And he stayed at the castle three months, till he was restored to his former guise, and became even more comely than he had ever been before.  And Owain rendered signal service to the lady, in a controversy with a powerful neighbor, so that he made ample requital to her for her hospitality; and he took his departure.

And as he journeyed he heard a loud yelling in a wood.  And it was repeated a second and a third time.  And Owain went towards the spot, and beheld a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood, on the side of which was a gray rock.  And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was within the cleft.  And near the rock stood a black lion, and every time the lion sought to go thence the serpent darted towards him to attack him.  And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew near to the rock; and as the serpent sprung out he struck him with his sword and cut him in two.  And he dried his sword, and went on his way as before.  But behold the lion followed him, and played about him, as though it had been a greyhound that he had reared.

They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening.  And when it was time for Owain to take his rest he dismounted, and turned his horse loose in a flat and wooded meadow.  And he struck fire, and when the fire was kindled, the lion brought him fuel enough to last for three nights.  And the lion disappeared.  And presently the lion returned, bearing a fine large roebuck.  And he threw it down before Owain, who went towards the fire with it.

And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collops of its flesh upon skewers round the fire.  The rest of the buck he gave to the lion to devour.  While he was so employed, he heard a deep groan near him, and a second, and a third.  And the place whence the groans proceeded was a cave in the rock; and Owain went near, and called out to know who it was that groaned so piteously.  And a voice answered, “I am Luned, the hand-maiden of the Countess of the Fountain.”  “And what dost thou here?” said he.  “I am imprisoned,” said she, “on account of the knight who came from Arthur’s court, and married the Countess.  And he staid a short time with her, but he afterwards departed for the court of Arthur, and has not returned since.  And two of the Countess’s pages traduced him, and called him a deceiver.  And because I said I would vouch for it he would come before long and maintain his cause against both of them, they imprisoned me in this cave, and said that I should be put to death, unless he came to deliver me, by a certain day; and that is no further off than to-morrow, and I have no one to send to seek him for me.  His name is Owain, the son of Urien.”  “And art thou certain that if that knight knew all this, he would come to thy rescue?” “I am most certain of it,” said she.

When the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into two parts, between himself and the maiden, and then Owain laid himself down to sleep; and never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord than the lion that night over Owain.