"Therefore," said she, "this is what I offer for your choice: either let one of you take me, or give your consent for me to take a husband from elsewhere to defend my dominions."
So they came to the determination that it was better that she should have permission to marry some one from elsewhere. And thereupon she sent for the bishops and archbishops to celebrate her nuptials with Owain. And the men of the earldom did Owain homage.
And Owain defended the fountain with lance and sword. And this is the manner in which he defended it: whensoever a knight came there, he overthrew him and sold him for his full worth, and what he thus gained he divided among his barons and his knights; and no man in the whole world could be more beloved than he was by his subjects. And it was thus for the space of three years.
It befell that as Gwalchmai[8] went forth one day with King Arthur he perceived him to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur in this state, and he questioned him, saying, "Oh, my lord! what has befallen thee?"
"In sooth, Gwalchmai," said Arthur, "I am grieved concerning Owain, whom I have lost these three years; and I shall certainly die if the fourth year passes without my seeing him. Now I am sure that it is through the tale which Kynon, the son of Clydno, related, that I have lost Owain."
"There is no need for thee," said Gwalchmai, "to summon to arms thy whole dominions on this account; for thou thyself and the men of thy household will be able to avenge Owain if he be slain, or to set him free if he be in prison, and if alive to bring him back with thee." And it was settled according to what Gwalchmai had said.
Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seek Owain; and their number was three thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon, the son of Clydno, acted as their guide. And Arthur came to the castle where Kynon had been before; and when he came there the youths were shooting in the same place, and the yellow man was standing hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur, he greeted him and invited him to the castle. And Arthur accepted his invitation, and they entered the castle together. And, great as was the number of his retinue, their presence was scarcely observed in the castle, so vast was its extent. And the maidens rose up to wait on them; and the service of the maidens appeared to them all to excel any attendance they had ever met with; and even the pages who had charge of the horses were no worse served that night than Arthur himself would have been in his own palace.
The next morning, Arthur set out thence with Kynon for his guide, and came to the place where the black man was. And the stature of the black man was more surprising to Arthur than it had been represented to him. And they came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till they reached the green tree, where they saw the fountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon that Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him.
"My lord," said he, "I know the meaning of all this; and my request is that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on the slab, and to receive the first adventure that may befall."