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
"It is quite the opposite," said the empress. "The feelings I
have toward you have increased even more. At first I thought of
you as a good man, and now I find you much better and more
valiant. The reason for my sighing has been only that I am
grieved because they will hold you as a heretic."
"What, my lady!" said Hippolytus. "Why should I be considered a
heretic?"
"Because," said the empress, "you have fallen in love with your
mother."
"'My lady,"' said Hippolytus, "no one knows how worthy you are
but me."
The two lovers spoke of these things and of many others, with all
the delights and sweet words that two people in love enjoy. They
did not sleep the whole night through, and morning was nearly
upon them. The empress had spoken the truth when she told the
doctors that she would sleep very little that night. Now, tired
from staying awake, they slept, for the new day had arrived.
When the day was fully upon them the maiden Eliseu, who was
completely dressed by now, entered the empress's chambers to ask
her how she was, and if she wanted anything. When she approached
the bed she saw a man lying at the side of the empress, her arm
under the gallant's head, and his mouth to her breast.
"Oh, Holy Mary help me!" said Eliseo. "Who is this traitor who
has deceived my lady?" She was tempted to cry out, loudly: "Kill
the traitor who, by cunning and deception, has entered this
chamber to possess the delights of this bed!" Then she thought
that no one would be so bold as to enter there against the
empress's will. She tried as hard as she could to see who it
was, but it was impossible because he had his head hidden. She
was afraid that the other maidens might enter the chamber to wait
on the empress as they usually did, so Eliseu went in to where
they were sleeping, and said to them:
"My lady bids you not to leave the room so that you will not make
any noise, because sleep has not yet satisfied her eyes."
After half an hour had passed the doctors came to see how the
empress was. The maiden went to the door and said the lady was
resting because during the night she had been a little ill.
"We will stay here," said the doctors, "until Her Majesty
awakens. That is the emperor's command."
The maiden did not know how to remedy the situation, nor whether
she should awaken her or not. She was filled with indecision
until the emperor knocked on the chamber door. The maiden,
upset, and without sufficient patience or discretion, went
anxiously to the bed and cried out, softly:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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