The Romance of Golden Star ...

by George Chetwynd Griffith

  CHAPTER XII

  QUEEN AND CROWN

  I found them in the midst of an English lesson which Golden Star wastaking, sitting, still clad in her Inca costume, between the professorand Joyful Star, who also was dressed in the same fashion. They allthree rose to meet me as I entered the throne-room, and Ruth comingforward with both hands outstretched, as she had never done before,said,--

  'What have you been doing all this time, Vilcaroya, and why are youlooking so worn and haggard? Have--have you been fighting? And why haveyou come back here alone?'

  'Yes,' I answered, taking her hands into mine, and feeling all my bloodturn to flame as their gentle pressure thrilled along my nerves. 'Yes,we have been fighting, and the Lord of Light has fought upon our side,for we have gained the victory, and the city is ours.'

  'Thank God for that!' she said; 'and that no harm has come to you--or toCaptain Hartness.'

  'What! do you mean to say you have taken Cuzco already?' cried theprofessor. 'How on earth did you manage that so quickly?'

  'Because,' I replied, 'as I told you, my father the Sun fought on myside and turned the hearts of his children towards me, and so FrancisHartness led them to speedy victory, and the hearts of our enemiesfainted within them, and they have yielded. Now I have come to tell youhow it happened, and to take Joyful Star back to the city, where sheshall be hailed as queen.'

  Then I sat down with them and told them all, from the taking of theGovernor and his officers prisoners by the Sayacusca to the capture ofthe Cuartel and the making of Francis Hartness Governor of Cuzco. Afterthat I went and put on the imperial robes, which I had now a doubleright to wear, and led them through the gates of bronze into the Hall ofGold.

  Now, in the joy of my triumph, and the greeting that Ruth had given me,I had forgotten to bid her keep silence while going through the hall,and when she saw the two cells in the corner built up with blocks ofgold she stopped and said,--

  'Those were not here the other night. What have you had them built uplike that for?'

  And before I could answer, Djama's voice, shrill and trembling, rose outof the cell, crying,--

  'Ruth, Ruth, I am here! This is my prison. It is a grave of gold. Cursethe gold! Save me, save me, Ruth, for I am going mad--and I am yourbrother!'

  She stopped and took hold of my arm with both her hands, and looked upat me. Her face was very pale and her lips were trembling. Yet thoughher voice was low, it was firm as she said to me,--

  'I have no brother who is a liar and a traitor to his friends; but,Vilcaroya, I had a brother once who was very good and kind to me, andfor the sake of his goodness and kindness I ask you to treat this--thisprisoner of yours more gently.'

  'Joyful Star can ask nothing to-day that I could refuse,' I said. 'Heshall be taken out forthwith and lodged with all comfort, though I mustkeep him safely.'

  'No, no, not till I am gone!' she whispered, taking Golden Star by thearm and leading her towards the passage. But, softly as she had spoken,Djama heard her, and in his rage and despair at her words he cried,--

  'You--you won't see me! But you will go with your lover, your Indianmaster, who owes his life to me! You will sell yourself for his gold andbe his wife. Oh, my God!--my sister!'

  And then he raved in the madness that came upon him, and his voice ranghorridly out of his cell and echoed shrilly through the hall and thepassages about it. I could feel no anger against a man who was helplessand my prisoner, so I followed Ruth without speaking; and when we stoodonce more in the sunlight she turned to me with a bright flush on hercheeks and great tears in her eyes, and said very softly and sweetly,--

  'He is mad, poor Laurens! he must be. That terrible gold has turned hisbrain, or he could never speak to me like that. You will not treat himmore harshly for it, Vilcaroya, will you, for you know, after all, heis--I mean he was my brother, and I loved him very much--once?'

  'Yes, he is mad,' I said; 'and yet the lips of madness may speak truth,for what am I but what he said?'

  'Have you forgotten what you asked me, or what I answered when I kissedGolden Star in the throne-room, that you can speak like that?' she said,with one swift glance that told me I had not asked in vain.

  What more she might have said I know not, but she had said enough toset my heart dancing and my blood thrilling with a joy greater than Ihad found in the speedy conquest of the city of my fathers, and justthen Tupac came to me and said that a sufficient quantity of gold hadbeen taken out, and that all was ready to return to the city. Then Itold him what he was to do with Djama and his fellow-prisoner, andordered Golden Star's litter and the horse for Ruth which we had broughtwith us to be made ready, and also a mule for the professor, and whenTupac had returned we set out along the road that leads to the Gate ofSand, I riding in the midst of the troop, and Ruth on my left hand andGolden Star in her litter on the right.

  As we approached the streets, great crowds of my delivered peoplethronged out to welcome us, and when they saw me riding on my blackhorse, dressed in the imperial robes and with the Llautu on my brow,they set up a shout of joy and welcome that went ringing along thestreets and through the squares and all over the city, and so I rode onthrough the bareheaded throngs, who bowed themselves almost to the earthbefore me.

  As we were crossing the great Plaza, Ruth looked about her with brightcheeks and shining eyes and said to me,--

  'Is it not all like a dream, Vilcaroya? Only a few weeks ago you camehere poor and unknown, and now you are a king come back to your ownagain. Is it not wonderful?'

  'Yes,' I said, looking into her eyes with more courage than before; 'butsomething more wonderful even than that has befallen me. Is it not so,my queen?'

  'Your queen is not crowned yet, your Majesty!' she said, looking down,and yet not frowning, as I half feared she would.

  'No,' I answered, 'nor shall she be till my work is done, and the wholeland that was my fathers' is mine to give her, and then all that powerand gold and love can give her shall be hers.'

  'Give me the last and I shall ask no more,' she said softly, chasingwith that first sweet confession from my heart the last lingering doubtof the great blessing that my Father the Sun had bestowed upon me.

  Thus we came to the front of the Cuartel, where all the troops werealready drawn up to do us honour, and Hartness came out to greet us. Hestopped for an instant, and his cheeks paled a little as he saw Ruthriding at my side, already dressed as she would be when she was myqueen. But then the goodness of his honest heart spoke from his lips,and he said, as he held out his hand to me,--

  'Welcome, your Majesty! Majesties, I might almost say, I suppose! Thecity is ours and everything is quiet. Some of the officials have come inand submitted; others I have had to put under arrest, and runners arecoming in every minute from the other towns in the valley to say thatour plans have been carried out perfectly. The rest of our work won't beas easy as this has been, but we've made a very good beginning, and, atanyrate, I think I can congratulate your Majesty on having made your twomost important captures.

  He looked at Ruth as he said this, and though her fair face flushedbrightly and her eyes fell, yet she spoke steadily enough when sheanswered him, saying,--

  'You can hardly call me one of the spoils of war, I think, CaptainHartness, though I confess that I have surrendered at discretion. Nowgive me your hand and help me down, and don't look so disconsolate, foryou are not nearly as unfortunate as you think. There is an Incaprincess for you also, a real one, too. I have been teaching Golden Starto say your name, and, do you know, she makes it sound just like musicwith that sweet voice of hers. See, here she is, and you shall hear hersay it.'

  I had dismounted meanwhile, and taken Golden Star from her litter, andwhen the people saw her, her name ran swiftly from lip to lip, and agreat shout of delight rose up from thousands of throats to welcome herback to life and the home of her long-dead fathers. Then I took her handand Hartness's, and put hers in his, and said to him,--

  'My friend, what I have taken I can in som
e measure give back to you.Here is Joyful Star's sister-soul and living likeness. I have seen hernewly-awakened soul look out of her eyes with love upon you, as in goodtruth it well might, for you are a true son of the Sun, though not ofour blood. In the days to come you may learn to love her too, and thenall will be well.'

  'Yes,' said Ruth, coming to his side, 'and better than it could havebeen in any other way. The very Fates themselves seemed to have arrangedall this, so it is not for mortals to rebel, Captain Hartness.'

  He looked at her almost sadly for a moment, and then he laughed a littleand said,--

  'I should be more or less than mortal if I did, Miss Ruth. But mind, ifI am faithless, remember it is you who have done the most to make meso.'

  As he said this he took Golden Star's little hand in his own and kissedit. As she felt the touch of his lips a new light sprang into her eyesand shone and danced there, and she said to me,--

  'Why does the Son of the Great People do that, and what have you said tohim about me, my brother?'

  'He has kissed your hand in loving greeting,' I answered, 'and what Ihave said he will no doubt tell you better some day when you can speaktogether.'

  The bright blood in her cheeks told me that she had understood me, andshe turned her head away, but she did not take her hand from Hartness's,and so I gave my hand to Ruth and led her into the Cuartel, and Hartnessand Golden Star followed us hand in hand amidst the cheers of thesoldiers and the joyful shouts of the people.

  That night there were such rejoicings in Cuzco as the City of the Sunhad not seen since the Spaniards came into the land. I distributed thegold among the soldiers as I had promised, giving to each man a piece ofabout two ounces in weight, and they, who had never possessed, even ifthey had ever seen, gold before, kissed it and fondled it in theirdelight, and swore that they would fight for me as long as one of themwas left alive; and then I spoke to them and told them that they had butto be faithful and brave, and their English leader would lead them tovictory after victory, until the whole land should be ours.

  Later on I sent Tupac with many men up to the fortress, and theybrought down the Golden Throne and the symbols of the Sun and greatquantities of gold and jewels, and they set the throne in the midst ofthe terrace in front of the cathedral, with silver seats on either sideof it, on the spot where in the olden time stood the Palace ofViracocha; and on the front of the cathedral, over the great doors, theyfixed the symbols of the Sun, and high above all, between the twobell-towers, they placed a great flagstaff.

  Before daybreak the next morning the square was thronged with people,save for an open space which the soldiers kept before my throne. I tookmy place amidst an utter silence. Ruth and Golden Star sat on my rightand on my left, and Francis Hartness, with a drawn sword in his hand,stood by my throne to the right, and on the terrace behind me, and oneither side, stood the Men of the Blood, dressed in their ancient andlong-forbidden costumes, with which I had furnished them out of thestores in the secret chambers of the fortress.

  No word was spoken and no sound was heard over the whole city, and alleyes were turned to the swiftly brightening eastern sky.

  The blue changed to silver and the silver to crimson and gold. Then thesun, the glorious image of the Lord of Life, uprose in all his suddensplendour, and as his rays fell on the great golden jewel-rayed circleon the cathedral front, the Rainbow Banner ran swiftly up to the head ofthe flagstaff, and I, rising from my throne, bared my head and, turningmy face to the rising sun, bowed myself before it, and at the sameinstant every head in the vast assembly was uncovered, and all, save thesoldiers, fell on their knees and stretched out their hands to heaven insilent joy and thankfulness.

  Then I lifted up my voice and spoke the ancient Invocation to the Sunwhich generation after generation of my fathers had spoken from the samespot at the beginning of the feast of Raymi, and when I had ended thisthe Children of the Blood lifted up their voices after me and sang thelong-silenced and yet never-forgotten hymn to the Sun, and then,standing before the kneeling multitude, I replaced the Llautu on my browand proclaimed myself Inca and supreme Lord of the Land of the FourRegions in the name of my long-dead fathers, whose divine right tolordship had been preserved in me.

  And so I, Vilcaroya, son of Huayna-Capac, first fulfilled the prophecythat had been spoken in the Days of Darkness, and so did I come, as hadbeen said, from one life into another through the shadow of death andthe silence of the grave, with her whose love, now changed, though noless dear, had nerved me to face the ordeal of the strangest fate thathad ever befallen one born in mortal shape.