Amata gives Sir Luckless her turn at the Fountain

Amata gives Sir Luckless her turn at the Fountain when the stream has freed her from regret for a cruel and faithless lover. Her choice turns the quest away from magical reward and toward generosity: Sir Luckless bathes in the Fountain of Fair Fortune, but the story’s happy ending comes through the choices the travelers make, not any enchantment in its waters.

The Gift of a Turn

After the stream has washed away her regret, Amata sees her former lover clearly: he was cruel and faithless, and being rid of him is itself a source of happiness. Sir Luckless bows and gestures toward the Fountain, offering her the opportunity to bathe. Amata shakes her head rather than accept it for herself.

Instead, she tells him that he must bathe as a reward for his chivalry. The gesture is more than a transfer of a turn. Amata has relinquished her attachment to an unworthy lover and now uses her opportunity to honor the knight’s kindness. Her new freedom makes the gift possible; her generosity gives the quest its decisive turn.

Sir Luckless at the Fountain

In the last rays of the setting sun, Sir Luckless clanks forward and bathes in the Fountain of Fair Fortune. He is astonished that, among hundreds, he has been chosen, and giddy with what he takes to be incredible luck. At sunset he emerges with the glory of triumph upon him, his rusted armour still on him, and falls at Amata’s feet.

His response redirects the gift toward a new relationship. He tells Amata that she is the kindest and most beautiful woman he has ever beheld, then asks for her hand and heart. Amata is delighted and recognizes in him a man worthy of both. The scene pairs his apparent good fortune with her judgment: the knight receives the bath, but their mutual happiness rests on the kindness and discernment that have brought them together.

The Quest’s Resolution

The three witches and Sir Luckless leave the hill together, arm in arm. All four lead long and happy lives, and none ever knows or suspects that the Fountain’s waters carried no enchantment at all. That closing revelation reframes Amata’s gift: bathing at the Fountain does not magically cause the happy outcome. The travelers’ actions—especially Amata’s release from regret and her decision to give Sir Luckless her turn—supply the change that the supposed miracle cannot.