amsels crieth to him, "And you would have my love for
evermore, throw down the axe and cry the knight quit! Otherwise have
you lost me for ever!"

The knight forthwith flingeth down the axe and falleth at Lancelot's
feet and crieth mercy of him as of the most loyal knight in the world.

"But you? Have mercy on me, you! and slay me not!" saith Lancelot,
"For it is of you that I ought to pray mercy!"

"Sir," saith the knight, "Of a surety will I not do this! Rather will
I help you to my power to save your life against all men, for all you
have slain my brother."

The damsels come down from the palace and are come to Lancelot.

XIV.

"Sir," say they to Lancelot, "Greatly ought we to love you, yea, better
than all knights in the world beside. For we are the two damsels,
sisters, that you saw so poor at the Waste Castle where you lay in our
brother's house. You and Messire Gawain and another knight gave us the
treasure and the hold of the robber-knights that you slew; for this
city which is waste and the Waste Castle of my brother would never
again be peopled of folk, nor should we never have had the land again,
save a knight had come hither as loyal as are you. Full a score
knights have arrived here by chance in the same manner as you came, and
not one of them but hath slain a brother or a kinsman and cut off his
head as you did to the knight, and each one promised to return at the
day appointed; but all failed of their covenant, for not one of them
durst come to the day; and so you had failed us in like manner as the
others, we should have lost this city without recovery and the castles
that are its appanages."

XV.

So the knight and the damsels lead Lancelot into the palace and then
make him be disarmed. They hear presently how the greatest joy in the
world is being made in many parts of the forest, that was nigh the city.

"Sir," say the damsels, "Now may you hear the joy that is made of your
coming. These are the burgesses and dwellers in the city that already
know the tidings."

Lancelot leaneth at the windows of the hall, and seeth the city peopled
of the fairest folk in the world, and great thronging in the broad
streets and the great palace, and clerks and priests coming in long
procession praising God and blessing Him for that they may now return
to their church, and giving benison to the knight through whom they are
free to repair thither. Lancelot was much honoured throughout the
city.