Sir Percard appears in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur during the adventure commonly known as the Tale of Sir Gareth. Gareth has already revealed his identity to Sir Lancelot and been knighted by him, but he continues to travel publicly under the name Beaumains, the mocking name Sir Kay gave him when he first arrived at Arthur’s court. Kay then placed him in the royal kitchen, where he remained for twelve months before claiming the adventure.

Gareth is accompanying Dame Lynette, who has travelled to Arthur’s court seeking a champion to rescue her sister, Dame Lionesse, from the siege of Castle Dangerous. Lynette does not yet know Gareth’s true identity and continues to dismiss him as a kitchen servant despite the victories he has already won during their journey.

Near evening, Gareth and Lynette reach a black lawn. Malory fills the setting with the colour black: a black hawthorn bears a black banner and shield, while nearby stand a long black spear, a black horse covered with silk and a black stone. Beside them sits a knight entirely armed in black harness. He is initially called the Knight of the Black Lawn and is later identified as Sir Percard.

Lynette tells Percard that Beaumains is merely a kitchen knave who has attached himself to her against her wishes. Percard nevertheless observes that the young man looks strong and likely to be of good birth. He declares that he will knock Beaumains down, take his horse and armour, and separate him from the lady without otherwise harming him.

Gareth refuses to surrender either Lynette or his equipment. He tells Percard that he is a gentleman by birth and of higher lineage than the Black Knight, although he still refuses to reveal his true name. The two knights then charge one another with their spears.

Percard’s spear breaks during the collision, while Gareth’s spear passes through both sides of the Black Knight’s body and also breaks, leaving part of the shaft lodged in him. Despite this terrible wound, Percard draws his sword and continues fighting. He strikes Gareth with powerful blows and wounds him severely, but after approximately an hour and a half Percard falls from his horse in a swoon and dies.

Gareth sees that Percard is well armed and mounted, so he removes his own equipment and puts on the Black Knight’s armour. He also takes Percard’s shield and horse before continuing after Lynette. Lynette still refuses to give Gareth proper credit, claiming that Percard’s death occurred through misfortune rather than through Gareth’s skill.

The black armour immediately affects the next encounter. When a knight dressed entirely in green sees Gareth approaching, he initially believes that the rider is his brother Percard. Lynette then reveals that Beaumains has killed the Black Knight. The Green Knight identifies the dead man as Sir Percard and challenges Gareth to avenge him.

Percard’s surviving brothers are Sir Pertolepe the Green Knight, Sir Perimones the Red Knight—commonly distinguished in later summaries as the Puce Knight—and Sir Persant of Inde, whose colour is described as Inde and is generally represented as blue or indigo. Gareth defeats all three, but unlike Percard, each yields and is spared.

When the surviving brothers later appear at King Arthur’s court, Percard’s death is treated as a genuine loss. Pertolepe explains that Gareth killed him honourably in a direct encounter with a spear. Arthur and several of his knights call Percard’s death a great pity, and Malory states that all four brothers had been well known at Arthur’s court as noble knights, although they had long been at war with members of the Round Table.

Percard is therefore not simply an anonymous obstacle. He is the first of the four brothers encountered by Gareth, the only brother who dies during the sequence, and the knight whose black armour visually connects the succeeding battles. His death provokes Pertolepe’s demand for vengeance and begins the chain through which the surviving brothers are defeated, reconciled with Gareth and eventually brought into Arthur’s fellowship.