And they replied that she is still with King
Bademagu, who serves her well and honourably. "Has no one come
to seek her in this land?" my lord Gawain then inquires of them.
And they answer him: "Yes, indeed." "Who?" "Lancelot of the
Lake," they say, "who crossed the sword-bridge, and rescued and
delivered her as well as all the rest of us. But we have been
betrayed by a pot-bellied, humpbacked, and crabbed dwarf. He has
deceived us shamefully in seducing Lancelot from us, and we do
not know what he has done with him." "When was that?" my lord
Gawain inquires. "Sire, near here this very day this trick was
played on us, while he was coming with us to meet you." "And how
has Lancelot been occupied since he entered this land?" Then
they begin to tell him all about him in detail, and then they
tell him about the Queen, how she is waiting for him and
asserting that nothing could induce her to leave the country,
until she sees him or hears some credible news of him. To them
my lord Gawain replies: "When we leave this bridge, we shall go
to search for Lancelot." There is not one who does not advise
rather that they go to the Queen at once, and have the king seek
Lancelot, for it is their opinion that his son Meleagant has
shown his enmity by having him cast into prison.
Pages:
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726