The Once and Future King Book 2, Chapter 5

Mother Morlan's house, in the Out Isles where Morgause's sons live, is small but interesting. Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth visit her and ask for a story from her guest, Saint Toirdealbhach. The old man tells them a story about a king who gets a bullet lodged in his brain, and is told that as long as he doesn't get excited, he will be all right. Then one day he gets excited by his religion, and dies. The boys all react to this differently: Gawaine thinks it is silly because it didn't concern his family, so there was no reason to get so worked up; Agravaine thinks the king should have worried more about his health; and Gareth thinks it was a noble way to die. After the story, the boys leave and are confronted by a magic barge, which contains King Pellinore, Sir Grummore, and a wise, non-Christian knight named Sir Palomides. The entire village is entranced by the sight of these three men arriving in the water. The villagers, who are subjects of King Lot, wonder if these men are coming to attack Lot in the name of King Arthur. The three knights, however, have been on a quest, so they are comically ignorant of the war between Lot and Arthur.