The Faerie Queene

Early in the morning, Sir Guyon and the Palmer set out to continue their adventure. They make it to a river where Alma has told them a ferryman waits. While Sir Guyon gets on the boat, a new swarm of enemies attacks Alma’s castle. The vast numbers of enemies split up into different troops, each trying to attack a different part of the castle. The castle has five bulwarks, each named for a different sense: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, and Touch.

Though the castle walls stay strong at first, Alma is worried. Arthur pledges that he’ll do whatever he can to help with defending the castle. He rides out the gate in glittering armor with his squire, and immediately the enemies start firing arrows at him. Arthur blocks them with his shield and uses his sword to disperse the swarms of enemies around him.

In response to Arthur’s offense, the captain of the enemies, Maleger, rides out on his tiger. He is followed by two hags, Impotence and Impatience. Maleger and the hags engage Arthur in a fierce battle. Arthur is knocked to the ground and nearly killed, but his squire manages to rescue him just in time.

Arthur rouses himself off the ground and starts fighting like a bear that just woke up. Maleger gets off his tiger to fight. At one point, Maleger seems to be injured and pleads for mercy, but it’s only a trick, and Maleger uses the chance to lash out and start the battle again.

The next time Arthur defeats Maleger, he slices him through the chest with his sword. Surprisingly, no blood comes out of the wound, even though you can see straight through the captain’s body. The captain doesn’t fall, and Arthur is afraid, fearing he is fighting a ghost. Arthur puts aside his weapons and crushes the captain’s body with his bare hands against his chest. Arthur is sure the captain is dead this time, but Maleger rises up and keeps fighting.

Finally, Arthur realizes that the earth is what keeps healing Maleger, so he carries him to a lake and throws him in. Maleger stops moving for good. The hags see this and run over. One drowns herself and the other stabs herself through the heart. Arthur, having lost some blood, is finally the victor, and he’s taken back to Alma’s castle for his wounds to be treated.