Friend of Lancelot and Gawain, Bedivere is a loyal knight of King Arthur who is tested at the end of the story as told by Malory. Mortally wounded, the dying Arthur asks Bedivere to cast Excalibur into the lake from which it came. Bedivere twice fails to carry out his liege's request, hiding the valuable sword behind a tree, perhaps a parallel to Peter's denial of Christ. Questioned by Arthur as to whether Bedivere has carried out his commands and what he has seen by the lake, Bedivere replies, "I saw nothing but waves and winds." But Arthur persists until Bedivere complies. Arthur thus has two opportunities to keep Excalibur, perhaps having two opportunities to deny his own passing, yet he prevails in his wishes. When Bedivere finally does cast Excalibur away from Arthur, the Lady of the Lake catches it by the hilt and brandishes it three times, before withdrawing her arm into the water. Then comes a little barge with many ladies dressed in black; they take Arthur to "the vale of Avilion" where Arthur hopes to be healed of his wound. Bedivere is the sole survivor of the Last Battle in which "an hundred thousand (were) laid dead upon the earth."