Le Morte Darthur Book 8
1.) King Meliodas, the king of Liones and husband of Elisabeth (=sister of king Mark of Cornewaille) gets lost in the forrest while he is hunting. Seeking his way back home he gets cought and imprisoned by a lady that loves him unanswered. When the pregnant queen Elisabeth realizes that her husband is missing she goes into a forrest with one of her gentilwomen in order to find him. But her efforts initiate the birth of her son. With her last words she names the baby Tristram and reminds him of his misfortune of having killed his own mother.
2.) The second chapter is about the return of king Meliodas that has been rescued by Merlin. Being at his court he becomes aware of the birth of his son and the death of Elisabeth. Seven years after Tristram is baptised Meliodas marries again. His wife (=daughter of king Howles of Britain) bears several children. But she knows that these children won't become kings and queens until Tristram dies. That's why she tries to poison him, but to her misfortune she kills her own son. When she tries it again she nearly kills Meliodas. But she stops him from drinking the poison and everything gets detected. Her punishment shall be her death, but Tristram saves her from being burned. After that Tristram is send to France for his own safety and to be educated.
3.) Tristram returns from France as a well educated man and noble fighter. He lives together with king Meliodas and his stepmother till he turnes eighteen.
4.) King Anguisshe of Ireland calls for his tribute, but king Mark of Cornwaill doesn't want to pay. Therefore each king sends for a knight that shall fight for them and their "tribute rights". Sir Marhaus (=knight of the table round and brother to the queen of Ireland) will fight for king Anguisshe and he rides to Cornwaille. Meanwhile king Mark seeks for the right opponent for Sir Marhaus, but he isn't able to find a knight. This news also arrive at king Melodias court and they get heared by young Tristram.
5.) Tristram wants to go to Cornwaille and fight for king Mark. He hopes to become a knight at king Mark's court. Before he leaves Liones there arrives a messenger from king Faramon of France telling Tristram that the king's daughter is in love with him. But Tristram isn't interested in her love. This affords so much grief to the daughter that she dies later on. Arriving at Mark's court Tristram offers him to fight against Sir Marhaus if he is made a knight. So king Mark makes him a knight after he heard about Tristrams origin. Both, Sir Marhaus and Sir Tristram, get armed and horsed and ride away to meet onto the battlefield.
6.) Sir Tristram prepares himself for the fight and he tells Gouvernaile, his servant, not to come to the battlefield until he is slain or the winner of the match. He reminds Gouvernaile to burry him as a christian if he shall be killed. Then they departe from each other.
7.) Sir Tristram and Sir Marhaus start to fight against each other on the battlefield. In the beginning they seem to own equal powers, but after fighting for nearly half a day Sir Tristram's powers seem to be greater. He wounds Sir Marhaus badly on his head. This stroke makes Sir Marhaus flee from the battle back to Ireland. Sir Tristram tries to stop him from leaving but he can't. The battle is over and Sir Tristram is the victor. As a demonstration of his power and strenghth he wants to carry arround Marhaus' shield. This will make everyone realize that he has beaten strong Sir Marhaus, the noble knight of the table round, although he himself is a very young knight.
8.) Sir Marhaus arrives in Ireland and his wounds are served by his sister, the queen of Ireland, but the wound on his head is so strong, that he dies a few days after his arrival at home. His sister wants revenge for her brother's death and she swears to be reminded of that day ever after. When king Mark and Gouvernaile arrive at Sir Tristram, they see that ha is wounded badly, that's why they take him into the castle of Tyntigail and serve him. But Sir Tristram doesn't recover. The members of the court look for help in the whole country, that's when a lady comes to king Mark and tells him that Tristram will only recover, if he is send to Ireland and served there. According to this foreshadowing Sir Tristram is send to Ireland, where he stays at king Anguisshe's castle. The king doesn't know anything about Sir Tristram, but he cares for him and tells him the story of the battle in Cornwaille.
9.) King Anguisshe's daughter La beale Isoud now cares for Sir Tristram and he falls in love with her, but there is another knight, Sir Palamides, that also loves her. One day there is a great tournament at the court and the voictor of it shall be married to the Lady of the laundes. In this tournament Sir Palamides is a great fighter that beats many other knights. That's why La beale Isoud asks Sir Tristram to fight in this tournament and he decides to do so, but then a squiver from France arrives. Tristram recognizes him and prays him not to tell anything about himself and his battle against Sir Marhaus in order not to be detected.
