Castle of the White Moon is an old castle on a hill in the Maanheuvels, and a brief refuge on Tiuri’s journey with Piak and Warmin. The company arrives there under the moon, receives food and a place to sleep, and is welcomed by its lord, Knight Iwijn. The castle’s hospitality gives way the next morning to news about the murdered messenger: Iwijn says the killer has been captured and that, because the arrest occurred in his territory, he will decide what happens to the prisoner.

Setting and Approach

Warmin identifies the castle from a hill in the distance as the company travels through the Maanheuvels. It is already late, and the moon is high when the riders see it. The approach is specific but sparely described: a narrow road, bordered by stone walls, winds up the hill to the castle. The account establishes its elevated position and enclosed route without detailing its defenses or interior architecture.

Warmin says that Knight Iwijn lives there and that the innkeeper had told them they could spend the night at the castle. He describes it as very old, while adding that the toll lord’s castle is older still. The comparison gives the place a measured antiquity rather than making it the oldest building in the travelers’ recent experience. Its position above the road makes it a visible destination; the winding ascent then brings the travelers from the open journey into a guarded household.

Shelter on the Journey

The company reaches the castle after setting out again at half past four. Warmin and his three surviving men are to accompany Tiuri and Piak at least to the end of the Maanheuvels, after which they can decide whether to continue together. They travel quickly, without delay or further adventure, until the castle appears. The stay is therefore a pause within an ongoing journey, not the end of the travelers’ passage through the hills.

Although the hour is late, the castle admits them at once. Riders and horses alike receive a warm welcome, food, and a place to sleep for the night. That welcome is made concrete through the needs it meets: the party has a safe place to rest, and its horses are received as well. Piak remarks that this time he will sleep in a castle rather than a dark dungeon, treating the accommodation as a welcome contrast to confinement. The castle’s first role in the episode is thus practical hospitality, offered without delay to the whole traveling party.

Knight Iwijn and the Morning Audience

Early the next morning, Tiuri, Piak, and Warmin are in the courtyard, ready to leave. A castle resident recognizes Warmin as the leader of Tolheer Ardian’s riders and tells him that Knight Iwijn wants to speak with him. Tiuri is wary of being noticed: he would rather not have Warmin draw attention to him and thinks they would already be on their way if they had risen earlier. Piak gives him an encouraging wink, and Tiuri follows Warmin into the castle.

The audience takes place in a large hall that is still half-dark, with two candles burning on a table. Knight Iwijn waits there. He is no longer young; his hair is white, but he stands perfectly straight. He first addresses Warmin about his role among Tolheer Ardian’s fighting men, then asks about a messenger killed the previous night in the Maanheuvels while carrying a message to King Unauwen. Warmin confirms the report. Iwijn also asks Tiuri whether he was one of the young men who found the dead messenger. Tiuri confirms that he was, anticipating more questions, but Iwijn does not pursue him further.

Capture and Local Authority

Instead, Iwijn provides a decisive update: the murderer has been captured. The news surprises both Tiuri and Warmin. The prisoner is not being held at the castle, but at the Inn of the Maanheuvels, where he will remain until Iwijn decides what should be done. Iwijn explains the basis for his authority: the man was captured in his territory, so he will judge him.

This exchange links the castle to the consequences of the messenger’s murder without making it the site of either the killing or the arrest. Iwijn’s household supplies the setting for the report and establishes who claims jurisdiction; the prisoner remains elsewhere while a decision is pending. The castle’s brief appearance therefore joins two functions that shape the travelers’ stop: a place of rest on the road and the seat of a local lord whose authority reaches beyond its walls. What begins with the party’s welcome ends with a change in their knowledge: the killer is no longer at large, and the next step belongs to Iwijn.