Along the way, Gawain met with many adventures and won many victories. He slept in lodges or out in the open. The wound on his neck healed quickly, and he took to wearing the green girdle as a baldric tied under his left arm. He arrived safely at Camelot where the King and Queen greeted him joyously and listened to his tales of adventure. Gawain gave an hones account of all that had befallen him, including showing everyone present the scar on the back of his neck from the blow the Green Knight had given him because of his deceit.
“I must wear this badge always,” Gawain told the King, “for nothing good befalls a man who hides from his fears.”
The King offered words of solace to his nephew. Members of the court also offered comfort and agreed that henceforth the lords and ladies of the Brotherhood of the Round Table would wear bright green baldrics in honor of Gawain the Good and his great quest.
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