“I suppose I do,” said Lancelot, “else would I not have given him the order of knighthood; but he gave me at that time a charge that I should not disclose it till he required me, or till otherwise it were openly made known.”
In the meanwhile Beaumains, being whole of his wounds, greatly desired to see his lady, Dame Lyons, so he armed himself, took his spear, and rode to the castle; but when he came to the gate, he found it shut. He marvelled why they would not suffer him to enter; and as he looked up at the castle, he saw there the lady herself, who said to him,—
“Go thy way, Sir Beaumains, for as yet thou shalt not wholly have my love till thou be called one of the number of worthy knights. Therefore go and labour worshipfully in arms these twelve months, and then shalt thou hear new tidings.”
“Ah, fair lady,” said Beaumains, “I have not deserved that you should show me this strangeness. I thought to have had good cheer with you, and sure am I that I have bought your love with part of the best blood in my body.”
“Fair knight,” answered Dame Lyons, “be not displeased, nor over hasty, but believe me that what I have ordered is for the best. A twelvemonth will soon be over, and I promise you that I will not betray you, but unto my death I will love you and none other.”
So Beaumains went away from the castle very sad at heart, for his love for Dame Lyons was exceedingly great. He rode hither and thither without heeding where he went, and his dwarf followed him. That night he lodged at a poor man’s house, but could get no rest for thinking of his lady; so the next day about noon he was very sleepy, and he lay down on the grass with his head on his shield, bidding the dwarf watch his horse. Now no sooner had he gone from the castle than Dame Lyons, who loved him no less sorely than he her, began to repent her that she had sent him away, and the next morning she sent for her brother, Sir Gringamor, that was a good knight, and entreated him to follow Beaumains and watch an opportunity to get his dwarf from him. And she asked him to carry the dwarf to his own castle, whither she would herself go, and then they might, by questioning the dwarf, learn who Beaumains really was. Sir Gringamor undertook to do all as she desired; so he followed Beaumains, and came where he was asleep, with the dwarf watching. Then suddenly he came behind the dwarf, and carried him off in his arms to his castle; but as they rode away, the dwarf cried out on his master. At this Beaumains awoke, and saw Gringamor, whose armour was all black, carrying away his dwarf. So he sprang up lightly, mounted his horse, and followed as hard as he could; but he knew not the way, and so lost sight of him that he pursued. However, as he rode he met a countryman, and asked him whether he had not seen a knight in black armour, bearing a dwarf in his arms.
“Sir,” said the man, “here passed by me a knight called Sir Gringamor, with a dwarf that mourned and complained, and he went to his castle, which is near by. But I counsel you to follow him not unless you owe him good-will, for he is a very perilous knight.”
This counsel Beaumains regarded not, but rode toward the castle, whither Gringamor had already come with the dwarf. There Dame Lyons and her sister questioned him so sharply that he told them his master was the son of King Lot and brother to Sir Gawaine, and that his name was Sir Gareth of Orkney. At this Dame Lyons was greatly rejoiced. “Truly, madam,” said Lynette, “he may well be a king’s son, for he is the most courteous and long-suffering man I ever met. I dare say there was never gentlewoman that reviled a man as I reviled him; and at all times he gave me goodly and meek answers again.”
As they thus sat talking, there came Sir Gareth to the gate, with an angry countenance and his drawn sword in his hand, and cried aloud, “Thou traitor, Sir Gringamor, give me my dwarf, or, by the faith I owe to the order of knighthood, I shall do you all the harm I can.”
Then Sir Gringamor looked out at a window, and said, “Sir Gareth of Orkney, cease thy boasting words, for thou gettest not thy dwarf again.”