vow's a vow," Sir Gawain said sternly.
"You may have vowed to let me hit youâa vow you've kept, by the way-but if you'll think back, you recall that I never made any vow at all."
"Ah, yes," Sir Gawain said, nodding. "After all, you promised your father you wouldn't make any vows, didn't you?"
The Green Knight's mouth dropped open. "You've even figured
that
out?"
"That was the part I figured out first. It was something you said. So tell me, which do you prefer to be called? The Green Knight? Bredbaddle? Gologras? Or Spinagras?"
The Green Knight smiled broadly, then began to chuckle, then to laugh. As he laughed, his green coloring faded and his features rearranged themselves until he was in Sir Gologras's shape. "I like best to be called your friend," the knight said. "Come on, I believe Agnes should have our breakfast ready by now."
King Arthur never stopped telling his knights that courtesy was as important as courage, even if his knights didn't always quite see what he was getting at. But after that year, Sir Gawain at least never forgot it. He remained the most courtly, most courteous, most honorable of all the knights of the Round Tableâand, above all, the best and most thoughtful of companions. No one called him Sir Gawain the Undefeated any longer. Indeed, most forgot that he had ever been called such a thing. People called him Sir Gawain the True, unless they were lucky enough to be one of those who could call him, simply, "friend."
"You may have vowed to let me hit youâa vow you've kept, by the way-but if you'll think back, you recall that I never made any vow at all."
"Ah, yes," Sir Gawain said, nodding. "After all, you promised your father you wouldn't make any vows, didn't you?"
The Green Knight's mouth dropped open. "You've even figured
that
out?"
"That was the part I figured out first. It was something you said. So tell me, which do you prefer to be called? The Green Knight? Bredbaddle? Gologras? Or Spinagras?"
The Green Knight smiled broadly, then began to chuckle, then to laugh. As he laughed, his green coloring faded and his features rearranged themselves until he was in Sir Gologras's shape. "I like best to be called your friend," the knight said. "Come on, I believe Agnes should have our breakfast ready by now."
King Arthur never stopped telling his knights that courtesy was as important as courage, even if his knights didn't always quite see what he was getting at. But after that year, Sir Gawain at least never forgot it. He remained the most courtly, most courteous, most honorable of all the knights of the Round Tableâand, above all, the best and most thoughtful of companions. No one called him Sir Gawain the Undefeated any longer. Indeed, most forgot that he had ever been called such a thing. People called him Sir Gawain the True, unless they were lucky enough to be one of those who could call him, simply, "friend."
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