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Afraid of scandal, Launcelot then began avoiding the queen, but she threw a temper and kicked him out of Camelot. He went to doss with the hermit Sir Brastias (once a knight of the Duke of Tintagel in the time of King Uther in book 1) near Windsor and told only his brother Sir Ector de Maris and his nephews Sir Bors and Sir Lionel (who had seemingly forgiven his brother for the nude-whipping incident).
Mador accused Guenever of treason and demanded trial by combat followed by burning at the stake. Arthur told Bors to fight for her, so he ran off to find Launcelot. On the day of the match Launcelot rode in incognito at the last minute and after a decent hack made Mador take it all back, but got his thighs impaled.
Then the Damosel of the Lake, Nimue, arrived and told everyone the truth, Pinel fled the country, and all was forgiven.
Guenever stayed at home, and Launcelot would have too but she told him to piss off because people were getting suspicious, and so soon Arthur happened to spot him sneaking into the hovel of the old hermit Baron Sir Bernard of Astolat to lodge, and guessed his plan to joust incognito on the side of the enemy as usual. Bernard lent Launcelot his injured son Sir Tirre's shield as a disguise and said his other son Sir Lavaine could ride with him. His daughter Elaine le Blank, known locally as the Fair Maiden of Astolat, had a huge crush on Launcelot and persuaded him to carry her token at the joust, a red sleeve embroidered with pearls, something he had never done before out of his faithful love for Guenever.
Still feeling peevish, Launcelot immediately joined in against Arthur's party, and although he succeeded in bashing forty Round Table knights he ended up being dragged off the field by Lavaine with Bors' lance in his side.
Lavaine took him to a nearby rich hermit, who fortunately turned out to be another old veteran Sir Baudwin of Britain, an ex-Round Table knight, and having recognised Launcelot by the scar on his cheek he staunched his gaping wound.
Meanwhile Elaine found Launcelot at the hermit's, and after a few swoons took to tending him, followed shortly after by Bors. They nearly had him well, but he relapsed after an ill-advised trot, so he missed the next joust at Hallowmas which was won by Gawaine and Bors.
Everyone was pleased to see Launcelot return except Queen Guenever (who hadn't forgiven him for the red sleeve wearage) and the two Orkney Knights Sir Mordred and Sir Agravaine (who were already plotting trouble).
Ten days later back at Bernard's Elaine died of a broken heart, and as per her wishes her family sent her lovely cadaver off down the Thames in a barge, clutching a letter of explanation, and when it floated past Westminster it was fortunately spotted by Arthur and Guenever who just happened to be visiting their London seat.
After investigating, a devastated Launcelot buried her richly and paid her mass-penny, as she had requested in the letter. Guenever forgave him (after reading the bit about how her rival died a virgin) but forbade him ever to fight in disguise again and gave him her own sleeve of gold to wear as a token, and Lavaine hung around to practise jousting.
None of this stopped Launcelot from getting to the joust and pulling his usual trick of siding with the enemy so that he could injure as many of his friends and relatives as possible, helped by Lavaine and Sir Gareth, the Orkney Knight he himself dubbed in book 7, and between the three of them they won the joust.
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