CHAPTER XL. OF THE HOSTING IN SHADOWY VALE.
IT was on the evening of the fourth day after the Folk-mote that therecame through the Waste to the rocky edge of Shadowy Vale a band of somefifteen score of men-at-arms, and with them a multitude of women andchildren and old men, some afoot, some riding on asses and bullocks; andwith them were sumpter asses and neat laden with household goods, and afew goats and kine. And this was the whole folk of the Woodlanders cometo the Hosting in Shadowy Vale and the Home of the Children of the Wolf.Their leaders of the way were Wood-father and Wood-wont and two othercarles of Shadowy Vale; and Red-wolf the tall, and Bears-bane andWar-grove were the captains and chieftains of their company.
Thus then they entered into the narrow pass aforesaid, which was theingate to the Vale from the Waste, and little by little its dimnessswallowed up their long line. As they went by the place where thelowering of the rock-wall gave a glimpse of the valley, they looked downinto it as Face-of-god had done, but much change was there in littletime. There was the black wall of crags on the other side stretchingdown to the ghyll of the great Force; there ran the deep green waters ofthe Shivering Flood; but the grass which Face-of-god had seen naked ofeverything but a few kine, thereon now the tents of men stood thick.Their hearts swelled within them as they beheld it, but they forebore theshout and the cry till they should be well within the Vale, and so wentdown silently into the darkness. But as their eyes caught that dim imageof the Wolf on the wall of the pass, man pointed it out to man, and not afew turned and kissed it hurriedly; and to them it seemed that many akiss had been laid on that dear token since the days of old, and that thehard stone had been worn away by the fervent lips of men, and that theair of the mirk place yet quivered with the vows sworn over thesword-blade.
But down through the dark they went, and so came on to the stony scree atthe end of the pass and into the Vale; and the whole Folk save the threechieftains flowed over it and stood about it down on the level grass ofthe Vale. But those three stood yet on the top of the scree, bearing thewar-signs of the Shaft and the Spear, and betwixt them the banner of theWolf and the Sunburst newly displayed to the winds of Shadowy Vale.
Up and down the Vale they looked, and saw before the tents of men the oldfamiliar banners of Burgdale rising and falling in the evening wind. Butamidst of the Doom-ring was pitched a great banner, whereon was done theimage of the Wolf with red gaping jaws on a field of green; and about himstood other banners, to wit, The Silver Arm on a red field, the Red Handon a white field, and on green fields both, the Golden Bushel and theRagged Sword.
All about the plain shone glittering war-gear of men as they moved hitherand thither, and a stream of folk began at once to draw toward the screeto look on those new-comers; and amidst the helmed Burgdalers and thewhite-coated Shepherds went the tall men of the Wolf, bare-headed andunarmed save for their swords, mingled with the fair strong women of thekindred, treading barefoot the soft grass of their own Vale.
Presently there was a great throng gathered round about the Woodlanders,and each man as he joined it waved hand or weapon toward them, and thejoy of their welcome sent a confused clamour through the air. Then forthfrom the throng stepped Folk-might, unarmed save his sword, and behindhim was Face-of-god, in his war-gear save his helm, hand in hand with theSun-beam, who was clad in her goodly flowered green kirtle, her feetnaked like her sisters of the kindred.
Then Folk-might cried aloud: ‘A full and free greeting to our brothers!Well be ye, O Sons of our Ancient Fathers! And to-day are ye the dearerto us because we see that ye have brought us a gift, to wit, your wivesand children, and your grandsires unmeet for war. By this token we seehow great is your trust in us, and that it is your meaning never tosunder from us again. O well be ye; well be ye!’
Then spake Red-wolf, and said: ‘Ye Sons of the Wolf, who parted from usof old time in that cleft of the mountains, it is our very selves that wegive unto you; and these are a part of ourselves; how then should weleave them behind us? Bear witness, O men of Burgdale and theSheepcotes, that we have become one Folk with the men of Shadowy Vale,never to be sundered again!’
Then all that multitude shouted with a loud voice; and when the shout haddied away, Folk-might spake again:
‘O Warriors of the Sundering, here shall your wives and children abide,while we go a little journey to rejoice our hearts with the hardhandplay, and take to us that which we have missed: and to-morrow morn isappointed for this same journey, unless ye be over foot-weary with theways of the Waste.’
Red-wolf smiled as he answered: ‘This ye say in jest, brother; for ye maysee that our day’s journey hath not been over-much for our old men; howthen should it weary those who may yet bear sword? We are ready for theroad and eager for the handplay.’
‘This is well,’ said Folk-might, ‘and what was to be looked for.Therefore, brother, do ye and your counsel-mates come straightway to theHall of the Wolf; wherein, after ye have eaten and drunken, shall we takecounsel with our brethren of Burgdale and the Sheepcotes, so that all maybe ordered for battle!’
Said Red-wolf: ‘Good is that, if we must needs abide till to-morrow; forverily we came not hither to eat and drink and rest our bodies; but itmust be as ye will have it.’
Then the Sun-beam left the hand of Face-of-god and came forward, and heldout both her palms to the Woodland-folk, and spake in a voice that washeard afar, though it were a woman’s, so clear and sweet it was; and shesaid:
‘O Warriors of the Sundering, ye who be not needed in the Hall, and yeour sisters with your little ones and your fathers, come now to us anddown to the tents which we have arrayed for you, and there think for alittle that we are all at our very home that we long for and have yet towin, and be ye merry with us and make us merry.’
Therewith she stepped forward daintily and entered into their throng, andtook an old man of the Woodlanders by the hand, and kissed his cheek andled him away, and the coming rest seemed sweet to him. And then cameother women of the Vale, kind and fair and smiling, and led away, some anold mother of the Wood-landers, some a young wife, some a pair of lads;and not a few forsooth kissed and embraced the stark warriors, and wentaway with them toward the tents, which stood along the side of theShivering Flood where it was at its quietest; for there was the grass thesoftest and most abundant. There on the green grass were tables arrayed,and lamps were hung above them on spears, to be litten when the daylightshould fail. And the best of the victual which the Vale could give wasspread on the boards, along with wine and dainties, bought inSilver-dale, or on the edges of the Westland with sword-strokes andarrow-flight.
There then they feasted and were merry; and the Sun-beam and Bow-may andthe other women of the Vale served them at table, and were very blithewith them, caressing them with soft words, and with clipping and kissing,as folk who were grown exceeding dear to them; so that that eve of battlewas softer and sweeter to them than any hour of their life. With thesefeasters were God-swain and Spear-fist of the delivered thralls ofSilver-dale as glad as glad might be; but Wolf-stone their eldest wasgone with Dallach to the Council in the Hall.
The men of Burgdale and the Shepherds feasted otherwhere in all content,nor lacked folk of the Vale to serve them. Amongst the men of the Facewere the ten delivered thralls who had heart to meet their masters inarms: seven of them were of Rose-dale and three of Silver-dale.
The Bride was with her kindred of the Steer, with whom were many men ofShadowy Vale, and she served her friends and fellows clad in herwar-gear, save helm and hauberk, bearing herself as one who is servingdear guests. And men equalled her for her beauty to the Gods of the HighPlace and the Choosers of the Slain; and they who had not beheld herbefore marvelled at her, and her loveliness held all men’s hearts in anet of desire, so that they forebore their meat to gaze upon her; and ifperchance her hand touched some young man, or her cheek or sweet-breathedmouth came nigh to his face, he became bewildered and wist not where hewas, nor what to do. Yet was she as lowly and simple of
speech anddemeanour as if she were a gooseherd of fourteen winters.
In the Hall was a goodly company, and all the leaders of the Folk weretherein, and Folk-might and the War-leader sitting in the midst of thosestone seats on the days. There then they agreed on the whole ordering ofthe battle and the wending of the host, as shall be told later on; andthis matter was long a-doing, and when it was done, men went to theirplaces to sleep, for the night was well worn.
But when men had departed and all was still, Folk-might, light-clad andwithout a weapon, left the Hall and walked briskly toward the nether endof the Vale. He passed by all the tents, the last whereof were of theHouse of the Steer, and came to a place where was a great rock risingstraight up from the plain like sheaves of black staves standing closetogether; and it was called Staff-stone, and tales of the elves had beentold concerning it, so that Stone-face had beheld it gladly the daybefore.
The moon was just shining into Shadowy Vale, and the grass was brightwheresoever the shadows of the high cliffs were not, and the face ofStaff-stone shone bright grey as Folk-might came within sight of it, andhe beheld someone sitting at the base of the rock, and as he drew nigherhe saw that it was a woman, and knew her for the Bride; for he had prayedher to abide him there that night, because it was nigh to the tents ofthe House of the Steer; and his heart was glad as he drew nigh to her.
She sat quietly on a fragment of the black rock, clad as she had been allday, in her glittering kirtle, but without hauberk or helm, a wreath ofwind-flowers about her head, her feet crossed over each other, her handslaid palm uppermost in her lap. She moved not as he drew nigh, but saidin a gentle voice when he was close to her:
‘Chief of the Wolf, great warrior, thou wouldest speak with me; and goodit is that friends should talk together on the eve of battle, when theymay never meet alive again.’
He said: ‘My talk shall not be long; for thou and I both must sleepto-night, since there is work to hand to-morrow. Now since, as thousayest, O fairest of women, we may never meet again alive, I ask thee nowat this hour, when we both live and are near to one another, to suffer meto speak to thee of my love of thee and desire for thee. Surely thou,who art the sweetest of all things the Gods and the kindreds have made,wilt not gainsay me this?’
She said very sweetly, yet smiling: ‘Brother of my father’s sons, how canI gainsay thee thy speech? Nay, hast thou not said it? What more canstthou add to it that will have fresh meaning to mine ears?’
He said: ‘Thou sayest sooth: might I then but kiss thine hand?’
She said, no longer smiling: ‘Yea surely, even so may all men do who canbe called my friends—and thou art much my friend.’
He took her hand and kissed it, and held it thereafter; nor did she drawit away. The moon shone brightly on them; but by its light he could notsee if she reddened, but he deemed that her face was troubled. Then hesaid: ‘It were better for me if I might kiss thy face, and take thee inmine arms.’
Then said she: ‘This only shall a man do with me when I long to do thelike with him. And since thou art so much my friend, I will tell theethat as for this longing, I have it not. Bethink thee what a littlewhile it is since the lack of another man’s love grieved me sorely.’
‘The time is short,’ said Folk-might, ‘if we tell up the hours thereof;but in that short space have a many things betid.’
She said: ‘Dost thou know, canst thou guess, how sorely ashamed I wentamongst my people? I durst look no man in the face for the aching ofmine heart, which methought all might see through my face.’
‘I knew it well,’ he said; ‘yet of me wert thou not ashamed but a littlewhile ago, when thou didst tell me of thy grief.’
She said: ‘True it is; and thou wert kind to me. Thou didst become adear friend to me, methought.’
‘And wilt thou hurt a dear friend?’ said he.
‘O no,’ she said, ‘if I might do otherwise. Yet how if I might notchoose? Shall there be no forgiveness for me then?’
He answered nothing; and still he held her hand that strove not to begone from his, and she cast down her eyes. Then he spake in a while:
‘My friend, I have been thinking of thee and of me; and now hearken: ifthou wilt declare that thou feelest no sweetness embracing thine heartwhen I say that I desire thee sorely, as now I say it; or when I kissthine hand, as now I kiss it; or when I pray thee to suffer me to castmine arms about thee and kiss thy face, as now I pray it: if thou wiltsay this, then will I take thee by the hand straightway, and lead thee tothe tents of the House of the Steer, and say farewell to thee till thebattle is over. Canst thou say this out of the truth of thine heart?’
She said: ‘What then if I cannot say this word? What then?’
But he answered nothing; and she sat still a little while, and then aroseand stood before him, looking him in the eyes, and said:
‘I cannot say it.’
Then he caught her in his arms and strained her to him, and then kissedher lips and her face again and again, and she strove not with him. Butat last she said:
‘Yet after all this shalt thou lead me back to my folk straight-way; andwhen the battle is done, if both we are living, then shall we speak morethereof.’
So he took her hand and led her on toward the tents of the Steer, and fora while he spake nought; for he doubted himself, what he should say; butat last he spake:
‘Now is this better for me than if it had not been, whether I live orwhether I die. Yet thou hast not said that thou lovest me and desirestme.’
‘Wilt thou compel me?’ she said. ‘To-night I may not say it. Who shallsay what words my lips shall fashion when we stand together victorious inSilver-dale; then indeed may the time seem long from now.’
He said: ‘Yea, true is that; yet once again I say that so measured longand long is the time since first I saw thee in Burgdale before thouknewest me. Yet now I will not bicker with thee, for be sure that I amglad at heart. And lo you! our feet have brought us to the tents of thypeople. All good go with thee!’
‘And with thee, sweet friend,’ she said. Then she lingered a little,turning her head toward the tents, and then turned her face toward himand laid her hand on his neck, and drew his head adown to her and kissedhis cheek, and therewith swiftly and lightly departed from him.
Now the night wore and the morning came; and Face-of-god was abroad veryearly in the morning, as his custom was; and he washed the night from offhim in the Carles’ Bath of the Shivering Flood, and then went roundthrough the encampment of the host, and saw none stirring save here andthere the last watchmen of the night. He spake with one or two of these,and then went up to the head of the Vale, where was the pass that led toSilver-dale; and there he saw the watch, and spake with them, and theytold him that none had as yet come forth from the pass, and he bade themto blow the horn of warning to rouse up the Host as soon as themessengers came thence. For forerunners had been sent up the pass, andhad been set to hold watch at divers places therein to pass on the wordfrom place to place.
Thence went Face-of-god back toward the Hall; but when he was yet someway from it, he saw a slender glittering warrior come forth from the doorthereof, who stood for a moment looking round about, and then camelightly and swiftly toward him; and lo! it was the Sun-beam, with a longhauberk over her kirtle falling below her knees, a helm on her head andplated shoes on her feet. She came up to him, and laid her hand to hischeek and the golden locks of his head (for he was bare-headed), and saidto him, smiling:
‘Gold-mane! thou badest me bear arms, and Folk-might also constrained methereto. Lo thou!’
Said Face-of-god: ‘Folk-might is wise then, even as I am; and forsooth asthou art. For bethink thee if the bow drawn at a venture should speedthe eyeless shaft against thy breast, and send me forth a wanderer frommy Folk! For how could I bear the sight of the fair Dale, and no hope tosee thee again therein?’
She said: ‘The heart is light within me to-day. Deemest thou that thisis strange? Or dost thou call to
mind that which thou spakest the otherday, that it was of no avail to stand in the Doom-ring of the Folk andbear witness against ourselves? This will I not. This is nolight-mindedness that thou beholdest in me, but the valiancy that theFathers have set in mine heart. Deem not, O Gold-mane, fear not, that weshall die before they dight the bride-bed for us.’
He would have kissed her mouth, but she put him away with her hand, anddoffed her helm and laid it on the grass, and said:
‘This is not the last time that thou shalt kiss me, Gold-mane, my dear;and yet I long for it as if it were, so high as the Fathers have raisedme up this morn above fear and sadness.’
He said nought, but drew her to him, and wonder so moved him, that helooked long and closely at her face before he kissed her; and forsooth hecould find no blemish in it: it was as if it were but new come from thesmithy of the Gods, and exceeding longing took hold of him. But even astheir lips met, from the head of the Vale came the voice of the greathorn; and it was answered straightway by the watchers all down the tents;and presently arose the shouts of men and the clash of weapons as folkarmed themselves, and laughter therewith, for most men were battle-merry,and the cries of women shrilly-clear as they hastened about, busy overthe morning meal before the departure of the Host. But Face-of-god saidsoftly, still caressing the Sun-beam, and she him:
‘Thus then we depart from this Valley of the Shadows, but as thou saidstwhen first we met therein, there shall be no sundering of thee and me,but thou shalt go down with me to the battle.’
And he led her by the hand into the Hall of the Wolf, and there they atea morsel, and thereafter Face-of-god tarried not, but busied himselfalong with Folk-might and the other chieftains in arraying the Host fordeparture.
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