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8 The Adventure of Sir Tor

When Sir Tor was ready he mounted on horseback and rode after the knight with the brachet. As he was riding, he suddenly encountered a dwarf who struck his horse on the head with a staff so hard that he reeled backward the length of a spear.

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“Why did you do that?” said Sir Tor.

“Because you may not pass this way unless you joust with the knights in yonder pavilions.” Then Sir Tor noticed two pavilions, with great spears resting outside them, and two shields hanging on trees near the pavilions.

“I cannot delay,” said Sir Tor, “for I am on a quest that I must complete.”

“You may not pass this way,” said the dwarf, and then blew his horn.

Then an armed man on horseback came toward him, his shield at the ready, and came quickly at Sir Tor. Then he took up the position opposite him, and they ran together. Sir Tor knocked him off his horse, and then the other knight yielded to his mercy.

“But sir, I have a fellow in yonder pavilion that would like to have ado with you next.”

“He shall be welcome,” said Sir Tor, and he noticed another knight coming at him fiercely, and each faced off against the other, so that it was a marvel to see. This knight struck Sir Tor in the middle of shield so that his sword splintered. Sir Tor struck him underneath his shield, so that the blow went right through his side, but it did not kill him. Then Sir Tor dismounted and smote him on the helmet with a great stroke. At that, the knight yielded himself and asked for mercy.

“Gladly,” said Sir Tor. “But you and your fellow must go to King Arthur and yield yourselves as prisoners to him.”

“By whom shall we say we have been sent?”

“You shall say, ‘by the knight that went in quest of the knight with the brachet.’ Now what are your names?” said Sir Tor.

“My name is,” said one, “Sir Phelot of Languedoc.”

“And my name is,” said the other, “Sir Petipace of Winchelsea.”

“Now go forth,” said Sir Tor, “and godspeed, to you and me.”

Then the dwarf came up to Sir Tor and said, “I pray you, grant me a boon.”

“I will gladly,” said Sir Tor. “Ask and you shall have it.”

“I ask no more,” said the dwarf, “but that you will allow me to serve you, for I wish to serve no more recreant knights.”

“Well, take a horse,” said Sir Tor, “and ride on with me.”

“I believe,” said the dwarf, “that you are riding after the knight with the white brachet, and I shall bring you to where he is,” said the dwarf.

So they rode through a forest, and at last they saw two pavilions set up near a priory with two shields: one shield was colored white and the other was colored red. Sir Tor dismounted and took his glaive from the dwarf, and went up to the white pavilion. He saw therein three damsels lying asleep on a pallet.

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He went to the other pavilion and found a lady sleeping there, but he also found the white brachet, which, when it saw him, began to bark. Then Sir Tor picked up the brachet and went on his way and brought it to the dwarf. At the noise, the lady came out of the pavilion, as did her damsels.

She said, “Do you wish to take my brachet from me?”

“Yes,” said Sir Tor, “I have sought this brachet all the way from King Arthur’s court.”

“Well,” said the lady, “sir knight, you shall not get far with her! You will be met and challenged.”

“I will take whatever adventure comes, by the grace of God.” Then he mounted his horse and turned toward Camelot. It was almost night, though, so he could not go very far.

“Do you know of any lodging near here?” said Sir Tor.

“I know of none,” said the dwarf, “except that near here there is an hermitage, where we will have to take whatever lodging we may find.” So within a short while they came to the hermitage, and accepted whatever lodging was there, and got grass and oats and other provisions for their horses.

They rested there all night until morning, when they heard mass and took their leave of the hermit. Sir Tor asked the hermit to pray for him; he said he would, and commended him to God.

Mounted on horseback, they rode toward Camelot for a long while, until they heard a knight call loudly after them. He said, “Knight, stop and give me my brachet which you took from my lady!”

Sir Tor turned and saw that he was a handsome knight, on a good horse and well-armed at all points. Then Sir Tor raised his shield and took his glaive in his hands. They came at each other fiercely as freshly rested men, and drove both men and horses to the earth.

Then they jumped up quickly and drew their swords as eagerly as lions, and put their shields before them, and struck through each other’s shields, so that each of them lost pieces of their shields. They also cut through one another’s helmets, so that hot blood ran out, and the thick mail of their hauberks they cut and rent asunder, so that their hot blood ran out to the earth.

They both had many wounds and were very weary, and Sir Tor saw that the other knight fainted. Then he set upon him quickly, doubling his strokes, and struck him to the earth. Then Sir Tor ordered him to yield.

“I will not do that,” said Abellus, “while my life lasts and my soul remains in my body, unless you give me the brachet.”

“I will not do that,” said Sir Tor, “for it was my quest to bring back the brachet, you, or both.”

At that moment a damsel came riding on a palfrey as fast as she could go, and cried out to Sir Tor in a loud voice.

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“What do you want with me?” said Sir Tor.

“I beseech you,” said the damsel, “for the love of King Arthur, give me a gift. I ask that you do so, gentle knight, as you are a gentleman.”

“Now,” said Sir Tor, “ask for a gift and I will give it to you.”

“Thank you,” said the damsel. “I ask for the head of this false knight, Abellus, for he is the most outrageous knight who lives, and the greatest murderer.”

“I am loath,” said Sir Tor, “to give you the gift I have promised you. Let him make amends for whatever trespass he has committed against you.”

“Now,” said the damsel, “I may not, for he slew my own brother right before my eyes, who was a better knight than he, if he had only had good fortune. I kneeled half an hour before him in the mud, asking that he save my brother’s life—who had done him no harm!—but only fought with him by happenstance in arms. But for all I did, he still struck off his head. Therefore, I require you, as you are a true knight, to give me my gift, or else I will shame you throughout the court of King Arthur. This is the falsest knight living, and a great destroyer of men—particularly of good knights.”

When Abellus heard this, he was afraid and yielded and asked for mercy.

“I cannot grant it now,” said Sir Tor, “because then I would be false of my promise. Earlier I would have granted you mercy but you would not ask for it unless you had the brachet again, which was my quest.” Then he took off his helmet, and the knight got up and fled. Sir Tor went after him and struck his head cleanly off.

“Now sir,” said the damsel, “it is almost night. I pray you, come and lodge with me at my home nearby.”

“I will gladly,” said Sir Tor, “for my horse and I have had difficult going since we departed from Camelot.” So he rode with her and had good cheer with her. She had a courteous older knight for her husband, and he welcomed him and took care of both his horse and him. In the morning he heard mass and broke his fast, and when he took his leave of the knight and the lady, they asked him to tell them his name.

“Truly,” he said, “my name is Sir Tor, and I was just recently made a knight. This was the first quest of arms that I have ever undertaken, to bring back what this knight Abellus took away from King Arthur’s court.”

“Now fair knight,” said the lord and lady, “if you come into our lands, our lodging, poor as it is, will always be available at your commandment.”

So Sir Tor departed and came to Camelot three days later at noon. The king and queen and all the court were happy at his return, and made great joy that he had come back; for he had left the court with little in the way of knightly equipment, except an old courser which King Pellinore, his father, had given him, and sword and armor which King Arthur had given him. Apart from this he had no knightly equipment, and rode forth alone.

Then on the advice of Merlin, the king and queen made him swear to tell of his adventures. So he told them, showing the proof of his deeds as has been related before, and the king and the queen made great joy.

“Nay, nay,” said Merlin, “these are but small tricks that he has done. He will prove to be as noble a knight of prowess as are few men alive today. He will be noble and courteous with good qualities and true to his word, and he shall never commit outrage.” Because of Merlin’s words, King Arthur gave Sir Tor an earldom and lands, and here ends the quest of Sir Tor, King Pellinore’s son.