The Blue Knight - Sir Persant

Sir Persant of Inde was the lord of a castle that lay beyond the three perilous passages held by his brothers, the final guardian on the road to Castle Dangerous, the stronghold where Dame Lionesse was besieged by the Red Knight of the Red Lands, the tyrant Sir Ironside who had hanged nearly forty knights from the trees around her walls. Persant was a knight of immense reputation, known throughout the Arthurian world as a warrior of the eastern marches, and his castle was a place of such magnificence that travellers spoke of it with awe. He wore all-blue armour, a blue shield, and blue trappings for his horse, so that when he rode out he looked like a fragment of the sky descended to earth, and his strength was said to be greater than any of his brothers save the Red Knight himself.

When Lynette, the sharp-tongued damsel who was sister to the besieged lady, rode with Beaumains through the Blue Launds, Persant was waiting. He had heard of the kitchen knave's victories over Percard, Pertolepe, and Perimones, and he was determined that the road to Castle Dangerous would end with him. He blocked their path and demanded to know whether this was the knight who had slain his brothers or made them yield. Lynette answered with her usual scorn, declaring that her champion was indeed the kitchen knave called Beaumains, and that he would overcome Persant as he had overcome the rest. Persant laughed at the name, but he was not deceived by it, for he knew that any man who could defeat three such knights was no scullion. He told Beaumains that he would prove whether a kitchen boy could truly stand against a knight of Inde, and the two prepared to joust.

The duel was the longest and most terrible of the four battles. Persant was fresh and furious, and his strength was greater than any of his brothers. They came together with spears, and the shock of their meeting was so great that both horses were brought to their knees. They fought on foot with swords, and Persant struck Gareth such blows that the young knight's armour was dented, his shield was split, and his blood ran freely. But Gareth, who had fought three battles already and who had the blood of the house of Orkney in his veins, pressed forward with a fury that would not be broken. At last Gareth struck Persant a blow that brought him down, and stood over him with sword raised, ready to kill him as he had killed Percard.

But Persant was not Percard. He looked up at Gareth and yielded with honour, asking for mercy and swearing that he would become a knight of King Arthur's court and serve the fellowship of the Round Table. And then he did something that none of his brothers had done: he invited Beaumains into his castle, treated him with the reverence due to a king's son, and asked him to reveal his true name. Gareth, who had kept his identity secret even from Lynette, told Persant that he was Sir Gareth of Orkney, the son of King Lot and Queen Margawse, and the nephew of King Arthur himself. Persant was the first to know the truth, and he kept the secret with honour, swearing that he would not reveal it until Gareth himself commanded.

Persant's redemption was swift and complete. He rode to Camelot with his brothers, told Arthur of Beaumains' deeds, and was received into the fellowship. He promised a hundred men to Gareth's service, a greater host than any of his brothers had offered, and he became one of Gareth's most loyal companions. He fought beside him at the tournament of Kink Kenadon, where Gareth proved his worth before the whole court, and he was present at the small dinner party that Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, held for her favourite knights. He carved at the feast when Gareth married Lionesse, and he appears among the knights who tried to heal Sir Urre, the wounded Hungarian knight who could only be cured by the touch of the best knight in the world. In the broader Arthurian tradition, Persant of Inde represents the eastern knight who brings the wisdom of distant lands to Camelot, the blue-clad warrior who proved that the greatest honour is not in victory but in the grace with which a knight accepts defeat.