The Story of King Arthur and His Knights

Queen Guinevere holds a May party for knights and ladies of the court. They walk around the field looking at flowers, and a damsel in blue with three pages rides up to them. Guinevere has Sir Pellias greet the damsel, who introduces herself as Parcenet. Parcenet tells Guinevere that her mistress, Lady Ettard, sent her to find out if Ettard or Guinevere was more beautiful. One of Parcenet’s pages reveals a painting of Ettard, and Guinevere agrees with Parcenet that Ettard is more beautiful. Pellias believes Guinevere is more beautiful, and offers to fight Ettard’s champion, Sir Engamore, over this belief. Guinevere grants permission and has one of her pages fetch a horse for Pellias, who plans to find armor along the way.

Pellias rides off with Parcenet and her pages. They chat, and Parcenet admits she wants a knight like him to fight for her. Pellias jokes about there being many knights like him at Camelot. They stay at an inn near the Forest of Usk that night and enter the forest in the morning. After riding for a while, they arrive in Arroy, or the Forest of Adventure. There, they find an old woman who asks for help crossing a stream. Pellias carries her on his horse, and when they reach the other side, she jumps off the horse and transforms into a beautiful young woman.

The narrator identifies the young woman as Nymue, the Lady of the Lake. Pellias kneels before her, but she has him stand, then introduces herself. Nymue gives Pellias her magic necklace and vanishes. Pellias, Parcenet, and her pages ride off, amazed. The narrator reveals the power of the necklace, which Pellias is unaware of: it makes everyone who sees the wearer love them.

The party rides on until they find some charcoal burners (woodcutters making charcoal), and then they stop to rest and eat. A lady and her squire (Ponteferet) arrive, crying and disheveled. Pellias offers to help her, but she does not think he can help without armor or weapons. He convinces her to have some of their picnic food, and she tells Pellias that her husband, Sir Brandemere, took her hunting earlier that morning. During the hunt, they came to a castle next to a stream, and a knight dressed all in red said they could not cross the bridge for their hunting dog unless they defeated him first. Despite not wearing armor, her husband agreed to fight. The red knight struck Brandemere on the head, and he fell off his horse. The red knight took the unconscious Brandemere into the castle, closing the portcullis and drawbridge behind them. Pellias asks her to take him to the castle, but she hesitates because of Pellias’s lack of armor. Parcenet and Ponteferet agree with the damsel, but Pellias insists on helping so they all ride to the red knight’s castle.

When they arrive, Pellias rides to the bridge, and the red knight comes out to meet him. Pellias asks about Brandemere, and the red knight demands that Pellias, unarmed, surrender himself. When the knight says he will attack an unarmed man, Pellias throws a huge rock at him, which knocks him out. Pellias takes off the red knight’s helmet, grabs the red knight’s dagger, and positions it at the red knight’s throat. When he comes to, Pellias demands to know the knight’s name, which he reveals is Sir Adresack of the Seven Towers. Adresack also reveals that Brandemere is not seriously injured, and he has 21 prisoners in his castle. Pellias orders Adresack to give up his armor, go to Camelot and tell the queen what happened, and beg for King Arthur’s mercy. Adresack agrees, and Ponteferet puts Adresack’s red armor on Pellias.

They go into the castle and, in the dungeon, Brandemere and his wife are reunited. Pellias frees the other captives, and Adresack rides off to Camelot. When Pellias divides Adresack’s treasure among the prisoners and takes none for himself, the former prisoners vow to serve Pellias. Brandemere invites everyone to his castle, where they relax and celebrate for three days. On the fourth day, Pellias rides out with Parcenet, her pages, and several freed prisoners: Sir Brandiles and Sir Mador de la Porte, from Arthur’s court.

They ride through the forest until they arrive at Lady Ettard’s castle Grantmesnle. The knights set up pavilions in a nearby glade of trees, and Pellias sends Parcenet to tell Ettard to send forth a champion the next day to fight him over who is more beautiful: Guinevere or Ettard. The following day, Pellias rides in front of the castle in red armor, calling for Ettard’s champion. Sir Engamore, the Knight of the Green Sleeves, comes out, and they introduce themselves. A crowd gathers as the knights prepare to joust. Engamore’s spear breaks, and Pellias throws him from his horse, knocking him unconscious. When Engamore comes to, he demands that Pellias fight him with swords, but Pellias refuses, and Engamore begins crying. The other knights from Arthur’s court try to comfort Engamore, but he is distraught. Lady Ettard comes out, and Pellias takes off his helmet to greet her. She is more beautiful than her painting, and Pellias kneels before her, apologizing for riding against her. The magical necklace from the Lady of the Lake causes Ettard to forgive Pellias immediately. She invites him and the other knights from Arthur’s court inside her castle for refreshments. At the feast, Engamore is sad that Ettard now favors Pellias.

Ettard asks Pellias to stay with her when the other knights go back to their pavilion. They have a private dinner, served by Parcenet, with harps and singing. Pellias asks if there is anything he can do for her, and Ettard asks for his necklace. Pellias refuses to give it to her and tells her about the Lady of the Lake. When she asks to only borrow it for a short time, Pellias agrees. While she wears the necklace, its magic switches to make her loveable; she is no longer enamored of Pellias and secretly plots her revenge on him.

Ettard orders Parcenet to bring a sleeping potion in a chalice of wine. Pellias, enchanted by the necklace, does not see Parcenet signal to him to not drink the wine. He falls asleep, and Ettard has her men lay him on a mattress outside in the field where he defeated Engamore, in his underwear. Parcenet brings him a cloak and returns to the castle. Pellias, deeply ashamed, goes to the pavilion, and the other knights offer to make Ettard apologize for her actions using force. Pellias still believes he loves Ettard because of the necklace and rejects their offer.

After lying in bed for most of the day, Pellias has his squire help him into armor and heads towards the castle, hoping to see Ettard. When he gets to the castle, Ettard sends six knights to fight him. Pellias unhorses four of them and surrenders to the last two, asking to see Ettard. She refuses to see him and has him tied to his horse and sent back to the pavilions. Pellias verbally lashes out at the knights, raging due to the spell of the necklace.

The narrator discusses a history of disagreements between Guinevere and Gawaine. One day, Sir Gawaine, Sir Griflet, Sir Constantine, and five ladies of the Queen’s court talk and entertain each other in the garden under Guinevere’s tower. They do not realize she sits above them listening. Guinevere’s dog comes running into the garden and gets his muddy paws on Gawaine’s clothes. Gawaine hits the dog, and Guinevere condemns this action, yelling from her window. They argue, and Guinevere exiles him from her Court.

When Ewaine hears that Gawaine is banished, he condemns Gawaine’s action, but offers to go with him. Ewaine tells Arthur about his decision to go with Gawaine, and Arthur upholds Guinevere’s decision, but is sad to see Ewaine leave. Ewaine and Gawaine ride all day until they come to a valley. There, they stay at an abbey for the night. The abbot tells them about a nearby adventure.

In the morning, they follow the abbot’s directions and come to a castle. In front of it, a sycamore tree holds a sable shield that seven damsels insult and deface. A knight wearing all black sits nearby on a black horse. Gawaine and Ewaine argue over who should approach the knight, and Gawaine wins the argument. When he rides towards the knight, the damsels scatter. The knight condemns how Gawaine treats the damsels, they argue, and decide to fight.

The knight in black takes his shield out of the tree and a crowd gathers. They joust, Gawaine’s spear breaks, and he is unhorsed. They continue the fight on foot until Ewaine stops them, condemning Gawaine’s actions. The knight invites them to his pavilion, and introduces himself as Sir Marhaus, the son of the King of Ireland. Gawaine tells Marhaus about the quarrel with Guinevere and banishment from Camelot. Marhaus explains he had to overthrow seven knights in order to escape the seven damsels assaulting his shield, and since Gawaine was the seventh knight, he is now free. He tells them how he ended up having to defend those damsels:

Marhaus traveled in holiday clothes to a bridge that was only wide enough for one person. Another knight with a damsel and Marhaus crossed the bridge from opposite sides and argued over who had the right of way. Marhaus tossed both the knight and his damsel into the water below. The damsel asked for assistance, since her knight would drown, being clad in armor. Marhaus dove into the water and pulled them to shore. The damsel condemned Marhaus’s actions, and he asked her for penance. She made Marhaus put his shield in the tree and sent her damsels to assault it until he overcame seven knights.

Gawaine and Ewaine spend the night in Marhaus’s pavilion, and they ride out into the forest together the next morning. They end up in Arroy, the Forest of Adventure, and follow a white fawn with a gold collar, which leads them to Nymue, the Lady of the Lake. She introduces herself, tells them that Marhaus will become a Knight of the Round Table, and offers Gawaine an adventure.

Nymue rides behind Gawaine on his horse and leads them out of the forest to a plain with a red castle. They watch a knight in red (Pellias) fight 10 knights in front of the castle. He defeats all but two of them, then surrenders. They see Ettard commanding the knights from the castle wall to bind Pellias to his horse and send him away. Nymue tells Gawaine that this is his adventure and vanishes.

Gawaine, Ewaine, and Marhaus go to see why Pellias surrendered. Gawaine and Ewaine recognize Sir Brandiles and Sir Mador de la Porte, and introduce Marhaus to them. While they share a meal, Gawaine asks about the red knight. Sir Mador de la Porte leads Gawaine to Pellias, and Gawaine, recognizing Pellias, condemns his actions.

After Pellias tells Gawaine about his adventure, Gawaine believes Pellias is under an enchantment and offers to help him. Their squires put Pellias’s armor on Gawaine, and he rides to the castle. At the wall, he tells Lady Ettard that he defeated Pellias and took his armor. Ettard welcomes Gawaine into Castle Grantmesnle, but Gawaine will not tell her his name. The necklace enchants him, and he agrees to stay and feast with her. Engamore becomes jealous that Ettard pays attention to Gawaine, and hides in his chamber. Ettard and Gawaine walk around the castle until dinner, and then they feast. Since he is banished from Camelot, Gawaine considers staying with Ettard as her champion.

Meanwhile, Pellias becomes concerned that Ettard will enchant Gawaine, so he disguises himself as a friar and enters the castle after dark. Pellias claims to have a message for Gawaine, and when he is admitted to Ettard’s antechamber, he hides behind a curtain. There, he sees that Gawaine has betrayed him, and reveals himself. Ettard claims to have been betrayed, and Gawaine is speechless. Pellias takes the necklace from Ettard, slaps Gawaine, and leaves.

Without the necklace, Gawaine hates Ettard. She says Pellias is a better knight than Gawaine, and Gawaine says to watch them fight outside tomorrow to see who is better. Back at the pavilions of Arthur’s knights, Gawaine refuses to go inside where the others can see the mark of Pellias’s slap, and instead paces outside all night.

The next day, Gawaine’s squire takes Gawaine’s glove to Pellias as a challenge to fight. Pellias agrees to fight after breakfast. Ewaine, Marhaus, Brandiles, and Mador de la Porte visit Pellias during breakfast, trying to resolve the quarrel, but they cannot convince Pellias not to fight Gawaine. A crowd gathers, and Pellias wearing the necklace enchants Ettard, making her hope he is the winner. Gawaine and Pellias joust, Gawaine’s spear breaks, and he is thrown violently to the ground. The knights gather around Gawaine, take off his helmet, and think he might be dead. Pellias says Gawaine got what he deserved, and Ewaine threatens him, so Pellias rides off into the forest.

Once apart from the others, Pellias collapses from a serious injury Gawaine gave him in the fight. While out flying her pet bird, Parcenet and a dwarf, Gansaret, hear Pellias’s moans and ride to him. Gansaret leads them to the chapel of a hermit, where Arthur was healed previously. The hermit agrees to treat Pellias; Parcenet and Gansaret head back to their castle. The hermit believes Pellias will die and begins to prepare the last sacrament. The Lady of the Lake appears, takes her necklace off of Pellias, and tells the hermit she will heal him with magic. After the hermit leaves the room, Nymue uses a loadstone to remove the spear-point from Pellias’s side, staunches his blood with a spell, and gives him a potion to drink. When Pellias comes to, Nymue tells him where he is, and he replies that he feels different. She explains that the potion made him half-fay, half-human. Pellias, in love with Nymue, asks to live with her. She agrees but makes him drink some water first. After he feels refreshed, he says he owes his life to her, and asks to be her knight. She agrees. He then asks to kiss her, she consents, and they kiss.

Meanwhile, Parcenet runs into Mador de la Porte in the forest, and tells him that Pellias is terribly wounded at the hermit’s chapel. Mador de la Porte tells the other knights this news, and Gawaine rides off to the hermit’s chapel. There, the hermit tells him a lady in green healed Pellias with magic and they rode off together towards the west. Gawaine rides after them, follows a blue light in the dark forest, and eventually finds himself in the land of fay. Near the lake, he meets Pellias and Nymue. Gawaine begs for forgiveness, and Pellias forgives him, but will not touch him now that he is part fay. Pellias asks Gawaine to make peace with Guinevere, while he goes to live in the hidden city on the lake, Avalon. After Pellias and Nymue disappear, Gawaine keeps his promise to Pellias and makes peace with Guinevere.

The narrator mentions that Sir Marhaus became a Knight of the Round Table, and the Lady Ettard marries Sir Engamore.