The Story of King Arthur and his KnightsPyle, Howard
General
The Story of King Arthur and his Knights
Pyle, Howard
Arthur, King -- Legends; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; Folklore -- England; Knights and knighthood -- Folklore
For seventeen of the noblest knights of the King’s Court, clad in
complete armor, and sent by him as an escort unto the lady, rode in
great splendor, surrounding the litter wherein the Princess lay. And the
framework of that litter was of richly gilded wood, and its curtains and
its cushions were of crimson silk embroidered with threads of gold. And
behind the litter there rode in gay and joyous array, all shining with
many colors, the Court of the Princess--her damsels in waiting,
gentlemen, ladies, pages, and attendants.
So those parties of the King and the Lady Guinevere drew nigh together
until they met and mingled the one with the other.
[Sidenote: _King Arthur greets the Lady Guinevere._]
Then straightway King Arthur dismounted from his noble horse and, all
clothed with royalty, he went afoot unto the Lady Guinevere’s litter,
whiles Sir Gawaine and Sir Ewaine held the bridle of his horse.
Thereupon one of her pages drew aside the silken curtains of the Lady
Guinevere’s litter, and King Leodegrance gave her his hand and she
straightway descended therefrom, all embalmed, as it were, in exceeding
beauty. So King Leodegrance led her to King Arthur, and King Arthur came
to her and placed one hand beneath her chin and the other upon her head
and inclined his countenance and kissed her upon her smooth cheek--all
warm and fragrant like velvet for softness, and without any blemish
whatsoever. And when he had thus kissed her upon the cheek, all those
who were there lifted up their voices in great acclaim, giving loud
voice of joy that those two noble souls had thus met together.
Thus did King Arthur give welcome unto the Lady Guinevere and unto King
Leodegrance her father upon the highway beneath the walls of the town of
Camelot, at the distance of half a league from that place. And no one
who was there ever forgot that meeting, for it was full of extraordinary
grace and noble courtliness.
Then King Arthur and his Court of Knights and nobles brought King
Leodegrance and the Lady Guinevere with great ceremony unto Camelot and
unto the royal castle, where apartments were assigned to all, so that
the entire place was alive with joyousness and beauty.
[Sidenote: _King Arthur and the Lady Guinevere are wedded._]
And when high noon had come, the entire Court went with great state and
ceremony unto the cathedral, and there, surrounded with wonderful
magnificence, those two noble souls were married by the Archbishop.
And all the bells rang right joyfully, and all the people who stood
without the cathedral shouted with loud acclaim, and lo! the King and
the Queen came forth all shining, like unto the sun for splendor and
like unto the moon for beauty.
[Sidenote: _Of the feast at the King’s castle._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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