Margaise of Orkney. But after they
are ended, then shall the further history of the adventures of Sir
Launcelot be considered once more._

[Illustration: Sir Gareth of Orkney]

[Illustration]

Chapter First

_How Sir Gareth of Orkney came to the Castle of Kynkennedon where King
Arthur was holding court, and how it fared with him at that place._

[Sidenote: _Of Gareth of Orkney._]

The youngest son of King Lot of Orkney and of his Queen, who was the
Lady Margaise, sister of King Arthur, was a youth hight Gareth of
Orkney. This young, noble, high-born prince was the most beautiful of
all his royal race, for not only was he exceedingly tall and stalwart of
frame--standing a full head bigger than the biggest of any at his
father's court--and not only was he the strongest and the most agile and
the most skilful at all knightly sports, and not only was he gentle in
speech and exceedingly courteous in demeanor to all with whom he held
discourse, but he was so beautiful of countenance that I do not believe
that an angel of Paradise could be more fair to look upon than he. For
his hair was bright and ruddy, shining like to pure gold, his cheeks
were red and they and his chin were covered over with a soft and budding
bloom of beard like to a dust of gold upon his face; his eyes were blue
and shining and his neck and throat were round and white like to a
pillar of alabaster.

[Sidenote: _How they of the court praise Gareth._]

Now King Lot and Queen Margaise loved Gareth above any of their other
children, and so it befell that all those who dwelt at the King's court
took every occasion to praise young Gareth, both to his face and before
the faces of the King and Queen, his father and mother. For these would
sometimes say: "Lo! this youth sendeth forth such a glory of royal
beauty and grace and dignity from him that even were he clad in fustian
instead of cloth of gold yet would all the world know him to be of royal
strain as plainly as though he were clothed in royal attire fitting for
such a princely youth to wear. For, behold! the splendor of his royalty
lieth in his spirit and not in his raiment, and so it is that it shineth
forth from his countenance."

[Sidenote: _Queen Margaise bespeaketh Gareth._]

Now it came to pass that when Gareth was twenty years of age, his
mother, Queen Margaise, called him to her in her bower where she was
with her maidens, and she bade him to sit down beside her and he did as