Arthur's rescue from Annowre turns a planned killing in the Forest Perilous into a rescue by Sir Tristram and the Lady of the Lake, Nimue. Annowre lures King Arthur into the forest and arranges for him to be killed after he refuses her demand for his love. Nimue recognizes the danger, finds Tristram, and directs him to the king; together they interrupt the attack. Arthur survives, Annowre is killed, and Tristram departs without revealing who he is. The episode makes Arthur's vulnerability—and his dependence on help from outside his immediate company—central to the adventure.

Annowre's Design

The account begins at Cardiff, where Annowre approaches Arthur with fair promises and inducements and persuades him to ride with her into the Forest Perilous, in North Wales. She is described as a powerful sorceress who has loved Arthur for many days. Once she has brought him to her tower, she asks him to love her. Arthur remembers his lady and refuses, despite Annowre's powers. Her aim then shifts from winning him to destroying him: she repeatedly sends him riding in the forest with his own knights in order to bring about his death.

This sequence gives the rescue its cause. Arthur's refusal is the immediate turning point, while Annowre's control of the route and the repeated rides make the danger deliberate rather than accidental. The forest, introduced as a place into which the king is enticed, becomes the setting for an attempted killing arranged by someone who has gained access to him through apparent favour.

Nimue Finds Tristram

Arthur's knights, including Sir Launcelot and Sir Brandiles, follow after they notice that he is missing. Nimue, however, acts on knowledge the others do not possess: through her subtle craft, she understands that Arthur is in danger. She comes into the forest seeking either Sir Launcelot or Sir Tristram, knowing that the king will be slain that day unless one of the two helps him.

Nimue meets Tristram and addresses him as the knight who can intervene. She warns that within two hours an exceptionally grave deed will be done, and tells him that a noble knight is in dire need. When Tristram asks whether he can remedy the danger, she names Arthur. Tristram immediately agrees to help. Nimue thus serves as the messenger who recognizes the hidden crisis and connects the threatened king with the rescuer able to reach him in time.

The Attack and Rescue

Nimue and Tristram ride at speed to a small turret or castle. Beneath it, they see Arthur on foot, fighting two knights. The two attackers bring him down, and one prepares to finish the assault. At the same moment, Annowre has Arthur's sword in her hand and is about to strike him. Tristram arrives crying out against the treachery, strikes one knight through the body, and then attacks the second, defeating both. His intervention ends the immediate threat; Arthur himself pursues Annowre and kills her with the same sword.

The rescue reverses the danger in a few linked actions: Nimue's warning gets Tristram to the scene, his attack prevents the two knights from killing Arthur, and Arthur is able to act against Annowre once the assault is broken. The episode's outcome is not merely the king's survival. The plotters' arrangement is defeated, and the woman who engineered it does not escape.

An Unnamed Rescuer

Afterward, Tristram helps Arthur onto his horse and rides with him. Arthur thanks him and asks his name, but Tristram will identify himself only as a poor knight adventuring. He remains Arthur's companion until they meet Sir Ector de Maris, who does not recognize either man and challenges one of them to joust. Tristram rides against Ector and unhorses him; he then returns to Arthur and says that the king's knight can now keep him company. He adds that, by what he has done for Arthur, the king may understand on another day that he is willing to serve him.

Even after Arthur asks again to know who he is, Tristram keeps his identity secret. He then leaves, separating the service he has rendered from any immediate recognition or reward. The episode consequently gives the rescue a second, quieter conclusion: Arthur is safe, but the rescuer's name remains undisclosed, and his promise of future service is left for another day.