Havelok The Dane by Charles Whistler (freenovel24 .TXT) 📖

dowry, and honest was the king in this matter at least.

Now were the vows to be said and the bride cup to be drunk, and that was the hardest part of all to Havelok.

Slowly he rose as the king held it out to him, and he took it from his hand and stood before Goldberga; and she, too, rose and faced him, and for a moment they stood thus, surely the most handsome couple that had ever been.

Then Havelok said, looking in the clear eyes of the princess, "This have I sworn, that I will wed no unwilling bride. It is but for you to say one word, and the cup falls, and all is ended."

Alsi started at that, and I thought he was going to speak, but he held his peace. Still as a rock was Havelok while he waited for the answer, and the folk in the hall were as still as he. They began to see that all was not right as the king would have it thought.

Once the princess looked at Alsi, and that with pride in her face, and then she looked long and steadfastly at Havelok, and one by one his fingers loosened themselves on the golden stem of the cup, that she might know him ready for her word.

Then she put forth her hand and closed it round his strong fingers, that he must hold it fast by her doing, and that was all that was needed. It was more than words could have told. And she smiled as she did it.

And at that a light came on Havelok's face, and he smiled gravely back at her, and he said in a low voice that shook a little, "May the gods so treat me as I treat you, my princess. Can it be that you will trust me thus?"

She answered in no words, but I saw her hand tighten over his, and her eyes never left his face.

Then Havelok raised his other hand, and took that of Goldberga, which was on the cup, and faced to the people.

"Thus do I pledge her who shall be henceforward my wife through good and ill; and may Odin, Freya, and Niord be witnesses of my oath of faith to her in all that the word may mean."

So he drank, and I stole a glance at the king. Never saw I a man so amazed, for to him the Danish names of the Asir had come as some sort of a shock, seeing that he had deemed this man, with the name of Curan, a Briton. And he looked at Berthun with a look that seemed to say more than was likely to be pleasant by-and-by. But the steward paid no heed to him.

Now Havelok had made his vow, and he gave the cup to the princess; and she, too, turned a little toward the people, but still she looked on Havelok.

"Faith shall answer to faith," she said in a clear voice. "Here do I take this man for my husband, in the sight of God, and with you all as witnesses, and I pray that the blessing of Him may be on us both."

So she drank also, and Havelok stopped and raised the wondrous ring from where it had been unheeded on the floor, and took the band of Goldberga, and set it on her finger, and kissed the hand ere he let it go.

But Goldberga lifted her face toward him, and he bent and kissed her forehead, and so they were wedded.

I have heard men scoff at the thought of love at first sight, but never can any one of us do so who saw this wedding.

CHAPTER XVII. HOW THE BRIDE WENT HOME.

Now the folk cheered, and loudest of all honest Eglaf and his warriors. I wondered what should come next, for neither feast nor bride ale was prepared, and Berthun was looking puzzled. Then I saw that the only face in all the wide hall which was not bright was that of Alsi, and his brow was black as a thunder cloud, while his fingers were white with the force with which he clutched and twisted the end of his jewelled belt. Plainly he was in a royal rage that none had scoffed at this wedding, but that all had taken it as a matter that was right altogether.

But he had one more evil thing in his mind that must be seen through; and he came forward, smoothing his face, as best he might, to the fixed smile that I had seen when he spoke with Ragnar, and learned that his first plot had miscarried.

"Now, friends," he said, "all this has been so hasty that we have prepared no feast. Even now, it seems that the horses stand at the door to take bride and bridegroom hence, and doubtless there waits somewhere the feast that has been bespoken without my knowledge. Well, strange are the ways of lovers, and we will pardon them. I have therefore only to bid them farewell."

With that he turned to Havelok, and held out his hand, as in all good fellowship, but Havelok would not see it.

"Fare as it shall be meted to you by the Asir, King Alsi," he said, "for at least Loki loves craft."

Then he turned to me, and asked hurriedly where we should go if we must leave thus.

"To Grimsby," I said. "That is home."

Alsi spoke to the princess now, and maybe it was as well that he did not offer so much as his hand. Wise was he in his way.

"Farewell, niece," he said; "all this shall come shortly before the Witan of Ethelwald's folk."

"Farewell, uncle," she answered calmly. "That is a matter which I will see to myself. You have carried out your oath to the letter, so far, and now it remains that you should leave the government of the realm to me."

With that she put her hand on Havelok's arm.

"Come, husband; we have heard that the horses wait. Let us be gone."

And then in a quick whisper she added, as if nigh overdone, "Take me hence quickly, for I may not bear more."

They wasted no more words; and through a lane of folk, who blessed them, those two went to the great door down the long hall, and I followed, and Berthun and the nurse came after me. One flung the door open; and on the steps, all unaware of what had happened, lounged Mord, waiting, and up and down on the green the grooms led the horses of the princess--six in all. On two were packed her goods, and the third had a pack saddle that waited for the bags that held her dowry. The other three were for herself and Mord and the nurse. There was not one for Havelok.

"This is hasty, my princess," Mord said. "Whither are we bound?"

"For Grimsby, Mord," I answered quickly. "Are there no more horses to be had?"

"Never a one, unless we steal from the king," he answered.

The people were crowding out now that they might see the start, and I saw Berthun speak to a man among them who was a stranger to me. And from him he turned directly with a glad face.

"Go down to such a hostelry," he said to me, "and there ask for what horses you will. Maybe I shall have to follow you for my part in this matter--that is, if I am not put in the dungeon."

"Faith," I answered, "better had you come with us than run that risk. Alsi is in a bad mood."

He shook his head; and then the people behind him made way, for the king was coming.

"Almost had you forgotten this," he said; "and I think you will want it."

The men with the money were there, and he waved his hand to them. Havelok lifted the princess to her horse without heeding him, and the men set the bags on the pack horses.

"See the bridegroom down the street, you who were his witnesses," the king went on, with a curling lip; "and if you are a wise man, master Berthun, you will not come back again."

Berthun bowed and went into the hail, past the king, and across to his own door, without a word. After him the thronging people closed up, and though I thought that a housecarl would have been sent to see what he was about, this would have made an open talk, and Alsi forbore.

"Let Havelok take your horse, Mord," I whispered to him; "I will tell you why directly."

He nodded, and I told Havelok to mount. Then I helped up the nurse, who wept and muttered to herself; and so we started, Alsi standing on the steps with words of feigned goodspeed as we did so.

But the housecarls and the people shouted with wishes that were real, no doubt thinking that we were bound for the far-off kingdom of the prince who had won Goldberga by service as a kitchen knave in her uncle's hall for very love of her.

Directly we were outside the gate that leads down the hill, I saw Withelm, who was there waiting for me, and he knew at once what had happened.

He came to my side, and asked only, "Already?"

"Already," I answered; "but it is well. Go to the widow's straightway, and bring Havelok's arms to him at the hostelry at the end of the marketplace, where we have to find more horses."

He went at once, and silently we came down the street and to the courtyard of the inn. Some few folk stared at us; but the princess was hardly known here, and she had cast her long, white mantle hoodwise over her head and face, so that one could not tell who she was. So early in the day there were few people in the marketplace either.

Berthun was in the courtyard of the inn, and I was glad to see him, for I did not know what would happen to him. It was likely that Alsi would seek for someone on whom to visit his anger at the way things had gone. But the steward had been warned, and was not one to run any risk.

"I did but go back for a few things that I did not care to leave," he said; and he showed me that he had brought his own horse from the stables, and on it were large saddlebags. No poor man was Berthun after years of service in the palace, where gifts from thane and lady are always ready for the man who has had the care of them. Across the saddle bow also were his mail shirt and arms, and his shield hung with his helm from the peak.

"You see that I must needs cast in my lot with yours, or rather Curan's," he said, laughing; "but it is in my mind that in the end I shall not be sorry to have done so. I think that I am tired of the fireside, and want adventure for a while."

"Well," I answered, "you are likely to have them, and that shortly, if I am not mistaken; but we shall see. Now about these horses, for we had better get out of Lincoln as soon as we may."

The man he had spoken with was a merchant, who came yearly, and was a friend of