The Lioness and Her Knight (28 page)

As time for the trial approached, Luneta took the sword to the front gates, where several dozen other courtiers were casually loitering, clearly waiting to gawk at the famous Knight of the Lion. At last a guard on the castle wall called out, "Lone knight approaching!" which was followed by a babble of other shouts—"It's him! It's him! I see the lion! Where's his mane?" Luneta chose a spot a few yards back from the gate, behind the crowd, and waited. Just as she had expected, when Ywain and Lass grew close, those onlookers who were in the center of the crowd had second thoughts about being in a lion's path and pressed frantically away from the middle, opening a path right to where Luneta waited. Ywain, in full armor and with his visor over his face, rode through this gap and stopped in front of her.

"Good morning, Sir Knight," Luneta said. Ywain nodded a silent greeting. Luneta guessed that he was trying not to speak so that no one would recognize his voice. Then Lass, who had been padding quietly beside Ywain and ignoring the crowd, paced majestically forward to Luneta and sniffed at her. The crowd backed away farther, and several of the courtiers uttered muffled oaths. "And good morning to you, too," Luneta said. Lass appeared to be satisfied and sat down.

Ywain dismounted and stepped up to Luneta. In a low voice he said, "I don't suppose you've found a way to stop this trial, have you?"

"No," Luneta said. "But the king has made a new law. If neither of you has yielded after an hour, then the case goes to him for his decision." Ywain nodded appreciatively, and Luneta added, softening her own voice, "And when you fight, will you do me the favor of using this sword?"

"Why?"

"Because I ask? Gawain has already agreed."

"Gawain?"

"Oh, yes, you don't know, do you? He's the one you're fighting."

Ywain was silent for a moment. At last he said, "Luneta, if you hadn't saved my life so many times, I feel sure that I would strangle you now."

"I know," Luneta said. "I'm sorry. You were right to want nothing to do with this, and I was wrong to talk you into it. But I'm doing my best to fix things. Trust me?"

Luneta half expected Ywain to refuse—she wasn't at all sure that, in his position,
she
would trust her—but Ywain didn't hesitate. "Give me the sword. Where's this silly fight to be?"

"I'll take you there," Luneta said.

The combat was to take place in an inner courtyard, behind the main keep of the castle. This courtyard had been roped off since the night before, but by the time of the battle the people were so tightly packed around the sides that one could barely get through. Every castle window that overlooked this court was clogged with the faces of spectators, and as Ywain, Luneta, and Lass approached, a buzz of excitement ran through the packed people. If they hadn't had Lass with them, they might not have gotten to the field at all, but the lioness worked her usual magic on the crowd, and they scraped through without much trouble.

At the edge of the field, Ywain stopped and looked around. Opposite them was the royal pavilion, where King Arthur sat with Queen Guinevere and a few of his knights. Luneta saw Philomela there, along with another lady whom she didn't know—doubtless Philomela's older sister Philomena. Gawain waited calmly in front of the pavilion. The king stood. "Welcome, Sir Knight," he said in a ringing voice. "Our court has heard much of your deeds, and we have longed to meet you."

Ywain bowed deeply in reply. After the barest pause, the king continued, now addressing all the crowd. "As you know, we are here for a trial by combat. These two knights, each defending one of the sisters of Blackthorn, will weigh arms against each other, the winner being held to have vindicated the cause of his sponsor. If, however"—the king's voice became even stronger—"neither has defeated the other after the space of one hour, then I declare the trial by combat to be concluded, and the cause will be decided by me and my counselors! Are there any who object to these terms?"

Both the sisters of Blackthorn looked surprised at the one-hour rule, but neither spoke. The king waited a moment, then lifted his arm and said, "Let the contest begin."

At that point, a problem arose. Ywain strode toward the center of the courtyard but was followed immediately by Lass. Ywain stopped. "No, Lass," he whispered to the lioness. "Go on back to Luneta." But Lass had seen Gawain stepping forward with drawn sword and had grown tense, her tail beginning to whip sharply about. Clearly she had no intention of letting Ywain face this threatening knight alone. Ywain looked helplessly back at Luneta.

"Come here, Lass," Luneta called. The lioness paid no attention, and as Gawain approached she lowered into a crouch, ready to pounce.

"I'll be all right, Lass, go on back, now," Ywain said, but the lioness ignored him as well. Gawain stopped advancing, and he and Ywain looked uncertainly at each other.

"Cats don't mind all that well, do they?" Gawain asked, amusement in his voice.

"I'll have to take her somewhere and shut her in, I suppose," Ywain replied.

But just then a new voice called out, from right beside Luneta, "Lass, girl! Come here!"

The lioness's ears pricked up, and she turned. Luneta looked up to see a tall young man in a sober black outfit standing beside her. It wasn't until he called again that she recognized Rhience, no longer wearing his fool's motley. Lass turned and loped back toward Rhience, picking up speed as she came. When she was near enough, she sprang lightly up, placing her paws on Rhience's shoulders and nearly knocking him over. The people in the crowd nearby shrieked and surged away. "Hallo, old girl," Rhience said to the lioness. She pressed her head against his chest and rubbed her cheek against him.

Luneta could only stare. In simple black clothes, Rhience looked like a different man, and for some reason she found herself overcome with shyness. Rhience grinned at her dumbfounded face and said, "I must be very handsome in these clothes. I've never had a female throw herself in my arms before."

Luneta's shyness disappeared at once. "Don't get used to it," she said.

"That's better, lass," Rhience said. Then he rubbed the lioness's ears. "No, not you, girl. The other lioness." Lifting his face toward the courtyard, Rhience called out, "Go ahead, Sir Knight! I'll hang on to your lady friend!"

Ywain waved his arm in greeting and acknowledgment, then turned to Gawain. Luneta focused her inner ear on the two knights and made out Gawain saying softly, "Sorry about this, cousin. I didn't know it would be you."

"Nor I you, Gawain."

"I know. Well, we might as well begin. May the best knights not win."

The two took their positions and lifted their swords to the sky briefly. Then Gawain slashed at Ywain, who parried the blow with his sword. The crowd burst into a roar at the blow, but the roar faded at once, and the two knights stepped back from each other, both looking at their blades.

"Do you know, my dear," Rhience said calmly, "that that looked very odd in this light? It almost seemed as if their swords bent when they struck each other, then straightened out all by themselves."

"How is that possible?" Luneta asked demurely. "Both of those swords are made of iron."

The combatants came together again. This time it was Ywain who struck and Gawain who parried, but there was no mistaking what happened. When the swords met, they both bent nearly in half at the impact, then popped back to their former position, as if they were willow branches. Ywain struck again, harder this time, and his sword nearly wrapped itself all the way around Gawain's sword before it snapped straight again. Again the two knights backed away and examined their blades.

"It occurs to me, Luneta," Rhience said, speaking very softly, "that there might be a magic spell of some sort that could do that to a sword."

Luneta frowned thoughtfully. "I
have
heard of a magical lotion that would make iron bend in that way," she admitted.

"I see," Rhience replied. "I don't suppose that those swords have been in the hands of an enchantress, have they?"

"That hardly seems possible," Luneta said, wide-eyed. "My mother and I took care of those swords ourselves until time for the combat."

"Your mother?" Rhience asked, giving her a surprised look.

"Yes, both of my parents are here. They arrived yesterday. You should meet them. I think you'll like them."

"I have every intention of doing so," Rhience replied.

The battle in the courtyard was quickly becoming a farce. Gawain and Ywain were trying their best to hack at each other, but their swords would not cooperate. Even when one of them managed to score a hit on the other's armor or helm, the sword simply conformed itself to the shape of the armor, then bounced back. Gawain began to laugh, and a minute later Ywain joined him.

"Do we really have to keep this up for an hour?" Gawain managed to gasp.

"Giving up, eh?" Ywain replied between chuckles.

"You impugn my honor, sir," declared Gawain, and at once he swung his sword at Ywain's ankle. When it hit, the sword wrapped itself around Ywain's leg, and Gawain pulled it sharply back. Ywain's left foot flew up, and he fell flat on his back. The crowd roared with delight, but when Gawain rushed forward, Ywain rolled over and managed to wrap his own sword around Gawain's thigh, making him stumble and fall. The knights leaped to their feet, both of them now swinging their swords like cudgels instead of blades, trying to hit the other with the flat of their swords instead of the edges. Neither made any further effort to parry the other's blows with their swords but instead protected themselves with their free hands while striking return blows with their swords. After all, Luneta thought with satisfaction, it was clear that those pliable weapons were not going to inflict any damage.

Gawain managed to wrap his sword around Ywain's forearm, but Ywain pulled back faster than Gawain did, and Gawain staggered forward, off-balance, and, with some help from Ywain's right foot, sprawled on his face. "Take that, churl!" Ywain said grandly. Luneta realized that he was no longer trying to hide his voice, but was talking loudly enough for all to hear. Gawain rolled over and dived into Ywain's legs, bringing both of them down in a heap.

"Stop this! Stop this at once!" shrieked a furious female voice from the king's pavilion.

"I take it that's Philomena, the evil sister?" Rhience asked Luneta.

"I think so. She doesn't seem best pleased, does she?"

"Your majesty! This is no battle! Stop it and give them new swords!" Philomena screamed.

King Arthur rose deliberately to his feet. "My lady," he said. "You and your sister have demanded of this court that we hold a trial by combat. Now, as I understand these trials, the idea is that God will give victory to the one who is in the right. You are placing your cause before God and waiting for his answer, are you not?"

The king waited for a moment, allowing both of the sisters to nod.

"Well, then," King Arthur said. "How do you know that this is not God's reply?" Returning to his seat, he smiled at Gawain and Ywain. "Continue, please. You have three-quarters of an hour left." The knights looked at each other, then back at the king. "No, I'm serious," King Arthur said. "Go ahead and fight. I haven't enjoyed anything so much in years."

By the time the full hour was done, all the courtiers and ladies of Camelot, with the exception of Philomena, were weak with laughter. Even Gawain and Ywain had to stop periodically to hold their sides and shake their heads with irrepressible mirth. During one of these lulls, Rhience commented to Luneta, "It's a dashed good thing that I've given up being a fool. I could never top this performance. A fine thing when noble knights trespass on the business of honest jesters!"

"About that," Luneta said. "Why
did
you put off the fool's clothes?"

"My year was up," Rhience replied. "Three days ago, actually, on the first of this month. Remember? The Fool's New Year?"

"I'd forgotten," Luneta admitted.

"I had, too, until Ywain told us the date on the thirtieth of March. That's why I had to leave you. I wanted to go home, get my own clothes, and resume my old self before I conducted you back to your home, as I'd promised."

"Was
that
what your important errand was? But I didn't care what clothes you wore!"

"I wanted to be myself when I met your parents," Rhience said. "And, since they're already here, it's a dashed good thing I changed when I did, isn't it? Look sharp, lass. The king's standing up."

Sure enough, King Arthur had risen and stepped forward. "The hour has come!" he called out. At once Gawain and Ywain threw down their swords and, bubbling with mutual laughter, embraced each other. The king grinned at them, then lifted his voice again. "I think we can all agree that this match has ended without a winner! So the case of the sisters of Blackthorn now falls to my decision." He turned to the two sisters and said, "As I understand the matter, Lady Philomena claims that her father died without a will, and so all his estate falls to her, as the firstborn. Lady Philomela, however, claims that her father had indeed made a will, dividing the property in half. This will was not found, however. Are these the facts of the case?"

Both of the sisters nodded. King Arthur lifted his chin and declared grandly, "The case would be impossible to decide," he said, "unless by the grace of God that original will
were found!
" With that he held one hand back to Sir Kai, who stood behind him. Sir Kai drew a roll of parchment from his cloak and placed it in the king's hands. King Arthur lifted the parchment triumphantly over his head.

Philomena screamed angrily, "That can't be my father's will!"

King Arthur lowered the parchment, and said, "No, it isn't, my dear. I believe it's a stable inventory or something tedious like that. But I do have a question, child. How could you be so certain that this is not the missing will—unless you had yourself destroyed it?"

Philomena blanched and was silent. King Arthur's face grew stern, and he turned to Philomela. "Lady Philomela, I declare your claim vindicated. But I will leave the final resolution to you. You say that your father left his property equally to the two of you, and if that is what you wish, you may take your half now, sharing that property for all time with your sister. However, because Lady Philomena sought to steal your half, she has forfeited her own rights. If you want to have the entire property for yourself, it is yours. I declare it."