CHAPTER LIII. OF THE WORD WHICH HALL-WARD OF THE STEER HAD FORFOLK-MIGHT.
BUT of the time then passing, it is to be said that the whole host abodein Silver-dale in great mirth and good liking, till they should heartidings of Dallach and his company, who had followed hot-foot on thefleers of the Dusky Men. And on the tenth day after the battle,Iron-face and his two sons and Stone-face were sitting about sunset undera great oak-tree by that stream-side which ran through the Mote-stead;there also was Folk-might, somewhat distraught because of his love forthe Bride, who was now mending of her hurts. As they sat there in allcontent they saw folk coming toward them, three in number, and as theydrew nigher they saw that it was old Hall-ward of the Steer, and theSun-beam and Bow-may following him hand in hand.
When they came to the brook Bow-may ran up to the elder to help him overthe stepping-stones; which she did as one who loved him, as the old manwas stark enough to have waded the water waist-deep. She was no longerin her war-gear, but was clad after her wont of Shadowy Vale, in noughtbut a white woollen kirtle. So she stood in the stream beside thestones, and let the swift water ripple up over her ankles, while theelder leaned on her shoulder and looked down upon her kindly. TheSun-beam followed after them, stepping daintily from stone to stone, sothat she was a fair sight to see; her face was smiling and happy, and asshe stepped forth on to the green grass the colour flushed up in it, butshe cast her eyes adown as one somewhat shamefaced.
So the chieftains rose up before the leader of the Steer, and Folk-mightwent up to him, and greeted him, and took his hand and kissed him on thecheek. And Hall-ward said:
‘Hail to the chiefs of the kindred, and my earthly friends!’
Then Folk-might bade him sit down by him, and all the men sat down again;but the Sun-beam leaned her back against a sapling ash hard by, her feetset close together; and Bow-may went to and fro in short turns, keepingwell within ear-shot.
Then said Hall-ward: ‘Folk-might, I have prayed thy kinswoman Bow-may tolead me to thee, that I might speak with thee; and it is good that I findmy kinsmen of the Face in thy company; for I would say a word to theethat concerns them somewhat.’
Said Folk-might: ‘Guest, and warrior of the Steer, thy words are evergood; and if this time thou comest to ask aught of me, then shall they bebetter than good.’
Said Hall-ward: ‘Tell me, Folk-might, hast thou seen my daughter theBride to-day?’
‘Yea,’ said Folk-might, reddening.
‘What didst thou deem of her state?’ said Hall-ward.
Said Folk-might: ‘Thou knowest thyself that the fever hath left her, andthat she is mending.’
Hall-ward said: ‘In a few days belike we shall be wending home toBurgdale: when deemest thou that the Bride may travel, if it were but ona litter?’
Folk-might was silent, and Hall-ward smiled on him and said:
‘Wouldst thou have her tarry, O chief of the Wolf?’
‘So it is,’ said Folk-might, ‘that it might be labour lost for her tojourney to Burgdale at present.’
‘Thinkest thou?’ said Hall-ward; ‘hast thou a mind then that if she goethshe shall speedily come back hither?’
‘It has been in my mind,’ said Folk-might, ‘that I should wed her. Wiltthou gainsay it? I pray thee, Iron-face my friend, and ye Stone-face andHall-face, and thou, Face-of-god, my brother, to lay thy words to mine inthis matter.’
Then said Hall-ward stroking his beard: ‘There will be a seat missing inthe Hall of the Steer, and a sore lack in the heart of many a man inBurgdale if the Bride come back to us no more. We looked not to lose themaiden by her wedding; for it is no long way betwixt the House of theSteer and the House of the Face. But now, when I arise in the morningand miss her, I shall take my staff and walk down the street ofBurgstead; for I shall say, The Maiden hath gone to see Iron-face myfriend; she is well in the House of the Face. And then shall I rememberhow that the wood and the wastes lie between us. How sayest thou,Alderman?’
‘A sore lack it will be,’ said Iron-face; ‘but all good go with her!Though whiles shall I go hatless down Burgstead street, and say, Now willI go fetch my daughter the Bride from the House of the Steer; while manya day’s journey shall lie betwixt us.’
Said Hall-ward: ‘I will not beat about the bush, Folk-might; what giftwilt thou give us for the maiden?’
Said Folk-might: ‘Whatever is mine shall be thine; and whatsoever of theDale the kindred and the poor folk begrudge thee not, that shalt thouhave; and deemest thou that they will begrudge thee aught? Is itenough?’
Hall-ward said: ‘I wot not, chieftain; see thou to it! Bow-may, myfriend, bring hither that which I would have from Silver-dale for theHouse of the Steer in payment for our maiden.’
Then Bow-may came forward speedily, and went up to the Sun-beam, and ledher by the hand in front of Folk-might and Hall-ward and the otherchieftains. Then Folk-might started, and leapt up from the ground; for,sooth to say, he had been thinking so wholly of the Bride, that hissister was not in his mind, and he had had no deeming of whitherHall-ward was coming, though the others guessed well enough, and nowsmiled on him merrily, when they saw how wild Folk-might stared. As forthe Sun-beam, she stood there blushing like a rose in June, but lookingher brother straight in the face, as Hall-ward said:
‘Folk-might, chief of the Wolf, since thou wouldst take our maiden theBride away from us, I ask thee to make good her place with this maiden;so that the House of the Steer may not lack, when they who are wont towed therein come to us and pray us for a bedfellow for the best of theirkindred.’
Then became Folk-might smiling and merry like unto the others, and hesaid: ‘Chief of the Steer, this gift is thine, together with aught elsewhich thou mayst desire of us.’
Then he kissed the Sun-beam, and said: ‘Sister, we looked for this tobefall in some fashion. Yet we deemed that he that should lead thee awaymight abide with us for a moon or two. But now let all this be, since ifthou art not to bear children to the kindreds of Silver-dale, yet shaltthou bear them to their friends and fellows. And now choose what giftthou wilt have of us to keep us in thy memory.’
She said: ‘The memory of my people shall not fade from me; yet indeed Iask thee for a gift, to wit, Bow-may, and the two sons of Wood-fatherthat are left since Wood-wicked was slain; and belike the elder and hiswife will be fain to go with their sons, and ye will not hinder them.’
‘Even so shall it be done,’ said Folk-might, and he was silent a while,pondering; and then he said:
‘Lo you, friends! doth it not seem strange to you that peace sundereth aswell as war? Indeed I deem it grievous that ye shall have to miss yourwell-beloved kinswoman. And for me, I am now grown so used to this womanmy sister, though at whiles she hath been masterful with me, that I shalloften turn about and think to speak to her, when there lie long days ofwood and waste betwixt her voice and mine.
The Sun-beam laughed in his face, though the tears stood in her eyes, asshe said: ‘Keep up thine heart, brother; for at least the way is shorterbetwixt Burgdale and Silver-dale than betwixt life and death; and theroad we shall learn belike.’
Said Hall-face: ‘So it is that my brother is no ill woodman, as yelearned last autumn.’
Iron-face smiled, but somewhat sadly; for he beheld Face-of-god, who hadno eyes for anyone save the Sun-beam; and no marvel was that, for neverhad she looked fairer. And forsooth the War-leader was not utterlywell-pleased; for he was deeming that there would be delaying of hiswedding, now that the Sun-beam was to become a maid of the Steer; and inhis mind he half deemed that it would be better if he were to take her bythe hand and lead her home through the wild-wood, he and she alone; andshe looked on him shyly, as though she had a deeming of his thought.Albeit he knew it might not be, that he, the chosen War-leader, shouldtrouble the peace of the kindred; for he wotted that all this was donefor peace’ sake.
So Hall-ward stood forth and took the Sun-beam’s right hand in his, andsaid:
‘Now do I take this mai
den, Sun-beam of the kindred of the Wolf, and leadher into the House of the Steer, to be in all ways one of the maidens ofour House, and to wed in the blood wherein we have been wont to wed.Neither from henceforth let anyone say that this woman is not of theblood of the Steer; for we have given her our blood, and she is of usduly and truly.’
Thereafter they talked together merrily for a little, and then turnedtoward the houses, for the sun was now down; and as they went Iron-facespake to his son, and said:
‘Gold-mane, wilt thou verily keep thine oath to wed the fairest woman inthe world? By how much is this one fairer than my dear daughter whoshall no more dwell in mine house?’
Said Face-of-god: ‘Yea, father, I shall keep mine oath; for the Gods, whoknow much, know that when I swore last Yule I was thinking of the fairwoman going yonder beside Hall-ward, and of none other.’
‘Ah, son!’ said Iron-face, ‘why didst thou beguile us? Hadst thou buttold us the truth then!’
‘Yea, Alderman,’ said Face-of-god smiling, ‘and how thou wouldest haveraged against me then, when thou hast scarce forgiven me now! In sooth,father, I feared to tell you all: I was young; I was one against theworld. Yea, yea; and even that was sweet to me, so sorely as I lovedher—Hast thou forgotten, father?’
Iron-face smiled, and answered not; and so came they to the house whereinthey were guested.
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