Sir Gawain & the Lady Ragnell

"

"You must grant me a certain knight to wed. His name is Sir Gawain. Either I marry the Knight Sir Gawain, or you must lose your head."

"Alas!" the king thought to himself, "woe is me, that I should cause Gawain, my own nephew, to thus be wed!" He said aloud, "Then we must part, lady. But do tell me, before I go, what is your name?"

"Sir King, I am the Lady Ragnell."

And so they parted. The king returned to Carylylle where the first man he met was his nephew, Sir Gawain. The king told him all except the request of the loathsome lady to wed Sir Gawain. Arthur said only that the Lady Ragnell will share the secret for the promise of a husband.

"Is that all?" said Sir Gawain. "Then I shall wed her and wed her again, or else I would not be your friend. For you are my king and my liege. To save your life, my lord, I will do whatever I can or I would be false and a great coward."

A few days later the king and Sir Gawain rode out of town. The king separated and returned to the spot where he had met the Lady Ragnell. He told her she will have her request and marry Sir Gawain. "Therefore tell me now, quickly my lady, the answer to the riddle."

"Sir," said Lady Ragnell, "now thou shalt know what women desire above all else. Some men say we desire to be beautiful, or that we desire attentions from many men, or that we desire to be well wed. Thus, these men do not know the truth. What we desire above all else is to have sovereignty, to rule our lives as we see fit, to not be beholden to another. Go forth, Sir King, for now thy life is assured."

The king rode as fast as he could to where he had met Sir Gromer. He started by giving one of the answers he had been given earlier. Then another, and another, and yet another. But to each one Sir Gromer shook his head with glee.

"Nay, nay," said Sir Gromer, "you are as good as a dead man.