Chapter 2 How King Arthur Came Across Four Knights in the Forest and How the Knights Served the Lady Guinevere.
While waiting for Mordaunt to recover, Arthur decided to take a ride into the forest.
There he found a knight singing to three ladies in a tower.
When he got closer, Arthur realized that the performer was none other than Sir Geraint, one of the knights he had brought with him to Camelliard.
Geraint however, didn't recognize Arthur and therefore challenged him to a friendly contest of skill.
In fact, he bet Arthur that the ladies watching were more beautiful than Arthur's lady.
Telling Geraint that his own lady was the most beautiful in the world.
Arthur accepted the challenge.
The men agreed that whoever won would serve the other's lady or in Gerund's case, ladies for seven days.
Gerund was a skilled knight, but was of course no match for the great King Arthur and was quickly overthrown.
Arthur helped the surprised knight to his feet.
He told him to make his way to Guinevere.
He should tell her that he had been overthrown by the knight to whom she had given her pearl necklace.
Gerund, who was a man of his word, obeyed.
As Arthur continued to make his way through the forest, he also encountered the three other knights he had brought with him.
Gawain and Ewayne were together, and Serpelius was last.
Just like Gerund, all three knights challenged the man whom they did not recognize as their king to contests of knightly skill.
And, just like Geraint, all three of the knights performed nobly but were overthrown and sent on their way to Guinevere.
All were sent with that same message that they had been defeated in her honor by the knight to whom she had given her pearl necklace.
When the four knights arrived at Camilliard and realized that each had suffered the same fate at the hands of the white knight, they were so embarrassed that they could hardly look at one another.
However, when Guinevere saw the four knights whom her mystery knight had defeated, she beamed with pride and pleasure that she had given a token of affection to such a great man.
With his magic cap back on and his borrowed white horse and armor safely hidden in the forest, Arthur returned to Camilliard.
There he found himself in trouble.
His boss, the head gardener, was angry at Arthur for disappearing when there was work to be done.
Grabbing Arthur by the collar.
He scolded him and threatened to hit him with the stick he was holding.
Arthur's royal spirit surged up within him and he roughly pushed the head gardener away and took the stick away from him.
The head gardener went straight to the Lady Guinevere to complain.
Guinevere seemed less angry than amused.
Secretly, she was thinking it very strange that when the white champion was around, the gardener boy was not, and when the gardener boy returned, the white champion was missing once more.
She wasn't certain, but she thought it too great a coincidence that the gardener boy and the white knight had arrived in the kingdom at the same time.
She wondered if they might not be the same man.
Let him be, she said, smiling.
She would stop smiling soon.
The next day, Duke Mordant of North Umber returned.
Having recovered from his first round with a white champion, he was back with new demands.
It was a mere accident, a stroke of bad luck, he said, that he was defeated before.
Tomorrow he would come back with six knights for a new challenge.
King Leodogrance could also bring seven knights to compete, and if Leodogrance's knights won, Mordant would give up his demands.
If Leodogrance's knights lost, however—
Not only Guinevere, but all of Leodogrance's kingdom would be his.
King Leodogrance didn't know what to do.
Even if he knew where to reach the white champion, there were no other knights to help him.
Surely he alone would be no match against Mordor and six other men.
Guinevere, who was passing nearby and overheard.
Her father called her four knights to her and asked them to accept Duke Mordaunt's challenge.
To her surprise, Sir Gawain refused.
"'We are pledged into your service,' he said rudely.
"'Not your father's.
We have no argument with Duke Mordaunt.
Finally, we serve King Arthur and can only take on such fights upon his order'.
The Lady Guinevere blushed angrily.
Perhaps you are afraid to fight Duke Mordul, she suggested.
Now it was Gawain's turn to blush with anger.
You are lucky you are a woman, he said in a low voice before turning and walking away.
Guinevere walked away as well, and yet on her way back to her castle, she bumped into someone.
It was the head gardener, and he had a message.
My boy, he explained in an amazed daze, has taken his disrespect to an even greater level.
Now he has dared to send me to you with a command.
A command?
Guinevere asked.
To me?
From the gardener boy?
Taking a pearl necklace out of his pocket, the head gardener nodded.
Yes.
Yes.
Asking me to give this necklace to you.
He commands that you prepare him a grand feast and then send the four knights to serve him on silver plates.
The head gardener shook his head.
Surely you will punish him now.
But Guinevere recognized the pearl necklace as the one she had given the white champion.
No, she said again.
I shall do as he asks.
Sir Gawain was angry.
"'She is punishing us,' he told the other knights angrily, for refusing her earlier request.
'Very well, we will do as she asks, but once we start serving the gardener boy, we will no longer be in her service.
Our promise to serve her will have been moved, by her own action, to him.'
To the knight's surprise, the gardener boy seemed quite comfortable around them.
Far from seeming frightened, he acted almost as if he thought himself better than them.
In fact, once he was finished eating, he leaned back and comfortably gave them another command.
He told them they were to clothe themselves in complete armor and to ride behind him into battle.
If you don't watch out, Gawain warned, you're going to get it.
The gardener boy merely smiled.
I don't think so, he said.
And with that, he pulled off the magical cap, revealing his true identity.
The four knights laughed aloud and kneeled down before their king.
After a few minutes, however, they got up.
They had a battle to get to.
