I let him up and went about taking what I needed. I packed his saddlebags with half his provisions, leaving him the rest, and I saddled his horse. I put on his boots—he was only a little larger than I; I had chosen him for size. I put on his chain mail, his breastplate and visored helm, and tasse and cuisses and greaves and gauntlets. I slung on his sword and shield as he watched me with tight-lipped hatred. I selected a lance. Once fully armed, I could not mount the horse. I needed a squire and wondered whether Sir Dalbert would serve. “Help me mount,” I ordered him, and I purposefully turned my back on him.

He ran at me, holding the other sword like a spear to pierce my mail. I sidestepped, turned at the same time, drew my sword and lopped off the top of his head.

It was the first time I had killed a man.

The gore made me retch. Other than that, I felt nothing for him. My left arm and shoulder hurt like fire from the cuts he had given me, and I was glad he was dead.

Perhaps I would be more like Gawain now that I had killed a knight.

I put off his armor except for mail, breastplate, helm, and greaves, and I mounted his charger—my charger now. My armor, although the shield bore his device—quarterly red and gold, with three black eagles.

Many foes recognized it, I found as I rode. “Sir Dalbert! You renegade, you killed my brother!” “Sir Dalbert! Traitor knight, defend yourself!” And they would charge me. Some I fought. Most I fled. Let them call Sir Dalbert a coward for a change.

“The first village I find,” I told Gull as she trotted by my side, “I will get something to paint out this Dalbert’s device.”

This started me thinking of what my own device might be, now that I was a full knight, for I would not claim the device of Lothian.

“A white brachet in a green field—make that a field of daisies. A white brachet lying in the daisies, couchant, with ears rampant,” I teased.

She merely trotted, panting happily.

As it turned out, I traded a brace of hares to an old charcoal burner for a bucket of limewash, and I painted my shield with it. So with a shield argent—white—as if I were yet a virgin knight, I rode on toward Avalon.

When I thought of Nyneve, her face too thin, I rode faster.

11

EVEN AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER, THE LAND LAY LUSH AND green—thank the goodliness of our blessed King Arthur.

I rode westward, trusting Gull to find Avalon for me, and I met many folk, but only one whom I remember well.