The Death of King Arthur (35 page)

‘And for that I thank you. But I will be a queen of peace. I will quell discord. The knight of this castle has apologized. He is sorry for his actions against me.'

‘If I had known, madam, that you would so easily forgive him I would not have hurried here. Clearly there was no need for haste.'

‘Why do you use such words, sir? Do you think I am reconciled with him out of love or respect for him? Of course not. I wish to avoid unseemly reports of battle and discord.'

‘I accept what you say, madam. Yet I tell you this. Only you, and my lord, the king, could persuade me to spare Sir Meliagaunt.'

‘I am grateful to you, Sir Lancelot. Now come with me to my chamber, where my ladies will look after you.' They all went into the castle and, when Lancelot had taken off his armour, he asked after the ten knights who had been captured. The queen brought them to him, and all rejoiced in his company. They also wanted revenge on Meliagaunt but, for the sake of the queen, they stayed silent. Those who had been wounded were now tended by Guinevere and her ladies; she would not let them return to their chambers, but insisted that they lie down on beds and pallets in her own chamber so that she might minister to them.

But Lancelot had also arranged a tryst with the queen. He had agreed to go to a window in the garden, where Guinevere would speak to him secretly. He took his sword with him, in case he was surprised by Sir Meliagaunt. He entered the garden, and went up to the window that was encased in iron bars. Guinevere was waiting for him, and they spoke together of many things. ‘Ah, madam,' he said after a while, ‘I wish I could enter this room and be with you.'

‘I wish for it, too,' she replied.

‘Do you tell me truly that you want me to be with you?'

‘Yes. Truly.'

‘Then I shall prove how strong is my love for you.' He put his hands around the iron bars and pulled them out of the stone wall, but one of the bars cut his hand to the bone. Lancelot entered through the window, and there was blood everywhere. ‘Make no noise,' the queen told him. ‘My knights lie sleeping here.'

Quietly they climbed into her bed, where Lancelot lay with her until dawn. When the time came to depart he left through the window and, as best he might, put back the iron bars in the same place as they were before. He returned to his own chamber, and showed Sir Lavane his injured hand; the young man dressed the wound, and then concealed it with a glove.

Meanwhile Sir Meliagaunt had gone to the queen's chamber. He had found her ladies already dressed, but the queen still lay sleeping. ‘What ails you, madam,' he said, ‘to sleep so late?' He pulled back the curtains of the bed, and was horrified by what he saw. The top sheet, the bottom sheet and the pillow were all covered in Lancelot's blood. When he saw this he believed that one of the wounded knights had lain with Guinevere. ‘Ah, madam,' he said to her, ‘now I understand that you are a false traitor to your husband, the king. You brought these knights to your chamber for a purpose. One of them, at least, has lain beside you in the darkness.'

‘You speak foully, sir. Not one of these knights has been near my bed.'

The ten knights had heard his words, and they all spoke out at once. ‘You accuse the queen falsely,' they said. ‘We will prove your falsehood when we are recovered from our wounds. Choose any one of us to take up the challenge.'

‘Oh yes? Look for yourselves. Do you not see blood upon the sheets?' They did not know what to say, and stayed silent, while Sir Meliagaunt was exultant. He hoped in this way to conceal his own treason against the queen.

At this point Lancelot entered the chamber. ‘What is the matter?' he asked them. ‘What is happening here?' Sir Meliagaunt said that he suspected the queen of infidelity. ‘It was shameful of you,' Lancelot told him, ‘to pull back the curtains of the bed when the queen still lay in it. Not even my lord Arthur would be guilty of such discourtesy. You have brought still more disgrace upon yourself.'

‘I do not know what you mean by that, sir. But I do know that one of these knights has lain beside her, leaving all the marks of his blood. I will prove her treason by the force of my arms.'

‘Beware what you say, Meliagaunt. There may be someone who will take up your challenge.'

‘But you, my lord, must also be careful. Even the best knight cannot triumph in a bad cause. God will play a part in any contest.'

‘As to that, I will take my chance. God is always to be feared. But I tell you this plainly. Not one of these ten knights slept in the queen's bed last night. I will prove it with my sword and spear. Are you willing to make a contest of it?'

‘Yes. Here is my gauntlet.'

‘I will take it up. On what day do you wish to do battle?'

‘In a week's time. In the field beside Westminster.'

‘Very well. I will be waiting for you there.'

‘In the meantime we must both swear to behave fairly and honourably to one another. There must be no false practices. Do you so swear?'

‘Of course. I have never yet been guilty of falsehood.'

‘Then let us go into dinner,' Meliagaunt said. ‘After that, if you wish, you and the queen may ride back to Westminster.' Lancelot gave his assent. ‘May I take you now, sir, on a tour of my castle?'

‘I would be delighted.'

They walked together from room to room. Lancelot did not fear a trap, because honest men trust their fellows. But a false man will always prove treacherous to a true one. As they went down one corridor Lancelot was lured to walk upon a trapdoor; it suddenly opened beneath his feet, and he fell some thirty feet into a cave filled with straw. Sir Meliagaunt went back to the others, and told them that Lancelot had suddenly departed – he did not know where – and that he had taken Sir Lavane's horse. The queen and her knights were astonished by this, but spoke no more about it. After dinner they returned to Westminster, with the wounded carried on litters, and Guinevere told the king about Lancelot's challenge on her behalf.

‘I am afraid,' Arthur said, ‘that Sir Meliagaunt may well be overmatched. But where is Lancelot?'

‘We suppose,' one of the knights told him, ‘that he has ridden to some adventure. That is his way. He took Sir Lavane's horse, because his own was badly wounded.'

‘Let him be,' the king replied. ‘He will return on the proper day. Unless he has been captured by some act of treachery.'

Meanwhile Lancelot lay in the cave, suffering great pain. A lady brought him meat and drink every day. She offered to help him escape if he became her lover. But he refused.

‘That is not wise of you,' she said. ‘You will never get out of this place without my help. And if you do not arrive on the field of battle, the queen will be burned at the stake.'

‘God forbid that she should be burned because of my default. But the king will know, as will the others, that I must be dead, sick or in prison. Otherwise nothing would prevent me from coming to her defence. Some good knight will take my place, I am sure of it. If you were the only woman left in the land, I would still have nothing to do with you.'

‘Then you will be shamed before your king. You will die here.'

‘Whatever God sends me, I will endure.'

The day of battle came. The lady brought him food and drink as before. ‘Sir Lancelot,' she said, ‘you are being too hard-hearted. I will make a pact with you. If you give me just one kiss, I will free you from this place and provide you with the best horse in the castle stable.'

‘There is no disgrace in giving you one kiss,' he said. So he kissed her. She was as good as her word. She brought him armour and took him to the stables, where twelve fine horses were kept. He chose the one he liked best. With great joy he took up his sword and spear. ‘Lady,' he said, ‘thank you for your good deed. If ever I can do you service, call upon me.'

On the field beside Westminster, a fire was being prepared for the queen. Sir Meliagaunt was sure that Lancelot would not arrive, and so he cried out to the king to do him justice. The court were all ashamed that, in the absence of Lancelot, the queen would be burned to death.

‘My lord king,' Sir Lavane said, ‘we all know that something has happened to Lancelot. He is either dead or gravely ill. Otherwise he would have kept his promise to be here. I have never yet heard that he failed to do his duty. Let me take his place, sir. Let me do battle with Meliagaunt.'

‘Thank you, Sir Lavane,' Arthur replied. ‘You are fighting for the right cause. I have spoken to the ten wounded knights, and they have sworn to me that they never lay with Guinevere. If they were well again, any one of them would be willing to defend her name.'

‘And so shall I, sir, if you give me leave.'

‘I do. And I wish you good fortune. I believe that some treason has been attempted against Lancelot.'

Lavane prepared himself for battle and, just as the heralds cried out for the contest to commence, Lancelot himself galloped on to the field. The king saw him, and cried out, ‘Hold! Wait!'

Lancelot rode in haste to the king, and told him what had happened at the castle of Meliagaunt and how he had been cruelly imprisoned. The queen was freed from the stake at once, and brought back to the king. She had complete faith in her champion.

Lancelot and Meliagaunt rode against one another. Lancelot's spear carried Meliagaunt over the tail of his horse; he fell heavily to the ground. Lancelot leaped down from his saddle and took up his sword. They exchanged many hard blows, but one of them knocked Meliagaunt to his knees. ‘Most noble knight, Lancelot,' the traitor cried out, ‘spare my life! I surrender. By the rules of the Round Table, you must let me live. I put my trust in you and the king!'

Lancelot was not sure what to do. He wanted to kill this man, more than anything else in the world. He looked up at the queen, to see if by any sign she would tell him what to do. She nodded her head, as if to say ‘slay him'. She wanted him dead as much as he did.

‘Get up,' he said, ‘for God's sake. Have you not shamed yourself enough? Do battle with me once more.'

‘I have surrendered. I am now your prisoner. You cannot force me to fight.'

‘I will make you an offer. I will disarm myself, on my left side, and have my left hand tied behind my back. Will you then fight me?'

Sir Meliagaunt leaped to his feet. ‘Did you hear his offer, lord king?' he called out. ‘I accept it.'

‘Take heed, Lancelot,' the king said. ‘Will you abide by this?'

‘What I have said, sir, I will do.'

The knights on the field took off the left part of Lancelot's armour, and then bound his left hand behind his back. Once more the challengers rode down on one another. Sir Meliagaunt raised his sword, hoping to strike Lancelot on his undefended side, but Lancelot parried the blow by twisting his body and then brought his sword down upon his opponent's helmet. The blow was so powerful that Meliagaunt's head was crushed. His body was then taken from the field, and buried without any further ceremony. The manner of his death was then carved on his tombstone.

Lancelot found favour with the king and queen more than ever, and he continued to live at court.

THE DEATH OF ARTHUR

The Strife Begins

A year had passed since Lancelot rescued Guinevere from the stake. Once more it is the season of May, when every heart is bursting with life and joy. It is the season of fruitfulness and lustiness, when the fields are filled with flowers and all folk keenly await the coming of summer. In winter, the season of snows and tempests, we can do nothing but cower in corners or hold our hands in front of the fire.

Yet this particular spring was different. In the merry month of May there descended upon the world anger and strife that did not end until the flower of chivalry was lost or destroyed. All this misfortune was the work of two knights, Sir Agravain and Sir Mordred, who were kinsmen of Sir Gawain. These knights harboured a secret hatred for their queen, Guinevere, and for Sir Lancelot; they watched Lancelot day and night, hoping to do him an evil turn.

It so happened that, by mischance, Sir Gawain and his kinsmen were sitting together in the privy chamber of King Arthur. It was here that Sir Agravain spoke out openly in front of the other knights, although they were not in any formal council.

‘I marvel,' he said, ‘that we are afraid to speak the truth. We all know that Lancelot sleeps with the queen, but none of us says a word. You can all attest to the truth of this. Is it not a disgrace to us that we allow the king to be shamed in this way?'

Then Gawain replied to him, ‘Agravain, my brother, I pray you – I charge you – not to mention these things. I tell you this. I will not join with you in laying these accusations against Lancelot.'

The two knights, Gaheris and Gareth, spoke in agreement with Gawain. ‘So help me God,' Gareth said, ‘I will not meddle with any such matters.'

Mordred stood up. ‘But I will!'

‘Then you are hastening towards misfortune,' Gawain told him. ‘The snare is set. Listen to me. Leave these affairs alone. Otherwise I know what will happen.'

‘Let the dice fall as they may,' Agravain replied. ‘I am going to tell the king!'

‘Don't be a fool,' Gawain said. ‘If enmity arises between Lancelot and ourselves, there will be powerful knights and great lords who will take the side of Lancelot. And don't forget this. There have been many times when Lancelot has ridden to the rescue of the king and queen. If he had not been their champion, the greater number of us would still be in a state of fear and mourning. He has proved himself time and time again. Do you recall the fate of Sir Meliagaunt last spring? For my part I will never take up arms against that brave knight. Once he rescued me from King Caradoc and helped me escape from the Tower of Sorrow. He slew Caradoc and saved my life. And is it not true that Lancelot saved you, Agravain, and you, Mordred, from the snares of Sir Tarquin? He rescued many other knights, too, on that occasion. Do you not think that such noble deeds should be remembered? Do you think that such kindness and valour should be forgotten?'