Christopher yea-said this, and therewithal was come Joanna leadingGoldilind duly arrayed (yet still in her green gown, for she would noneother), fresh, blushing, and all lovely; and David and Christopherdid obeisance before her as to a great lady; but she hailed them asbrothers, merrily and kindly, and bade them kiss her; and they kissedher cheek, but shyly, and especially David.
Thereafter they broke their fast under the oak trees, and spent a merryhour, and then departed, the two women riding the horses, the othersafoot; so came they to the house of Littledale, some while beforesunset, and were merry and glad there. Young they were, troubles werebehind them, and many a joy before them.
CHAPTER XXIV. THEY TAKE COUNSEL AT LITTLEDALE.
Ten days they abode in the house of Littledale in all good cheer, andJoanna led Goldilind here and there about the woods, and made much ofher, so that the heart within her was full of joy, for the freedomof the wild-woods and all the life thereof was well-nigh new to her;whereas on the day of her flight from Greenharbour, and on two othersuch times, deadly fear, as is aforesaid, was mingled with her joyance,and would have drowned it utterly, but for the wilfulness which hardenedher heart against the punishment to come. But now she was indeed free,and it seemed to her, as to Christopher when he was but new healed ofhis hurt, as if all this bright beauty of tree and flower, and beast andbird, was but made for her alone, and she wondered that her fellow couldbe so calm and sedate amidst of all this pleasure. And now, forsooth,was her queenhood forgotten, and better and better to her seemedChristopher's valiant love; and the meeting in the hall of the eventidewas so sweet to her, that she might do little but stand trembling whilesChristopher came up to her, and Joanna's trim feet were speeding herover the floor to meet her man, that she might be a sharer in his deedsof the day.
Many tales withal Joanna told the Queen of the deeds of her husband andhis kindred, and of the freeing of her and the other three from theircaptivity at Wailing Knowe, and of the evil days they wore there beforethe coming of their lads, which must have been worser by far, thoughtGoldilind, than the days of Greenharbour; so with all these tales, andthe happy days in the house of the wild-woods, Goldilind now began todeem of this new life as if there had been none other fated for her,so much a part was she now become of the days of those woodmen andwolf-heads.
But when the last of those ten days was wearing to an end and those fivewere sitting happy in the hall (albeit David sat somewhat pensive, nowstaring at Goldilind's beauty, now rising from his seat to pace thefloor restlessly), Gilbert spake and said: "Brethren, and thou, QueenGoldilind, it may be that the time is drawing near for other deedsthan letting fly a few shafts at the dun deer, and eating our meat, andsinging old songs as we lie at our ladies' feet; for though we be atpeace here in the wild-wood, forgetting all things save those that areworthy to be remembered, yet in the cities and the courts of kings guileis not forgotten, and pride is alive, and tyranny, and the sword iswhetted for innocent lives, and the feud is eked by the destruction ofthose who be sackless of its upheaving. Wherefore it behoveth to defendus by the ready hand and the bold heart and the wise head. So, I say,let us loiter here no longer, but go our ways to-morrow to the Tofts,and take the rede of our elders. How say ye, brethren?"
Quoth Christopher: "Time was, brother, when what thou sayest would havebeen as a riddle to me, and I would have said: Here are we merry, thoughwe be few; and if ye lack more company, let me ride to the Tofts andcome back with a half score of lads and lasses, and thus let us eke ourmirth; and maybe they will tell us whitherward to ride. But now there isa change, since I have gained a gift over-great for me, and I know thatthey shall be some of the great ones who would be eager to take it fromme; and who knows what guile may be about the weaving even now, as onthe day when thou first sawest this hall, beloved."
Goldilind spake and sighed withal: "Whither my lord will lead me,thither will I go; but here is it fair and sweet and peaceful; neitherdo I look for it that men will come hither to seek the Queen ofMeadham."
David said: "Bethink thee, though, my Lady, that he who wedded thee tothe woodman may yet rue, and come hither to undo his deed, by slayingthe said woodman, and showing the Queen unto the folk."
Goldilind turned pale; but Joanna spake: "Nay, brother David, whywilt thou prick her heart with this fear? For my part, I think that,chance-hap apart, we might dwell here for years in all safety, andhappily enough, maybe. Yet also I say that we of the Tofts may well beeager to show this jewel to our kindred, and especially to our fatherand mother of the Tofts; so to-morrow we will set about the business ofcarrying her thither, will she, nill she." And therewith she threw herarms about Goldilind, and clipped her and kissed her; and Goldilindreddened for pleasure and for joy that she was so sore prized by themall.
CHAPTER XXV. NOW THEY ALL COME TO THE TOFTS.
Next morning, while the day was yet young, they rode together, all ofthem, the nighest way to the Tofts, for they knew the wood right well.Again they slept one night under the bare heavens, and, rising betimeson the morrow, came out under the Tofts some four hours after high noon,on as fair and calm a day of early summer as ever was seen.
They rode up straight to the door of the great hall, and found but fewfolk about, and those mostly women and children; Jack was ridden abroad,they said, but they looked to see him back to supper, him and his sons,for he was no great way gone.
Meantime, when they got off their horses, the women and childrenthronged round about them; and the children especially aboutChristopher, whom they loved much. The maidens, also, would not havehim pass into the hall unkissed, though presently, after their faces hadfelt his lips, they fell a-staring and wondering at Goldilind, and whenChristopher took her by the hand and gave her welcome to the Houseof the Tofts, and they saw that she was his, they grew to be somewhatafraid, or it might be shy, both of her and of him.
Anyhow, folk came up to them in the hall, and made much of them, andtook them unto chambers and washed their feet, and crowned them withflowers, and brought them into the hall again, and up on to the dais,and gave them to eat and drink. Thither came to them also the LadyMargaret, Jack's wedded wife, and made them the most cheer that shemight; and unto her did Christopher tell his story as unto his verymother; and what there was in the house, both of carle and of quean,gathered round about to hearken, and Christopher nothing loth. AndGoldilind's heart warmed toward that folk, and in sooth they were agoodly people to look on, and frank and happy, and of good will, andcould well of courtesy, though it were not of the courts.
Wore the bright day, and it drew toward sunset, and now the carles camestraight into the hall by twos and threes, till there were a many withinits walls. But to each one of these knots as they entered, someone,carle or quean, spake a word or two, and straightway the new-comers wentup to the dais and greeted Christopher pleasantly, and made obeisance toGoldilind.
At last was the hall, so quiet erst, grown busy as a beehive, and amidstthe throng thereof came in the serving-folk, women and men, and set theendlong boards up (for the high-table was a standing one of oak, rightthick and strong); and then they fell to bringing in the service, allbut what the fire was dealing with in the kitchen. And whiles this wasa-doing, the sun was sinking fast, and it was dusk in the hall by thenit was done, though without the sky was fair and golden, and about theedges of the thicket were the nightingales singing loud and sweet, butwithin was the turmoil of many voices, whereof few heeded if their wordswere loud or soft.
Amidst all this, from close to the hall, rang out the sound of manyhorns winding a woodland tune. None was afeard or astonied, becauseall knew it for the horns of Jack of the Tofts; but they stilled theirchattering talk somewhat, and abided his coming; and even therewith camethe sound of many feet and the clash of weapons, and men poured in, andthere was the gleam of steel, as folk fell back to the right and left,and gave room to the new-comers. Then a loud, clear, and cheery voicecried out from amidst of them: "Light in the hall, men and maids!Candles, candles! Let see who is her
e before us!"
Straightway then was there running hither and thither and light sprangup over all the hall, and there could folk see Jack of the Tofts, anda score and a half of his best, every man of them armed with shield andhelm and byrny, with green coats over their armour, and wreaths of youngoak about their basnets; there they stood amidst of the hall, and everyman with his naked sword in his fist. Jack stood before his folk clad inlike wise with them, save that his head was bare but for an oak wreath.Men looked on a while and said nought, while Jack looked proudly andkeenly over the hall, and at last his eye caught Christopher's, but hemade the youngling no semblance of greeting. Christopher's heart fell,and he misdoubted if something were not wrong; but he spake softly toone who stood by him, and said: "Is aught amiss, Will Ashcroft? this isnot the wont here."
Said the other: "Not in thy time; but for the last seven days it hathbeen the wont, and then off weapons and to supper peaceably."
CHAPTER XXVI. OF THE KING OF OAKENREALM.
Even therewith, and while the last word had but come to Christopher'sears, rang out the voice of Jack of the Tofts again, louder and clearerthan before: and he said: "Men in this hall, I bear you tidings! TheKing of Oakenrealm is amongst us to-night."
Then, forsooth, was the noise and the turmoil, and cries and shouts andclatter, and fists raised in air and weapons caught down from the wall,and the glitter of spear-points and gleam of fallow blades. For the nameof Rolf, King of Oakenrealm, was to those woodmen as the name of theGreat Devil of Hell, so much was he their unfriend and their dastard.But Jack raised up his hand, and cried: "Silence ye! Blow up, horns, TheHunt's Up!"
Blared out the horns then, strong and fierce, under the hall-roof, andwhen they were done, there was more silence in the hall than in thesummer night without; only the voice of the swords could not be utterlystill, but yet tinkled and rang as hard came against hard here and therein the hush.
Again spake Jack: "Let no man speak! Let no man move from his place! ISEE THE KING! Ye shall see him!"
Therewith he strode up the hall and on to the dais, and came up towhere stood Christopher holding Goldilind's hand, and she all paleand trembling; but Jack took him by the shoulder, and turned him abouttoward a seat which stood before the board, so that all men in the hallcould see it; then he set him down in it, and took his sword from hisgirdle, and knelt down before the young man, and took his right hand,and said in a loud voice: "I, Jack of the Tofts, a free man and asackless, wrongfully beguilted, am the man of King Christopher ofOakenrealm, to live and die for him as need may be. Lo, Lord, myfather's blade! Wilt thou be good to me and gird me therewith, as thyfather girt him?"
Now when Christopher heard him, at first he deemed that all thiswas some sport or play done for his pastime and the pleasure of thehall-folk in all kindness and honour. But when he looked in the eyes ofhim, and saw him fierce and eager and true, he knew well it was no jest;and as the shouts of men went up from the hall and beat against theroof, himseemed that he remembered, as in a dream, folk talking a-nighhim when he was too little to understand, of a king and his son, anda mighty man turned thief and betrayer. Then his brow cleared, and hiseyes shone bright, and he leaned forward to Jack and girt him with thesword, and kissed his mouth, and said: "Thou art indeed my man and mythane and my earl, and I gird thee with thy sword as my father girdedthy father."
Then stood up Jack o' the Tofts and said: "Men in this hall, happy isthe hour, and happy are ye! This man is the King of Oakenrealm, and heyonder is but a thief of kings, a dastard!"
And again great was the shouting, for carle and quean, young and old,they loved Christopher well: and Jack of the Tofts was not only theirwar-duke and alderman, but their wise man also, and none had any thoughtof gainsaying him. But he spake again and said: "Is there here any oldman, or not so old, who hath of past days seen our King that was, KingChristopher to wit, who fell in battle on our behalf? If so there be,let him come up hither."
Then arose a greybeard from a bench nigh the high-table, and came up onto the dais; a very tall man had he been, but was now somewhat bowed byage. He now knelt before Christopher, and took his hand, and said: "I,William of Whittenham, a free man, a knight, sackless of the guilt whichis laid on me, would be thy man, O my lord King, to serve thee in allwise; if so be that I may live to strike one stroke for my master's son,whom now I see, the very living image of the King whom I served in myyouth."
Then Christopher bent down to him and kissed him, and said: "Thou artindeed my man and my thane & my baron; and who knows but that thou maysthave many a stroke to strike for me in the days that are nigh at hand."
And again the people shouted: and then there came another and another,and ten more squires and knights and men of estate, who were now indeedwoodmen and wolf-heads, but who, the worst of them, were sackless ofaught save slaying an unfriend, or a friend's unfriend, in fair fight;and all these kneeled before him, and put their hands in his, and gavethemselves unto him.
When this was done, there came thrusting through the throng of the halla tall woman, old, yet comely as for her age; she went right up on tothe dais, and came to where sat Christopher, and without more adocast her arms about him and kissed him, and then she held him by theshoulders and cried out: "O, have I found thee at last, my loveling,and my dear, and my nurse-chick? and thou grown so lovely and yet so bigthat I may never more hold thee aloft in mine arms, as once I was wont;though high enough belike thou shalt be lifted; and I say praise be toGod and to his Hallows that thou art grown so beauteous and mighty aman!"
Therewith she turned about toward the hall-throng and said: "Thou, dukeof these woodmen, and all ye in this hall, I have been brought hitherby one of you; and though I have well-nigh died of joy because of thesuddenness of this meeting, yet I thank him therefor. For who isthis goodly and gracious young man save the King's son of Oakenrealm,Christopher that was; and that to my certain knowledge; for he is myfosterling and my milk-child, and I took him from the hands of themidwife in the High House of Oakenham a twenty-one years ago; and theytook him from Oakenham, and me with him to the house of Lord Richard theLean, at Longholms, and there we dwelt; but in a little while they tookhim away from Longholms to I wot not whither, but would not suffer meto go along with him, and ever sithence have I been wandering about andhoping to see this lovely child again, and now I see him, what he is,and again I thank God and Allhallows therefor."
Once more then was there stir and glad tumult in the hall. But Goldilindstood wondering, and fear entered into her soul; for she saw before hera time of turmoil and unpeace, and there seemed too much between her andthe sweetness of her love. Withal it must be said, that for as littleas she knew of courts and war-hosts, she yet seemed to see lands withoutthat hall, and hosts marching, and mighty walls glittering with spears,and the banners of a great King displayed; and Jack of the Tofts and hischampions and good fellows seemed but a frail defence against all that,when once the hidden should be shown, and the scantiness of the woodlandshould cry on the abundance of the kingdom to bow down.
Now she came round the board and stood beside Christopher, and he turnedto her, and stood up and took her hand, in such wise that she felt thecaress of it; and joy filled her soul, as if she had been alone with himin the wild-wood.
But he spake and said: "All ye my friends: I see and wot well that yewould have me sit in my father's seat and be the King of Oakenrealm,and that ye will give me help and furtherance therein to the utmost; norwill I cast back the gift upon you; and I will say this, that when I amKing indeed, it is my meaning and my will now, that then I shall beno less one of you good fellows and kind friends than ye have known mehitherto; and even so I deem that ye think of me. But, good friends, itis not to be hidden that the road ye would have me wend with you is liketo be rough; and it may well be that we shall not come to be kings orkings' friends but men hunted, and often, maybe, men taken and slain.Therefore, till one thing or the other come, the kingship, or thetaking, I will try to be no less joyous than now I am, and so mes
eemethshall ye; and if ye be of this mind, then shall the coming days be noworse than the days which have been; and God wot they have been happyenough. Now again, ye see this most fair lady, whose hand I hold; sheis my beloved and my wife; and therewithal she is the true Queen ofMeadham, and a traitor sits in her place even as a traitor sits in mine.But I must tell you that when she took me for her beloved, she knew not,nor did I, that I was a King's son, but she took me as a woodman andan outcast, and as a wood-man and outcast I wooed her, trusting in themight that was in my body, and the love that was in my heart; and nowbefore all you, my friends, I thank her and worship her that my body andmy love was enough for her; as, God wot, the kingship of the whole earthshould not be overmuch for her, if it lay open to her to take. But,sweet friends, here am I talking of myself as a King wedded unto aQueen, whereas meseemeth the chiefest gift our twin kingship hathbrought you to-night is the gift of two most mighty unfriends for you;to wit, her foeman and mine. See ye to it, then, if the wild-wood yonderis not a meeter dwelling for us than this your goodly hall; and fear notto put us to the door as a pair of make-bates and a peril to this goodlycompany. Lo you, the sky without has not yet lost all memory of the sun,and in a little while it will be yellowing again to the dawn. Noughtevil shall be the wild-wood for our summer dwelling; and what! ere thewinter come, we may have won us another house where erst my fathersfeasted. And thereto, my friends, do I bid you all."