A young knight was taken in for raping a maiden in the forest, the king though he should be put to death, but is wife had other plans.
I cannot keep a secret.
How could you release my secret!
The wife decided that a lesson would be better than death. She gave the knight 1 year to find out what women want most in the world, if his answer was wrong, he would lose his head.
I will help you, but u must promise yourself to me.
What've I got to lose. Sure.
The knight travels far in search for his answer, but all are different and lack true meaning.
The wife of bath tells of how women can not keep a secret, therefore what they want cannot be to be seen as secretive. She explains this by telling some of Midas's tale.
As the knight was returning to the castle empty handed, he spots a crowd of women. As he approaches them, all but one disappears. The old woman promises the knight will be safe as long as he promises himself to her