فصل ششم

CHAPTER Six

Sir Lancelot made his way quickly from the queen’s room to Sir Bors.

‘Now King Arthur will go to war against me,’ he said sadly.

‘Against you and all your friends,’ Sir Bors added. ‘There are many knights who will take your part in the quarrel.’

‘It means the end of the Round Table,’ Sir Lancelot told him.

Sir Mordred went to tell King Arthur what had happened. ‘Thirteen knights!’ he shouted angrily. ‘Sir Lancelot has killed thirteen knights of the Round Table.’

‘Thirteen!’ the king cried in astonishment.

Arthur was heartbroken at the thought that he and Sir Lancelot were now enemies. He knew that Sir Lancelot was the best knight in the world.

He also knew that many of Sir Lancelot’s friends would join him in the war.

Then he remembered the queen. He would have to give the order for her to be burnt at the stake. She had been caught with Sir Lancelot and the law was clear about what should happen to her.

Sir Gawain tried to persuade King Arthur not to be too hasty in judging the queen.

‘She may be innocent,’ he argued. ‘Perhaps they’ve done nothing wrong at all! Besides,’ he added, ‘if anyone accuses the queen, Sir Lancelot will fight for her.’

‘He will not fight for the queen again,’ King Arthur said bitterly. ‘Sir Lancelot relies too much on his strength and skill as a knight. But I have decided to apply the law in this case.

The queen was caught by Sir Mordred and the other knights. She will burn at the stake. And if I capture Sir Lancelot, he too will die a terrible death!’

‘Then I hope you never find him!’ Sir Gawain said.

‘How can you defend him?’ King Arthur asked angrily. ‘Don’t you mind that he killed one of your brothers and wounded another?’

‘Sir Agravaine was a good knight,’ Sir Gawain admitted. ‘But I warned him not to go to the queen’s room with Sir Mordred. I told them they were in the wrong.’

The day of Guinevere’s execution arrived. King Arthur asked Sir Gawain to escort the queen to the place of execution with his brothers, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth.

‘No, my lord,’ Sir Gawain replied. ‘I refuse to go to the execution of such a noble queen.’

King Arthur bowed his head. He was secretly proud of Sir Gawain’s response to the order.

‘At least tell Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth to be there,’ he said sternly.

Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth agreed to escort the queen but they refused to wear their armour.

‘We will go as men of peace,’ they said.

The queen was taken to the place of execution and the fire was prepared. There was a crowd of knights around the queen, some of them armed and some not.

Suddenly there was a great shout and the sound of horses approaching at a gallop. Sir Lancelot rode furiously towards the queen.

He took out his sword and attacked the knights who were surrounding her. He fought fiercely and killed many members of the Round Table.

He even killed the two unarmed knights, Sir Gaheris and Sir Gareth.

Sir Lancelot killed them without noticing who they were, or that they were unarmed.

Sir Lancelot came up to the queen and threw a cloak around her shoulders. Then he pulled her onto his horse and rode away.