But when the Queen beheld him thus all bathed in red, she shrieked aloud, for she thought him to be mortally wounded. But Sir Launcelot said to her, “Fear not, Lady, thine enemies are put to flight and I am not sorely hurt.” And he said to her, “Lady, my love for thee hath ever been my curse, and now it hath brought us to this end. For in thy defence and in my defence I have slain the nephew of the King and two of the sons of Sir Gawaine. So now the King will be my foe, and so I must quit this place for aye. But I cannot leave thee, Lady, for without me thou wilt be defenceless. So I prithee prepare thyself for a journey. I will go forth and gather about me a number of knights of mine own kindred and friends, and we will take thee hence away from this place. For to-morrow they will bring thee forth to trial, and when they bring thee forth, then will we seize thee and carry thee away.”
Then the Queen fell to weeping very bitterly, and she said, “Ah, Launcelot! Alas and alas! Is this then the end?” And he said, “Aye, Lady.” Therewith he went forth from that place and left her.
Sir Launcelot adviseth with Sir Bors.
So Sir Launcelot came to Sir Bors’s inn, and when Sir Bors beheld him, all covered and ensanguined with blood, he cried out, “God save us! What is this? What aileth thee?” Then Sir Launcelot told Sir Bors all that had befallen, and when he had told it Sir Bors sent for Sir Ector and for Sir Lionel and for Sir Ure, and fourteen other knights, relatives and friends of Sir Launcelot, and Sir Launcelot told unto them what he had told to Sir Bors.
Then Sir Bors said to those who were there gathered, “Messires his is a very sad and bitter quarrel. For I do avouch that my relative, Sir Launcelot, is in all ways perfectly innocent toward the Queen. For we know that he was deceived into her presence by a false message delivered unto him by someone who was an enemy to him and who meant to undo him. So this lady hath also been misused in such a way that it is contrary to his honor as a knight that we should suffer such harm to approach her. Now it is my advice that we await to see what shall presently befall. For if this quarrel is condoned by the King, then is all very well; but if the King seek to punish Sir Launcelot by bringing the Queen to a trial, then shall he save her from that trial and shall convey her away to Joyous Gard where she may remain safe from harm.”
Other knights swear fealty to Sir Launcelot.
Then all those other knights to whom Sir Bors spake held up their swords with their handles before them, and they said, “Herewith and upon this holy sign of the crucifix do we swear that we will ride with and aid Sir Launcelot of the Lake in this undertaking. And, if it be demanded of us, we will assist him to bring this lady to Joyous Gard, and we will there aid and defend him and her with our bodies until the last extremity and until death.”
Sir Mordred accuseth Sir Launcelot to the King.
Meantime, Sir Mordred had had his wound bound up and had taken horse and had ridden to the inn of King Arthur, and he appeared before King Arthur in the room when the King was then with several of his court. And when the King beheld him thus wounded, he started up and cried out, “Hah, Sir Mordred! What bringeth thee before me in this plight? Where gottest thou that wound?” Then Sir Mordred kneeled down before the King, and he said, “Sovereign Lord and Master, I got this wound in thy service. For Sir Launcelot visited the Queen recently in her bower, and I and twelve other knights sought to arrest him there and to bring him before thee. But he resisted that arrest, and of the thirteen who assaulted him nine are dead and one is like to die.”
Then the King drew his breath very hard between his teeth, at that news, and anon he said, “Who are dead? Are they any of my friends?” Sir Mordred said, “All are thy friends, and three are of thy kin.” Quoth King Arthur, “Who are those of my kin?” And Sir Mordred said, “One of them is Sir Agravaine, thy nephew, and the others are Sir Florence and Sir Lovel, the young sons of Sir Gawaine.”