The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
plain, and it was now about the time of sunset. And they beheld in the
midst of the plain a very stately and noble castle with five towers and
of very great strength.
[Sidenote:_Sir Gawaine and Gaheris behold the dead brachet._]
And right here they saw a sight that filled them with great sorrow, for
they beheld the dead body of that white brachet lying beside the road
like any carrion. And they saw that the hound was pierced through with
three arrows, wherefore they wist that it had been slain very violently.
Now when Sir Gawaine beheld that beautiful hound lying dead in that
wise, he was filled with great sorrow. “What a pity it is,” he cried,
“that this noble hound should be slain in this wise; for I think that it
was the most beautiful hound that ever I saw in all my life. Here hath
assuredly been great treachery against it; for it hath been foully dealt
with because of that white hart which it pursued. Now, I make my vow
that if I can find that hart I will slay it with mine own hands, because
it was in that chase that this hound met its death.”
After that they rode forward toward that castle, and as they drew nigh,
lo! they beheld that white hart with the golden collar browsing upon the
meadows before the castle.
Now, as soon as the white hart beheld those two strangers, it fled with
great speed toward the castle, and it ran into the court-yard of the
castle. And when Sir Gawaine beheld the stag, he gave chase in pursuit
of it with great speed, and Gaheris followed after his brother.
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine slayeth the white hart._]
So Sir Gawaine pursued the white hart into the court-yard of the castle
and from thence it could not escape. Then Sir Gawaine leaped him down
from his horse and drew his sword and slew the hart with a single blow
of his weapon.
This he did in great haste, but when he had done that and it was too
late to mend it, he repented him of what he had done very sorely.
Now with all this tumult, there came out the lord and the lady of that
castle; and the lord was one of very haughty and noble aspect, and the
lady was extraordinarily graceful and very beautiful of appearance. And
Sir Gawaine looked upon the lady and he thought he had hardly ever seen
so beautiful a dame, wherefore he was more sorry than ever that, in his
haste, he had slain that white hart.
But when the lady of the castle beheld the white hart, that it lay dead
upon the stone pavement of the court-yard, she smote her hands together
and shrieked with such shrillness and strength, that it pierced the ears
to hear her. And she cried out, “Oh, my white hart, art thou then dead?”
And therewith she fell to weeping with great passion. Then Sir Gawaine
said, “Lady, I am very sorry for what I have done, and I would that I
could undo it.” Then the lord of that castle said to Sir Gawaine, “Sir,
didst thou slay that stag?” “Yea,” said Sir Gawaine. “Sir,” said the
lord of the castle, “thou hast done very ill in this matter, and if thou
wilt wait a little I will take full vengeance upon thee.” Unto which Sir
Gawaine said, “I will wait for thee as long as it shall please thee.”
[Sidenote: _The knight of the castle assaileth Sir Gawaine._]
Then the lord of the castle went into his chamber and clad himself in
his armor, and in a little while he came out very fiercely. “Sir,” said
Sir Gawaine, “what is thy quarrel with me?” And the lord of the castle
said, “Because thou hast slain the white hart that was so dear to my
lady.” To the which Sir Gawaine said, “I would not have slain the white
hart only that because of it the white brachet was so treacherously
slain.” Upon this the lord of the castle was more wroth than ever, and
he ran at Sir Gawaine and smote him unawares, so that he clave through
the epaulier of his armor and cut through the flesh and unto the bone of
the shoulder, so that Sir Gawaine was put to a great agony of pain at
the stroke. Then Sir Gawaine was filled with rage at the pain of the
wound, wherefore he smote the knight so woful a blow that he cut through
his helmet and into the bone beneath, and thereupon the knight fell down
upon his knees because of the fierceness of the blow, and he could not
rise up again. Then Sir Gawaine catched his helmet and rushed it off
from his head.
Upon this the knight said in a weak voice, “Sir Knight, I crave mercy of
you, and yield myself to you.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine maketh to slay the knight of the castle._]
But Sir Gawaine was very furious with anger because of that unexpected
blow which he had received and because of the great agony of the wound,
wherefore he would not have mercy, but lifted up his sword with intent
to slay that knight.
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine striketh the lady of the castle without
intent._]
Then the lady of the castle beheld what Sir Gawaine was intent to do,
and she brake away from her damsels and ran and flung herself upon the
knight so as to shield him with her own body. And in that moment Sir
Gawaine was striking and could not stay his blow; nevertheless, he was
able to turn his sword in his hand so that the edge thereof did not
smite the lady. But the flat of the sword struck her upon the neck a
very grievous blow, and the blade cut her a little, so that the blood
ran down her smooth white neck and over her kerchief; and with the
violence of the blow the lady fell down and lay upon the ground as
though she were dead.
Now when Sir Gawaine beheld that, he thought that he had slain that lady
in his haste, and he was all a-dread at what he had done, wherefore he
cried, “Woe is me! what have I done?”
“Alas!” said Gaheris, “that was a very shameful blow that thou didst
strike; and the shame of it is mine also because thou art my brother.
Now I wish I had not come with thee to this place.”
Then Sir Gawaine said to the lord of that castle, “Sir, I will spare thy
life, for I am very sorry for what I have done in my haste.”
But the knight of the castle was filled with great bitterness, because
he thought that his lady was dead, wherefore he cried out as in despair,
“I will not now have thy mercy, for thou art a knight without mercy and
without pity. And since thou hast slain my lady, who is dearer to me
than my life, thou mayst slay me also. For that is the only service
which thou canst now render me.”
But by now the damsels of the lady had come to her where she lay, and
the chiefest of these cried out to the lord of the castle, “Ha, sir, thy
lady is not dead, but only in a swoon from which she will presently
recover.”
Then when the lord of the castle heard that, he fell to weeping in great
measure from pure joy; for now that he knew his lady was alive he could
not contain himself for joy. Therewith Sir Gawaine came to him and
lifted him up from the ground where he was, and kissed him upon the
cheek. Then certain others came and bare the lady away into her chamber,
and there in a little while she recovered from that swoon and was but
little the worse for the blow she had received.
That night Sir Gawaine, and his brother, Gaheris, abided with the knight
and the lady, and when the knight learned who Sir Gawaine was, he felt
it great honor to have so famous a knight in that place. So they feasted
together that evening in great amity.
Now, after they had refreshed themselves, Sir Gawaine said, “I beseech
you, sir, to tell me what was the meaning of the white hart and the
white brachet which led me into this adventure.”
To this the lord of the castle (whose name was Sir Ablamor of the
Marise) said, “I will do so.” And therewith he spake as follows:
“You must know, sir, that I have a brother who hath always been very
dear to me, and when I took this, my lady, unto wife, he took her sister
as his wife.
[Sidenote:_The lord of the castle telleth the story of the white hart
and the white hound._]
“Now, my brother dwelt in a castle nigh to this, and we held commerce
together in great amity. But it befell upon a day that my lady and my
brother’s lady were riding through this forest together discoursing very
pleasantly. What time there appeared a lady unto them, exceedingly
beautiful, and of very strange appearance, for I do not think that
either my lady or her sister ever beheld her like before.
“This strange lady brought unto those two ladies a white hart and a
white brachet, and the hart and the hound she held each by a silver
chain attached to a golden collar that encircled its neck. And the white
hart she gave unto my lady and the white brachet she gave unto my lady’s
sister. And then she went away leaving them very glad.
“But their gladness did not last for very long, for ever since that time
there hath been nothing else but discord between my brother and myself,
and between my lady and her sister, for the white hound hath ever sought
the white hart for to destroy it, wherefore I and my lady have
entertained very great offence against my brother and his lady because
they did not keep the white brachet at home. So it has come to pass that
a number of times we have sought to destroy the hound, so that my
brother and his lady have held equal offence against us.
“Now this day it chanced I was toward the outskirts of the forest to the
east of us, when I heard a great outcry in the woodland, and by and by
the white hart that belonged to my lady came fleeing through the
woodland, and the white brachet that belonged to my brother’s lady was
in pursuit of it; and my brother and his lady and two esquires followed
rapidly after the hart and the brachet.
“Then I was very greatly angered, for it seemed to me that they were
chasing that white hart out of despite of my lady and myself, wherefore
I followed after them with all speed.
“So I came upon them at the outskirts of the woodland, nigh to where
there were a number of pavilions pitched in the shade of a glade of
trees in the midst of the meadow, and there, in mine anger, I struck my
brother a great blow so that I smote him down from his horse. And I
catched his lady and I threw her across the horn of my saddle and I bore
her here away to this castle, and here I have held her out of revenge
because they pursued the white hart which belonged to my lady. For my
lady loved that hart as she loved nothing else in the world, excepting
myself.”
“Sir,” said Sir Gawaine, “this is a very strange matter. Now I beseech
thee to tell me of what appearance was that lady who gave the white hart
and the white hound unto those two ladies?” “Messire,” said the knight,
“she was clad all in crimson, and about her throat and arms were a great
many ornaments of gold beset with stones of divers colors, and her hair
was red like gold and was enmeshed in a net of gold, and her eyes were
very black and shone with exceeding brightness, and her lips were like
coral, so that she possessed a very strange appearance.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Gawaine heareth of Vivien._]
“Ha!” said Sir Gawaine, “from this description methinks that lady could
have been none other than the sorceress Vivien. For now she spendeth all
of her time in doing such mischief as this by means of her enchantment,
out of pure despite. And, indeed, I think it would be a very good thing
if she were put out of this world so that she could do no more such
mischief. But tell me, Messire, where now is that lady, thy wife’s
sister?” “Sir,” said the knight, “she is in this castle and is a
prisoner of honor.” “Well,” quoth Sir Gawaine, “since now both the hart
and the hound are dead, ye can assuredly bear no more enmity toward her
and your brother, wherefore I do beseech you that you will let her go
free, and will enter again into a condition of amity and good-will the
one with the other, in such a manner as hath afore obtained between
you.” And the lord of the castle said, “Sir, it shall be so.”