Having thus bethought him, he sent for Queen Helen to come into his privy closet and he said to her:  “My dear love, nothing remaineth for me but to go unto the court of King Arthur and beseech him to lend his powerful aid in this extremity of our misfortunes; nor will I trust any messenger in this affair but myself.  Now, this castle is no place for thee, when I am away, therefore, when I go upon this business, I will take thee and Launcelot with me, and I will leave you both in safety at King Arthur’s court with our other son, Sir Ector, until this war be ended and done.”  And to these Queen Helen lent her assent.

So King Ban summoned to him the seneschal of the castle, who was named Sir Malydor le Brun, and said to him:  “Messire, I go hence to-night by a secret pass, with intent to betake me unto King Arthur, and to beseech his aid in this extremity.  Moreover, I shall take with me my lady and the young child Launcelot, to place them within the care of King Arthur during these dolorous wars.  But besides these, I will take no other one with me but only my favorite esquire, Foliot.  Now I charge thee, sir, to hold this castle in my behalf with all thy might and main, and yield it not to our enemies upon any extremity; for I believe I shall in a little while return with sufficient aid from King Arthur to compass the relief of this place.”

[Sidenote:  King Ban with Queen Helen and Launcelot escape from Trible] So when night had fallen very dark and still, King Ban, and Queen Helen, and the young child Launcelot, and the esquire Foliot left the town privily by means of a postern gate.  Thence they went by a secret path, known only to a very few, that led down a steep declivity of rocks, with walls of rock upon either side that were very high indeed, and so they came out in safety beyond the army of King Claudas and into the forest of the valley below.  And the forest lay very still and solemn and dark in the silence of the nighttime.

Having thus come out in safety into the forest, that small party journeyed on with all celerity that they were able to achieve until, some little time before dawn, they came to where was a lake of water in an open meadow of the forest.  Here they rested for a little while, for Queen Helen had fallen very weary with the rough and hasty journey which they had traveled.

[Sidenote:  Foliot seeth a light] Now whilst they sat there resting, Foliot spake of a sudden, saying unto King Ban:  “Lord, what is that light that maketh the sky so bright yonder-ways?” Then King Ban looked a little and presently said:  “Methinks it must be the dawn that is breaking.”  “Lord,” quoth Foliot, “that cannot very well be; for that light in the sky lieth in the south, whence we have come, and not in the east, where the sun should arise.”

Then King Ban’s heart misgave him, and his soul was shaken with a great trouble.  “Foliot,” he said, “I believe that you speak sooth and that that light bodes very ill for us all.”  Then he said:  “Stay here for a little and I will go and discover what that light may be.”  Therewith he mounted his horse and rode away in the darkness.