King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 1

  CHAP. IX.

  On the same new year's day on which the outlawed knight was captured,Marsk Stig's youngest daughter slumbered, evidently disturbed byagitating dreams, in the tower called the Maiden's Tower, inVordingborg castle, while her sister rose ready dressed from theprie-dieu, and listened with folded hands to the sound of mattins fromthe chapel of the castle. A faint ray of daylight fell on them throughthe tower window. "Help! help!" shrieked Ulrica, starting up; "sleepestthou, Margaretha? Oh, it was fearful! Yet it was, after all, but afoolish dream."

  "What ails thee, dear sister?" asked the placid Margaretha, taking hersister lovingly by the hand; "thou must surely have dreamt again ofthat unhappy knight, Kagge?"

  "Thou mightest be rather more courteous, sister. So _very_ unhappy hecannot be, when _I_ am dreaming of him. Did I but know he was safe!"

  "Pray to the Lord and our Lady that his grim image may be effaced fromthy soul!" continued Margaretha; "he can never come to a good end. Allthe greatness and splendour he hath promised thee are but empty castlesin the air, with nought of truth in them."

  "Truth here, and truth there, sister! What you call our castles in theair are nevertheless far better than this much too real prison; and howcan'st thou call Sir Kagge grim? I think his bold, wolf-like eye-browsare perfectly lovely. Alas! sweet sister! I dreamed he was in distressand in peril of his life. He stood in chains before me, and bade meentreat the king for his life."

  "He is assuredly thy bad angel, Ulrica!" answered Margaretha; "it ishis fault that we are now here. Would thou hadst never believed hisflatteries and false tongue, he loves no one in the world savehimself."

  "How can'st thou say so, sister? Did'st thou not hear thyself howsolemnly he swore to free us, or lose his life?"

  "But when it was time to keep his word, like a true and manly knight,his own pitiful revenge and his own life were dearer to him than ourpeace and freedom," answered Margaretha. "He, in truth, sharpened thearrow our faithful squire shot from the bow, but ere it flew from thestring he took himself off, and abandoned us to our fate."

  "But he followed us, though, at peril of his life, close to the castlegate, and had not the Drost been dearer to thee than both I and thyselfwe should not now have been here."

  "If our freedom could only be gained by treachery and assassination, itwere better we stayed here captive all our life-time," answeredMargaretha. "Had the noble Drost Aage been as much our enemy as heshowed himself to be our friend--I would not even then have left him inthat condition to bleed to death, without help and care. I would ratherremain in prison until my dying day than flee with a cowardly assassin,and be suspected by the noble Drost of having had the least part or lotin such crime."

  "Thou art really much too conscientious, sister Margaretha! Incomparison with me, thou art half an angel, it is true; but confess tome now, it was surely not _purely_ for the Lord's sake you stayed andbehaved so generously to the Drost. He is a very handsome young knight,although he cannot be compared to Sir Kagge, and I have seen plainlyenough how tenderly and lovingly your eyes meet each time you bind uphis wounds--thou art really making him greatly beholden to thee."

  "Be not malicious, dear Ulrica," answered Margaretha, blushing crimson;"what harm is there in my tending him with unfeigned good will?"

  "Tend him with as much good will as thou likest; I never said there wasany harm in that--call him every instant the noble and the pious, justas if he were the only good knight in Christendom! but at any rate give_me_ leave to defend Sir Kagge, and feel anxious for him when he perilshis life for my sake! It was indeed not _quite_ according to rule thathe left us when we were captured! I shall scold him finely for thatwhen we meet; but what was he to do against so many? If he escaped, hecould still hope to free us as long as he himself was at liberty. As tohis attacking the Drost in the dark gateway, without sounding a trumpetbefore him, it perhaps did not look altogether chivalrous; butstratagem against superior force is always lawful in war, and it wasafter all a bold and desperate enterprise, which may even yet cost himhis life, although it did nought either for or against us--ah! did Ibut know he was safe, I would gladly be patient, and put up with thiscaptivity some time longer.--When the king gets to know what I now knowhe will have to ask pardon, and treat me like a princess."

  "Poor Ulrica! what sayest thou?" exclaimed her sister in dismay, andturning pale; "what madman can have put into your head----"

  "That was the secret, then, thou wouldst never out with, my pioussister!" interrupted Ulrica, with a joyous smile. "I had determined toconceal my discovery until I could show thee what use it was of; butnow I will show thee that Kagge is much more true and devoted to methan thou art. While thou thoughtest only of the wounded Drost, myoutlawed knight hath enabled me to guess who I am, and hath sent me abillet of more importance than all the Drosts in the world.--This Runicscrap should burst before us the doors of every prison in Denmark." Sosaying, she produced with a triumphant air, a small and curiouslycarved wooden tablet, upon which was depicted a royal coat of arms withthree crowned leopards, and with Ulrica's name below, in Runiccharacters, by the side of Princess Merete's, King Eric Ericson's, andJunker Christopher's. "Seest thou," said she, drawing up her headproudly, "the three crowned leopards stand in the king's great seal? Asyet I have only half made out the connection. But at any rate I havegathered thus much from all the puzzling hints they have given me:--Theking's father must have been secretly wedded to a noble lady of MarskStig's kindred. It must no doubt have been a hazardous affair,since he had another for his queen; but, nevertheless, lam hisdaughter, just the same, and therefore Princess Merete's and the king'shalf sister--though no one must know it.--My poor mother hath no doubtsuffered great wrong, and thus come by her death; but that thy fatherand his kinsmen have amply revenged. Me they brought up in the Marsk'shouse, and therefore I must now share the persecutions that have comeupon thy whole race."

  "Alas! believe not one word of that confused and wretched story, dearUlrica!" exclaimed Margaretha, bursting into tears; "burn thoseunfortunate lines, and believe me thou art in truth my sister, and allthat talk of a higher birth can but bring thee shame and degradation."

  "That thou would'st scarcely say had'st thou seen thine own name by theside of kings and princes," answered Ulrica, with a proud toss of thehead, while she gazed with sparkling eyes on the wooden tablet; "andlook," she continued, fuming it over, "here stand the Norwegian DukeHaco's lion shield, and pedigree; it reaches in a direct line up to thegreat Harold Harfager; and seest thou there stands my true knightKagge's name in a side branch like mine--he traces his descent alsofrom kings and princes; and rememberest thou not what old Mother Elseforetold me at Hald? I was to become a great princess one day, shesaid, and get a handsome and rich bridegroom of princely birth."

  "Alas, dearest sister!" exclaimed Margaretha, sorrowfully, "thychildish vanity makes thy soul the sport of dishonourable andtraitorous braggarts--the domestic miseries which brought misfortuneupon the country as well as on our renowned race could be representedto thee by none but an evil spirit as a source of honour and goodfortune. The blood of slaves, not the blood of princes, runs in thatman's veins who could picture _that_ to thee as an honour which wouldmake thee to die of grief and shame, did'st thou believe it to be true,and knewest how to prize the birth which is in truth high andhonourable.

  "'Tis pity thou art not a priest, sister!" said Ulrica, with a toss ofthe head; "if the story of my high birth were only an idle andunfounded report, it could hardly have had such important consequenceshere in the country; thou must thyself have thought it true, since thounever would'st confide it to me; but I have long had an inkling of it.Old Mother Else dared not come quite out with it; but this you must atany rate allow,--all who have known us and our family have ever bowedmuch lower to me than to thee, although thou wert the eldest; and Ihave seen folk point oft to me, when I was gaily clad, and heard themwhisper, 'Look, there goes the little princess; look, her pretty eyestwinkle just like King
Glipping's.'"[16]

  "Poor, poor sister!" exclaimed Margaretha, folding her, weeping, in herarms; "and could'st thou endure to hear such hateful words? Were theyable to flatter thy vain and childish heart by a glittering title whichconcealed the bitterest hate and scorn? Poor Ulrica! thy greatestmisfortune, after all, is thy soul's blindness--it makes thee even vainand proud of what should be thy grief and shame. Alas! didst thoutremble with me at that tale as at a voice from the bottomless pit Iperhaps should know how to comfort and counsel thee; then would I weepwith thee, and pray our blessed Lady to give thee the hope she gave me,when at times all the horrors I saw and heard in my childhood seemedlike a frightful dream, and it was as though an angel whispered to mysoul that the whole was error and illusion.--Ah, mother! mother! howshall I perform that I promised thee, and bring this erring child safeto thine arms?"

  "Now thou art growing tiresome again, Margaretha, with all thy love,and thy piety, and thy conscience," interrupted Ulrica, pettishly,"_Your_ mother was only my foster mother; that I can well understand.Who _my_ real mother was thou mightest easily tell, if there was anyreal sisterly love in thee; but thou art not my sister after all. Iwould thou wert in a nunnery! there thou mightest mourn over me, andpray for me as much as it pleased thee, without plaguing me with it;yet, no! for then I must part from thee, and that I could not bear,"she added, affectionately. "I am still a worldling, dear goodMargaretha!" continued Ulrica, with child-like simplicity. "I have toldyou so a hundred times. All the misfortunes that happened in ourchildhood, or before I was born, I have neither seen nor shared in;how, then, canst thou require I should grieve over them? And what goodwould it do were I now to sit down with thee to mourn and weep? Whatour parents and their kindred have suffered or done amiss our blessedLady must pray our Lord to make amends for, and forgive them; but thatI have just as little to do with as thou. I thank my Lord and Maker,and our blessed Lady, that I have come into this fair world, and that Iam not ashamed of my birth, even though I am but half a princess. Thesorrow and degradation thou would'st have me despair over I care not tomeddle with; either it is altogether idle talk, and then there isnought to mourn for; or it is true, and I must be satisfied with it asmy destiny; and then I should still be a kind of princess; and whatshame can it be to me that I should be called what I am, and that aknight of royal descent woos me, and would bring me to the station andhonour which are mine by right?"

  "Alas! for thy honour and thy wooer, poor sister!" answered Margaretha,"there is not a true word in Sir Kagge; all know he is come of higherbirth than he deserves, and it was not till he was outlawed and fled toNorway that he thought of disowning his own kindred, and tracing hispedigree in a disgraceful manner to the royal house of Norway. Suchdishonourable fiction would show thee his character, if thou didst notshare his perverted hankerings after the greatness which confers nothonour."

  During this conversation Ulrica had arrayed herself in her richestattire, and it had become quite light. "Now look at me!" she said,contemplating herself in the polished shield on the wall. "Need Ireally be so terribly ashamed of my own existence, or wish I had neverbeen born? That indeed would be shameful and ungodly. To speakhonestly, Margaretha, should I doubt all that Sir Kagge hath told me ofmy descent and of my beauty, I ought to doubt my own eyes also, andevery mirror I looked into would be just as false a flatterer andtraitor as thou deemest him to be."

  "Truly the mirror _is_ a false flatterer," answered Margaretha; "itshows us but the fair outside and the smooth skin, but hides theskeleton and the image of death within us. The more pleasure we take inthe mimic image it displays to us in our vanity, the more the eyes areblinded and the soul corrupted. Hadst thou heard the exaggeratedcompliments Sir Kagge paid _me_ ere he saw thee quite grown up, andfound thou hadst a more attentive ear for his fair speeches and boldplans concerning our forfeited goods and rights, he would scarcely havebeen less the object of thy laughter and ridicule than that foolish SirPalle."

  "Ah, how terribly unreasonable thou art, thou dear pious Margaretha!"interrupted Ulrica; "that fat stupid Sir Palle was made to be alaughing stock. I know well enough Kagge was once a little in love withthee, but I can readily forgive him, since he hath got over it sowell.--Thou wert too in some sort my sister, and at the time I wasalmost a child.--Thou wouldst doubtless have had him sigh himself todeath over thy coldness, but that was too much to ask of a handsomeyoung knight. Should he then be deemed a faithless and inconstant loverbecause he was mistaken in us sisters, ere he could know our hearts andhis own? How could he help that thou wert so cold and indifferent, andso insufferably pious? And was it then so unpardonable a sin that atlast he found out that I was quite as fair--or perhaps rather more so?"

  "Dear deluded child!" sighed Margaretha, patting her sister's cheek,while she parted the fair curled locks from her brow, "must thou everseek to trace every sentiment thou wouldst rightly understand to a vainand empty source? Kagge was a loyal and devoted squire to our father,it is true; he was a zealous sharer in that fearful deed of vengeance,the grounds of which thou now thinkest thou hast discovered; but werethose grounds not false, and wert thou in truth that thou thinkestthyself to be, how canst thou give thy hand without shuddering to a manwho was with the band in Finnerup-barn?" She paused, and folded herhands as if in silent prayer, as she knelt down on the prie-dieu, andrented her lovely head on the breviary.

  "Margaretha! dearest Margaretha! thou hast terrified me," exclaimedUlrica, who had turned quite pale. "A horrible and ghastly form risesbefore me. Ah! thou art right; I never thought of that. If the story ofmy birth be true I ought never to hold Sir Kagge dear, and yet I neversaw the noble ill-fated prince who fell in Finnerup-barn. Should I hateall those who willed his death, I must also hate my mother, and thymother, and father Stig. Alas, Margaretha! we must never think on ourlot in this world, if we would be gay and happy among other humanbeings; we must either forget all that hath chanced to us, or go into anunnery, and bid the beautiful joyous world good night; but that Icannot do. Dear sister! pray for me. I will forget what it is not goodto think upon, but I cannot hate any living soul; and he who loves mewith truth and fervour I _must_ love again, whoever he may be, and forwhat cause soever he may be outlawed and persecuted." She burst into aflood of tears, and held up her long golden tresses before her eyes.

  "Dearest Ulrica! weep not. I will pray for thee as long as I live,"said Margaretha. She rose hastily from the prie-dieu, and folded hersister tenderly in her arms. "We have not as yet wished each other ahappy new year. The Lord and our blessed Lady make thee pious andpatient, and blessed, and grant us both that which is most profitablefor soul and salvation. Weep not, dearest Ulrica! If I have spokenharshly to thee, and grieved thee, forgive me, for our mother's sake!She bade me admonish thee, and guard thy soul from thoughts of vanity.But I see it is so, thou _art_ good and pious and blessed; only weepnot!"

  "Yes, if thou wilt never more speak evil of Sir Kagge, or require Ishould forget him, and leave off dreaming of him, for that I cannot;that I _will not_ do." So saying, Ulrica dried her eyes with her longhair, and peeped archly at her sister through her fingers.

  "In the Lord's name, love every living soul in which there is a sparkof God's grace," answered Margaretha, "only be not sorrowful."

  "Well, I can understand you now," said Ulrica, taking her hand from hereyes. She laughed, and heartily kissed her sister. "A happy new year,sister Margaretha! Would thou might'st wed the handsome Drost ere theyear is out, and would we might get out of this cage ere the woods aregreen and the birds sing." She then began to dance with her staidsister round the prison chamber, singing,

  "I know where stands a castle fair, All dazzling to the sight; Its walls are decked with carvings rare, With gold and silver bright."[17]

  "Hush! hush! dear sister! some one is coming," said Margaretha,entreatingly. Ulrica listened, and on hearing the bolt withdrawn fromthe prison door she hastily arranged her hair in the polished shield,and suddenly assumed
a stiff and consequential deportment. The dooropened, and a sprightly little maiden entered to attend on them, and tobring the usual morning repast. "A happy new year, with the blessing ofour Lady and St. Joseph, noble ladies!" said the maiden, curtseying, asshe placed the cup of warm ale on the table. "Master asks whether youwill drive afterwards to high mass with his dame. There came strangersin the night," she added, anxious to impart the news. "They slept upabove in the knights' story. There are to be fine doings because ofthem; they are to breakfast in the ladies' apartment, and there is afire on the hearth in the great hall.--The strangers are come fromcourt; they say the Drost will depart----"

  "Depart!" repeated Margaretha, blushing deeply. "Ah, yes," she added,calmly, "it is possible, indeed, if it be necessary. Yet if they couldallow a few days more it would be better for him. Follow me to theladies' apartment, little Karen! Perhaps he wants his wounds bound upin haste."

  "No, stay, and see first if my hair is properly dressed!" said Ulrica."Happy new year, little Karen! and a lover ere this day twelvemonth."

  "A bridegroom you surely mean, lady! for lovers one may have in plentyevery year," answered the maiden, simpering.

  "Your hair is finely dressed. Lady Ulrica! Had _I_ such beautifulsilken hair, and head-gear of gold and pearl to boot, as you have, bymy troth I should never wish to put on a matron's cap while I lived;but _my_ hair I wish to hide; the sooner the better. Whenever mysweetheart hath had a scold from master, I am ever forced to hear it isrough and short. You are as small as a reed. Lady Ulrica!" shecontinued, looking at her slender form and gay attire; "one may easilysee you are a dainty highborn knight's daughter, and no serving maid orkitchen drudge--if _I_ could appear in such fashion to my sweetheart,how he would stare! But I saw at once you were born to trail in silkand scarlet.--There hides something else under those wadmal cloaks thanmaidens of our condition, said I to Maren, the porter's wife, as soonas we set eyes on you; and when master grew afterwards so civil to you,and his wife sent you all those fine clothes and adornments onChristmas eve--we saw well enough how it was, that we had rare birds inthe cage; perhaps even a princess, as some will have it.--That lightgreen laced boddice becomes you marvellously. Lady Ulrica; butwere I in Lady Margaretha's place I would not wear white attire onnew-year's-day; it hath such a sad appearance, and it is no good omenfor the good luck and happiness of the new year----"

  "My colour hath been the shroud's since my father and mother died,"said Margaretha, with a deep sigh; "but come now, little Karen! whileyou pass judgment on garments and finery many a mass may be sung to anend."

  "Mattins are over, and there is time enough ere high mass," said themaiden; "but take some refreshment. It is not good to drive to churchor bind the Drost's neck on a fasting stomach."

  "I say so too, little Karen!" said Ulrica, with an arch smile, as shepartook heartily of the morning draught. "So the Drost is well again,and going to depart," she continued; "truly it must be hard for sobrave a knight to live so long under maiden's care, especially withthat frightful scar on his neck."

  "The shame is not his, but the coward's who dared not facehim,"--answered the maiden; "is it not so, Lady Margaretha?"

  "That is my sister's opinion also," sighed Margaretha; "but come! Ithink I hear a ringing."

  "Not yet awhile; truly thou art much too devout, sister!" said Ulrica,with an arch look. "You forget your repast every morning for mass, andmattins often ring in your ears much before the hour. But it is truethe Drost's neck should be looked at ere mass, and that is ever a workof time.--Now I am coming; take me with you. I am coming instantly. Iwill not again be shut up here alone--ah yes, sister! had I not thee byme I should be an ungodly being, and sleep over mass time everymorning.--Thou mayst thank the Drost's neck that thou dost neveroversleep thyself--stay a moment; I am coming."--She drained the pewtercup, and hastened out of the door with her sister and their attendant.