by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER VIII.
The city of Florentia was full of eager and warlike activity. The gateswere closed; on the ramparts and bastions paced numerous sentinels; thestreets rang with the clatter of mounted Goths and armed mercenaries;for Guntharis and Arahad had thrown themselves into this fortress, and,for the present, had made it the main stronghold of the rebellionagainst Witichis.
The two brothers lived in a handsome villa which Theodoric had built onthe shores of the Arnus, in the suburb but still within the enclosureof the walls.
Duke Guntharis of Tuscany, the elder, was a far-famed warrior, and hadbeen for years the commander of the city of Florentia. Within thisdistrict lay the estates of his powerful family, cultivated bythousands of farmers and vassals; his power in this city and districtwas unlimited, and Duke Guntharis was resolved to use it to the utmost.
In full armour, his helmet upon his head, Guntharis walked impatientlyto and fro his marble-wainscoted room, while his younger brother, infestive garments and unarmed, leaned silently and thoughtfully againsta table, which was covered with letters and parchments.
"Decide; make haste, my boy!" cried Guntharis, "it is my last word.To-day thou wilt obtain the consent of the obstinate child, or I--dostthou hear?--I will go myself to fetch it. But then, woe be to her. Iknow better than thou how to manage a capricious girl."
"Brother, thou wilt not do that?"
"By the Thunderer! but I will. Dost think I will risk my head, anddelay the good-fortune of my house, for the sake of thy sentimentalconsideration? Now is the time to procure the first place in the nationfor the Woelfungs; the place which by right belongs to them, and fromwhich the Amelungs and Balthes have ousted them for centuries. The lastdaughter of the Amelungs, once thy wife, no one can dispute thypossession of the throne; and my sword will protect it against thePeasant-King, Witichis. But we must not delay too long. I have yet nonews from Ravenna, but I fear the city will only acknowledgeMataswintha, and not us; that is, not us alone. And whoever hasRavenna, has Italy, since Neapolis and Rome are lost; therefore thatstrong fortress must be ours. To insure this, Mataswintha must becomethy wife before we reach the walls of Ravenna; else it will be reportedthat she is more our prisoner than our Queen."
"Who desires it more ardently than I? But yet I cannot use compulsion!"
"No? Why not? Seek her and win her, well or ill. I go to strengthen theguard upon the walls. When I return I must have an answer."
Duke Guntharis went; and his brother made his way, sighing, into thegarden to seek Mataswintha.
This garden had been laid out by a skilled freedman from Asia Minor. Inthe background he had formed a kind of park, the glades of which, freefrom flowerbeds or terraces, were luxuriantly green. Through theflowery grass and amongst the thick oleanders flowed a clear brook.
Close to the edge of the brook lay, stretched upon the turf, a youthfulfemale figure. She had thrown her mantle back from her right arm, andseemed to be playing, now with the murmuring ripples, now with thenodding flowers on the brink. She was buried in thought, and atintervals threw a violet or a crocus dreamily into the water, watchingthe blossoms with slightly opened lips, as they were swiftly borne awayby the running stream.
Close behind her kneeled a young girl in the dress of a Moorish slave,busily weaving a wreath of flowers, which only wanted the finishingtouches. Every now and then she looked at her meditative mistress, tosee if she noticed her secret occupation. But the lady seemed quitelost in reverie.
At last the pretty wreath was finished; with laughing eyes the slaveplaced it lightly upon the splendid auburn hair of her mistress, andbent forward over her shoulder to meet her eyes. But the lady had notfelt the flowers touch her head. Then the little slave becameimpatient, and, pouting, said:
"But, mistress, by the palms of the Auras! of what art thou thinking?With whom art thou?"
"With him!" whispered her mistress.
"By the white goddess! I can bear it no longer," cried the littleslave-girl, springing up; "it is too bad; I shall die of jealousy!Thou not only forgettest me, thy gay gazelle, but also thine ownbeauty--and all for this invisible man! Only look into the water andsee how beautifully thy bright hair contrasts with the dark violets andwhite anemones."
"Thy wreath is pretty!" said Mataswintha, taking it off and throwing itgently into the water. "What sweet flowers! Greet him from me!"
"Oh, my poor flowers!" cried the slave, looking after them; but she didnot dare to scold. "Only tell me," she cried, sitting down again besideher mistress, "how all this is to end? We have been here now for manydays, we do not rightly know if as Queen or prisoner? In any case weare in the power of strangers. We have never set our feet out of thyapartments or of this well-walled garden, and know nothing of theoutside world. But thou art ever still and happy, as if it must be so!"
"And it must be so!"
"Indeed? and how will it end?"
"_He_ will come and set me free."
"Truly, White Lily, thou hast strong faith. If we were at home inMauretania, and I saw thee looking at night at the stars, I should saythat thou hadst read everything there. But in this way I do notunderstand it," and she shook her black locks, "and I shall neverunderstand it."
"But thou shalt and wilt, Aspa!" said Mataswintha, raising herself, andputting her white arm tenderly round the girl's brown neck; "thyfaithful love has long since deserved this reward, the best that I cangive thee."
A tear rose in the slave's dark eye.
"Reward?" she said. "Aspa was stolen by wild men with long red locks.Aspa is a slave. Every one has scolded and beaten her. Thou boughtestme as a flower is bought. But thou strokest my cheek and my hair. Thouart as beautiful as the Goddess of the Sun, and thou speakest ofreward?"
And she nestled her head upon the bosom of her mistress.
"Thou art my gazelle!" said Mataswintha; "thou hast a heart of gold.Thou shalt know all; thou shalt hear what is known to none but myself.Listen; my childhood was without love, without joy; and yet my youngsoul needed both. My poor mother had ardently longed for a boy, for anheir to the throne--and she treated the girl who was born to her withdislike, coldness, and severity. When Athalaric was born, she becameless harsh but more cold; all her love and care went to the heir to thethrone. I should not have felt it, had I not seen just the contrary inmy tender father. I felt that he also suffered under the coldness ofhis wife, and the sick man often pressed me to his heart with tears andsighs. And when he was dead and buried, all the love in the world wasdead for me. I saw little of Athalaric; he was educated by otherteachers in another part of the palace. I saw my mother still less;scarcely ever, unless she had to punish me. And yet I loved her somuch! And I saw how my nurses and teachers loved their own children,and kissed and petted them; and my heart longed with all its might forsimilar warmth and affection. So I grew up like a pale flower withoutsunshine! My favourite place in all the world was the grave of myfather Eutharic, in the large palace garden at Ravenna. There, with thedead, I sought the love which I did not find in the living; andwhenever I could escape my attendants, I hurried there to indulge in mylonging and to weep. The older I grew, the more this longing increased.In the presence of my mother I was forced to hide all my feelings; shedespised me if I showed them. As I grew up I saw very well thatpeople's eyes were fixed upon me as if in admiration; but I thoughtthat they pitied me, and that pained me.
"And more and more frequently I took refuge by the grave of my father,until they told my mother that I always wept there and returned quitedisordered. My mother angrily forbade me to go to the grave, and spokeof contemptible weakness. But I revolted against this prohibition. Thenone day she surprised me there, and struck at me, and yet I was nolonger a child. She took me back to the palace and scolded meviolently, threatening to send me away; and, as she left me, she saidangrily: why had heaven punished her with such a child! That was toomuch. Unspeakably miserable, I resolved to run away from this mother,to whom I was a punishment, and to go where
no one knew me, I did notknow whither. I would most gladly have joined my father in his quiettomb. When evening came, I stole out of the palace, and hurried oncemore to the grave to take a long farewell. The stars were already out.I slipped out of the garden and the palace, and hastened through thedark streets to the Faventinian Gate. I managed to slip past thesentinel, and ran a little way along the high-road, into the night;straight to misery. But a man in armour came along the road towards me.As I tried to pass him, he suddenly came up to me, looked into my face,and gently laid his hand upon my shoulder, saying 'Whither, LadyMataswintha, whither goest thon alone, and so late at night?' Itrembled under his hand, tears burst from my eyes, and I cried,sobbing, 'I am desperate!' Then the man took hold of both my hands andlooked at me; so kindly, so mildly, so sadly! He dried my tears withhis mantle, and said, in a tone of the warmest kindness, 'Wherefore?what troubles thee so?' I felt both happy and miserable at the sound ofhis voice. And as I looked into his kind eyes, I could no longercontrol myself. 'Because my mother hates me,' I cried; 'because thereis no love for me on earth!' 'Child, child, thou art sick,' he said,'and ravest! Come, come back with me. Thou! only wait. Thou wilt yet bea queen of love.' I did not understand him. But I loved him, oh somuch! for these words, for this kindness. Helplessly, inquiringly, andwith astonishment I looked into his face. My trembling aspect must havetouched him, or he thought it was the cold. He took off his warmmantle, folded it round me, and led me slowly back through the gate andlittle frequented streets to the palace. Helpless, and tottering like asick child, I followed him, my head, which he carefully concealed,resting on his breast. He was silent, and only sometimes dried thetears from my eyes. Unremarked, as I believed, we reached the door ofthe palace staircase. He opened it and gently pushed me in. Then hepressed my hand. 'Be good,' he said, 'and quiet. Happiness will come tothee, be sure; and love enough.' And he gently laid his hand upon myhead, pulled the door to behind him, and descended the steps. But Ileaned against the half-closed door, and could not go away. My feetdenied their service; my heart beat. Then I heard a rough voice belowaddressing him. 'Whom dost thou smuggle at night into the palace, myfriend?' it asked. But he answered, 'Is it thou, Hildebrand? Thou wiltnot betray her! It was the child Mataswintha; she had strayed into thecity in the dark, and feared the anger of her mother.' 'Mataswintha!'said the other. 'She daily becomes more beautiful.' And my protectorsaid----"
Mataswintha hesitated, and a vivid flush overspread her cheeks.
"Well!" asked Aspa, looking at her with open eyes, "what did he say?"
But Mataswintha drew Aspa's small head down upon her bosom.
"He said," she whispered--"he said, 'She will become the most beautifulwoman on earth.'"
"He said truly," cried the little slave; "why shouldst thou become red?It is so. But go on. What didst thou do next?"
"I crept up to my bed and wept; wept tears of sorrow, delight, andlove, all at once. That night a whole world, a heaven, was opened tome. He liked me, I felt it; and he called me beautiful. Yes, now I knewit. I was beautiful, and I was glad; for I wished to be so for _his_sake. Oh, how happy was I! Meeting with him had brought light into mydarkness, and a blessing to my life. I knew now that I might be likedand loved. I took care of my person, which _he_ had praised. The sweetpower in my heart spread a mild warmth over my whole being; I becamesofter and more earnest. Even my mother's severity relaxed when I mether harshness with gentleness; and daily all hearts were turned to memore kindly, as I became more tender. And for all this I had to thankhim. He had saved me from rushing into shame and misery, and had wonfor me a whole world of love. Since then I have lived, and live, onlyfor him."
And she ceased, and laid her hand upon her beating heart.
"But, mistress, when did you see or speak to him again? Does your lovelive on such scanty nourishment?"
"I have never spoken to him again, and have only seen him once. On theday of Theodoric's death, he commanded the guards of the palace, andAthalaric told me his name; for I had never dared to inquire about him,lest my flight, and ah! my secret, should be discovered. He was not atcourt; and if he sometimes came there, I was away."
"So thou knowest nothing further of him? of his life; of his past?"
"How could I inquire! My blushes would have betrayed me. Love is thechild of silence and of longing. But I know all about his--about _our_future."
"About his future?" laughed Aspa.
"Yes. At every solstice there used to come to the court an old womannamed Radrun, and she received from King Theodoric strange herbs androots, which he sent for from Asia and the Nile purposely for her. Shehad asked for this as the sole reward for having foretold his fortunewhen a boy, and everything had been fulfilled. She brewed potions andmixed salves; they called her in public 'the woman of the woods,' butin private, 'the Wala, the witch.' And we at court knew--all except thepriests, who would have forbidden it--that every summer solstice, whenshe came, the King let her prophesy to him the events of the comingyear. And when she left him, I knew that my mother, Theodahad, andGothelindis, called her and questioned her, and what she foretoldalways came to pass. So the next solstice I took heart, watched for theold woman, and when I found her alone, enticed her into my room, andoffered her gold and shining stones if she would tell me my fortune.But she laughed, and drew forth a little flask made of amber. 'Not forgold, but for blood!' she said, 'the pure blood of a king's child.' Andshe opened a vein in my left arm, and received the blood into her amberflask. Then she looked at both my hands, and said, 'He whom thouholdest in thy heart will give thee glory and good fortune, will bringthee paralysing pain, will be thy consort, but not thy husband!' Andwith this she went away."
"That is of little comfort as far as I can make it out."
"Thou dost not understand the old wife's sayings; they are all so dark.She adds a threat to every promise, so as to be safe in all cases. ButI hold fast to the bright and not to the dark side. I know that hewill be mine, and give me glory and good fortune; I will bear theaccompanying pain. Pain for his sake is delight."
"I admire thee and thy faith, mistress. And for the saying of the witchthou hast refused all the kings and princes. Vandals and Ostrogoths,from Gaul and Burgondia, who have ever wooed thee? Even Germanus, theimperial prince of Byzantium? And you wait for him?"
"And I wait for him! But not only because of this saying. In my heartlives a little bird, which sings to me every day, 'He will be thine, hemust be thine.' I know it for a certainty," she concluded, raising hereyes to the sky, and relapsing into her former reverie.
Steps were heard approaching from the villa.
"Ah!" cried Aspa, "thy dainty suitor! Poor Arahad! his trouble is invain."
"I will make an end to it," said Mataswintha, rising, and on her browand in her young eyes there now lay an angry severity, which told ofthe Amelung blood in her veins. There was a strange mixture of burningpassion and melting tenderness in the girl. Aspa had often beenastonished by the repressed fire which her mistress sometimes betrayed."Thou art like the divine mountains of my home," she said, "snow on thesummit, roses round the middle, but consuming fire in the interior,which often streams over snow and roses."
Meanwhile Earl Arahad turned out of the shady path, and approached thelovely girl with a blush which became him well.
"I come, Queen----" he began.
But she harshly interrupted him.
"I hope, Earl of Asta, that at last thou comest to put an end to thisdespicable game of force and lies. I will bear it no longer. Thy boldbrother surprises me--me, the helpless orphan, lost in sorrow for hermother--in my apartments, calls me in one breath his Queen and hisprisoner, and keeps me for weeks in unworthy confinement. He gives methe purple, and deprives me of liberty. Then thou comest and tormentestme with thy vain pursuit, which will never succeed. I refused thee whenat liberty. Dost thou believe, thou fool, that, a prisoner in thypower, the child of the Amelungs will listen to thee? Thou swearestthat thou lovest me; well, then, respect me! Honour my will and s
et mefree, or tremble when my liberator comes."
And she advanced threateningly towards Arahad, who, confused, couldfind no words with which to answer her.
Just then Duke Guntharis hurried up with a hot and angry face.
"Up, Arahad!" he cried, "make an end. We must away at once! Heapproaches; he presses forward with a strong force."
"Who?" asked Arahad hastily.
"He says he comes to set her free. He has gained a victory--thePeasant-King! He has beaten our outposts at Castrum Sivium."
"Who?" now asked Mataswintha eagerly.
"Well," cried Guntharis angrily, "thou mayest as well know it; it canbe no longer concealed--Earl Witichis of Faesulae!"
"Witichis!" cried Mataswintha with beaming eyes and a beating heart.
"Yes; the rebels at Regeta, forgetting the rights of the nobility, havechosen him King of the Goths."
"He! he my King!" said Mataswintha, as if in a dream.
"I should have told thee when I greeted thee as Queen, but in thychamber stood his bust, crowned with laurel. That seemed to mesuspicious. I saw it later more closely; it was an accidentalresemblance; it was a head of Ares."
Mataswintha was silent, and tried to hide the blushes which rose intoher cheeks.
"Well," cried Arahad, "what is to be done now?"
"We must away. We must reach Ravenna before him, Florentia will hinderhim for a time. Meanwhile we shall take Ravenna, and when thou hastconsummated thy marriage with Mataswintha in the palace of Theodoric,all the people of the Goths will turn to us. Up, Queen! I will orderthy carriage to be prepared; in an hour thou wilt go to Ravenna,guarded by my troops."
And the brothers hurried away.
Mataswintha looked after them with flashing eyes.
"Yes! lead me away, bound and a prisoner. Like an eagle from the heightmy King will swoop upon you, and save me from your cruel clutches.Come, Aspa, the liberator approaches!"
