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Sir Ivaine told them that he was quite willing to obey their rule; so they opened the castle gate. They said he must make his lion stay outside, but Sir Ivaine refused to do this. He promised, however, to make the lion lie down quietly; then the two were allowed to enter. The courtyard was a large paved place, in which there were a score of armed men. Presently the lord of the castle came forward.
He rode to the platform of stone, dismounted and poured water into the fountain. As before, a storm arose, and at its height the Black Knight appeared. He recognized the armor of Sir Ivaine, and said: "Aha! I see I did not kill you before, but you shall not escape me this time." "The best man shall win," said Sir Ivaine, cheerfully. Then the two began a great combat.
She paused for a while and then said: "I will let you go if you will promise to come back in a year and a day; that is, next Whitsuntide." He gladly promised, and she said: "If you break this promise, I will never see you again." But Sir Ivaine was sure he would not break the promise, because he loved her too much for that. So off he rode with the knights, followed by his faithful lion.
The king named some half-dozen of his knights, Sir Ivaine among them, who were to undertake this adventure. Sir Ivaine was displeased; he thought that the adventure should be his alone. So he rose in the middle of the night and stole away unattended, determined to go in advance of the others and kill the Black Knight.
Therefore it was not long before he got the advantage and overthrew the lord. When this happened, the lord called for help, and ordered his armed men to kill Sir Ivaine. The whole twenty began to obey this treacherous order, but just as they were about to fall upon Sir Ivaine, the lion bounded among them, roaring savagely. With a few strokes of its powerful paws it disabled the men.
After a time he became better, physically, but his senses were gone. In his madness he wandered all through the woods, fighting with the trees and bushes. The lion always followed him, protecting him from other animals and from men. One day when the lion was absent finding food, Sir Ivaine lay asleep.
Sir Kay, who was not always sweet-tempered, said to Sir Ivaine: "We all know that you are very polite, but you have more courtesy than bravery." At that Sir Ivaine said: "I was almost a boy when the Black Knight overthrew me, but I could conquer him now." "It is very easy to say that after you have eaten," said Sir Kay.
"Almost any knight feels brave and self-satisfied when he has had a good supper of venison." The king asked what the conversation was about, and Sir Ivaine repeated the story of his adventure, adding: "And, Sir King, I crave your permission to set forth to-morrow to slay this Black Knight who is a pest in the land."
On the way, however, he stopped at Arthur's Court to pay his respects to the king and the queen. They both remembered him and greeted him kindly. A great tournament was being held at that time in Camelot, and the king asked Sir Ivaine if he would like to take part. Sir Ivaine was pleased, for he loved the display of such combats.
She did not tell her people, however, that this stranger knight had killed their lord. As Sir Ivaine recovered, he soon found courage to tell her how beautiful she was, and that he loved her more than anything in the world. He said that if she would marry him, he would stay with her forever, and never seek for more adventures.
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