Chapter 7
King Arthur was passing his days peacefully. One day, he was sitting in relaxed mood. He called one of his ministers and said to him, “Now there is peace and tranquility in my kingdom. My subjects are happy and contended. I have a mood to go out somewhere tomorrow morning.”
The minister joining both his palm with great reverence spoke out thus, “Your Highness! Why not take a ride in the forest? This time of the year is good for riding in the forest. If you order, I shall get ready your horse for tomorrow’s excursion.”
After thinking a while King Arthur said, “O dear, it is a good idea. A long time has elapsed since I saw the scenery and beauty of the forest. Get ready my men and horses. I will go riding in the forest tomorrow morning.”
Queen Guinevere who was sitting beside the King iterated that she too would accompany the King.
Next day, Queen Guinevere could not wake up on time. So, the King along with his men and horses left for the forest. Now there were only two horses left. So, Queen Guinevere took one of the maids with her. Both of them rode on their respective horses and headed for the forest. As the queen was on her way, she heard someone coming. She halted to see who he was. She looked back and saw that he was none other than Geraint, one of the knight of the Round Table. He was unarmed as he had been with the King who was going to the forest. Moreover, he was dressed for riding in the forest. All of a sudden, Queen Guinevere noticed a gold-handled sword at the side of Geraint seeing the queen the knight with both his palms joined in utter reverance bowed before her and welcomed her warmly.
The queen too greeted the knight gaily. After the greeting was over, the queen asked the knight, “How do you happen to be here? You must be with the King at this moment.”
The knight most respectfully replied, “Dear Queen! I got up late in the morning. The King had gone riding in the forest. I came to know that you too had gone riding in the forest. As you are alone here, I came here to protect you. That is all.”
Hearing the words of the knight the queen felt overjoyed. She said to the knight, “O dear, I respect your devotion and dedication to your duty. We need such knights in our army. Such knights as you scale great heights in their life. I am proud of you and your devotion.”
Soon the knight got along with the queen and her maid. They rode on and on until they arrived at a hut. They were very tired and thirsty. They halted there and rode off their respective horses. Then they drank water to quench their thirst. Thereupon they sat there to wait for the King. An hour passed but the King did not go past there. All of a sudden the queen chanced to see a sight which is worth mentioning. At far off distance she heard the sound of the hooves of the horses.
Lo and behold! A knight in full armour rode on a great war-horse. A richly dressed lady riding on a white stead was following him. Behind the lady, there rode a dwarf who had a violent, bearded face. He was quite ugly. One more strange thing was noticed. On the back of the dwarf there hung the knight’s shield. Even more astonishing to the eyes of the onlookers were his both hands. His left hand carried his master’s lance whereas his right hand carried a long whip. It was altogether an amazing sight to watch.
Now the queen questioned Geraint, “Can you tell me, O knight, who this knight is, who this lady is and who this dwarf is? Is he too the knight of the Round Table? Does he know King Arthur?”
Thus the queen rained an array of questions upon Geraint who got confused. With great humility he replied, “O dear queen! I can’t answer your any of the questions. I am unable to reply as I have not seen the face of the knight. Without seeing his face it is quite hard to tell who he is and whether he belongs to the Round Table or not.”
Thereupon the queen turned to her maid and stated, “You go and ask the dwarf who this knight is and who this fine lady is?”
The maid without any opposition went over to the dwarf and questioned him thus, “O dear, can you tell me who this knight is and who this fine lady is?”
The dwarf stood motionless and said nothing. The maid again repeated the question. Thereupon the dwarf hit her hard in the face with a stick. The maid soon returned to the queen and told her thus, “O dear queen! The dwarf is very rude and outrageous. He didn’t tell me anything about in spite of my repeated request. At last, he hit me hard in the face and chided me. He also warned me against showing my face to him again.
Hearing the words of the maid Geraint cried out in surprise. He stated thus, “How dare he hit you in the face? I go and see that dwarf. If the need arises, I shall teach him a lesson.”
Thus taking the permission of the queen Geraint went over to the dwarf. He spoke to the dwarf in a roaring voice, “Hey you! Can you tell me the name of this knight?”
The dwarf rudely told him, “It is none of your business. You have nothing to do with him. He too has nothing to do either with you or your name.”
Hearing the words of the dwarf Geraint flew into a rage. He uttered violently, “Hey you stupid fellow! Don’t you know who I am? I have spoken to greater man than your knight is. What does he think of himself. If you don’t tell me who he is, I will go and ask myself. I see who stops me from doing so.” Saying these words Geraint advanced a little bit in the direction of the knight.
But the dwarf was to alert. He roared violently, “Hey! Stop short or I shall hit you with this whip of mine.”
But Geraint, as brave he was kept on moving ahead with taking care of the dwarf’s jackal-threat. But the dwarf was not telling a lie. He lifted his whip and hit Geraint in the face with it. Geraint was mad in rage. He stated thus, “O dwarf! How dare you hit me? You are no match for me in bravery.”
Saying these words he took out his sword from the sheath. As he got ready to hit the dwarf with the sword, he realized that he would be immediately attacked by the knight if he killed the dwarf. So, he put the sword back in the sheath.
Seeing this the dwarf made fun of Geraint labelling him a coward. But Geraint did not lose his temper. He kept cool and thought, ‘I had better go after the knight. It is no point in measuring arms with him. Moreover, he has armour and I don’t have any. Wherever he goes, I will go. I am sure that sooner or later we shall reach some place where I can find armour and fight against him.” Thinking so he got ready to go after the knight.
The Queen too supported his viewpoint and observed, “Bravo! Go and kill this knight. If you are not able to kill him, then find out who this knight is and why he has come over here in this dense forest.”
Taking permission of the queen Geraint rode after the unknown knight, the lady and the dwarf never allowing himself to be seen, but always keeping them in sight. His horse ran with the speed of the wind. He rode on and on. He rode through fields, forests and rode over hills and across rivers. The journey was quite long. But he did lose heart. He kept his composure and rode on and on like a brave warrior. After two hours’ journey he reached a city. The city was very beautiful. There was a big temple on a hill. Beside the hill, there was a huge castle. Geraint was surprised a little bit. He dismounted his horse and looked around. He saw in the street of the city, men were washing armours, putting shoes on horses and sharpening swords and lance points. In fact, they all were making preparations for a joust. Geraint was an ace in the joust-competition.
After taking a stroll around the city he rode on his horse again and headed for the castle on the hill. It took him hardly half an hour to reach at the peak of the hill.
The castle was very big and huge. It was quite beautiful. The outside walls of the castle had some stones missing. The stones had fallen from the walls. The castle all around was tastefully decorated like a bride. The road to the castle was covered with grass. The door of the castle was broken and old.
All in all the castle seemed to be quite old. There were no guards outside to protect it from invaders. Geraint was somewhat bewildered. He dismounted his horse. He tethered the horse to a nearby tree. Then he approached the gigantic door of the castle. It was closed from inside. He knocked at the door but nobody appeared there. He again knocked at the door but again nobody answered. When he again tried to knock, an old man, all of a sudden, opened the door. From his appearance, he did not seem to be a doorman.
Geraint looked at the old man from head to toe. The old man was wearing the clothes of a knight or a prince. A sword was dangling by his side. He was tall broad and muscular. But his clothes were holes which had been covered by bits of cloth. Geraint was perplexed a lot. The sartorial sense of the old man suggested that he was a knight or belonged to a noble family. But his mannerism suggested something otherwise. All in all, Geraint was non-plussed having seen the old man.
Seeing Geraint in front of him the old man very humbly said to Geraint, “What brings you here O gentleman? May I be of any help to you?”
Hearing the words of the old man Geraint replied, “Sir, I have lost my way. I think I have come far-off from my place. So, I would like to stay here tonight if you permit so. Moreover, I am dead tired and hungry and thirsty. Would you offer me something to eat?”
The old man stated, “O son, I have a little bit to offer you. Whatever I have, we may equally share. You can stay here tonight. Feel at home and come inside.”
Thus the old man showed Geraint in. As soon as Geraint came inside, he saw an old woman sitting in one corner of the house. She was very-very old. Her clothes were torn from many sides. The old woman welcomes Geraint warmly and offered him a stool to sit on. Then, she called out to her daughter, “O dear, a guest has arrived. Please bring food for him. Bring drinks also as he is very thirsty as well.
Soon, a girl by the name Enid brought some food and drinks for the knight. Introducing her to Geraint the old man said, “O fine gentleman, she is Enid, my lovely daughter. In this big castle, she is our only support in our old age. She looks after us well. She has prepared food for you. Please take it and satisfy your hunger.”
Geraint looked at Enid from head to toe. She was exceedingly beautiful. Geraint had never seen such beautiful damsel before in his life. He was wonder struck. He had lost his heart to her. In fact, he had fallen in love with her. It was love at first sight. Although her face was pale and her clothes were torn and tattered like those of her parents yet she drew the attention of Geraint.
After Geraint had eaten his meal, he asked the old man, “Sir, please tell me whether this castle belongs to you or somebody else. It is very huge and big.”
The old man replied thus, “O son it is a very pathetic tale. We used to be two brothers. We had great love and respect for each other. My brother was blessed with a son. Just after his birth my brother died of pneumonia. Afterwards I brought up his only son with great care and love. As his son grew up, he fell into bad company. By the time he became an ad olescent, he was violent and outrageous. Many a time, he tried to drive me out of this castle. But I kept ground and did not lose heart. Sometime back, he waged a war on me. He took away all the things I had. Even the horses I had were snatched from me. That day onwards I have been living in this huge castle under acute poverty. There is none to help me.”
Hearing the pathetic tale of the old man Geraint’s eyes welled up. He became somewhat emotional. But he did not show his sentiments to the old man.
Geraint changed the topic and asked the old man, “Sir can you tell me who the knight is who entered the city last evening? With him there are a fine lady and a dwarf. The dwarf has a whip in his right hand and a lance in his left hand. I have been after them. But they have kept themselves hidden somewhere.”
The old man thought for a while and told thus, “Dear son, for your kind information the knight’s name is sir Edyrn. He is the friend of my brother’s son. He is his fast friend. A joust competition is going to be held tomorrow. So he has come here in this city to take part in it. The winner will be awarded a falcon of pure gold. He has been wining the competition for the last two consecutive years. None dares to stand before him. He is very skilful in the art of joust-wielding. I hope this year too he will win the joust competition. Thus he will again win the award of gold falcon.”
Hearing the words Geraint roared violently and observed, “Sir, this year he will not win the competition. I shall give him a tough fight for the award. I shall defeat the knight whose dwarf hit the queen’s maid and hit me too with his whip. But I am without armour and arms. How will I fight against him?”
The old man went inside a store-room and brought an armour and some arms. He gladly gave them to Geraint who felt extremely happy. But the old man warned Geraint saying, “Dear son, tomorrow’s joust needs more than armour and arms. There is one condition attached to the joust competition. Whosoever fights this joust must do so for the lady whom he loves. Can you find the lady whom you love? If you fail to do so, you won’t be able to take part in the competition.”
Hearing the words of the old man Geraint thought coolly for some time. Thereafter he observed, “Sir, if you don’t mind, I would like to tell you something.”
The old man spoke out, “O dear son, you are like my own son. So, say without any hesitation. I won’t mind it.”
Thus Geraint uttered, “If I may do so, I shall fight for your beautiful daughter, Enid. I shall make her my life-partner and be her husband as long as I live. For this, I need your kind permission and your daughter’s approval.”
The old man readily agreed to what Geraint had asked to do. Enid too happily accepted the proposal of Geraint. In fact, she had fallen in love with him. But she did not let it be known to her father lest he should scold her and marry her off to somebody else. Throughout her life, she had never seen a nobler or more handsome brave knight that Geraint.
Next day, no sooner did the sun rise above the horizon than the old man gave some beautiful but very old armour to Geraint. He also handed over some arms to him. After getting the things Geraint felt overjoyed. Accompanied by the old man and Enid Geraint headed for the jousting field. Reaching the field Geraint saw that Sir Edyrn was already present there. He was among the crowd. Seeing Geraint he spoke out in a loud voice, “O onlookers! All of you know that I have been winning this competition for the last two consecutive years. My lady is finer, more beautiful than anybody else’s. This year too I am going to be the winner without any fail. None has the strength and courage to face my wrath.”
Hearing the words of Sir Edyrn Geraint too roared loudly and uttered, “Hey man! Look here. My lady is sweeter and more beautiful than his. Today’s joust competition will be mine. I shall be presented with the gold falcon.”
Hearing the words of Geraint Sir Edyrn flew into a rage. He was mad like a bull in a bull fighting game. He rode at Geraint and slashed his lance through the helmet of Geraint who fell off his horse. Now Geraint was filled with anger. He humped onto his horse and rode at Sir Edyrn. He let his spear go through Sir Edyrn’s shield and Sir Edyrn fell off his horse. People began to cheer the bravery of Geraine. In his next move, Geraine got off his horse and took out his swords. Then he marched towards the falling Sir Edyrn. In the meantime, Sir Edyrn got up and was ready to defend himself. He too took out his sword. Both fell upon each other like two hungry lions. A fierce battle ensued between the two. It was hard to tell who would win the contest. At last Geraint with a quick move of his sword let his sword pierce through the shield of Sir Edyrn. His shield broke in two. Sir Edyrn was without a sword. He was now unarmed. In his next move, Geraint got ready to kill Sir Edyrn there and then. But Sir Edyrn fell at Geraint’s feet and begged his forgiveness.
Geraint rebuked him and uttered, “There is no use asking my forgiveness. Go and ask the queen’s forgiveness whom your dwarf has insulted. Don’t you know she is the queen? You kept on standing and seeing your dwarf’s misconduct towards the queen’s maid. Why should I spare the life of a knight who is so proud that he insults the queen?”
“But I admit my fault,” pleaded the knight, who was filled with fear at the thought of being killed.
Geraint further remarked, “I won’t kill you if you go to Queen Guinevere and ask her to forgive you. If she forgives you, you shall live on.”
As none of the other warriors were prepared to fight against Geraint he was presented with the gold falcon. The old man and Enid were all praise for Geraint. The spectators too cheered him saying, “long life Geraint!”
Back in the palace of King Arthur, the queen had returned from the forest. After some time, Arthur too had returned from the forest. The queen told King Arthur about everything that happened in the forest—how the knight’s dwarf insulted her maid, how the dwarf hit Geraint in the face with his whip. She further remarked, “Your Highness! Geraint has gone after the knight to teach him a lesson.”
Next evening, a messenger came up to the King’s chamber. With both his palms joined in utter reverence he remarked, “Your Highness! A knight has ridden up to the castle. His shield is broken and he is badly wounded. His helmet is cut in two. It is quite hard for him to sit on his horse. He wants to meet the queen at this very moment. He is in a very pitiable condition.”
The King accompanied by the queen went out to meet the knight. The knight was none other than Sir Edyrn. Having seen the queen the knight lay prostrate at her feet. He begged her forgiveness. He uttered, “O queen! I have been badly defeated by Geraint, the brave. He has sent me here to seek your forgiveness. He says that he will spare my life provided you forgive me. Now my life is at your mercy. I admit all my fault. Please forgive me. It is said—do good and forget.”
Then he turned to the King and stated, “Your Majesty! Geraint is very brave. You have got a very courageous warrior in the Round Table. Blessed are you and your queen.”
Hearing the words of Sir Edyrn Queen Guinevere replied, “I forgive you, O knight. You are free today. Now Geraint will no longer kill you.” Saying these words she called some men who took the wounded knight into the castle. The morning after the joust-competition was over. Geraint went back to the old man and said, “Sir, I seek your permission. I must go back to Camelot and meet the King and the queen. They must be waiting for me. I would like to take Enid along with me.”
The old man was overjoyed. But soon he became sad. When Geraint asked him the reason for his sadness, he replied, “But Enid has not any beautiful clothes. How will your queen accept her?”
Geraint stated, “Appearances are often deceptive. Never judge a book by its cover, likewise we should judge a person not from his appearance but from his inner qualities.” So Geraint and Enid rode back to Camelot. They were indeed very happy.
It was evening. As soon as Queen Guinevere looked out of the window and saw Geraint, she came rushing out of the castle. She was accompanied by her two maids. She brought both of them inside the palace. Once inside, she said, “Thank you, Sir Geraint, for what you have done. Had it not been your true valour, we would not been able to teach Sir Edyrn a bitter lesson.”
Saying so the queen took Enid’s hand and led her to her room and gave her one of her own dresses. After wearing the dress, Enid looked all the more beautiful. Whosoever saw her exclaimed in surprise, “She is the most gracious lady we have ever seen.”
Thus Geraint and Enid were married with stately pomp and show. The old man got back all that he had lost. So far as his brother’s son was concerned, he was exiled by King Arthur.
