Thus the King
conducts the affair until the damsel takes possession of her land, and
offers her thanks to him for it. Then the King asked the valiant and
brave knight who was his nephew to allow himself to be disarmed; and
he requested my lord Yvain to lay aside his arms also; for now they may
well dispense with them. Then the two vassals lay aside their arms and
separate on equal terms. And while they are taking off their armour,
they see the lion running up in search of his master. As soon as he
catches sight of him, he begins to show his joy. Then you would have
seen people draw aside, and the boldest among them takes to flight.
My lord Yvain cries out: "Stand still, all! Why do you flee? No one is
chasing you. Have no fear that yonder lion will do you harm. Believe
me, please, when I say that he is mine, and I am his, and we are both
companions." Then it was known of a truth by all those who had heard
tell of the adventures of the lion and of his companion that this must
be the very man who had killed the wicked giant. And my lord Gawain said
to him: "Sir companion, so help me God, you have overwhelmed me with
shame this day. I did not deserve the service that you did me in killing
the giant to save my nephews and my niece. I have been thinking about
you for some time, and I was troubled because it was said that we
were acquainted as loving friends. I have surely thought much upon the
subject: but I could not hit upon the truth, and had never heard of any
knight that I had known in any land where I had been, who was called
'The Knight with the Lion.'" While they chatted thus they took their
armour off, and the lion came with no slow step to the place where his
master sat, and showed such joy as a dumb beast could. Then the two
knights had to be removed to a sick-room and infirmary, for they needed
a doctor and piaster to cure their wounds. King Arthur, who loved them
well, had them both brought before him, and summoned a surgeon whose
knowledge of surgery was supreme. He exercised his art in curing them,
until he had healed their wounds as well and as quickly as possible.
When he had cured them both, my lord Yvain, who had his heart set fast
on love, saw clearly that he could not live, but that he finally would
die unless his lady took pity upon him; for he was dying for love of
her; so he thought he would go away from the court alone, and would go
to fight at the spring that belonged to her, where he would cause such