The Death of King Arthur (28 page)

Gawain was taken into the castle, where he was laid in a fair chamber. A doctor was summoned to his side, and Ector would not leave him until his wound had healed.

Sir Galahad had left the field of battle, as soon as he was victorious, and rode so fast that before nightfall he reached the lands of the Castle of Corbenic. He found a hermitage there, where he lodged for the night; just as dawn broke, there was a knock at the door. The hermit rose to open it, and was greeted by a gentlewoman. ‘Father,' she said, ‘will you awaken Sir Galahad? I must speak with him.'

Galahad came to the door. ‘What is it you wish from me, lady?' he asked her.

‘Sir Galahad, will you arm yourself and come with me? I promise you that, within three days, I will show you the most honourable adventure ever undertaken by a knight.'

‘If that is so, lady, I will follow you willingly.' He said farewell to the hermit, and then mounted his horse. ‘Lead me forward,' he told her. They travelled on until they came to the shore of the sea.

‘Only a little further,' she said.

There, in a small cove, a boat was waiting for them. As Galahad approached it, he saw Sir Bors and Sir Percival standing beneath the sails. ‘Welcome, Galahad,' Sir Percival said. ‘We have been expecting you.'

The lady and Sir Galahad took up their saddles and their bridles, but left their horses on the shore. They crossed themselves and boarded the boat. Galahad took off his helmet, and unbuckled his sword. ‘Where have you come from?' he asked the knights. ‘What are you doing here?'

‘Truly,' Sir Bors replied, ‘we came here by God's grace. We had no other guide.'

‘I never thought I would see you in this strange land.'

‘If only your father, Lancelot, was with us,' Sir Percival told him. ‘Then we would be complete.'

‘That will not be,' Galahad replied. ‘Not unless Our Lord wishes it.'

The boat now travelled far from the land, driven by a blessed wind, and came to a whirlpool between two great rocks. They could not venture there without grave risk, but there was a second ship close by. ‘This ship is for us,' the noblewoman said. ‘It has been sent to us by the Lord. Do you see the words carved upon its prow?'

And there was written: YOU WHO BOARD THIS SHIP MUST HAVE PERFECT BELIEF. I AM THE TOKEN OF FAITH ITSELF. IF YOU ARE NOT STEADFAST IN BELIEF I CANNOT SAVE YOU.

The noblewoman turned to Sir Percival. ‘Sir,' she asked him, ‘do you know who I am?'

‘I never saw you before in my life, lady.'

‘Then know this. I am your sister. I am the daughter of Pellinor, King of the Isles, and as such I love you more than any other man in the world. So I advise you of this. If you are not filled with faith, and a perfect believer, you must not come aboard this vessel. No sinner can sail in it.'

When Sir Percival realized that this was indeed his sister, he was exultant. ‘Fair sister,' he told her, ‘I will embark upon this ship; if I am guilty of sin, I will gladly perish.'

Galahad crossed himself, and boarded the vessel; he was followed by the others, who marvelled at the furnishings they found there. In the middle of the ship was a bed, upon which had been placed a crown of silk. At the foot of this bed was a sword, pulled a little way out of its sheath. The sword itself was inlaid and decorated with rich devices. There were all manner of precious stones on the pommel itself, their colours a token of their particular virtues, and the hilt was made up of bone taken from two marvellous creatures. One was removed from the snake known as the serpent of the fiend; he who holds it in his hand will never weary or suffer a wound. The other bone came from the fish that lives in the Euphrates, and is known as Ertanax. This also protects the owner from weariness. Its other property is that it directs the mind forward, and prevents the remembrance of things past. On the hilt was inscribed the following words: ONLY ONE WARRIOR WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD ME. HE WILL SURPASS ALL OTHERS.

‘In the name of God,' Sir Percival said, ‘I must try this sword.' He put his hand to it, but he could not grip it. Sir Bors suffered the same fate.

Then Sir Galahad stepped forward, and suddenly on the sword there appeared letters as red as blood. LET US SEE WHO WILL DRAW ME OUT OF THIS SHEATH. HE MUST BE STRONGER THAN ANY OTHER. IF HE SUCCEEDS HE WILL NEVER BE SHAMED IN THIS LIFE NOR WILL HE EVER BE WOUNDED TO THE DEATH.

‘I would willingly draw this sword,' Sir Galahad said, ‘but I am sure that the penalty for any failure will be very hard.'

‘Only you, sir, can draw this sword,' the noble lady said. ‘It is forbidden to all others. This is the sword with which King Hurlaine killed King Labor, father of the Maimed King. The death stroke caused great harm and dearth in the lands of both kings; there were famine and pestilence throughout the kingdoms. There was no fruit, nor grass, nor corn, nor fresh water. And so the two realms became known as the Waste Land, and the stroke was called the Dolorous Stroke. When King Hurlaine tried to place the sword back in the scabbard he fell to the earth dead. It has been proved that no man has drawn this sword without finding death or injury. King Hurlaine lay on the deck here, the same deck now beneath your feet, undefended. No man dared to board the vessel. Yet one day an innocent virgin came on to the ship and cast him into the waves.'

The three knights now walked over to the scabbard, which seemed to be made out of serpent's skin. The belt, or girdle, was not so gaily wrought. On the scabbard itself were written letters of gold and silver. HE WHO SHALL WIELD ME MUST BE STRONGER THAN ANY OTHER. ONLY THEN WILL HE BEAR ME AS I OUGHT TO BE BORNE. THE ONE ON WHOSE SIDE I WILL HANG WILL NEVER BE SHAMED. YOU MUST NEVER REMOVE THE GIRDLE OF THIS SWORD. ONLY A MAID OF INCOMPARABLE VIRTUE MAY TOUCH IT. SHE MUST BE THE DAUGHTER OF A KING AND A QUEEN. SHE MUST BE INNOCENT IN WORD AND DEED. IF SHE BREAKS HER VIRGINITY SHE WILL DIE A WORSE DEATH THAN ANY OTHER WOMAN.

‘Sir,' Percival said to Galahad, ‘turn over the sword so that we can see what is on the other side.'

They saw that the reverse side of the blade was blood red, with letters written as black as any coal. HE THAT PRAISES ME MOST WILL FIND ME MOST BLAMEWORTHY AT A TIME OF GREAT NEED. I WILL INJURE ONE TO WHOM I SHOULD BE MOST GRACIOUS. AND THAT WILL BE AT ONE TIME ONLY.

‘What is the name of this sword?' Sir Bors asked her. ‘What shall we call it?'

‘It will be known as the Sword with the Strong Strokes. The sheath will be known as the Mover of Blood.'

Sir Percival and Sir Bors then turned to Sir Galahad. ‘Sir, in the name of Christ, we ask you to take up this sword and wear it by your side.'

‘I will hold it,' he said, ‘to give you all courage. But it belongs to you as much as it belongs to me.'

He took the sword out of its scabbard and held it aloft before Sir Percival's sister fastened it upon him. ‘Fair knight,' she said to him, ‘there is a king known as the Maimed King who was once known as Dagdon. He was a good Christian who always supported Holy Mother Church. He was hunting one day, in one of his forests that reached down to the sea, when he lost all of his hounds and all but one of his knights. The king and the surviving knight came out by the shore, and found this ship. When Dagdon read the inscription upon its prow he was happy to go on board. But the knight, aware of his sins, was not ready to follow him. The king found this sword, and withdrew it from its sheath to the extent that you now can see. Thereupon a spear entered his body. That is why he is known as the Maimed King.' She bowed to Galahad. ‘He is your grandfather. Maimed by his pride. You will meet him.'

‘In the name of God!' Galahad exclaimed.

‘I am ready to die,' she said. ‘I am now one of the most blessed maidens in the world, having served the worthiest knight in the world.'

‘Madam,' Sir Galahad told her, ‘I will be your own especial knight for all the days of my life.'

They left the holy ship and returned to the vessel in which they had first sailed. The wind drove them across the water. They had neither meat nor drink but they trusted in the Lord. At last the waves brought them to the cliffs beneath a castle known as Carteloise, on the coast of Scotland, where they were greeted by a gentlewoman. She stood upon the rocks with her arms upraised. ‘There are men here,' she told them, ‘that have no love for the knights of King Arthur's court.'

‘Do not be dismayed,' Sir Galahad said. ‘He that saved us from the rocks and the whirlpools will deliver us from our enemies.'

A squire then rode up to them, and asked them from where they came. ‘From King Arthur,' Sir Bors told him.

‘Is that so? Then you are in more trouble than I can tell you.'

They walked on towards the castle, and from its battlements a horn blew. A noble lady approached them. ‘Turn back,' she said. ‘For the love of God, return to your ship. Otherwise you will meet your death.'

‘We will not turn,' Sir Bors said. ‘The Lord who has guided us here will be our guard. We work in His service.' As they stood talking ten knights rode towards them, calling out to them to surrender or die.

‘We shall not surrender,' Sir Bors cried, ‘and you shall die!'

The ten knights attacked them, but Sir Galahad and his companions stood their ground. They knocked three of the knights from their horses and, taking the animals for themselves, rode into the hall of the castle. Here they caused such slaughter that all of the knights of that place lay dead or dying upon the ground. ‘If God had not loved us,' Sir Bors said, ‘we would not have had the strength to slay so many of them. They must have been great sinners.'

‘The vengeance is not ours,' Sir Galahad replied. ‘It belongs to God. We can take no credit or worship for this feat of arms.' At that moment a priest came out of a private chamber, holding the Holy Eucharist in a golden chalice. The three knights took off their helmets and kneeled before him. ‘Father,' Sir Bors said, ‘have no fear of us. We come from the court of King Arthur.'

The priest looked around him. ‘I see that these men have been suddenly and swiftly killed. God was with you. If you lived as long as the world, you could not achieve so much.'

Sir Galahad bowed his head. ‘I repent that we have killed so many Christian men.'

‘They were not christened,' the priest told him. ‘I will tell you all I know. The lord of this castle was known as Hernox. He had three sons, all of them knights, and a beautiful daughter. The three brothers were so besotted by their sister that one by one they raped her; when she cried out for help to her father, they killed her. Then they took their father, and consigned him to a cell in this castle. The three brothers then went on a rampage, slaughtering priests and monks; they destroyed churches and chapels, so that the Lord's service could not be said. I was called to the bedside of the father, the Earl Hernox, and I confessed him. He told me that three servants of the Lord would come to this castle, and destroy the beasts who were once his sons. So it has happened. You have done holy work.'

‘You are right, father,' Galahad said. ‘We would not have slaughtered so many men today if God had not been on our side.'

They were taken down to the depths of the castle, where they delivered Hernox from his prison. He had seen Sir Galahad in a vision, and he began to weep. ‘I have waited for you a long time,' he said. ‘For God's sake hold me in your arms, so that I can depart this life in the embrace of a good man.'

‘Willingly, sir.' And, as Galahad held him, Hernox died peacefully.

A voice could be heard in the hall. ‘Sir Galahad, you have been well avenged on God's enemies. Now you must go into the presence of the Maimed King, who at your hands will receive the balm for his wounds.'

So the three knights, together with the sister of Sir Percival, continued their journey. They came into a wild wood, where they found a white hart being led gently by four lions. They decided to follow the beasts, in search of a further adventure. They rode a long way until they came into a valley. There was a hermitage here, where a good man dwelled. The white hart and the four lions entered his cell and disappeared from sight. The three knights followed them, and found the hermit saying mass. As he raised the Eucharist the white hart was transformed into a man, while three of the lions were changed into the forms of a man, an eagle and an ox. The fourth lion retained its old form. Then these apparitions went through a narrow window, of which the glass remained unbroken.

And there came a voice saying, ‘In this manner did God enter the womb of Mary, whose virginity was neither hurt nor disturbed.'

The four of them fell down, astonished, and saw around them a light brighter than the sun. When they recovered from their swoon, they asked the hermit to explain what they had seen.

‘You are all welcome,' he said. ‘I know that you are the knights who will accomplish the quest for the Holy Grail. You are the ones to whom Our Lord will show great secrets. The hart you saw is a token of Our Saviour himself, whose white skin is a sign of regeneration. So did Our Lord slough off earthly flesh, and take on the bright life of the spirit. The four that were with him – the lion, the ox, the eagle and the man – are symbols of the four evangelists who set down in writing some of the deeds of Jesus Christ. You have been privileged to see the white hart. I doubt that you will see it again.'

They heard mass, and left the hermitage on the following morning. Within a few hours they came up to the walls of a castle, where they were accosted by an armed knight. ‘Lords,' he said to them, ‘tell me about this lady who accompanies you. Is she still a virgin?'