The Death of King Arthur (20 page)

After his encounter with Sir Dagonet, Tristram ran naked through the wood screaming strange words into the air. Eventually he came to a hermitage, where he laid himself down and slept. The hermit took away his sword, and left meat in its place. Tristram was served with food for ten days, until he had recovered his strength. After that time he went back to the shepherds.

There was a giant in this region by the name of Tauleas, who, in terror of the reputation of Tristram, had not dared to leave his castle for seven years. But then he heard tidings that Tristram was dead. He felt able to roam at large once again. It so happened that one day he came upon the shepherds, and set himself down to rest among them. As he lay at his ease a Cornish knight called Sir Dinaunt, accompanied by a lady, rode up and alighted by the well. As soon as the giant saw the knight he went to hide himself behind a tree. When the horse ambled off the giant seized it and, mounting on its back, went after Sir Dinaunt. He took him by the scruff of the neck, and seemed about to behead him.

‘Help this man!' the shepherds called out to Tristram.

‘You help him.'

‘We do not dare.'

So Tristram, seeing Dinaunt's sword by the ground, took it up and cut off the head of the giant with the first stroke. Then he made his way back to the shepherds, who rejoiced at his easy victory.

Sir Dinaunt picked up the giant's head and carried it back with him to the court of King Mark. He told the king how he had been rescued from a fierce giant by a naked man.

‘Where did all this happen?' the king asked.

‘It was by the well, sir, in the dark wood. That is where the madman lives.'

‘I have heard of him,' said the king. ‘I would like to see this fellow.'

King Mark commanded his huntsmen to prepare themselves for some sport on the following morning. When dawn broke, he led them into the wood. He made straight for the well, where he found a naked man sleeping with a sword by his side. He called to his knights. ‘Take up this man,' he told them. ‘Treat him with care. Do not provoke him. When he is calm, bring him to my castle.'

They covered the man's body with their mantles and, very tenderly, led him to the Castle of Tintagel. Tristram seemed to be in a daze, and followed them like a child. They bathed him and dressed him. They gave him soup and hot stews. Despite all this, not one of them recognized Sir Tristram. He was so altered in countenance and behaviour.

Isolde heard news of this man, who had run naked in the wood, and of his rescue by King Mark. So she called her companion to her. ‘Bragwaine,' she said, ‘come with me. We will visit this wild man from the wood.'

They walked through the grounds of the castle, and asked a passing squire where the sick man was being kept. ‘He is in the garden,' he said. ‘He is resting in the sun.'

Isolde and Bragwaine went into the garden, and saw the man lying on the grass. Isolde did not recognize him, but whispered, ‘I believe that I have met this man before. There is something familiar about him.'

Tristram turned towards them, and he knew Isolde at once. He hid his face, and wept.

There was a dog with the two ladies, a little spaniel that Tristram had given to Isolde as a present when she first came to Cornwall. The dog would never leave her side unless Tristram was close by, in which case it would follow him faithfully. Now, in the garden, the dog caught Tristram's scent and bounded over to him; it jumped upon him, licking his ears and nose, whining and whimpering with joy.

‘Oh, my lady,' Bragwaine exclaimed. ‘Here is Tristram!'

At that, Isolde fainted away. When she had recovered, she saw Tristram standing above her. ‘Oh, my lord,' she murmured. ‘Thank God that you are still alive. Yet now your identity will be discovered. This little dog will never leave you. When King Mark finds you, he will either force you into exile or kill you. I beg you, leave this place. Go to the court of King Arthur, where you are beloved. When I need you, I will send for you. I will always be at your command, your most obedient servant.'

‘Ah, fair queen,' he replied. ‘Your great love has saved me from madness. As soon as I saw you, I felt whole again. But listen. Leave me for now. It is not safe for you to be seen with me.'

Isolde left him, in tears, but the little spaniel would not move from his side. When Sir Mark and his courtiers came into the garden, the dog sat upon Tristram's lap and barked at them.

‘Well, well.' It was Sir Andred who spoke out. ‘I believe that we have Tristram among us.'

‘Oh no,' the king replied. ‘I cannot believe that.' He went up to Tristram, and asked him his name.

‘Sir Tristram de Liones,' he replied. ‘Do with me what you will.'

‘I am sorry that I rescued you,' the king told him. ‘Now you must die.' He brought Tristram before his barons, but they refused to pronounce the sentence of death upon him. Instead they advised the king that Tristram should be banished for ten years. Tristram swore an oath that he would depart and not return for that length of time; then the lords escorted him to a ship waiting to take him away.

Just at the moment he was about to embark, Tristram was challenged by a knight from the court of King Arthur. ‘Fair knight,' he called out, ‘you must joust with me before you leave this land. My name is Dinadan. My seat is at the Round Table.'

‘Willingly,' Tristram replied, ‘if these lords will let me.' The barons of Cornwall granted the contest, and Tristram easily defeated Dinadan.

‘You have got the better of me,' the knight said, ‘in a fair fight. I have never seen a more valiant knight. So I ask you this. May I accompany you, wherever you are going?'

‘You are welcome, sir. We will ride on the waves together.' They both took their horses and embarked. Before he left, Tristram turned to his escort. ‘My lords, greet King Mark and all of my other enemies. Tell them I will return when the time has come. Do you see how the king rewards me for saving his country? Thank him on my behalf. Thank him, too, for his gratitude that I brought Isolde to him from Ireland. I shall not mention all the other battles I have fought at his request. He has recompensed me enough, I am sure. Banishment is his gift to me.'

Then he and Sir Dinadan took to the sea. They sailed along the coast until they found safe haven in a small harbour known as the place of lime trees. On first landing they rode into a forest where they were met by a young lady. She was distraught and anxious. She was in search of knights, from the court of King Arthur, who could rescue Sir Lancelot. Morgan le Fay had ordered thirty knights to lie in wait for him and kill him. This young lady knew the place where he was to be ambushed, and she begged Tristram and Dinadan to make their way there. ‘Tell me where it is,' Tristram said to her. ‘I will ride there at once.'

‘What are you saying?' Dinadan was very indignant. ‘How can two knights beat off thirty? I would be a match for two, or three, but I can hardly defeat fifteen.'

‘Shame on you, sir. But do as you wish.'

‘I will come with you on one condition. Lend me your shield. With the arms of Cornwall upon it, the knights will consider me to be a coward and refuse to fight with me.'

‘Oh no. I will not give up my shield. I bear it in honour of the lady who gave it to me. I will make one promise to you. If you stay here, I will slay you. So come with me. I expect you to kill only one knight. And if you are too scared to take part, then simply look on.'

‘Sir,' Dinadan replied, ‘I will stand by and watch. And I will do whatever necessary to defend myself. I will tell you this also. I wish I had never met you.'

So, with the lady as their guide, they came upon the thirty knights waiting in ambush. Sir Tristram rode towards them, crying out, ‘Here comes one who loves Lancelot!' He killed two of them with his spear, and another ten with his sword. Sir Dinadan also fought well, so that in the end only ten knights remained. They saw the way the battle had gone, and fled.

The two companions now continued on their way until they came upon a group of herdsmen. ‘Tell me,' Tristram asked them, ‘do you know of any lodging near by?'

‘Indeed, sir,' one of them answered. ‘There is a castle here where you may rest, but it is the custom there that any guest must first joust with two knights.'

‘Just what I need now,' Sir Dinadan said. ‘I have no intention of taking lodging there.'

‘Shame on you,' Tristram replied. ‘You are a knight of the Round Table, are you not? You cannot refuse to fight.'

‘If you are beaten,' the herdsman told them, ‘you will not be allowed to stay. But if you are victorious, then you will be well cared for.'

‘Let us hope then,' Sir Dinadan said, ‘that they are not too strong for us.'

So they rode to the castle and, to be short, they duly defeated the two guardians of the castle. They took off their armour, and were about to enjoy a well-earned repast when Sir Palomides and Sir Gaheris arrived at the gates. ‘What is going on?' Sir Dinadan said. ‘I was about to relax.'

‘Not yet,' Tristram told him. ‘We must carry out the custom of the castle. We now must joust with the two knights. So put on your armour. Prepare yourself.'

‘It was an evil day,' Dinadan replied, ‘when I came into your company. God help me.'

So he resumed his armour, and rode out with Tristram. He was not so fortunate as before, and received a fall at the hands of Palomides. Tristram got the better of Gaheris, so it was fall for fall. They now had to stand their ground and fight with their swords. Sir Tristram went over to Dinadan, who was still lying badly bruised beside his horse. ‘Get up, man,' he said. ‘We have to fight.'

‘Oh no,' Dinadan replied, ‘I will do no such thing. I was injured by some of those thirty knights, and now I am wounded again. I can fight no more. A man would be out of his mind to risk another battle. I curse the day I met you. You and Lancelot are two of the maddest knights in the world. I know that well enough. I once sought the company of Lancelot, and it cost me three months in bed. I was in such pain. God save me from both of you. Especially you.'

‘All right,' Tristram replied, ‘I will fight both of them.'

The outcome of the battle was never in doubt.

Tristram heard news that there was going to be a great tournament, between the kings of Scotland and of North Wales, at the Castle of Maidens. The King of Scotland called for Lancelot to be his champion, and the King of North Wales called upon Tristram. So Tristram was determined to ride there. On his way to the Castle of Maidens, he met a fair lady who asked him to pursue and challenge a knight who was doing great damage all over the land. Tristram was glad to comply with her request, and to win more worship. So he rode with her for six miles, until they met Sir Gawain. Gawain knew the lady to be at the court of the sorceress Morgan le Fay, and he realized that she was leading Tristram into great trouble. ‘Fair knight,' he said, ‘where are you going with this lady?'

‘I do not know,' he replied. ‘She is leading me.'

So Gawain drew his sword, and came close to her. ‘If you do not tell me what you intend, lady, you will die here. I know well enough the treachery of your mistress, Morgan le Fay.'

‘Have mercy,' the young woman replied. ‘Spare my life, and I will tell you everything.'

‘So speak.'

‘Morgan le Fay has sent out thirty of her ladies in search of this man. I am one of them. He is to be lured to her castle, with the promise of winning renown, where secretly she has placed fifty knights to waylay and kill him in revenge for the thirty knights whom he defeated.'

‘Good God,' Gawain said. ‘To think that a king's sister could be planning such treason.' He turned to Tristram. ‘Sir, will you come with me? I have a plan to surprise these fifty knights.'

‘Willingly. I also wish to meet them. I have fought against Morgan le Fay's men before.'

So the two men rode towards the castle of Morgan le Fay and, as they approached it, Gawain called out. ‘Queen Morgan, send out the knights that lie in wait for Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristram. I know your false treason, and will proclaim it to all the world.'

The queen called back from the battlements. ‘I know you well, Sir Gawain. And I know that you speak so proudly because you have one beside you who is full of prowess. I know the knight who bears the arms of Cornwall. I will not allow my men to do battle with both of you. Together you are too dangerous.'

Tristram rode off, disappointed; he said his farewell to Gawain, at a turning of the path, and made his way to the Castle of Maidens. He had ventured into a grove, where he came upon a well; he dismounted there, and refreshed himself. He took off his helmet and, settling beneath a tree, he fell asleep. As he lay on the earth Dame Bragwaine, Isolde's servant and companion, came close to him. She had been looking for him for a long time, and had followed reports that he was in this region. Now she had found him. She withdrew herself a little, and waited until he had awoken. ‘Greetings to you, Sir Tristram,' she said. ‘I have been searching for you.'

‘Salutations to you, Lady Bragwaine. Why have you come for me?'

‘I have letters here from Queen Isolde.'

He read them, and was moved by the queen's complaints. ‘Come with me now to the Castle of Maidens,' he said. ‘There I will give you a letter of comfort for the queen.'

She rode with him willingly enough and, in the course of their journey, they met an ancient knight by the name of Pellownes. He lived in a manor close to the fields of the tournament; he told them that the preparations at the Castle of Maidens were almost complete, and that Lancelot was to sport the shield of Cornwall. He invited them to lodge at the manor, to which his son had returned after an absence of two years. ‘We will be merry,' he said, ‘now that Persides has come back.'