Without further me screwing around instead of working on my stories, here's the green knight part 2!
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Gawain's steed flew forth from the castle, sparks kicked up from the cobblestones as he rode to his fate. The people mourned the loss of this knight as they watched him leave. If he was to take the blow, how could he possibly survive? Lamentations at his inevitable fall followed him from the castle town, and he knew they were right. But to run from this fate was to dishonor not only himself, but his kingdom and king as well.
Not one to dally over trivial things like "roads" and "common sense", he pushed his way through thick forests and rough undergrowths, and it wasn't long before the sun had set. He made his bedding on the earth, his noble birth not preparing him for such things. Cold and alone, he awoke in the morning, and immediately returned to the saddle. For days he continued like this, resting only when he could no longer ride, for lack of light. Through countryside and city he rode, on and on, asking any he met if they knew of the knight of the green chapel, yet none had.
He fought off wolves, wild men, and warriors. Battling bears, boars, and beasts. Defeating dragons and dread knights. But still, with no clue of the green chapel.
His armor damaged and body weakened by battle and weather, he continued riding till Christmas Eve, praying to find somewhere to stay on this night. Praying for somewhere to see mass in the morning. Praying for somewhere to spend Christmas morn. Finally, he found a castle. A beautiful, glorious castle. He rode weakly to the front gates, and humbly requested lodgings. He sent word to the lord of the castle, and word returned. He was welcomed into the castle by a group of residents, and their lord.
"You are welcome here, sir knight, for as long as you like. All that I have, you may treat as yours. I can only hope you find the lodgings acceptable." The lord of the castle was a tall, older knight. Strong and well built, he welcomed Gawain and the two shared friendship that night. At dinner, cheer was shared with the brave knight and the people of the castle. Finally, one thought to ask him where he came from. When it was revealed he was sir Gawain, everyone was astonished. Many tales of Gawain of Camelot had spread through the land, and the lord of the castle laughed heartily with cheer to find that he had given lodging to one so brave.
The night passed on with cheer and laughter, and Gawain and a lady of the castle, her beauty rivaling any he had ever seen, each caught the other looking at them time and again.
The morning came, and Gawain prepared to leave. The lord of the castle begged him not to go, asking what sort of errand would force him from their presence so soon.
"I have a duty to be somewhere, and little time left to get there. With no idea where it is, I must hurry to find it."
"And where are you going, oh brave knight?" asked the lord.
"To the green chapel, to find the green knight." The lord of the castle laughed heartily.
"Stay with us a few days at least...I can show you were the chapel is. It's not two miles from this castle, after all!"
"You have my gratitude, good sir. I am in your debt."
"Then stay with us, and the debt shall be paid in full." Both laughed happily, and drank deep of wine. It wasn't long before he found that the lovely lady he had been so taken with was the lord of the castle's own wife. He spent time in their company, and came to cherish the friendship of them both.
He awoke a few days later to find her standing over him.
"You sleep too heavily...if I had been here to slay you, you would have fallen and never known it. As it is, you're barely awake, and I could easily capture you, binding you to the bed." She laughed as she joked with him. They smiled and talked as good friends into mid morning, and she spoke as if she loved him, but knowing of her marriage, he pushed past these conversational topics, feeling uncomfortable. Her husband rode with his men, enjoying the sport of the hunt.
The night came and they sat at dinner with the court of the castle, joking and laughing through the night again. And again, the morning came to find the lady waking sir Gawain in his bed, as the castle's lord was once again taking to the hunt. She began to ask how she could win his heart, and he treated these comments as jokes, fearing he would only regret indulging such questions. He could stay at the castle only one more day. Then, he HAD to leave. It was time for him to leave for the green chapel. He would leave before long.
The next day, he found the woman in his chamber again, her husband again at the hunt. She had dressed well to see him off, but seemed sad.
"Please" she said, "if only to ease my suffering, give me some gift to remember you by..." He responded regretfully that he had nothing to give, and she asked that he take a gift instead. She gave him her girdle, telling him it was enchanted, that nothing could slay him while he wore it. Knowing of the blow to come, he wore it, but she begged him to keep it hidden from her husband, for her sake. He wore it under his armor the next morning, and bid farewell to the lord of the castle, as his servant showed the way to the green chapel. He carried the axe himself up the steps, struggling a bit with its weight, noting the sickly look of the landscape to take his mind off how heavy the damned thing was. The chapel's name was well earned, though the grass growing over it was now brown from the winter cold. Finally, he made his way inside.
"About time." Said the Green knight.
"I apologize for the delay." Gawain replied, worried he had waited too long. "With some direction, I might have found it sooner..." he speculated, though both knew he meant no insult.
"well, come on then. There's no one here to fight, no one to worry about. Take your helmet off, come here, and I'll chop your head off. And for the love of God, PLEASE don't whine about it."
"I will make no more complaint than you did, good sir." Gawain removed his helm, bowing in front of the green knight, axe laid beside him. The green knight lifted it easily, readied, and swung for the kill, but the blow made no contact. Gawain swerved aside, avoiding the blow, cringing.
"HEY! Get your head back where it was! I thought you were Gawain, not...um...coward...wain...um...wait, hang on a sec..." The green knight fumbled with words, desperate to find some insult of courage that rhymed with Gawain, but to no avail.
"I shrank once, but no more. I pray thee, strike again...this time I shall take it, though, some of us can't retrieve lost heads..." Gawain mentally chastised himself for flinching, and bowed low again, and again the green knight swung like a man posessed, but pulled up at the last moment, not making contact. Gawain stayed still as stone, ready for the blow.
"So you CAN take a hit. Didn't want to go all the way and just hit the floor again. Gonna dull this baby if we keep doing that." Gawain scowled a bit.
"Please, let us be done with this. You're toying with me now..." The green knight lifted the axe gently and quickly swung it down, making the lightest contact, only to cut the skin on the back of the knight's neck. Gawain stood, ready to grab for his sword.
"I have taken your blow...I...I will not take another." The green knight laughed heartily.
"Y'don't have to. You gave me a blow, I gave you one. Consider the game over. Everything we owe eachother has been paid. You've felt the love of my wife, and given such care and devotion back to me in kind. You took my home, and left it well kept for me. You didn't strike against my home the first day. You were honorable, and kept distance from her. And again on the second day. You kinda slipped up a little the third day, taking that girdle, so on the third strike, I wounded you, only a bit." Gawain shrunk back at these words. Though he looked different now from the last three days, he could now see that the green knight was the very lord of the castle at which he had stayed.
"...I took it in cowardice, hoping to save my own life...cowardice, the anathema to any knight...I have shamed myself in taking it. I beg your forgiveness."
"I'll give you all the forgiveness you like, but there's nothing you need it for." The green knight smiled at his friend. Still Gawain was upset. He hadn't offended the green knight, but indeed, he had hurt only himself, wounding his honor.
"In fact," said the green knight, "Take the girdle. Consider that a Christmas present."
"I will accept it then, but I won't take it for its worth. Not for the fabric, not for the jewels inlaid in it, but as a reminder of my frailty... I must never forget the shame I have brought myself, if only to keep from such things again. I will never cower again in the face of death, but accept it, as an end will come for all things."
"Listen, you're a great guy. Why don't you come back and relax some more before you head back to Camelot? We'd love to have you stay with us."
"I cannot... But tell them I send my best wishes for the new year." The green knight nodded, and shouted after Gawain as he left with the axe.
"If you're ever in a pinch, send word, and I'll see what I can do to help you out!"
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The end of gawain and the green knight.