Chapter 2 How Guinevere Quarreled with Sir Gawain and How He Met Sir Pellius and Promised to Help Him with the Lady Attard.
While Pellius was off on this adventure over Queen Guinevere's beauty, another night was at Camelot getting on the Queen's nerves.
It was Sir Gawain whom she had long disliked.
She had felt this way ever since that day, perhaps when he had not only refused to help her defend her father's kingdom, but had responded so rudely to her request.
Many people found him charming, but she found him proud and arrogant.
Her heart had hardened against him.
One day, one of the Lady Guinevere's favorite dogs jumped on Sir Gawain with its muddy paws.
Not knowing she was watching, Sir Gawain hit the ears of the dog.
Running up, she demanded to know why he had hit her dog.
Your dog did something to me, Sir Gawain replied.
And when someone does something to me, I fight back.
Guinevere drew herself up proudly.
Do you forget to whom you are speaking?
She asked.
How dare you?
Gawain drew himself up just as proudly.
Perhaps you, my lady, do not remember that I am the son of a powerful king and I dare do whatever I must to defend my rights.
All onlookers gasped and looked immediately away.
Guinevere stood for a moment, furious, before she spoke again.
Sir Gawain, she finally said, you are proud and arrogant beyond measure.
I am the queen, and this is my court.
I command you to be gone and show your face no more until you are ready to apologize to me for the rude way you have always treated me.
With that, Guinevere turned and walked back to her chamber.
Once she was there, however, she wept in secret anger and shame.
She hated what had just happened, but at the same time she was so proud that she would do the same thing all over again.
Upon hearing that his cousin was to leave Camelot, Sir Owain asked King Arthur's permission to leave the court as well.
King Arthur happily agreed and the two knights set off together in search of another great adventure.
Monks at an abbey told them about a spot in a meadow where a shield hung upon a sycamore tree.
The shield, the monks said, was being treated very badly by some ladies.
Gawain and Awain thought this very strange, but set off to find the ladies.
Sure enough, they found the meadow, the sycamore tree, and the shield.
Three beautiful young ladies were throwing insults, rocks, and mud at the shield.
Its owner, a knight wearing all black, sat silently on his horse, saying and doing nothing.
Sir Gawain charged at the ladies, shouting at them to get away.
Flinging one last fistful of mud, they quickly fled.
The ebony knight approached and, to Gawain's surprise, asked him why he had interfered.
Why?
Because they were being disrespectful to what looked to me to be a very noble and knightly shield.
Gawain exclaimed.
It is my shield, the ebony knight said wearily, and I am perfectly able to defend it.
Apparently not, Gawain said, challenging the knight.
The two men then fought while all of the people in the castle gathered and looked down over the walls.
Gawain, who had never before been unhorsed by anyone except King Arthur, felt quite confident that he would win the contest.
But before he knew it, his spear was broken into many pieces and he was flung out of his saddle, landing heavily upon the dusty earth.
With his pride injured, Gawain rushed at the ebony knight with great fury.
The ebony knight responded in kind until Sir E Wayne pushed his horse between the two men and broke them up.
For shame, Gawain, he cried.
To seek such a fight with a knight who met you in a friendly fashion in a fair contest?
Gawain shrugged and put up his sword.
The ebony knight did the same.
With peace.
Thus restored, the ebony knight invited Sirs Gawain and Ewayne back to his home for some refreshments.
It turned out to be a rich and royal home and the ebony knight to be Sir Marhaus, the son of the King of Ireland.
Gawain was greatly comforted that at least he was defeated at the hands of someone of very great importance.
Marhaus finally explained why he had stood by and not defended his shield.
Some time ago, having accidentally knocked a knight's lady off a horse and into the water, he had agreed as punishment not only to stand by and do nothing while the lady's attendants threw insults on earth, but to defend those ladies against the first seven knights who came to defend the shield's honor.
Sir Gawain was the seventh knight, and thus freed Sir Marhaus from his duty.
Marhaus was now free to join Sirs Gawain and Ewain in their search for adventure.
The next day, the men rode through the forest of adventure.
The silence was so deep that even the hooves of their horses on the ground could scarcely be heard.
Following a small deer, they came upon a fountain.
Next to the fountain sat beautiful woman with an ivory face, jet black hair and eyes as bright and brilliant as jewels.
She was none other than the fairy and chief lady of the lake, Nimue.
Nimue told the man that Sir Marhaus would someday be one of the most famous knights of the round table.
Today's adventure, however, would be Sir Gawain's.
Nimue brought the men to the top of a hill, from which they looked down into a valley and saw a strange sight indeed.
It was a knight, dressed entirely in red armor, who alone faced the ten knights who approached him.
Impressively, he beat the first eight and the final two.
Seemed ready to turn and run, but just then the red knight did the strangest thing of all.
He put away his sword and surrendered to them, and they brought him back to the nearby castle.
'Just wait'.
Imwe said, and only a few moments later, that same knight was sent back out of the castle with his hands tied behind his back and his legs tied under his horse'.
Now, you may go, Nimue told Gawain.
There is your adventure.
Sirs Gawain, Owain and Marhaus rode down into the valley where, to their surprise, they saw the tents and the symbols of Sirs Brandelise and Modour de la Porte.
The five friendly knights sat and shared refreshments together.
But when Gawain asked them about the sight they had witnessed in the valley, Sirs Brandelise and Mordor de la Porte seemed unwilling to answer.
Instead, they asked Sir Gawain to follow them to see the answer for himself.
Sir, you are a knight of King Arthur's royal court, Gawain said sternly upon seeing that the red knight was Peleus.
How could you submit yourself and that court to such shameful insult?
Peleus did not reply.
Sir Gawain said fiercely answer me one way or another, by words or by doing battle with me, for I will not allow such shame to come upon our king without defending him.
You and I were once friends, but unless you explain yourself at once, I will consider you my enemy.
When Peleus finally explained, Sir Gawain agreed that it was as if Peleus had been put under a spell, just as someone had recently done to Merlin the Wise.
Sir Gawain vowed not only to get to the bottom of things, but to regain his friend's honor.
He had a plan.
Putting on Sir Peleus's red armor and mounting Peleus's horse, Sir Gawain rode boldly toward the Lady Attard's castle.
Now, it just so happened that she was at the time walking along an outside wall and saw the red knight approaching.
Why do you return? she called down.
Can't you understand that the more you come to me, the more I hate you?
Sir Gawain removed his helmet and showed his face.
I am not the man you hate.
I overthrew him and took his armor and his horse.
He will trouble you no more.
The Lady Attard was impressed.
Sir Peleus was one of the greatest knights in the world, so if this new knight had overthrown Peleus, he must really be a champion.
He was also, she noticed, very handsome, with rich, dark beard and hair and eyes as blue as steel.
She invited him inside her castle.
All was going well with Sir Gawain's plan until that is.
The spell of the magical necklace began to work on him as well.
Just as had his friend Peleus, Gawain began to fall in love.
And because the Lady Itard now had a great champion, Poor sore Engelmore fell quickly into second place again.
After spending many pleasant days there, falling deeper and deeper under the necklace's spell, Sir Gawain found himself wondering why he should ever leave.
After all, he had been forced, unfairly he felt, from King Arthur's court.
Why should he not stay with the beautiful Lady Attard and create a court of his own?
When Gawain did not return—
Ser Pellius suspected that something might be wrong.
He disguised himself as a friar, dressed in a black robe, and made his way to the castle, announcing that he had an important message for Ser Gawain.
Coming upon Gawain and the Lady Etard and seeing them gazing lovingly at each other, Ser Pellius pulled off his hood, walked straight up to the Lady Etard and ripped the magical necklace off of her neck.
It's mine, he cried.
You have no right to it.
And as for you, he told Sir Gawain, you have betrayed both me and the knighthood.
He slapped Gawain so strongly that the mark of his ring remained on Gawain's face.
Sir, Gawain said, I have betrayed you, but the injury you have given me makes us equal.
We are not equal.
Peleus fumed, for I injured only your cheek, but you have injured my heart.
I will answer to you for slapping you, but you will answer to me for your betrayal.
I stand ready to answer to you, Gawain promised.
Glancing at the lady attired in disgust, for she no longer wore the necklace, he turned to go.
Yes, go!
She mocked him.
But go with the mark of the greater knight on your face.
Look at Sir Peleus's face tomorrow.
Sir Gawain vowed angrily and see what mark I will have by then left there.
