A month after his near-miss as regards the Grail, Launcelot wakes up.  His first move is to complain about coming out of his coma; being in a coma was very restful and he didn’t need to worry about all the many terrible things on his mind.  Asked what terrible things he’s talking about, he gets all evasive: “I have seen so great marvels that no tongue may tell, and more than any heart can think, and had not my son been here afore me I had seen much more.  Really, after this most recent incident I’d be better off just dropping dead.  Anything that happens after the Grail is anticlimax.”

Of course, it wasn’t Launcelot’s first, second, or even third Grail sighting, unless I’ve lost count.  He was healed by the Grail back when he was crazy, and he had a vision of it, and then there was the time Merlin came into with Galahad and showed everyone the Grail.  But none of those counted.

Launcelot finds out he’s been out for twenty-four days (actually twenty-eight, Malory, because you just said so man come on) and declares that it was penance for his twenty-four years of sinful adultery with Guenever.  Pretty mild penance, I’d say, given that he complained about being woken up.  He also checks and finds that he still has that hair that Nacien gave him back in Book XV, Chapter 3, which is a huge relief to him.

So for Launcelot the Grail quest is over.   The folk of Castle Corbin of course recognize him (he lived there for a while back in Book XII, remember?  Pretended to be a dog because he was crazy until the Grail healed him?)  and they get him a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes.

Pellam, the king of Corbin, visits Launcelot, once he hears the knight was found in the hallway outside the forbidden Grail chamber.  They have a friendly reunion, except that between Book XII Chapter 10 and now, Elaine died.  You may recall her last scene, in which she tearfully begged Launcelot not to leave her alone.  Launcelot’s pretty bummed to hear his wife died.  “Sir, me forethinketh the death of your daughter, for she was a full fair lady, fresh and young.  And well I wot she bare the best knight that is now on the earth or that ever was sith God was born.  To be fair, while she did rape me the one time, I’m ultimately okay with that inasmuch as it resulted in Galahad.  And also we had consensual sex a bunch of times after that, before and after we got married and I started calling myself Mister Guilty…  I don’t know.”