The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short Read Online Free PDF Page B

battle began, attack the army from the rear, but no matter how much he slowed down, none of the soldiers behind would pass. Finally, the one just to his rear said, "You're wasting your time. We
all
want to be at the back. Not that it'll matter, from what I hear."
    "What
do
you hear?" Givret asked.
    "They say this Sir Erec is like a demon, eight feet tall with tusks like a boars. He sometimes kills ten or fifteen knights before breakfast just to work up an appetite."
    "Is
that
what they say?" Givret asked, impressed.
    "I figure well all die," the knight muttered, "if were lucky. Better to die than to be turned into a beetle."
    "Better than ... er ... I'm sorry, but you've lost me.
    "That's what that black-robed enchanter of Erec's does. Turns people into dung beetles. I hope I die fighting."
    "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, being a dung beetle," Givret mused. "Once you got used to the smell, of course." He allowed this to sink in, then added, "All the same, I'd rather be a living knight. Maybe once the fighting starts, a fellow could slip off."
    Then the army rode over a hill, and there was Erec, armed and armored and calmly facing his enemies alone.
    "There he is!" shouted Count Oringle. "Now remember, take him alive! Charge!"
    But the one who charged was Erec. The count's soldiers stared at him for a second, then scattered. In the confusion, Givret calmly drew his black cloak from his gear and pulled it on. Lifting his [[graphic]]arms, he called out, "I am Givret the Marvelous, Enchanter of Tara!" The handful of soldiers who remained stared at him, frozen with terror, and Givret added, "BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!"
    That did it. The last knights screamed and fled, leaving Count Oringle alone. The count looked to his right, then to his left, then gave his horse the spurs and disappeared in a cloud of dust. Only Givret and Erec were left of the Battle of a Hundred Knights.
    "Givret?" Erec said. "What are you doing here?"
    "Oh, I was just passing through, heard about this battle, and came along to lend you a hand."
    "That was thoughtful of you," Erec said. "Who knows—if they hadn't been such cowards, I might have needed some help."
    Then Enide stepped from behind a tree, where she had been hidden. She smiled at Givret, but her smile faded when Erec turned to look at her. "As for you, my lady' he said sternly, "this is now the third time you have disobeyed and spoken to me!"
    "Did you warn him?" Givret asked Enide.
    She nodded. "When you didn't come to our camp this morning, I decided I had to," she explained. "And I'm glad I did."
    "There you go again!" said Erec. "If you loved me, you would be silent!"
    "Erec," Givret said, "I like you, and you must be the bravest knight who ever lived, but sometimes you're also a prize looby. If Enide hadn't warned you, you'd be dead at least twice by now. Are you saying that if she really loved you she'd have let you die?"
    "Never mind, Givret," Enide said miserably. "I'm tired of it, and I can't do it anymore. Maybe I do talk too much—well, all right, I know I do. I'll try to do better, but I won't try to be someone I'm not. Givret, would you take me home?"
    "Home? You mean you're leaving?" asked Erec. He looked suddenly forlorn.
    Givret looked for a moment at the two unhappy lovers, then said, "Look, I don't pretend to know much about romance, but I do know this, Erec. You're going to have to choose whether you want silence or Enide, because you can't have both at once."
    Erec took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Then I choose Enide."
    "And I choose you, Erec," Enide said. "I love you."
    Erec leapt from his horse and the two lovers flung themselves into each other's arms. Givret turned his mount. "As for me," he said, "I choose to leave you two alone. You'll have a lot to talk about."

Chapter 9
Givret the Marvelous
    All seemed well again between Erec and Enide, and so long as he was in the neighborhood, Givret decided to drop in on his friend Harold the Herald. As it turned out,