The White Knight: Tirant Lo BlancMartorell, Joanot
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The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc
Martorell, Joanot
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Adventure stories; Knights and knighthood -- Fiction
"Be careful about what you're saying," said Plaerdemavida. "I'm
afraid you may die. And if you die, your death will be criminal.
Be careful about pain in your heels, I've heard doctors say about
us women that pain comes to our heels first, then our feet, then
it comes up to our knees, and our thighs, and sometimes it goes
into our secret place. There it brings us a great deal of pain,
and it goes up to our head from there. And don't think that this
sickness comes often, as the great philosopher Galen says--a very
wise doctor, for it only comes once in a lifetime. Even though
it's an incurable illness, it is never deadly, and there are many
treatments if a person wants to try them. What I'm telling you
is true, and you shouldn't be astonished that I know about
sickness. If you show me your tongue I'll be able to tell you
what your illness is."
Stephanie stuck out her tongue. When Plaerdemavida had seen it
she said to her:
"I would swear by everything my father taught me that you lost
blood last night."
Stephanie quickly answered:
"You're right. I had a nosebleed."
"I don't know if it came out of your nose or your heel," said
Plaerdemavida, "but you've lost blood. And my lady, if Your
Majesty would like, I'll tell you a dream I had last night, as
long as Your Highness will promise me that if I say something
that annoys you, you'll forgive me."
The princess was delighted by what Plaerdemavida had said, and
laughing, she told her to say whatever she liked, that she
forgave her. And Plaerdemavida began to tell about her dream.
"I'll tell Your Majesty everything I dreamed. As I was asleep in
a side chamber with four maidens, I saw Stephanie come in with a
lighted candle so that it wouldn't shine too brightly, and she
came up to our bed and saw us all sleeping. The truth is that I
was half asleep: I don't know if I was asleep or awake. In my
dream I saw how Stephanie opened the chamber door very quietly so
that she wouldn't make any noise, and she found my lord Tirant
and the constable there, waiting. They were dressed in their
doublets, with cloaks and swords, and they wore woolen stockings
on their feet so they wouldn't make any noise when they walked.
When they came in, she put out the light, and went in front,
holding the constable's hand. After him came your knight. She
was like a blindman's guide, and she put them in your chamber.
Your Highness was all perfumed, dressed and not naked. Tirant
held you in his arms and carried you around the room, kissing you
over and over again, and Your Highness was saying, 'Stop it,
Tirant, stop it!' And he put you on a bed. And Plaerdemavida
went up the bed and said, 'Oh, in the bed! If only the people
who knew you before could see you now!' And it seemed to me that
I got out of bed in my chemise and went up to that hole in the
door, and that I watched everything you were doing."
The princess laughed, and said:
"Was there more to your dream?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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