psalm_onethirtyone: (Open the Legend)
Soujin ([personal profile] psalm_onethirtyone) wrote2007-05-24 01:11 am

"Won't You Hold My Light...?"

Before I take it back to the library, excerpts from The Light Beyond the Forest about Percy.

This regarding Galahad's sword and the attempted pulling of it by sundry people who were not Galahad:

"Then at the King's bidding Sir Gawain of Orkney, who was the King's nephew and loved him well, set his two hands to the sword-grip and pulled until the veins stood out on his neck, but could not shift the blade; and then young Sir Percival of Wales spat on his hands and tried, more to keep Sir Gawain company than for anything else, for he was a large, kind, simple-hearted young man and had no high opinion of himself."

---

Percy meets Galahad for the first time:

"'If I were a tree, and spring was coming--a long way off, but still coming--this is how I should feel,' thought Sir Percival, and his wide serious gaze was on the young knight who sat so gravely and calmly in the forbidden seat. Sir Percival was a born follower, and to such a one there is nothing better in the world than to find the leader his heart goes out to."

---

Lancelot finds Percy on the Grail Quest:

"And sitting with his back to an alder tree, helmet off and his yellow head tipped back against the rough bark, Sir Percival, whistling soft and full-throated to a blackbird, and the blackbird whistling back as though they were old friends. But, indeed, Sir Percival was friends with all furred and feathered things. He got to his feet when he saw Sir Lancelot ride out from the woodshore, slowly, as men move in armour, and they greeted each other; and when Sir Lancelot had turned his own horse loose to graze beside the other, they sat down again together beneath the alder tree. And Sir Percival asked if he had seen or heard anything of Sir Galahad.

'Netiher sound nor sight,' said Lancelot.

Percival sighed.

'Were you seeking him?'

'I was hoping we might ride together a little while,' Percival said, 'but it was a foolish hope.'

It seemed to Lancelot that the knight beside him was young to be riding errant and alone in the dark forest. And yet that was foolishness, for Percival had shown himself in the jousting to be no green boy. He was older than Galahad by at least a year, and no one would be thinking Galahad young to ride errant, no matter through what dark forest."

---

Post the fight where Galahad saves him:

"The enemy knights were scattered and galloping for the shelter of the forest. And as young Percival, sobbing for breath, his head swimming inside his hacked and battered helmet, struggled to his feet and turned to thank his rescuer, the knight of the red-cross shield struck spurs to his horse and was gone also, making in the opposite direction, as one who has done what he came to do and has nothing more to stay for.

Percival shouted after him, desperately, 'Sir knight! For God's sweet sake let you stay and speak with me!'

But the other knight showed no sign of having heard. Only a flicker of red and white showed for an instant through the stunted trees, and then was gone into the brown gloom of the forest. The beat of horse-hooves died away. Somewhere a jay gave its alarm call, and then all was still.

Percival stood where he was, his moment of incredulous joy chilling to despair. Blood from the wound in his head trickled into his eyes, and his heart felt as though it must burst in his breast-cage. Then, having no horse, he began to run, like a child running desperately after his heart's desire. For a long time he ran, blundering against trees, falling into the hollows where the old and rotten forest floor gave way beneath him, sobbing as he ran, long after he knew that it was no use to run any further. Until at last he fell headlong over a hidden root, and pitching down onto the wound in his head knocked himself dizzy. There he lay still, and heard the silence of the forest all about him, save for the mocking laughter of a green woodpecker somewhere among the trees.

Then he tore off the wreck of his helmet, and flung aside sword and shield, and fell to the sorest weeping that ever he had known, until at last, forsaken and desperate and with an aching head, he wept himself to sleep.

When he awoke, it was far into the night, and the moon was riding high and cold and uncaring above the tangled branches. And a woman was bending over him.

'Percival.' Her voice was soft and warm on the lonely places of his mind. 'Percival, what are you doing here?'

He was too confused and miserable even to wonder how she knew his name. He was grateful that she sounded kind, and that was all."

---

Percy meets his lady (Ms. Sutcliff goes with the lady on the ship version) and falls in love with her a little more quickly than mine:

"And when all was ready, and the curtains looped back to let every movement of air pass through, she called to Percival, 'Come now, and sit here with me in the shade, for it is too hot out there on the bare rocks.'

So Percival came; and in the blissful coolth of the shade under the awning she helped him to unharness, and bathed his hurts, crying out softy at the sight of them, and he lay down on soft cushions and slept.

When he woke, a low table had been set up beside him, and the servants were bringing food from the ship; the most choice and delicate of food in bowls and dishes of such intricate beauty that he could scarce believe they had been made by human hands.

'Eat with me,' said the lady. And Sir Percival sat up and thanked her, and began to eat, he on one side of the table and she on the other, their eyes often meeting. Then the servants brought cool wine clouding in crystal goblets, and it was such wine as Percival had never drunk before, and went to his head like no wine that he had ever drunk before; so that soon he began to see everything through a golden haze. And the lady seemed kinder and more beautiful with every moment that went by. And when he stretched his hand to meet hers across the table, it was the softest thing he had ever touched, and her fingers curled around his so that his heart turned over in his breast for the sweetness of the moment.

'Love me,' said the lady. 'It is so long since any loved me, and I am sorely alone.'

'I will be the truest lover to you that ever lady had,' said Percival."

Also, when he accidentally kills her she cries out, "Percival, you have betrayed me," which. Ouch. Percy hurts. In any case, Bors and Percy meet on the ship that takes them to GrailQuestLand:

"The first thing he saw when he woke in the morning was the yellow head of Sir Percival as he sat rubbing his eyes in the early sun. Percival saw him in the same moment, and they cried each other's names and stumbled towards each other with joyful greetings. 'How do you come to be here?' Percival asked. 'For I was alone in this ship, as I have been for many days, when I fell asleep last night.'"

---

Heliabel gives Galahad his swordbelt:

"And on the scabbard, in letters twisted among the blue and the gold so that they made part of the enrichment, they read, 'Let not any man take off this sword belt to replace it with a better. That is for a maiden's doing, and one who is without sin and the daughter of a king and of a queen. And she shall replace it with another, made from that about herself which is most precious to her.'

Then the three knights fell to wondering how they were to find the right maiden. And listening to them, Anchoret smiled and said, 'Sirs, do not lose heart. So it please God, the new belt shall be in its place before we leave this ship. As rich and beautiful and potent a belt as even such a sword as this demands.'

And as they all turned to look at her, she opened the casket that she had carried all that while, and drew out a belt woven of gold thread and silk and strands of yellow hair, and the hair was so bright and burnished that it was hard to tell it from the threads of gold; and brilliant gems strung among the fantastic braids, and gold buckles to make all secure.

'Good sirs,' said she, 'I am the daughter of a king and of a queen, as my brother Percival knows. And I have never knowingly sinned; and this swordbelt I braided of the most precious thing I had, my hair. Last Pentecost a voice spoke to me, telling of what was before me and what I must do, and I obeyed the voice and cut off my hair, which maybe I loved too much; but I cut it gladly none the less, and wrought with it as you see.'

And while they watched, finding no words to speak, she bent over the sword and untied the hempen rope, and fitted on the beautiful belt as skilfully as though it had been her daily task.

'Now,' said Bors, drawing a long breath when it was done and turning to Galahad, 'put on your sword.'

And Percival echoed him, 'Put on your sword.'

'First I must make sure of my right to it,' said Galahad. And he took it by the hilt, and his hand closed round the grip with the ease of familiar things, as though it were a sword of his own, long lost, and found again. And as his watching companions caught their breaths, he unsheathed it and let the light play on the blade, smiling a little. Then he slid it back into the sheath; and the maiden unbuckled his old sword, the sword that he had drawn from its red marble block in the river below Camelot, and laid it in the place left empty across the foot of the bed, and buckled on the new one.

'This is your sword,' she said. 'It has been waiting for you since the world stood at morning.'

'For your part in this,' said Galahad, looking down at her, for her veil had fallen back from her bright boy's head, 'I cannot speak my thanks. I would that you were my sister, as you are Percival's. But sister or no, I am your true knight, for-ever.'"

---

Heliabel comes to the castle of the leprous lady:

"When they came up, the leader of the troop spoke to Sir Galahad, with no courtesy of greeting. 'The maiden you have with you is of noble birth?'

'She is the daughter of a king and of a queen,' said Sir Galahad.

'Has she ever sinned?'

'Never. That is known to all of us, by certain signs of a ship and a sword belt.'

'Then she must obey the custom of the castle.'

'I am weary of the customs of castles,' said Galahad. 'What is this one?"

'It is that every maiden of noble birth to pass this way must pay passage dues, not in gold, but in blood from her right arm.'

'That is an ugly custom,' said Galahad. And Percival moved closer to his sister."

---

And then they get to GrailCity and Galahad heals a cripple, and there is symbolism omg, and then Galahad heals the Fisher King and the King dies, and Galahad is made King instead, and it is not good at all, because he is miserable and doesn't want to be a King. And then he finds the Grail and it takes him, because it's too much, and Percival buries him where he died and next to him Anchoret, and then lives outside the city walls in a little shack until he kicks it, because as Bors says he can't live without Galahad. "From the moment of their first meeting, Percival had followed Galahad, and he would follow him still." Bors buries him between Anchoret and Galahad and then goes back to Camelot.

Anyway, I really like this, and I love that her Percy is so much like mine, it's silly and wonderful. And I just love the Grailkids inordinately, and I love Ms. Sutcliff's interpretation. So that's what that was all about.

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