So one night Sir Mordred called to him a page of the Queen’s court when the page was passing, and he said to him, “Lanadel” (for such was the page’s name)—“Lanadel, go you to Sir Launcelot of the Lake and tell him that the Queen would fain speak with him in her bower.” Thereupon the page, suspecting no evil, went to Sir Launcelot, and delivered that message to him, and Sir Launcelot, suspecting no evil, fulfilled the terms of that message, and went secretly thither to the Queen’s apartments.
Sir Launcelot goeth to the Queen’s bower.
Finding the Queen there, Sir Launcelot said to her, “Lady, what is it thou wouldst say to me?” She looked upon him in astonishment and said, “Sir, I did not send for you to say anything to you.” Sir Launcelot said, “How is this? Your page, Lanadel, came to me and brought it to me as a message that you would speak to me at this place.” She said, “Launcelot, I sent no such message as that to thee. Yet, in very truth, it hath been long since thou hast been hither to speak to me. Art thou affronted with me, Launcelot?”
He said to her, “Lady, thou knowest that I am not affronted with thee. But there is this: I must consider thine honor and reputation as I do mine own. But, Lady, touching this message of late delivered to me, here is treachery of some sort, for certes that message came to me as from thee, wherefore I know that some treachery is brewing against us, though I know not what that treachery is.”
Now turn we to those enemies of Sir Launcelot to see what they did upon this occasion. For Sir Mordred watched at the entrance of the Queen’s apartments until that he beheld Sir Launcelot enter them. Upon that he ran to Sir Agravaine, and said to him, “Brother, wit ye that Sir Launcelot is at this time in the Queen’s chamber. Let us now make haste to take him.” So those two called about them certain knights who were at enmity with Sir Launcelot, and they said to them, “Gentlemen, let us hasten and take that traitor knight who is even now in the Queen’s bower.”
Now those knights whom they called upon to accompany them were as follows: There were Sir Colgrance and Sir Gingaline, and Sir Melyot of Logris, and Sir Galleron of Galway; there were Sir Melion of the Mountain, and Sir Petypas of Winchelsea; there were Sir Gromer Somerjour and Sir Astamore, Sir Cuselaine, Sir Florence, and Sir Lovel. And these last two were sons to Sir Gawaine.
The Queen is warned.
These eleven knights, together with Sir Agravaine and Sir Mordred, making thirteen in all, went together in a party to the apartments of the Queen. And the ladies of the Queen beheld them coming, and wist that they came for no good purpose. Wherefore these ladies ran screaming and in haste and bolted and barred the door. Then they ran to the Queen’s apartment and they found that Sir Launcelot was there and they cried out, “Lady, arouse you, for your enemies are upon you!”
The thirteen knights challenge Sir Launcelot to appear.
By this those knights were at the door, and Sir Agravaine knocked and cried aloud in a very loud and thunderous voice, “Thou traitor knight! What doest thou here? Why liest thou behind locked doors in the Queen’s apartments? Come forth to us who are thy fellows of the court and of the Round Table, and render an account to us. For we are here to receive thine account!”