Gawain is finally safe, at least for a few days, when he comes accross a castle in the forest whose people let him stay until the day he needs to go to the Green Knight's castle. This location is where the majority of the length of the text takes place. Each day when the castle's Lord goes hunting, he and Gawain agree to give each other whatever they gather for the day. This ends up with the Lord getting bigger and bigger pieces of meat from the animals he killed, which he passes on to Gawain before they feast, and Gawain receiving more and more kisses from the woman who is trying to woo him, which he does deliver to the Lord. Although Gawain continues to deny her advances and presents, something for which the Green Knight states that he has incredible self control, on the last day of his competition with the Lord, she presents him with a girdle which is supposed to keep him from dying. Because he wants to preserve his life, he takes the girdle from the woman and doesn't give it to the Lord during their exchange for the day, something that he eventually receives a scratch with the axe from the Green Knight for and he never lets go, even as the other knights in his court call him a hero upon his return.

Gawain leaves on New Year's Day, with everyone, including himself, thinking that he would soon be dead. Even the person that is escorting him to the castle states that he shouldn't follow through with his apparent suicide mission and that he won't tell anyone if he doesn't. Gawain thanks him but denies his offer and continues, nervously, into the Green Knight's castle.