And taking the dead knight's lance from among the garden lilies, she rent
from it the pennon (which had a sword on a red ground for bearing), and
cast it carelessly on the ground, then she bound about it a pennon with
my bearing, gold wings on a blue ground; she bid me bear the Knight's
body, all armed as he was, to put on him his helm and lay him on the
floor at her bed's foot, also to break his sword and cast it on our
hearth-stone; all which things I did.
Afterwards she put the surcoat on me, and then lying down in her gorgeous
raiment on her bed, she spread her arms out in the form of a cross, shut
her eyes, and said:
'Kiss me, Lionel, for I am tired.'
And after I had kissed her she died.
And I mounted my dead foe's horse and rode away; neither did I ever know
what wrong that was which he had done me, not while I was in the body at
least.
And do not blame me for not burying my mother; I left her there because,
though she did not say so to me, yet I knew the thoughts of her heart,
and that the thing she had wished so earnestly for these years, and
years, and years, had been but to lie dead with him lying dead close to
her.
So I rode all that night for I could not stop, because of the thoughts
that were in me, and, stopping at this place and that, in three days came
to the city.
And there the King held his court with great pomp.
And so I went to the palace, and asked to see the King; whereupon they
brought me into the great hall where he was with all his knights, and my
heart swelled within me to think that I too was a King.
So I prayed him to make me a knight, and he spake graciously and asked me
my name; so when I had told it him, and said that I was a king's son, he
pondered, not knowing what to do, for I could not tell him whose son I
was.
Whereupon one of the knights came near me and shaded his eyes with his
hand as one does in a bright sun, meaning to mock at me for my shining
armour, and he drew nearer and nearer till his long stiff beard just
touched me, and then I smote him on the face, and he fell on the floor.
So the king being in a rage, roared out from the door, 'Slay him!' but I
put my shield before me and drew my sword, and the women drew together
aside and whispered fearfully, and while some of the knights took spears
and stood about me, others got their armour on.
And as we stood thus we heard a horn blow, and then an armed knight came
into the hall and drew near to the King; and one of the maidens behind
me, came and laid her hand on my shoulder; so I turned and saw that she
was very fair, and then I was glad, but she whispered to me: 'Sir Squire
for a love I have for your face and gold armour, I will give you good
counsel; go presently to the King and say to him: "In the name of Alys
des roses and Sir Guy le bon amant I pray you three boons,"--do this, and
you will be alive, and a knight by to-morrow, otherwise I think hardly
the one or the other.'
'The Lord reward you damoyzel,' I said. Then I saw that the King had
left talking with that knight and was just going to stand up and say
something out loud, so I went quickly and called out with a loud voice:
'O King Gilbert of the rose-land, I, Lionel of the golden wings, pray of
you three boons in the name of Alys des roses and Sir Guy le bon amant.'
Then the King gnashed his teeth because he had promised if ever his
daughter Alys des roses came back safe again, he would on that day grant
any three boons to the first man who asked them, even if he were his
greatest foe. He said, 'Well, then, take them, what are they?'
'First, my life; then, that you should make me a knight; and thirdly,
that you should take me into your service.'
He said, 'I will do this, and moreover, I forgive you freely if you will
be my true man.' Then we heard shouting arise through all the city
because they were bringing the Lady Alys from the ship up to the palace,
and the people came to the windows, and the houses were hung with cloths
and banners of silk and gold, that swung down right from the eaves to the
ground; likewise the bells all rang: and within a while they entered the
palace, and the trumpets rang and men shouted, so that my head whirled;
and they entered the hall, and the King went down from the dais to meet
them.
Now a band of knights and of damoyzels went before and behind, and in the
midst Sir Guy led the Lady Alys by the hand, and he was a most stately
knight, strong and fair.
And I indeed noted the first band of knights and damoyzels well, and
wondered at the noble presence of the knights, and was filled with joy
when I beheld the maids, because of their great beauty; the second band I
did not see, for when they passed I was leaning back against the wall,
wishing to die with my hands before my face. But when I could see, she
was hanging about her father's neck, weeping, and she never left him all
that night, but held his hand in feast and dance, and even when I was
made knight, while the king with his right hand laid his sword over my
shoulder, she held his left hand and was close to me.
And the next day they held a grand tourney, that I might be proven; and I
had never fought with knights before, yet I did not doubt. And Alys sat
under a green canopy, that she might give the degree to the best knight,
and by her sat the good knight Sir Guy, in a long robe, for he did not
mean to joust that day; and indeed at first none but young knights
jousted, for they thought that I should not do much.
But I, looking up to the green canopy, overthrew so many of them, that
the elder knights began to arm, and I grew most joyful as I met them, and
no man unhorsed me; and always I broke my spear fairly, or else overthrew
my adversary.
Now that maiden who counselled me in the hall, told me afterwards that as
I fought, the Lady Alys held fast to the rail before her, and leaned
forward and was most pale, never answering any word that any one might
say to her, till the Knight Guy said to her in anger: 'Alys! what ails
you? you would have been glad enough to speak to me when King Wadrayns
carried you off shrieking, or that other time when the chain went round
about you, and the faggots began to smoke in the Brown City: do you not
love me any longer? O Alys, Alys! just think a little, and do not break
your faith with me; God hates nothing so much as this. Sweet, try to
love me, even for your own sake! See, am I not kind to you?'
That maiden said that she turned round to him wonderingly, as if she had
not caught his meaning, and that just for one second, then stretched out
over the lists again.
Now till about this time I had made no cry as I jousted. But there came
against me a very tall knight, on a great horse, and when we met our
spears both shivered, and he howled with vexation, for he wished to slay
me, being the brother of that knight I had struck down in the hall the
day before.
And they say that when Alys heard his howl sounding faintly through the
bars of his great helm, she trembled; but I know not, for I was stronger
than that knight, and when we fought with swords, I struck him right out
of his saddle, and near slew him with that stroke.
Whereupon I shouted 'Alys' out loud, and she blushed red for pleasure,
and Sir Guy took note of it, and rose up in a rage and ran down and
armed.
Then presently I saw a great knight come riding in with three black
chevrons on a gold shield: and so he began to ride at me, and at first we
only broke both our spears, but then he drew his sword, and fought quite
in another way to what the other knights had, so that I saw at once that
I had no chance against him: nevertheless, for a long time he availed
nothing, though he wounded me here and there, but at last drove his sword
right through mine, through my shield and my helm, and I fell, and lay
like one dead.
And thereat the King cried out to cease, and the degree was given to Sir
Guy, because I had overthrown forty knights and he had overthrown me.
Then they told me, I was carried out of the lists and laid in a hostelry
near the palace, and Guy went up to the pavilion where Alys was and she
crowned him, both of them being very pale, for she doubted if I were
slain, and he knew that she did not love him, thinking before that she
did; for he was good and true, and had saved her life and honour, and she
(poor maid!) wished to please her father, and strove to think that all
was right.
But I was by no means slain, for the sword had only cleft my helm, and
when I came to myself again I felt despair of all things, because I knew
not that she loved me, for how should she, knowing nothing of me?
likewise dust had been cast on my gold wings, and she saw it done.
Then I heard a great crying in the street, that sounded strangely in the
quiet night, so I sent to ask what it might be: and there came presently
into my chamber a man in gilded armour; he was an old man, and his hair
and beard were gray, and behind him came six men armed, who carried a
dead body of a young man between them, and I said, 'What is it? who is
he?' Then the old man, whose head was heavy for grief, said: 'Oh, sir!
this is my son; for as we went yesterday with our merchandize some twenty
miles from this fair town, we passed by a certain hold, and therefrom
came a knight and men at arms, who when my son would have fought with
them, overthrew him and bound him, and me and all our men they said they
would slay if we did ought; so then they cut out my son's eyes, and cut
off his hands, and then said, "The Knight of High Gard takes these for
tribute." Therewithal they departed, taking with them my son's eyes and
his hands on a platter; and when they were gone I would have followed
them, and slain some of them at least, but my own people would not suffer
me, and for grief and pain my son's heart burst, and he died, and behold
I am here.'
Then I thought I could win glory, and I was much rejoiced thereat, and
said to the old man,
'Would you love to be revenged?'
But he set his teeth, and pulled at the skirt of his surcoat, as hardly
for his passion he said, 'Yes.'
'Then,' I said, 'I will go and try to slay this knight, if you will show
me the way to La Haute Garde.'
And he, taking my hand, said, 'O glorious knight, let us go now!' And he
did not ask who I was, or whether I was a good knight, but began to go
down the stairs at once, so I put on my armour and followed him.
And we two set forth alone to La Haute Garde, for no man else dared
follow us, and I rejoiced in thinking that while Guy was sitting at the
King's table feasting, I was riding out to slay the King's enemies, for
it never once seemed possible to me that I should be worsted.
It was getting light again by then we came in sight of High Gard; we
wound up the hill on foot, for it was very steep; I blew at the gates a
great blast which was even as though the stag should blow his own mort,
or like the blast that Balen heard.
For in a very short while the gates opened and a great band of armed men,
more than thirty I think, and a knight on horseback among them, who was
armed in red, stood before us, and on one side of him was a serving man
with a silver dish, on the other, one with a butcher's cleaver, a knife,
and pincers.
So when the knight saw us he said, 'What, are you come to pay tribute in
person, old man, and is this another fair son? Good sir, how is your
lady?'