When he seeth Perceval alighted, he runneth to bar the door, and
Perceval cometh over against him. For all greeting, the knight
saluteth him thus: "Now shall you have," saith he, "such guerdon as you
have deserved. Never again shall you depart hence, for my mortal enemy
are you, and right hardy are you thus to throw yourself upon me, for
you slew my brother the Lord of the Shadows, and Chaos the Red am I
that war upon your mother, and this castle have I reft of her. In like
manner will I wring the life out of you or ever you depart hence!"
"Already," saith Perceval, "have I thrown myself on this your hostel to
lodge with you, wherefore to blame would you be to do me evil. But
lodge me this night as behoveth one knight do for another, and on the
morrow at departing let each do the best he may."
"By my head!" saith Chaos the Red, "mortal enemy of mine will I never
harbour here save I harbour him dead."
He runneth to the hall above, and armeth himself as swiftly as he may,
and taketh his sword all naked in his hand and cometh back to the place
where Perceval was, right full of anguish of heart for this that he
said, that he would war upon his mother and had reft her of this
castle. He flung his spear to the ground, and goeth toward him on foot
and dealeth him a huge buffet above the helmet upon the coif of his
habergeon, such that he cleaveth the mail and cutteth off two
fingers'-breadth of the flesh in such sort that he made him reel three
times round.