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
"They're even closer than you think," said the Jewess. "Get up.
Go to the window, and you'll see what they plan to do to you."
Tirant immediately called for his clothes, and he had his leg
bound with towels. Then he put his armor on as best he could and
mounted his horse, along with many other men. He was so ready
and willing to fight that his illness went almost entirely away.
The emperor and the doctor who were there told him to take some
restoratives, and that would make him better able to do battle.
He did everything they advised him, and then he realized that it
had all been contrived to help him get over his illness. Tirant
said:
"Praise be to God: a woman has delivered me from the arms of
death, for another woman had killed me."
With all the noise the soldiers raised, the princess ran to her
mother's chamber. They saw the emperor coming back with Tirant,
and all the ladies looked out the windows to see what had
happened. When Tirant was in front of the princess's window he
lifted his head and put both hands over his face. The empress
asked her daughter why Tirant had covered his face, because the
only reason that was ever done was when a love affair had gone
wrong. The princess answered that she didn't have any idea.
After they had gone by and were at the palace door, the emperor
dismounted, and Tirant begged his leave to go to his lodging.
The emperor did everything he could to make Tirant dismount,
telling him he would be given everything he needed in the palace,
but Tirant insisted on leaving. The princess wondered why Tirant
did not want to stay in the palace despite all the emperor's
pleas, for he had wanted to many times before. She also wondered
why he had covered his face.
When Tirant reached his lodging, he immediately went to his room
and called Lord Agramunt and Hippolytus. He begged them to arm
and provision ten galley ships. They said they would, and
leaving Tirant, they stocked the galleys.
After Tirant had eaten, he arranged everything for his departure.
He ordered all his men to go by land to the castle of Malvei, and
said he would go by sea and they would meet there. When it was
evening and the doctors had left, they told the emperor that
Tirant was all right. When it was nearly the hour for prayer,
the princess, upset that she did not see Tirant, asked
Plaerdemavida and Lady Montblanc to go to Tirant's lodging to
find out what was wrong. As the maidens were coming, one of
Tirant's pages saw them and quickly went into Tirant's chambers
and said:
"Cheer up, my lord, two gallant ladies are coming with a message
from the princess."
"Go right away," said Tirant, "and tell them I am all right but
that I'm sleeping."
The page did what he was told, for Tirant did not want to see
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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