King Eric and the Outlaws, Vol. 3

  CHAP. XIII.

  It was a beautiful, calm summer evening. The dance and the mask wereconfined to the antechamber and the knights' hall. The nationalfestival was celebrated with bonfires and torch-lights, with music andfeasting, in the court-yard of the castle and the orchard, in the chaseand on the tournament ground. The king showed himself wherever therewas a joyous group assembled, most frequently conducting his lovelybride by the hand, and accompanied by his princely guests and severalcourtiers. They were everywhere welcomed with festive songs andacclamations. In the castle garden they were greeted by Master Rumelantand Master Poppe the strong, who, with solemn pathos, recited anelaborate and carefully-composed poem, in which they praised by turnsthe royal bridegroom and his bride, with the royal relatives of both,and all the nobles there present. The king thanked them with kindnessfor this well-meant homage, although the exaggerated praise and tritecompliments did not suit his taste. But they were now surprised by anew and splendid spectacle--the bridal pair, and a number of childrenwith wings fastened to their shoulders, who were to represent genii orangels, were led through the illuminated avenues to a remote part ofthe garden, from whence there was the most beautiful prospect over theSound; here many hundred vessels burst on the sight, hung with lightsin the form of crowns upon the masts. All that had excited so muchastonishment at Skaenor fair, and had been regarded by the people as thework of witchcraft and sorcery, was also to be seen here, but exhibitedwith far more dazzling effect. Superstitious fear was banished by thereport of the innocence of these artists, and all were prepared to viewthe spectacle as a display worthy of the festival. A number of rocketsof different and beautiful colours were let off from boats and floatingrafts; the air glittered with artificial suns, stars, and flamingwheels, which were mirrored in the calm expanse of the sea.

  It was a new and wonder-stirring sight, and afforded great delight tothe spectators. All ceremony and court etiquette were forgotten; eachone eagerly sought that place from whence he could best behold thedazzling pageant.

  Eric had retired with his bride to a shady spot in the garden, wherethe fair aerial spectacle appeared to the greatest advantage. Thenumber of guests he had to entertain, as well as the festivities, hadhad hitherto prevented him from exchanging a single word with herwithout witnesses, and it was more than a year since they had last met.He now found himself for a moment alone with her, under the mild andlovely summer sky, in which the flaming stars seemed to dance roundthem in the air, while the festive din was hushed, and nothing washeard but the deep solemn notes of the horn-players, floating over theSound from a distant hill. A torrent of thought and feeling seemedready to gush from the king's heart. "My Ingeborg! my soul's beloved!"he exclaimed, embracing her, "now hath the merciful Lord heard myinmost prayer; he hath himself united us with an inviolable sacrament;no power in heaven or earth can part us now. I am indeed the happiestof human beings; were I omnipotent I would this hour make every soularound me happy."

  "Eric! my beloved Eric!" answered Ingeborg, throwing her arms aroundhis neck, "I have this day seen with thee into the Lord's clear heaven;the troth I plighted thee at the altar I shall repeat in my dying hour;my angel shall wake me with it at the last day----"

  "Think not now of death," interrupted Eric, tenderly: "our life beginsbut now."

  "One moment may contain a thousand lives," she continued, with,heartfelt emotion; "even were one of yon flying stars to crush me inthine arms I still should deem myself happy; thou wouldest still bemine, although mine eyes should close upon all the glories of thisworld."

  They thus talked confidentially together, and poured out their inmostsouls to each other, undisturbed by their princely guests, whose wholeattention was turned upon the aerial spectacle. The happy bridal pairsank, with deep emotion, into each other's arms, and appeared to forgetthemselves and the whole world in a silent embrace. They were suddenlyaroused by a loud explosion and a hissing sound in the air; they raisedtheir eyes and saw with astonishment the mild beams of the star-lightdimmed by the brightness of a large ball of fire, which ascendedhissing in the air as though it would reach the heavens. It shone clearand bright above their heads; but as they were looking at it withadmiration it exploded, and dispersed into many thousand small stars,which gradually waned and disappeared.

  "Noble! beautiful!" said the king. "What cannot human wisdom and arteffect! The learned artist who hath prepared us this show is certainlyright in some things; the deep insight into human nature, which thegreat Pater Roger hath attained unto in our time, will probably inafter times actually change the aspect of the world, and all which wenow deem great and noble will perhaps seem but as dreaming and child'splay to posterity: but how mutable all things are, my Ingeborg!" headded, almost with melancholy; "even the surpassing splendour of thisevening will soon fade and vanish like yon dazzling aerial vision."

  "But what there hath been of life and truth and soul, my Eric,"answered Ingeborg, looking tenderly into his eyes; "is it not so, myheart's beloved? All which love hath brightened will surely never seembut as an idle dream. The world will surely never be so changed thatall which is sacred and divine shall fade away like an airy vision."

  "No assuredly, by all the holy men, no sound wisdom can ever lead to_that!_" said the king eagerly, and gazed awhile in thoughtful reverieon the serene and unchanging heaven. "Tell me, my beloved Ingeborg," heresumed again with tenderness, as he looked with calm delight on hislovely bride, and pressed her hand to his lips, "wilt thou not miss thymother and thy brothers sadly here?"

  "My mother and my brother Eric, most----," answered Ingeborg, with agentle sigh; "but I am still with thee and my dear faithful Inge. Mymother and brothers will often visit us, and we them--Shall we not? andthou wilt aid me and my mother in preserving love and peace between thebrothers?"

  "Truly! This I know," said the king, pressing her hand warmly; "loveand peace between brothers are precious jewels, my Ingeborg; no crownoutweighs their loss." He paused suddenly, as though he would notgrieve his bride by uttering what clouded his happiness, even in thismoment of bliss.

  "Thou wouldest this day make every one happy if thou couldst,"continued Ingeborg; "grant, then, in this fair hour, the first boon Iwould ask of thy heart!"

  "Name it, my Ingeborg, and it is granted," said the king. "Whatcouldest _thou_ ask of me which I could deny thee? What is thywish?--say on!"

  "Freedom for every sorrowing captive in thy kingdom who at this hourrepent their crime, or suffer while innocent."

  "Innocent!" repeated the king hastily; "none who are innocent suffer inchains and in prison here--that I know. What can inspire thee with suchthoughts?"

  "Guilty or guiltless!" answered Ingeborg, taking his hand. "In thesight of the All-righteous no one is wholly guiltless, and yet hepardons us all for his dear Son's sake, and for the sake of his eternalmercy. Pardon thy foes, my Eric--pardon them for the sake of God'sinfinite love! Give the unhappy captives freedom for the sake ofeternal freedom! Give peace to the outlaws for the sake of everlastingpeace in God's kingdom!"

  There was a crimson flush on the king's cheek--his eyes flashed--hisbreast heaved violently--he abruptly dropped the hand of his bride, andclenched his own, almost convulsively, against his breast. "I swore anoath, by my father's bloody head, in Viborg church," he said, in adeep, low tone, "that oath I must keep, or perish eternally; myfather's murderers I can never pardon--to none of _them_ can I grantpeace while mine eyes behold the light of day!"

  "Not even their kindred and children, who have had no share in theircrime?" asked Ingeborg, anxiously. "Be not severe! be not unmerciful!Liberate Marsk Stig's daughters from the prison at Wordingborg, for myprayers' sake!"

  "Thou hast named a name which stirs up my inmost soul, from whomsoeverI may hear it," said the king gloomily, with his eyes fixed on theground; "the offspring of that traitor are my deadly foes as he was myfather's; yet," he continued, and raised his head, "for my _own_ sake Iwill not hate and persecute any one; for thy prayer
s' sake, I can showmercy to those who do but hate and conspire against _me_; but, by allthat is holy! those who laid bloody hands on my father, yon dark St.Cecilia's night, may God forgive if it be possible--_I_ never can!"

  Ingeborg stood almost dismayed at his vehemence, and scarcely dared tolook at him.

  "Have I frighted thee, my Ingeborg!" continued Eric, with morecalmness, again taking her hand. "Forgive me! There is one chord in mysoul which sounds terrible when struck, wake it not again! Marsk Stig'sdaughters shall be liberated tomorrow, at thy entreaty; but Denmarkthey must leave.--Come, let us join the others!"

  "Thanks, thanks! Thou dear, impetuous Eric!" exclaimed Ingeborg,joyfully, once more throwing her arms tenderly and confidingly aroundhis neck; "they may then wend free out of thy kingdom? They look notfor aught beside. More no one can reasonably demand. Thou dost not onlygladden me by this on my bridal day; but a noble and faithful soulbesides, whom thou truly lovest."

  "Who?"

  "The Drost, the quiet, melancholy Aage!"

  "Did he entreat thee to ask that boon?"

  "Yes!--but he entreated me not _exactly_ to tell thee he had."

  "Hum! Aage! should he?--yet no! in love he can scarcely be--he dreamsmore of heavenly angels than earthly ones--and truly! for _that_description of angels he is too good. Come, my Ingeborg! They will havemissed us!"

  They returned to the company, who were still admiring the beautifulillumination on board the vessels, and the fireworks, which became moreand more brilliant.

  While the king and his guests repaired to the gardens of the castle,Drost Aage stood on Helsingborg quay, and beheld three large boats,filled with maskers in the most grotesque costumes, row off with allpossible speed towards a foreign ship which lay in the harbour, andwhich soon hoisted sail and disappeared in the moonlight with theadventurous wedding guests. When the Drost afterwards joined thecompany in the castle garden, he missed the king and his bride, andsearched for them in great uneasiness, in the dusky avenues. Near tothe spot where Eric stood with the princess, he saw one of the twosuspicious merman maskers lurking among the trees, with a cross-bow inhis hand. At the same moment, in which the great ball of fire hadexploded in the air, the Drost saw this mysterious personage stationhimself with his cross-bow behind a tree, and take aim. In one and thesame instant, Aage had discovered the object of the assassin's aim, andcleft his head with his sword. The dangerous bow was still drawn, whenthe miscreant fell dead on the spot without uttering a sound. Aage tookthe mask from his face, and recognised the notorious deserter--theone-eyed Johan Kyste, who was known to have assisted the archbishop inhis flight from Sjoeberg. "God mend his soul!" said Aage, turning awaywith horror from the fearful sight; and on seeing Eric still standingon the same spot in confidential converse with his bride, he discreetlywithdrew.

  When the king returned to the company, Aage also stepped forth from adark avenue. The anxiety he had undergone, and the fatal deed which hehad secretly been forced to commit in self-defence, had chased theblood from his cheeks. He now stood in the light of the fireworks paleas death, yet looking on the king with loving sympathy.

  "Aage! what ails thee? Art thou ill?" asked the king, laying his handon his shoulder.

  "I ail nothing on my sovereign's happiest day," answered Aage; "thosestrange blue lights yonder, make us all look somewhat pale."

  "If thou art well, I will encumber thee with a journey," continued theking; "thou shalt announce to Marsk Stig's daughters that they arefree."

  "My liege and sovereign!" exclaimed Aage, with heartfelt delight, andthe blood suddenly rushed back to his cheek. "Thanks! heartfelt thanksfor those words! Let me hasten even this very hour!"

  "When thou wilt," continued the king, and a stern gravity was againperceptible in his looks and deportment. "Thou wilt announce theirfreedom to them, not from me, but from my queen, though with myapprobation; but within three days they must be out of my state andkingdom. Thou may'st escort them out of the land, my Drost! I give theeleave of absence, with full salary, as long as thou wilt, yes--eventhough it should be for thy whole lifetime," he added, in a lower tone;"but by all the holy men! ere I see thee again, Marsk Stig's race mustbe beyond Denmark's boundaries."

  Aage gazed on the king with a strange expression of countenance; awhole world and a whole life seemed to pass in review before his eyes;while a desperate struggle agitated his inmost soul. "I haste, myliege!" he said, at last, as if starting from a dream. "I follow _her_.I follow the defenceless sisters out of the country," he paused again,and his voice seemed almost choked, "and--I soon return to yourservice," he added, with regained firmness. "May the Lord keep his handover you so long!"

  The king extended his hand to Aage; he pressed it with deep emotion tohis lips. "Thanks! heartfelt thanks for your clemency to theunfortunate," he whispered, with a faltering voice, and rushed away.

  "What is this?" said the king to himself, as he observed a tear on hishand; "who claims this precious gem? my Aage!---hum! poor visionary,what thought'st thou of!--yet--his choice is free, I cannot actotherwise, and you, Marsk Oluffsen!" he continued aloud, turning to hiswarrior-like Marsk, "the rebels you have lately captured and throwninto prison, Niels Brock and Johan Papae----"

  "Will you grant me a pleasure on your bridal day, my liege?"interrupted the Marsk, in his rough voice, and rubbing his large hands."Then permit me, with my own hand, to give those fellows theirquietus."

  "What! Do you rave, Marsk!" exclaimed the king, greatly incensed; "areyou my knight and Marsk, and would you turn executioner? You will leadthe captive rebels in chains out of the country, and declare themoutlawed in my name! You will not yourself appear in our sight until,by noble deed of knighthood, you have washed out the blot which youhave cast on yourself, and on our chivalry, by your blood-thirstywish."

  The Marsk was thunderstruck; he stood in the greatest astonishment,with wide oped eyes. "Now, by all the martyrs!" he muttered to himself;but he saw by the king's stern look this was no fitting time to speak:he bowed in silence, and retired.