After Mass, the lord’s party rides out into the wintry woods. The hounds pick up the trail of a fox and chase it through the forest, baying loudly.
At the castle, the lady is gorgeously dressed as she comes to visit Gawain in bed, and she kisses him. Before waking, Gawain suffered bad dreams, and he is pleased to see the lady when he wakes. She is more seductive than ever, and she asks Gawain to tell her the name of his true love, because she believes he must be in love with some other woman. Gawain responds that he has no lover and will not take one. At this final refusal, she sadly asks whether he will give her a parting love token, a glove. He refuses, saying he has no tokens to give. She offers him a token, a gold ring with a red stone; he refuses it. She offers him her belt, and he again refuses. She tells him that the belt has a special power, for any knight who wears it cannot be killed. Thinking of his appointment with the Green Knight, Gawain accepts the belt, and the lady kisses him three times. Gawain goes to the chapel to confess his sins and be absolved. Then he spends the rest of the day making merry with the ladies.
In the forest, the lord catches the fox and skins it. After the lord returns to the hall, Gawain kisses him three times, but he does not mention the belt. After the feast, Gawain thanks the lord for his hospitality and asks for a guide to lead him to the Green Chapel the next day. The court sadly bids Gawain farewell as he goes off to bed.
