The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 8

  Of Goldburg Again, and the Queen Thereof

  Next day they went forth through the country wherethrough Morfinn hadled Ralph into captivity; and Redhead rode warily; for there were manypasses which looked doubtful: but whether the ill men feared to meddlewith them, or however it were, none waylaid them, and they all camesafely to the gate of Goldburg, the towers whereof were full of folklooking forth on them. So they displayed their pennon, and rode intothe street, where folk pressed about them in friendly wise; for the newLord of Utterbol had made firm and fast peace with Goldburg. So theyrode to the hostel, and gat them victual, and rested in peace thatnight. But Ralph wondered whether the Queen would send for him whenshe heard of his coming back again, and he hoped that she would let himbe; for he was ashamed when he thought of her love for him, and howthat he had clean forgotten her till he was close to Goldburg again.

  But when morning was come Ralph spake to Redhead and asked him how heshould do to wage men for the homeward journey on thence; and Redheadsaid: "I have already seen the Clerk of the Porte, and he will be herein an hour with the license for thee to wage men to go with thee toCheaping Knowe. As for me, I must needs go see the King, and give hima letter sealed by my lord's hand; and when I come back from him, Iwill go round to the alehouses which be haunted of the men-at-arms tosee after strong carles for thine avail. But to the King hast thou noneed to go, save he send for thee, whereas thou art not come hither tochaffer, and he needeth not men of war."

  Ralph stared at him and said: "The King, sayst thou? is there no Queenof Goldburg?" Said Redhead: "There is the King's wedded wife, but herthey call not Queen, but Lady." "But the Queen that was," said Ralph,"where is she then?" "Yea truly," said Redhead, "a Queen sat alone asruler here a while ago; but whether she died, or what befell her, Iknow nothing. I had little to do with Goldburg till our lord conqueredUtterbol. Lo here the host! he may tell thee the tale thereof."

  Therewith he departed, and left Ralph with the host, whom Ralphquestioned of the story, for his heart was wrung lest such a fair womanand so friendly should have come to harm.

  So the host sat down by Ralph and said: "My master, this is a talewhich is grievous to us: for though the saints forbid I should say aword against my lord that is now, nor is there any need to, yet wedeemed us happy to be under so dear a lady and so good and fair as shewas. Well, she is gone so that we wot not whether she be living ordead. For so it is that in the early spring, somewhat more than a yearago that is, one morning when folk arose, the Queen's place was empty.Riding and running there was about and about, but none the more was shefound. Forsooth as time wore, tales were told of what wise she leftus, and why: but she was gone. Well, fair sir, many deemed thatthough her lineage was known by seeming, yet she was of the fairy, andneeded neither steed nor chariot to go where she would. But her womenand those that knew her best, deemed that whatso she were, she hadslain herself, as they thought, for some unhappiness of love. Forindeed she had long gone about sad and distraught, though she neitherwept, nor would say one word of her sorrow, whatsoever it might be.

  "But, fair sir, since thou art a stranger, and art presently departingfrom our city, I will tell thee a thing. To wit; one month or so aftershe had vanished away, I held talk with a certain old fisherman of ourwater, and he told me that on that same night of her vanishing, as hestood on the water-side handing the hawser of his barque, and the sailwas all ready to be sheeted home, there came along the shore a womangoing very swiftly, who, glancing about her, as if to see that therewas none looking on or prying, came up to him, and prayed him in asweet voice for instant passage down the water. Wrapped she was in adark cloak and a cowl over her head, but as she put forth her hand togive him gold, he saw even by the light of his lantern that it wasexceeding fair, and that great gems flashed from the finger-rings, andthat there was a great gold ring most precious on her arm.

  "He yeasaid her asking, partly because of her gold, partly (as he toldme) that he feared her, deeming her to be of the fairy. Then shestepped over his gangway of one board on to his boat, and as he heldthe lantern low down to light her, lest she should make a false stepand fall into the water, he noted (quoth he) that a golden shoe allbegemmed came out from under gown-hem and that the said hem wasbroidered thickly with pearl and jewels.

  "Small was his barque, and he alone with the woman, and there was awind in the March night, and the stream is swift betwixt the quays ofour city; so that by night and cloud they made much way down the water,and at sunrise were sailing through the great wood which lieth hence atwenty leagues seaward. So when the sun was risen she stood up in thefore part of the boat, and bade him turn the barque toward the shore,and even as the bows ran upon the sand, she leapt out and let thethicket cover her; nor have any of Goldburg seen her since, or theQueen. But for my part I deem the woman to have been none other thanthe Queen. Seest thou then! she is gone: but the King Rainald hercousin reigns in her stead, a wise man, and a mighty, and no tyrant orskinner of the people."

  Ralph heard and pondered, and was exceeding sorry, and more had he beenbut for the joyousness which came of the Water of the Well. Howbeit hemight not amend it: for even were he to seek for the Queen and findher, it might well be worse than letting it be. For he knew (when hethought of her) that she loved him, and how would it be if she mightnot outwear her love, or endure the days of Goldburg, and he far away?This he said to himself, which he might not have said to any other soul.