Le Morte D'Arthur Book 19 Summary

  • Gwenyvere rides with her ladies and eight un-armed knights to celebrate the arrival of spring. That sounds nice enough, but of course something goes wrong. Over the course of the ride, they all get captured by Sir Mellyagaunce, who has a secret love for Gwenyvere.
  • A young boy escapes from the party and tells Sir Launcelot what has happened; he immediately departs for Mellyagaunce's castle, entering it in a horse-cart after Mellyagaunce's knights wound his own horse.
  • When Mellyagaunce learns that Launcelot has come, he begs the Queen for mercy, claiming that he has changed his mind about kidnapping her. Oh so now you feel bad, eh?
  • At Gwenyvere's request, Launcelot declines to fight with Mellyagaunce, and spends the night in the castle instead.
  • That night, Launcelot climbs to the chamber where the queen is lodged with her wounded knights. He cuts his hand tearing apart some iron bars on her window to get in to her. Smooth move, Lance.
  • In the morning, Mellyagaunce discovers the blood from Launcelot's hand on Gwenyvere's bed and accuses her of the treason of sleeping with one of the wounded knights.
  • Launcelot agrees to be Gwenyvere's champion in the battle, swearing that "none of the wounded knights slept with the Queen." After all, he would know, wouldn't he?
  • Mellyagaunce betrays Launcelot by throwing him down a tunnel during a tour of the castle. Everyone returns to Camelot without him, assuming he has gone off on a quest.
  • One of Mellyagaunce's ladies offers to free Launcelot if he becomes her lover, but he refuses. She finally lets him off easy, and frees him on the day of the battle in exchange for a just a kiss.
  • Launcelot arrives just in time to the fight with Mellyagaunce. Phew.
  • Once overcome, Mellyagaunce refuses to fight anymore until Launcelot binds one hand behind his back. But even with this handicap, Launcelot still kills him.
  • A Hungarian knight named Sir Urry is hurt pretty badly in the tournament.
  • His mother, a sorceress, discovers that the only way to get the wounds to heal is for the best knight in the world to probe them. Um, that sounds pretty painful…
  • A hopeful Sir Urry arrives in Camelot looking for the best knight in the world, but neither Arthur nor any of the knights who first probe his wounds are able to heal them.
  • At first hesitant because he doesn't want to seem prideful, Launcelot finally agrees to try healing Sir Urry, and succeeds after praying to God for help. Looks like Lance is the best knight in the world once again.
  • After the healing of Sir Urry, Sir Launcelot weeps like a child who has been beaten. What's that all about?
  • Oh, and Sir Lavayne and Sir Urry are made Knights of the Round Table, as if you didn't see that one coming.