CELOT SAVED THE QUEEN

One day in May Queen Guinevere invited ten ladies and ten knights
to ride a-Maying with her the next morning in the woods. So at
the appointed time they assembled, all dressed in green silk and
green velvet, the color of young grass. The knights wore white
plumes in their helmets, and the ladies wore white May-blossoms
in their hair. They rode off very happily, telling the king that
they would return before noon.

Now the good King Bagdemagus, for whom Sir Lancelot had fought,
had a bad son named Sir Malgrace. For a long time he had wanted
to capture the queen and carry her off to his castle. He had been
afraid to try, however, because of her large bodyguard. All the
young knights of the Round Table liked to ride with her and
protect her. They took good care of all the ladies of the Court,
but they loved the queen most.

When Sir Malgrace heard that the queen was out a-Maying with only
a few knights, and these not fully armed, he determined to take
her prisoner. So he called together eighty men-at-arms and a
hundred archers, and set out. Soon he came upon her and her
attendants. They were sitting on a little hill, with wreaths of
flowers and leaves on their arms and necks. Before they could
rise to their feet, Sir Malgrace and his men dashed upon them.

"Traitor!" cried the queen. "What would you do?"

"I will carry you to my castle, fair queen," he said. "And never
again shall you go free."

"I will not go with you," said the queen.

Then the ten knights drew their swords and set on the hundred and
eighty men of Sir Malgrace. They fought so well that they
overthrew forty. Still, they could do little against such
numbers, and soon all were wounded. When the queen saw this, she
cried out:

"Sir Malgrace, do not slay my noble knights, and I will go with
you. I would rather die than cause them further harm."

The knights said that they would rather perish than be prisoners
to Sir Malgrace. However, upon an order from their lord, the
archers tied up the wounds of the queen's followers, and put them
on horseback. Then the whole company rode slowly towards the
castle of Sir Malgrace.

Sir Malgrace kept close to the queen for fear she would escape.
Once when they were in a thick part of the wood he rode ahead to
break the branches so that they should not strike her face. Then
the queen whispered to a little maiden who rode near her:

"If you can do so, slip away from the company. You ar