The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short Read Online Free

wed the greatest noble in Limors! Me!
    [[graphic]]
    The winner is ... Lady Enide!"
    All that morning, Givret had been standing concealed in a shadowy doorway, waiting for this moment. "You are mistaken, Count Oringle!" he shouted, stepping into the open. He wore his black robe with the hood pulled low over his face.
    "Who the devil are you?" Count Oringle snapped.
    "I..." Givret paused for effect. "I am a
sorcerer!
I bring a solemn message to Count Oringle from the Spirit World!"
    A hush fell over the crowd, and Count Oringle turned pale. A sorcerer!" he gasped.
    "Yes!" Givret declared. "The dark spirits of Tara have sent you a message! Come here!"
    "Of course, of course," the count said, bowing. "I'll just claim my new bride, and then—"
    "Didn't you hear me?" Givret scoffed. "She is not your bride!"
    "Don't you think she's the most beautiful lady?" Count Oringle asked.
    "That's not the problem," snapped Givret. "
You
are not the greatest noble present!" Whirling on his heel, Givret pointed at Erec, who was standing beside Sir Valens. "
He
is! You! Knight! What is your name?"
    Erec stepped forward and recited the words Givret had made him memorize. "My name is Sir Erec, of King Arthur's court, and my father is Lac, King of East Wales."
    "A prince, as you know, is higher than a count," said Givret. "But enough of this! I have not come to settle silly contests but to bring you a word from the spirits."
    Suddenly, Erec figured it out. "By Jove!" he exclaimed. "I
am
a prince! That means ... by the rules, Enide is to marry..." Throwing himself forward, he knelt at Enide's feet, gazing up into her face, and said, "Will you marry me, dearest Enide? Please say yes!"
    Trembling with fury, Count Oringle drew a long dagger from his belt and stepped toward Erec, but Givret had been watching for something like this. "Here is my message!" he shrieked. "The spirits of the men you have killed have cast a curse on you! If you should murder even
one
more man, that mans ghost will haunt you forever! Beware! The shades of the dead have spoken!"
    Count Oringle dropped his dagger as if it were red hot. Givret ducked out of sight—glad for once that he was so smalland stripped off his cloak. His plan had gone off without a hitch.
    Then came a hitch. While Erec and Enide were still gazing into each others eyes and the count still standing in frozen terror, a knight on horseback galloped into the square, scattering the crowd around him. 'Who dares to crown the most beautiful lady in the land without consulting me?" called the knight. "
My
lady is the most beautiful in the land, and I—I, Sir Yoder, son of Nutshall fight anyone who denies it!"
    Of course, Erec leapt to his feet. "
I
deny it! Lady Enide is the most beautiful lady in the world!"
    At once, both knights began hacking at each other with swords. Givret could only stare, helpless, while Erec, still dressed in his hunting clothes, fought with the fully armored Yoder—the very thing Givret had been sent to prevent.
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    But slowly, Givret's spirits began to rise. Somehow, even without armor, Erec was holding his own. In fact, he was lighting magnificently
By George!
Givret thought.
Maybe Erec didn't need me after all!
It occurred to Givret that, while Erec might not win any prizes for his brains, there were other kinds of brilliance.
    A moment later, with a splendid flick of his sword, Erec disarmed Sir Yoder, who sank, panting, to his knees at Erec's feet. "I yield!" he gasped. 'Never have I seen such swordplay!"
    "Then hear this, Sir Yoder, son of Nut," Erec said clearly. "I will spare your life, on two conditions. First, you must go to Camelot, to Queen Guinevere, and apologize for insulting her in the forest the day of the great hunt." Sir Yoder looked confused, and Erec said, "The lady that you called a warty hag was the queen. Second, you must promise to fight no more battles to defend your lady's beauty" Erec glanced at Enide, then added, "You know, if your lady