Sir Gawaine said, “Nay, Lord, that was not I, that was but my shell—my poor, crumbling, perishable carcass that you buried. This is I myself, and I have come to you from Paradise.”
Quoth King Arthur, “Who are these ladies whom you have with you?” To this Sir Gawaine made answer, “These are those ladies for whom I one time did battle. For some of those ladies I saved from grief, some of them from misfortune, some of them I saved from danger, and of some of them I saved their lives. So they have accompanied me hither from Paradise that I might speak to you.”
Said King Arthur, “Sir Gawaine, my nephew, what is it you would say to me?” To the which Sir Gawaine made reply, “Sir, I come to you to charge you that you shall not do battle to-morrow-day. For great danger lieth before you, and if you do battle you will assuredly perish. Wherefore I come to you to beseech you that you will not enter into war with your enemies. Wit you that Sir Launcelot will in a little while come to your assistance, for already the letter from Sir Ewaine hath well-nigh reached him, and when it reacheth him then will he come to you with all speed. Wherefore I pray you make such terms with Sir Mordred as you may, but do not join battle with him.”
King Arthur said, “How shall I know that this that thou tellest me is a vision of prophecy and not a dream? For if it is a dream, then perhaps it is mistaken, as many dreams are mistaken; but if it be a vision of prophecy, then I shall believe that it is sooth.”
“Sir,” said Sir Gawaine, “you may believe it from this sign that will remain unto you. And from it you may know that what you now behold is indeed a vision of prophecy, and not a dream.”
Sir Gawaine leaveth a sign.
So with that Sir Gawaine reached forth his finger and touched with it the back of King Arthur’s hand. And when the finger of Sir Gawaine touched his hand, lo! upon the hand of King Arthur there was left a spot as white as wax.
Then the figure of Sir Gawaine melted slowly from his sight, and the figures of the ladies also melted away and King Arthur awoke from his sleep. And King Arthur sat up upon his couch and he beheld that the day-light was streaming into his pavilion, for the sun had already arisen.
And King Arthur looked at the back of his hand, and he beheld that there was the spot as white as wax where Sir Gawaine had touched him. Then King Arthur was very much perturbed in spirit, for he wist that what he had just beheld was no dream, but that it was a vision of prophecy.
The King advises with his counsellors.