The Death of King Arthur (24 page)

‘What do you want from me?'

‘I will make that clear once you have accompanied me.'

‘Well,' he said, ‘I will gladly go with you.'

Lancelot ordered his squire to saddle his horse and to bring his armour. Then Guinevere came over to him. ‘Will you leave us, sir, at the time of our high feast?'

The lady answered for him. ‘Madam,' she said, ‘Lancelot will have returned here by the time of tomorrow's dinner.'

‘If I thought that you were misleading me,' the queen said, ‘I would not allow him to leave with you.'

‘You have my word, good queen.'

Lancelot left the court, and rode with the lady until they came to a great forest. Within this forest there was a valley. On the side of this valley there was a convent of nuns. They rode into its forecourt, and were greeted by many who flocked around Lancelot. He was led into the chamber of the abbess, and there he disarmed. Then he became aware of two knights sleeping upon a bed; they were his cousins, Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, and he roused them with the handle of his sword. They were delighted to see him, and jumped down from the bed. ‘Sir,' Bors said to him, ‘what adventure has brought you here? We were expecting to see you at Camelot tomorrow.'

‘A gentlewoman has brought me here,' Lancelot replied. ‘I do not know the reason yet.'

As they talked there came into the chamber twelve nuns, leading with them a young man of great beauty and noble bearing. This was Galahad. ‘Sir,' they said to Lancelot, ‘we bring you here this young man whom we have nourished and brought up.' All of them were now in tears. ‘We request that you make him a knight. No one is worthier of that honour.'

Sir Lancelot gazed upon him, and recognized at once that he was a man of grace and goodness. He was as demure and as seemly as a dove. The knight had never seen a fairer form or a finer face. ‘Is this what he also desires?' he asked the nuns.

‘He does so desire.'

‘Then shall he receive the Order of Knighthood on the feast of Pentecost.'

On the following morning, then, at the hour of prime, Galahad was dubbed a knight. ‘God make you a good man,' Lancelot said to him, ‘for He has given you a good face. Now, fair sir, will you come with me to the court of King Arthur?'

‘Not at this time,' he replied. ‘I am not ready.'

Lancelot left the convent with his two cousins, and they rode back to Camelot. The king and queen were delighted to see Sir Bors and Sir Lionel again, and the whole fellowship of the Round Table proceeded to the minster, where they heard mass. When they returned from the service, the knights noticed at once that there were letters of gold written on some of the seats of the Round Table. One of them stated that HERE OUGHT TO SIT HE, while another had the words HE OUGHT TO SIT HERE. On the Perilous Seat was written: THIS SEAT WILL BE FILLED FOUR HUNDRED WINTERS AND FOUR AND FIFTY ACCOMPLISHED AFTER THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

The knights looked at the writing in wonder, at first not understanding its meaning; but they all agreed that it was a marvel. ‘In the name of God,' Lancelot said, ‘this is the four hundred and fifty-fourth year after the Passion. These letters tell us that this seat is to be filled today. It is best to cover them until the chosen knight comes to us.' So a cloth of silk was draped over the Perilous Seat to conceal the golden sentence.

The king then invited them to the feast. ‘Sir,' Kay said to him, ‘if you go to your meat now, you will be breaking your own tradition. In the old days you never used to dine until you had seen an adventure.'

‘True enough,' Arthur replied. ‘I was so cheered by the arrival of Lancelot and his cousins that I quite forgot the old custom.'

At that moment a squire came into the hall and addressed the king. ‘Sire, I bring you marvellous news.'

‘What is it?'

‘In the river below the castle, a great stone is being swept along with a sword embedded in it.'

‘I must see this marvel,' the king said. ‘It is what we awaited.' The king and all his knights went down to the riverside. There was the stone, floating on the waters, pierced by a sword that was richly decorated with rare jewels. Letters of gold were also engraved upon it. NO MAN BUT ONE SHALL REMOVE ME. HE WILL BE THE ONE THAT IS MOST WORTHY TO BEAR ME. FOR HE SHALL BE THE BEST KNIGHT IN THE WORLD.

When the king read these sentences, he turned to Lancelot. ‘Fair sir, surely you are the one to take up this sword? You are the best knight in the world.'

Lancelot answered him solemnly. ‘This sword is not mine, sir. It does not belong to me. Anyone who tries, and fails, to remove it will regret the attempt. He will receive a wound from this sword that will never heal. I know the signs. On this day the adventure of the Holy Grail will begin.'

‘Now, good nephew,' the king said to Sir Gawain, ‘will you try to remove it?'

‘Sir,' he replied, ‘I would rather not.'

‘For the love of me, attempt the task.'

Gawain took hold of the sword, but by no means could he release it from the stone.

‘I thank you,' the king said.

Then Lancelot went up to Gawain. ‘You should know this. This sword will touch you so sorely that you would rather have given up the best castle in the kingdom than to have tested it.'

‘Sir,' Gawain replied, ‘I could not withstand my uncle's will.'

Then Arthur approached Sir Percival. ‘Sir,' he said to him, ‘will you test your strength?'

‘Gladly, my king.' Sir Percival was happy to be given the chance. But he could not move the sword. After that, no other knight dared to set his hands upon it.

‘Now we may all go into dinner,' Sir Kay said. ‘We have seen our adventure.'

They settled down to eat, and were served by the younger knights. All the seats were taken, except for the Perilous Seat. After the meal was over, there was a further marvel. The doors and windows of the palace shut of their own accord. Yet the hall was still filled with light. They fell silent, and the king was first to speak. ‘We have seen wonders, my lords, and I am sure that before night we will see further miracles.'

An old man, dressed all in white, walked into the hall. No one knew from where he had come. With him was a young knight clad in red armour, with an empty scabbard hanging by his side. He had no sword or shield. The old man called out, ‘Peace be with you all, fair lords!' Then he spoke to King Arthur. ‘Sire, I bring with me a young knight of royal blood. He springs from the lineage of Joseph of Arimathea. He will accomplish such marvels that he will win undying fame for you and for your court.' He took off the young knight's armour, and gave him a tunic of red silk; over his shoulders he placed a mantle that was trimmed with ermine. He led him to the Perilous Seat, and took off the silk cloth. The inscription had changed. The words now were THIS IS THE SEAT OF SIR GALAHAD, THE HIGH PRINCE. ‘This is your place,' the old man told him.

So Galahad sat down. ‘You may go your way now, sir,' he said to the old man. ‘You have fulfilled your vow. Commend me to my grandfather, King Pelles, and to my good lord, King Pecherre. Tell them on my behalf that I will visit them as soon as I can.'

After the old man had left the hall the knights looked on Sir Galahad with wonder. He was so young. And yet he sat in the Perilous Seat without fear or shame. Had he come from God? Sir Kay turned to Sir Percival. ‘This is the one,' he whispered, ‘who will win the Holy Grail. Who else could sit there without harm?'

Sir Bors called to the others across the Round Table. ‘I swear on my life that this knight will be honoured with fame and worship!'

Lancelot looked on Galahad with great joy, since now he knew him to be his son.

The clamour grew so loud that it reached the ears of Queen Guinevere. She went into the hall, wondering who it could be that had dared to place himself at the Perilous Seat. She saw at once the resemblance between Lancelot and Galahad. ‘I believe,' she said to one of her ladies, ‘that this is the offspring of Sir Lancelot and the daughter of King Pelles. She made him lie with her by means of magic. His name is Galahad, I believe. He will be a noble knight, like his father before him.' Then she went over to him, and read the inscription on his seat. She turned to Sir Gawain, sitting close by. ‘Fair nephew,' she said, ‘now we have among us Sir Galahad. He will be a garland to this court. As Sir Lancelot once prophesied, this young man will win the Holy Grail.'

The king himself then went up to Galahad. ‘You are most welcome here. You will inspire many knights to the quest for the Holy Grail. But only you will accomplish it. You will finish what others have begun.' The king took him by the hand and led him down to the riverside where he could see the sword in the stone. The queen, and her company of ladies, came with them. ‘The sword,' Arthur said, ‘is bound fast to the stone. Two of my best knights could not lift it.'

‘That is not surprising, sir. The sword is for me, not for them. See. I have brought with me an empty scabbard.' He put his hand on the sword, and drew it out with the utmost ease. He put it in his scabbard. ‘At last it is where it belongs.'

‘God willing,' the king told him, ‘you may also acquire a shield.'

At that moment a lady rode up on a white palfrey. ‘Is Sir Lancelot here?' she cried out. Lancelot came forward and saluted her. ‘Ah, Lancelot, how altered are you from the morning!'

‘Why do you say so?'

‘This morning you were known to be the greatest knight in the world. But that is no longer true. There is one now greater than you. He took out the sword that you refused to touch. You are suddenly changed.'

‘As for that, lady, I always knew that I was not the best.'

‘Once you were the best. Of all sinful knights, too, you are still the greatest.' Then she turned to the king. ‘Sir, the hermit Nacien sends you word that you will be blessed beyond any other king. On this day the Holy Grail will come within your court. It will feed you and the knights of the Round Table.' And, with that, she departed.

‘I know now,' the king said, ‘that you will all soon begin your quest. From that adventure, some of you will never return. So this is the last time we will all be together. We must hold a tournament, which we will forever keep in our memory.'

They all assented, and began to prepare themselves for the joust. The king had a secret reason for assembling them. He believed that Sir Galahad would never return to the court, and he wished to see how the young knight bore his arms. The contestants rode into the meadow, among them Sir Galahad. He was wearing a helmet and a light coat of armour. The king asked him to take a shield, but he refused. Then Sir Gawain told him that he must take a spear, as well as the sword, and he consented.

Guinevere and her ladies had decided to watch the tournament from a high tower. They looked down on Galahad as he galloped into the middle of the meadow, where he overcame all those who rode against him. He was a wonder-worker. Only two of Arthur's knights remained on the field, namely Sir Percival and Sir Lancelot.

On the queen's advice, Arthur now asked him to dismount and take off his helmet. Guinevere gazed at him for a long time. ‘I am sure now that Lancelot is his father,' she said to the lady beside her. ‘Two men never resembled each other more fully. It is no wonder, then, that Galahad has proved to be so brave.'

‘Madam,' the lady replied, ‘can he really be so great a knight?'

‘Of course. Consider from what lineage he comes. Sir Lancelot du Lake is only eight generations distant from Lord Jesus Our Saviour. Galahad is of blessed birth.'

The king and court now made their way back to Camelot, where they attended evensong in the minster there. After the ceremony they went to supper in the hall, with all the knights of the Round Table in attendance. As they sat in their places they heard a great murmuring in the air and the breaking of thunder, with a crash so loud that it seemed the palace might collapse. In the middle of the blast there came a sunbeam, seven times brighter than the light of day, and the company were lit with the grace of the Holy Ghost. They looked upon one another in wonder, because they seemed fairer and more radiant than they ever did before. They were unable to speak. They gazed, and were silent. Then the Holy Grail was carried into the hall, covered in a cloth of white samite, yet none could see who held it. The hall itself was filled with the odour of sweet spices, and before each knight appeared whatever food and drink he most wished for. When the Holy Grail had gone through the hall it vanished, as suddenly as it had appeared, in a cloud of light.

They all now could speak once more, and the king gave thanks to God for His great mercy in showing them the Grail. ‘We have seen,' he said, ‘the cup that holds Christ's blood shed at the crucifixion. It has the power to heal all wounds. Now we know the meaning of grace.'

‘We have been given precious meat and drink,' Gawain said, ‘but we did not see the Grail itself. It was covered with a cloth. So I make all of you a vow. I will follow the path of the Holy Grail for a year or more. I will start on my quest tomorrow. And I promise you this. I will not return to court until I have seen the Grail more clearly than was vouchsafed to me today. If that sight is denied to me, then I will bow to the will of God.'

When the knights heard him, they rose and swore the same oath to follow the Grail. The king himself was greatly distressed at the thought of losing them. ‘Sir Gawain,' he said, ‘you have come close to killing me. By making that vow you are taking from me the best and fairest knights in the world. After they leave here, few will ever return. Many will die on their quest of the Grail. We will never be together again. Why should I not grieve?' He began to weep.