When a man marries a woman half his age he often does not think and love as she thinks and loves, and she often does not think and love as he thinks and loves. Sir Geraint is of a serious mind, as becomes his station in life and his years, while Lady Enid is gay and lively as become her years. Many of her sports and pastimes that she enjoys Sir Geraint looks upon remotely and from afar, and not always with pleasure.

Among the young knights at Arthur's court is Sir Peregrans, the son of King Ludd of Cornwall. This noble young man is full of joy and fun. He is handsome with broad shoulders, black eyebrows and curly black hair, and he is always ready for a good time. He and Enid are often together in company and sports, and though Geraint is too proud to appear to observe this, he does observe it and is greatly affected by it. Sometimes, he thinks to himself, "What a pity Enid is stuck with an older man like me when Peregrans is more suited to her age and temperament." But he never says anything to Enid about it, he just withdraws within with his aching thoughts.

Lady Enid notices this about him and wonders what is wrong with him. It never occurs to her he could be feeling the strong jealousy of love. In complete innocence she wonders what she has done to cause him to pull away from her. One day she sees him sitting and thinking deep thoughts, gazing out of the window of the King's Castle. Geraint looks out upon the beautiful view, the winding river like a silver ribbon threading the meadows and fields, the blue sky above with great white clouds floating by, and the earth so happy and peaceful. He sees none of it, for his eyes are turned within upon his own gloom and darkness.

Enid sits on his lap, puts her arms around his neck and interlaces her fingers. "What's the matter, dear?" she asks. "Are you mad at me?" "No," he responds, "I am not mad at you. There's nothing wrong with me." Then, he gives it a second thought and decides to tell her, "I haven't been home in several years and I am thinking of visiting my old parents. I really miss them." Enid says, "Great! Let's go!" Geraint says, "Would you like to? I'll ask the King if we may leave and when he gives his consent, we will go for a visit."

The following day Geraint and Enid leave the Court of King Arthur and travel with a small party of noble attendants to Amadora, the castle home of Geraint's parents. After three days of easy riding they arrive and stay for several months. During that time they participate in hunting, hawking and jousting, so they are having a fun time and their relationship is developing trust, love and respect. But the entire time, the townspeople are gossiping about Geraint, how he does nothing but play at hawking and jousting and sit with his head upon his wife's knees. Lady Enid hears this gossip and becomes concerned.

One summer morning she awakens early and Sir Geraint lays upon his bed beside her. It is warm and he throws aside the covers so his great chest and arms and shoulders are bare to the soft air. She beholds his body, how huge and mighty he is, how strong and powerful. Then she looks at her own body, how slender and white, how weak and helpless, and she thinks," Is it true what they say? Can these weak arms of mine hold this strong man back from his purpose and ambition in life? It can't be true! There are many knights who are married to other ladies and they are still noble knights. It must be my fault if there is something wrong." She sighs deeply and this awakens Geraint and he lies with his eyes closed. Then Enid whispers to herself, "It's all my fault and I am not a true, right wife for this noble hero."

Geraint hears these words, how she is no true, right wife to him, and it seems to him she has just confessed her adultery with Peregrans. This is a dagger plunged straight into his heart and he thinks, "I was too late in taking her away from King Arthur's Court." He opens his eyes and looks at her in anger, startling her and saying to her, "Get up and get dressed." She obeys and he dresses himself in his full armor, saying to her, "Follow me." She asks, "Where are we going?" But he speaks no word. She follows him down the stairs and across the courtyard to the stables. It is early morning and the sun has only just arisen. The birds are chirping sweetly as the river below the castle rushes and roars through the deep and mossy gorges of green and slimy rocks and stones.

Lady Enid waits as Sir Geraint comes forth from the stable leading two horses. "Mount your horse, Lady," he says to her, and giving her his hand he lifts her lightly to her saddle. Then he mounts his horse. He turns to Enid and says, "Lady, I will this day prove to you the strength and life have not yet left me, and I am still a strong and able knight as deserves the love of any woman as I did in my youth. Ride ahead of me and lead the way and I will follow after you. But under no circumstances are you to speak a word to me unless I say you can. Just ride straight ahead anywhere you want to go."

nid says, "I will do as you say." They ride away from the castle without anyone knowing they have gone. Lady Enid rides for several miles with Geraint brooding and following a considerable distance behind her. About ten o'clock in the morning they approach a thick dark forest, and as they come close to it Enid sees shining of armor among the leaves. She sees three men hidden in the thickets and hears them say to each other, "Look, here's good fortune for us. The knight appears sturdy enough but he's lost in thought. We can take him three against one and get his horse, his armor and his lady."

Enid thinks to herself, "Geraint is in great danger. I must warn him even though he will be angry and chastise me for speaking to him." She turns her horse around and rides to Geraint. He appears very angry and says to her, "Lady, what is the matter?" She responds, "Dear husband, do I have your permission to speak?" Geraint says, "It seems you have given yourself permission to speak. What do you want to say?" She says, "At the edge of the thicket are three men intending to do us harm. I overhead them speak. I thought I had better warn you." Geraint's green eyes take on a glint as he says, "Lady, perhaps you would not be displeased to see me fall at the hands of those three men. Nevertheless, I hope I will not fail in this encounter. Meantime, stay here and consider your disobedience in speaking to me when I asked you not to." Having admonished her, he closes and latches his helmet, and with spear in hand he rides forward to the edge of the woods.

s he rides close to the edge of the woods, all three men come bursting forth and bear down upon him in full charge, as Geraint drives spurs into his war-horse and charges against them. They meet head-on, with great violence and a loud clap of thunder!

All three of their spears strike Geraint's shield, but he turns it so that all three were broken into pieces. His own spear holds and penetrates the shield of one of the men, penetrating the man's body and lifting him out of his saddle and casting him dead a spear's length behind his horse. Geraint draws his shining sword.

He whirls his horse around and with sword in hand he bears down upon the remaining two villains, rising in his saddle and crying out, "Hah, villain!" and cutting one down. Then whirling around, he cries out again, "Hah, villain!" and strikes the other one down with a single blow of his sword. In that short space of time he changes everything, ridding the area of these three villains who have for a long time inhabited these parts.

Sir Geraint wipes the blood from his sword and returns it to its scabbard. He removes the armor from each of the fallen men, lashes it to the saddles of the horses, ties all three bridle reins together and returns to Enid, who watched the battle in both sheer terror and total admiration, and he hands her the reins of the horses, telling her, "Take these reins and go ahead of me again. And this time, no matter what, don't speak to me unless I say you can. I'll forgive you this one time, but not twice." Enid obeys, taking the reins in her little hands and riding forward, Geraint following far behind.

About noontime they come to the center of the wood where there is a sudden turn in the road, leading between two high cliffs. Enid sees, not far away, four armed and mounted men looking very evil, and she overhears them say, "Look! Here comes a good prize for us! A beautiful woman, three sets of fine armor and three horses. All guarded by only one man. Let's kill him and take whatever we want." Enid thinks to herself, "I have to tell Geraint, even if he never forgives me. I would rather have him alive and very mad at me than dead." She turns her horse around and rides back to Geraint, who is frowning very darkly at her. Enid says to him, "Do I have your permission to speak?" Bitterly, Geraint says, "It appears you do not need my permission, Lady. What do you have to say?" Enid says, "Sir, I have to tell you there are four fully armed men ahead and I heard them say they intended to kill you and take me and the armor and the horses." "Is that all you have to tell me?" Geraint asked. "It seems you want to talk so much, that you will come and tell me anything. Wait here and I will go forward and clear your path for you."

He closes the visor of his helmet and latches it, sets spurs to his horse and rides forth to meet his enemies. Suddenly they bear down upon him, riding two abreast because the road is too narrow for four abreast. Their spears strike Geraint's shield and break into several pieces, but his spear does not break. It holds and bursts through the shield, through the armor, and through the body of one of the men, casting him dead on the ground. Geraint throws his spear aside and draws his sword, rises in his saddle and strikes one man so hard a blow that he splits his shield, his helmet and his head, and the man cries out, "I am dead! I am dead!" and falls dead.

eraint whirls around on his horse and sets spurs into its flanks. He thunders down upon the other two men, who sit stunned at how easily and quickly this knight has killed their comrades. Geraint rides hard between them, swinging his sword to the right and to the left, and slicing them where they sit clean through from the shoulder to the waist. Dismounting and wiping his sword, Geraint strips them of their armor, lashes it to their horses and gives the four reins to Enid, telling her, "Observe, please, that I am still in possession of my knightly manhood despite my advanced age and lack of pretty youth. Take these four horses together with the three you already have, and ride on as before. And make sure this time you do not speak to me unless I say you can. I am very angry from the battle and in my rage I might cut you down with my sword before I can control myself." Enid says, "I will do as you say."

Enid rides on far ahead of Geraint and she thinks, "Did ever a woman have such a noble man as I have?" Riding along and exulting in her husband, she hears the sound of voices in the thickets ahead. "Look! Here comes a beautiful lady, seven good horses with seven suits of armor, and only one man to guard all of it. Let us five ambush him and take all these things for ourselves." Enid thinks, "Even if my husband does what he says he will do and cuts me down with his sword, what does it matter? I would rather die by his hands than suffer his anger without his love." So she turns her horse around and rides back to Geraint and asks him, "Can I speak?" Geraint says, "Didn't I tell you not to speak to me again?" "I have to," Enid says. "So it would seem," says Geraint. "Speak since you must." She tells him, "Sir, ahead are five men lying in ambush for you." "Is that all you have to tell me?" asks Geraint. "Stay here with the horses and I will go forth and clear your path for you." Enid obeys and Geraint rides forth.

As he reaches the point of ambush, all of a sudden out jump five men on horseback. A huge battle ensues, and Enid can't tell what's happening. Sometimes she sees Geraint and sometimes she doesn't. She sees his sword flashing like lightning and she hears him utter great and terrible cries of war. At first there are five men against him, then there are four, then there are three, then there are two, then there is only one, and he is begging for his life, "Spare me, spare me!" But Geraint says, "I will not spare you," and strikes a blow so hard the man is killed instantly. Geraint wipes his sword, breathing hard this time, and puts it away. He strips the armor from the men, lashes it to the saddles, ties all five of the reins together, attaches them to the reins of the other horses, and gives all twelve to Enid, telling her, "Ride on and do not speak to me again."

nward they ride through the woods and soon the day begins to draw to a close and twilight descends. Enid leads the twelve horses with difficulty, and Geraint observes this and feels sorry for her, but still they ride on. Then darkness falls and the moon rises, clear and bright and round, turning everything silver, the treetops, the leaves and the ground. Geraint tells Enid, "Let's rest here until tomorrow." Enid asks, "Can I speak?" Geraint say, "Speak." Enid asks, "What will we eat?" Geraint says, "Lady, it often happens when a knight travels that he goes without food to eat for the entire day and sometimes even longer than that." Enid falls silent and sighs, because she is very hungry.

Seeing her weariness and feeling sorry for her, Geraint gathers the leaves together in a sort of bed and spreads his cloak upon them, saying, "Lie here, Lady, and I will keep watch for the night." Enid lies down upon the bed of leaves and is sick with weariness. She watches Geraint for a while, as he stands a little distance from her, and she sees how the silvery moonlight flashes and sparkles on his armor, she hears the rustling and stamping of the horses, she hears a distant nightingale singing. All these things blend together and she sleeps. This is the first day of their journey.