Galahad’s search for Meira

Galahad Stormcrane’s urgent search for Meira turns a dangerous uncertainty into a discovery: after finding no trace of her at Perlkastel, he follows Scraw’s direction back to Euryor House and finds her there. The search is driven by Galahad’s conviction that Meira’s life is in danger, and its rapid passage between palace and house makes her unknown whereabouts the scene’s central suspense.

Causes and Stakes

Under the full moon, Galahad and Thondorfax race away from the woods at Ruined Mount toward Perlkastel. Galahad has a fresh wound to his hand, but keeps riding at speed, leaning low over Thondorfax as they cross the moors. The journey is not an ordinary return: when he reaches the palace, his first demand is to know whether Meira is still there.

The guards cannot answer him. Galahad orders the gates opened and rides through the courtyard and into the palace, where the clatter of horse and rider announces his arrival. His haste establishes the stakes before he explains them: Meira is missing, and, as he tells Gawain, her life is in danger.

Search at Perlkastel

Gawain has no reliable account of Meira’s whereabouts. He last saw her sitting with Beatrix, but that was earlier, before he retired for the night. Several coaches have since left, and he can only suggest that one of the ladies may have taken her home. The possibilities leave Galahad without confirmation that she is at the palace or any clear lead to follow.

Galahad orders Gawain to wake everyone and search the palace. He does not wait for the search to finish: he turns Thondorfax toward Euryor House and tells Gawain to send word with the greatest possible haste if Meira is found at Perlkastel. Gawain agrees and rides off in the opposite direction, dividing the search between the palace and the house.

Scraw’s Lead

Galahad and Thondorfax retrace their way through the garden lane and woods at reckless speed. Galahad’s cape catches on a branch and tears; despite pain in his arm, he forces himself to keep his vision focused on the road ahead. The physical strain accompanies the uncertainty: he searches the distance for a light in a window, with no confirmation yet that Meira is at Euryor House.

Scraw appears above him, its wingspan briefly eclipsing the moon. Galahad calls out to ask whether Meira is there, and the crow answers yes. That reply changes the search from an open-ended pursuit into a direct approach: Galahad now has a specific destination and a reason to hope she can be found there.

Finding Meira

At Euryor House, lights are visible in the library and front parlor, and smoke rises from the chimney. Galahad dismounts, hurries to the entrance, and calls for Meira as he searches the rooms. He sees her in the library, where she has just risen from the study table.

Meira is still wearing her fine blue dress, but its hem and skirt are muddy; her hair is wild, and her face has gone pale. She meets Galahad’s gaze, taps her cheek questioningly, and points faintly toward him. The encounter resolves the immediate question of her location, while her gesture supplies a silent response at the moment he reaches her. The search’s decisive turn is therefore not a report from the palace but Scraw’s confirmation and Galahad’s own sight of Meira at Euryor House.