Arthurian Romances (88 page)

‘And what is the name of that strong and fine castle from which I sallied forth today, and where I ate and drank last evening?'

At this question Guiromelant turned away in sadness and began to ride off. Gawain called him back: ‘Sir, sir, speak to me! Remember your oath.'

Guiromelant stopped, turned his head towards him, and said: ‘May the hour I saw you and swore my oath to you be shamed and accursed! Be gone, I absolve you of your oath and ask you to absolve me of mine, because I had thought to ask you for news about the castle, but it seems to me you know as much about the moon as you do about it.'

‘Sir,' replied Gawain, ‘I slept there last night in the Bed of Marvels, which is unlike any other bed, and whose equal has never been seen.'

‘Upon my word,' he said, ‘I am amazed by what you tell me! What a pleasure and delight to hear your fabrications, for you're as much fun to listen to as any teller of tales: you're a storyteller, I see it all now! Yet at first I had thought you were a knight and that you'd done some feats of valour there. So tell me anyway of any bold deeds you did there, and what you saw there.'

And my lord Gawain told him: ‘Sir, when I sat upon the bed there was a great tumult in the hall. Don't think I'm lying to you: the cords of the bed screeched and bells hanging from them rang. Then the windows, which had been closed, opened by themselves and sharp bolts and polished arrows struck my shield, and you can still see the claws of a huge, ferocious, crested lion, which had long been kept chained in its room, caught in my shield. The lion was released and set upon me by a peasant; it sprang at me and struck my shield with such force that it became stuck to it by its claws and couldn't withdraw them. If you don't believe my story, just look here at the claws for, thank God, I cut off its head and both feet. What do you think of this proof?'

At these words Guiromelant dismounted as swiftly as he could, knelt before Sir Gawain with hands clasped, and begged him to pardon the foolish things he had said.

‘I forgive you completely,' said Gawain. ‘Mount up again.'

Guiromelant remounted, still ashamed of his ill-considered words, and said: ‘Sir, so help me God, I did not believe that, near or far, there was any knight who could win the honour that has come to you! Tell me now if you saw the white-haired queen, and whether you asked her who she is and where she's from.'

‘I never thought to ask,' he said, ‘but I did see her and speak to her.'

‘I shall tell you who she is,' he said: ‘she's the mother of King Arthur.'

‘By the faith I owe God and His might, if I remember right, King Arthur hasn't had a mother for a long while – not for a good sixty years, I believe, or more.'

‘Yet it is true, sir, that she's his mother. When his father, Utherpendragon, was laid to rest, it happened that Queen Igerne came into this land, bringing all her wealth; and upon this rock she had the castle built and the splendid and beautiful hall I've heard you describe. And I know that you saw the other queen, the grand and beautiful lady who was wife to King Lot and mother of the knight I'd like to see damned – mother of Gawain!'

‘Of Gawain, fair sir? I know him well, and I dare say that Gawain has not had a mother for at least these past twenty years.'

‘Yet it is she, sir, have no doubt. She followed her mother here and was heavy with child, bearing the very beautiful and noble damsel who is my sweetheart and the sister – I'll not hide it from you – of him whom I'd like God to shame, for truly he'd no longer have his head if I had him within my grasp as I have you now. I'd defeat him and cut it off at once. Even his sister couldn't stop me from ripping out his heart with my bare hands, I hate him so!'

‘You don't love in the same manner I do, by my soul,' said my lord Gawain. ‘If I loved a maiden or lady, for love of her I would love and serve all her family.'

‘You're right, I admit it. But when I think of Gawain and of how his father killed mine, I cannot wish him well at all. And Gawain himself with his own hands killed a valiant and brave knight who was my first cousin. I've never had the opportunity to avenge him in any way. Please do me a service: go back to that castle and take this ring for me and give it to my sweetheart. I want you to go on my behalf and tell her that I so trust and believe in her love for me that I know she would rather her brother Gawain died a bitter death than I should injure even my smallest toe. Please greet my sweetheart for me and give her this ring from me, her lover.'

Then my lord Gawain put the ring on his smallest finger and said: ‘Sir, upon my word, you have a wise and courteous sweetheart, a gentle woman of high lineage, beautiful, noble and high-born, if she behaves in just the way you've said.'

The knight replied: ‘Sir, you will be doing me a great service, I assure you, if you take my ring as a gift to my darling sweetheart, for I love her very deeply. I will reward you for it by telling you the name of this castle, as you've asked: the castle, if you don't know, is called the Rock of Champguin. There many a fine cloth and bolt of scarlet is dyed green or
red, and much material is bought and sold there. Now I've told you what you wished without a word of falsehood, and your questions have been good ones. Will you ask me anything more?'

‘Nothing, my lord, except for your leave.'

And he answered: ‘Sir, if it's not too much trouble, tell me your name before I grant you leave.'

And my lord Gawain said to him: ‘Sir, so help me God, my name will never be hidden from you. I am the one you hate so much: I am Gawain.'

‘You are Gawain?'

‘Indeed, the nephew of King Arthur.'

‘In faith, then, you are very bold or very foolhardy to tell me your name knowing that I bear you a mortal hatred. Now I'm frustrated and annoyed that I don't have my helmet laced on and my shield slung from my shoulder, for if I were armed as you are, you could be sure I'd cut off your head instantly. Nothing could persuade me to spare you. But if you dare to wait for me, I'll go and collect my arms and return to fight against you, and I'll bring three or four men to witness our battle. Or, if you prefer, we can put off our combat for a week, and on the seventh day return fully armed to this spot. Meanwhile you should summon the king, the queen and all their people, and I'll summon all my people from throughout the land. In that way our battle won't be fought in secret but will be observed by everyone who'd wish to see it, because a battle between two worthy men, which they all say we both are, should not be fought secretly but is best witnessed by many knights and ladies. And when one of us wearies everyone will know, so the victor will have a thousand times more glory than he would if he alone knew of it.'

‘Sir,' said my lord Gawain, ‘I'd gladly settle for less if it were possible and you'd agree that there be no battle. And if I've wronged you in any way, I'll very gladly make amends in front of your friends and mine so that all will be made right and good.'

And he said: ‘I can't understand how anything could be right if you don't dare fight me. I've offered you two possibilities, choose which you prefer: if you dare, wait here and I'll go and collect my arms, or else send for all your supporters to be ready in seven days, for I've heard it said that at Pentecost King Arthur will hold his court at Orcanie,
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which is but two days' travel from here. Your messenger can find the king and all his people assembled there: you'd do well to send there, for a day's respite is worth a hundred shillings.'

Gawain replied: ‘So help me God, the court will undoubtedly be in
Orcanie: you have been well informed. And I extend my hand as a pledge that I'll send word to him tomorrow, or before I close my eyes to sleep.'

‘Gawain,' he said, ‘I'd like to guide you to the best bridge in the world. The waters here are so swift and deep that no one alive can ford them or leap across to the other shore.'

And my lord Gawain replied: ‘No matter what might happen, I won't look for a ford or bridge. I'll go directly back to the wicked damsel as I have promised her, rather than incur her wrath.'

Then he spurred his horse and it leapt completely across the water without incident. When the maiden who had slandered him with her unkind words saw him returning towards her, she tied her horse to the tree and came towards him on foot; her heart and feelings had changed. She greeted him without hesitation and said she had come to beg forgiveness for her wickedness, since he had endured so much for her sake.

‘Dear sir,' she said, ‘listen now: I'd like to tell you, if you don't mind, why I've been so haughty towards all the knights of this earth who've tried to escort me. That knight – may God destroy him! – who spoke to you on the other shore, wasted his love on me. He loved me, but I hated him, because he caused me great pain by killing – I'll not hide it from you – the knight whose sweetheart I was. Then he thought he could honour me by persuading me to love him; but this was to no avail, for as soon as I was able I escaped from him and attached myself to the knight whom you stole away from me today, though I never cared a whit for him. But ever since death separated me from my first love I've been behaving foolishly, and I've been so rude of tongue and so wicked and foolish that I never paid any heed to whom I was insulting. I did it deliberately, hoping to find someone with such a temper that I could make him angry and irate enough to cut me to pieces, for I've long wished to be dead. Good sir, punish me now so severely that no maiden who hears news of my punishment will ever again dare insult a knight.'

‘Fair one,' he said, ‘what is it to me to punish you? May it never please the Son of God Almighty for me to cause you pain. Mount up now without delay: let us be off to this fortress. There's the boatman at the port waiting to take us across.'

‘My lord, I will do your bidding from beginning to end,' said the maiden. Then she climbed up on to the little, long-maned palfrey's saddle and they rode to the boatman, who ferried them across the water without any trouble or difficulty. The ladies and maidens, who had been lamenting Sir Gawain most bitterly, saw him approaching. On his account all the squires
in the hall had been mad with grief, but now they showed more joy than anyone had ever known before. The queen was seated in front of the great hall in expectation of his arrival; she had had all her maidens join hands together to dance and begin the merry-making. In his honour they began their singing, dances, and rounds. He rode up and dismounted in their midst. The ladies and the damsels and the two queens embraced him and spoke joyfully with him; amid great festivity they removed the armour from his legs, arms, feet, and head. Next they extended a joyful welcome to the maiden he had brought with him; they all served her for Gawain's sake, but not at all on her own account. They entered gaily into the great hall where they all sat down.

And my lord Gawain took his sister, seated her beside himself on the Bed of Marvels, and said to her in a whisper: ‘Damsel, I bring you a ring from across this river, with a sparkling green emerald. A knight sends it to you as a token of his love, and he greets you and says you are his sweetheart.'

‘Sir,' she said, ‘I well believe it. But if I love him at all I am a distant sweetheart, for he's never seen me nor I him except across these waters. Though he gave me his love long ago, and I thank him for it, he's never crossed this river; but his messengers have implored me so ardently that I've granted him my love, I'll not deny it. But I'm no more his sweetheart than that.'

‘Ah, pretty one! He's just now boasted that you would much prefer to see dead my lord Gawain, who is your own blood brother, than for him to injure his toe.'

‘Heavens, sir! I'm astonished he could say such a foolish thing! By God, I never thought he was so ill-mannered! It was very impertinent of him to send me such a message. Alas, my brother doesn't even know I was born, and has never seen me! Guiromelant has lied!'

While the two of them were speaking thus and the ladies were waiting for them, the elderly queen sat down beside her daughter and said to her: ‘Good daughter, what do you think of this lord who is sitting beside your daughter, my granddaughter? He's been whispering to her for a long time, about I don't know what, but I like it and it wouldn't be right for you to object, for it's a sign of his great nobility that he is attracted to the most beautiful and the wisest woman in this hall, as is only right. May it please God that he marry her and that she please him as much as Lavinia did Aeneas.'

‘Ah, my lady,' said the other queen, ‘may God grant him to love her as a brother loves his sister, and may he so love her and she him that the two become as one flesh.'

By her prayer the lady intended for him to love her and take her as his wife: she did not recognize her own son. Yet they shall indeed be as brother and sister, sharing no other kind of love. Once both have learned that she is his sister and he her brother, their mother will experience a great happiness different to that she anticipated.

After my lord Gawain had spoken for a while with his beautiful sister, he stood up and summoned a squire he saw on his right; he seemed the most eager and worthy and helpful, the wisest and cleverest of all the squires in the hall. Gawain went into a private chamber, followed only by the squire.

When they were both inside, Gawain addressed him: ‘Young man, I think you are a worthy, wise, and clever squire. I'm going to tell you a secret, and I warn you that it will be to your advantage to keep it well. I intend to send you to a place where you'll be happily welcomed.'

‘Sir, I'd rather have my tongue ripped from my throat than for a single word to escape my mouth that you would prefer to be kept hidden.'

‘Brother,' said Gawain, ‘then you shall go to my lord King Arthur, for I am Gawain, his nephew. It is neither a long nor difficult journey, because the king is holding his Pentecost court in the city of Orcanie. If the journey there costs you anything, I'll reimburse you. When you arrive in front of the king you'll find him very dour, but when you greet him in my name he'll be filled with joy. Everyone who hears the news will be happy. You will say to the king that, by the faith he owes me as a lord to his vassal, nothing must prevent my finding him, on the fifth day of this feast, camped in the meadow below this tower; and he must come with as many people, both high-born and commoners, as are in attendance at his court. For I've engaged to do battle against a knight who has no trace of respect either for myself or for King Arthur: this knight is Guiromelant, who hates me with a mortal hatred. Likewise you will say to the queen that she must come by the great faith we bear one another, for she is my lady and my friend. She will not fail to come as soon as she receives the news; and tell her that for love of me she must bring with her all the ladies and maidens who are at court that day. Only one thing worries me: you might not have a good hunting horse to take you swiftly there.'