Part 3.
The Winning of a Queen Chapter 1.
How King Arthur Went to Camelliard and Disguised Himself for a Certain Purpose, and How He Fought with the Duke of North Umber.
One day, while Arthur was hosting a huge feast with all of his great court around him, a messenger appeared from the west country.
Lord, he cried breathlessly, I come with a message from King Leodogrance of Cameliard.
King Ryans of North Wales is making terrible demands and threatening war.
He needs your help.
What demands is Ryans making?
King Arthur asked.
He wants land, the messenger explained.
He also wishes Lady Guinevere, the king's daughter, to be given into marriage unto Duke Mordant of North Umber.
The entire court shivered upon hearing this, for all knew Duke Mordant to be an ugly man with a violent temper.
King Arthur was seized by a great anger.
Remembering how Guinevere had come upon him like an angel.
While he lay wounded in the forest, he swore to help her and her father.
The next day he and Merlin set off for Camilliard, along with the knights Sir Gawain Ewayne, Peleus and Gerriant.
When he and Merlin were alone, the king confessed his feelings about the lady Guinevere.
Arthur asked Merlin to give him a disguise so that he might secretly watch her.
He also wished to find out what danger the kingdom was in without being seen.
Merlin gave him a cap that, when put on his head, turned the king into a simple country boy.
Wearing the cap.
That simple country boy was quickly hired to be a gardener at Lady Guinevere's castle.
The Lady Guinevere walked in the garden every day, but the only person she ever saw was the newly hired gardener boy working in the roses.
After working so hard, Arthur needed to wash his face in the garden's fountain.
The fountain was in a sheltered spot where Arthur thought he could not be seen.
He was wrong.
Watching him from a castle window was Melusine of the White Hand, one of Guinevere's attendants.
She hadn't seen Arthur take off the cap, but she did see a handsome knight wearing a royal golden collar bathing.
Melusine ran to the garden to investigate, but Arthur heard her approaching and quickly replaced his cap.
When she asked the gardener boy about the night she had seen at the fountain, Arthur respectfully replied that he had been alone there for the past hour.
You must have been dreaming, he said.
Guinevere said the same thing and Melusine was beginning to think it had been a dream.
But a few mornings later she looked out her window and saw the handsome knight at the fountain again.
She rushed to wake up Guinevere.
Looking out the window with her own sleepy but not dreaming eyes, Guinevere saw the night as well.
Quickly dressing, she took Melusine with her and went down into the garden.
This time, the ladies came more quietly.
Arthur did not hear them until the last minute.
Although he had time to replace his magical cap, he realized too late that his golden collar still lay on the grass.
When he said that no one but he had visited the fountain for an hour, Guinevere knew it was a lie.
Take that collar, she told him.
Give it back to the knight who dropped it and tell him that it isn't polite for knights to hide themselves in a lady's garden.
With that, she and Melusine went back into the castle.
When Guinevere reached her room, however, a thought came to her.
She asked Melusine to go command the gardener boy to bring her a basket of roses.
When the disguised Arthur entered bearing the roses, all of Guinevere's attendants gasped that he was so rudely still wearing his hat.
"'I cannot take off my cap,' Arthur said, "'for I have an ugly spot on my head.'
Guinevere seemed to accept this explanation, but when Arthur bent down to deliver her roses, she reached out and snatched the cap off, revealing him in all of his golden glory.
Nobody present knew that they were in the presence of the great King Arthur.
But Guinevere did remember Arthur as that wounded knight she had come upon in the forest.
Guinevere was proud, and she did not want to swoon over a knight who had lied to her, no matter how handsome he was.
She swore that she would protect him and commanded everyone who had witnessed the magic to keep his secret.
But for now, she decided, she would put him in his place.
Take thy cap, she told him coldly.
"'And go back to your roses, gardener boy.'
Her ladies-in-waiting giggled, and with that she dismissed him.
Arthur respectfully replaced his cap, bowed humbly, and left.
The next day a messenger came to King Leodogran's with news.
King Ryan's still-demanding land and threatening war was on his way.
Duke Mordant, who was still demanding that the Lady Guinevere be his wife, was with him.
Trying to avoid a war.
King Leodogrance greeted them as friends when they arrived at the outer reaches of this kingdom.
They, however, refused to come inside.
Having brought with them a large group of knights and lords.
Ryance and Mordant instead decided to camp right there outside the castle walls.
They would remain for five days, they told Leodogrance.
Guinevere did not marry Mordaunt within that time.
They would consider Leodogrance to be their enemy and attack.
Although they had allowed five days, Mordaunt decided he was bored after only five minutes had passed.
Thinking the Lady Guinevere might be watching and wanting to show off.
He challenged any knight in the court to a competition.
Puffed up, he rode up and down the field in front of the castle, yelling, Come on now!
Is there really no one who will challenge me?
No one dared to come forth.
After all, he was Duke Mordant of North Umber, one of the most famous knights of his day.
And there was simply no one in King Leodogrance's humble court who could match him.
No one, that is, except a simple gardener boy.
Before he could do anything, however, Arthur had to find some armor.
A kind merchant in town supplied him with a noble white warhorse and a fine suit of white Spanish satin and armor.
When Arthur, thus fully dressed in white, rode back to the castle, nobody recognized him.
But they certainly turned to watch him pass, so obviously noble was he.
His first stop was the Lady Guinevere's castle.
Telling her that he was about to do battle in her name.
Arthur asked her for a token to carry with him.
Guinevere gave him the necklace of pearls that she wore around her throat.
Arthur wrapped the necklace around his arm, and he was off.
The Duke Mordaunt didn't recognize Arthur either, for there was no crest upon Arthur's borrowed white armor to give him any hints.
And upon being thrown from his saddle by the impact of Arthur's skillful spear upon his shield, Mordaunt didn't know what had hit him.
Thereafter he lay very quietly and out of breath for about two hours.
