The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 22

  An Adventure in the Wood

  Ralph arrayed himself for departure next morning without more words;and when he was ready the carline said to him: "When thou wentestforth before, I was troubled at thy going and feared for thy returning:but now I fear not; for I know that thou wilt return; though it may beleading a fair woman by the hand. So go, and all luck go with thee."Ralph smiled at her words and went his ways, and came into the woodthat lay due south from the Castle, and he went on and on and had nothought of turning back. He rested twice and still went on, till thefashion of the thickets and the woods changed about him; and at lastwhen the sun was getting low, he saw light gleaming through a greatwood of pines, which had long been dark before him against the tallboles, and soon he came to the very edge of the wood, and goingheedfully, saw between the great stems of the outermost trees, a greenstrand, and beyond it a long smooth water, a little lake between greenbanks on either side. He came out of the pinewood on to the grass; butthere were thornbushes a few about, so that moving warily from one tothe other, he might perchance see without being seen. Warily he wentforsooth, going along the green strand to the east and the head of thatwater, and saw how the bank sloped up gently from its ending toward thepine-wood, in front of whose close-set trees stood three great-boledtall oak-trees on a smooth piece of green sward. And now he saw thatthere were folk come before him on this green place, and keen-sightedas he was, could make out that three men were on the hither side of theoak-trees, and on the further side of them was a white horse.Thitherward then he made, stealing from bush to bush, since he deemedthat he needed not be seen of men who might be foes, for at the firstsight he had noted the gleam of weapons there. And now he had gone nolong way before he saw the westering sun shine brightly from a nakedsword, and then another sprang up to meet it, and he heard faintly theclash of steel, and saw withal that the third of the folk had long andlight raiment and was a woman belike. Then he bettered his pace, andin a minute or two came so near that he could see the men clearly, thatthey were clad in knightly war-gear, and were laying on great strokesso that the still place rang with the clatter. As for the woman, hecould see but little of her, because of the fighting men before her;and the shadow of the oak boughs fell on her withal.

  Now as he went, hidden by the bushes, they hid the men also from him,and when he was come to the last bush, some fifty paces from them, andpeered out from it, in that very nick of time the two knights werebreathing them somewhat, and Ralph saw that one of them, the furthestfrom him, was a very big man with a blue surcoat whereon was beaten agreat golden sun, and the other, whose back was towards Ralph, was cladin black over his armour. Even as he looked and doubted whether toshow himself or not, he of the sun raised his sword aloft, and givingforth a great roar as of wrath and grief mingled together, rushed onhis foe and smote so fiercely that he fell to the earth before him, andthe big man fell upon him as he fell, and let knee and sword-pommel andfist follow the stroke, and there they wallowed on the earth together.

  Straightway Ralph came forth from the bushes with his drawn sword inhis hand, and even therewith what with the two knights being both lowupon the earth, what with the woman herself coming from out the shadowof the oak boughs, and turning her toward Ralph, he saw her clearly,and stood staring and amazed--for lo! it was the Lady whom he haddelivered at the want-ways. His heart well nigh stood still with joy,yet was he shamefaced also: for though now she was no longer clad inthat scanty raiment, yet did he seem to see her body through that whichcovered it. But now her attire was but simple; a green gown, thin andshort, and thereover a cote-hardy of black cloth with orphreys of goldand colours: but on her neck was a collar that seemed to him like tothat which Dame Katherine had given him; and the long tresses of herhair, which he had erst seen floating loose about her, were wound as agarland around her head. She looked with a flushed and joyous face onRalph, and seemed as if she heeded nought the battle of the knights,but saw him only: but he feared her, and his love for her and stoodstill, and durst not move forward to go to her.

  Thus they abode for about the space of one minute: and meanwhile thebig man rose up on one knee and steadied him with his sword for amoment of time, and the blade was bloody from the point half way up tothe hilt; but the black knight lay still and made no sign of life.Then the Knight of the Sun rose up slowly and stood on his feet andfaced the Lady and seemed not to see Ralph, for his back was towardshim. He came slowly toward the Lady, scowling, and his face white aschalk; then he spake to her coldly and sternly, stretching out hisbloody sword before her.

  "I have done thy bidding, and slain my very earthly friend of friendsfor thy sake. Wherewith wilt thou reward me?"

  Then once more Ralph heard the voice, which he remembered so sweetamidst peril and battle aforetime, as she said as coldly as the Knight:"I bade thee not: thine own heart bade thee to strive with him becausethou deemedst that he loved me. Be content! thou hast slain him whostood in thy way, as thou deemedst. Thinkest thou that I rejoice athis slaying? O no! I grieve at it, for all that I had such good causeto hate him."

  He said: "My own heart! my own heart! Half of my heart biddeth meslay thee, who hast made me slay him. What wilt thou give me?" Sheknit her brow and spake angrily: "Leave to depart," she said. Thenafter a while, and in a kinder voice: "And thus much of my love, thatI pray thee not to sorrow for me, but to have a good heart, and live asa true knight should." He frowned: "Wilt thou not go with me?" saidhe. "Not uncompelled," she said: "if thou biddest me go with threatsof hewing and mangling the body which thou sayest thou lovest, needsmust I go then. Yet scarce wilt thou do this."

  "I have a mind to try it," said he; "If I set thee on thine horse andbound thine hands for thee, and linked thy feet together under thebeast's belly; belike thou wouldest come. Shall I have slain mybrother-in-arms for nought?"

  "Thou hast the mind," said she, "hast thou the might?" "So I deem,"said he, smiling grimly.

  She looked at him proudly and said: "Yea, but I misdoubt me thereof."He still had his back to Ralph and was staring at the lady; she turnedher head a little and made a sign to Ralph, just as the Knight of theSun said: "Thou misdoubtest thee? Who shall help thee in the desert?"

  "Look over thy left shoulder," she said. He turned, and saw Ralphdrawing near, sword in hand, smiling, but somewhat pale. He drew abackfrom the Lady and, spinning round on his heel, faced Ralph, and criedout: "Hah! Hast thou raised up a devil against me, thou sorceress, totake from me my grief and my lust, and my life? Fair will the game beto fight with thy devil as I have fought with my friend! Yet now Iknow not whether I shall slay him or thee."

  She spake not, but stood quietly looking on him, not unkindly, while awind came up from the water and played with a few light locks of hairthat hung down from that ruddy crown, and blew her raiment from herfeet and wrapped it close round her limbs; and Ralph beheld her, andclose as was the very death to him (for huge and most warrior-like washis foeman) yet longing for her melted the heart within him, and hefelt the sweetness of life in his inmost soul as he had never felt itbefore.

  Suddenly the Knight of the Sun turned about to the Lady again, and felldown on his knees before her, and clasped his hands as one praying, andsaid: "Now pardon me all my words, I pray thee; and let this young mandepart unhurt, whether thou madest him, or hast but led him away fromcountry and friends and all. Then do thou come with me, and make somesemblance of loving me, and suffer me to love thee. And then shall allbe well, for in a few days we will go back to thy people, and therewill I be their lord or thy servant, or my brother's man, or what thouwilt. O wilt thou not let the summer days be sweet?"

  But she spake, holding up her head proudly and speaking in a clearringing voice: "I have said it, that uncompelled I will not go withthee at all." And therewithal she turned her face toward Ralph, as shemight do on any chance-met courteous man, and he saw her smiling, butshe said nought to him, and gave no token of knowing him. Then theKnight of the Sun
sprang to his feet, and shook his sword above hishead and ran furiously on Ralph, who leapt nimbly on one side (else hadhe been slain at once) and fetched a blow at the Sun-Knight, and smotehim, and brake the mails on his left shoulder, so that the bloodsprang, and fell on fiercely enough, smiting to right and left as theother gave back at his first onset. But all was for nought, for theKnight of the Sun, after his giving aback under that first stroke drewhimself up stark and stiff, and pressing on through all Ralph'sstrokes, though they rent his mail here and there, ran within hissword, and smote him furiously with the sword-pommel on the side of thehead, so that the young man of Upmeads could not stand up under theweight of the blow, but fell to the earth swooning, and the Knight ofthe Sun knelt on him, and drew out an anlace, short, thick and sharp,and cried out: "Now, Devil, let see whether thou wilt bleed black."Therewith he raised up his hand: but the weapon was stayed or ever itfell, for the Lady had glided up to them when she saw that Ralph wasovercome, and now she stretched out her arm and caught hold of theKnight's hand and the anlace withal, and he groaned and cried out:"What now! thou art strong-armed as well as white-armed;" (for she hadrent the sleeve back from her right arm) and he laughed in theextremity of his wrath. But she was pale and her lips quivered as shesaid softly and sweetly: "Wilt thou verily slay this young man?"

  "And why not?" said he, "since I have just slain the best friend that Iever had, though he was nought willing to fight with me, and only forthis, that I saw thee toying with him; though forsooth thou hast saidtruly that thou hadst more reason to hate him than love him. Well,since thou wilt not have this youngling slain, I may deem at least thathe is no devil of thy making, else wouldst thou be glad of his slaying,so that he might be out of the path of thee; so a man he is, and awell-favoured one, and young; and valiant, as it seemeth: so I supposethat he is thy lover, or will be one day--well then--"

  And he lifted his hand again, but again she stayed him, and said: "Lookthou, I will buy him of thee: and, indeed, I owe him a life." "How isthat?" said he. "Why wouldst thou know?" she said; "thou who, if thouhadst me in thine hands again, wouldst keep me away from all men. Yea,I know what thou wouldst say, thou wouldst keep me from sinning again."And she smiled, but bitterly. "Well, the tale is no long one: fivedays ago I was taken by them of the Burg: and thou wottest what theywould do with me; yea, even if they deemed me less than they do deemme: well, as two of their men-at-arms were leading me along by ahalter, as a calf is led to the butcher, we fell in with this goodlylad, who slew them both in manly fashion, and I escaped for that time:though, forsooth, I must needs put my neck in the noose again indelivering four of our people, who would else have been tormented todeath by the Burgers."

  "Well," said the knight, "perchance thou hast more mercy than I lookedfor of thee; though I misdoubt thee that thou mayst yet pray me or someother to slay him for thee. Thou art merciful, my Queen, though not tome, and a churl were I if I were less merciful than thou. Thereforewill I give his life to him, yet not to thee will I give him if I mayhelp it--Lo you, Sweet! he is just opening his eyes."

  Therewith he rose up from Ralph, who raised himself a little, and satup dazed and feeble. The Knight of the Sun stood up over him besidethe lady with his hands clasped on his sword-hilt, and said to Ralph:"Young man, canst thou hear my words?" Ralph smiled feebly and noddeda yea-say. "Dost thou love thy life then?" said the Knight. Ralphfound speech and said faintly, "Yea." Said the Knight: "Where dostthou come from, where is thine home?" Said Ralph, "Upmeads." "Wellthen," quoth the big knight, "go back to Upmeads, and live." Ralphshook his head and knit his brows and said, "I will not." "Yea," saidthe Knight, "thou wilt not live? Then must I shape me to thy humour.Stand on thy feet and fight it out; for now I am cool I will not slay aswordless man."

  Ralph staggered up to his feet, but was so feeble still, that he sankdown again, and muttered: "I may not; I am sick and faint;" andtherewith swooned away again. But the Knight stood a while leaning onhis sword, and looking down on him not unkindly. Then he turned aboutto the Lady, but lo! she had left his side. She had glided away, andgot to her horse, which was tethered on the other side of the oak-tree,and had loosed him and mounted him, and so sat in the saddle there, thereins gathered in her hands. She smiled on the knight as he stoodastonished, and cried to him; "Now, lord, I warn thee, draw not asingle foot nigher to me; for thou seest that I have Silverfax betweenmy knees, and thou knowest how swift he is, and if I see thee move, heshall spring away with me. Thou wottest how well I know all the waysof the woodland, and I tell thee that the ways behind me to the DryTree be all safe and open, and that beyond the Gliding River I shallcome on Roger of the Ropewalk and his men. And if thou thinkest toride after me, and overtake me, cast the thought out of thy mind. Forthy horse is strong but heavy, as is meet for so big a knight, andmoreover he is many yards away from me and Silverfax: so before thouart in the saddle, where shall I be? Yea," (for the Knight washandling his anlace) "thou mayst cast it, and peradventure mayst hitSilverfax and not me, and peradventure not; and I deem that it is mybody alive that thou wouldest have back with thee. So now, wilt thouhearken?"

  "Yea," quoth the knight, though for wrath he could scarce bring theword from his mouth.

  "Hearken," she said, "this is the bargain to be struck between us: evennow thou wouldst not refrain from slaying this young man, unlessperchance he should swear to depart from us; and as for me, I would notgo back with thee to Sunhome, where erst thou shamedst me. Now will Ibuy thy nay-say with mine, and if thou give the youngling his life, andsuffer him to come his ways with us, then will I go home with thee andwill ride with thee in all the love and duty that I owe thee; or ifthou like this fashion of words better, I will give thee my body forhis life. But if thou likest not the bargain, there is not anotherpiece of goods for thee in the market, for then I will ride my ways tothe Dry Tree, and thou shalt slay the poor youth, or make of him thysworn friend, like as was Walter--which thou wilt."

  So she spake, and Ralph yet lay on the grass and heard nought. But theKnight's face was dark and swollen with anger as he answered: "My swornfriend! yea, I understand thy gibe. I need not thy words to bring tomy mind how I have slain one sworn friend for thy sake."

  "Nay," she said, "not for my sake, for thine own folly's sake." Heheeded her not, but went on: "And as for this one, I say again of him,if he be not thy devil, then thou meanest him for thy lover. And now Ideem that I will verily slay him, ere he wake again; belike it were hisbetter luck."

  She said: "I wot not why thou hagglest over the price of that thouwouldest have. If thou have him along with thee, shall he not be inthy power--as I shall be? and thou mayst slay him--or me--when thouwilt."

  "Yea," he said, grimly, "when thou art weary of him. O art thou notshameless amongst women! Yet must I needs pay thy price, though myhonour and the welfare of my life go with it. Yet how if he have nowill to fare with us?" She laughed and said: "Then shalt thou have himwith thee as thy captive and thrall. Hast thou not conquered him inbattle?" He stood silent a moment and then he said: "Thou sayest it;he shall come with me, will he, nill he, unarmed, and as a prisoner,and the spoil of my valiancy." And he laughed, not altogether inbitterness, but as if some joy were rising in his heart. "Now, myQueen," said he, "the bargain is struck betwixt us, and thou mayestlight down off Silverfax; as for me, I will go fetch water from thelake, that we may wake up this valiant and mighty youth, this newfoundjewel, and bring him to his wits again."

  She answered nought, but rode her horse close to him and lighted downnimbly, while his greedy eyes devoured her beauty. Then he took herhand and drew her to him, and kissed her cheek, and she suffered it,but kissed him not again. Then he took off his helm, and went down tothe lake to fetch up water therein.