etray me not but
help me, for I may never come by her but by some good knight, for she
is in a strong castle here, fast by within this four mile, and over all
this country she is lady of. And so I may never come to her presence,
but as I suffer her knights to take me, and but if I did so that I might
have a sight of her, I had been dead long or this time; and yet fair
word had I never of her, but when I am brought to-fore her she rebuketh
me in the foulest manner. And then they take my horse and harness and
put me out of the gates, and she will not suffer me to eat nor drink;
and always I offer me to be her prisoner, but that she will not suffer
me, for I would desire no more, what pains so ever I had, so that I
might have a sight of her daily. Well, said Sir Gawaine, all this shall
I amend an ye will do as I shall devise: I will have your horse and
your armour, and so will I ride unto her castle and tell her that I have
slain you, and so shall I come within her to cause her to cherish me,
and then shall I do my true part that ye shall not fail to have the love
of her.

CHAPTER XXII. How Sir Gawaine came to the Lady Ettard, and how Sir
Pelleas found them sleeping.

AND therewith Sir Gawaine plight his troth unto Sir Pelleas to be true
and faithful unto him; so each one plight their troth to other, and so
they changed horses and harness, and Sir Gawaine departed, and came to
the castle whereas stood the pavilions of this lady without the gate.
And as soon as Ettard had espied Sir Gawaine she fled in toward the
castle. Sir Gawaine spake on high, and bade her abide, for he was not
Sir Pelleas; I am another knight that have slain Sir Pelleas. Do off
your helm, said the Lady Ettard, that I may see your visage. And so when
she saw that it was not Sir Pelleas, she bade him alight and led him
unto her castle, and asked him faithfully whether he had slain Sir
Pelleas. And he said her yea, and told her his name was Sir Gawaine of
the court of King Arthur, and his sister's son. Truly, said she, that is
great pity, for he was a passing good knight of his body, but of all
men alive I hated him most, for I could never be quit of him; and for
ye have slain him I shall be your woman, and to do anything that might
please you. So she made Sir Gawaine good cheer. Then Sir Gawaine said
that he loved a lady and by no means she would love him. She is to
blame, said Ettard, an she will not love you, for ye that be so well
born a man, an