Stories of King Arthur's Knights, Told to the Children Part 8

It was a knight, and he was armed in black armour, and his name was 'the Knight of the Black Land.'

Lynette saw the knight. 'Flee down the valley, before the Black Knight saddles his horse,' she called to Gareth. But she knew that even the Black Knight would not frighten her kitchen-knave.

The Black Knight saddled his horse and rode up to them. 'Is this your knight, and has he come to fight me?' he asked Lynette.

'He is only a kitchen-boy, he is no knight of mine,' Lynette answered. And in a cruel voice she added, 'I wish you could slay him and take him out of my way; but he does wonderful deeds with his sword, and has just slain two knights.'

'If he is no knight, I will take his horse and armour, and let him go. It would be a shame to take his life,' said the Black Knight.

Gareth was very angry when he heard this. 'I am on my way to Castle Dangerous, and I mean to reach it,' he said to the Black Knight.

'And as for my horse and armour, you cannot have them unless you take them from me in fair fight.'

Then they began to fight on foot, and the Black Knight wounded Gareth, but Gareth smote him with such strength, that his sword cut through the knight's armour, and then the Black Knight fell to the ground and died. This was the fiercest fight Gareth had ever fought, and it lasted for an hour and a half.

Once more Gareth went back to Lynette a conqueror, but still she cried, 'Do not come near me, kitchen-knave. You have slain a n.o.ble knight. Let me ride on alone.'

'Whatever happens I will follow you till we reach the Lady Lyonors,' said Gareth.

They were coming near to Castle Dangerous now, but before they reached it, a knight dressed all in green stopped them.

And Gareth fought the Green Knight too. But when he had struck him to the ground, the Green Knight begged Gareth to spare his life.

'It is useless to ask me to spare your life, for you shall die, unless the Lady Lynette asks me to set you free,' said Gareth. And he began to undo the helmet of the Green Knight, as if he meant to slay him.

'I will never ask a favour of a kitchen-page,' said Lynette haughtily. 'I will never ask you to spare the Green Knight's life.'

'Spare my life,' entreated the Green Knight, 'and I and my thirty followers will serve you for ever.'

'It is useless for you to ask me,' repeated Gareth. 'Only the Lady Lynette can save your life.' And again he lifted his sword, as if to slay the Green Knight.

'You will not slay him, for if you do, you will be sorry,'

stammered Lynette, as she saw Gareth's sword coming down to kill the knight.

Gareth heard Lynette's voice, and at once put away his sword, and gave the Green Knight his freedom.

In his grat.i.tude the knight persuaded Gareth and Lynette to stay with him that night, 'and in the morning I will help you to reach Castle Dangerous,' he said.

That evening at supper-time, Lynette again mocked Gareth. He had never asked her to be more gentle to him, but now he said, 'Mock me no more, for in spite of all your taunts I have killed many knights, and cleared the forests of the King's enemies.'

Now Lynette had begun to feel ashamed of her unkindness, and as she listened to Gareth, and thought how loyally he had served her, she felt sorry that she had been so unkind. And she asked Gareth to forgive her for being so rude.

'I forgive you with all my heart,' said Gareth, and at last they rode on happily side by side.

Then Gareth sent his dwarf on in front to tell Lynette's sister that they were near her castle. And the Lady Lyonors asked the dwarf a great many questions about his master.

'He is a n.o.ble knight and a kind master,' said the dwarf; and he told the lady of all the adventures they had met on their way to her castle. And Lyonors longed to see the knight who had fought so often and so bravely to reach her.

And now there was only the Red Knight between Gareth and the Lady Lyonors.

On the great tree, outside the castle, Gareth saw hanging the bodies of forty knights, with their shields round their necks and their spurs on their heels. As he looked at this terrible sight, Gareth was afraid.

Then Lynette reminded him of all his victories, and of how even the Black Knight had yielded to him. But what encouraged Gareth more than all Lynette said was that, when he looked up to the castle, he saw a beautiful lady at one of the windows. She smiled and waved her hands to him, and he knew that this was the Lady Lyonors. Then all his courage came back.

'This is the fairest lady I have ever seen,' thought Gareth. 'I ask nothing better than to be allowed to do battle for her, and win her from the Red Knight.'

Outside the castle, hanging on a sycamore tree, was a great horn, made of an elephant's bone, and whoever wished to fight the Red Knight must blow this horn.

Gareth looked again at the window where Lyonors still watched, and hesitating no longer, blew the horn so piercingly and so long, that he woke all the echoes of the wood.

Then the Knight of the Red Lands armed himself in great haste, and his barons brought him a red spear, and a steed covered with red silk. And the Red Knight rode proudly down into the valley, to slay Gareth, as he had slain the other forty knights.

'Do not look any longer at the castle window,' said the Red Knight roughly to Gareth. 'The Lady Lyonors is mine. I have fought many battles for her.'

'I know that the Lady Lyonors does not love you nor your ways, for they are cruel,' said Gareth, 'and I will rescue her from you, or die.'

'Look at the dead knights on those trees, and beware,' said the Red Knight, 'or soon I will hang your body beside theirs.'

'That is a sight that makes me only more anxious to fight,' said Gareth, 'for you break the rules of all true knights by your cruelty.'

'Talk no more,' said the Red Knight, 'but get ready for the combat.'

Then Gareth told Lynette to go further off, to a place of safety.

And the two knights smote each other so fiercely in the front of their shields that they both fell off their horses, still holding the reins in their hands. And they lay stunned on the ground so long, that those who were watching from the castle thought their necks were broken.

But after a time, leaving their horses, they fought on foot. And the battle was so rough that great pieces of their shields and armour were knocked off, and left lying on the field.

And they fought till twelve o'clock. But by that time they were so worn out that they staggered about, scarcely knowing where they went, and their wounds bled so much that they were faint.

They fought till evening, and then they both agreed to rest for a little while.

Then Gareth took off his helmet, and looked up to the castle window. And when he saw the Lady Lyonors looking down at him, with great kindness in her eyes, his heart felt all at once light and glad.

And her kindness made him strong, and he started up quickly and called to the Red Knight to fight, 'and this time to the death,'

said Gareth.

In his fury the Red Knight knocked the sword out of Gareth's hand, and before he could get it again, he gave him such a blow on his helmet that Gareth stumbled and fell to the ground.

Then Lynette called out, 'O Gareth, have you lost your courage? My sister weeps and breaks her heart, because her true knight has fallen.'

When Gareth heard that, he got up, and with a great effort leaped to where his sword lay, and caught it in his hand, and began to fight as if he fought a new battle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LADY LYONORS

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And his strokes fell so quickly on his foe, that the Red Knight lost his sword and fell to the ground, and Gareth threw himself on him to slay him. But the knight begged piteously for his life.

'Go to the castle and yield your homage to the Lady Lyonors,' said Gareth. 'And if she is willing to pardon you, you are free, after you restore the lands and castles you have taken from her.'