The Story of the Champions of the Round Table | Page 4

my lord the King and beseech help and
aid from him, for he will certainly give it me. Nor will I trust any
messenger in this affair other than myself; for I myself will go to King
Arthur and will speak to him with my own lips."

Having thus bethought him, he sent for Queen Helen to come into his
privy closet and he said to her: "My dear love, nothing remaineth for
me but to go unto the court of King Arthur and beseech him to lend his
powerful aid in this extremity of our misfortunes; nor will I trust any
messenger in this affair but myself. Now, this castle is no place for thee,
when I am away, therefore, when I go upon this business, I will take
thee and Launcelot with me, and I will leave you both in safety at King
Arthur's court with our other son, Sir Ector, until this war be ended and
done." And to these Queen Helen lent her assent.
So King Ban summoned to him the seneschal of the castle, who was
named Sir Malydor le Brun, and said to him: "Messire, I go hence
to-night by a secret pass, with intent to betake me unto King Arthur,
and to beseech his aid in this extremity. Moreover, I shall take with me
my lady and the young child Launcelot, to place them within the care
of King Arthur during these dolorous wars. But besides these, I will
take no other one with me but only my favorite esquire, Foliot. Now I
charge thee, sir, to hold this castle in my behalf with all thy might and
main, and yield it not to our enemies upon any extremity; for I believe I
shall in a little while return with sufficient aid from King Arthur to
compass the relief of this place."
[Sidenote: King Ban with Queen Helen and Launcelot escape from
Trible] So when night had fallen very dark and still, King Ban, and
Queen Helen, and the young child Launcelot, and the esquire Foliot left
the town privily by means of a postern gate. Thence they went by a
secret path, known only to a very few, that led down a steep declivity
of rocks, with walls of rock upon either side that were very high indeed,
and so they came out in safety beyond the army of King Claudas and
into the forest of the valley below. And the forest lay very still and
solemn and dark in the silence of the nighttime.
Having thus come out in safety into the forest, that small party
journeyed on with all celerity that they were able to achieve until, some
little time before dawn, they came to where was a lake of water in an
open meadow of the forest. Here they rested for a little while, for
Queen Helen had fallen very weary with the rough and hasty journey

which they had traveled.
[Sidenote: Foliot seeth a light] Now whilst they sat there resting, Foliot
spake of a sudden, saying unto King Ban: "Lord, what is that light that
maketh the sky so bright yonder-ways?" Then King Ban looked a little
and presently said: "Methinks it must be the dawn that is breaking."
"Lord," quoth Foliot, "that cannot very well be; for that light in the sky
lieth in the south, whence we have come, and not in the east, where the
sun should arise."
Then King Ban's heart misgave him, and his soul was shaken with a
great trouble. "Foliot," he said, "I believe that you speak sooth and that
that light bodes very ill for us all." Then he said: "Stay here for a little
and I will go and discover what that light may be." Therewith he
mounted his horse and rode away in the darkness.
[Sidenote: King Ban beholdeth the burning of Trible] Now there was a
very high hill near-by where they were, and upon the top of the hill was
an open platform of rock whence a man could see a great way off in
every direction. So King Ban went to this place, and, when he had
come there, he cast his eyes in the direction of the light and he
straightway beheld with a manner of terror that the light came from
Trible; and then, with that terror still growing greater at his heart, he
beheld that the town and the castle were all in one great flame of fire.
When King Ban saw this he sat for a while upon his horse like one
turned into a stone. Then, after a while, he cried out in a great voice:
"Woe! Woe! Woe is me!" And then he cried out still in a very loud
voice, "Certes, God hath deserted me entirely."
[Sidenote: The death