One night, before a snowstorm comes in, the knights discover a group of people preparing horses with gear and provisions.They learn that the Cornish folks are going to depart even without the king’s permission. This is a great breach of hospitality, of course, but they are doing so anyway.
The Cornish folk don’t look right in the evening light, as if they are particularly hard to focus on. The Lady of the Lake, Nineve, is with Duke Gorlois.
The knights try to uphold King Uther's honor and alert the guards, but the duke and his household escape with the aid of Lady Nineve’s magic. Soon a blasting snowstorm wipes out the trail.
The king is driven to such a fury that his own court is afraid to approach him for days. Only Duke Ulfius and Sir Belleus dare to do so, and after they do they speak to others of muster, war, and revenge.