On the morrow, with the dawn of day, Owen put on through distant lands and over desert mountains. And at length he arrived in the valley which Kynon had described to him. Journeying along the valley by the side of the river, he followed its course till he came to the plain and within sight of the castle. When he approached the castle, he saw the youths throwing their daggers in the place where Kynon had seen them, and the man in yellow standing by. And no sooner had Owen saluted the man than he was saluted by him in return.
He went within the castle, and when he had entered the hall he beheld the maidens working at satin embroidery, in chairs of gold. And their beauty seemed to Owen far greater than Kynon had represented to him. They rose to wait upon Owen as they had done to Kynon. Then, about the middle of the repast, the man in yellow asked Owen about the object of his journey. Owen said: “I am in quest of the knight who guards the fountain.” Upon this the man in yellow said that he was as loth to show that adventure to him as he had been to the knight who had come before. However, he described the place to Owen, and they retired to rest.
The next morning Owen found his horse made ready for him by the maidens, and he set forward and came to the glade where the guardian was. The stature of the guardian seemed more wonderful to Owen than Kynon had described it to him. Owen asked of him his road, and the guardian showed it to him. He followed the road till he came to the green tree; he beheld the fountain and the slab beside the fountain with the bowl upon it. Owen took the bowl, and threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, the thunder was heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violent than Kynon had described it, and after the shower the sky became bright. When Owen looked at the tree, there was not one leaf upon it. And immediately the birds came, and settled upon the tree, and sang. And when their song was most pleasing to Owen he beheld a knight coming toward him through the valley.
The knight and Owen encountered each other violently. Having broken both their lances, they drew their swords, and fought blade to blade. Then Owen struck the knight a blow through the helmet, headpiece and visor, and through the skin and the flesh, and the bone. Then the knight felt that he had received a mortal wound, upon which he turned his horse’s head, and fled. Owen followed close upon him, and they came to the gate of a vast and resplendent castle.
The knight was allowed to enter, and the portcullis was let fall upon Owen as he followed; it struck his horse behind the saddle, and cut the horse in two, and carried away the rowels of the spurs that were upon Owen’s heels. And the rowels of the spurs and part of the horse were without, and Owen with the other part of the horse remained between the two gates, and the inner gate was closed, so that Owen could not go hence.
He could see through an aperture in the gate a street facing him, with a row of houses on each side. And he beheld a maiden, with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet of gold upon her head; she was clad in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were shoes of variegated leather. She approached the gate, and tried to have it opened.
Then said Owen to the maiden: “Heaven knows it is no more possible for me to open to thee from hence, than it is for thee to set me free.” “Truly,” said the maiden, “it is very sad that thou canst not be released, and every woman ought to succor thee, for I think thou art most faithful in the service of ladies. Therefore,” said she, “whatever is in my power to do for thy release, I will do it. Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone. As long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee. When they have consulted together, they will come forth to fetch thee, in order to put thee to death; and they will be much grieved that they cannot find thee. I will await thee on the horse-block yonder; and thou wilt be able to see me, though I cannot see thee; therefore come and place thy hand upon my shoulder, that I may know that thou art near me.”
Then she went away from him, and Owen did all that the maiden had told him. The people of the castle came to seek Owen, to put him to death, and when they found nothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved.
Owen went to the maiden, and placed his hand upon her shoulder; whereupon she set off, and he followed her, until they came to the door of a large and beautiful chamber, and the maiden opened it, and they went in, and closed the door. And Owen looked around the chamber while the maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver bowl, and put a towel of linen on her shoulder, and gave him water to wash. Then she placed before him a silver table, upon which was a cloth of yellow linen; and she brought him food. Owen ate and drank, and then late in the afternoon they heard a mighty clamor in the castle, and he asked the maiden what the outcry was. “They are administering extreme unction,” she said, “to the lord who owns the castle.”
The couch which the maiden prepared for him was meet for Arthur himself; it was of scarlet and fur, and satin, and sendal, and fine linen. In the middle of the night they heard a woeful cry. “What outcry again is this?” said Owen. “The lord who owned the castle is now dead,” said the maiden. And a little after daybreak, they heard an exceeding loud clamor and wailing. Owen asked the maiden what was the cause of it. “They are bearing to the church the body of the lord who owned the castle,” she said.
Then Owen rose up, and opened a window of the chamber, and looked toward the castle. In the midst of a throng, he beheld a bier, over which was a veil of white linen. And following the bier he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling over her shoulders, and about her a dress of yellow satin, which was torn. Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owen ever saw, had she been in her proper attire.
He inquired of the maiden who the lady was. “She is the fairest and the wisest of women,” the maiden said. “She is the Lady of the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slay yesterday.” “Verily,” said Owen, “she is the woman that, in the whole world, I love best.”
When he had said this, the maiden whose name was Luned went from the chamber, shutting the door after her and leaving Owen within, and went toward the castle. She found the Lady of the Fountain and saluted her, but the lady answered her not. Luned bent down toward her, and said, “What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?” “Luned,” said the lady, “what change hath befallen thee, that thou hast not come to visit me in my grief? It was wrong in thee.” “Truly,” said Luned, “I thought thy good sense was greater than I find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after thy lord, or for anything else, that thou canst not have?” “I declare to Heaven,” said the lady, “that in the whole world there is not one to take his place.” “An ugly man would be as good as he, or better than he,” said Luned. “I declare to Heaven,” said the lady to her, “that were it not repugnant to me to cause to be put to death one whom I have brought up, I would have thee executed, for saying such a thing to me. As it is, I will banish thee.” “I am glad,” said Luned, “that thou hast no other cause to do so, than that I would have been of service to thee. And henceforth evil betide whichever of us shall make the first advance toward reconciliation to the other; whether I should seek an invitation from thee, or thou of thine own accord shouldst send to invite me.”
With that Luned went forth, but the lady arose and followed her to the door of the chamber. “In truth,” said the lady, “evil is thy temper, Luned, but if thou knowest what is to my advantage, declare it to me.” “I will do so,” said Luned.
“Thou knowest,” she said to the Lady of the Fountain, “that except by warfare and arms it is impossible for thee to preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some one who can defend them.” “How can I do that?” the Lady of the Fountain asked. “I will tell thee,” said the maiden Luned. “Unless thou canst defend the Fountain, thou canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can defend the Fountain, except it be a knight of Arthur’s household. I will go to Arthur’s Court, and I will not return thence without a warrior who can guard the Fountain.” “Go,” said the lady, “and make proof of that which thou hast promised.”