The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris Read Free Book Online Page A

yours. Now your turn! Give me everything
you
got today!"

Chapter 10
Sir Gawain the True

    Sir Gawain's heart stood still. Not once that day, basking pleasantly in the gift of life that he had received with Lady Agnes's sash, had he thought about Sir Bredbaddle's silly game. Why had he agreed to such a thing? To get rid of the irritating Sir Bredbaddle, of course. How could he have known that making such a promise would lead to this? Maybe Gologras (and Spinagras, too) had been right about the foolishness of making vows. But the vow had been made. Now, to keep his casual promise, he had to surrender the sash and face certain death. His mind reeled, but in the midst of the whirl was one idea:
A vow is a vow.
In a daze, he stepped forward and gave Sir Bredbaddle a dutiful kiss on the cheek. Then he reached for the green sash at his waist.
    But Sir Bredbaddle gave him no time. He was roaring with laughter. "Oho!" he shouted gleefully, "Now I know why you stayed behind! Been hunting chambermaids, haven't you? Well, well, we all have our different specialties!" He clapped Sir Gawain heavily on the back, laughed again, then led him into the castle, exclaiming loudly, "But I won in one way, didn't I? All I had to give away was a deer, while you—you had to give me a kiss! Well, that's the price you pay, I suppose. See what comes of all that vow-making business?"
    Slowly, Sir Gawain turned and stared at Sir Bredbaddle, an impossible idea taking shape in his mind.
It couldn't be
Sir Bredbaddle glanced back at him, and Sir Gawain quickly assumed a polite expression, even as his mind, suddenly clear, raced ahead, putting things together. "Yes, of course," Sir Gawain said with a smile. "You're quite right. Tell me about your hunt. Was it a difficult chase?"
    Now, as Sir Gawain well knew, nothing is more gratifying to an outdoorsman than to be allowed to describe every minute of a good day in the field, and Sir Bredbaddle talked without ceasing for two hours before dinner, for another two hours during the grand venison feast that they shared that evening, and then for two hours after eating. Sir Gawain smiled and responded with polite interest and heard hardly two words. His mind was occupied with plans. He no longer had any intention of returning the green sash—at least not yet—but when? And how? He thought about it all through supper and went to bed still pondering the question, but when he awoke before dawn, he knew exactly what to do. He rose, dressed, folded the green sash carefully, and tucked it in his pocket. Leaving his weapons and armor in his room, he went out into the corridor to go knock at Sir Bredbaddle's door.
    As he'd expected, he was prevented from doing so. As soon as he left his chamber, a servant approached. "Good morning, Sir Gawain," said the servant. "I was just coming to wake you."
    "You were?"
    "Yes, my master says you have to go to the Green Chapel today, and if you're going to the Green Chapel, you have to go at dawn."
    "At dawn? Why?"
    "Those are the rules of the chapel, Sir Gawain. Are you ready?"
    "Isn't Sir Bredbaddle going to take me himself?"
    "My master never arises early."
    Sir Gawain smiled to himself and played along. "But I haven't had a chance to thank him for his hospitality. Surely it would be all right to wake him."
    "Besides," said the servant hastily, "it's a holiday. My master always sleeps in on holidays. He's very particular about such things."
    Sir Gawain knew the servant would never take him to Sir Bredbaddle's room, and why, so he allowed the servant to hurry him down to the courtyard, where his horse was saddled and waiting. "You must leave at once," the servant said. "Go out the main gate, take the path to the left, and stay on it. It will lead you directly to the Green Chapel." The gates of the castle opened, the servant slapped Sir Gawain's horse on the haunches, and the steed leaped into a run.
    As the servant had promised, the path led straight to the chapel. The sun