These three brethren told King Arthur how they were overcome by a knight that a damsel had with her and called him Beaumains. “I wonder,” said the King, “what knight he is and of what lineage he is come.” So, right as the King stood talking with these three brothers, there came Sir Lancelot and told the King that there was come a goodly lord and six hundred knights with him. Then this lord saluted the King. “Sir,” he said, “my name is the Red Knight of the Red Lands, and here I am sent by a knight that is called Beaumains, for he won me in battle hand for hand.” “Ye are welcome,” said the King, “for ye have long been a great foe to me and my court and now I trust to God I shall so treat you that ye shall be my friend.” “Sir, both I and these knights shall always be at your summons to do you service.” “Then I shall make thee a knight of the Table Round, but thou must be no more a murderer.” “Sir, as to that, I have promised Sir Beaumains never more to use such customs and I must go unto Sir Lancelot and to Sir Gawain and ask them forgiveness of the evil will I had unto them.” “They be here now,” said the King, “before thee; now may ye say to them what ye will.” And then he kneeled down unto Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain and prayed for forgiveness for the enmity that he had against them. HOW THE QUEEN OF ORKNEY CAME TO THE FEAST So then they went to meat, and as they sat at the meat there came in the Queen of Orkney with ladies and knights, a great number. And then Sir Gawain, Sir Agravaine, and Sir Gaheris arose and went to her and saluted her upon their knees and asked her blessing, for in fifteen years they had not seen her. Then she spake to her brother, King Arthur, “Where is my young son, Sir Gareth? He was here a twelvemonth, and ye made a kitchen boy of him, which is shame to you all. Alas, where is my dear son that was my joy and my bliss?” “O dear mother,” said Sir Gawain, “I knew him not.” “Nor I,” said the King, “but thank God he is proved an honorable knight as any now living of his years, and I shall never be glad until I find him.” “Ah, brother,” said the Queen, “ye did yourself great shame when you kept my son in the kitchen.” “Fair sister,” said the King, “I knew him not, nor did Sir Gawain. Also, sister, ye might have told me of his coming and then, if I had not done well to him, ye might have blamed me. For when he came to my court, he asked me three gifts and one he asked the same day; that was, that I would give him meat enough for that twelvemonth, and the other two gifts he asked that day a twelvemonth and that was that he might have the adventure for the damsel, and the third was that Sir Lancelot should make him knight when he desired him. And so I granted him all his desire.” “Sir,” said the Queen, “I sent him to you well armed and horsed and gold and silver plenty to spend.”