled
that white brachet and the white hart, and whither had fled the knight
and the lady, and so they followed that adventure apace.
[Sidenote: _They behold two knights fighting._]
By and by, after a long pass--it being far advanced in the
afternoon--they were suddenly aware of a great uproar of conflict, as of
a fierce battle in progress. So they followed this sound, and after a
while they came to an open meadow-land with very fair and level sward.
Here they beheld two knights fighting with great vehemence of passion,
and with a very deadly purpose. Then Sir Gawaine said, “What is this?
Let us go see.” So he and Gaheris rode forward to where those two
knights were engaged, and as they approached, the two knights paused in
their encounter, and rested upon their weapons. Then Sir Gawaine said,
“Ha! Messires, what is to do and why do ye fight with such passion, the
one against the other, in that wise?” Then one of the knights said to
Sir Gawaine, “Sir, this does not concern you;” and the other said,
“Meddle not with us, for this battle is of our own choosing.”
“Messires,” said Sir Gawaine, “I would be very sorry to interfere in
your quarrel, but I am in pursuit of a white hart and a white brachet
that came this way, and also of a knight who hath carried off a lady
upon the same pass. Now I would be greatly beholden to ye if you would
tell me if ye have seen aught of one or the other.”
[Sidenote: _One of the knights tells their story._]
Then that knight who had first spoken said, “Sir, this is a very strange
matter, for it was upon account of that very white hart and that
brachet, and of the knight and the lady that we two were just now
engaged in that battle as thou didst behold. For the case is this: We
two are two brothers, and we were riding together in great amity when
that hart and that hound came hitherward. Then my brother said he very
greatly hoped that the white hart would escape from the hound, and I
said that I hoped that the hound would overtake the hart and bring it to
earth. Then came that knight with that lady, his captive, and I said
that I would follow that knight and rescue the lady, and my brother said
that he would undertake that adventure.
“Upon these points we fell into dispute; for it appeared to me that I
felt great affection for that hound, and my brother felt as
extraordinary regard for the white hart, and that as I had first spoken
I should have the right to follow that adventure; but my brother felt
affection for the hart, and he considered that as he was the elder of us
twain, he had the best right to the adventure. So we quarrelled, and by
and by we fell to upon that fight in which thou did see us engaged.”
At this Sir Gawaine was very greatly astonished, and he said, “Messires,
I cannot understand how so great a quarrel should have arisen from so
small a dispute; and, certes, it is a great pity for two brothers to
quarrel as ye have done, and to give one another such sore cuts and
wounds as I perceive you have both received.”
“Messires,” said the second knight, “I think thou art right, and I now
find myself to be very much ashamed of that quarrel.” And the other
said, “I too am sorry for what I have done.”
Then Sir Gawaine said, “Sirs, I would be very glad indeed if you would
tell me your names.” And the one knight said, “I am called Sir Sorloise
of the Forest.” And the other said, “I am called Sir Brian of the
Forest.”
Then Sir Sorloise said, “Sir Knight, I would deem it a very great
courtesy if thou wouldst tell me who thou art.”
“I would be very glad to do that,” said Sir Gawaine, and therewith he
told them his name and condition. Now, when they heard who Sir Gawaine
was, those two knights were very greatly astonished and pleased; for no
one in all the courts of chivalry was more famous than Sir Gawaine, the
son of King Lot of Orkney. Wherefore those two brothers said, “It is
certainly a great joy to us to meet so famous a knight as thou art, Sir
Gawaine.”
Then Sir Gawaine said, “Sir Knights, that hart and that hound came only
a short while ago to where King Arthur and Queen Guinevere and their
Courts of lords and ladies were at feast, and there, likewise, all we
beheld that knight seize upon the lady and make her captive. Wherefore,
I and my brother have come forth upon command of King Arthur for to
discover what is the meaning of that which we beheld. Now I shall deem
it a very great courtesy upon your part if you will cease from this
adventure and will go in amity unto the Court of the King, and will tell
him of what ye beheld and of how you quarrelled and of how we met. For
otherwise I myself will have to engage ye both, and that would be a
great pity; for ye are weary with battle and I am fresh.”
Then these two knights said, “Sir, we will do as you desire, for we have
no wish to have to do with so powerful a knight as you.”
Thereupon those two knights departed and went to the Court of King
Arthur as Sir Gawaine ordained, and Sir Gawaine and his brother rode
forward upon their adventure.
[Sidenote:_Sir Gawaine and Gaheris meet a knight beside the river._]
Now, by and by they came nigh to a great river, and there they beheld
before them a single knight in full armor, who carried a spear in his
hand and a shield hanging to his saddle-bow. Thereupon Sir Gawaine
made haste forward and he called aloud to the knight, and the knight
paused and waited until Sir Gawaine had overtaken him. And when Sir
Gawaine came up to that knight he said, “Sir Knight, hast thou seen a
white hart and a white hound pass by this way? And hast thou seen a
knight bearing off a captive lady?”
Unto this the knight said, “Yea, I beheld them both, and I am even now
following after them with intent to discover whither they are bound.”
Then Sir Gawaine said, “Sir Knight, I bid thee not to follow this
adventure farther, for I myself am set upon it. Wherefore I desire thee
for to give it over so that I may undertake it in thy stead.” “Sir,”
said the other knight, speaking with a very great deal of heat, “I know
not who thou art, nor do I care a very great deal. But touching the
pursuance of this adventure, I do tell thee that I myself intend to
follow it to the end and so will I do, let who will undertake to stay
me.”
Thereupon Sir Gawaine said, “Messire, thou shalt not go forward upon
this adventure unless thou hast first to do with me.” And the knight
said, “Sir, I am very willing for that.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine overthroweth the knight._]
So each knight took such stand upon that field as appeared to him to be
best, and each put himself into a posture of defence and dressed his
shield and his spear. Then, when they were thus prepared in all ways,
they immediately launched forth, the one against the other, rushing
together with great speed and with such an uproar that the ground
trembled and shook beneath them. So they met together in the midst of
the course and the spear of the strange knight burst all into small
pieces, but the spear of Sir Gawaine held; wherefore he hurled that
knight out of his saddle with such violence that he smote the ground
with a blow like an earthquake.
Then Sir Gawaine rode back to where his enemy was (for that knight was
unable to arise), and he removed the helmet from the head of the fallen
knight and beheld that he was very young and comely.
Now, when the fresh air smote upon the knight’s face, he presently awoke
from his swoon and came back unto his senses again, whereupon Sir
Gawaine said, “Dost thou yield unto me?” And the knight said, “I do so.”
Then Sir Gawaine said, “Who art thou?” And the knight said, “I am called
Sir Alardin of the Isles.” “Very well,” said Sir Gawaine; “then I lay my
command upon thee in this wise: that thou shalt go to the Court of King
Arthur and deliver thyself to him as a captive of my prowess. And thou
art to tell him all that thou knowest of the hart and the hound and the
knight and the lady. And thou shalt tell him all that hath befallen thee
in this assault.”
So the knight said that he would do that, and thereupon they parted, the
one party going the one way and the other party going the other way.
After that Sir Gawaine and his brother, Gaheris, rode a considerable
distance until they came, by and by, through a woodland into an open