(reading time: 1 hour, 29 minutes)
…
Awake before the sun even rose on his final full day, Gawain’s plans were already difficult to set in motion. There was little to actually apply that motion to but his body, but that was pinned down. One of the snails, by far the largest, was sat on his sternum with both stalked eyes trained on his. The two were close enough to kiss. Continue reading
(reading time: 1 hour, 37 minutes)
Chaste
Not a soul came to wake him the next day. Practically in mourning was he, with only three days left, having spent most of the morning unconscious. It was like Death had tricked him into yet another game, borrowing what little time was left. Gawain washed the resulting tears out of his eyes with the pitcher of water. The sun shone aggressively through the stained glass, drying his face. Continue reading
(reading time: 1 hour, 17 minutes)
…
Yet there he stood, promise shattered, once more in the land of Lossys. No, he reasoned, shattered wasn’t the right word. His vow had melted over the course of a year and a day. His dignity was under him as a puddle, having leaked out like his child’s tears and his coward’s piss. Continue reading
(blurb)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic Arthurian tale of bravery, hubris, and honesty in which the titular knight must willingly go to his death at the hands of an otherworldly knight who is not inconvenienced by the loss of his own head.
This is a retelling, enriched with even more adventure and magic, designed to get at the heart of the man who foolishly accepts any challenge. Even centuries since it was originally put to paper, Sir Gawain’s struggle grows ever more elaborate, like the winding ivy locks of the green knight himself.
(reading time: 1 hour, 32 minutes) (reading time for entire novel: 5 hours, 55 minutes)
The Green Knight and his Guests
A Retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
By
Blaine Arcade
Free-Giving
Down the stone steps it rolled, quietly as that heavy a thing could thanks to the carpets unfurled for the day. There was no such padding upon the wall when the stairs reached their midpoint and pivoted at a harsh angle, so the sound of its collision traveled throughout the castle. There was no trouble yet, for everyone that could possibly hear it was floors below and awash in much more joyous noises. Continue reading
Blaine Arcade 