“Mercy shalt thou have,” answered Arthur, “for I believe thou didst not know me; but none the less hast thou plotted my death, and art therefore a traitor. Still I blame not thee so much as my sister Morgan le Fay; for she, by her false arts, has made thee agree and consent to her evil purposes. But I will be so avenged on her, if I live, that all Christendom shall hear of it.”
Then the keepers of the field and all who had watched the battle drew nigh, and Sir Accolon told them that the knight with whom he had done battle was none other than King Arthur. All the people knelt and made their submission to the king. He, on his part, ordered Sir Damas to give Sir Ontzlake his rightful inheritance, and charged him, on penalty of death, to atone to the knights he had kept in prison for the hurt he had done them, and never more to meddle with knights-errant that might come into his country. Sir Ontzlake he charged to come to his court, because he was a good knight, and promised him honour and advancement. Then the king and Sir Accolon were removed to a rich abbey of nuns a few miles away, where their wounds were dressed, and within four days King Arthur was healed; but Sir Accolon had lost so much blood that he might not be recovered. When he was dead, Arthur bade six of his knights bear his body to Morgan le Fay, and charged them to say that the king sent him to her for a present, and that he had got back his sword Excalibur and the scabbard.
When the tidings came to Morgan le Fay by one of her damsels that Accolon was dead, and that King Arthur had got back his sword and scabbard, she was full of sorrow and anger; so she got leave from Queen Guenever to return to her own country. As she and her attendants journeyed, they passed by the very abbey where King Arthur was still lying. Knowing that he was there, Morgan went into the abbey and asked where the king was. She was answered that he was asleep in his chamber; so she said she would go in and wake him herself. As she was his sister, and a queen, none dare say her nay; so she went into the chamber, intending to steal from him Excalibur. But the king, though he was asleep, had the sword fast in his right hand, so she could not get it. However, she took the scabbard, and then went on her way. When the king woke and missed the scabbard, he was passing wroth, and still more so when he knew who had taken it. So he and Sir Ontzlake armed themselves hastily, and rode after Queen Morgan, and after a while they came in sight of her. When she saw that King Arthur was pursuing, she rode as fast as she could; but ever he drew nearer and nearer. Then she went to the shore of a lake that was there, and threw the scabbard into it, saying, “Whatever may become of me, my brother shall not have the scabbard.” After that she rode with her knights into a valley, and there by her enchantments turned herself and them into marble statues.
When King Arthur and Ontzlake came up, they saw the statues, and thought the change had been wrought by a judgment of God. They could not find the scabbard, and so rode back to the abbey. As soon as they were gone, Morgan and her knights returned to flesh and blood, and went on their way to the country of Gore. There Morgan made her castles strong, and garrisoned them, for she greatly dreaded her brother’s wrath. But she sent him word that, while she could change herself and her men into the likeness of stones, she had no cause to fear him.
However, though Accolon was dead, Morgan abated no whit of her hatred to the king, nor of her evil designs against him. But she pretended to be sorrowful because of her deeds, and offered him amends. And she sent a damsel to the court with a mantle, the richest that ever was seen in the world, for it was so covered with precious stones that there was not space to put on another. The damsel said to the king, “Your sister sends you this mantle, and desires that you will take this gift of her; and in what she has offended you, she will amend it at your own pleasure.”
The king was greatly pleased with the mantle, but he did not put much trust in his sister. While he was considering what he should say, there came to him the Lady Viviane, who had ever loved him, and she counselled him on no account to put on the mantle, or let it be worn by any in his court, until it had been put on by the damsel who had brought it. King Arthur said he would follow her counsel, and so he called the damsel to him, and bade her put on the mantle.
“Sir,” said she, “it will not beseem me to wear a knight’s garment.”
“By my head,” answered the king, “you shall wear it before it come on my back or that of any other that is here.”
When she saw that no better might be, the damsel put on the mantle full sorrowfully; and lo! straightway she fell down dead, and was burned to ashes. Then King Arthur saw how great was the treason of his sister Morgan le Fay.