The Death of King Arthur (14 page)

Sir Tristram was sent for, and told the conditions of this battle. ‘Very well,' he told the king, ‘you may inform Marhalt that I am of blood as noble as his own. I am the son of King Melodias. My mother was your own sister, sir, who died in the forest on the day of my birth.'

‘Jesus save us!' the king exclaimed. ‘You are more welcome than ever, fair nephew.'

So Tristram was armed and mounted in earnest, with trappings of gold and silver. When Sir Marhalt was told that his opponent was the son of a king, he was delighted to be matched against him. It was agreed that they would fight upon an island close to Marhalt's ships, and so Tristram boarded a great vessel with his arms and horse. When King Mark and the court saw him depart, they wept with mingled joy and sorrow at the thought that he might suffer on their behalf.

So Tristram sailed towards the island where Marhalt was waiting for him; he saw six ships at anchor, and he ordered his men to land at this spot. His companion, Gouvernail, was with him. ‘Where,' Tristram asked him, ‘is the man I am supposed to fight?'

‘He is there. In the shadow of the ships. Just there.'

‘Ah. Now I see him. I see the spear in his hand, and his shield upon his shoulder.'

So, with his own spear and shield, he prepared himself for combat. ‘Go back to King Mark,' he told Gouvernail, ‘and give him this message. If I am slain in battle, ask him to bury me as he deems best. Tell him this, too. I will never be accused of cowardice. If I die with honour, he must pay no tribute to Ireland. But if I should flee, then let him flay my corpse and deny me Christian burial. Do not return to this island until you have seen the outcome of the battle.'

When Marhalt saw that his opponent had landed, he rode over to Tristram. ‘Young knight,' he asked, ‘what are you doing here? I feel sorry for you. Truly. Do you not know that I have fought many noble knights and that I have never fallen? I have defeated the best knights in the world. Take my advice. Return to your ship.'

‘You must realize, fair knight, that I will not avoid battle with you. I was made a knight precisely in order to fight you. I am the son of a king. I have sworn an oath to assail you with all my strength, and to save Cornwall from the exaction of tribute. That is my cause. That is why I come against you here. I have never yet proved myself in combat. Now is my chance. If I am able to defeat you, my renown will ring around the world.'

‘So you wish to win fame, do you? If you can withstand just three strokes of my sword, you will have done well. Are you ready?'

So they levelled their spears and rode against each other. They both fell to the ground but, in their struggle, Marhalt had given Tristram a bad wound in his side. They pulled out their swords, put up their shields, and attacked each other like wild men. They gave no quarter but clashed again and again. They fought for the whole of the morning, until the ground beneath them was soaked in their blood. Tristram battled harder than ever, even as the strength of Marhalt ebbed; with a mighty stroke he severed Marhalt's helmet in two, and his sword broke open his head. The sword was so firmly lodged in his skull that Tristram had to wrench at it three times in order to free it. Marhalt fell to his knees, moaning; when he saw how things stood he threw his sword and shield from him, and fled to his ships. Tristram picked up the man's weapons, and taunted him as he ran. ‘Ah, sir knight,' he called out, ‘why are you leaving? You do yourself and your king great shame. I am young and untested. But I would rather be torn to pieces than surrender to you.' Sir Marhalt made no reply, but went on his way still groaning. ‘Well, sir,' Tristram continued, ‘I promise that I will keep safe your sword and your shield. I will take them with me when I ride on my adventures.'

So Marhalt and his companions sailed back to Ireland in disgrace. When he came to the court of King Angwish the doctors examined his wounds. They found a piece of Tristram's sword lodged in Marhalt's skull, but by no means could they extract it. He died in agony. But his sister kept the fragment with her, with the aim of being revenged whenever she could.

We turn again to Sir Tristram, who was so badly wounded and bloodied that he could now hardly stand. He fell into a fever, shivering, and laid himself down upon a little hill, where he lost more blood. Yet King Mark soon came across the water to the island, and with his lords walked in procession to honour his knight. He carried Tristram back in his ship to Tintagel, where the young knight was laid in a soft bed. When the king inspected his wounds, he wept. ‘So God help me,' he said, ‘I would give up my lands to save my nephew.'

Tristram lay for more than a month. He had been wounded by Marhalt's first stroke, but he did not know that the sword had been poisoned. The king and court were in dismay, because they believed that he would die. All manner of doctors and surgeons were called, but none could cure him.

One day a wise woman came to court, and learned of his plight. She said plainly to the king, and to Tristram himself, that he would be cured of his wound only if he went to the country where the poison had been refined. He would be helped there, and nowhere else. So King Mark ordered a vessel to be prepared, and Tristram set off for Ireland; that country had been the source of his sorrow. He took his harp with him.

By fortune, good or ill, he landed close to the place where King Angwish and his queen had a castle. On his arrival he played such a marvellous lay upon his harp that no one in Ireland had ever heard anything like it. The report of a sick knight, able to play wonderfully upon the harp, reached the king. He asked for the man to be sent to him. ‘Make sure that his wounds are examined,' he said to his courtiers.

On Tristram's arrival the king asked for his name. So Tristram was careful. ‘I am called,' he said, ‘Sir Tramtrist. I am from the land of Liones. I received these wounds in combat for a lady's hand.'

‘I promise you, sir,' the king replied, ‘that you will have all the help that I can give you. I know how you feel. I have just endured pain of my own. I have lost the best knight in the world. His name was Marhalt. Have you heard of him? I will tell you what happened.'

Sir Tristram dissembled. He listened to the story, and said that he was sorry for the dead knight; he knew the truth better than the king. But Angwish looked favourably on the young man, and gave him into the care of his daughter. Her name was La Belle Isolde, and she was at this time the fairest lady in the world. She was a skilful doctor, too, and she discovered where the poison lay within his wound. As the wise woman had predicted, Isolde healed him. Tristram fell in love with her, and taught her the secrets of the harp. She in turn loved him.

There was another knight, Sir Palomides the Saracen, who had always loved Isolde and gave her many gifts. Tristram saw this, and was envious. When Isolde told him that Palomides was to be baptized a Christian for her sake, Tristram grew more jealous still.

It so happened that King Angwish declared a tournament for all worthy combatants; his messengers went into Wales, Scotland, England, France and Brittany proclaiming the news. When Isolde heard of it, she went to Tristram and urged him to take part in the combat. ‘Fair lady,' he told her. ‘I am still weak. If it had not been for your help, I would now be dead. What can I do? You know well enough that I should not joust.'

‘Oh, Sir Tramtrist,' she replied, ‘what are you saying? I have been assured that Sir Palomides will ride there. I ask you to reconsider. Otherwise he will win the prize.'

‘That may be so, lady. But I am a young knight. In the very first battle I fought, I was almost killed. Yet I bow to your will. I will go to the joust on one condition. You must reveal to no one that I am taking part. I shall pledge my poor person for your sake. Perhaps Sir Palomides will feel the force of my spear.'

‘Do the best you can,' she said. ‘I will procure horse and armour for you.'

‘As you will. I am yours to command.'

So on the day of the joust Sir Palomides, armed with a black shield, overthrew many knights. Yet Sir Tristram held back. When King Angwish asked him the reason, he gave the same reply as before. ‘I was recently wounded. As yet, I dare not ride against him.'

A warrior from the court of King Melodias, the father of Tristram, had come to the tournament. His name was Hebes le Renownys. As soon as he saw Tristram, he bowed deeply to him. Isolde saw this, but said nothing. She was convinced that Tristram was a man of some renown, and she loved him all the more because of it.

Tristram took the young man to one side and asked him not to reveal his name. ‘I will not disclose it, sir,' Hebes said, ‘unless you wish it.'

‘Now tell me this. Why have you come to Ireland?'

‘I have come with Sir Gawain to be dubbed a knight. I would like to receive that honour from your hands, if I may.'

‘Come to me secretly tomorrow morning. I will make you a knight in the field of tournament.'

On the following morning Sir Palomides rode on to the field, as he had done on the first day, and defeated the King of Scots as well as the King of the Hundred Knights. But then Sir Tristram came forth, wearing white armour and riding on a white horse. He looked like a bright angel sent down upon the earth. Sir Palomides saw him, and aimed straight for him. But Tristram lowered his spear, and caught him squarely in the middle. When Palomides fell to the earth, a great shout went up from the spectators. ‘Look,' some said, ‘the knight with the black shield has fallen!' Others shouted, ‘It is Sir Palomides!' Isolde was delighted that her unsought suitor had been beaten. Sir Gawain and his nine companions wondered who this white knight might be, but none of them dared to fight with him.

In the glow of this victory Sir Tristram made Hebes a true knight, and the young man followed him ever after.

After Palomides had risen to his feet, he was bitterly ashamed of his defeat and tried to leave the field unseen. But Tristram spotted him, and rode after the retreating warrior. ‘Turn around,' he told him. ‘I challenge you once more.' So both men drew their swords and cut at one another. Tristram disarmed his opponent with a great blow, so that Palomides was bowed down upon the earth. ‘Surrender,' Tristram said. ‘Obey me now or I will kill you.'

‘I yield to you.'

‘This is my charge to you. First, upon pain of your life you must leave off your pursuit of Isolde. You will never more come near her. Second, I command you to bear no arms for a year and a day. Promise me these things, or I will slay you.'

‘This is the greatest shame I have ever endured.'

‘Nevertheless, swear.'

So Palomides was forced to swear an oath. In anger and distress he cut off his armour and flung it as far as he could.

Sir Tristram rode back to the castle where Isolde was waiting for him. On his way, however, he met a fair lady who greeted him. ‘Who are you?' she inquired of him.

‘I am he who has just defeated Sir Palomides in combat.'

‘What is your name? Are you by any chance Sir Lancelot du Lake? I am sure no one else could have performed such a feat.'

‘No, lady. I cannot claim to be so great a knight. I must trust to God to give me strength of that kind.'

‘Fair knight, put up your visor.'

When he lifted his visor she almost fainted. She had never seen such a fair-looking knight. Then she took her leave of him. He went on to the castle, where he was welcomed by Isolde.

When the king and queen knew that Sir Tramtrist had defeated Palomides, they rejoiced; he was entertained even more royally than before.

There came a day when the queen and her daughter prepared a bath for Tristram. While Gouvernail and Sir Hebes were attending to him, the queen and Isolde were sitting in the chamber where Tristram was lodged. The queen saw his sword lying upon the bed, and on an impulse drew it from its scabbard. She saw that a large piece was missing from its point, and she recalled the piece of metal found in the skull of her brother, Marhalt; they seemed to match exactly.

‘Alas!' she cried out to Isolde. ‘This is the sword of the traitor who killed your uncle. I will prove it.' So she rushed into her own chamber and opened the wooden coffer she kept there; she took out the piece of metal and came back to Tristram's room. She put it against the sword, and it fitted exactly. ‘Do you see this?' she asked Isolde.

Isolde was now distraught. She loved Tristram still, and she knew how cruel her mother could be. The queen now took up the sword and ran to the bath where Tristram lay; she was about to pierce him to the heart but Sir Hebes held her arm and pulled the sword from her. Thwarted in her plan, she hurried to the king.

She fell to her knees. ‘Oh, my lord,' she said, ‘you have under your roof the traitor that killed my brother. You have welcomed here the knight who dispatched your dutiful servant!'

‘What do you mean? Who are you talking about?'

‘I am talking about Tramtrist. The man my daughter healed of his wounds.'

‘This is a dark day for me,' the king replied. ‘I have seen Tramtrist in the field, and he is a worthy knight.' He raised the queen from her knees. ‘I charge you, lady,' he said, ‘not to meddle with this man. Leave him to me.'

So he went to Tristram's chamber. He found him fully armed, and ready to depart; he knew that his identity had been discovered. His horse was waiting for him in the courtyard. ‘It will do you no good, sir,' the king told him, ‘to thwart my anger by trying to escape. Out of love and respect for you, I promise you this. I will allow you to leave this court in safety if you tell me who you really are. And if you tell me the truth about the killing of Marhalt.'