Castle Chariot is the castle where Morgan le Fay and three other queens confine the enchanted Sir Launcelot. Its episode turns a place of apparent refuge into a prison: Launcelot wakes there without knowing how he arrived, learns that his captors intend to compel him to choose a lover, and refuses them rather than betray his attachment to Queen Guenever.

The Enchanted Captive

At noon, four queens come upon Launcelot asleep beneath an apple tree, still fully armed. They recognize him and argue over which of them should have him as a lover. Morgan, King Arthur’s sister, ends their dispute by enchanting Launcelot so that he will not wake for six hours. The queens lay him upon his shield and carry him on horseback to Castle Chariot, where they place him in a chamber.

The Choice Imposed

After the enchantment has passed, a damsel brings Launcelot supper. He cannot explain how he came to the castle and suspects enchantment; the damsel tells him that she will explain more in the morning. He spends the night without comfort or company. At dawn, the four queens appear and tell him that he is their prisoner. They identify him as Launcelot, son of King Ban, and declare that Queen Guenever is the only lady who can have his love. They then demand that he choose one of them, threatening death if he refuses.

Fidelity and Narrative Significance

Launcelot rejects the choice as unjust, saying he would rather die in captivity with honor than accept any of the queens as his lover against his will. He calls them false enchantresses and declares that, if free, he would defend Guenever as the truest lady to her lord. Castle Chariot is thus the setting for a direct test of fidelity under magical pressure: the queens’ confinement and ultimatum cannot alter his declared allegiance. The episode establishes the castle’s narrative function through its single recorded appearance, as the place where Launcelot’s loyalty is challenged and openly affirmed.