Then he went to rescue the queen of the realm,Gwenivere, from captivity. In order to reach the fortress where she wasprisoner, he had to ride in a cart with a dwarf; to follow a wheel thatrolled before him to show him the way, or a ball that took the place ofthe wheel; he had to walk on his hands and knees across a bridge made of adrawn sword; he suffered greatly. At last he rescued the queen, and laterthan this he married Elaine, the daughter of King Pelles, and her fathergave to them the castle of Blyaunt in the Joyous Island, enclosed in iron,and with a deep water all around it. There Lancelot challenged all knightsto come and contend with him, and he jousted with more than five hundred,overcoming them all, yet killing none, and at last he returned to Camelot,the place of King Arthur's court.One day he was called from the court to an abbey, where three nunsbrought to him a beautiful boy of fifteen, asking that he might be made aknight. This was Sir Lancelot's own son, Galahad, whom he had never seen,and did not yet know. That evening Sir Lancelot remained at the abbey withthe boy, that he might keep his vigil there, and on the morrow's dawn hewas made a knight. Sir Lancelot put on one of his spurs, and Bors,Lancelot's cousin, the other, and then Sir Lancelot said to the boy, "Fairson, attend me to the court of the king;" but the abbess said, "Sir, notnow, but we will send him when it shall be time.
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