CHAPTER XII: THEY LOOK ON THE KING OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN
So now the women led them along up the stream, and Hallblithe went sideby side by the Sea-eagle; but the women had become altogether merryagain, and played and ran about them as gamesome as young goats; and theywaded the shallows of the clear bright stream barefoot to wash theirlimbs of the sea-brine, and strayed about the meadows, plucking theflowers and making them wreaths and chaplets, which they did uponthemselves and the Sea-eagle; but Hallblithe they touched not, for stillthey feared him. They went on as the stream led them up toward thehills, and ever were the meads about them as fair and flowery as mightbe. Folk they saw afar off, but fell in with none for a good while,saving a man and a maid clad lightly as for mid-summer days, who werewandering together lovingly and happily by the stream-side, and who gazedwonderingly on the stark Sea-eagle, and on Hallblithe with his glitteringspear. The black-haired damsel greeted these twain and spake somethingto them, and they laughed merrily, and the man stooped down amongst thegrasses and blossoms of the bank, and drew forth a basket, and spreaddainty victuals on the grass under a willow-tree, and bade them be hisguests that fair afternoon. So they sat down there above the glisteringstream and ate and drank and were merry. Thereafter the new-comers andtheir way-leaders departed with kind words, and still set their facestowards the hills.
At last they saw before them a little wooded hill, and underneath itsomething red and shining, and other coloured things gleaming in the sunabout it. Then said the Sea-eagle: "What have we yonder?"
Said his damsel: "That is the pavilion of the King; and about it are thetents and tilts of our folk who are of his fellowship: for oft he abidethin the fields with them, though he hath houses and halls as fair as theheart of man can conceive."
"Hath he no foemen to fear?" said the Sea-eagle.
"How should that be?" said the damsel. "If perchance any came into thisland to bring war upon him, their battle-anger should depart when oncethe bliss of the Glittering Plain had entered into their souls, and theywould ask for nought but leave to abide here and be happy. Yet I trowthat if he had foemen he could crush them as easily as I set my foot onthis daisy."
So as they went on they fell in with many folk, men and women, sportingand playing in the fields; and there was no semblance of eld on any ofthem, and no scar or blemish or feebleness of body or sadness ofcountenance; nor did any bear a weapon or any piece of armour. Now someof them gathered about the new-corners, and wondered at Hallblithe andhis long spear and shining helm and dark grey byrny; but none askedconcerning them, for all knew that they were folk new come to the blissof the Glittering Plain. So they passed amidst these fair folk littlehindered by them, and into Hallblithe's thoughts it came how joyous thefellowship of such should be and how his heart should be raised by thesight of them, if only his troth-plight maiden were by his side.
Thus then they came to the King's pavilion, where it stood in a bight ofthe meadow-land at the foot of the hill, with the wood about it on threesides. So fair a house Hallblithe deemed he had never seen; for it waswrought all over with histories and flowers, and with hems sewn withgold, and with orphreys of gold and pearl and gems.
There in the door of it sat the King of the Land in an ivory chair; hewas clad in golden gown, girt with a girdle of gems, and had his crown onhis head and his sword by his side. For this was the hour wherein heheard what any of his folk would say to him, and for that very end he satthere in the door of his tent, and folk were standing before him, andsitting and lying on the grass round about; and now one, now another,came up to him and spoke before him.
His face shone like a star; it was exceeding beauteous, and as kind asthe even of May in the gardens of the happy, when the scent of theeglantine fills all the air. When he spoke his voice was so sweet thatall hearts were ravished, and none might gainsay him.
But when Hallblithe set eyes on him, he knew at once that this was hewhose carven image he had seen in the Hall of the Ravagers, and his heartbeat fast, and he said to himself: "Hold up thine head now, O Son of theRaven, strengthen thine heart, and let no man or god cow thee. For howcan thine heart change, which bade thee go to the house wherefrom it wasdue to thee to take the pleasure of woman, and there to pledge thy faithand troth to her that loveth thee most, and hankereth for thee day by dayand hour by hour, so that great is the love that we twain have buildedup."
Now they drew nigh, for folk fell back before them to the right and left,as before men who are new come and have much to do; so that there wasnought between them and the face of the King. But he smiled upon them sothat he cheered their hearts with the hope of fulfilment of theirdesires, and he said: "Welcome, children! Who be these whom ye havebrought hither for the increase of our joy? Who is this tall,ruddy-faced, joyous man so meet for the bliss of the Glittering Plain?And who is this goodly and lovely young man, who beareth weapons amidstour peace, and whose face is sad and stern beneath the gleaming of hishelm?"
Said the dark-haired damsel: "O King! O Gift-giver and assurer of joy!this tall one is he who was once oppressed by eld, and who hath comehither to thee from the Isle of Ransom, according to the custom of theland."
Said the King: "Tall man, it is well that thou art come. Now are thydays changed and thou yet alive. For thee battle is ended, and therewiththe reward of battle, which the warrior remembereth not amidst the hardhand-play: peace hath begun, and thou needest not be careful for theendurance thereof: for in this land no man hath a lack which he may notsatisfy without taking aught from any other. I deem not that thine heartmay conceive a desire which I shall not fulfil for thee, or crave a giftwhich I shall not give thee."
Then the Sea-eagle laughed for joy, and turned his head this way andthat, so that he might the better take to him the smiles of all thosethat stood around.
Then the King said to Hallblithe: "Thou also art welcome; I know thee whothou art: meseemeth great joy awaiteth thee, and I will fulfil thy desireto the uttermost."
Said Hallblithe: "O great King of a happy land, I ask of thee nought savethat which none shall withhold from me uncursed."
"I will give it to thee," said the King, "and thou shalt bless me. Butwhat is it which thou wouldst? What more canst thou have than the Giftsof the land?"
Said Hallblithe: "I came hither seeking no gifts, but to have mine ownagain; and that is the bodily love of my troth-plight maiden. They stoleher from me, and me from her; for she loved me. I went down to the sea-side and found her not, nor the ship which had borne her away. I sailedfrom thence to the Isle of Ransom, for they told me that there I shouldbuy her for a price; neither was her body there. But her image came tome in a dream of the night, and bade me seek to her hither. Therefore, OKing, if she be here in the land, show me how I shall find her, and ifshe be not here, show me how I may depart to seek her otherwhere. Thisis all my asking."
Said the King: "Thy desire shall be satisfied; thou shalt have the womanwho would have thee, and whom thou shouldst have."
Hallblithe was gladdened beyond measure by that word; and now did theKing seem to him a comfort and a solace to every heart, even as he haddeemed of his carven image in the Hall of the Ravagers; and he thankedhim, and blessed him.
But the King bade him abide by him that night, and feast with him. "Andon the morrow," said he, "thou shalt go thy ways to look on her whom thououghtest to love."
Therewith was come the eventide and beginning of night, warm and fragrantand bright with the twinkling of stars, and they went into the King'spavilion, and there was the feast as fair and dainty as might be; andHallblithe had meat from the King's own dish, and drink from his cup; butthe meat had no savour to him and the drink no delight, because of thelonging that possessed him.
And when the feast was done, the damsels led Hallblithe to his bed in afair tent strewn with gold about his head like the starry night, and helay down and slept for sheer weariness of body.
The Story of the Glittering Plain Page 12
