Book II, Chapters 1-3 Summary

Book II, The Witch's Sons, Chapter 1, begins with Gawain now knowing that Mordred is not Lot's eldest son, so Mordred will not be in contention for any of Gawain's kingdoms. With this knowledge and apparently the court's knowledge of Mordred's status as the king's son, Gawain has taken a pragmatic approach to Mordred and the friendship is restored, albeit somewhat cautiously. The twins' attitude towards Mordred, with the lack of knowledge concerning his parentage, is that of respect for his killing of Gabran, whom they had come to resent as a rival for their mother's affections. In February the princes are told they will be allowed to see their mother before she is moved to another convent. The trip is taken in April, with some trepidation on the part of the Orkney princes, and much resentment on...