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diff --git a/42050.txt b/42050.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 087e771..0000000 --- a/42050.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15602 +0,0 @@ - FOR THE WHITE CHRIST - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: For The White Christ - A Story of the Days of Charlemagne -Author: Robert Ames Bennet -Release Date: February 08, 2013 [EBook #42050] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOR THE WHITE CHRIST *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: "'Bend lower, king's daughter--little vala with eyes like -dewy violets!'" (Page 250)] - - - - - FOR THE - WHITE CHRIST - - A Story - of - The Days of Charlemagne - - - BY - Robert Ames Bennet - - - Having Pictures and Designs by - Troy & Margaret West Kinney - - - - Chicago - A. C. McClurg & Co. - 1905 - - - - - Copyright, - By A. C. McClurg & Co. - 1905 - - Published March 18, 1905 - - - Entered at Stationers' Hall, London - - All rights reserved - - - - The University Press, Cambridge, U.S.A. - - - - - When Alcuin taught the sons of Charlemagne, - In the free schools of Aix, how kings should rule. - LONGFELLOW. - - - - To the Memory - of - My Mother - - - - - ACKNOWLEDGMENT - - -All the chapter headings of this story are taken from lays which were -sung by harpers and skalds before the high-seats of heathen Norse chiefs -and in the halls of the Anglo-Saxon kings, while England was yet a -heptarchy and the name of Mohammed but little known to men even on the -shores of the far-distant Bosphorus. - -In most instances the selections are from Magnusson and Morris's -beautiful translations of "The Volsunga Saga, and Certain Songs from the -Elder Edda." The spirited lines from "Beowulf," "Maldon," "Finnesburh," -and "Andreas" were found in Gummerle's "Germanic Origins." The -translation of "Brunanburh" is by Tennyson. - -Apology is due for occasional alterations and elisions, all of which -will readily be detected by students of the wonderful poetic fragments -which have come down to us from our Norse and Teutonic forefathers. - -R. A. B. -Denver, January 1, 1905. - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"'Bend lower, king's daughter--little vala with eyes like dewy -violets!'" . . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece - -"White to the lips, the young sea-king turned to his enemy" - -"'Love!' she cried, half hissing the word. 'You speak of love,--you, the -heathen outlander!'" - -"'Go, Olvir!' muttered the king, thickly; 'go--before I forget that I -once loved you'" - - - - - FOR THE WHITE CHRIST - - - BOOK ONE - - Now death has seized-- -Bale and terror--my trusty people, -Laid down life have my liegemen all. - BEOWULF. - - - - CHAPTER I - -Swans of the Dane-folk-- -The ships of Sigmund-- -Heads all gilt over, -And prows fair graven. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -Early of an April morning of the year 778, a broad-beamed Frisian -trade-ship was drifting with the ebb-tide down the Seine estuary. -Wrapped about by the morning vapors, the deeply laden little craft -floated on the stream like a dreamship. The mists shut out all view of -sky and land and sea. From the quarter-deck, the two men beside the -steer-oar could scarcely see across the open cargo-heaped waist to -where, gathered silently about the mast, a dozen or so drowsy sailors -stood waiting for the morning breeze. - -The remainder of the crew lay sprawled upon the casks and bales of -merchandise, side by side with a score of Frankish warriors. All alike -were heavy with drunken slumber. The shipmaster, a squat red-haired man -of great girth, regarded the overcome wassailers with an indifferent -eye; but the tall warrior beside him appeared far from pleased by the -sight. - -"Is it so you rule your ship, Frisian?" he demanded. "You should have -stopped the wassail by midnight. Here we swim on the treacherous sea, -while our men lie in drunken stupor." - -"We are yet in the stream, lord count," replied the shipmaster. "As to -my Frisians, a dash of salt water will soon rouse them. If your -landsmen are farther gone, what odds? Drunk or sober, they 'll be alike -useless when we strike rough seas." - -The Frank's face lit with a smile as quick as its frown. - -"There you are mistaken, Frisian," he said. "A man may bear the wild -waters no love, yet owe them no fear. Twice I have crossed this narrow -sea, as envoy of our Lord Karl to the kings of the Anglo-Saxons, and my -henchmen sailed with me." - -"Yours are king's men, lord count,--all busked like chiefs." - -"Man for man, I would pit them against the followers of any leader. -Better a few picked warriors, so armed, than twice their number of -common freemen." - -"Well said!" muttered the Frisian; "a choice following. I 'd wager on -them, even against Dane steel--except the sea-wolves of Olvir Elfkin." - -"Olvir Elfkin? You speak of a liegeman of Sigfrid, King of the -Nordmannian Danes?" - -"No, lord count; Earl Olvir is far too proud to let himself be called -the man of any king. I sail far on my trade-farings. At the fair of -Gardariki, across the great gulf from the Swedes, I saw the Norse hero. -His father was one-time king of the Trondir, a folk who dwell beneath -the very eaves of the ice-giants. His mother was an elf-maiden from the -far Eastland. Another time I will tell you that tale, lord count. I -had it from Floki the Crane, my Norse sword-brother. But now I speak of -Earl Olvir's following. He is so famed in the North that the greatest -heroes think it honor to fight beneath his banner; and he rules the -mail-clad giants as our great King Karl rules his counts. Six seasons -in all he has come swooping south from his ice-cliffs to harry the -coasts of Jutland and Nordmannia; and though even now he is little more -than a bairn in years, each time that he steered about for his home -fiord he left a war-trail of sunken longships to mark his outbound -course." - -"I heard much of such sea-fights from that mighty Dane hero Otkar,--he -who went over to King Desiderius and fought against our Lord Karl in the -Lombard war." - -"Ay; who has not heard of Otkar Jotuntop,--Otkar the Dane? This very -Earl Olvir of whom I spoke is of kin to the hero." - -"Even I have heard of Lord Otkar," called out a childish voice, and the -speaker sprang lightly up the deck ladder. She was a lissome little -maiden, barely out of childhood, yet possessed of an unconscious dignity -of look and bearing that well matched her rich costume. - -The warrior bowed low to her half-shy, half-gay greeting, and smiling -down into her violet eyes, he replied in a tone of tender deference, -"The Princess Rothada is early awake. Shall I not call the -tiring-woman?" - -The girl put up her hand to touch the coronet which bound her chestnut -hair, and her glance passed in naive admiration down the -gold-embroidered border of her loose-sleeved overdress. - -"Princess! princess!" she cried gayly. "To think that only four days -have gone since with Gisela and the other maidens I waited upon the -blessed sisters! And now I wear a ring and silken dresses, and the -greatest war-count of the king my father--but are you not my kinsman, -lord count?" - -"Your cousin, little princess. My mother was a sister of our lord -king." - -"Then you shall no longer call me princess, but Rothada, and I shall -call you Roland. Few maidens can own kinsmen so tall and grand!" and -Rothada stared up in half-awed admiration at the count's war-dinted -helmet and shining scale-hauberk. - -The warrior's blue eyes glowed, but there was no vanity with his frank -pleasure. - -"Saint Michael give me skill to shield you from all harm!" he said. - -"Surely he has already strengthened your arm. In all the land you stand -second only to the king my father!--But you spoke of Otkar the Dane. -Tell me more about him, cousin. Already I know that he was a heathen -count from the far North, more learned than any monk or priest, and in -battle mightier even than my father. Two winters ago there came to -Chelles a maiden who knew many tales of the Saxon and Lombard -wars,--Fastrada--" - -Roland's cheeks flushed, and he stooped forward eagerly. - -"Fastrada!" he exclaimed. "You knew her?" - -"For a winter's time---" - -"You will meet her again. She is now one of the queen's maidens,--the -fairest of them all." - -"Then you like her, cousin," replied Rothada, with innocent candor. "It -was different with Gisela and me. Many of the maidens feared her, and -she broke the holy rules and talked so much of warriors that the good -abbess sent her away. Yet that is long since--she may have changed." - -"None could but like her now, child," replied Roland, softly. Yet even -as he spoke, some unwelcome thought blotted the smile from his face. He -frowned and stared moodily out into the wavering mists. - -The girl followed his look, and the sight of the water alongside -recalled her to the present. - -"See, kinsman," she said, with a sudden return of gayety, "the sailors -spread the sail. How long shall we be upon the sea until we reach the -Garonne?" - -"Were we travelling by land, I could tell you, little princess. But I -am no sea-count. Our shipmaster can best answer you." - -The Frisian turned to the daughter of the great king with an uncouth -attempt at a bow. - -"Wind and wave are fickle, maiden, and no sea is rougher than the Vascon -Bay," he grumbled. "But with fair wind I land you at Casseneuil while -the lord count's horsemen yet ride in Aquitania." - -"That I doubt, man," said Roland. "Yet here is promise of fair sailing. -The sun melts the mists, and with it comes the breeze to sweep them -away." - -"Ay; the fog breaks. Between sun and wind we 'll see both shores before -the ship gains full headway." - -"I already see-- Look, man! Can we be so close inshore? What flashes -so brightly?" - -The Frisian wheeled about, an anxious frown lowering beneath his shaggy -forelock. His alarm was only too well founded. A puff of the -freshening breeze swept before it the last bank of vapor, and revealed -with startling clearness two grim black hulls, along whose sweeping -bulwarks hung rows of yellow shields. On the lofty prows shone the -gilded dragon-heads whose glitter had first caught Roland's eye. The -single masts were bare of yard and sail; but along each side a dozen or -more great sweeps thrust out beneath the scaly shield-row like the legs -of a dragon. - -"Danes!" gasped the Frisian, and from the grimly beautiful viking ships, -every line of which spoke of grace and speed, he turned a despairing eye -upon his clumsy trade-ship. - -"Lost! lost!" he cried. "Already they come about to give chase--Garpike -and the lame duck! Paul seize all vikings!" - -"No, Frisian," rejoined Roland. "These, in truth, are war-ships; yet -they come in peace. Dane or other, they dare not attack us on the coast -of Neustria." - -As though in retort to this proud boast, a red shield swung up to each -Danish masthead, and across the water rolled a fierce war-cry. Roused -by the wild shout, all the sleepers in the trade-ship's waist sprang to -their feet. But while the Frisians huddled about the mast like -frightened sheep, the Franks met the sudden danger with the steadiness -of seasoned warriors. At a sign from their lord, they crept aft, sword -and axe in hand, and crouched on the deck behind the bulwarks. As they -made ready for battle, Roland caught up the hand of Rothada, who stood -gazing at the viking ships in mingled terror and admiration. - -"Princess," he said, "the heathen shoot far with bow and sling. It is -time you sought shelter below. For a while you can there lie in -safety." - -"But you, cousin? The Dane ships swarm with warriors. You and your men -will all be slain! Do not fight them, Roland! Let there be no -bloodshed." - -"A wise maiden!" cried the shipmaster. "Mark the odds,--one stroke -brings death to us all. Yield, lord Frank! What if they give two or -three to Odin? The rest they 'll spare for thralls or set free for -wergild." - -"Ah, Roland, yield, then! Do not anger the terrible heathen. My father -will soon ransom us." - -"And what will he say to his daughter's faithless warder,--to the coward -who, without a blow, yielded a king's child into heathen thraldom?--By -my sword, the Danes take you only over the corpse of the last Frank in -this ship!" - -But proudly as he spoke, when he swung the girl down from the deck, the -count's heart sickened at thought of her helplessness. How would the -little cloister-maiden fare in the hands of the fierce sea-thieves? The -anguish of the thought filled him with renewed rage. He gripped his -sword-hilt. - -"Now to die, with a score of Danes for death-bed," he muttered. - -Then a sudden hope flashed from his blue eyes. He seized the steersman -by the shoulder, and shouted joyfully: "Ho, Frisian; we may yet go free! -Cast over the cargo! The breeze freshens; we 'll outsail the thieves!" - -"Only another viking could do that--yet the cloth bales will float--the -Danes may linger to pick them up. A good trick, if old-- But what-- -Curse of the foul fiend! Look to seaward--three more longships--across -our course!" - -"The race is run! Strike sail, man, and go forward to your sailors. -You and they may so save your skins. I and my men die here." - -"I, too, can die," answered the shipmaster, stolidly, and he drew a -curved sword-knife from his belt. - -"Go; you wear no war-gear," commanded Roland. - -"I will fight berserk, as they say in the North." - -"Then take my shield, and with it the thanks of a Frankish count. No -braver man ever fought beside me." - -The Frisian took the shield, unmoved by the praise. - -"Once I had a Northman for sword-fellow. They called him Floki the -Crane. From him I learned the ways of vikings. They know how to die." - -"No less do my henchmen," rejoined Roland, and he shook the great mane -of tawny hair which fell about his shoulders. Here was no Romanized -Neustrian, tainted and weakened by the vices of a corrupt civilization, -but a German warrior,--an Austrasian of pure blood. He watched the -approaching Danes, eager for battle. - -The Frisian, as he slipped the shield upon his arm, stared at the Frank -with a look of dull admiration. But when an arrow whistled close -overhead, he wheeled hastily about and shouted command to strike sail. -The order was obeyed with zeal, for the crew stood trembling in dread of -the Danish missiles. Down rushed the great wool sheet, and an exultant -shout rolled out from the pursuing longships. Count Roland smiled -grimly. - -"Hearken, men!" he said; "the heathen think we yield. They lay aside -bow and sling. All will be axe and sword play. They shall learn the -taste of Frankish steel!" - -The Frisian shook his head: "No, no, lord count. They 'll board on -either quarter, and overwhelm us. Your men are too scattered. The -Danes--" - -"No, by my sword! The leading craft sheers off." - -"She steers to meet the seaward ships! The Norns smile upon us, Frank. -We are doomed; but many a Dane goes before us to Hel's Land!" - -"Brave words, man, though strange on the lips of a Christian," replied -Roland, and he drew his short-hafted battle-axe. "Now, men, make ready. -The Dane ship closes like a hound on the deer's flank. It will find the -stag at bay! When I cast my axe, leap up and strike for Christ and -king." - -A low murmur came back from the crouching Franks, and they gripped their -weapons with added firmness. They were picked men, who had fought in all -the wars of Karl and of Pepin his father. One, a hoary giant of sixty, -could even boast that as a boy he had swung a sword in the fateful -battle of Tours, when Karl the Hammer had shattered the conquering hosts -of Mohammed. Death had no terrors for such iron-hearted warriors. All -they asked was the chance to sell their lives dearly. Like hunted -wolves, they lay in wait, while the shouting Danes rowed up to seize -their prize. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - -Thought shall be the harder, heart the keener, -Mood shall be the more, as our might lessens. -Grief and sorrow forever -On the man that leaves this sword-play! - SONG OF MALDON. - - -Already the longship lay close astern. A harsh command sent the oars -rattling in through their ports; and as the dragon prow overlapped the -flank of the quarry, a dozen grappling-hooks fell clanking across the -bulwark. Half the longship's crew swarmed in the bows,--a wild-eyed, -skin-clad band, staring with fierce greed at the casks and bales with -which the trade-ship was laden. None of them looked twice at the two -men standing so quietly in the middle of the deck. In their eagerness -for loot, all pressed forward to board the trade-ship, and so little did -they dream of resistance that many bore their weapons sheathed. - -They were soon to learn their mistake. As the first Dane leaped upon -the bulwark, Roland swept his axe overhead and hurled it at the luckless -viking. Across the front the Dane's wolfskin serk was thickly sewn with -iron rings; but the axe-blade shore through iron and hide like cloth, -and buried itself in the viking's breast. - -The surprise could not have been more complete. As the axe flashed over -their heads, the hidden warriors sprang up and fell upon the Danes with -all the fury of despair. Their lord and the Frisian sprang forward -beside them, and the Frankish blades threshed across the bulwarks in -swift strokes that cut down a dozen vikings before they could guard -themselves. More in astonishment than dismay, the foremost Danes -recoiled upon their fellows, causing a jam and confusion that prolonged -the vantage of the Franks. Like flails the weapons of the grey warriors -beat upon the round shields of the heathen. - -"Strike! strike!" they shouted in the fierce joy of battle. "Christ and -king! Down with the pagans! death to the sea-thieves!" - -On the right the shipmaster thrust his pointed sword-knife into the -faces of the enemy; on the left the axe of the hoary giant of Tours fell -like Thor's hammer; while between the two, Roland, wielding his sword in -both hands, cut down a Dane with every blow. His eyes flashed with the -fire of battle, and as he struck he shouted tauntingly: "Ho, Danes! ho, -sea-thieves! here is sword-play! Run, cast your spears from shelter! -Frank steel bites deep!" - -The answer was a roar of fury. The death of their fellows only roused -the Danes to wild rage. Their huge bodies quivered, and eyes yet more -fiery than Roland's flamed with the battle-light. The air rang with the -clash of weapons, and the terrible war-cry swelled into a deafening -roar,--"Thor aid! Thor aid! Death to the Frank dogs!" - -In a mass the vikings surged forward and leaped at the bulwark. Vainly -the Franks sought to withstand the shock. The crashing strokes of -Roland's sword kept clear all the space within its sweep; but on either -side the vikings burst across the bulwark in overwhelming numbers. -Shield clashed against shield, and blades beat upon helmet and hauberk -with the clang of a hundred smithies. No warriors could long withstand -such odds. Down went the Frisian under the blade of a berserk axe, and -after him fell the old giant of Tours, a throttled Dane in his grip. -Then four more Franks fell, all together, and the whole line reeled back -across the deck. The defence was broken. The Danes yelled in fierce -triumph and surged forward to thrust their handful of foes over into the -sea. Many warriors so hard pressed would have flung down their weapons -and begged for quarter. Not so the henchmen of the king's kin. - -"Back to back!" called their count, and for a moment he checked the -Danish rush by the sweep of his single sword. Brief as was the respite, -it gave his followers time to rally. They sprang together and ringed -about their leader in a shieldburg that all the wild fury of the vikings -could not break. Like their lord, these grey warriors were Rhinemen of -pure German blood. Between them and their foes was slight difference -other than the veneer of a nominal Christianity. Drunk with the wine of -battle, they whirled their reddened blades and rejoiced to slay and be -slain in Odin's game. One by one, they staggered and fell, striking -even in the death-agony. Those who were left only narrowed their ring to -close the gaps, and fought on. - -Of all the virtues, Northman and Teuton alike gave first place to -courage. Wonder seized the Danes at the very height of their -blood-fury. Never before had even they, the fierce sea-wolves, -witnessed such sword-play. Overcome by admiration, many drew back as the -last few Franks fell dying. When Roland stood alone within their -circle, by common impulse they lowered their weapons and shouted to -spare the hero. Only one voice dissented--but it was the voice of the -Danish chief. - -The sea-king had been steering his ship, and so unexpected and furious -was the fight that its end came before he could force a way through the -press of his own men. Enraged that he had failed to come to blows, he -now pushed to the front, a grand and imposing figure in his scale -hauberk and gold-winged helmet. But beneath the helmet's bright rim -lowered a face more brutal and ferocious than a Saxon outlaw's. - -"Way!" he shouted; and as the vikings parted, he stepped over the slain -to where Roland leaned heavily upon his sword. - -"So-ho!" he jeered, and he eyed the gasping Frank with cruel -satisfaction. "They breed bears in the South worth the baiting." - -Roland's eyes flashed as he answered: "Heathen boar! you may well talk -of baiting. Count your men who have fallen. Had I half my strength, I -'d send you with them to burn in Tartarus!" - -"Had you all your strength, Frank, I should strike off your hands with -Ironbiter my sword, and cast you overboard to the sea-god. As it is, I -'ll take you thrall and break your back on Thor's Stone at the Winter -Sacrifice. Next Yule the followers of Hroar the Cruel shall drink to -Thor and Frey from the skull of Earl Roland, the kin of the Frank king." - -The count started in astonishment. - -"Tell me, Dane!" he cried; "how do you know my name? Not by chance did -you lie in the Seine Mouth!" - -"True, thrall; I can swear to that," answered Hroar, and he laughed. -"Be certain I would not risk King Sigfrid's longships thus far south -without sure gain. It is no harm to speak truth to a man who is -doomed,--dead men tell no tales. May you have joy of your answer!" - -"I laugh at death. Now tell me, Dane!" - -"Know then, my merry thrall, that tidings of your sailing flew to -Nordmannia straight from the hall of your king. Sigfrid had word from -Wittikind the Saxon, and he from well-wishers across the Rhine. Not all -your king's foes dwell without his borders. Some speak Frankish for -mother-tongue--" - -"You lie! No Frank is traitor." - -Hroar only laughed and answered jeeringly: "Maybe a little bird told how -Earl Roland should sail south from the Seine with the Frank king's -daughter,--a little bird in Frankish plumage. He sang a golden song for -me. Your ship rides deep with her cargo, and Frisian thralls fetch a -good price at the Gardariki fair.--But I would see your princess. If -she is young and comely, I may have other use for her than to grind -meal." - -At the brutal words, fury seized upon Roland. His eyes blazed, and rage -lent sudden strength to his tottering frame. - -"Heathen dog!" he gasped; "never shall your eyes look on Rothada!" - -Before Hroar could guard or leap aside, the Frank's sword swung overhead -and whirled down upon his helmet like a sledge. Had the casque been of -common make, Hroar would have met his fate on the spot. As it was, the -blow beat a great dint in the gilded steel and sent the sea-king reeling -backward, stunned and blinded. A dozen vikings sprang between to shield -him, but Roland's sword dropped at their feet. Faint from loss of -blood, and utterly spent by that last great blow, the count swayed -forward. Darkness shut out from him the ring of shouting heathen. He -fell swooning upon the heap of corpses. - -"A champion! a champion! The Frank has won his freedom!" cried the -vikings, and they pressed about to raise the fallen warrior. Heedless -of their own wounds, they sought to bind up his injuries. Their warlike -but generous natures yielded homage to the hero who had met overwhelming -odds without dismay and had struck a berserk blow even when falling. -They forgot the boasted cruelty of their leader. - -Never before had the sea-king suffered such a helmet stroke. For -several moments he stood dazed, blinking at the stars which flashed -before his eyes, while his head hummed like a kettle. Then his vision -cleared, and he saw what his men were about. Into their midst he -sprang, gnashing his teeth like a wolf. - -"Aside, dogs!" he yelled. "Give me my thrall. I will tear out his -lying tongue!" - -The Danes gave back before the threatening dagger of their chief, and he -sprang upon his victim with a yell of triumph. The Frank should pay -dearly for that blow! - -Some of the milder vikings muttered against the deed. This Frank was no -whining coward, no low-born outlander, but a fair-haired hero, such as -the Sigurds and Beowulfs of the olden days. - -At the best, the Danes bore little love for the cruel Jutland champion -whom King Sigfrid had set over them. So now they murmured openly. But -Hroar was no less fearless than he was cruel. Regardless of their -protests, he turned the fallen Frank upon his back. No wolf ever fell -upon his prey with fiercer greed. - -Already he had set about his deed, when a cry of surprise from his -followers caused him to look up. The crowd had opened, and through the -midst of the warriors came a little child-maid, the like of whom the -brutal Dane had never seen. Utterly lost to self in her fear for her -kinsman, the girl advanced with outstretched arms, her tender eyes full -of reproach, her pure young face aglow with spiritual light. Had she -been Skuld, youngest of the Norns, the Dane could not have been more -astonished. He glared at the child in dull wonder. Could this be -Freya's maid,--Gifion, Goddess of Innocence and Maidenhood? At the -thought, he started back, a superstitious dread clutching at his heart. -But when the first shock of surprise had passed, he perceived the -Frankish fashion of the girl's double tunic and the circlet that marked -her rank. - -"Spawn of Loki!" he snarled. "It's only the Frank king's daughter." - -"I am Rothada, and Karl the King is my father," said the girl, with -simple dignity. "Are you not the Dane count?" - -Hroar scowled assent. - -"Speak," he said. - -The girl's courage began to falter before the ferocity of the sea-king's -stare, and, shuddering, she gazed about her at the heaps of dead and -wounded warriors. But she saw friendly looks upon many of the viking -faces, and forgot her fears once more in the thought of her -fellow-captives. - -"I come to offer ransom," she said,--"wergild for all who yet live. My -father will pay for every one,--Frank and Frisian alike." - -"Doubtless!" sneered Hroar. "But we will talk of that in Nordmannia -before King Sigfrid. Wittikind may have a word to say in the matter. -One thrall at least I keep as my share of the loot. Stand aside while I -put my mark on him." - -For the second time the Dane turned to his victim. But Rothada was -quicker than he. With a piteous cry for mercy, she flung herself upon -Roland and sought to shield him from the knife with her own slender -body. The sight would have melted any heart that held the slightest -trace of nobleness. It stirred the vikings to open mutiny. They -renewed their protests, with deeper menace in their tones, and when -Hroar bent and grasped the maiden roughly by the shoulder, one of the -foremost swung up his sword. - -"Stay, Hroar!" he commanded. "I am not used to looking on at foul -deeds. You must first pluck out my eyes before you take the Frank's -tongue." - -"Ay, and mine!" growled a second viking. - -Hroar stood erect and glared at the daring men. But neither gave way -before his terrible look. They had the backing of their fellows. The -sea-king saw this, yet his hand went to the hilt of his heavy sword. -The fight was averted, none too soon, by a scarred old berserk. - -"Bear wisdom to Urd!" he called scoffingly. "Hroar bickers with his -wolves, while the Norse hawks swoop upon him." - -At the warning, every Dane aboard the trade-ship wheeled about and -stared seaward. The harsh alarm of a war-horn, braying over the water, -was not needed to explain the situation. A bowshot away they saw their -second longship surging at full speed up the estuary. A fountain of -white spray spouted from under its forefoot, and the boiling sea -alongside, threshed to foam by the oar-blades, told that every bench was -full, every rower pulling to the utmost of his strength. Not without -cause! Close in the Dane's wake the three longships of the outer -estuary came gliding over the water in swift pursuit. Each lay far over -under the pressure of its great square sail, and from the mail-clad -crews packed along the fighting gangway behind the weather bulwarks, -rose jeers and grim laughter at the efforts of the Danes to escape. - -"Norse!" shouted Hroar. "Thor! they mean to attack us! Aboard ship and -man the oars--yet stay! First scuttle the trader. We leave no booty for -the fiordmen!" - -"They strike sail!" cried the old berserk. "Wait a little. They do not -swing the red shield. It may be a jest." - -"A bitter jest-- Ho! the foremost comes on alone. Aboard ship, all, and -stand ready to cast off. I wait the Norse earl here." - - - - - CHAPTER III - - -Thou the bane of thy brothers wast, -The chief of thy kin,--whence curse of Hel -Awaits thee, good as thy wits may be! - BEOWULF. - - -At the alarm of the Danes, the trembling heart of the little princess -leaped with joy. But the sudden hope gave way as quickly to renewed -terror. Why should the cruel sea-count linger on the trade-ship alone -if not to carry out his ferocious revenge? Closer than ever the girl -clasped the senseless warrior in her arms, until the blood from his -wounded head seeped warm through her silken kirtle, and the bell-like -rim of his helmet bruised her tender bosom. - -Breathless, she listened to the rush and outcry of the vikings as with -their wounded fellows they poured back into the longship. Then, in the -lull which followed, she could hear the smothered wail of her -tiring-woman, crouched in the cubby beneath her. Gaining courage from -the silence, she at last ventured to raise her head. She saw Hroar at -the farther bulwark, gazing intently down the estuary. He did not move, -and Rothada rose timidly to look around. - -The second Dane ship was coming about only a few yards astern; but its -crew, like the crew of its consort, were far too intent on watching the -Norse ship to give heed to the little maiden. Even the Frisian sailors -had ceased to cower, and were lined along the bulwarks forward, full of -eager hope that the approaching longship might bring them a change of -masters. Hroar's cruelty was only too well known throughout Frisia. - -Rothada also gazed at the stately prow of the stranger and joined in the -longing of her fellow-captives that the new-comers would seize the -trade-ship for their own. But the little maiden's faith gave her still -fairer hopes than those cherished by the Frisians. To her girlish -innocence, deliverance now seemed certain. She had only to appeal to -the Norse count, and he would accept ransom for all. Tears of gratitude -shone in her violet eyes as she stooped to bind up with deft fingers -such of Roland's wounds as the Danes had failed to stanch. - -Her task ended, the girl started up again to gaze over into the Norse -ship as it glided alongside. The vessel swarmed with huge warriors, -whose superiority to the Danes both in discipline and armor was so -striking that even the convent-bred maiden could not but perceive the -difference. Against such men, even had the odds been reversed, the -Danes could not have hoped to hold their own. - -When Rothada comprehended this, she clasped her hands in joy and looked -eagerly about for the Norse leader. A small blue banner, emblazoned -with a gold star, fluttered on the longship's stern, and Rothada's first -thought was that the blond viking at the helm beneath it must be the -sea-king. But then, standing alone in the vessel's prow, she saw a -warrior whom even she could not but recognize as the Norse leader. His -round casque, though wingless, was of blue steel and rimmed with a gold -band in whose front sparkled a garnet star. Even more beautiful was the -young sea-king's serk, or coat, of ring-mail, which shimmered in the sun -like ice. His small round shield differed from the usual Norse and -Frankish patterns both in the greater convexity of its shape and in the -material of its face,--a disc of hammered steel. Its bluish surface, -polished like a mirror, was traced with gold damascening both on the -boss and on the thickened rim. - -Yet with all the young sea-king's splendid war-gear, so slight and -boyish did he appear in contrast to his followers that Rothada at first -thought he could be little older than herself. But when he stepped -forward and answered Hroar's hail, it was with a haughtiness of tone and -bearing far other than childlike. - -Even as he spoke, the Northman sprang upon the bulwark of his ship and, -great as was the distance which yet separated the vessels, leaped for -the trade-ship's deck. With a cry of astonishment, Hroar sprang sideways -from before him, down upon the smooth surface of the bales of goods in -the after hold; while high above the water the leaper's bright figure -flashed through the air and shot in over the bulwark. Lightly as a -panther, the Northman struck the deck and turned instantly to confront -the Dane. But Hroar stood motionless, overcome with wonder at the -daring leap, and did not seek to regain the deck. - -Seeing that there was no danger of immediate attack, the Northman -lowered his shield and looked about with keen glances at the slaughtered -Franks and Danes. - -"Thor!" he cried, "these Rhinemen fought well. Would that I had led the -heroes! But what's this?--a Frank yet alive, and beside him a -child-maid!" - -Now entirely heedless of the Danish sea-king, the Northman advanced to -stare at the forlorn survivors of Hroar's attack. Had Rothada possessed -her cousin's knowledge of men and customs, she would have stared back at -the sea-king in bewilderment. The haughty face which so coldly -confronted her was dark and oval, with arched nose, lofty brow, and -black eyes of intense brightness,--features part Arab, part Greek in -character, but in no respect Norse. Yet the young chief's hair proved -quite as fully that his leadership must be founded on kingly Norse -blood. It was of silky fineness and curled down beneath his helmet rim -in locks like burnished red gold. His dress also was that of a king's -son. The cloak of sable, clasped by a jewelled brooch, was lined with -cloth of gold, while money-rings coiled their yellow spirals around the -ring-mail sleeves which extended to his wrists. - -Abashed by the extreme brightness of the sea-king's gaze, Rothada -lowered her admiring eyes to the splendid recurved sword which swung at -his belt. Roland could have told her that the weapon was a sword of the -Saracen folk,--a Damascus blade, which would bend to the hilt without -snapping and, like the Wrath of Sigurd, cut alike through iron bars and -floating wool. With the peace-thongs knotted, even that far-famed blade -of Regin's forging could not have compared with this magnificent weapon, -whose sheath sparkled with gems, and upon whose pommel blazed the -splendor of a priceless ruby. - -The glint of gold and jewels recalled to Rothada's mind her own high -rank, and gave her courage to glance up again. At sight of the milder -light in the dark eyes of the sea-king, she raised her arms to him -appealingly. - -"Bright count of the sea!" she cried, "the dear Christ has sent you to -save us. The cruel Dane's knife shall not harm my kinsman!" - -The Northman glanced down at the wounded Frank. - -"Who is this warrior?" he demanded. - -"My kinsman, Count Roland. He is a high lord of King Karl, my father--" - -"Your father,--the Frank king!" cried the Northman, and his eyes flashed -a look at the girl that made her tremble. But again their keenness -softened, and he pointed to her bosom. - -"There's blood upon your kirtle," he muttered. "Do these Danes war upon -babes and bairns?" - -"It is my kinsman's blood. The Dane count would have harmed him as he -lay helpless. I tried to shield him." - -"Bravely done, little maiden! Though twice over the daughter of King -Karl, the deed shall count you good weight in the balance. Take heart! -Not all vikings are swine. Olvir Thorbiornson does not war upon maids -and stricken heroes. Now I go to settle with this Dane boar who rends -fallen foes." - -"It is time to cease prattle," Hroar called up jeeringly. "Come, talk -with a warrior. What says the bairn with outland face? Will he meet a -sea-king singly in sword-play, and stake the trade-ship as prize?" - -At the challenge a strange smile lit up the Northman's dark face; but he -replied gravely: "A shrewd bargain, Dane! You would have me fight for -what I need only reach out my hand to take. First tell me your name." - -"You 're late from your mother's bower, bairn. Few vikings ask the name -of Hroar the Cruel." - -"Hroar! Hroar the Cruel!" repeated the Northman, in a smothered voice. -His hand closed on the hilt of his sword, and his face went white with -anger. Had Hroar seen the look in his eyes, he would not have grinned -at his pallor or at the soft lisping voice in which the Northman -answered: "Go, bid your other ship make fast. All craft shall lie quiet -while I make an end of Hroar the Cruel." - -The Dane laughed derisively, yet turned to repeat to his own crew the -command which the Northman shouted over the opposite bulwark. Soon all -six ships were drifting abreast on the stream,--the two Danes on one -side of the trader, the three Norse craft on the other. The Danish crews -kept warily aboard their ships, ready either for fight or flight. But -as the first Norse ship grappled, from its prow a blond young giant -leaped, axe in hand, sheer over Hroar's head, and down upon the cargo -beyond him. - -"Loki!" cried Hroar, starting back. "Erling Fairhair! The dead come to -life!" - -"Your guilt stings you, murderer," rejoined Olvir. "This is only -Liutrad, son of Erling--but he bears his father's axe; and now comes -one--" - -"Ha, Floki--Floki the Crane!" gasped Hroar; and he glared like a trapped -wolf at the strange viking who sprang down over the bulwark after young -Liutrad. Though little broader than his fellow-Northmen, the man towered -up a good span above seven feet in height, and the long-shafted halberd -which he bore on his shoulder did not tend to lessen the effect of his -giant stature. - -At sight of the Dane chief a ferocious smile distorted the wry face of -the giant, and he bent to him mockingly. - -"Heya, old shipmate!" he croaked. "Many winters have sped since we -parted on the Rhine bank." - -Hroar licked his dry lips and answered thickly: "Those were good old -days when we followed Thorbiorn and Otkar over sea and land. I call to -mind the loot of Kars, when Thorbiorn bore off the emir's daughter for -bride. You were not so mean in those days as to sail under a boy whose -outland swartness--" - -"--Proves the blood of the emir's daughter." - -"How!--this elf the son of Thorbiorn Viking?" - -"Ay," murmured Olvir; "the son of the lord you betrayed. Ho, Danes! now -shall the murderer pay his blood-debt. Many times I have harried your -dune coasts in search of this foul traitor, who, one and twenty winters -gone, sold his sword-fellows and his earl into the ambush of the boy -Karl." - -"That is a lie!" shouted Hroar. "Only to save my own life--" - -"Be still!" commanded Olvir. "The Crane shall bear witness for me. -State the charge, Floki." - -The lofty Northman stepped upon a cask, and his grey eyes swept their -gaze over the Danish ships and back to the Danish sea-king, cold and -hard as steel. - -"Hearken, Danes," he began in a dry croak; "Floki the Crane is not given -to lying. He can strike his bill straight to the mark, and his tongue -thrusts as straight. Doubtless this murderer has told you how in days -gone by Thorbiorn Viking fell in the Frankish ambush on Rhine Stream. -I, too, was there. Like the earl, I was struck down by the Frankish -spears. I saw the boy Karl rush out upon our fallen leader; then a -war-hammer stretched me witless. When I saw again, before me stood the -traitor Hroar. In his hand was the sword of his lord, and he was making -blood-play of his own shipmate, Hauk Otterson, whom men called Longarm. -When Hauk was dead, his slayer came to me. He was minded first to cut -off my feet, because, as he said, I was too tall. But then came the son -of Pepin, and, casting at the traitor the gold for which he had sold his -fellows, bade him begone from Frank Land. When, after many years, I -broke from the Frankish thrall-bonds, I searched long and fruitlessly -for the murderer. He had hid his shame in the Saxon forests." - -"He lies--the croaking stork lies! There is no proof!" cried Hroar, -loudly; but his eyes fell before the look of his grim accuser, and -glanced uneasily over the bloody deck, until a dry chuckle from Floki -stung him out of his caution. - -"At the least, you will grant that the charge is somewhat stale," he -sneered. - -"The fouler the deed's stench," retorted Floki, thrusting forward his -sharp face with a look of deadly menace. "We have run you down at last, -coward, and you shall pay your share of the blood-debt. Hearken, Danes! -The viking's son is not hunting this boar alone; he hunts bigger game! -When I, hopeless of finding the traitor singly, after many winters fared -home to Trondheim to gain aid, I found this unknown son of Thorbiorn -dwelling outlaw in Starkad's grave-mound with Otkar, his foster-father. -Since then each season we have scoured your dune coasts for the traitor. -But the great wielder of Starkad's axe set foot on the trail of mightier -game. Who of the North has not heard how, in the hall of King Carloman -the Frank, and in the realm of Desiderius the Lombard, Otkar Jotuntop, -wisest and strongest of warriors, fought and plotted against King Karl -with all the craft of his wit and lore and the terror of his axe? Yet -the grey bear failed to wreak vengeance against Thorbiorn's slayer, and -his ashes lie in Starkad's mound. But here above me stands his bright -fosterling, and when Olvir Thorbiornson has slain Hroar the traitor, he -shall sail on to bring to an end the task of Otkar." - -"Otkar--Otkar!" echoed a feeble voice. "Who speaks of the Dane hero?" - -As the viking leaders wheeled about in surprise, Roland, aided by -Rothada, sat up and stared at them with dazed eyes. - -"The Frank earl!" muttered Olvir. "You 've heard of him, Floki,--Count -Roland, the Frank king's kinsman." - -"Ay, ring-breaker; I remember how, when he returned, Otkar spoke much of -this brave Frank." - -"Even when he lay dying--" - -"Saint Michael! he is not dead,---Otkar the Dane, who, all but -single-handed, cut his way from Pavia through the thick of our host! I -stood in his battle-path, thinking, in my boyish folly, to check the -rush of the grey bear. But he was high-minded; he struck with the flat. -Would that he had not fled to the Greeks! When the king saw his -battle-path, he swore to make him Count of the Saxon Mark." - -"How! Otkar his foe?" exclaimed Olvir. - -The Frank stared up at him and nodded faintly as he sank back upon the -heap of bodies. The Northman gazed back at him for a little with a -puzzled look. But an impatient growl from Hroar recalled his attention -to the Dane. - -"Hark, my Frank hero," he said; "we will talk of this later. Now my -sword sings the death of Hroar the betrayer. Run, maiden; fetch drink -for the hero, that he may have strength to watch the sword-game." - -"So the laggard at last draws sword," sneered Hroar. "He has had his -pleasure; now I claim mine. Ironbiter thirsts; yet before he tastes the -warm blood the pledge of the fight shall be made known. Speak out, -bairn! If I win I go hence with trade-ship and all, unhindered,--let -the charge against me be what it may." - -"Such are the terms,--all men bear witness!" - -A grin of cunning triumph broadened the Dane's ferocious face. - -"Then now is Hroar ready," he called loudly. "Now will Ironbiter split -the skull of this base-born changeling as it split the skull of the man -he calls father." - -A terrible oath burst from the lips of Floki; but Olvir silenced him -with a look. Then, white to the lips, the young sea-king turned again -to his enemy. - -"Dare you repeat that lie?" he asked in the soft lisp that betrayed to -his steersmen how deadly was his anger. - -"So the bairn begins to quake," jeered the Dane, deceived by the -Northman's seeming mildness. "Even so quaked that braggart Thorbiorn -when I swung Ironbiter his own sword above his head." - -"That is a double lie," rejoined Olvir, in the same quiet voice. "If -you met Thorbiorn, son of Starkad, in battle, it was not he who quaked. -Nor did you slay the hero. When he lay dying, pierced by the darts of -hidden foes, the boy Karl ran from behind and thrust him in the back. -Floki is no liar." - -"No, by Odin," boasted Hroar. "Floki did not see all. Pepin's son -sought to stay me when I ran to end the snared wolf. Would that I had -broken the back of the meddlesome bairn! Floki has told how he drove me -from his camp before I was half done my play with the thralls." - -"Enough, murderer!" cried Olvir. "Now are you doomed; look on your -bane!" - -With the words, the young sea-king's hand gripped the hilt of his curved -sword. The blade flashed from its sheath like a tongue of blue flame. -Proudly its wielder held the weapon up before him and gazed at the play -of iridescent light on its mirror surface. - -"Al-hatif, the Priceless! the Beautiful!" he half whispered. Then -suddenly his black eyes flamed with a terrible joy. He flung off his -cloak and leaped down before Hroar, whirling the blade about his head. - -"Come, Dane! come, coward!" he shouted. "Long have I sought you. Come -to the serpent's kiss! come to your bane! Hel's blue hand outstretches; -Fenir shall rend you!" - -At the biting taunts the Dane's massive figure quivered with passion, -and all the malevolence of his nature showed in his brutal face. Up -swung his ponderous sword, and he advanced upon his foe like an aurochs -bull. - -"Leap, bairn!" he yelled. "Ironbiter swings; he will split your swart -face!" - -But the Northman did not leap. - -"Strike and see," he called tauntingly. - -Even more scornful than his words was the Northman's bearing as he -lowered his sword and stood with the little shield raised overhead. To -thus set himself in the way of his huge opponent seemed little short of -madness alike to the Danish vikings and to Roland. The Frank could not -restrain a groan of despair, while Rothada, darting back to his side -with a flask of wine, cried out in terror. Already the great sword -whirled overhead to cut down their champion. - -A glance at the Norse steersmen might have reassured the captives. The -blond young giant and his lofty companion were waiting the outcome of -Hroar's attack no less calmly than their slender leader. Cool and -quiet, Olvir faced the savage Dane, his lip curled in a haughty smile; -but his eyes glittered like an angry snake's. Stung by the scorn of the -smile, Hroar put all his strength into the sweep of his sword. - -"Thor aid!" he roared, and the sword whirled down with terrific force. -But the Northman only smiled the more scornfully and caught the blow on -his tilted shield with such consummate skill that the blade glanced -harmlessly aside from the steel surface. - -A deafening uproar greeted the feat, the Danes on the one side crying -out their wonder, while the Northmen across answered with shouts of -triumph. The noise ceased as abruptly as it burst out. Olvir had -raised his curved sword and tapped the hauberk of the Dane in warning. -Had he wished it, he could have slain his enemy then; for Hroar was so -astonished by the turning of the blow that he stood with lowered shield. - -"Ward yourself, Dane!" cried the Northman; and as Hroar started back, -the Damascus sword began to dart forward like the beak of a striking -heron. Up whirled Ironbiter for a second stroke; but Olvir did not wait -its fall. With a wild cry he hurled himself upon the Dane like a -maddened wolf. Above, below, on all sides, his sword flashed around -Hroar's shield in thrusts so swift that no eye could follow. In vain -Hroar sought to cut down with sweeping strokes the bright figure that -leaped in upon him till the two shields clashed; in vain he sought to -avoid the lightning sword-thrusts that dazzled his eyes. - -Bleeding from a dozen stabs, his shield-arm pierced and cheek laid open, -the ferocious Dane drew back appalled. His glaring eyes no longer saw a -human foe before him; that shimmering, leaping figure was Thor, the -Danish Thor, terrible in his youth and beauty. - -Step by step the Dane retreated, until his back struck the bulwark. The -touch spurred him to desperate fury. But he sprang forward, only to reel -back again before the stabs of the pitiless sword. The end was now -come. Half dazed, he dropped his shield to meet a leg feint, and the -blade lunged through his unguarded neck, so that the point stood out a -span behind. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - -There the King, the wise-hearted, -... the mighty king. - LAMENT OF ODDRUN. - - -On the picturesque Garonne bank, beneath the Roman walls of Casseneuil, -lay the camp of the Frankish host. Since Easter the levies of blue-eyed -Allemanni and dark-eyed Aquitanians and Bretons had been pouring in to -swell the ranks. - -For a mile around, the fertile hills were dotted with tents and booths. -Overhead stretched a canopy of blue haze, the smoke of the countless -fires. Long lines of ox-wains trailed in from all parts of the land; -great droves of cattle browsed in the meadows; and water craft of all -sizes sailed to and fro on the Lot and the Garonne, or lay moored along -the banks while busy sailors shifted cargo. The larger vessels were -from Bordeaux and the sea; others plied between Casseneuil and Toulouse, -where a smaller host--Burgundians and Lombards, and the Goths and -Gallo-Romans of Septimania and Provincia--were being mustered by -Barnard, the king's uncle, to invade the Saracen country by way of -Narbonne. The grandson of Karl the Hammer was gathering his might to -strike the pagans such another blow as had shattered their host on the -plains of Touraine. - -The royal pavilion stood in the heart of the camp, close to the river's -bank. Above its peak floated the gold-bright folds of the three-forked -standard, and the scores of messengers that came and went told that Karl -the King was busied with the affairs of his vast realm. Those who -passed in saw first a striking assemblage of the king's -liegemen,--long-robed priests, counts in full war-gear, and court -officials, ornate with silks and jewels. Here were warriors who had -seen the fall of Pavia and helped to hew down the Irminsul; bishops and -abbots who ruled ecclesiastical estates, the revenues of which were -little less than princely; _missi dominici_,--those trusty liegemen who -bore the king's will to outland lords, or journeyed through their -appointed ridings to bring justice for all against the petty tyrannies -of count and bishop and judge. - -Yet though the pavilion held within it many of the most famous men of -the greatest realm since the fall of the Western Empire, the new-comer -would have been certain to pass by all alike with a hasty glance and -turn half reverently to the low dais where Karl the King sat on his -oaken throne. Aside from his jewelled sword-belt, there was little of -gold or gems about the massive figure; but beneath the sapphires and -holy nail of the Lombard crown the grey eyes of the great Frank gazed -out with calm power. War-counts and priests alike bowed before that -glance; for in mind, as in body, Karl was master of them all. - -The last of the _missi_ called into service had been despatched to -inspect the four quarters of the realm, and the king was now in earnest -consultation with two Moslem envoys. The contrast between the lean -figure and patriarchal beard of the older Saracen and the blond, -massive-limbed Frank was as great as that between the king's jerkin and -cross-thonged stockings and the envoy's green turban and flowing white -burnous. Yet such of the bystanders as were accustomed to look beneath -mere outward appearance saw in the Arab sheik's dark face an expression -strikingly like that which gave such dignity to the fresh ruddy -countenance of the king. Not all the wide difference in race and dress -and years could hide the stamp of power with which Nature had marked the -features of the two. - -The other Saracen, who, like the king, appeared to be scarcely three or -four years past thirty, showed warrior training in every pose and -feature; but a covert sneer lurked beneath his impassive smile, and from -eyes that blinked like those of a bird of prey he shot quick, evil -glances at the surrounding Franks. - -Presently there entered the pavilion a thick-set, tow-haired warrior, -with red, beer-bloated features, who jostled his way to the front -without wasting breath in apologies for his rudeness. As he approached -the dais the younger Saracen glanced at him, and, with a seemingly -careless gesture, touched the hilt of his scimetar. He turned away at -once to join in the parting salaams to the king, while the boorish -warrior returned to the pavilion's entrance. As he came to a halt near -the Grand Doorward, he pointed outside, his low forehead creased in a -savage scowl. - -"Here comes the duke now, and in choice company," he grumbled. "The -Merwing shall learn that Rudulf's daughter is not for a Vascon, though -he be twice over the rightful heir of Clovis." - -"Does Count Hardrat speak of the Vascon Wolf?" inquired the doorward, -half heeding. - -"Vascon fox!" rejoined Hardrat. The jest seemed to ease his ill-humor, -and he turned his gaze to the duke's beautiful companion. - -The girl was young,--certainly not more than seventeen,--but of all the -queen's maidens, none could lay claim to so many suitors. Among her own -people and the other blond Germans beyond the Rhine she would have been -considered too dark for perfect beauty; but, North Rhine or South Rhine, -few men could have looked at her without a quickened pulse-beat. There -was allurement in every line of her softly moulded features, in the rich -bloom of her olive cheeks, and in the silky meshes of her gold-brown -hair. Envious rivals might say that her eyes were over-narrow for -beauty, and her lips of too vivid a scarlet. None the less, the ardent -warriors and courtiers, and more than one mitred churchman, longed for -the kiss of that enticing mouth, and willingly gave themselves over to -the spell of the bewitching eyes with their strangely shifting tints of -blue and green. - -Such was Fastrada, the daughter of Count Rudulf, youngest, fairest, and -most sought for among the queen's bower-maidens. - -It was not to be wondered, therefore, that as he strolled with her up to -the pavilion Duke Lupus kept his small eyes fixed upon the girl in an -amorous stare. Near the entrance he paused and sighed regretfully. - -"Here is the king's tent, maiden," he said. "I wish it had been more -distant. At your side the way was all too short. I am more than repaid -that I left my horse at the villa gate for my suite to bring after." - -The girl looked up, open-eyed, into the Vascon's sensual face, and -replied with a simplicity that to a casual observer would have appeared -almost naive: "The noble Lupus has done me great honor by his escort. -Our gracious queen will not soon forget such a favor." - -"And the queen's most charming maiden--?" - -Fastrada bent her head to hide a smile, but her voice was very soft: -"Who could forget a kindness from the Duke of the Vascons,--from the -rightful heir of Clovis?" - -Lupus started, and glanced hastily before him into the pavilion. He had -often boasted of his descent from that long line of lustful, bloody, -indolent Merwing kings, the last of whom had been deposed and his crown -seized by Pepin the Short; but all of those boasts had been uttered when -the usurper's son held court on the farther side of Aquitania. His -relief was heartfelt when he perceived that only one other than himself -had heard the dangerous compliment. Hardrat met his furtive glance with -a meaning smile and came forward to bow before Fastrada. - -"Saints grant I may be of service to our dame's fairest maiden," he -said. - -The girl lowered her eyes demurely. - -"I bear a message to our lord king," she replied. - -"Then the Christian maiden must wait for heathen dogs." - -Fastrada looked up at her two suitors with an arch smile, but only Lupus -perceived the trace of malice that lurked in the corners of the scarlet -lips. - -"Do not be angry for me, Count Hardrat," she said. "It is a pleasure to -wait in company such as that with which I am favored." - -Both lords smiled at the flattery; but while the duke repaid the -compliment in graceful phrases, Hardrat glared at his rival with jealous -suspicion. From beneath her modestly drooping lashes Fastrada watched -how the Thuringian's brow lowered under the arrogant stare of the duke. -Her pulse quickened, and the shifting tints deepened in her downcast -eyes. But the war-count checked his threatened outburst, and so put an -end to the sport. - -Petulantly the girl turned to the entrance, only to look about in appeal -to the Vascon. - -"_Ai_, lord duke," she exclaimed; "who are these heathen? I can see -only their strange headgear." - -"They are Saracen counts, the pagan allies of our Most Christian King," -answered Hardrat, and he smiled ironically. "But look,--their audience -comes to an end. I can now lead you in before his Majesty." - -"I give thanks," murmured Fastrada, but her eyes were fixed upon the -envoys. The officials near the entrance had drawn apart, and the -white-robed Saracens, having salaamed themselves to a respectful -distance from the dais of the mighty Afranj sultan, were completing -their exit in a more dignified manner. The tall leader came out like a -veritable Sheik el Islam, his firm tread, erect frame, and eagle glance -giving the lie to the whiteness of his hair and flowing beard. - -Fastrada slipped in front for a closer view of the grand old warrior, -but was met by the leering gaze of the younger envoy behind him. Before -his stare the girl shrank back, blushing with offended pride. Yet she -looked eagerly around after the Saracen leader, and her changeful eyes -sparkled as she exclaimed: "There goes a hero! Would that he were -young! We 'd see a warrior such as few Franks could withstand." - -"Strange words for a daughter of Thuringia," replied Lupus; "yet, none -the less, they are very fitting. Al Arabi is a count of great fame -among his people. He has held many high offices, and though no longer -Count of Saragossa, he is friend and chief councillor of Al Huseyn, the -vali who succeeded him. Old as he is, even now he can strike a heavy -blow." - -"He is a raven-feeder!" growled Count Hardrat. "Nor is Vali Kasim a -babe. The old man has a stout son-in-law. Also, he owns a silent -tongue and does not bicker with his friends. Come now, maiden, if you -would see the king." - -The girl smiled, and bowed both to Lupus and to her red-faced -countryman. Then, with hands clasped before her and eyes demurely -downcast, she followed the latter through the brilliant assemblage to -the royal presence. Karl, though dictating a memorandum to Abbot Fulrad, -the white-haired Keeper of the Great Seal, paused at once and nodded -pleasantly to Hardrat. - -"You bring a maiden from Hildegarde," he observed in a voice clear and -strong but strangely shrill for so massive a body. "I am mistaken if it -is not the daughter of our faithful Rudulf. I trust that she bears good -tidings." - -Fastrada bowed low before the dais. "Our gracious dame bade me bring -word to your Majesty that her pain has eased. She enjoys good health -again, though she put away the leech's drugs." - -"As well--as well! I 'd wager a little fasting against the best of -leeches. But, indeed, these are good tidings, and they come by the -mouth of a fair emissary," replied Karl, his gaze lingering on the soft -beauty of the girl's face and form. "It is a dusty path to the gates, -and the herald of our queen should be spared the pains of walking it -twice in a day. Let her delay her return. There will be a seat in our -barge when we go to the noon-meal." - -Fastrada bowed and withdrew, half awed, into the midst of the -assemblage. Yet the admiration in the king's glance had by no means -escaped her. Her cheeks glowed with pride at thought of the look and of -his kindly tone. After royalty, the homage of lesser men lacked flavor, -and the girl listened to the eager greetings of the court officials with -an indifferent bearing. Of what value the blandishments of these sleek -courtiers and petty counts when heroes such as the famous Roland and -Hardrat were no less eager for her favor? And now the king himself had -looked at her with far other than a cold eye, though Queen Hildegarde -was yet held to be the most beautiful woman in the realm. - -With true feminine perversity, the girl turned from all others and set -about the task of pleasing a lank, dour-faced official, the only one in -the pavilion who seemed altogether indifferent to her charms. The man -met her advances with a sardonic smile, and gave a curt response to her -greeting; while his pale-blue eyes turned away from her soft beauty to -fix their cold stare on the approaching figure of Duke Lupus. - -"The Merwing is ill named," he muttered in his beard, struck by the same -thought that had prompted Hardrat's jest. "He should be called Fox, not -Wolf,--a cunning fox! He will bear watching." - -"What is my Lord Anselm pleased to say?" asked Fastrada. "He has the -look which he wears when he sits on the judgment-seat, dooming the -luckless offenders." - -"Maidens should chatter and spin, and leave weightier matters to those -who have wit," answered the judge, dryly. - -"Alas, then, for the maidens, if all men agree with the Count of the -Palace!" sighed Fastrada; and she drew back in mock sorrow. - -Anselm paid no heed to the alluring play. His attention was fixed upon -the Duke of the Vascons. - -Lupus advanced with an arrogance that won him little favor among the -proud Franks. But Karl smiled, and even extended his hand for the -salute when the duke would have bent to kiss his knee. - -"With joy we see again our faithful friend," he said. "Not satisfied -with swearing allegiance the second time, he brings us needed supplies -with a bountiful hand. It is well this fair Southland is held for us by -so trusty a liegeman." - -"My lord king is pleased to be gracious," replied Lupus, quickly. "If I -have won his indulgence, I now beg leave to ask a favor." - -"Speak. Anything I can rightfully give shall be allowed you." - -"It is no small matter, your Majesty; the insolent Bishop of Rome has -stricken the mitre from the head of my kinsman Thierry." - -Karl started and frowned. - -"Alter your asking, lord duke," he answered. "I cannot set aside so -just a judgment. There were charges and a fair trial for the Bishop of -Bordeaux. He has failed to clear himself on a single count; -drunkenness, strife, licentiousness,--all were proved." - -"Slander, sire!--malicious slander!" cried the duke, his passion -overleaping all caution. "My kinsman is persecuted for his lineage! -Few priests of his rank but wassail and brawl unrebuked. As for the -third charge, strangest of all in a realm whose king--" - -"Silence!" roared Karl; and he towered up on the dais like an angry -lion. "Has the kinsman of Hunold and Waifre twice sworn allegiance to -doubt the justice of his king and Holy Church? I, the king, sent Pope -Hadrian command for the trial. It is enough that dukes and counts -trample the common folk and wallow in the troughs of their sodden vices. -At the least, I will scourge the swine from God's Church. By the King -of Heaven! when I have swept the pagan Saracens into the sea I will -cleanse the household of my kingdom,--from duke to deacon! Thierry has -lost his mitre; let him repent and walk upright, lest worse come upon -him." - -Stunned, humiliated, livid with impotent anger, the haughty Merwing -shrank back from before the son of Pepin, and hastened to quit the -assemblage that had witnessed his shame. Most of the Franks met his -black glances with ready frowns; but Hardrat, the Thuringian count, -could not conceal his pleasure at the turn of events. - -"All goes well!" he chuckled. "The fox is shrewdly nipped. He 'll stop -at nothing now. Rage will melt all his frosty caution. The others are -with us, heart and hand, and that missive to Saxon Land by this time -should have rid us--" - -The conclusion of the Thuringian's half-muttered words was lost in a -terrific blare of trumpets and war-horns that sent the alarm ringing to -every corner of the Frankish camp. - -Within the pavilion all was instantly struggle and confusion. Swords -flashed overhead, and the assemblage surged from side to side as the -war-counts sought to push out from the press of officials and priests. -But Karl the King walked swiftly through the parting crowd, his face -serene, his sword unsheathed. The warriors rushed after him, weapon in -hand. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - -What are ye, then, of armed men, -Mailed folk who the foaming keel -Have urged thus over the ocean ways, -Over water-ridges the ringed prow? - BEOWULF. - - -Most women at such a time would have cowered behind the empty throne; -Fastrada sought to pass out with the war-counts. She was caught, -however, in the press which closed behind them, and even with Abbot -Fulrad's aid could not gain the entrance for some time. When at last -the sturdy old Keeper of the Seal drew her into the open, the horns had -ceased braying, and a strange hush lay upon the camp. But the -river-banks were lined with armed men, and Fastrada saw hundreds of -other warriors running to join them. - -"What can it mean?" she exclaimed. "Have the Aquitanians revolted? -Look how every man stares down the river." - -"Let us go yonder to the knoll where the king stands. There the view is -clear," suggested Fulrad. - -"I see masts already,--five of them," exclaimed Fastrada, as they -hurried forward. "Each bears a white shield at its peak. It cannot be -they are Greek ships. They must be Frisian traders, or an embassy from -Alfwold, King of Northumbria." - -"Neither one nor the other, maiden," rejoined Fulrad. "Years since, in -the days of Pepin, I saw the like,--once upon the Seine, and again upon -the Rhine, in the Frisian Mark. It was there Karl fought his first -battle,--a lad of twelve." - -"But these ships--of what land are they? See how stately they surge up -the river with their glittering prows; and hark to the oar-song of their -crews,--a lay of the old gods! I 've heard it in the forest when no -priest was near." - -"Ay, maiden; these are heathen craft, and they bear warriors more -terrible than the Saxon wolves. You've heard of Lord Otkar. These are -his countrymen." - -"Danes?" - -"Truly; from Sigfrid's realm, or from Jutland, which is beyond. Otkar -was of a land yet more distant. He told me much of the Norse folk; of -their great wealth and fierce war-spirit. God grant that Wittikind the -Westphalian lies quiet in Nordmannia and does not march back with the -host of his wife's brother. The Saxons and Frisians are hard enough -nuts to crack, without the Danes." - -"But how come these heathen on the Garonne?" - -"We shall soon learn," answered the abbot, pointing with his staff. -"Here is the first ship abreast. Mark the mail-clad crew." - -"The ship turns," observed Fastrada. - -"And the others follow. They will moor before the king." - -Even as Fulrad spoke, the oars of the longships rattled inboard, and the -five beautiful craft glided toward the bank. They might have been -dragons wheeling in salute to the royal standard. Spellbound by the -sight, warriors and courtiers and king alike stood silently waiting -while the stately prows swept inshore. First the leader and then, in -quick succession, the four others ran aground, and the hush was broken -by the thud of grapnels cast upon the bank. As the sterns of the -vessels swung downstream with the current, a gangplank was thrust ashore -from the prow of the leader. - -The first to leap down the plank was a gallant young warrior in Frankish -armor, at sight of whom the king cried out in astonishment: -"Gerold!--with these Danes!" - -"The Northmen come in peace, sire," observed Abbot Fulrad. "If not, how -is it the queen's brother bears them company?" - -"Peaceful or not, lord abbot," rejoined Hardrat, "these are insolent -pagans to sing forbidden lays in the midst of a Christian host. Shall I -not take horse, sire, and bring down the galleys from Casseneuil? Look, -your Majesty! Count Roland follows Gerold; and he totters from recent -wounds!" - -But Karl made no answer. He was staring intently at the lithe warrior -in shimmering mail who had leaped up to help Roland across the gangway. - -"Ho, Fulrad," he called; "look close at the Dane count's war-gear, and -call to mind that old Norse bear Otkar. His mail was the same in every -point as this bright falcon's. Can they be kinsmen?" - -"Old oak and young ash,--they 're little more alike, sire. But the lad -will shortly tell us," remarked Fulrad, as Gerold hastened forward. - -The queen's brother mounted the knoll, and knelt to kiss the extended -hand of the king. - -"Greeting, lad! You return in strange fellowship," remarked Karl, his -gaze fixed upon the bright Northman, who was supporting Roland up the -bank. - -"They are shipmates whom I know your Majesty will gladly welcome," -replied Gerold, with fervor. "Never have I seen such warriors! I fell -in with them at Bordeaux." - -"Bordeaux?" - -"I journeyed to the Vascon burg from Fronsac, thinking that my lord -would wish to know more of the new walls which Duke Lupus is building." - -"Well done! But these Danes?" - -"I can thank their count for a quick journey! He comes to you on a -strange mission-- But let Roland speak, sire. He owes the Northman -freedom and life." - -"More, sire!--more!" cried Roland, as he sprang forward from the -supporting arm of his companion. - -The king met him halfway, and drew him up as he sought to kneel. - -"You 're wounded, kinsman!" he exclaimed. "You have fought at sea! -Where are your followers--and the child?" - -"I have lost my henchmen, sire; but all else is well--thanks to Lord -Olvir, my noble sword-brother." - -"This Dane?" - -"Ay, sire; leader of half a thousand sea-wolves,--the pick of the North. -He has saved me from torture and the princess from shame." - -"By my father's soul, he has earned the good-will of one who can repay! -Stand forward, my bright Dane, that Karl the King may give you thanks." - -At such a bidding from the lord of half Europe, most men would have run -to kneel at the king's feet. Such, however, was not the manner of -vikings, and Olvir Thorbiornson was not only a leader of vikings, but, -throughout the heathen North, could have laid claim without dispute to a -descent direct from Odin. Instead of hastening forward, with glowing -face and ready bows, he advanced proudly erect, as one sea-king would -meet another. - -Karl and his lords gazed at the young heathen in wondering admiration, -no less impressed by the grace and pride of his bearing than by his rich -dress and the beauty of his sword and war-gear. Beside his lithe figure -and dark, masterful face even Gerold of Bussen appeared rough and -uncouth. - -Olvir neither bowed nor knelt, but raised his shield overhead in salute, -and returned Karl's gaze with the unflinching look of an equal. It was -a novel meeting for the warrior-king, before whom even the wild Saxons -trembled. He frowned and said shortly: "It would seem that the Danes -are stiff of knee." - -"Then set us in your battle-front, lord king," replied Olvir. - -"Well answered!" cried Abbot Fulrad. - -"You wish to join my standard, young Dane, and seek the post of danger?" -said Karl, now smiling. - -"Where else should a king's son stand? For this war the foster-son of -Otkar Jotuntop seeks place with his sea-wolves in the fore of your -host." - -"Otkar the Dane!--you his fosterling?" - -"And blood kinsman." - -"Where, then, is the hero?" - -"His ashes lie in the mound where he reared me." - -"Dead?--that giant warrior! But he sent you to make peace with the foe -whom without cause he sought so mightily to harm." - -"No, by Thor," rejoined Olvir, his black eyes glittering. "To the end -Otkar thought only of vengeance. He gave over the task into my hand. I -sailed out of the North to harry your coasts with fire and steel." - -"Saint Michael! you dare tell me that!" cried Karl, and his grey eyes -flamed with anger at the Northman's audacity. - -"My tale is not all told," said Olvir, unmoved. - -"I have heard enough! You have slain Count Roland's henchmen, stolen my -wares, and now you come to mock--" - -"No, sire! no!" cried Roland, and he sprang before the Northman, who was -turning haughtily away, his dark face no less angry than the king's. -"Hold, brother! One word, sire! It was not he who slew my followers; he -saved us from the clutches of Wittikind's man, a terrible Dane count, -whom he slew in single combat. While I lay witless from my wounds, he -granted the prayer of the little princess that we be brought to you; he -won over the warriors of the Dane count to join his banner; yet more, he -plighted brotherhood with me, after the old custom." - -"As to your wares, Frank king," broke in Olvir, hotly, "bale and cask -lie in my longships, untouched. Now I cast them ashore, and weigh -anchor." - -"No, by my sword; that you shall not!" cried Karl, and in a stride he -was beside the young Northman. "Hold, kin of Otkar. I have done wrong; -I will repay." - -"Hold, brother, for my sake!" urged Roland, his arm about Olvir's -shoulder. - -The sea-king half turned, his nostrils quivering with passion, and -stared fiercely about from the astonished Frank lords to their king. -But before the look on Karl's grand face his anger broke and subsided as -quickly as it had flared out. - -"Have your will, lord king," he muttered. "I will listen, though that -is not our custom in the North after words such as have been spoken -here." - -"Then I eat those words, my bold Dane. Wait; that is not enough! My -hot anger has done you wrong. I will pay in full. Yet first, tell me -why you sought vengeance against me,--you and Otkar. Why did your -foster-father stir up strife between me and my brother Carolman? Why -did he spur Desiderius, the weak Lombard, to war?" - -Olvir's breast heaved, and his nostrils quivered; but he answered -steadily: "It was thus, lord king: in your youth you laid an ambush near -the Rhine mouth for a band of vikings." - -"It was my first battle. The Danes had a famous hero for leader." - -"He was my father." - -"So--now I understand," muttered Karl, and his brows met in deep -thought. "You have been generous, young count. Name what blood-fine -you would have. I will pay it over without dispute." - -"I do not come for wergild, lord king. While I thought you my father's -slayer, nothing but blood could have paid for the wrong. And the debt -is paid in blood; for before I slew that vile Dane, I learned from his -own lips that he, who had betrayed my father, also was his bane,--that -you sought to save the stricken hero." - -"He thrust me aside; I was yet a child. I wish now that I had hung the -blood-eager boar." - -"Not so, king; else I might never have learned that I had no cause to -hate you. I owe thanks to the braggart. But for his boasts, I doubt if -I should have yielded to the little maid's entreaty." - -"It was a Christian deed!" exclaimed Karl. - -Olvir smiled: "Say rather, a Christly deed. I have read the runes of -the White Christ; but, also, I have heard what Otkar had to say of your -Christian priests and their flocks. By Thor! beneath the fleece, if -Otkar spoke truth, they differ little from those whom you call heathen -wolves." - -"True--true! though the charge is bitter from the lips of a pagan. Yet -Holy Church is the only fold, however much defiled by evil men. Already -I have set about the cleansing of the sacred cloisters. Before I have -ended that task, I hope that you and all your followers will have come -within the pale." - -"But now, lord king, all my men are sons of Thor and Odin; and I, like -Otkar, trust neither in the old gods nor the new,--only in my own might. -Can you welcome us so? I have heard how you force baptism upon the -Saxons." - -"As a nation of savage pagans, they menace my kingdom. I must bend them -to Holy Church, or in time to come they will sweep across the Rhine and -lay desolate the work I seek to upbuild. It is otherwise with your -following, my Dane hawk. You are free to choose or reject Christ, as -you are free to come and go. It is my trust that you will see the Truth -and stay with me always." - -"For this war, at least, we shall fight beneath your standard. Your foe -will not easily break the shieldburg of my sea-wolves." - -"That I can well believe if they are worthy of their leader." - -"You shall view them now, lord king!" exclaimed Olvir, and, wheeling -about, he sent a clear command ringing down the bank. - -Hardly was the word uttered when from all five longships the armed crews -poured overboard and swarmed up the shore like a storming party. So -fierce, indeed, was their rush that many of the Frankish warriors -mistook it for a real attack. When three or four counts, with Hardrat -at their head, raised the cry of treachery, a thousand loyal men ran, -shouting, to throw themselves between their king and the heathen. - -But Karl sprang before his warriors, with angry commands to halt, and -the movement was checked as suddenly as it had started. Yet, prompt as -was the king's action, there was one sword which swung before he could -utter his first command. - -The moment Hardrat saw the Franks come running, he ceased his shouts and -wheeled upon Olvir, with upraised sword, thinking to cut him down -unawares. He might easier have surprised a hungry leopard. Before the -blow could fall, the Northman had thrust Roland out of danger and leaped -in under the descending blade. His arms closed about the burly -Thuringian like steel bands. There was no time given Hardrat to break -loose or to strike. He was flung up bodily and cast headlong over -Olvir's shoulder. - -The Thuringian's astonishment was exceeded only by his rage. Half -stunned, he sat up, staring wide-eyed, and groped for his sword-hilt. -But Olvir caught up the weapon, and, snapping the broad blade on his -knee, tossed the fragments back to their owner with careless scorn. - -"Ho! the red pig has a tumble!" roared Liutrad, at the head of the -vikings, and the grim warriors burst into jeering laughter. - -"Saint Michael! who jests at so ill a time?" demanded Karl; and he -wheeled about, his face flushed, and his great figure quivering with -anger. - -Olvir answered him, smiling, "My sea-wolves, lord king. This -fair-haired hero and I have played a merry game behind your back." - -"A game for which Hardrat should hang, sire!" exclaimed Roland. "He -sought to cut down Count Olvir unawares." - -The angry flush on the king's face deepened, and he confronted Hardrat -with a look before which the stout warrior visibly trembled. - -"Well for you, Thuringian, your sword did no harm!" he cried. "Lightly -as the young hero takes it, I am yet minded to ride you on the nearest -tree." - -"Forgive the deed, sire! I was over-hasty,--I thought the heathen were -about to attack your Majesty," stammered Hardrat. - -"We will allow the plea; the thought was loyal, however ill-advised. -Your broken sword shall be the punishment for your rashness." - -Had Karl been less keenly intent on the movements of the vikings, the -affair might not have passed so lightly for the Thuringian. But as -Olvir made no demand for redress, the king turned away, to watch with a -kindling eye the manoeuvres of the Northmen. - -At the first threat of attack, those members of the crews already ashore -had lined up so as to present to the menacing Franks an unbroken wall of -shields. Then their close ranks formed swiftly in a steel-faced wedge, -with the towering figure of Floki the Crane at the point. Behind him -stood Liutrad Erlingson with the sea-king's banner, while in the centre -of the wedge the poorer armed Danes surrounded the Frisian sailors and -Rothada. The discipline was perfect. Not even at the moment of wildest -flurry, when the Franks were charging to the attack, had a single viking -spear been cast or bow been drawn. - -The king's powerful face glowed with pleasure and admiration at sight of -such warriors. - -"By my sword!" he swore, "this is a fair day for me! Never before has -such a band been seen south of the Rhine." - -"Or north of it, lord king," added Olvir. "All the champions among the -Trondir sailed with me, and with them many other great warriors from -Norway and Sweden; nor did Hroar number cowards in his crews." - -"They may well be named the pick of the North. I should search all my -kingdom to find their like. Would that their leader had pledged himself -to me for a lifetime!" - -The speaker's eyes glowed, and he laid a hand on Olvir's shoulder, as -though eager to take full possession of such a liegeman. The Northman -would have shrunk from the familiar touch, had he not perceived the -earnest friendliness of the king's look. But his reply only half -satisfied the great Frank. - -"The Norns weave the future," he said. "When this war is ended I may -yet wish to remain your man. But I cannot speak for my followers. They -are free vikings." - -"If you stay, they will stay. And now they shall not find me lacking in -gifts. To begin, I name as yours all the wares which you saved from the -Frisian ship. But did I not see women in the midst of your warriors? -Where is the daughter of Himiltrude?" - -Olvir turned and beckoned to his followers. - -"The king awaits his daughter," he called. "Bring forward the little -vala." - -"She comes," answered Floki; and the wedge behind him split open to the -centre. - -When Rothada advanced to the front, with her broad-shouldered Frisian -maid, Floki and Liutrad seated her on a shield between them and moved -forward at a swinging stride. - -"Farewell to our vala!" called out an old berserk, as he took the -leader's post at the point of the wedge. - -"Farewell! Come again to us soon, little maid!" shouted the vikings. - -The girl waved her hand to the grim heathen, who in all things had -honored her as they would have honored a daughter of their own kings. -She could almost have wished to stay with them. But it was not to be. -Even now the king, her father, awaited her,--that grand crowned warrior. -Would he be kind to her, the daughter of the wife whom he had thrust -aside so causelessly to wed the Lombard princess? Half hoping, half -dismayed, the girl clasped her hands and gazed at her father with -startled eyes. - -Karl stared in wonder at the two viking leaders and the maiden they bore -between them. Could this be Himiltrude's daughter,--a child of the -cloisters,--this little heathen princess, clad in rarest furs and loaded -down with glittering ornaments? - -But the moment of doubt was brief. As the saluting vikings placed the -girl before her father and drew back, she raised her head, which fear -had caused her to droop, and looked up at him again with wide-open, -appealing eyes. - -"Himiltrude!" he cried, and he drew the trembling girl into his arms. - -"All's well with the maiden," muttered Floki. - -"All is well," repeated Olvir, and he waved the steersmen back to the -wedge. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - -He who alone there was deemed best of all, -The War-lord of the Danes, well worthy of men. - HEL-RIDE OF BRYNHILD. - - -While Floki and Liutrad returned to their posts, their leader sprang -again to where Roland stood leaning upon Gerold's shoulder. - -"You 're weary, sword-brother," he exclaimed. "Come with me--" - -"Wait, friend," replied Roland. "Yonder is the maiden of whom I spoke." - -"Fastrada--?" - -"She stands apart with Count Hardrat, whom you threw, and Lupus, Duke of -the Vascons." - -"Lead on. I am eager to know the maiden who has so fast bound a -warrior's heart," replied Olvir, smiling. - -Gerold glanced about at the king. "We 're free to go," he said. "Our -lord king has thought only for the princess." - -Roland nodded impatiently and advanced at once, a hand on the shoulder -of either friend. But the gaunt figure of Count Anselm blocked the way. - -"Stay a little, Roland," he said. "Here are two who fought both with -and against Otkar the Dane, and would grip hands with his foster-son." - -"Both as friends and as foes, my kinsman loved the high lords of King -Karl," replied Olvir. - -The judge's severe face softened as Olvir clasped his bony hand, and he -smiled as he turned with him to the serene-faced churchman. - -"Here, hero," he said, "is one of the shepherds of the Christian fold -who is neither wolf nor boar." - -"I have eyes," replied Olvir, simply. "When I see a good man, I know -him." - -"'There is none good save God,'" quoted the abbot, piously; but he -smiled at the sincerity in the young Northman's look and tone. - -"'Be ye perfect even as God is perfect,'" quoted Olvir, in turn. - -The Franks stared in amazement. - -"By all the saints!" cried Anselm; "the lad knows Holy Writ,--a heathen -monk!" - -"We shall make of him a Christian layman, at the least," rejoined -Fulrad, his broad, kindly face aglow. - -"Best leave me heathen," said Olvir. "If I become anything else, it -will be an Arian, whom, according to Otkar, you name heretic, and hold -to be more accursed than the unbelievers." - -"We will trust the grace of our Lord Christ to lead you into the true -fold," replied Fulrad. - -"Meantime, Roland waits to greet his _may_," suggested Gerold. - -All smiled at the hint, and the two high councillors hastened to make -way for the lover, with hearty God-speeds. - -The approach of the three friends had by no means passed unobserved by -the queen's maiden; and when presently they stood before her, there was -an added depth of color in her cheeks, and her bosom rose and fell to a -quickened heart-beat. While the great Count Roland bent to kiss her -hand, she stared with glowing eyes at the sea-king. Here was a warrior -such as must have been that grand old Saracen,--a hero with a soul of -fire, proud as a king, who would laugh at death as at a jest. - -Unable to meet the piercing brightness of Olvir's black eyes, she -lowered her gaze and bowed as she had bowed to the king. Many a lord -had gazed at her with the same admiring look, but never one who had -roused a response in her own heart strong enough to over-ride her cool -and purposeful coquetry. The blue tints in her eyes deepened, and she -stood thrilling with a delicious fear. Only by a strong effort did she -succeed in raising her lashes to meet the expected love-message in the -stranger's eyes. To her astonishment and chagrin, the calm, full gaze -that met her glance told only of frank admiration. - -Not that Olvir was unmoved. He had seen many beautiful maidens among -the blond daughters of the Northern earls and bondir, but never one -whose loveliness was as the loveliness of this dark daughter of -Thuringia. Half bewildered, he drank in her rich beauty with eager -delight. Yet he did not forget that this was the maiden whom his -sword-brother loved. - -"So I stand before the daughter of the brave Count Rudulf," he said -quietly. "No longer, Roland, do I wonder that the maiden holds your -heart in leash. I trust that she will accept this trinket, which I -offer in token of friendship." - -Great as had been Fastrada's disappointment, she took with eagerness the -gold brooch which Olvir unclasped from his cloak. At the touch of his -fingers she blushed rosier than before. - -"A gift with true friendship is doubly gracious," she murmured. - -"I could not give less to the maiden whom my brother loves," answered -Olvir, and he drew Roland to his side. - -"Satan seize the pagan!" muttered Duke Lupus. "He woos the girl openly -for his friend." - -"More harm should he speak for himself," replied Count Hardrat. "The -girl's eye is caught by his glitter. We must break in on the talk. Bid -him and the counts to your feast. I have a plot in mind." - -"I trust to your counsel," replied Lupus, and he thrust himself half -between Fastrada and Olvir. - -"Greeting, lord count," he said. "I am Lupus, Duke of Vasconia, a child -of kings." - -"Greeting, lord duke," replied Olvir, coldly. "I am Olvir Thorbiornson, -heir to the King of Lade." - -"I gladly welcome a king's son to my south country. In two days I give a -feast to our Lord Karl. I trust that you will be present with your -companions." - -"I give thanks. I will come, and so, doubtless, will my friends." - -"Farewell, then, for a time," said Lupus. Unable to witness any longer -Fastrada's preference for the new-comers, he bowed to the party and -turned away, dragging with him the unwilling Hardrat. - -As Fastrada sought to catch again the eye of the perverse stranger, a -barge came sweeping downstream and headed in for a small wharf, just -above the viking ships. As the craft made fast to the landing, the -high-pitched imperious voice of Karl rang out above the loud talk of his -retainers: "Lord Olvir! Where is Lord Olvir?" - -Olvir glanced at Roland, and hesitated. But Fastrada said quickly: "Go! -Gerold and I will see Count Roland aboard the barge." - -As the Northman drew near, Karl smiled and hailed him with more -friendliness than ever in his voice: "Here comes my Dane hawk,--truly, a -king's son, no less in deed than in bearing! But you are no spokesman, -Olvir. This little maid has told in full how you saved herself and my -sister's son from the savage Hroar, and, at her bidding, loosed the -thrall-bonds of the Frisians." - -"That was the doing of Floki, lord king,--yonder tall man at the fore of -my crews. In past years he had been a sword-brother to the Frisian -shipmaster, and so had the disposal both of ship and thralls. They -should all have burned together, had not this little vala--this little -seeress--offered him her head-ring for ransom." - -"Yet she still wears the circlet." - -"There are few men more grim than Floki the Crane; but he is no greedy -trader. When he yielded to the maiden's wish it was not to rob her -glossy tresses of their ring. As to the rest, I 'll not say that the -fate of any in the trade-ship would have been easy to bear had Hroar -prospered." - -"Truly so! You call yourself an unbeliever; but surely some saint -guided your ships into the Seine Mouth." - -"No saint steered Hroar's keels, but a traitor's evil counsel. Roland -can better tell you how the Dane boar made boast of tidings from your -hall. There are false hearts near your high-seat, lord king. Had they -their will, even now this child would be grinding meal in Nordmannia, -and Roland waiting his doom on Thor's Stone." - -Karl pressed his daughter to him with a quick movement. - -"Why should they seek to harm my little cloister-dove?" he demanded. - -"Has Wittikind the Saxon no cause to strike at the heart of the Frank -king?" - -"However much a rebel and traitor, the Westphalian is not so mean as to -seek vengeance in the thraldom of a maid-child." - -"Yet what if he sought to have a hostage in safe keeping, should he -venture again Rhineward and be taken thrall? What better safeguard then -than the first-born child of King Karl--even though that child be a -daughter?" - -"My sword! a shrewd guess. Would to Heaven the crafty Saxon had won his -seven feet of ground! And yet, he is a brave man, fighting for his -fatherland. Rather do I curse the traitors in my hall." - -The king looked about at the surrounding lords, his grey eyes aflame. -But their glance rested on none whom he had cause to doubt, and his -genial humor quickly returned. - -"My thanks for your warning, Dane hawk. I shall bear it in mind. And -now, if such is your wish, you will pledge yourself my man for this -war." - -"I stand ready to pledge myself, lord king; but, man or not, I am a -king's son, and will not bend knee to any one, living or dead." - -"Be assured. I owe you too much to hold to the knee-kissing. You shall -be to me as the son of a brother king, come to aid me for a -season,--many seasons, I hope." - -Fairly overcome by such an answer from the ruler of half Europe, Olvir -at once clasped his hands together and placed them between the king's. - -"Witness all," he called aloud; "now do I, Olvir, son of Thorbiorn, -pledge myself loyal man to Karl, King of the Franks, so long as he wars -upon the Saracen folk." - -"It is well, my Dane hawk," replied the king, instantly releasing his -clasp. "I now have a bird of mettle to fly at the swart pagans,--ay, -and a wolf-pack to follow him. Saint Michael! those are stout heroes! -With all your birth and spirit, lad, I wonder to see such warriors under -the banner of a count so young and slight." - -"There's no cause to wonder, lord king. In all my following stands no -man to outmatch me in weapon-play, in running, or in swimming. Of runes -I know all that Otkar knew, and that is not little. In his wander-years -he gathered many writings,--Greek and Roman and Arabic. Each and all, I -copied them on parchment of my own make when, a child, I dwelt outlaw -with my kinsman in the mound of my father's father." - -"In the mound! How came you to dwell in a tomb?" - -Olvir half frowned, and looked at his questioner with a sombre light in -his dark eyes. But then Rothada's upturned face met his gaze. At once -his brow cleared, and he answered with no trace of the bitterness which -had welled up from his heart,-- - -"It was thus, lord king. When tidings of Thorbiorn's death came north, -my mother, the emir's daughter, died in her bed; and while they bound on -her hel-shoes, I was laid, an unsprinkled babe, at the feet of Skuli, my -father's brother. But he would not take me up. He bade them bear me -out upon the fell-side. Then Otkar slew many of Skuli's men, and would -have slain Skuli, had he not fled. When Otkar stood alone in Trondheim -Hall, he took me up and bore me by sea, through darkness and storm, to -the wife of Koll the Outlaw. But Otkar was himself outlawed for the -slaying, and, when a winter was gone, he brought me to Starkad's -grave-mound, where he had made himself a dwelling. Most daring of all -his deeds was that breaking of his uncle's mound, for not even he might -have matched the Hero of Bravallahede. Yet the fearless champion made -his abode with the ashes of the king, on the wild cliffs; and there he -reared me, his fosterling, training me in all games of skill and in -runes of many tongues, until my fourteenth year. It was a hard -training, for Otkar tried me in all things to the utmost of my -strength." - -"Even as Sigmund tried Sinfiotli." - -"Truly so, lord king, and with like purpose. He intended that I should -hurl Skuli from the high-seat of Lade, and then aid him to avenge my -father." - -"God alone could have stayed the crafty grey bear from his purpose! You -were not with him when he came to the court of Carloman, my brother." - -"The Norns--or your God--willed otherwise; for Skuli, my uncle, stepped -into the shoe with me, and so, though lawful heir, I am not yet on the -high-seat of Lade. Otkar was still in outlawry, and by our compact with -Skuli I could not join him when he fared south to pay what we wrongly -thought to be the greater of the blood-debts. But my training was not -wasted. With Floki yonder, I swept the Dane shores for the traitor -Hroar, and the bairn whose shield could ward a half-stroke of Otkar's -axe proved the bane of many a champion. Though Otkar met his fate before -vengeance was done, the sword which he whetted has at last sought out -the murderer and paid the blood-debt of my father." - -Karl gazed down into the sternly joyful face of the young sea-king. - -"No more do I wonder that you lead men," he exclaimed. "It is a fair -day which brings me such a liegeman!" - -"Not the day should be praised, lord king, but this little maiden." - -"She's very near my heart, Olvir, and I bear her to one who will greet -her with a mother's love. The barge waits, and I am eager to place the -child in Hildegarde's arms. Farewell until to-morrow. Eggihard, my -steward, has gone to choose your camp. You have only to sail a few -bowshots downstream. Eggihard will see to it that you receive food and -drink as you may need." - -"I give thanks, lord king," answered Olvir, and, stooping, he kissed -Rothada on the forehead. - -"Farewell, Earl Olvir!" cried the girl, in a merry voice; and, clasping -the hand of her father, she turned away down the river-bank. Olvir's -face softened as he watched them go,--the mighty King of the Franks and -Lombards hand in hand with the little convent maiden. His eyes glistened -as he saw how Karl bent to caress the child's tresses. Truly, here was -a royal friend,--a hero whom even the Blood of Odin might serve with -honor. - -Fastrada sat among the war-counts chosen to accompany the king, with -Roland between herself and Gerold. As Olvir looked from the king to his -wounded foster-brother, his glance chanced to fall upon the queen's -maiden. He turned quickly away, then looked again. After all, so long -as he did not give way to desire, was there any reason why he should not -enjoy the maiden's beauty? For what purpose was sight given but to see? - -Silent and motionless as a statue, he stood gazing after the barge, -until the bony hand of Floki the Crane fell upon his shoulder. - -"You look over-closely at the dark maiden, earl," he said bluntly. - -Olvir frowned, but answered coldly, "Be assured. My sword-brother loves -the maiden." - -"The more cause to heed me. Listen, son of Thorbiorn. The gerfalcon -should fly high. Were Otkar here with his grey wit, I know what quarry -he would name for your love quest,--no common bride--" - -"What! that child? You 're mad--" - -"Not I. If you but use shrewdly your nimble wit, your wedding-seat -shall be on the bench of a world-king. As to the maiden, she is an -opening bud, whose blossom will prove far fairer than that slant-eyed -werwolf." - -"Werwolf!" - -"Ay," went on Floki, unchecked by the hissing menace in his earl's -voice; "I am not blind. That maiden's lips are red as blood; and if -ever I saw wolf's eyes in human being--" - -Olvir burst into hearty laughter. - -"Ho, Floki, you 're dogwise!" he cried. "Not even our little vala owns -milder eyes or purer look than my sword-brother's _may_. Go now; take -the ships downstream to the camp where the king's steward waits our -coming. I go afoot." - -Floki glowered down upon his earl, a wry look on his long, sharp face. - -"Good mead in a hoopless cask,--wise words in a loath ear," he croaked; -and turning on his heel, he stalked back to the viking wedge. - -A word sent the crews leaping aboard their ships, and quickly all five -craft were headed downstream. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - -As he sat on the high-seat, -That man of the Southland. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -Left alone on the knoll, Olvir turned his gaze back to the now distant -barge, and watched it musingly until it disappeared beyond a clump of -woods. Floki's warning had moved him more than he had cared to -acknowledge. Though far from being as profound as had been Otkar, the -man was possessed of exceptional shrewdness, and the knowledge of this -now compelled the young sea-king to pause and ponder his words. Could -they be true? He smiled at the absurdity of the question. But then he -remembered the noble Frank whom he had chosen for foster-brother, and -the smile left his face. However pure and innocent, what was this maiden -to him? - -"It is I who am dogwise, not Floki," he muttered, and he turned his back -on Casseneuil. - -Within a bow-shot of the king's pavilion he came upon Count Hardrat, and -his quick eye noted that the man's first impulse was to avoid him. But -as the Northman approached, the Thuringian advanced to meet him. - -"I would make my peace," he said with a gruff show of cordiality. -"Heroes should not bear malice,--and more, you had the best of it." - -"Say no more of the wrangle," replied Olvir, quickly. "I heard your -name, but it slips my memory." - -"Hardrat, a count of Thuringia,--count of a little shire, when I should -hold the Sorb Mark, if right were done me," grumbled the Thuringian. -"But old Rudulf has a pretty daughter in the king's hall; and when was -Karl ever known--" - -Olvir turned upon the speaker, his eyes ablaze. - -"How!" he demanded; "do you say anything against the maiden?" - -The Thuringian recoiled as though struck. - -"I--I--no!" he stammered. - -"Then ward your tongue." - -The count sought to meet his gaze, but failed. - -"My lord Dane," he protested half sullenly, "are you not over-hasty? -Surely, to speak without offence of a maiden whom you have met but -once--" - -"To me she is as a sister. She is all but betrothed to my -foster-brother. But no more. I mistook your tone. And now I should -hold it a favor to be told whose are yonder tents. They differ from all -others I see about." - -"Well they may. It is the camp of the Saracen envoys,--Al Arabi and--" - -"Al Arabi--Al Arabi! How else is he called?" - -"He is named after the wise King of the Hebrews, though his people give -it a strange sound,--Sul--Suleyman." - -"Thor smite me!" cried Olvir, his eyes glittering. "My thanks for the -word. Farewell, earl." - -Before the astonished count could answer, the Northman was walking -swiftly toward the Saracen camp. Very soon he came to an open-fronted -pavilion, in whose recess a venerable figure reclined on a low divan, -droning out a passage of the Koran. Olvir halted a moment to stare at -the patriarch, then stepped quietly within the entrance. - -"Peace be with you, O emir," he said in Arabic. - -"And with you peace," answered the Saracen, as he lifted his eyes. -Their hawk-like glance rested wonderingly upon the bright figure of the -Northman; but then it was drawn by the glow of the great ruby on the -pommel of Al-hatif, and in an instant the Arab's wonder had given place -to fury. - -"Dog of a kaffir!" he cried, and he leaped to his feet. A taboret, set -with dishes, stood before him. Spurning it aside, he advanced with a -rush, till his claw-like hands threatened the smooth cheek of the -Northman. - -"Al-hatif! Al-hatif! The sword of the Prophet!" he shrieked. "What -kaffir dog bears the khalif's gift? Eblis take the thief! May his arm -wither--" - -"Stay!" commanded Olvir. "Would you curse your own blood?" - -The Arab paused, transfixed, and Olvir gazed unwavering into his glaring -eyes. A dozen or more Moslems, weapons in hand, came flocking about the -pavilion, drawn by the outcry of their sheik. But Olvir, heedless of -their bared scimetars, continued gravely: "Many winters, O sheik, have -whitened the mountains of Armenia since my father and Otkar, whom you -called El Jinni, gave oath to you and left you lying bound on the -river's bank. Both Thorbiorn and his bride, who was my mother, long -since passed over the bridge of the dead, and El Jinni has now followed; -but the oath has ever been kept. None other than your blood has borne -the khalif's gift." - -The sheik made no reply. He was gazing searchingly into Olvir's dark -face, his own stern features softened by a look of deepest yearning. -His doubts were soon ended. With joy as impetuous and unmeasured as had -been his anger, he sprang forward and seized the young man in his arms. - -"Son of Gulnare! Seed of my House!" he cried. "Allah is good! You come -to cheer my age with your youth and beauty." - -Olvir reverently returned the embrace of his mother's father, but -answered quickly and with decision: "Deny not the justice of Allah, O -sheik! Into the North He sent my mother,--and I am a son of the North. -While this war lasts we shall together fight the Omyyad beneath your -black banners. Afterwards I must return here among the Afranj, if not -to my father's people." - -"Allah's will be done! We shall see when the time is at hand. Now, at -least, you will eat my salt and abide with me this night." - -"Be it as you desire. Yet, first, I would see to my men." - -"Go; but return quickly. My eyes yearn to feast upon the son of my -daughter." - -Reluctantly the sheik's arms released their clasp, and Olvir darted away -along the river-bank. Al Arabi, with a curt command to his swarthy -followers to withdraw, stood gazing after his grandson until he vanished -behind a group of booths. - -"Allah be praised this day!" he murmured fervently as he returned to his -cushioned seat. "Kasim, my son-in-law, is a thorn in the flesh; but -this bright child of Gulnare renews my youth. His eye is as the soaring -falcon's; his step as the fleet gazelle's." - -Nor was the sheik's praise unmerited. No runner in the Frankish camp -could have covered the mile downstream and back with near the swiftness -of the young Northman; yet when he stood again at the door of the -pavilion and stepped in upon the costly Persian rugs, he betrayed no -other signs of the race than a slight flush in his dark cheeks and an -added depth of breathing. - -"By the Beard!" exclaimed Al Arabi; "as Zora among coursers, so is the -son of Gulnare among runners." - -"I have run down the grey wolf in fair chase," replied Olvir, simply, -and at the beckoning gesture of the sheik, he seated himself beside the -old man in the same Oriental posture. Al Arabi smiled and clapped his -hands. Almost immediately an Arab attendant, in loose shirt and baggy -trousers, appeared at the entrance and salaamed to the ground. - -"Bring food," said Al Arabi. - -The man salaamed again and sprang away. As he disappeared, Olvir turned -gravely to the sheik. - -"What says the Prophet, O kinsman?--'Better is it to do justice than to -sit at meat.' Before I taste your salt, it is well that right should be -done between us. It seems to me just that I should now return to my -mother's father the sword which my father took by force. Here, then, is -Al-hatif. I restore it willingly, though I cannot say that the deed is -a joyful one." - -Olvir was not long kept waiting to see how Al Arabi would meet this act -of generous pride. With a quick movement the old Moslem seized the -sword and sprang to his feet. The beautiful blade whipped from its -sheath and flashed around the sheik's head in bright circles. - -"Allah acbar!" he cried. "The sword of the Prophet returns! Once again -my hand grasps the khalif's gift!" - -Olvir turned his head away, unable longer to hide his anguish at the -loss of the sword. He thought of the day in Starkad's mound, when Otkar -first put the coveted plaything in his childish hands. Since then it -had never lain beyond his reach, night or day, and now--! - -In the midst of his rejoicing, Al Arabi paused and turned his head to -glance at his grandson. A moment later sword and scabbard were lying -across Olvir's feet. - -"Look, my son!" cried the old man. "The khalif's gift is my gift. For -a little the light of the blade blinded me. But how could I take from -my daughter's son the only inheritance she left him? Once the sword was -forced from my grasp; now my heart rejoices to part with it to the son -of Gulnare." - -Olvir sought to answer, but the words choked in his throat. An eye far -less keen than the sheik's, however, could have seen the gratitude which -lighted the young viking's face. His eyes were shining through a mist -of tears. Al Arabi gravely seated himself beside his grandson, and, -sheathing the sword, clasped it once more to Olvir's belt. - -The first attendant and another now entered the tent, bearing between -them a taboret set with food. The second attendant withdrew at once; -but his fellow waited for further orders. - -"Where is Vali Kasim?" asked Al Arabi. - -"He goes with the herd to the river, O sheik." - -"When they return, bid him come this way." - -The man bowed and slipped noiselessly away, while the host, having first -tasted each dish on the table, urged his guest to eat. He had no need -to repeat the bidding. Olvir's youth and health would have given relish -to the plainest fare, and the mutton stew was very savory. When the last -drop of gravy had been sopped up, Olvir turned with good-will to the -dates and candied fruit, which the sheik was attacking with the zest of -an Oriental. Hearty, however, as was the younger man's appetite, his -palate, unaccustomed to such confections, soon cloyed with their spicy -sweetness. Al Arabi gravely shook his head at this sign of foreign -taste, and then he smiled in recollection of the past. - -"It is clear that you were not raised in the land of the faithful, son -of my daughter," he observed. "You lack the sweet tooth." - -"I will not turn from honey in the comb; but these sweets--" - -"The spices of the Far East. You will in time become used to their -flavor," explained the sheik, and he held up a slice of candied -pomegranate between thumb and finger. But the sweetmeat did not reach -his mouth. Struck by a sudden thought, he dropped the titbit to clutch -Olvir's shoulder. His eyes were ablaze with intense feeling. - -"_Hei_, by the Prophet's Beard, you shall in truth learn the taste of -Moslem sweets! Who is Kasim, that he should stand first with the Beni -Al Abbas? My word is yet weightiest in the council of the sheiks. When -this lion of the Afranj has broken the might of that dog Abd-er-Rahman, -my daughter's son--my daughter's son shall be Emir of Andalus!" - -Olvir's cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkled at the alluring prospect; -but his clear intellect was quick to perceive the wildness of the -scheme. - -"Hearken a little, father of my mother," He said. "I give thanks for -the good thought; but how can such be? Did Allah uprear me a kaffir, -that I might rule over the faithful?" - -"The mission of Islam is to bring unbelievers into the faith." - -"I hold to no faith but my own. No priest or prophet shall set the -bounds of my thought. I see much good in the words of the Son of Mary; -but little has Mohammed added to them. I believe that God is in all men -alike, and that each man is good, not according as he is Moslem or Jew, -Christian or heathen, but as he does in his deeds the will of the Spirit -within him. But enough! I give you pain." - -"_Hei_! you speak in a strange tongue, son of Gulnare. Yet the tongue -can be bridled. You believe in the One God. For the rest, there need -be--" - -"Stay, father. What is the creed of Islam, which the proselyte must cry -aloud? No; it cannot be. Even my hair would betray me." - -"_Bismillah_! The All-powerful One will disclose his decrees in due -time. If yours is the Afranj hair, is not Abd-er-Rahman's the Afranj -eye? 'Blue of eye, and foul of face,' the saying is against the Omyyad; -but there is nothing in men's mouths against hair of golden flame. We -shall see what Allah has decreed. Now tell me how you come here to the -host of the Sultan Karolah; tell me of my Gulnare, and of your life in -the frozen North." - -Olvir bowed; but he had hardly made a beginning of the tale of how -Thorbiorn Viking brought home his elf bride from the Land of the -Asiamen, when he was interrupted by the sound of quick hoof-beats, and a -score of beautiful horses, wine-red in color, came crowding around the -front of the tent. As Olvir stopped short with a cry of delight, Al -Arabi smiled and lifted his hand. A mare at once pushed from among her -companions and advanced quietly into the tent, the tip of her flowing -tail brushing the costly rugs, upon which she planted her small hoofs -with the daintiness of a woman. Al Arabi held out for her a stoned -date, and as she nibbled at it he stroked her bony cheek. - -"So, Zora," he said, "you must have your sweetmeats, like all women. -But I do not begrudge them to my swift one. You look at the guest, -daughter of Rustem. It is well. He is not such a one as these Afranj -jinn, who must get them to battle or the chase on ox-like steeds. No, -Wind-racer; this is one with whom you could course the gazelle from dawn -even to sunset. Look closely at the young man, for he is of the -Household,--he is the Heir." - -Zora stretched out her graceful neck to nuzzle the Heir's strange attire -with the tip of her projecting lip. The attention was appreciated at its -full value. Never before had Olvir seen the like of this beautiful -mare, and her friendliness greatly pleased him. He was stroking the -broad forehead between her soft black eyes when the younger Saracen -envoy entered the tent. - -Kasim did not wait to examine the guest, but perceiving at the first -glance that the stranger's dress was not of Saracen fashion, he -exclaimed petulantly: "How now, father of my bride; has your dowar -become a lounging-place for kaffirs? I did not look to find you -breaking bread with an Afranj dog." - -Great was the vali's surprise when the despised kaffir answered him in -his own tongue: "Friend, what says the wise king, the emir's -namesake?--'Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is accounted wise; -and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.'" - -Though not a little humiliated by the apt rebuke, Kasim advanced closer -to examine the guest with his blinking gaze. If his thought was to -strike fear into the heart of the stranger by the fierceness of his -look, he was never so mistaken. Olvir met him with a gaze so steady and -so full of calm indifference that the Saracen, to cover the sudden -confusion which fell upon him, shifted his glance to the stranger's -dress. - -The body armor of the guest was familiar to his sight; for only in its -rich finish and in the threefold thickness of its mesh did it differ -from his own. Yet it had an odd appearance, worn with the cross-thonged -stockings, close breeches, and fur-trimmed cloak of the Norse dress. -And, notwithstanding the ruddy yellow hair of the son of Gulnare, never -had Kasim Ibn Yusuf seen a warrior who in figure, face, and bearing so -nearly approached the Arab ideal of princeliness and beauty. - -"May it please the father of my sultana to make known the guest who sits -at meat with him," he said. - -Al Arabi rose, and Olvir imitated the movement. When both were standing, -the sheik laid his hand on Olvir's shoulder, and answered the vali: "You -have heard of El Jinni, Ibn Yusuf,--that Samson of the Far North--" - -"I have heard of El Jinni," retorted Kasim. "So this is his son. Had -another than yourself told me that you would hold friendship with any -kin of the robber who despoiled your city and bore off your daughter, I -should name the teller a liar." - -"Do not marvel, Ibn Yusuf. This is not the son of El Jinni, but the son -of that daughter,--my Gulnare. Rejoice with me, Kasim! The lost is -found! Come forward and greet your kinsman." - -At the appeal, which was half a command, Kasim advanced and embraced -Olvir, muttering formal words of pleasure. His protestations of -friendship did not, however, deceive the young Northman. He read the -hostility in the Arab's eyes, and met the feigned warmth of his greeting -with cold disdain. - -"You bear a sword of price, kinsman," remarked the vali, as the glow of -the great ruby on Al-hatif's hilt caught his eye. - -"It is a sword beyond price," answered Olvir. "The Prophet himself once -bore it. When your wife's father aided Khalif Abdullah to overthrow the -House of Omar, the khalif did more than make him Emir of Kars,--he gave -to him Al-hatif." - -"Al-hatif!" cried Kasim; "the Prophet's sword in the hand of an -unbeliever!" - -"I believe in the One God," replied Olvir. "There is good in all -faiths. I accept the Truth wherever I find it; the error I reject." - -The vali threw out his hands in pious horror. - -"La I'laha ilia Allah; Mohammed resoul Allah!" he cried. "Within Islam -alone is salvation." - -"So say the Jews; so say the Christians; and so say the Magians,--each -for his own creed," retorted Olvir. - -Kasim frowned and shook his fist at the unbeliever, in sudden heat. - -"What saying's this?" he exclaimed. "Who dares name the creeds of -kaffir dogs in the same breath with the true faith? Who--" - -"Enough, vali!" commanded Al Arabi. "There shall be no railing and -contention in my House. The son of Gulnare does not come to bring -strife, but to strengthen our hands in the struggle against -Abd-er-Rahman. You saw his warriors in the strange ships which rowed -past before our dowar. When Karolah comes south, with him will march -your kinsman and his steel-clad warriors, to fight beneath our banners. -And now, that the son of Gulnare may not find the way toilsome, I give -him the choicest of my desert-fliers. The daughter of Rustem is fitting -gift to the son of Gulnare." - -"Zora!" stammered Kasim,--"Zora!" - -"I have spoken. Lead the herd away, and make ready full equipment, that -the fleet one may come to her master with adornment worthy of her -lineage." - -With his hand clutched convulsively in Zora's flowing mane, Kasim led -her from the tent without a word. - -Al Arabi watched his departure with a frown of displeasure, his lean -hand tugging at his beard. - -"He goes in anger," he muttered. - -"I fear I bring you sorrow, father," said Olvir. "A house divided -against itself cannot stand." - -"The Son of Mary spoke truth. Yet be at peace. It is not you who bring -contention to my House. Kasim Ibn Yusuf is a man of unruly spirit. He -has long been a thorn in my flesh. Your coming has rejoiced my soul." - -"Allah grant it may never be otherwise!" responded Olvir. - -"_Amin--amin!_" said Al Arabi; and motioning Olvir to resume his seat, -he added: "Now, my son, tell me fully of your mother and of your fearful -uprearing by El Jinni in the tomb." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - -Unwound from arm winding-rings -Of Kaiser gold wrought-- - LAY OF HILDEBRAND. - -The seed of gold -Sowed the swan-bright woman, -Rings of red-gold. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -Morning put an end to Sheik Suleyman's hospitality. Shortly after -sunrise his retainers began striking the tents of the dowar, in -preparation for the journey back across the Pyrenees. To ferry the -envoys over the Garonne, Olvir manned one of his longships, and made -ready to embark with his new-found kinsmen. His purpose was to -accompany the sheik half a day on the march, as a mark of the respect -and affection due his mother's father. He also had in view the return -to the Garonne, when, unhampered by companions, he could test the speed -of the beautiful red mare. - -At the last moment, however, as Zora was being led aboard ship, young -Gerold of Busson came galloping down the bank, and hailed the Norse -chief loudly: "Hold, Lord Olvir! The king bids you to his presence." - -Olvir turned, frowning, to the sheik, who stood with Kasim in the -vessel's stern. - -"Eblis!" he exclaimed in Arabic. "Am I a hound, to leap to another's -bidding? Karolah sends command for my presence. Let him command; I go -with you." - -"Allah forbid!" rejoined Al Arabi. "Have you not chosen the service of -the Afranj sultan? Why, then, should he not command? Bend to his wish. -It may be that he sends to honor you." - -"Yours are words of wisdom, father of my mother. My freedom is in the -hands of my lord. Farewell, therefore,--and peace be with you till we -meet in Andalus," replied Olvir, and he beckoned the groom who held Zora -to bring the mare to him. - -Al Arabi leaned over the ship's side and extended his arms in a yearning -gesture. - -"My peace with you, son of Gulnare! I shall suffer many nights of -longing before I see your face on the Ebro's bank." - -"The days of our meeting will blot out the memory of the parting," -answered Olvir; and a smile drove the lingering frown from his brow. -Still smiling, he glanced aside at Kasim, with a pleasant word of -parting on his lips; but neither look nor word won a responsive smile -from the impassive face of the younger Saracen. - -A moment later, as the ship's bows swung clear of the bank, Count Gerold -rode down beside Olvir and cried out eagerly: "Tell me, hero, is not -that your rune-friend Liutrad at the helm?" - -"Ay." - -"Then may he not come with us? Our lord king will be glad to see him -also." - -Olvir made a sign to the young giant, who calmly gave the tiller into -Floki's hand, and turned to pick up his ponderous axe. - -"The hero should move more briskly if he would come ashore dry shod," -remarked Gerold, and he pointed to the quickly widening space between -the bank and the longship's stern. - -"The stag leaps high. I alone can out spring the son of Erling. -Watch!" - -As Olvir spoke, Liutrad bounded up on the high stern-piece of the ship. -For an instant he stood poised on the gilded dragon-tail, gathering -force for the wide leap; then he came flying above the water, clear to -the side of his earl. - -"Well done, Dane!" exclaimed Gerold; and he sprang from his horse. - -Liutrad caught the extended hand of the queen's brother in his powerful -grip, and met his smile with a look no less friendly. Though the -Northman overtopped the Swabian by a head, the two were so well matched -in years and nature that their hearts warmed in friendship on the spot. - -For a while, as the boyish warriors exchanged pledges of friendship, -Olvir watched the white-bearded figure in the stern of the receding -ship. At last, with a gesture of farewell, he turned and looked at the -new-made friends. His face lighted at sight of their smiles, and with a -quick movement he unwound one of the double spirals of gold coiled about -his arm. Another twist in his sinewy fingers broke the spiral into two -equal parts. Handing one to each of the young men, he explained to the -Swabian: "In the North a leader who is not close-fisted is called the -'ring-breaker,' because he gives the red gold of his rings to his true -friends and followers. Here, then, I give you each a ring to wear, as a -token of the bond between you." - -Both sought to thank him; but he cut short their words with a gesture. -His face had darkened as though a shadow had fallen across it. - -"May the Norns weave you good luck!" he muttered. "Not all friends lack -gall in their mead." - -"Surely there shall be none in the sweet mead that I 'll drink with -Liutrad the loreful!" replied Gerold. "But come now. Our lord king is -eager to talk with such wise heroes. It is wonderful that warriors -should be so learned. Few even among monks and priests can mark fair -letters. Were you and Lord Olvir baptized, his Majesty would make -bishops of you both." - -"As it is," rejoined Olvir, ironically, "we are benighted heathen,--sons -of the fiend-god Thor. And now, as you well say, we had best be moving -if we would not keep the great king waiting." - -"I will walk to the villa beside my Frank friend," remarked Liutrad, as -Olvir placed a hand on Zora's withers and vaulted lightly into the -saddle. But Gerold would not agree. - -"Yonder is the camp of one who owes me favor," he said. "I will soon -have a horse for you." - -With Liutrad mounted, the three quickly covered the ride to Casseneuil. -Grooms of the king's stables took charge of the horses in the courtyard -of the villa, and Gerold, waving aside the Grand Doorward, himself -ushered his companions to the royal apartments. - -Olvir and Liutrad, staring wonderingly about them at the Roman -architecture and Gallo-Roman decorations of the villa, followed Gerold -in half-awed silence through the flower-perfumed courts and the -marble-tessellated passages. At each turn they looked to find -themselves on the threshold of some grand rush-strewn hall, crowded with -war-counts and the Frank king's councillors. When, however, Gerold at -last led them through a curtained archway, a glance at the tapestried -chamber within showed them their mistake. - -"The queen's bower!" muttered Olvir, and his black eyes flashed their -glance along the line of busily sewing maidens on the right to Rothada, -playing with her sister and brothers at the edge of the dais that -extended across the farther end of the chamber. Upon the dais sat -Hildegarde herself, side by side with her royal spouse. - -With all his haughty pride, Olvir was quick to realize the honor paid -him, stranger and outlander as he was, by such an introduction into the -bosom of the Frank king's family. When he perceived the queen's -extended hand beckoning him to approach, he advanced at once down the -chamber, without pausing to look about. In his eagerness he failed to -see Count Roland and Fastrada, who had drawn apart into one of the -recessed windows of the bower. Liutrad, however, chancing to glance -that way, turned aside to inquire the health of the wounded count; and -Fastrada took instant advantage of the interruption to glide out beside -Gerold. If her intention was to overtake Olvir, she was too late. He -was already kneeling at the edge of the dais, to kiss the queen's hand. - -As the Northman's knee touched the dais step, the great Frank in the -oaken seat struck his thigh, and cried loudly: "By my sweet dame's -spindle! hereafter I swear by that token! The Dane bows neither to -sword nor crown, yet stoops low to a woman's hand." - -Olvir stood erect and looked straight into the gracious face of the -queen. Hair of golden floss, a skin of dazzling fairness,--neither was -new to him; but the mild blue eyes beamed with spiritual light such as -was seldom seen even in the lands of Christendom. The daughter of -Childebrand, despite her seven years of wedlock, was a dame very lovely -to the eye, no less in expression than in feature. - -Olvir smiled at her as he would have smiled at Rothada, and, without -turning, he answered the king steadily: "I come of high blood, lord -king; also, I am a free Northman,--I bow to no man. But the greatest of -all may well bow to holiness. We have a saying in the North, 'A good -woman is near the gods.'" - -"That is a wise saw, however heathenish. But give heed to our queen; -she has something to say to you." - -"I would give thanks for the safe bringing of this little maiden," -remarked Hildegarde. "Only a warrior of noblest heart could have done -such a deed." - -Olvir shook his head smilingly. - -"I freed the Dane's thralls for my own pleasure, which you now double," -he said. - -"But you shall also accept this ring, as mark of our gratitude," -rejoined the queen, and she drew a bracelet of twisted gold wires from -her white wrist. When she held out the ornament, Olvir, instead of -grasping it, thrust his left hand through the opening. - -"How! is the ring on?" exclaimed Karl, in surprise. "The lad has no need -to talk of high birth,--a warrior with hands womanly slender!" - -"Yet fit to grasp spear or sword," added Hildegarde, gazing curiously at -the young sea-king's hard palms and sinewy wrists. - -"Before I could walk I played with weapons," replied Olvir, and he -glanced aside at the royal children. The king looked also, and at once -beckoned to the little group. The sturdy boy Karl sprang forward at the -signal, followed by his imperious little sister Rotrude and the toddling -Carloman. After the children of Hildegarde came their unfortunate -half-brother, the crook-backed Pepin. All were soon perched upon the -massive knees of majesty. - -There was space left for Rothada at her father's side; but she had -lingered to greet Olvir. She came to him, her face beaming with delight -and gay welcome, which yet could not altogether hide the shyness of -budding maidenhood. Olvir did not wait for her faltering speech. He -caught her hands in his and bent to kiss her white forehead. - -"Health to you, maiden!" he said. "My sea-wolves send greeting to their -little seeress. Already they howl for a glimpse of her bright face." - -"I pray they may not howl so loud as when Liutrad, yonder, and the lofty -Floki upraised us on the shield. My heart turned to water for fear of -their roaring," replied Rothada; and even the awe of her father's -presence could not restrain a burst of merry laughter at the memory. - -Olvir smiled down into the girl's sparkling eyes. - -"Ay, king's daughter," he said; "but you soon lost your dread of the -grim hailers. Did you not cry back greeting to them? Small wonder they -hailed the little valkyrie who stood so boldly on the shield with their -earl; small wonder they choose for vala the wise little leech-maid who -went among the stricken warriors with soft words and healing balm." - -Karl stared at his daughter in wonder. - -"Do you jest, Count Olvir?" he demanded. "This is a part of the tale I -had not yet heard. Surely, for a nun-child--" - -"She was no nun-child, then, but the child of the great Frank king. -Already she had turned away Floki from the burning of the thralls. Then -she stood with me on the swaying shield. But not until we crossed the -river bar and held war-council oh the Garonne bank did the crews choose -her for their vala,--their little seeress-maiden. The stricken Danes -whom she had nursed aboard my Raven set her in the midst of the -gathering, and the king's daughter won all alike by her sweet wisdom and -lore. She holds the fierce hearts of my sea-wolves by a bond subtle and -strong as the fetter of the Fenris-wolf. We have sworn to carve the -blood-eagle on the back of whoever does her harm." - -"The Holy Mother bless you!" cried Hildegarde; and the king, flushing -with pleasure, added heartily, "Amen to the good wish! You have well -earned it, my bright Dane,--you and all your followers, though you be -twice over heathen. Before sunset the grim warriors shall see the -maiden in their midst. Now come to my side, child, and let a seat be -brought for our guests." - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - -As fair as thou seest -Brides on the bench abiding. -Let not love's silver -Rule over thy dreams; -Draw no woman to kind kisses. - LAY OF SIGRDRIFA. - - -As Rothada sprang up the step of the dais to nestle close to her father, -Gerold drew out a bench from the nearest wall. On this Olvir seated -himself, and the king beckoned to Liutrad and Roland. - -"Come forward, heroes," he said; "and you, Gerold." - -The quick advance of her companions left Fastrada alone in the midst of -the bower. She hesitated and looked appealingly to the king. Karl had -bent over the children clasped in his great arms; but Hildegarde saw the -girl's look, and signed to her to take the place on the bench beside -Roland. - -Crimson with shamefaced delight, the girl glided forward. Near the -bench, however, she began to falter, seemingly overcome by diffidence. -A very audible tittering from the other bower-maidens sent her edging -around the end of the bench farthest from Roland. Then the king, drawn -by the note of merriment, looked up and fixed his gaze upon her. Was it -to be wondered that, between her diffidence and the awe of the royal -presence, the girl shrank back to the bench in such confusion as to -thrust herself between Liutrad Erlingson and his lord? - -Karl burst into a hearty laugh. - -"Holy Mother!" he exclaimed, "it is our herald maiden. She plays her -own part more ill than another's. Did you not tell me, sweetheart, that -Roland--ay, it was Roland! We will mend matters if this young Dane bear -will barter seats on the bench with a stricken hero." - -Liutrad sprang up at the word. But Count Roland sat firmly in his -place. - -"The maiden has good eyesight, and there is space beside me," he said. - -A second and louder titter ran down the row of bower-maidens, and even -Hildegarde could not suppress a smile. Fastrada only blushed the more, -and sat with downcast eyes, not even venturing a glance at the young -sea-king beside her. Her drooping shoulder pressed lightly against the -gold spirals on the Norse hero's mailed arm. She sat very quiet. - -Again Karl laughed, this time at the frowning face of his nephew. - -"Ha, kinsman," he admonished in a jesting tone, "the maiden seems coy. -Your wooing has been over-hearty." - -"That could not be, dear lord, if the maiden loves him," observed -Hildegarde, softly. - -"Which is to say--" - -"Nothing, sire, nothing!" broke in Roland. "We were merely talking of -my sword-brother." - -"A choice subject," rejoined Karl; "yet had I worn the buskins of Count -Roland, I should have talked more of the maiden herself, and of Count -Roland's thoughts of her." - -Roland's frown deepened, and Fastrada's blushing face bent still farther -forward. Olvir sat rigidly erect, striving to resist his desire to gaze -down on the drooping maiden. He had caught one glimpse of her face as -she stood between him and the king,--a glimpse that of itself was enough -to set his pulses wildly throbbing; and now there was added to it the -warmth and perfume of her person close against his side. The temptation -was almost greater than he could bear. Only by the strongest effort -could he hold in mind his duty to his foster-brother. Of all present, he -perhaps felt most keenly the constraint of the silence which followed -the king's well-meant raillery. - -The pause was broken by Hildegarde, with the kindly thought of diverting -attention from the lovers. - -"Dear lord, you told me that Count Olvir was the foster-son of Otkar the -Dane. Have I not also heard you say that Lord Otkar was the craftiest -as well as the strongest of warriors?" - -"He was a foe worthy a king," answered Karl. "Would that the hero were -now beside my throne, with his grey wit and mighty axe! Yet I should -not complain. Here is one whom he has reared in all his lore and -wisdom." - -"The lore, but not the wisdom, lord king," replied Olvir. "He could -give me the one; the other no man may impart." - -"True; and the saying tells me you have found wisdom for yourself. -Beware, for now I shall put your wit to the test. I would ask your -counsel on this Saracen war. All my other borders are pacified. Even -the Saxon Mark--" - -"Count nothing on the Saxons, lord king," interrupted Olvir. - -"How! already a difference from my councillors? Not one in my hall but -will tell you those wolves are at last tamed. I have planted their wild -land with fortresses and chapels." - -"Your church tithes and the preaching of your priests will soon stir the -sons of Odin to renewed anger. I speak words from Otkar's lips. There -will be blood on priestly robes. Your burgs and your chapels will see -the torch. Look for no sure peace in Saxon Land so long as Wittikind the -Westphalian bears his head upon his shoulders." - -"He dwells with Sigfrid the Dane, as you yourself bring word." - -"Scant cheer! When he comes again, it will be with a following of Dane -warriors. If he is content to dwell always with the Nordmannian king, -why should he send the murderer Hroar to bear off this little maiden by -your knee?" - -The king laid his hand on Rothada's head, and his face grew stern with a -look of majesty and power before which even Olvir sat half awed. - -"Dane and Saxon,--sea-wolf and forest-wolf,--let the wild hordes come! -They shall find other than lambs to greet them!" - -"Yet now you 'd lay open the Mark to them, lord king," persisted Olvir. -"You plan to lead your host still farther from the Rhineland." - -"By Thor, Olvir," broke in Liutrad, with Norse freedom, "why seek to mar -such fair chance of sword-play? The more of war, the merrier for heroes. -And would you turn aid from your Saracen kin?" - -"Saracen kin; how's that, my Norse hawk? Is the boy mad?" - -"No, lord king," replied Olvir; "my face should tell otherwise. Because -of it, men in the North call me Elfkin; but this is the truth,--in my -mother's veins Greek and Arab blood were mingled. Her father, Sheik -Suleyman, is known to you as Al Arabi,--leader of the Saracen envoys." - -"Al Arabi!" - -"One-time Emir of Armenia. The wife who bore him my mother was of kin -to the Emperor Leo, whom men call the Isaurian." - -"By my crown! no longer do I wonder at your unbending knee! I have done -well to honor you. What is your knowledge of the Saracen folk?" - -"As to those in the Eastland, I learned much from Otkar and from Arabic -writings; but of these in Andalus, I know only what came to me last -night from the lips of my mother's father." - -"And what did he say of Abd-er-Rahman? The Saracen king has the name of -a great warrior." - -"True, lord king; yet the Beni Al Abbas cherish undying hatred against -the Omyyad." - -"These Saracen pagans are loath to take oath; but the envoys swore to -the fealty of their faction. I count no less on aid from the Christian -folk in that land." - -"And Duke Lupus, your Majesty," added Roland, with a sudden show of -interest. "He brings us safe passage of the Pyrenees." - -"I have heard Otkar speak of the Vascons," rejoined Olvir, dryly. "It -is said they do not love outlanders. As to this duke, is he not of -Merwing blood?" - -"True,--and therefore lacks boldness to break his allegiance," answered -Karl. - -Olvir's lip curled in a slow smile. - -"A fox will snap in his own den, and, at the best, the mountain-cats are -hard to hold. You may look for aid to the Beni Al Abbas; but count -neither on Christian Vascon nor Christian Goth." - -"What! do you hold that the Christian folk would choose their pagan -oppressors before a ruler of their own faith? Our Holy Father Hadrian -numbers them among the truest of Christians." - -"And yet, lord king, the Moslem yoke is lighter on their necks than is -your own upon the folk of Aquitania." - -At the bold assertion, Karl's heavy brows met in a frown, and an angry -light shone from his grey eyes. - -"My yoke,--my yoke!" he repeated slowly. "By my sword, young Dane, you -are no court-man. Otkar himself would scarce have ventured so bitter a -jeer." - -"Jeer! The king asked my counsel, and I gave it. I believe what I -spoke; it came to me from Otkar. Why, then, should I not speak it?" - -"Why not?" rejoined Karl; and he burst into hearty laughter. Then, -falling grave again, he nodded, and called out approvingly, "Here, in -truth, is a king's son! Hearken, my Dane hawk; though I have bold counts -as well as sleek flatterers, my ears are not used to such biting truths. -It shall be otherwise hereafter. I will not willingly part with so -straight-tongued a counsellor." - -The great Frank paused to pat the heads of the three boys astride his -knees. - -"May these bairns prove as bold," he added. "And now, enough of such -matters. I had intended, Olvir, to test your learning, and that of your -ruddy-cheeked follower; but that must now wait. After the feast of -Lupus, we will have you both come of an evening to feast us on your -book-lore." - -"The feast of Lupus!" sighed Hildegarde, pausing in her needlework. "I -wish that I might attend it with you, dear lord." - -"And why, sweetheart?" - -"Fastrada, tell his Majesty of the feast." - -Thus called upon by her royal mistress, Fastrada raised her eyes with a -timid glance, which, as she spoke, faltered and turned appealingly aside -toward Olvir. - -"Your Majesty," she murmured, "it is said that the Vascon duke has -planned his feast after the manner of the old-time Romans. Instead of -seats, he will place couches for the guests to recline upon while they -dine." - -"What!--to lie and sup together? The Vascon proves his Merwing blood. -None other would think of mating bed and board. Yet he is host; we must -make the best of it." - -"Surely no harm will follow, sire," said Gerold. "Abbot Fulrad and other -churchmen will be there, and thus to act out an ancient custom will give -play for much merriment." - -"Joy works no harm," replied Karl, nodding. "At the least, we shall -give the duke's hospitality fair trial. Meantime, there is much else to -demand our care. Farewell for the present, my Dane hawk, and you, young -Samson." - -All on the bench rose at the word of dismissal. Olvir, with a bow to -the queen and a kindly glance for Rothada, turned quickly away after -Gerold and Liutrad, resolutely refraining from a single glance at the -lovely bench-mate whom he thus suddenly deserted. - -In vain Fastrada gazed longingly after the Northman; while, no less -vainly, Roland lingered for a parting look from the girl. Both were -alike disappointed. - -As the bower-maiden glided silently back among her companions, the -wounded count followed Olvir from the chamber with a heavy tread. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - -Bids she not to be wary? -For a wolf's hair I found. -Wolf-beset shall be the way -If we fare on this errand. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -Evening of the following day found Olvir and Gerold returning to the -viking camp from a successful hunt. Zora had fully justified the -praises of her giver, and bore her rider into camp without a sign of -fatigue. But the heavier Frankish horse was so spent by the chase that -he could hardly carry his rider to Olvir's tent. - -At the sound of their approach the tent was opened from within, and -Count Roland came out to greet the hunters. - -"Ho, brother!" called Olvir, as he leaped to the ground. "It is well; -you keep tryst." - -"Better than some," replied Roland. "Already we should be on our way to -the Vascon's hall; yet Gerold is as good as horseless." - -"We shall go more quickly by boat. Ho, there, Floki! man the Raven's -barki. While we wait, brother, Gerold and I will change chase-gear for -hall-dress." - -"Stay; first see to this. A palace slave handed it to me for you. He -claimed to know nothing of the giver, but said that the matter was -urgent." - -"A maiden's gift," ventured Gerold, at sight of the little ivory vial -which Roland held out to the Northman. - -Olvir took the gift and examined it keenly. There was yet ample light -for him to discern a faint "F" traced on the cover of the vial. At the -discovery every nerve of his body thrilled with sudden uncontrollable -delight. But he shook his head at Gerold's suggestion, and said almost -harshly, "I know of no maiden who should so honor me." - -"Look within, brother; let us see what is sent," said Roland. - -Olvir at once opened the little vessel and held it up to view. The -sight brought out a merry shout from Gerold. - -"Saint Petronella!" he cried; "the maiden loves you, hero. She has sent -a lock of hair." - -"But a sparse tress, as suits a grey spinster," added Roland, who had -looked closer. - -"Grey spinster!" muttered Olvir, and he held out to his smiling -companions the one grey bristle which had lain coiled in the vial. -"Here is hair, but no woman's," he added significantly. - -"A wolf's hair!" exclaimed Roland. "But why--" - -"A warning!" broke in Gerold. "I 've heard of the like in Saxon Land; -and did not Gudrun, in the old lay, send such to her kinsmen? Am I not -right, hero?" - -"Ay; come within, Roland. Hroar's scale hauberk will hang well on your -shoulders. You, Gerold, shall go borrow a mail-serk from a man your -size. Bid Floki see to it that the boatmen also arm themselves. None -shall go to the feast naked." - -"You fear an attack?" questioned Roland as Gerold darted away. - -"There are lonely copses on the way to Casseneuil," answered Olvir. - -"If men lie in wait, they will not look for us in the boat. We will -pass them by." - -"And if not? Besides, it may be that the danger waits us at the -villa--even in the feast hall. A dagger from behind--" - -"True; Lupus is a Merwing. God forbid he put poison in our flagons!" - -"That we must chance. But the good mail beneath our jerkins will do no -harm." - -Roland's response was to unbuckle the belt from which swung the heavy -blade of Ironbiter. Olvir then unrolled Hroar's scale hauberk from its -fur wrappings, and, having adjusted the bandages on the Frank's -half-healed wounds, he buckled the armor about the massive body of his -friend. The count's silk-embroidered tunic followed, entirely covering -the gilded steel. Last of all, Olvir replaced Ironbiter with a lighter -sword. Roland yet lacked strength to wield that great Norse blade. - -Olvir's own mail was on in a trice, followed as quickly by his gala -jerkin. Unlike Roland's tunic, however, the jerkin failed to hide his -armor. Its gold collar might have passed as an ornament; but the long -sleeves of ring-mail glinting beneath the cloth at the wearer's wrists -could be mistaken by none. - -"Thor! what care I for the Merwing?" exclaimed Olvir; and stripping off -the jerkin, he belted Al-hatif on the shimmering mail. As he flung his -gay cloak about his shoulders, he added grimly, "If the Vascon question -my feast-dress, I have my answer. More than one tale did Otkar tell as -he lay dying." - -"Bear in mind, brother, the duke will be our host; so ward your tongue," -cautioned Roland. - -"Let him look to his own, then, and mine will wag little," replied -Olvir. "Ah, here comes Gerold, with a good mail-serk on his back. On -with your hall-dress, lad. We wait for you." - -"The boat also. I was seeking Liutrad, to care for my horse," explained -Gerold, as he drew on the garments tossed him by Olvir. - -A little later the three friends were seated in the stern of the Raven's -boat, and six mail-clad vikings were rowing them upstream, through the -twilight, with long, steady strokes. Floki himself pulled bow-oar. - -For a while Olvir skirted the shore; then he steered out into midstream. - -"Ho, earl! swing in again," called Floki, sharply. "The stream might -well run slower." - -"Also your tongue, Crane!" retorted Olvir. "In this dusk watchers might -doubt our looks; but Thor smite me if they could doubt your croak." - -"What of that?" growled Floki. - -"Have you so soon forgot?" demanded Gerold. "In this wood is the camp -of Count Hardrat, whom two days since your ring-breaker flung on the -turf." - -"Liutrad's red pig!" said Floki, contemptuously. - -"But even the meanest foe--" - -Roland stopped short. An arrow had whistled past, not a span before his -face. - -"Saint Michael! an attack!" cried Gerold. "Put about, hero. We 'll -land, and slay the murderers!" - -"They shall hang! Put about, brother!" shouted Roland, as a second -arrow flew out of the gloom, to shiver on his shoulder, and another fell -blunted from Olvir's side. - -The sea-king's nostrils quivered, and his black eyes flashed eagerly, -as, thrusting over the steer-oar, he stooped for the arrow at his feet. -For a moment he stood peering at the missile in the dim light, and a -fourth arrow struck quivering in the boat's upcurved stern. Then, with -a stifled cry, he thrust back the steer-oar so forcefully that the -turning boat surged round again and headed for the opposite shore. - -"Ho, look to your tiller!" protested Roland. "You sheer off." - -"Give way, men," commanded Olvir. "Who hungers for venomed shafts?" - -"Venomed?" cried Gerold.' - -"Look for yourselves," answered Olvir, as he handed the arrow to Roland. -"Beware the point, brother." - -"This is no Frank shaft," said Roland, the instant he felt the arrow. - -"No," replied Olvir, bitterly; "nor is the steel glazed for rust guard. -Otkar brought the like from Saracen Land. They are more deadly than the -adder." - -"But who--" - -"My Saracen kinsman, the younger envoy. Have I not won the old sheik's -love and taken Zora from him?" - -"The foul pagan!" muttered Roland. "But we have passed him. No more -arrows whistle." - -"And the snake crawls away unscathed!" spluttered Gerold, boiling with -righteous anger. - -But Olvir stood silent. Not until the boat swung in beside the villa -landing did he speak a word, and then only a curt command: "Moor -offshore, Floki, and wait." - -"A dreary watch," remarked Gerold. "I could send wine--" - -"Thanks, lad; but we have mead aboard," replied Floki. "A merry feast -to you!" - -"That is a notable henchman, brother," observed Roland. - -Olvir made no reply. Silent as before, he followed his companions to -the Vascon's hall. In the light of passing torches they saw his face -livid with grief and anger. - -In the Roman portico Roland paused and laid a hand on the Northman's -shoulder. - -"Guests--even armed guests--should come to the feast smiling," he said. - -"True; yet my mouth tastes of gall,--my own kinsman!" - -"There is that within will sweeten the taste, hero," replied Gerold. -"Do not shame us with your frown." - -"Lead in, then," said Olvir, and he smothered down the rage and grief -which distorted his face. Before the three had passed the threshold of -the banquet-chamber, the Northman's look, though stern, no longer showed -a trace of passion. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - -A fair may know I, -Fair of all the fairest, -Girt about with gold, -Good for thy getting. - LAY OF REGIN. - - -The feast was already begun when the doorward came forward to show the -belated guests to their places. They followed him, gazing about with -keenest curiosity. The apartment was one of ordinary size, hung with -tapestries of a fashion familiar even to the Northman,--purple and blue -silks, embroidered in gold and brilliant colors with peacocks and lions, -griffins and unicorns. But, notwithstanding what they had heard from -Fastrada in the queen's bower, all three, as they went forward, stared -half bewildered at the sight of the guests on the pillowed couches. - -The table, shaped like a horseshoe greatly elongated, gave room for -thirty guests. It was a gay company,--stately dames and merry-faced -bower-maidens, high court officials, war-counts, and pompous bishops, -all alike gorgeous with silks and jewels. - -The king himself reclined on a raised couch at the head of the board, -with Duke Lupus at his right. On his left was the genial white-haired -Abbot Fulrad; next to whom a high court-dame sat in a chair, severely -erect, her eyes fixed watchfully upon the bower-maidens. Two places -below the old dame Roland's eager gaze instantly singled out Fastrada. - -One couch above and two below the maiden were vacant; and when the -doorward waved Gerold and Roland to the latter, the Count of the Breton -Mark flung himself down beside Fastrada, without a thought as to why the -Vascon should have arranged such an opportunity for his most earnest -rival. Gerold, little less hasty, took the second place and fell into -gay chatter with the laughing bower-maiden on his left. - -Olvir, however, was not to be diverted from his sombre mood either by -love or by merriment. He advanced to his place above Fastrada with no -sign of surprise at the high honor rendered him by its nearness to the -head of the board. Heedless of the maiden, heedless even of the king, -he flung back his cloak and stood with the light shimmering on his bared -mail, his piercing gaze fixed upon Duke Lupus. - -Almost instantly the laughter of the guests died away, and they stared -at the Northman in wondering silence. But the king half rose on his -couch. - -"What does this mean, Dane?" he demanded. "Do guests in the North dine -in full war-gear?" - -"Not so, lord king; in the North there is no need." - -"Saint Michael! what need here?" - -"This is good answer," replied Olvir; and plucking the poisoned arrow -from beneath his cloak, he darted it into the table directly before Duke -Lupus. The Vascon's startled cry and deathly pallor, as he flung -himself back, fully justified the test. - -"The viper!" muttered Olvir. "Others than my kinsman shared in the -murderous deed. Only for a blind were the high places at the feast kept -for us." - -The king had bent forward, and was reaching to draw the arrow from the -wood. As he grasped the black shaft, Gerold cried warningly: "Beware, -sire; the dart is venomed!" - -Karl sat upright, the arrow raised before his eyes. - -"I see," he said sternly, "this is no clean point; but it is blunted." - -"On my mail," replied Olvir. - -"Thank God the mail was proof! A foul deed! Name the wretches, Count -Olvir. They shall meet death in the slime." - -"That I may not do, lord king. Would such foul ones as they stand in -the open?" - -"This is no Frankish arrow." - -"Nor Vascon!" stammered Lupus. - -Olvir smiled darkly. "Lay it to some chance band of outland thieves, -lord king. No others would be so base. And now, enough of treachery -and bitterness! May all turn again to the merrymaking. I would not be a -mar-joy." - -Karl nodded gravely and rolled the poisoned arrow in his kerchief. Then -he sank back again upon his couch, and gave command: "The count says -well. Let the feast go on." - -But Olvir stood waiting beside his place. - -"What more?" demanded Karl. - -"Does the host question my feast-dress?" - -"I? No! What does my lord count mean?" exclaimed Lupus. "I welcome -you gladly, in steel or in silk. Feast and be merry!" - -"As you bid, lord duke," replied Olvir, smiling; but as he stretched out -on the couch his eyes sparkled with another look than friendship. - -"So; the wily snake! Not my cup alone shall taste of gall." - -[Illustration: "White to the lips, the young sea-king turned to his -enemy." (Page 44)] - -The comforting thought was diverted by a soft whisper at his ear,--"Do -not be deceived, lord count. The Merwing lies." - -In the tense strain of his test with the arrow, Olvir had lost all -consciousness of Fastrada's presence. Now, however, he turned about, -and his gaze rested upon the maiden's exquisite figure. At the sight, -all his bitter thoughts of treachery and revenge were forgotten. He had -no time to recall his sword-brother to mind before the girl raised her -head, and, smiling and blushing with undisguised pleasure, turned upon -him a look that set his heart to throbbing with mad delight. - -"So my lord count is at last pleased to greet me," she half whispered. - -"I had first to greet the host, maiden," rejoined Olvir, with a flash of -grim humor. - -"_Ai!_ it was grandly done! But I shudder to think of your peril!" and -the girl's bosom heaved with emotion. - -Olvir gazed straight into her eyes, blue as sapphires and melting with -love. Again his heart leaped wildly and sent the hot blood surging -through his veins. All the Oriental in his nature was aroused. But it -held control only for a moment. Over the graceful head of the maiden he -caught sight of his foster-brother's face, clouded with doubt and -bewilderment. One glance was enough to sober the viking. Not even -youth and Eastern blood could withstand the Northern loyalty. Olvir -tore his gaze from the spell of the sapphire eyes and stared out across -the silver-laden table, his face stern almost to fierceness. - -Fastrada, her blushes fast paling, watched him from beneath lowered -lashes with a startled look. Roland also watched him, his blue eyes -still troubled. Presently a change lit up the Northman's face. He -turned about, with a frank smile for Roland, and met Fastrada's glance -with a look of calm resolve. - -"Drink with me, maiden," he said. "I pledge one who is the truest -friend, the boldest hero in all Frank Land." - -"I drink to that hero," replied Fastrada; and over the brim of her -crystal goblet her eyes again beamed upon Olvir. - -Great as was his self-control, the young man looked hastily away. But -then his lip curled in scorn of his weakness, and he exclaimed, "We -drink to my sword-brother. May he find favor in the eyes of the queen's -fairest maiden!" - -"The fair to the fair," rejoined Fastrada, with adroit play on the word. -"The fair count will win a flaxen bride. But among the dark maidens I -know one who has made choice of a dark-faced hero." - -At the open confession Olvir panted, and his eyes glistened with the -love which he could no longer restrain. Yet he held firm to his purpose. - -"The dark maiden is a foolish maiden," he answered. "She should choose -the blue-eyed hero,--a warrior of kingly blood. His great heart -overflows with love for the maiden,--he, the king's kin, who need but -speak, and honors will be heaped upon him. But the dark warrior, who is -he?--a heathen outlander; a stranger in the land; a wanderer!" - -"No, Olvir!" interrupted Roland, hoarsely; "you are no stranger, but my -true brother. Listen, Fastrada! For no short day you have known that I -loved you, and you have never frowned upon my wooing. Yet now I see -that you turn to my brother. May the Holy Mother grant that you do not -scorn his love the same! Give him the happiness which I thought should -be mine." - -"And which I 'll not take from you," rejoined Olvir. "Shall I cut the -heart from the breast of my brother?" - -"That the maiden already has done. I blame neither her nor my loyal -brother. You have wooed for me, and failed; now you can woo for -yourself without blame." - -"He may win the same answer, lord count," said Fastrada, proudly. - -The retort passed unheeded. The foster-brothers were gazing into each -other's eyes. Soon, however, Roland turned away, that his friend might -not perceive the grief which he could no longer hide. Olvir divined the -cause of the movement, and he also sank back on his couch, to stare -moodily before him. - -For a while Fastrada held to her pretence of coldness, waiting for Olvir -to begin his wooing. But he maintained his moody stare, and gave no -sign. His silence and the sternness of his look puzzled and alarmed the -girl. Clearly, this was a very different kind of lover from the sighing -swains who trembled if she but withheld her smiles. Not even Roland -would have so fought against his love when freed from the bond of -foster-duty. One who could put honor before desire was indeed rare -among suitors. Woman-like, Fastrada grew all the more eager at the -seeming indifference. Unable longer to simulate coyness, she leaned -toward her chosen hero and whispered softly: "Olvir,--Olvir, I wait to -hear you speak." - -Without turning or lifting his head, the Northman answered coldly: "Why -should you wait, daughter of Rudulf? I have stamped my heel on the -heart of my brother; I have stolen from him what he cherished more than -life. The thief's loot is the thief's curse." - -"Yet what have you stolen, Olvir? Surely, nothing that Lord Roland -possessed, or any other Frank. Until you came, I had never loved any -man--and now--and now--" - -The pleading whisper died away in silence; but Olvir had turned, flushed -and bright-eyed, no longer able to resist the love which filled his -whole being. He saw how the girl leaned toward him, her bosom heaving, -her scarlet lips half parted. Her cheeks were again crimson with -blushes, and her eyes met his gaze with the open confession of her love. - -"Thou art Freya!" he exclaimed adoringly, and the girl quivered with joy -to see how his face softened and his eyes shone with rapture. Half -unconsciously they drew nearer together and murmured their love over and -over again. - -They exchanged rings and whispered the betrothal vows, regardless alike -of the unheeding revellers and of the far from friendly glances of their -host. If Hardrat the Thuringian felt displeased at the success of the -Dane intruder, no trace of the feeling was perceptible on his -wine-flushed features. Lupus, however, took no pains to repress his -jealous scowl. - -For a time the Vascon was required to devote his attention to the royal -guest at his side; but when Karl fell to jesting with Abbot Fulrad, -Lupus could watch the lovers, undiverted. As he looked, a fit of -jealous rage seized upon him. Though they hardly touched hands, the -sight was more than he could bear. His first thought was to sign to his -steward to put poison in the Northman's wine. A seemingly careless -gesture and nod, and the crafty slave would know the chosen victim. But -the sign was not given. At the last moment the duke perceived that -Olvir's silver tankard stood brimming beside his trencher. What little -wine the young man drank was sipped from Fastrada's cup. - -Barred of his simplest and most certain means of removing his rival, the -Vascon sat gnawing his lip, his face distorted with the look of a -baffled fiend. Count Hardrat, failing to attract the duke's attention -by his warning glances, spoke to the steward. But the mischief was -already past mending. Drawn by the intensity of the duke's look, Olvir -and Fastrada raised their heads, and for an instant both saw the -malignant stare of the Vascon. Quickly as he looked away, neither failed -to divine his jealous rage. Fastrada clasped her lover's hand in sudden -dread. - -"_Ai!_ how he hates you!" she whispered. - -"No new tidings," rejoined Olvir. Then he put his hand to his breast -and turned smilingly to the maiden. "Dear one, here is hidden a bit of -hollowed ivory of which you may have knowledge." - -"The hollow was not empty," replied the girl. "I feared for you--I fear -more now." - -"You feared?" - -Fastrada hesitated and glanced across the table at Hardrat. The -war-count was intent on his trencher. She drew a deep breath, and, with -eyes downcast, murmured her answer to Olvir's question: "My lord should -know that others than Roland wooed me before his coming, and so there -are those--" - -"--Who do not wish me well," said Olvir, as the girl faltered. "Still, -that is not cause enough for your wolf's hair." - -"True, Olvir; and yet the token was sent at a venture. I know nothing -certain. I chanced to see Lupus talking with my drunken countryman -Hardrat. As I came upon them, Hardrat growled out your name, and -repeated it with a curse. Then they saw me, and the drunkard hurried -away like a guilty man. But Lupus stayed to greet me. I could not rid -myself of him until I was bidden to the queen's bower." - -"He saw that you thought to send a warning." - -"No serpent is more subtle. But if he thinks to come between us, let -him beware!" - -Surprised by the hissing note in the softly murmured threat, Olvir -glanced up from the hand he was fondling. He was too late to catch the -cruel expression which for a moment had marred the girl's beauty; but he -wondered to see how the color of her eyes had altered to a greenish -grey. As he looked, her gaze met his, and the greenish tints quickly -gave place again to the blue. - -"By Freya, sweetheart," he said, "your eyes change their hue." - -"My heart will never change." - -"Nor mine, by my sword! But what hushes the merrymaking? Ah! the host -rises to speak." - -Standing on his couch, Lupus smiled down condescendingly upon his -guests, and, to draw attention, waved a hand whose every finger was -burdened with gem-rings. - -"Brave counts and holy priests, chaste dames and beautiful maidens," he -began, "fill your goblets to the brim, and drink with me to the health -of the great ruler who honors us with his presence." - -A chorus of shouts greeted the toast, and every man sprang to his feet, -Olvir first of all. - -"Long live the king!" cried Hardrat, his bloodshot eyes fixed upon -Lupus. - -"The king! the king!--long live the king!" shouted the guests in chorus, -and the war-counts brandished their bared swords overhead while all -present drained their wine-cups to the bottom. - -As Olvir sheathed Al-hatif, he looked down, eager to rejoin Fastrada. -In this, however, he was to be disappointed. The duenna dame had risen -from her chair and was leaving the table. Immediately all the women -present, dames and maidens alike, rose to follow their leader. None -longed more to stay than did Fastrada, and she lingered beside Olvir to -the very last. Already the women had drawn aside. Olvir looked at the -girl ruefully. - -"So we must part, sweetheart," he sighed. - -Fastrada gazed into his dark face, and half whispered her answer: "Ah, -my hero, would that the time had come when we need never part!" - -"That, I trust, may soon be," replied Olvir, and he drew aside for the -girl to pass. She would still have lingered beside him, but the old -dame beckoned to her, and she glided away to join the other -bower-maidens. - -As the women swept after their leader through a private passage, Duke -Lupus reached out to refill the king's gold flagon. He was met by a -quick gesture of refusal, and Karl turned his empty cup brim down upon -the table. - -"Enough of wine," he said. "I am not over-fond of wassail, and the -feast is dull without our fair ones to grace the board." - -Lupus opened his lips to protest, but caught a glance from Hardrat, and -changed at once to bowing compliance: "Your Majesty, dancing and -juggling were to have followed. Yet whatever may be your pleasure--" - -"You are a kind host, and we give thanks for the feast. Another time we -may enjoy the mountebanks. Farewell, lord duke. God keep you! Anselm, -a word in private; and you, Fulrad. Farewell, my bright Dane." - -Olvir wheeled about to salute the king. As his hand fell, his eye met -Karl's smiling gaze, and he glanced down at the royal couch. The king -looked, and saw the arrow wrapped in his kerchief. He nodded gravely to -Olvir, and, arrow in hand, left the chamber, between Anselm and Fulrad. - -Released from restraint by the departure of the king, the remaining -guests gathered about the head of the table, and many accepted the -duke's invitation to join in a wassail bout. Most of the priests, -however, and a few of the counts at once withdrew from the -banquet-chamber. In their midst went Olvir, so intent on the vision of -Fastrada's loveliness that he had no thought for his foster-brother. - -Still musing, he passed the door, and found himself standing in the -torchlight, face to face with Gerold and Roland. His eyes fell, and he -would have passed by the two with flushed cheeks, had not Roland laid a -hand on his shoulder and turned to walk beside him. - -"Our horses are at your camp, gossip," calmly remarked the Frank. "We -shall return with you for the night." - -"The murderers may yet linger," added Gerold, from the rear. - -Olvir halted and stepped back from Roland. - -"Thor!" he muttered. "This--after what has happened!" - -"Are you not my brother?" demanded Roland. "_Heu_! I know now she did -not love me. If she had, I should hate you. But you have robbed me of -nothing. How, then, can I grudge you your good fortune?" - -"Brother!" cried Olvir. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - -Look on thy loved one, -Lay lips to his lips. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -On the morning after the feast, the first to greet Roland as he stepped -from Olvir's tent was a stocky, bow-legged warrior, whose unkempt red -beard and travel-stained dress of coarse wool and leather spoke far more -strongly of the camp than of kings' halls. But Roland answered the -new-comer's hearty shout with a greeting no less cordial. - -"Ho, Amalwin!" he cried; "I did not look to see your Saxon face this far -south. What of your fellows in the Sorb Mark,--Count Rudulf?" - -"Worad and I came with our levies, the few that Rudulf would spare us. -The little birds twitter on the green boughs; but the crafty Grey Wolf -scents war in the spring breezes. He will not venture Rhineward from -his mark a step beyond Fulda." - -"How is that, friend?" called Olvir, from the entrance of the tent. -"Will not Count Rudulf attend the Mayfields?" - -The Saxon stared at the Norse earl in mingled surprise and admiration -until Roland repeated the question, "Then Rudulf will not come to the -assembly?" - -"Not he! I half wish I were myself back over Rhine Stream, in the deep -forest. But who is this young hero?" - -"Greet him as my sword-brother. He is a Northman from beyond the -Danes,--a fosterling of Otkar." - -"Of Otkar!" shouted Amalwin; and he ran to grasp Olvir's hand. "The -Dane himself took me thrall at the fall of the Irminsul; yet he gave me -freedom, and won for me the good-will of Carloman." - -Olvir nodded: "Be sure the hero spoke no ill to me of Amalwin the Saxon. -But Count Rudulf--I must speak with him." - -"Then you must fare over Rhine Stream, hero," rejoined Amalwin. - -"I know the Grey Wolf," added Roland, nodding in assent. "If he scents -forest-war, he will not stir out of his mark for all the Saracens in the -old Goth realm." - -"It is well I have Zora, brother. I shall start without delay. The -time of your Folk-meet is not over-long." - -"That is true, Northman," remarked Amalwin. "Two fortnights will see -the close of the Mayfields. Though you ride the fleetest of horses, -your return will find Karl the King across the Pyrenees, and the -Saracens already broken." - -Olvir shook his head; but Roland broke in quickly: "Come, brother; let -us bear Amalwin company to our lord king. He should know at once of -your wish." - -"I had forgotten. I am now only a henchman," said Olvir, and he -frowned. - -For a little while, as they walked along the river's bank to the royal -pavilion, his anger kept him moody and silent. But then he began to -question Amalwin on the course and condition of the roads along the main -route to the Rhine. - -Though Karl was deep in the affairs of his immense realm, he was none -too busy to turn immediately at sight of the Saxon. - -"Ho, my forest-bear!--greeting to you! Where is Rudulf?" - -"Lying in lair, lord king. He scents blood near by," answered Amalwin, -and he bent awkwardly to kiss the royal knee. - -"How? Stand up, man. Are the Sorbs harrying?" - -"Neither Sorb nor Saxon; yet the old wolf will not fare far from his -mark. His wife, the Wend woman, has been at her witchery. She -forebodes evil from the west. So he lies in his mark, sniffing the Saxon -breezes." - -"Witchcraft--witchcraft!" muttered Karl, frowning. "We must again warn -Rudulf to keep his outland dame within our law. But as to the -boding,--the fiends may read the future! Rudulf has a grey head, and -you, my bright Dane, brought added warning. Rudulf shall have our -arrow-bode, to levy at will all the land-host of Thuringia and -Austrasia." - -"Give me leave to bear the message, lord king," said Olvir. - -"You, my Dane hawk? I counted on you to lead the host into Spain." - -"My kinsman Al Arabi gave me an Arab mare. I will go and come before -the ending of the Mayfields." - -"Then your mare must be winged! Why should you go?" - -Olvir glanced at Roland, flushing darkly. - -The Frank met the look with a grave smile, and answered for his -sword-brother: "It is a simple matter, sire. Olvir would ask Count -Rudulf for the hand of his daughter. The Thuringian will not come south; -so the suitor must go north." - -"Still, is a long journey." - -"I will return before you march, lord king," repeated Olvir. - -Karl gazed steadily into the haughty face of the Northman. What he saw -there soon satisfied his doubts. He nodded, and said briefly: "Fulrad -will have the writings drawn up within an hour. Make ready--Stay! here -is my ring. It may speed your faring." - -Olvir's eyes glistened as he took the royal signet. - -"Thor!" he cried. "Here is a king whom a king's son may serve without -shame!" - -"Then fly, king's son. We 'll be looking for your return." - -Olvir saluted, and hastened out through the crowds of envious lords. He -was springing away from the pavilion, when Roland's voice brought him to -a stand: "Hold, brother! a word. I go first to the villa, to make ready -for your farewell." - -"Brother--ay, brother!" muttered Olvir; and he stood hesitating, -overcome by the insistent generosity of the Frank. But time pressed. -He waved his hand to Roland and darted away again. - -The hour had hardly passed when Olvir sprang down from Zora's back, -beside Gerold and Roland, at the main gateway of the villa. The older -count promptly took the bridle-rein, while Gerold turned and led Olvir -to the queen's apartments. - -There was little change within the bower since Olvir's first visit. As -before, Hildegarde sat on the dais, with the children grouped about her -feet, and the row of busy maidens on her left. Only the king was -absent. - -At Olvir's entrance, the maidens dropped their needlework, to glance at -him from beneath their lashes and exchange softly murmured comments on -his appearance. But Olvir's gaze was already fixed upon the graceful -form of Fastrada, among the children on the dais edge. Heedless of the -chattering maidens, he hastened forward, his ardor so keen that he could -hardly conceal his impatience when Rothada came running to meet him. - -"You leave us, Lord Olvir!" she exclaimed. - -"Ay, little maid; the time is short. Farewell," he answered, and, with -a hasty kiss on her forehead, he passed by. For a moment he knelt to -kiss the queen's hand, and then he was beside Fastrada, drinking in the -loveliness of her blushing face. The look in her eyes as she gazed at -his lithe figure and resplendent war-gear filled him with such an -intoxicating delight that for a little he failed to comprehend -Hildegarde's remark: "I know nothing of your Norse customs, Lord Olvir. -Here we are somewhat strict with unbetrothed maidens. You must say your -farewells in our presence." - -Fastrada drooped her head to hide a look of resentment, and her dainty -foot tapped the floor ominously. Olvir, however, the moment he sensed -the queen's meaning, smiled up at her and answered gaily, "Why speak of -strictness, dear dame? True love has nothing to hide." - -As he spoke, he took Fastrada's hands, and bent to kiss her, thrilling -with all the love and reverence of the Northern heart for a pure woman. -But as their lips met, the girl, unable to restrain the impulse of her -wild Wendish blood, threw herself upon his breast, and flung her arms -about his neck. He could feel the throbbing of her heart through his -mail. - -"Farewell, my lord--my hero!" she whispered brokenly. "Hasten back -again. If you linger, I shall die!" - -"Never has man gone that journey swifter than I shall go, dear one. If -you have need of service, ask for Liutrad Erlingson. All my sea-wolves -are at your command. Now, farewell, for a little time!" - -Tearing himself from the girl's embrace, Olvir turned and walked quickly -away. Rothada and her brothers joined the queen in a chorus of -_God-speeds_; but Olvir waved his hand and leaped out through the -doorway, without a single glance even for Fastrada. - -He found Roland with one hand on Zora's neck and the other caressing the -mare's bony cheek. The Frank turned at once at the sound of Olvir's -light step, and caught his outstretched hands. For a moment the two -gazed at each other with eyes aglow. Then Olvir leaped into the saddle -and called to the mare in Arabic. Wheeling at the word, she leaped -through the gateway and shot away down the road like an arrow. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - -Riding swift on his errands -On the bit-gripping steed. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -Though reared on the iron coast of Northern Norway, Olvir Thorbiornson -had coursed more than one good horse over the flat shores of Jutland and -Frisia. What was no less to his present advantage, he held clearly in -mind all that Otkar Jotuntop had told him, in his childhood, of the -emir's red racers of the desert. Yet, confident as he felt of Zora's -endurance, throughout the first day's ride he restrained his desire to -course at full speed, and held the willing mare in check. Even a -Frankish horse, if spurred, might have kept the road with them to the -first night's rest,--at a Gothic farmstede just beyond Perigueux. - -On the second day, however, Olvir held a looser rein, and Zora's long -stride swept him forward through the fertile country of mid-Aquitania at -a pace to astonish the dark-featured Gallo-Roman serfs toiling in the -fields beside the road. Even the occasional Frankish noble and pompous -bishop faring along the ancient highway could not but halt to stare, -with gaping mouth, as the bright Northman shot past them on the red -mare. - -It might be that they would first catch sight of the rider in the -distance, attracted by the sun-rays glittering on his mail and helmet. -Then he would be rushing upon them, and they would draw aside to see him -pass. Scarcely a glance would they have as horse and rider dashed by; -but it was a glance not soon to be forgotten,--the rider, with the sun -glinting on his war-gear and jewelled sword, staring eagerly ahead along -the road; the red mare, with outstretched head and trumpet nostrils, -sweeping over the ground with long, easy strides. - -But not all saw the king's messenger so. Now and then Olvir leaped from -the small Arab saddle and ran beside Zora, lightly as a deer, his hand -upon her withers. The change rested both mare and rider, and slackened -the pace but little. A hunter who could boast of having run down the -grey wolf afoot in fair chase was not apt to lag in the pace with a hand -on his horse. Another aid to Zora was the fair condition of the main -route across the rich province. Before the king had marched south, the -counts of Aquitania, spurred to unwonted activity by the prospect of his -coming, had put both highroad and bridges in moderately good repair. - -So it chanced that, shortly before sunset, Olvir halted for the night at -a monastery a round ninety miles from where he had mounted at dawn. The -sight of the warlike rider as he rode through their gates brought the -black-robed Benedictines flocking about him with hospitable greetings; -and when Olvir showed the king's signet, the abbot himself sought the -privilege of kissing the royal ring. - -But Olvir declined the wassail-feast with which the silk-clad priest -would have honored him. Instead, he groomed Zora with his own hands, -and, having eaten as plain and scanty a meal as he had doled out for the -mare, he withdrew at once to a common bed in the hospice. - -Dawn found Zora munching the last of her measure of barley from the -stone manger, while her master, his hunger already satisfied by a share -of the porter's breakfast, paced up and down the monastery court to rid -himself of the stiffness yet lingering in his joints. At the first ray -of sunrise, master and mare were passing out through the gates, leaving -the porter to mumble his blessing over the handful of silver pennies -which had fallen from the rider's hand. - -The morning was yet early when, without stopping, Olvir rode past -beneath the turreted walls of Poitiers, and noon found the red mare -racing over the plains of Touraine. From both Otkar and Roland, Olvir -had heard the tale of the fateful battle in which the Hammer of the -Franks had shattered the victorious hordes of Saracen invaders. Only -forty-six years had passed since that terrible slaughter of the -Moslemah, and as Zora coursed along the smooth highway which stretched -across the wide scene of the struggle, her rider's glance rested on -luxuriant fields where the serfs yet ploughed up fragments of outland -war-gear from the blood-drenched soil. - -The young Northman was, however, less impressed by the thought of the -great battle than by the grand monuments of the ancient Roman -occupancy,--the lofty towers and walls, massive arched bridges and -aqueducts which, where uninjured by man, still stood about the land, -huge and uncrumbling after centuries of use. Often as Otkar had -described to him the buildings of the old Romans, Olvir found himself -staring at them in no little astonishment and wonder. His learning, -however, spared him the awe which would have been felt by his simpler -countrymen or the forest-dwelling Saxons, among whom the mighty stone -burgs and aqueducts were commonly regarded as the works of giants. - -The interest of the king's messenger was at last drawn from these Roman -structures to the rapidly increasing numbers of wayfarers, journeying -like himself to the north. Every class of society was represented, from -counts and mitred bishops, travelling with princely retinues, to -wretched poor folk, forced into a life of wandering and beggary by the -ever-increasing oppression of brutal lords. - -In the well-tilled fields which bordered the highway, Olvir could see -numbers of toiling husbandmen, part of the fifteen thousand and odd -serfs owned by the Abbey of Saint Martin. Here was Christianity -exemplified,--the priests of the rueful White Christ sitting in purple -and cloth of gold, while their fellowmen sweated and slaved to bring -them wealth! The thought filled Olvir with such loathing that when he -crossed the Cher and approached Tours, in the thick of the crowd, it was -all he could do to bring himself to accept the hospitality of the famous -abbey. Nor was his aversion to his monkish hosts lessened when the -almoner, overflowing with pride for his monastery, insisted upon showing -the king's messenger all the treasures of the church and shrine. - -The gold-wrought hangings and the screens of brass and precious metals, -the silver candelabra and the gemmed images, at first half dazzled the -unaccustomed eyes of the Northman. But while those black eyes glistened -with wonder and admiration of so many precious and beautiful things, the -lip beneath curled in scorn of the manner in which the hoard had been -gathered, and of the images, to which devout worshippers were offering -praise and adoration, alike sanctioned and commended by the Bishop of -Rome. - -"By the Beard!" muttered Olvir, in Arabic; "and these folk call the -Saracens pagans!" - -The outlying buildings of the monastery, where monks in short-skirted -working frocks plied various trades and handicrafts, tended somewhat to -lessen the Northman's scorn of the woman-clad priests. But in the -morning he gave to the almoner the exact amount which he thought his -lodging was worth, and rode on his way, glad to leave behind him the -shuffling black figures, the tinkling bells, and the melancholy chants. - -Once on the road again, all bitterness soon passed from Olvir's mind. -The day was fair, the road smooth, and already Zora's steel limbs had -borne him far on his journey. He cried aloud in sheer gladness of heart, -and from the pouch which the king's own hand had fastened to his saddle -he flung a fistful of pennies to the rabble of pilgrims by the wayside. -Then Zora lengthened her stride; and the wind whistled in his ears a -song of hope and love. - -And so Aquitania was left to the south, and the king's messenger rode up -the Loire's right bank into Neustria, where were to be seen more Franks -and no Goths, but still a vast body of subject Gallo-Romans. Swiftly as -he passed, Olvir saw much of the beautiful land, whose tilled fields -were interspersed with woodlands and meadows. Yet pleasant as was the -land to the eye, Olvir observed that the few Frankish husbandmen whom he -passed differed little in dress and bearing from the dark-haired serfs. -What hope for the future could the free Franks hold, when even the iron -rule of their mightiest king could not shield them from the greed and -rapacity of their lords? - -But Olvir had little commiseration to waste on Christian freemen. Why -did they not stand to their ancient rights, like the Norse commonfolk, -and cut off the heads of all lawbreakers, whether thralls or kings? -With a scornful smile he put the weaklings from his thoughts, and sped -on across Neustria as he had sped across Aquitania. - -As he approached Paris, Olvir began to fear that Zora's hoofs would soon -crack from the continual beating on the hard roads. So he sought out -the most noted ironsmith in the city, and he and Zora lodged that night -in the hovel of the low-born sledge-wielder. - -Never had Zora been groomed as she was groomed by the smith that night -and in the morning; and when it came to the shoeing, one would have -thought the mare a queen, with such care and delicacy did the man fit on -the light iron running shoes. While he then spent the forenoon in yet -more grooming, Olvir took a stroll into the city. He found gardens and -convents, hovels and palaces, spread over all the Island of Notre Dame -and along both banks of the Seine opposite. Undeterred by the -narrowness and filth of the streets, he crossed the ancient Roman bridge -to the island, and visited the palaces of Clovis and Julian the -Apostate, and the great domchurches of Saint Genevieve and Saint -Merdicus. - -Noon, however, saw the king's messenger not only back at the hut, but -ready for the road. He had found Zora sleek as silk and bright-eyed, -eager to start. When he mounted he said nothing of pay; but the smith -bowed and smiled, and wished the princely king's rider a hearty -_God-speed_. Smiling in turn, Olvir put his hand to one of the gold -spirals on his left arm; and when the smith, who had not heeded the -quick movement, grasped the Northman's hand, he felt an angular piece of -heavy metal pressed into his palm. The giver's hand was withdrawn, and -the smith stood gaping at the lump of yellow gold that was worth more -than his forge and his home and all else he possessed, though he threw -in the very shirt upon his back. - -Before the man could recover wit enough to cry out his thanks, Olvir was -riding away down the crooked street. It was the hour when most of the -Franks were seeking the customary noon-rest, and there were few folk -abroad to admire and wonder at the king's messenger as he threaded the -narrow ways and passed over the Roman bridges to the north bank. Before -long Zora bore him through the main gate of the suburban walls, and -galloped away on the road to Mayence. - -A short ride to the Convent of Chelles on the Marne, where Olvir -delivered a message to the abbess for young Gisela, the king's sister; -then Zora was given free rein. The Frankish smith had shod the mare so -skilfully that she at once fell into her stride, and the race swept on -across Neustria, north and east into Austrasia. - -Day after day Zora held on at coursing speed, never faltering, her steel -limbs seemingly tireless. But now the roads were rougher, and more than -one bridge was missing. Twice horse and rider were carried down from -treacherous fords, and once Zora sank in a bog. Neither master nor -mare, however, met with injury; and, despite all hindrance, the long -miles melted swiftly away before the mare's easy swinging stride. - -And so the king's messenger sped through Austrasia, where corners of -ancient forest yet stood unhewn, and few men tilled the fields who could -not show visible proof of Germanic blood. From Rheims to Treves, Treves -to Mayence, thence across the Rhine, and along the Thuringian -trade-route which led up the Main and on into the primeval -forest,--these were the last stages of the great race. - -But the king's messenger was spared at least one day of his expected -journeying. At Mayence he learned that Count Rudulf had lately been -staying at the Monastery of Fulda, and that it was possible the old hero -had not yet returned to his mark. - -When, midmorning of the next day, Olvir came at last to Fulda, he found -that great centre of civilization in the heart of the beech-wood vastly -different from the gilded abbey of Tours, with its slaves and precious -hoard. The rude mass of log structures was a very beehive of skilled -workers,--sturdy brothers of Northern blood, who found it more to their -liking to toil at husbandry and the handicrafts, or to practise with the -pen and study the seven liberal arts, than to chant the dirge-like hymns -of Holy Church. - -Above all was Olvir drawn to Abbot Sturm, whose manly and dignified -welcome of the king's messenger all but conquered the young man's -aversion to Christian priests. Not all the bluff old abbot's urgings, -however, could hold Olvir over the day, when he learned that Rudulf and -his Wend wife had gone to the count's homestede in the adjoining shire. - -Again Zora stretched out her lean neck, and raced away down the forest -road. By midday she had reached the journey's end. On a rocky knoll, -close by the Fulda's bank, stood Rudulf's burg,--a walled enclosure in -which were grouped the hall and bower and outbuildings familiar to the -Norse eye, and, beside all these, the rude stone keep of the Franks and -Southern Saxons, adopted centuries since in imitation of the Roman -tower. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - -When a wolf thou wert -Out in the wildwood. - LAY OF HELGI. - - -When Olvir entered the open gateway of the burg, no sign of life was to -be seen within, other than the thin streamers of smoke rising through -the roof-hole of the hall and the high narrow windows of the keep. Not -even a hound ran forward to bay at the stranger. Olvir felt little -surprise, however, as it was the hour for the Frankish noon-rest. -Seeing that the great red and blue mottled door of the keep was ajar, he -sprang off before it, and entered, Zora at his heels. - -The intruder at once found himself within a gloomy apartment, only half -lighted by the flickering of a small fire. Close by the hearth, on the -side nearest to the entrance, crouched a woman, at play with several -weasels. She was chanting to them in a tongue unknown to Olvir; and as -she droned the refrain, the weasels ran up and down her extended arms. - -Olvir caught only a glimpse of the strange play. Before he had ceased -blinking from the sudden change out of the sun-glare into the dim-lit -interior, the woman had become aware of his presence. A low hiss -brought the weasels clustering about her neck, and she glided silently -away into the gloom beyond the fire. - -"I have known warmer guest-cheer," muttered Olvir; and he advanced to -seat himself on the bench beside which the woman had been crouching. As -he took the seat he heard a dull grinding on his left, and, looking -closer, saw the outlines of a man. He touched the fire with his foot, -and the upleaping flames lighted the room with a ruddy flare. It showed -to Olvir a grisly warrior, bending over a newly forged sword-blade. - -The worker was not unusually big as men went in the North; but he was -lean and sinewy, and his bristling grey hair and beard well matched the -wolf-hide slung across his shoulders. Except for the fleshy but pointed -nose, his face was covered to the eyes by its shaggy beard, and the grey -bristles grew low down on his forehead, close upon the overhanging -brows. Most startling of all were the man's eyes, long and narrow, and -set in oblique sockets. One glance at them was enough to tell Olvir why -Count Amalwin had called Rudulf of Thuringia the "Grey Wolf." As he -looked and wondered, Olvir's thoughts flew even farther afield, and -there came into his mind the memory of Floki's bitter words against this -forest hero's daughter. If the father so clearly looked the werwolf, -might not the maiden--? But he put the disquieting thought from him, -and sat calmly facing the fire. - -For a while the silence continued unbroken. Then Count Rudulf flung the -sword-blade aside, and turned his slit eyes upon the stranger. - -"Guest, or tidings-bearer?" he asked in a harsh voice. - -"No guest," replied Olvir. - -"What tidings?" - -"Word from the king--and more." - -"_Heu!_" growled Rudulf; "I thought as much,--a court-man; and yet such -mail-- You ride a shapely mare." - -"There are worse." - -"She is lean. You rode hard." - -"Twelve days since, she drank from the Garonne at Casseneuil." - -The Thuringian shifted on his bench and peered at Olvir with narrowing -eyes. - -"Liars are abhorred alike by Odin and the White Christ." - -"Here is the king's message, sealed with his great seal. Doubtless -Fulrad, Keeper of the Seal, noted the date of sending," replied Olvir, -coolly; and he held out the folded parchment. - -Rudulf took the message in a hairy fist, and stared at the barbarous -Latin of the address. - -"Open and read," said Olvir. - -"How--am I a monk? That shall wait a while. You spoke of other -tidings." - -"I come as your daughter's wooer." - -Rudulf laughed derisively, and surveyed Olvir from helmet to buskin. - -"A gay bird of the South," he sneered. "He had best wing it home again. -The North is cold for such." - -"The gerfalcon soars over the ice-fells," rejoined Olvir. - -"Gerfalcon--gerfalcon!" muttered Rudulf, in an altered tone. "It may -be! But hearken, my gay king's rider. Falcon or sparrow, you had best -be winging southward. I have broken the backs of two Saxon and three -Sorb champions, and my strength is still with me. Fastrada, my daughter, -goes to no man who cannot best me at my chosen game." - -Olvir silently laid aside his helmet and unclasped his mail-serk. - -"I am ready," he said. - -But Rudulf shook his grisly head. - -"It were a pity to mar so shapely a child," he muttered. "Do not be -rash, boy. I have never but once been thrown, and that by the greatest -of heroes, Otkar the Dane." - -At that name, the terrible weariness which deadened Olvir's nerves fell -away, and left him a-tingle with life and power. - -"Come, then, braggart," he jeered. "Now shall you bite the dust the -second time." - -Stung by the taunt, Rudulf dropped his wolf-skin, and advanced, half -crouching, upon the audacious challenger. His eyes were narrowed to a -line, and his grey hair stood up like the bristles of a wolf. His gaunt -figure, creeping forward in the dying firelight, was a sight to appall -any but the stoutest hearted. - -Olvir, though he held himself with seeming carelessness, waited the -attack with every faculty alert. He had no doubt that Rudulf's boasts -were based in truth, and yet, though the strain of his long ride was -against him, he did not shrink. He was resolved to win the old hero's -daughter, or die in the attempt. - -Zora thrust her head past her master's shoulder. Without averting his -gaze from the Thuringian, he uttered a word of command that sent the -mare about to the door of the apartment. As she wheeled, Olvir feigned -to glance away, and on the instant Rudulf made his leap. Olvir dropped -forward, and the leaper stumbled and fell headlong over him into the -rushes. Both men were up again, Olvir only a moment quicker than his -grey opponent. - -"_Heu_! a child's trick," growled Rudulf, and he advanced again. This -time Olvir sprang to meet him, and in a moment the two were locked fast -in each other's arms. Olvir at once realized that the old count was far -stronger than himself and very quick. But he had not been trained in -all kingly games by Otkar Jotuntop, that he should fail at such a time. - -Up and down the room the wrestlers trampled and reeled in desperate -struggle, overturning benches and tables, and scattering the firebrands -among the green rushes. Acrid smoke rose from the floor to choke the -wrestlers; but they staggered to and fro across the room, heedless of -all else than their furious strife. Time and again the Grey Wolf lifted -Olvir sheer off his feet, yet always the Northman regained his foothold. -The Thuringian could neither smother him in his terrible hug nor loosen -the younger man's grip. His every effort to shift the hold, so as to -break Olvir's back, was foiled by movements yet more adroit. The crafty -old wrestler had met one whose skill outmatched his own at every turn. - -At last age began to tell against the Thuringian. His gasps told of -failing breath. For a little he strained his utmost, his teeth gnashing -like a wolf's. Still Olvir held fast, biding his time. Suddenly the -Grey Wolf's grip relaxed. In a twinkling, Olvir had shifted his hold. -One arm closed about the count's hairy throat. The man was at his -mercy. - -"Enough! do not--throttle--" gasped Rudulf. - -"The back-breaker is not yet upon his back," rejoined Olvir. But he -eased his grip, and Rudulf answered him quickly: "No need to thrust the -falling tree. You have won." - -"Well said!" cried Olvir, and he supported the exhausted count to a -bench. Then he flung wide open the great door, and gathered together -the scattered brands of the fire. As he put on again his bright mail -and helmet, and sat down in the crossing rays of flame and sunlight, he -saw old Rudulf watching him with a bewildered stare, muttering, "Have I -met my match in a bairn?" - -"I was taught the game by him whom you Rhinefolk call the Dane,--Otkar -Jotuntop," said Olvir, quietly. - -"Otkar--Otkar! Ha! I thought the mail-- And Otkar himself trained -you?" - -"I was his fosterling and blood-kin." - -"Was?" - -"He has gone hence." - -"_Heu_! the North has lost a king of heroes. But he has left a bold -foster-son. I ought to have known by your eye, if not by the mail; but -the gold and the pretty stones threw me from the slot. Your bairn's -sword--" - -"Bairn's! With this blade I took vengeance on my father's slayer, and -many another Dane has felt its point," rejoined Olvir, as he handed the -sword to Rudulf. - -The Thuringian examined closely the beautiful recurved blade, and shook -his head. "This may be good steel. I have never seen its like. Yet -the weapon lacks weight." - -"I have known worse blades," answered Olvir; and, drawing a ring from -his finger, he tossed it into the air. As it fell, he thrust out and -caught the little circlet on Al-hatif's point. - -Old Rudulf's green eyes widened in a look of approval. - -"By Thor and the White Christ!" he swore; "no maiden need fear to wed so -deft a sword-wielder. Say the word, hero. Whenever you wish, I ride -with you to old Sturm, and make my mark on the betrothal scroll." - -"Hold a little," interrupted a softly sibilant voice, so like Fastrada's -that Olvir turned about with a throbbing heart. He saw the tall figure -of a woman, wrapped about in a cloak of grey wool. The woman's face was -hidden in the depths of the hood, but back in the shadow he saw, or -rather felt, a pair of cold eyes fixed upon him. He had no doubt that -this was the woman of the weasels,--the mother of his chosen bride. As -he remembered her repute for witchery, he felt what he had never known -since early childhood,--a thrill of real fear. But the spell passed in -a moment, and he watched the Wend woman's stealthy approach, calm alike -in seeming and in reality. - -"What would the dame ask?" he inquired gravely. - -The woman stared at him from the depths of her hood, and made no reply. - -Olvir stared back at her until at last he grew weary of the delay. - -"Let the mother of Fastrada speak," he said in a tone more of command -than entreaty. - -"Do you not fear the fiends, son of Thorbiorn?" demanded the woman, in a -hollow voice. - -Olvir's lip curled. "The grave-mound was my dwelling, and I have ever -drunk to Thor." - -"Foolish bairn! Do you not know that I can blast you with the curse of -your own gods,--that I can wither your limbs like the boughs of the -stricken linden?" - -Olvir drew up his lithe form, and his black eyes flashed defiantly. - -"Now, by Loki!" he cried; "here we stand, witch-dame. Let us test the -power of your spells." - -"Not so, hero. I have tested what I would test, even as the Grey Wolf -has tested you. Yet there is more. Answer me with a straight tongue. -Can you name yourself a king?" - -"Sea-king,--no land-king. Yet my father, whose name you divined, was -King of Lade, and I am now heir to the high-seat." - -The woman bent her head, and muttered to herself in her strange tongue. -Rudulf stood waiting, as though spellbound; but Olvir, grown impatient, -stepped about to go. - -"Farewell, dame," he said briskly. - -"Go, king's son-- Yet listen! I doubt. It should be _king_; not -_king's son_--and _grey of eye_. _Hei_! all is misty. The fiend-gods -are angered. Stay with us this night. I will make sacrifice and sing -the fate-songs." - -Olvir laughed. "I ask no aid from gods I scorn." - -"Then I leave you to your fate." - -"What the Norns weave will come to pass. Again I say, farewell, dame. -Come, Rudulf, if your word is true." - -Rudulf turned to his wife, and, meeting a gesture of assent, hurried out -after Olvir and the red mare. At his whistle, a powerful black horse -came running from the meadow, and the count mounted without saddle or -bridle. Side by side, Thuringian and Northman rode through the wild -beech-wood to Fulda; and, on the way, the old count plied his daughter's -suitor with many shrewd questions. To all alike Olvir made satisfactory -answer; and the Thuringian raised no objections even when he learned -that the young sea-king might soon bear off his bride to his far -Northern home. It was enough for the Grey Wolf that the suitor was a -tried warrior of good birth. - -At Fulda he refused the urgent hospitality of Abbot Sturm, and waited -only while Olvir, quicker than any of the monastery scribes, drew up the -betrothal agreement in beautiful Irish script. Then he made his rude -mark upon the parchment, and, with a word of farewell to Olvir, gruff -but hearty, he mounted his horse and rode away homeward through the -gathering night. - -But Olvir gladly accepted the abbot's hospitality, not only for the -night, but for two more days to come. Though the pick of a breed that -could claim greater speed and endurance than perhaps any other stock -known in all Arabia, even Zora had been too severely taxed by the strain -of the long race from the Southland; and Olvir himself, with all his -lifelong training, had to own the need of rest before undertaking the -return journey. - -To the monks of Fulda the brief visit of the king's messenger afforded -material for gossip during many a dull month to follow. Young and old, -they were eager to serve him; while Zora had no lack of frocked grooms -who took joy in tending and caressing the wonderful mare. But what -appealed strongest to Sturm and the more studious of the brothers was -the marvellous learning of their guest. Though their school was already -famed beyond the borders of the kingdom and could number its pupils by -hundreds, so greatly had learning dwindled throughout Europe that Olvir, -who had benefited by the fruit of Otkar's wander-years, far outmatched -the scholars of the monastery in all branches of knowledge except only -the writings of the Christian fathers. - -Nor did Olvir detract from his reputation at the close of his visit. -One of his last acts was to visit the monastery school, where, with -quick discernment, he singled out and rewarded with a handful of silver -pennies the brightest among the younger students,--Eginhard, son of -Eginhard, a nimble-witted child of eight, whom history was to know as -the son-in-law and biographer of Karl the King. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - -At the Thing, -Where folk throng. - LAY OF SIGRDRIFA. - - -Once more Zora's round hoofs beat quick time on the roadway, and the -ease of her stride was proof that the rest had fully restored her -strength. With quick intelligence, she felt and responded to the joyful -mood of her rider, who, with the betrothal lines safe in his bosom, -raced away southwards, full of song and gladness. - -Over Rhine and through Austrasia, back across the Seine at Paris, and so -again to Tours and down into fair Aquitania rode the king's messenger, -ever bright-eyed and smiling. At Paris he had stopped again half a day -with the smith, so that Zora had had no cause to feel neglected; while, -throughout the long ride, he had lightened the journey-toil both for -himself and for the mare by humming Northern love-songs and Arab chants -of the desert. - -So the king's messenger rushed out of the North. The royal signet -opened for him all doors, and no wayside thief dared attack so well -armed a rider. - -Morning of the twelfth day found him leaving the gate of a little town -south of Perigueux. It was the commencement of the journey's last -stage,--so Olvir whispered joyfully in Zora's ear; and the red mare -responded by stretching out her neck for the half-day's race that should -bring them to the Garonne. At first the faithful beast showed a little -stiffness; but she soon fell into her stride, and the long miles melted -away from before her no less swiftly than when she first left Fulda. - -As mare and rider sped along the highway, a stranger, judging by their -appearance, would have thought that they had just burst away from the -tedium of camp life. Only by their leanness did either betray to the -casual glance the tremendous strain of the long race against time. - -Twice during the morning's ride Olvir dismounted and ran beside the -mare, to ease his stiffened limbs. When, the second time, he swung back -into the saddle, his eye was caught by the battlement on one of the -towers of Casseneuil. Then the full view of the Garonne's valley burst -upon him, and he uttered a joyful shout. The banks of the stream were -still dotted with tents and booths. The Frankish host had not yet -marched south. - -Assured of this welcome fact, Olvir turned the mare aside to a spring, -where he groomed her carefully, and burnished the silver fittings of her -saddle and bridle. After that he burnished his war-gear, and did what -he could to cleanse his dress of dust and travel-stain. Last of all, he -bathed in the pool of the spring and combed out his red-gold hair. - -"So, Wind of the Desert, now we are fit and seemly for Karolah's -presence," he said, and he kissed the mare's broad forehead. - -A little later he was cantering down the road which wound through the -Frankish camps. The first tents to which he came were deserted; but it -was not hard to divine that their owners were to be found in the vast -crowd on the river-bank, near the king's pavilion. Evidently the -Frankish folk-council was holding one of its meetings. - -A touch of the rein sent Zora off to the right across a long stretch of -meadow where great herds of cattle were grazing; then around the corner -of a little wood, and they dashed into the midst of the viking camp. - -Suddenly as steed and rider rushed into view, they had hardly gained -Olvir's tent, when the air rang with shouts of welcome, and the Northmen -came running from all sides to greet their earl. In the lead came Floki -the Crane, bounding like an elk. Yet he was not the first to welcome -the sea-king. The flap of Olvir's tent was flung aside, and Rothada -sprang out, radiant with pleasure. Close after the girl ran Karl, her -sturdy little half-brother. - -"Lord Olvir! Lord Olvir! how joyous it is to see you!" - -"And you, king's daughter! Put your foot upon the stirrup--so!" - -Drawing the girl up to him, Olvir kissed her ruddy cheek. - -"Hold, little vala," he added, as Rothada would have sprung down. "I -have a question to ask. Where is your father? and how came you here -alone?" - -"The king, my father, is near his tent. I came with Roland and Gerold -and the others. But Liutrad was sent for by Abbot Fulrad, and Fastrada -returned to our sweet Dame Hildegarde. Pepin would not stay with me; -but Karl--" - -"Fastrada!--And they have gone? Ah, well, then, we 'll go to the king, -and you shall sit behind me, sweetheart." - -"On the beautiful mare! But Karl--" - -"He shall sit in front, if he be a man. So; there you are. Now, king's -son!" - -The boy ran forward, delighted, and was swung up by Floki, astride -Zora's neck. - -Then the jam of vikings closed in around their leader, and the shouting -broke out again. - -"Hold your noise, fools!" cried Floki. "The ring-breaker has no mind to -be deafened." - -"How--not cheer?" roared back a scarred old berserk, his ferocious face -beaming. "Ho! Thor smite the silent ones! Howl your joy, sea-wolves! -Our earl has come again--_Haoi_!" - -"Howl! howl, wolves of Hild! - He, our hersir, - He, our hero, - Have we here!" - -rang out the mellow voice of a skald from the thick of the crowd, and -the quickly turned verse was echoed by a roar to be heard even at -Casseneuil. - -Olvir's eyes sparkled, and he wheeled Zora slowly around, that he might -see all. As the shouting died away, he lifted his hand, and answered -the boisterous welcome: "Greeting to you, sons of Thor! My heart leaps -at the sight of viking faces! But now I must go to the Frank king. I -will come again before nightfall. Arm yourselves as for battle, that I -may see if the camp-sloth has overtaken you." - -"If one man shows a rust-speck on mail or helmet, strike off my hand," -said Floki. - -"The Crane has looked to it!" grumbled the old berserk. "There are -softer-spoken leaders. But he has kept all well in hand, even as -against Liutrad's red pig." - -"I will hear of that later; now I must be going. Farewell," replied -Olvir, and Zora passed with her triple burden through the opening crowd. - -The mare's gentle canter soon covered the distance to the -assembling-ground of the national council. But when she left the last -bit of coppice, young Karl, who held the reins, turned her away from the -immense gathering of freemen to a little grove that shaded a company of -priests, court-officials, and war-counts. The royal standard, planted -before the grove, marked the presence of the king. Here, in fact, was -the inner council of the Frankish national assembly, whence the -sovereign, surrounded by his high liegemen, both lay and ecclesiastical, -sent over his decrees to be confirmed by the voice of the freemen. - -When Zora approached the grove, the king was reading from a long scroll, -and his audience had eye and ear only for the royal speaker. Not until -Zora thrust her head over Count Amalwin's heavy shoulder, were the -new-comers perceived. The Saxon turned with a frown, to start back and -stare at the Northman, open-mouthed. Olvir leaned toward him, smiling. - -"So, Saxon," he said quietly, "what do you now say of my mare, and what -of her master? We crossed Rhine Stream, and more,--I held your Grey -Wolf by the throat." - -"How--Rudulf!" shouted Amalwin, forgetting all else in his surprise. - -The cry rang through the grove like an alarm, and king, counts, and -priests alike turned to stare at the intruders. The first look on many -faces was one of resentment; but then, just beyond the oaken throne, -Roland sprang up and came running with a cry of greeting: "Olvir! -Olvir! Welcome back again!" - -Close after him ran Liutrad and Gerold, while from all sides the -liegemen pressed forward with excited shouts: "The Dane! It is the Dane -count! He cannot have gone and come already! Saint Michael, what a -mare!" - -Then Gerold caught Zora's bridle, while behind him Roland and Liutrad -clasped Olvir by the hands. So escorted, with the king's son before him -and the king's daughter at his back, the young Northman rode forward to -the very edge of the dais. There his friends stepped aside, and Olvir -would have dismounted. But Karl stayed him with a gesture, and came -forward to lay his great palm on Zora's forehead. - -"By the King of Heaven," he muttered, "well did I name you my Dane hawk! -Six and twenty days ago you rode northward. Have you, in truth, crossed -the Rhine?" - -"To Fulda and beyond, lord king," replied Olvir; "to the lair of the -Grey Wolf." - -"Beyond Fulda! And how did the old count greet you?" - -"We played at back-breaking till I throttled him. Then we rode to Fulda, -and he made his mark on what I asked him." - -"How, Dane," demanded the purple-faced Count Hardrat; "do you claim to -have outwrestled Rudulf of the Sorb Mark? I cannot swallow that boast." - -Olvir's lip curled, and he bent over toward the speaker. - -"Shall I prove the boast--now?" he asked softly. - -"Ay; now!" retorted the Thuringian. But then the soft hand of Duke -Lupus fell upon his shoulder: "Go easy, friend. Count Olvir has already -tossed you over his head; he will toss you again." - -"Enough!" interrupted Karl, imperiously. "We will have no brawling. I -answer for Lord Olvir's truth." - -"A word, lord king," called out Amalwin. "I know that Rudulf vowed -never to give his daughter to one who could not best him at his own -game." - -"And here is Rudulf's mark to my betrothal lines," added Olvir. - -"I need no such proof of the deed, my gerfalcon. Put up your scroll, -and dismount. Give me the child." - -At the bidding, Olvir tossed young Karl into his father's arms, and -Roland swung down Rothada. Then Olvir leaped from the saddle. As the -foster-brothers parted, Liutrad touched his earl's shoulder. - -"Have no thought for the mare, ring-breaker," he said. "Gerold and I -will groom her with our own hands." - -Among the first of the company to congratulate the Northman on his -wonderful ride was Duke Lupus. - -"I rejoice, hero, that you are here to be with us on the morrow," he -concluded. "Count Roland and your learned young Liutrad have planned a -boating party up the Lot. The queen herself will attend, and also one -whom I need not name." - -"My thanks for the good tidings," replied Olvir, and his hand closed -with cordial firmness about the Vascon's soft palm. - -Then Lupus glided away, and Count Amalwin thrust forward a slim, -hazel-eyed young warrior, whose firm-set jaw alone saved his delicate -face from girlish softness. - -"Here, hero," called out the Saxon; "you have wrestled with Rudulf; here -now is one, half a monk, who will strive to match you in -book-craft,--Worad, Count of Metz." - -"Not I, hero!" protested the young man. "Already Liutrad has worsted -me. If the man be so learned, how dare I meet the master? Rather, -measure your lore with Abbot Fulrad." - -"You would set me against all the learning of Frank Land," said Olvir, -smiling. - -"That we shall, lad," replied the king. "For what should we gain -learning, if not to impart it? My war-counts, alas, give little heed to -letters." - -"The greater heed we give to our swords, lord king," mumbled Amalwin. - -"To your trenchers, rather!" laughed Karl. "And now I myself would give -heed to the same. Here comes my cupbearer, to tell us that the meat -cools on the spits." - -Giving over Rothada and her brother into the charge of the page, the -king led the way to the table with a hastiness that betrayed a hunter's -appetite. - -Olvir soon found himself seated at a rustic board, between Roland and -Worad. Overhead the breeze sighed through the green foliage; but the -birds of the grove had flown away, frightened by the clamor. After no -little confusion, seats were found for all the company, and a crowd of -attendants served the guests. Very shortly the loud talk of the -warriors lulled, and little else was to be heard than the click of -knives and spoons. - -In the midst of the feast the air shook with a great rolling outcry that -sent Olvir's hand to the hilt of Al-hatif. But the Franks went on with -their eating as though nothing had happened. Roland, however, observed -Olvir's movement, and hastened to explain. - -"It is the assembly," he said. "The freemen have brought their -deliberations to an end." - -Olvir smiled ironically: "Otkar had somewhat to say of your Frankish -_folk-thing_. Your warriors meet to shout for what the king bids them. -In the North at the _thing_ all alike--kings, earls, and common -freemen--stand on the same footing. So it is in Saxon Land, and so it -was once among the free Franks." - -"You speak boldly, Count Olvir," rejoined young Worad of Metz. "I might -answer that we free Franks have passed the stage of the barbarous -Saxons. The Romans were very wise; we have learned from them." - -"And Rome to-day is a grave-mound of dead might. Its folk bent knee to -the foul kaisers as to gods, and their realm crumbled away. Kings alone -cannot long uphold kingdoms. The strength of a land lies in its -freemen." - -"You jest, Olvir," protested Roland. "See how our folk have become -bound together and our strength been magnified since Karl the Hammer -seized the reins of power in his single grasp." - -"But why were you weak before? Your freemen then had as little part in -the making of your laws as they have now. Already they were falling -into slavery and serfdom. Even during my few weeks in your land, I have -heard how your freemen, to save themselves from pillage and starvation, -are fast pledging themselves as followers of the counts. Lucky for you -so great a one as yonder world-hero sits on the throne! When he is -gone, I foresee evil for Frank Land." - -"You speak words of ill-omen, lord Dane," said Worad, flushing. "The -Franks have never been stronger. All outland folk tremble before Karl -our King." - -"Not all! I know of one folk--" - -"Hold, Olvir, for my sake, if not for your own," broke in Roland. -"Nothing but bitterness can come of wrangling. Look! there comes the -folk-herald to tell the findings of the assembly." - -"That is he," assented Worad, "the small man on the grey horse." - -The herald leaned from his saddle to speak with the king, and then, at a -nod from Karl, he rose in his stirrups and shouted down the long table: -"Ho, lords of the Franks' king! learn that the freemen of the realm have -confirmed all laws sent before them by his Majesty, and they give their -full voice for war against the pagan Saracens." - -As the shout which greeted this announcement died away, the herald's -voice again rang through the grove; "Hearken, all, lords of the king! -He who is not prepared let him make ready. Two days hence the host will -march." - -At this command the war-counts filled the grove with their shouts, and -their zeal was so great that many rushed off leaving half-filled -trenchers. - -No Frank was more pleased than was Olvir. - -"Come, brother!" he cried. "I must see to my vikings. They will be -armed for my return." - -"You will find them brisk in action. Floki has not let them lie about -idle." - -"That I can well believe. Farewell for the time, Count Worad." - -"Until the morning, lord count, if nearness to the time of marching does -not prevent our boating trip." - -"It may chance that Lupus cannot come; but that would be small loss," -said Roland, bluntly. "There is nothing to stay the others. Are your -men ready for the road?" - -"Amalwin has seen to that." - -"And Floki to mine, I could swear, brother," said Olvir. "Yet we should -go and see. Again, farewell." - -Worad waved his slender hand, and the sword-brothers joined the crowds -of departing warriors. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - -But about and between -Went baleful fate. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -As Roland had predicted, nothing arose to interfere with the plans of -the maying party. Even Lupus found means to slip away from the king's -presence. His excuse was that he wished to attend the queen. With the -utmost show of deference, he and a pair of young pages had escorted her -to the landing-stage, where she was sitting at ease in the midst of the -royal children and half-a-dozen favorite bower-maidens, when the Norse -ship-boats came racing up from the viking camp. The craft were steered -by Olvir and Roland, Gerold of Bussen, and Count Worad. - -Olvir's oarsmen were not the best among his vikings. Floki himself -pulled bow-oar in Roland's boat. Yet the greater skill of the sea-king -more than offset this disadvantage, and he steered in to the wharf -foremost of all. - -Forgetful of sore muscles and stiffened joints, the heritage of his -ride, Olvir did not wait for his boat to make fast, but while it was yet -turning, leaped out upon the landing-stage. Though he hastened at once -to bow before Hildegarde, his eyes were fixed upon the glowing face -which regarded him over the queen's shoulder. He had thought for none -else. Hildegarde saw and understood. She met his half-stammered -greeting with a smile, and motioned him to step behind her. - -"Greet the maiden, Olvir," she said. "No wooer ever rode so far and so -fast to win his true-love. I would not keep you waiting now." - -Olvir thanked the kindly queen with a glance, and then he was beside -Fastrada. It was the moment to which both had looked forward during all -the six and twenty days of separation. For a time they stood with -clasped hands, gazing into each other's eyes, too full of love and -happiness to speak. They were so lost in mutual delight they did not -heed that all the others had embarked and were waiting for them, until -Rothada called out. - -"Ah, sweetheart, we must go," sighed Olvir. "Yet, first, a word,--I -bring good tidings." - -Fastrada's eyes shone still brighter. - -"I know, my hero," she murmured. "Yesterday my heart burned that you -should have first seen Rothada; but I forgave her because of the joyful -word she brought. Oh, my lord, how my heart leaps to see you once more! -And you have ridden over Rhine and back again, with scarce a trace of -the long journey! Who else in Christendom could do the like?" - -"Who else would not do it for the loveliest among maidens?" replied -Olvir; and with that, fearful of losing his self-control, he led the -girl aboard his boat. - -Hildegarde had intrusted herself to Roland, along with the children. -All others had chosen places in the remaining boats, except only -Rothada. Though begged by Worad to come with him, the girl had placed -herself aboard Olvir's boat. Even Fastrada could not ask the little -princess to leave; but her ready wit suggested how to make the best of -the situation. At a word from her, Olvir told one of the pages to join -them. The boy was only too pleased to gain such a merry companion as -the king's daughter, and so, with much laughter and excitement, all was -agreeably arranged, and the five boats sheered off into the stream. - -Accustomed as were most of the party to the river scenery, all found -much to delight the eye in the picturesque hills, the woods, and the -flower-strewn dales, now in the full green of early summer. Nature -added her share to the merry maying. There was no cloud to be seen, -either in the sky or on the faces of the pleasure-seekers. Even Roland -joined freely in the merriment, and unbent so far as to tell the king's -children a wonderful tale,--all about wood-sprites and werwolves. - -Of all the party, two alone had no thought to give to jest or laughter, -and yet they were the happiest couple in the boats. Faint with blissful -languor, Fastrada sat beside her lover, too overjoyed for words; while -instinct alone guided Olvir's steer-oar, as his boat, leaping to the -strokes of the big-armed oarsmen, raced upstream in company with the -others. - -All too soon, Gerold, in the lead, steered ashore to the crumbling stone -quay of an old-time Roman estate. Through the trees could be seen the -shattered walls of an immense villa, which, Lupus said, had been looted -and burned by the Saracens on their way to Tours. But on landing, in -place of proceeding to the ruins, the party turned aside to a nook in -the abandoned garden, where a stream of pure water gushed from the mouth -of a monstrous bronze dolphin. - -Here a cloth was spread on the grass, and the bower-maidens played at -housewife, while the younger men ran races to the boat for forgotten -articles. After the meal a half-circle was formed before Hildegarde and -the children, and each member of the party was called upon for a tale. - -So with stories of dragons and saints, heroes and sprites, the hour of -noon-rest was passed, and young Karl and Rotrude and Carloman slept with -their heads on their mother's lap. But the other youngsters at last -wearied of inaction, and Pepin begged to see the ruined villa. The idea -was at once caught up by Worad and Gerold, and met with approval on all -sides. - -The villa had evidently been the country-seat of a Roman of great -wealth. In size it was little less than a palace. The party rambled -about the ruins during most of the afternoon, with no slackening of -interest. From the ash-heaps beneath the fire-scarred walls the young -men dug out pretty fragments of statuary and many whole tiles. - -Fatigue and thirst, however, finally moved Hildegarde to call for a -return to the fountain. When she started, supported between Roland and -Lupus, her maidens and the younger men ran ahead to gather flowers with -the children. Olvir and Fastrada, however, walked behind, and slow as -was the queen's pace, theirs was yet slower. Lupus was quick to note -their loitering, and when presently they were lost to view behind a turn -of the wild-grown hedge, he sought to bring his royal mistress to a -halt. - -"Pardon me, gracious dame," he said; "is it seemly that Lord Olvir and -the maiden--" - -"What harm?" interrupted Hildegarde, smiling. "Are they not all but -betrothed? This very evening Fulrad will hear them plight their troth. -Come; one would think you had never loved." - -Lupus looked quickly away, and drew in his breath with a softly hissing -sound. Nor was he the only one hurt. Roland groaned aloud and struck -his fist upon his broad chest. - -"Ah, Roland--I had forgot!" exclaimed Hildegarde. - -The warrior's stern-set face relaxed, and he smiled sadly. - -"God double my brother's joy!" he said. - -And so the three passed on to where the young folk were playing May -games around the fountain. - -Meantime, the lovers had more than loitered on the way,--they had come -to a full stop. - -The moment Fastrada perceived that the queen and her companions were -hidden by the foliage, she put a hand to her bosom, and exclaimed: -"Hold, Olvir. I have dropped the brooch you gave me. It must have been -at the last, when we started." - -"I will run fetch it, sweetheart," replied Olvir, readily. - -"And leave me here alone! I would sooner lose the clasp. Let us return -together. I have good tidings, which the queen left for me to tell -you." - -"Come, then; we 'll go back. Now, dear one, what are your good -tidings?" - -"Wait a little, my hero. Tell me first of your meeting with Count -Rudulf, my father, and with my--my mother." - -Olvir half frowned, and drew a little apart, as he recalled his -encounter in the wild beech forest. - -"What are your tidings?" he insisted. - -The girl glanced up at him with a look which, though of but a moment's -duration, brought out with startling distinctness her resemblance to the -grisly old forest count. Then her scarlet lips parted in a smile that -showed her strong white teeth, and she replied slowly: "I bend to the -bidding of my lord. Know, then, that our lord king desires the company -of his daughter on his southward war-faring, and, that the princess may -not be lonely, he has asked the queen to choose her a journey-mate from -among the bower-maidens." - -"The king takes the little vala on such a war-faring! and you, of all -the queen's maidens, are chosen to go-- By Loki, there are tales of -Pepin's son! Were I sure-- Ah! that boding of the witch,--her own -mother!" - -"You speak in riddles," said Fastrada, sharply. "What of my mother's -boding?" - -"No good word to you and me," replied Olvir; and he told briefly of the -meeting with the old count and his witch wife. As he spoke, his scorn -of spells and evil bodings came back to him, and he cast off the doubt -which had fallen upon his heart. But when, smiling at his foolish fear -and jealousy, he glanced down at the maiden, he caught a glimpse of her -eyes, green and narrow-lidded as her father's. They were still green -when the girl met his look full-faced, and asked in a sibilant voice: -"You are sure--my mother--she said a king--one grey of eye?" - -"And I am neither!" muttered Olvir. "Yet were she twice your mother, I -'d laugh at such witchery." - -But Fastrada turned from her lover's smiling look. She paused, and gazed -down at the weed-grown ash-heap at her feet, her eyes again narrowed to -a line. - -A sudden chill fell upon Olvir. If the maiden truly loved him, why -should she stand pondering that wild foretelling? Half angered, he -glanced away, and his eye was caught by a glinting in the grass. He -went ahead, and found the missing brooch. - -"Here is your clasp, daughter of Rudulf," he said coldly. - -Heedless of his tone, Fastrada took the ornament, and stared fixedly at -the garnets with which it was studded. - -"The queen's gems are far more precious," she murmured, half aloud. - -"I will win you the like, maiden," answered Olvir, quickly, but his -frown deepened. - -For a while Fastrada made no response. Her eyes were still downcast, -and her face was dark with doubt and inward struggle. - -"_Ai_--my mother," she at last whispered; "not often do her bodings fall -amiss! Yet once I knew the fiends to fail her-- Ah, if--" - -The words faltered on the girl's lips, and she glanced up furtively at -her lover. But at sight of his look she started back with a stifled -cry. - -Olvir's face was white as new ivory, and his eyes glittered like an -angry snake's. - -"So, witch-daughter," he lisped softly as a young child, "this is your -Frank love. It is a merry game to play fast and loose,--a merry game! -It seems that I fared to Rhine Stream on my lord king's errand,--both as -to father and daughter. 'A king, grey of eye'--and he has chosen you to -go as mate for--his daughter. So; the game is played! We will accept -your mother's boding; we will trust to her fiends." - -"Olvir, Olvir!--my hero! What is this? Why do you speak so cruelly? -Ah, do not shrink from me! I was mad--mad! Truly, I love you, Olvir! -I will never love another. Take me back--into your heart!" - -"You mistake, daughter of Rudulf," replied Olvir, a harder note in his -lisping voice. "My heart held the image of a maiden pure and true; you -have shattered that holy image. How can I hold love in my heart, when -you have thrust in doubt? Love! You say you love me, when you could -stand for an instant weighing my love against a queen's crown--love!" - -His voice cut like a lash. The girl winced, and looked appealingly into -his face. But she saw only contempt and anger. Then her own eyes -hardened. The daughter of grey Rudulf and the Wend witch was not one to -repay scorn with a smile. The very excess of her passion for the -Northman served now to heighten her fury and hatred. As she turned upon -him, her beautiful features were distorted with a look more startling -than the wolfish visage of her father. - -"Love!" she cried, half hissing the word. "You speak of love,--you, the -heathen outlander! This stone beneath my feet knows more of love than -you! Your blood is but ice,--salty ice! Take your ring, and begone!" - -"Now do I see the werwolf!" muttered Olvir, and, flinging down -Fastrada's ring, he trod his own into the ashes and turned away, proud -and angry-eyed. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - -What hath wrought Sigurd -Of any wrong-doing -That the life of the famed one -Thou art fain of taking? - LAY OF BRYNHILD. - - -White with fury, Fastrada yet stood glaring at the spot where Olvir had -disappeared, when she heard a firm tread on the other side. As she -looked about, she caught a glimpse of Roland approaching through the -coppice. Her first impulse was to spring away before the king's kinsman -could come upon her. But almost at the first step she paused and turned -again, with a smile of wolfish joy. - -When Roland burst from the thicket, the girl came running to meet him, -her silken dress torn, her hair capless and dishevelled, her face -blotched with earth. - -"Save me! Save me, lord count!" she gasped. "In the name of your -mother, do not let him harm me!" - -"What is it? Who would harm you?" demanded Roland, in amazement. - -But the girl flung herself on the ground before him, sobbing and -moaning, and for a while it seemed as though she could not speak. The -sight of her at his feet stirred to the depths all the love and pity of -the Frank's heart. He stooped and sought to lift her; but she shrank -from his touch, and hid her face in her hands. - -"Leave me!" she moaned. "I had forgotten; not to you can I look to -avenge my wrong." - -"Wrong!" he repeated, and his blue eyes flared. "By my sword, I swear, -daughter of Rudulf, I will avenge your wrong. Name the man." - -Fastrada ceased her sobbing, and half raised herself. With one hand -still across her face, she whispered brokenly: "He sought to-- Ah, I -cannot name it! but you came, and he fled. He is--he was the man I -loved--I trusted." - -"Olvir!--my brother?" cried Roland, and he staggered as though struck. -For a moment he stood, white and rigid, in an agony of doubt. But -Fastrada's keen wits were sharpened by hate. - -"O my hero! my dark-eyed hero!" she moaned. "Why should you wrong your -betrothed? Why seek to harm the maiden who loved you so?" - -"Where did he go?" gasped Roland. A terrible anger had seized upon him. -His face was crimson with rage, his eyes bloodshot. Even as he spoke, -he drew the heavy Norse sword at his side, and when, with head averted, -the girl pointed behind her, he rushed away like a berserk in the fury. - -Instantly Fastrada sat up to listen, her narrowed eyes dry and hot, her -face white, her lips drawn away from the teeth in two blood-red lines. -She was so intent on following Roland's headlong flight that Duke Lupus -glided out of the coppice and gained her side unheeded. With all his -subtlety, the Vascon did not lack courage; but he could not restrain a -shudder when he saw the look on the girl's face. He crossed himself -hastily, and would have slipped back to the coppice, had not Fastrada -turned and perceived him. For a little the two glared at each other. -Fastrada was first to speak. - -"Spy!" she hissed. - -But Lupus had recovered from his first superstitious dread. Unheeding -the scornful term, he bent eagerly forward and half whispered: "I am not -blind, maiden. You burn for vengeance. Who has wronged you? Tell me! -I can aid." - -Fastrada shook her head sullenly; but her fury was too great to be -repressed. - -"Vengeance!" she cried fiercely. "You speak truth; I thirst for -vengeance! Nothing will quench my thirst but the heart's blood of that -false heathen. The base outlander sought my shame." - -"Holy saints!" cried Lupus, in affected horror. But Fastrada saw the -ironical smile which flitted across his face, and she knew that he had -not been deceived. She drew back her head and watched him, like a snake -whose way is barred. The duke's face instantly assumed a look of -deepest significance, and he extended a white hand. - -"Let me be your friend," he urged. "I also have wrongs to avenge. Join -with me and my friends. We will aid you gladly." - -"Already my wolf-hound follows the warm trail," rejoined Fastrada, and -she laughed shrilly. - -"Roland?" - -The girl rocked to and fro, her hands clasped about her knee. - -"The sword-brothers meet with bared swords!" she cried, and again she -broke into the terrible laugh. - -"And if the Frank falls?" demanded Lupus. - -"May each prove the other's bane!" - -"My heart to that! Yet the Dane is quick. Roland alone may fall; then -you will need aid. Join us. If we succeed, I know a duke who will give -you a queen's crown. - -"A queen's crown--a queen's crown," muttered Fastrada, and she pressed a -hand over her eyes. "What was the word,--my mother's word? Ay; a -king--" - -"How's that, maiden? What has your mother foretold?" - -"I shall wed a king--a king grey of eye." - -The pale-grey eyes of Lupus sparkled. - -"A true boding! The Merwing shall win back the throne of his -forefathers, and you shall be his queen. I shall rule. Throne and -queen, the alruna--the witch-wife--forebodes it!" - -"Let that be as it may," muttered Fastrada; "only show me the corpse of -that cold-blooded outlander, and I do your bidding." - -"Then we should see how your hound has fared," replied Lupus, and the -girl sprang up to follow him into the thicket. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - -Such doings for us -Are naught seemly to do; -To rend with sword -Oaths once sworn -And troth once plighted. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -Even in the heat of battle, never had Roland known the wild fury that -raged in his breast as he crashed through the thickets in search of his -foster-brother. His headlong rush failed to soothe the anguish of -Fastrada's poisoned shaft; and with the pain his anger grew more -terrible. The thought of the maiden lying before him in piteous -abasement, and a savage fear that the betrayer of her love might escape, -alike spurred him on. The outlander was fleet of foot; he must run -swiftly if he would overtake him. But, no! there was the wretch, beyond -the wild-grown hedge. - -Olvir stood in a little glade. His face was bowed, and his dark eyes -were dull and glazed with agony. Grief and despair almost beyond -endurance distorted his face and shook his body with racking sobs. He -had loved the beautiful Thuringian with all the passion of his fiery -Eastern nature, with all the tender reverence of his Norse blood and -rearing. Had death torn her from him, he could have bowed to the will -of the Norns. But that his betrothed should have proved false! - -"I cannot bear this longer!" he muttered, and his hand grasped the -dagger in his belt. But he hesitated, the weapon half drawn. - -"Woman's love is not all of life,--I have yet my brother," he said; and -the dagger clicked back in its sheath. - -It was then that Roland burst from the thicket. - -"Ward yourself, wretch!" he roared; and the great Norse sword whirled -about his head. - -With the instinctive readiness of his outlaw uprearing, Olvir sprang -aside and tore Al-hatif from its sheath. As swiftly, he wheeled to -confront his maddened assailant; and then he realized who that assailant -was. - -"Roland!" he cried, and he flung his sword to the ground. - -The act checked the Frank's attack. Even at the height of his rage, he -could not strike down his foe unarmed. - -"Ward yourself! ward yourself, that I may slay you in fair fight!" he -cried hoarsely. - -Olvir only folded his arms and gazed unflinchingly into the Frank's -face. - -"The troth of a woman,--the oath of a Frank!" he said coldly. "To my -sword-brother I gave my father's sword to cleave my own head. It would -seem that Ironbiter is fated to prove my bane." - -Roland lowered his sword, and leaned heavily upon it, his great body -trembling. - -"Take up your blade; defend yourself!" he gasped. - -Olvir saw how his face whitened with anguish; but his own only grew the -more bitter, and his voice stung with relentless irony: "What hinders -the Christian from smiting the heathen,--the Frank from stabbing his -friend? He is but an outlander. Strike, and have done." - -"O my God, my God!" cried Roland, and the scalding tears ran down his -cheeks. The Northman trembled, yet his face lost none of its hardness. - -"How is this?" he said, "My friend is weary. He would have me do the -deed myself. Say the word, foster-brother, and I fall on my own sword." - -Roland opened his lips; but the only sound that came from them was a -groan. With slow and awkward fingers he put back his great blade into -its sheath. Vainly he tried again to speak; his tongue refused to obey. -He could no longer endure the Northman's look. He turned and went away -like one in a daze, staggering in his walk. - -Olvir watched him go, without a shade of softening in his hard stare; -nor did he move until the bowed figure of the Frank was lost to view in -the coppice. Then he lifted his sword from the ground; a kiss for its -mirror blade, and the point was at his breast. Already he was bending -to fall upon it, when a smothered cry in the thicket caught his quick -ear. - -"What's that?" he muttered, and he stood listening. All was silence. -His eye returned to the sword. How the bright hues played on the -polished steel! The red stone burned like a gout of blood from the -heart of fiery Surt. How fiercely its red light had shone in battle--in -battle! Thor! he could hear the arrows whistling, the joyous clash of -swords! - -The black eyes flashed. He whirled the sword about and grasped its hilt -in fierce delight. - -"There's joy yet in Manheim,--wild play in Odin's game!" he cried; and -again he kissed the blade. "Al-hatif! Al-hatif! king of swords! You -would have slain me,--even as that other friend; yet you shall still be -my friend,--henceforth my only friend and love!" - -But the words choked in the utterance. Grief and bitterness poured back -into his heart in full flood. He threw himself upon the ground, and lay -face down. An hour passed before he rose again. His face was calm, but -there were new lines on it. The last trace of boyhood was gone. He -sheathed Al-hatif, and stood for a little while, staring moodily before -him. - -"So," he murmured, "love and friendship are dead; and I--I had my part -in the slaying. Would that I had been less harsh with him--ay, and -with--her! Ah, well; what is past is past. Let Urd hold the bitter; I -'ll look to Skuld. And now to go. I cannot face those merry ones." - -Half sighing, the Northman turned into the coppice and disappeared. A -little later he stepped out on the river's bank into the midst of the -wassailing oarsmen, and spoke a word in Floki's ear: "Take joy! I 've -seen your werwolf's teeth. I go downstream afoot." - -Before Floki could reply, Olvir stepped back into the thicket, and was -gone. The other vikings, intent upon their black mead, had scarcely -glanced up at their earl. But Floki for some time sat staring at the -spot where Olvir had vanished, his brows bent in deep thought. At last -his frown relaxed, and he smiled grimly. - -"All's well," he muttered. "Grief will pass. I see a fairer bride." - -As though the words had been a spell, hardly were they uttered when -Rothada appeared before the speaker. Floki's jaw dropped. But then he -caught sight of Gerold behind the girl, and rose to meet them. The -young count looked at him gravely, and pointed to the boats. - -"Make ready at once," he said. "The queen would return. She comes -now." - -Floki uttered a word of command; and while the grumbling wassailers -manned the oars he kept a sharp eye on the approaching party. There was -no more merriment to be heard among the young Franks. Even the royal -children were sobered. Hildegarde, who was leaning heavily upon -Roland's arm, looked both grieved and harassed. Close after, between -Lupus and young Worad, walked Fastrada, with drooping body and pale, -downcast face. Last of all, behind the whispering pages and -bower-maidens, came Liutrad, apart from the others. - -Roland seated the queen and the children, as before, in his boat; but -Fastrada passed by Olvir's boat with a shudder. As she accepted Worad's -silent invitation, Hildegarde looked up and spoke half hesitatingly: -"How of--Lord Olvir?" - -"Let his boat wait," suggested her brother. - -"No," put in Floki, curtly. - -"Why not?" demanded Roland, and he leaned toward the tall giant, -frowning. - -"What use, when he has gone?" rejoined Floki. - -"You 've seen him!" exclaimed Liutrad. - -"Ay, lad." - -"What did he say, man?" asked Worad, sharply. - -Floki eyed the questioner with a cold stare; but then, smiling in a -peculiar way, he answered dryly: "The earl bade me take joy." - -"Take joy!--why take joy?" asked the queen. - -Floki fixed his stare upon Lupus and the drooping Fastrada, and stood -muttering to himself. But he made no response until Roland repeated the -inquiry. When he turned and saw the anxiety of both queen and count, -his look lost its coldness; but he shook his head. - -"There are others here who can best answer that," he said. "If they -will not speak, go ask the earl. Ho, all! to your benches! Cast off, -men!" - -Roland's troubled face darkened yet more; but, without protest, he -grasped the steer-oar of his boat. Floki stepped into the place of his -absent leader, and the boats thrust out from the shore with the saddened -merrymakers. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - -Manful they march by mountain dales, -Stout of heart o'er the stony cliffs, -As far as run the roads before them, -Once built by giants. - ANDREAS. - - -Dawn of the day of marching found the vikings drawn up on the south bank -of the Garonne; but Zora stood at the head of their column, without a -rider. Olvir had lingered for a last word with the Frisians and disabled -Danes who had been left as ship-watch. With the first glimpse of the -sun, he was stepping aboard his waiting boat, when Gerold rode down the -bank in company with Amalwin the Saxon. - -Both eyed the sea-king coldly, and Gerold hastened to be done with his -message: "Count Hardrat has advanced with the horse; after him march the -Austrasian levies. You will follow." - -Olvir's dark face, which at first had warmed with a smile of welcome, -hardened at the curt command. - -"Your king gave me pledge of the front," he said. "I should at least -follow the horsemen." - -"You will follow where his Majesty commands," rejoined Count Amalwin. - -Olvir glanced from the Saxon to his dragon-ships, moored along the bank, -and drew himself up haughtily. - -"Will!" he retorted. "By Thor, I go where I choose, fellow! If it -please me, I take ship and leave Frank Land; let your Frank king -command!" - -"Do so!" growled Amalwin. "The land were well rid of such an outland -wooer! Men call my forest folk barbarous; but, heathen though they be, -they hold pure maidens in honor." - -"No less do I!" cried Olvir, hotly. "He who says else, lies!" - -"It is well, Dane, I fare Rhineward, and you to Saracen Land. Would -that Rudulf had broken your heathen back!" cried the Saxon, and he shook -his clenched fist at Olvir. - -The Northman's eyes glittered, and he smiled. - -"Come," he lisped. "There is no better time than now. I will meet you -singly, or together." - -"Holy Mother!" protested Gerold. "Why should we fight, Olvir? The -maiden weeps, and Roland is like a bear in the springtime; but--" - -"But all listen to the tale of the Wend witch's daughter," added Olvir, -bitterly. - -"We would hear you speak, hero. The maiden says nothing. Only, -Lupus--" - -"Lupus! Let that fox look to his crooked tongue! When the daughter of -Rudulf speaks, I will answer. Until then my sword speaks for me." - -Count Amalwin bent forward, with an altered look. - -"You speak rashly, young man," he said; "but your eye is clear, -and--Lupus has a crafty wit. I doubt if you are so greatly in the wrong -as he hints in his twisted talk." - -"Believe as you choose," said Olvir. "I have had enough of Frank love -and Frank troth. In the North we are not so hasty to put shame upon a -man. Now, if you are not minded to sword-play, I have only to weigh -anchor." - -"By the fiend Odin!" growled Amalwin; "you are a proud blade, even for -Otkar's fostering. Hear me; I am of a mind with Gerold, and,--a -friend's word in your ear,--if you come Rhineward, look that you shun -the Grey Wolf and his mate." - -"My thanks for the warning," said Olvir, coldly. "Yet it is needless. -I sail homewards. Your king has broken troth." - -"No, Olvir," interrupted Gerold; "the king keeps troth. I myself heard -the command given. Your band is chosen for the king's shieldburg. At -the Pyrenees you will be called to the front." - -"So! by the King of Skalds, that is another tune," replied Olvir, and he -turned to the Saxon with a quick smile. "Sharp words have passed,--it -may be mine were sharpest; but none should look for other than snarls -from a baited bear." - -Amalwin's scarred face unbent in an answering smile, and he extended his -hand. - -"If wrong has been done," he said, "you are not the one at fault. I -trust we may meet again as battle-mates. We are used to duller feathers -over Rhine; yet I stand ever ready to welcome one who could throttle the -Grey Wolf, whether he wear silk or hide." - -"It may be I shall again see your forests. Until then farewell, lord -counts." - -"Farewell," replied Amalwin, and he rode off up the bank. But Gerold, -instead of following, sprang to the ground. - -"What now, lad?" asked Olvir. - -"I have yet to see Liutrad. Abbot Fulrad wishes him to aid Worad with -the lettering. The abbot's scribe is to stay behind with Hildegarde. -But first, I would ask your pardon for my coldness." - -"Say no more. Older heads have been misled. As to Liutrad, if he wish -it, he is free to aid Fulrad until there is need of his axe. I will -send him soon. Now, farewell." - -"Stay a little, hero!" exclaimed Gerold, and he caught the Northman's -arm. "Before you go, will you not tell me what came between you and the -maiden? Your sword-brother goes about heavily. Give me a word to -lighten his trouble." - -Olvir gazed into the pleading face of the queen's brother, and seemed -about to speak. But then his look hardened, and he stepped aboard the -waiting boat, cold and haughty. - -"I have no word to send the Count of the Breton Mark," he said. "Let -him come and ask for himself. Thrust off, men." - -Gerold mounted and rode off to Casseneuil, greatly disappointed that his -appeal had failed. Yet his heart was far lighter than when he came, -for, like Amalwin, he was convinced that the subtle insinuations of Duke -Lupus had no foundation in truth. His greatest desire was to tell all -to Roland; but when he reached Casseneuil he found that the count had -just left by boat for Bordeaux, in company with Lupus. So he had to -content himself with telling his convictions to his sister. - -All was confusion at the villa. The king had already taken leave of -wife and children, and was riding off, with half the court in his train, -Rothada and Fastrada among the others. Gerold could have wished to join -the gay company; but he had to ride in hot haste to overtake his -command,--the contingent of wild mountaineers sent by the haughty but -weak Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria. - -Like a swarm of giant locusts, the Frankish host had risen from about -Casseneuil and passed over the Garonne. Before midday the rearguard had -left the valley, and the entire host was sweeping across Vascon Land -toward the Pyrenees. - -The march over the thorny sand-plains of the Landes and down the valley -of the Adour was so directed as to intersect the old Roman way which ran -from Bordeaux across the mountains to Astorga, in the little kingdom of -Alfonzo the Goth. Profiting by this useful relic of the one-time -world-rulers, the thousands of Northern buskins trod the ancient road -with quickened step, and rapidly drew near the outlying spurs of the -Pyrenees. - -The last halt made before the attempt to cross the barrier was in the -valley of the Little Nive, where, after the cork forests and sterile -marshes of the Landes, the intense verdure appeared like a carpet of -green velvet flung over upland and meadow. - -Horse and foot alike made the most of their rest in the pleasant dale, -for the morning promised a march that would try the strength of the -sturdiest. Many gazed upon the wild rampart, the shadow of whose peaks -fell early across their camp, with thoughts which boded greater -misfortune than mere journey toil, and around the fires that night the -old tale was told, how, in days gone by, the host of King Dagobert the -Merwing was beset in this very pass by the fierce mountain Vascons, and -routed with great slaughter. - -But when the bluff-spoken Hardrat ventured to remind Karl of his -predecessor's disaster, the king passed off the omen with a laugh, and, -in turn, reminded the Thuringian how Roland had come fresh from Lupus, -bearing heartiest assurances of the duke's service and friendship. -Anselm, the astute judge, noted the furtive look which passed between -Fastrada and Hardrat at this; but the others gathered no more from the -incident than the knowledge of the king's confidence. They spread the -story throughout the camp, and by break of day the faintest-hearted in -the host was strong for the advance. - -In the delightful freshness of early morning, while the first sun-rays -sparkled on the dewdrops, Hardrat's horn brayed the marching note. From -all sides of the royal pavilion the heavy Frankish horse gathered and -formed in column, five thousand strong,--ponderous steeds, backed by -riders whose leathern cuirasses were banded with long iron plates. Some -wore rude armlets and thigh-pieces. Slow and unwieldy in their massive -strength, these horsemen were none the less formidable. So, at least, -the Saracens had found, when on the plains of Touraine wave after wave -of the swift-rushing Moslemah had dashed forward, to shatter on the -rock-like wall of the Franks. - -The king, mounted upon a powerful white stallion and backed by the -brightly clad retinue, surveyed the horsemen with his clear gaze, and -nodded to their waiting commander. At once Count Hardrat spurred to the -front of the riders, and the long column, breaking into a trot, -thundered away up the valley. As the rearmost troop passed the -pavilion, the king turned to Count Worad with a half-frown. - -"Where are the Danes?" he demanded. "You had word to bid them be at -hand." - -The young man's delicate face paled, but he answered steadily: "Count -Gerold bore the command, your Majesty, when he rode to join his -Bavarians." - -"And I had need of my scribe, sire," explained Fulrad. - -"But the Danes? We wait." - -"They come, lord king," said Liutrad; and, as he spoke, the viking band, -half a thousand strong, wheeled into view around a coppice, to the -accompaniment of merrily clinking steel and the flashing of sunlight on -polished war-gear. Their appearance was met by shouts of admiration -from the Frankish lords; but, without an answering cry, they swung into -the dusty road and formed into column, grim and silent. Then Olvir, all -steel and gold from head to thigh, rode forward on Zora, and raised his -burnished shield in salute. - -"Greeting, my Dane hawk," said Karl. "You come busked as for battle." - -"We think it time for war-gear, lord king," replied Olvir; and he -glanced from the group of silken-vestured officials to the heights of -the Pyrenees. - -Karl nodded approvingly. "It is well. Our safety is now in your -keeping. Hereafter, the Austrasians follow us." - -Olvir flushed, and his eyes sparkled. He saluted again with upraised -shield, and answered earnestly: "By my sword, lord king, you shall not -rue your choice of shieldburg!" - -"That I can well believe. I have not forgotten how your fierce -sea-wolves bend to my little maid." - -"She holds them with a fetter strong as the bond of the Fenris-wolf," -replied Olvir, and he looked across to where Rothada, in her -mule-litter, was assuring herself as to the comfort of Fastrada's -tiring-woman and of her own maid, both of whom were perched upon a heap -of baggage in a rude cart. - -Two gaudily attired pages were fluttering about the little princess, -eager to render her service. Olvir smiled, then set his jaw sternly. A -second mule-litter had appeared from behind the cart, and its occupant -was gazing at him with a strange look of shame and aversion, and yet of -entreaty. Though love lay dead in Olvir's heart, the Thuringian's look -moved him deeply. Already his eyes were softening, when their -side-glance caught the moody gaze of Roland. He stared back at the -count, and drew himself up with a haughty smile. As he turned again to -Fastrada, he found her glaring at him with all the hatred that had -distorted her face in the garden. She had mistaken his scornful -movement as meant for herself. - -The swift exchange of glances passed in the few moments that Karl was -speaking to Abbot Fulrad. Before Olvir had time for second thought, the -king turned back to him, smiling: "Now, my Dane hawk, Abbot Fulrad takes -the child into the midst of your warriors. We lend her to them in place -of yourself. For a while you will ride at my side." - -"You honor both leader and men, lord king," replied Olvir; and he -wheeled Zora to the side of the white stallion. - -Instantly Roland lifted the royal standard, and the silver trumpet of -Eggihard the High Steward sounded the advance. Into the road, behind -Karl and the Northman, flocked the throng of priests and officials, with -no small degree of bustle and confusion. But the noise of their -starting was soon drowned in the roars of delight with which the vikings -greeted their little vala. The king looked down at his road-mate, and -nodded approvingly. - -"That is a welcome shout," he said. "I have not done ill to choose your -heathen wolves." - -"Otkar would have named them trustworthy in that they are heathen." - -"And what would he have said of Kasim, your Saracen kinsman?" rejoined -Karl. "Is not he, too, a pagan? Yet how of the arrow you gave me? I -have cleared the mystery. It is a Saracen shaft." - -"May Hel grip the poisoner!" muttered Olvir, fiercely. But he restrained -his anger, and continued in a calm tone, "Let my lord king say what is -in his mind." - -"You are keen, lad! This, then--you have just cause for anger against -your younger kinsman. Yet I have need of him. He is ruler of -Pampeluna, which, I am told, is the strongest burg in the land of the -Navarrese; and more,--he shares, in a measure, the influence of his -wife's father over the Count of Saragossa." - -Olvir glanced up at the expectant face of the king. - -"Your Majesty would have me forgo my vengeance," he said. - -"For a time, at least. Such a man is but a sprung stave to lean upon; -but, if it be to his own gain, he may give good service. Until Barnard, -my uncle, joins us at Saragossa with the second host, much hangs on the -friendliness of this poisoner." - -"Let the dog go to Hel, Loki's daughter, his own way; only, give me the -forefront of battle!" cried Olvir, his eyes bright and nostrils -quivering. - -The king smiled in approval. - -"Saint Michael!" he exclaimed; "I long to see you in sword-play, kin of -Otkar! The fosterling lacks nothing of the hero's fire, yet none could -differ more in body. You must favor your mother's kin; your hair alone -is of the North. _Heu_! I remember your father, as of yesterday,--a -grand warrior, leaping upon us through the alders. Though bigger, he -was much such a man as Roland." - -"Roland!" echoed Olvir; and involuntarily he glanced about. - -Karl noticed the movement, and a question sprang to his lips: "You 're -at outs with your sword-brother. Why have you wrangled? The quarrel -grieves me." - -"Not you alone, lord king! Yet am I a hare? He came upon me with bared -sword--" - -"You fought?" - -"No. He was raging; but I cast down my sword." - -"And he would not strike,--my sister's son! But his anger--?" - -"The daughter of Rudulf and I broke troth; why, I will not tell,--let -men think what they may. Roland met her. I do not know what she told -him; but he came upon me like a berserk." - -"No doubt the maiden was angry, and in her anger may have overstepped -the truth. A word may set Roland right and heal your quarrel." - -"Let him ask, then! He has broken blood-troth. He is the one to salve -the hurt." - -For some moments Karl regarded the young Northman's haughty face with -impassive gravity. When at length he broke the silence, his gaze -shifted to the jewelled Al-hatif. - -"Yours is a gay sword," he observed. - -"No less a keen blade," muttered Olvir. - -"It shall soon test the Saracen mail. May it spur Abd-er-Rahman into -the sea! Christ conquers; the heathen hosts shall flee before his -warriors." - -The king paused, and looked upwards into the blue sky, his face aglow. -After some little time his gaze returned to Olvir. - -"Listen, kin of Otkar," he said; "this is my war-scheme: Barnard, my -uncle, marches around by way of Narbonne. He will leave men to hold the -burgs of our allies in the northeast quarter of the old Goth realm, thus -hedging in Septimania from counter-attack. At Saragossa we join hosts, -cross the Ebro with our Saracen allies, and march south against the -great burg called Toledo. If that burg falls before Abd-er-Rahman comes -to battle for his kingdom, we strike yet farther south at Cordova, his -chief burg and royal seat; while Ibn Habib, the kinsman of Kasim, -crosses over from Africa to harry in the rear of the Saracen lion,--so -Al Arabi and Kasim have given pledge. Now, what does my Dane hawk say? -The Saracen folk cannot stand before us in battle. That was proven by -my father's father. It is a fiery land; yet the war will be brief. -Behind us is the support of our pagan allies and the Christian -mountaineers; what can defeat us?" - -"Treachery." - -"True. But of that I have no fear,--even from Count Kasim. The Saracen -king has hunted him like a wolf and slain his kinfolk." - -"There is yet the Vascon," remarked Olvir, dryly. - -"Him!" rejoined Karl. "The Merwing hound dare not yap at my cold shoe. -In the early years of my kingship he gave over to me his own kinsman, -Hunold of Aquitania, at the first threat. Enough of such! Now I would -speak with Roland; afterwards with Abbot Fulrad." - -Olvir saluted, and wheeled Zora about. The act brought him face to face -with Roland, riding alone at the head of the retinue. The count met his -glance with a troubled look; but Olvir passed by, and signed to Liutrad. - -"Tell Lord Roland the king would speak with him," he said. - -The merry young giant nodded, and, without a blink of surprise at the -transference of the message, spurred forward on Gerold's last gift,--a -heavy horse of Frankish breed. - -Olvir reined Zora aside and waited for the retinue to pass. His -intention was to fall back among his own men, as far away as possible -from his one-time brother and his one-time love. But while he rode with -the king, Abbot Fulrad had brought Rothada forward to rejoin her maiden -companion. A glimpse of the little princess staring at him from her -litter in round-eyed wonderment altered Olvir's purpose. - -Regardless alike of the cold-eyed courtiers and Fastrada's hateful -smile, he guided Zora in among the retinue until she paced beside -Rothada's litter. He met the dubious look of Abbot Fulrad with an easy -smile. - -"The king would speak with you, lord priest," he said, and as the -white-haired churchman urged his mule forward, Olvir bent gravely over -Rothada. - -"How is the little vala?" he asked. - -"Very well, Lord Olvir. Is it not joyous to be on our way to the crest -of those mighty fells? But I forget. They tell me I should not speak -with you. Are you so very wicked, Lord Olvir?" - -The Northman turned like a panther suddenly attacked, and cast at -Fastrada a glance of such terrible anger that all her hate could not -withstand its menace. But as she shrank from him, Olvir burst into a -laugh of careless scorn. - -"This is a wicked world, little cloister-dove," he said. "Yet be -assured,--you can trust your heathen friends, though I cannot say as -much for those who call themselves followers of the White Christ." - -"I'm glad, Lord Olvir! I could hardly believe you'd harm me. Of my -dear vikings I had no fear at all, though some mock at them as heathen. -If only they were not! Yet they are very good to me, and I love them -all." - -"Even me!" suggested Olvir, and, with a boyish laugh, he tossed a small -ring into the girl's lap. "You shall be my may." - -"But I 've no ring to give in turn," she replied seriously. - -"A lock of your hair will be as welcome." - -Rothada took the dagger which he held out, and cut a thick tress from -her chestnut hair. - -"Braid it," said Olvir; and the girl obediently plaited the tress in a -broad strand. Olvir took the gift solemnly, and, winding it twice about -his neck, over the gold collar of his mail, secured the ends together -with a double clasp. - -"Now I'm your thrall, king's daughter; for I wear your bond," he said. - -"A collar, earl, that should not chafe even the pride of a sea-king," -remarked Liutrad, who had fallen back to the opposite side of Rothada's -litter. Olvir smiled into his honest, ruddy face. - -"Well said, lad; for it's the gift of a true heart," he replied, and he -cast a piercing glance at Fastrada. But the Thuringian, though within -ear-shot, gave no sign that she either saw or heard. She was surrounded -by a group of favorite admirers, who crowded about her litter, enjoying -at the same time her beauty and her subtle wit. In wholesome dread of -Olvir's quick ear, the maiden said nothing against him; but the hostile -feeling of her companions was apparent in their shrugs and glances. - -To this Olvir did not pay the slightest heed. Liutrad, however, took -the matter more to heart. With boys like the pages such unfriendliness -might be excusable. But Worad, notwithstanding his girlish face, was a -learned count and skilled warrior, and during Olvir's Rhine journey he -had not only enjoyed the hospitality of the viking camp, but had pledged -friendship with Gerold and Liutrad. Of all which Liutrad grumbled to his -earl across the litter, until Rothada and Olvir joined in laughing him -into his usual good-humor. - -The road had now plunged into a vast forest of beech and oak, and -through the vistas Olvir pointed out to his companions the glittering -white crest of Mount Altobiscar, toward which they were steadily -ascending. - -Gradually the wooded spurs of the great barrier closed in. The way -became narrow and steep. Lofty cliffs, whose crannies were green with -hardy box, towered above the invaders. Oaks and beeches were giving -place to firs. High in the genial, sunny air other peaks than -Altobiscar thrust up their jagged snow-crests. - -Nearer and nearer the mountain towered above the narrow road, until the -vanguard of the invaders could look directly up at the glittering -summit, five thousand feet above them. Slowly horsemen and footmen -wound through the wild gorges of Ibaneta, whose savage grandeur -over-awed all others than the Bavarians and the mountain-bred warriors -of the North. For them the dizzy cliffs and crags served only to stir -pleasant memories of their own rugged lands. But the Frankish dwellers -of forest and plain gazed about them half fearfully, well assured that -such gloomy cliffs and jagged heights must be the abode of malevolent -kobolds and scrats, if not of dragons. - -No trace of man other than the old Roman way was to be seen in the pass. -Nature here ruled alone in one of her wildest moods. From their eyries -on the crags of Altobiscar, eagles swooped down to view the invaders, -and their screams echoed weirdly through the gorge, above the dull tramp -of hoofs and buskins and the clink and ring of war-gear. - -All Rothada's delight had now given place to dread of the echoes and the -savage scenery, and she would have wished herself back on the peaceful -Garonne, had not Olvir set about diverting her attention by jests and -droll tales. - -So, without sign of opposition or danger, the host poured down through -the ominous gorge, to enjoy the well-earned rest in the dewy valley -below. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - -Lest they fare thither -With whistling spears, -War to wake 'gainst the king. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -From their camp among the beech and chestnut woods of Roncesvalles, the -invaders directed their march across the mountain spurs and down the -valley of the Zubiri, between hills clad to the summit with beech and -ash. The land was grandly beautiful; yet, with all its magnificence, -even the vikings hailed with joy the distant walls and towers of -Pampeluna. - -Word was passed back along the great serpent line of warriors winding -down out of the mountains, and all pressed forward with renewed vigor, -that they might pitch camp near the burg of the Navarrese. The -rearguard had need of haste to win this end, for the sun was already -half down the sky when Hardrat's horsemen deployed on the bank of the -Arga, opposite Pampeluna. - -Close at the heels of the horse came the royal guard of vikings, whose -long limbs kept them with ease in the wake of the riders. They did not -halt upon the river's bank, but followed the king and his retinue across -the stream to the foot of the height upon which rose the walls of the -burg. - -The battlements were crowded with a swarm of Christian townfolk, -interspersed with groups of swarthy warriors, whose chain-mail and wide -turbans told of the Saracen domination. All were gazing across at the -ingathering host of Northerners,--the dreaded Franks, famed alike among -Christian Navarrese and Moslem Moors for rapacity and fierceness. It -was as though the sheep had called in the wolf-pack against the -shepherd. In profound silence the townfolk stared at the horde of their -skin-clad allies, and from the depths of their hearts sent up a wordless -prayer that the peril might pass them by. - -Karl gazed up steadily at the closed gate of the burg and at the silent -watchers above. - -"By my father's sword, this is cold greeting," he muttered. - -"We have marched swiftly, sire," suggested Count Anselm. "May it not be -that Count Kasim is taken unawares by your coming?" - -"He will do well not to wait for our knock," said Karl, grimly. "So! -here is ground more level. Halt! Raise the standard." - -Roland unfolded the banner, and pushed forward to the left of the king, -while behind the two the courtiers spread out in line to right and left, -all eager to see and hear what should follow. - -At the word to halt Liutrad had wheeled about, bearing a command from -Olvir; and the vikings, as they came up, opened out their ranks wider -than the line of the Franks. Karl turned in his saddle and looked -inquiringly from the warriors to their leader. But the expression of -the Northman's face cleared away his doubt. There was a smouldering -fire in Olvir's eyes as he watched for the appearance of his kinsman, -but the stern lines of his mouth told of perfect self-control. - -The king turned to Eggihard. - -"Wind your horn," he commanded. "We shall see if these Southland folk -are dumb." - -But as the steward raised his silver trumpet, a great mass of Saracen -spearmen, with Vali Kasim in the lead, burst from a grove not two -bow-shots away, and swooped down upon the royal party in wild disarray, -screaming and yelling like madmen, and urging their swift horses to the -utmost speed. - -Karl, who had been forewarned as to the Saracen custom of honoring a -superior by feigned attacks, wheeled his horse, and gazed calmly at the -approaching whirlwind of riders. But there was one among his liegemen -who lacked his faith in the blinking vali. - -Hardly had the Moslems burst from their covert when Olvir stood up in -his stirrups and made a sign to his vikings. The response was a deep -muttering roar, that merged into the clash and tread of rushing -warriors. Before the Franks could comprehend the movement, they found -themselves in the heart of the viking wedge, fenced about by a sevenfold -line of warriors. At the point of the wedge they could see the Norse -sea-king on his red mare, calmly facing the charge of the turbaned -spearmen; while beside him stood Floki the Crane, smiling in grim -anticipation as he balanced his terrible halberd. Behind them, Liutrad -loosened the great axe in his belt, and plucked a dart from the sheaf -which he grasped with the staff of his earl's banner. - -The Saracens were within a bow-shot, and coming like the wind,--lances -levelled, scimetars brandished, and burnouses flying,--when Olvir drew -Al-hatif and raised the blade overhead. Instantly a rustling, tinkling -sound swept over the wedge behind him. Slingers raised their slings; -bowmen notched their arrows. - -Then the king's voice rang out like a trumpet: "Hold, men, on your -lives! Down with your weapons!" - -But the vikings looked to their earl. The blade still glittered above -his bright figure, and they stood waiting, heedless of the Frank. - -"By the King of Heaven!" swore Karl; only to pause and stare with his -courtiers. At a word from Olvir, Liutrad had sent a dart curving high -through the air. The missile flashed down and stuck upright in the dry -ground, over a hundred paces distant. Fifty yards farther, it would -have fallen upon the head of Kasim Ibn Yusuf. - -Whatever had been the purpose of the Arab, he saw how fully the Northern -giants were prepared to meet him, and he understood on the instant the -menace of the dart. The shaft was yet quivering from its fall when he -flung up his hand and uttered a piercing cry. - -A hundred voices caught up the wild note and shrieked it back to their -owner's swiftly following fellows. Up went the levelled lance-tips, -sinewy hands drew hard on the bridle-reins, and the mass of flying -horsemen came to a halt within the space of a few yards. - -As the Saracens came to a stand, Karl forced a way through the close-set -ranks of the vikings, his cheeks flushed and eyes flashing angrily. - -"Way!" he commanded. "Ho; aside, men! Give heed, Lord Olvir!" - -Olvir half wheeled Zora and faced the angry king as the white stallion -leaped clear of the foremost vikings. For a moment Karl glared down on -the Northman, his powerful features stern with the dark menace of -offended majesty. Olvir, who had looked only for praise of his ready -defence, drew himself up, and met the king's stare with a bitter smile. - -Look and bearing alike goaded Karl to fury. He grasped the hilt of his -sword, and his great body quivered. But the spasm passed. He bent -forward and said coldly: "How is this, Dane? Neither you nor your -followers give ear to my command." - -"Does the stooping hawk heed the lure?" rejoined Olvir, as coldly. "You -chose us for shieldburg, lord king. As such--" - -"Answer me, by Saint Michael! Would you have struck my ally?" - -Olvir's black eyes flashed defiance straight into the eyes of the king. - -"By Thor!" he cried. "By Thor and the White Christ! Had Kasim my -kinsman charged past yonder spear, he and a host of his swart hounds -should have fared hence to Loki's daughter!" - -Karl's brows met over the long, arched nose, and his nostrils quivered. -But the last word rang in his ear,--_daughter! daughter_! Suddenly he -found himself regarding the affair from an entirely different point of -view. Had not the young Dane good cause to mistrust the Saracen? Was he -not charged with the safety of his king and of all the royal -party,--officials and unarmed priests,--above all, the maidens? - -Olvir was not slow to heed the sudden return of friendliness which -lighted the king's face; but his own retained its gloom. He was sore to -the heart with the injustice which had been done him. Karl perceived -his bitter look, yet reached out his hand, and the Northman could not do -other than take it. Holding fast the slender fingers in his great palm, -the king turned in his saddle and called aloud: "Hearken, my liegemen! -Before all, I give thanks to Lord Olvir, who most ably has proved his -charge. If any had doubt as to the trueness of our guard, they may now -feel assured." - -"No longer may any doubt!" cried Roland, spurring forward through the -viking ranks. - -Olvir glanced about; but at the moment the royal standard dipped to the -breeze, and he failed to see Roland's face. He turned back to the king -with a look that was grave without bitterness, and met the Frank's -parting grip with a responsive clasp. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - -O, for my Sigurd -I shall have death, -Or my fair, my lovely -Laid in mine arms. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -At a sign from their earl the vikings opened their ranks for the Frank -lords, who came pushing to the front, followed by the curious maidens. -As Olvir made a place for Rothada's litter close in the rear of her -father, Vali Kasim rode forward in advance of his band, with -half-a-dozen attendants. - -"Look, Lord Olvir!" exclaimed the girl. "What strange, gay warriors; -and the beautiful horses! The chief's is like your Zora." - -"Her blood-kin,--the swiftest breed in all Arabia," replied Olvir, his -eyes fixed upon Kasim Ibn Yusuf. - -But the Franks were more interested in the vali's attendants. In their -midst the Berbers led three mules, two of which were burdened with -packs, while the third bore an unarmed greybeard, whose yellow gown -marked him out as a leech. - -At a dozen paces from the great Karolah the vali and his followers -sprang off and salaamed to the dust; and Kasim, advancing, cried out in -broken Frankish: "Blessed be the day that I behold the mighty Karolah! -The mountains shake at the tread of his coming; all men rejoice to see -his glorious face!" - -"We fail to hear them," replied Karl, dryly; and he glanced up at the -silent folk on the battlements of the burg. - -The edge of Kasim's green turban again swept the ground, and he answered -readily: "Mute with awe, the men of Pampeluna gaze upon the mighty -Sultan of the Afranj. They wait for him to speak in kindness. Then will -his faithful slaves rejoice." - -The king's face relaxed its sternness. "It is well. What have you -here?" - -"The lowly gifts of a slave, who would lay them at the feet of his -glorious lord." - -"Saint John the Meek!" muttered Karl, and he made an impatient gesture. -"Have your will, man." - -The leech spoke a word to his fellows, who led the pack-mules forward. -From one they unloaded and set out before the king a number of finely -wrought silver vases, packed to the brim with precious spices. Costly -as were these gifts, they met with little comment from the Franks; but -when from the pack of the second mule the Berbers drew off roll after -roll of gorgeous silks, none could restrain an expression of admiration. - -Among the most eager to view the silks was Fastrada; and her cries of -delight as Worad led her litter-mules farther forward instantly drew -upon her the blinking gaze of Vali Kasim. Though the Arab had seen her -but once before,--at the royal pavilion on the Garonne,--he remembered -her perfectly. He now stared with lustful eyes at her soft beauty. - -"Look, earl. One might say the swart kite sees quarry; he has ceased -blinking," observed Liutrad, in Olvir's ear. - -"Let him beware, then. Once a kite caught up a weasel,--you know the -tale. But this kite's plumage is not to my liking." - -"How so?" - -"With an Arab, red bodes anger. I had it from Otkar." - -"You look for treachery?" - -"For all evil from one who shoots viper shafts. This red cloak is no -good omen. Yet I am pledged to the king to hold the poisoner in peace." - -"Floki might pick a quarrel with him. I myself would as lief try my axe -on his swaddled skull. If these swart folk fight in single combat, one -of us will soon make an end of him." - -"No, lad; he is a haughty man. He might fight me, but not my follower; -and I am bound by my word." - -"Then we must wait and watch." - -"Ay," muttered Olvir; and he stared hard at Kasim, who, being addressed -by the king, was reluctantly turning away his gaze from the Afranj -maiden. - -When, with friendly dignity, Karl had acknowledged the vali's gifts, he -turned to his daughter and her companion. - -"The Saracen shall see how we of the North honor women," he said. "Take -up the silken rolls and bring them before the maidens. When the child -has made her choice, the daughter of Rudulf may take what she will." - -Both girls cried out their delight, and Fastrada met the king's smiling -look with a glance that stirred his ardent nature to the depths. A -subtle change shadowed his stately features, and for a little he gazed -at the girl as Kasim had gazed. Her eyes fell before his; and while she -yet held them demurely downcast, Rothada's voice rang out again in -childish delight. Olvir had chosen for her a white silk, embroidered in -violet and gold. - -At his daughter's cry, Karl turned suddenly about in his saddle and -stared, frowning, at the walls of Pampeluna. The blinking vali before -him saw his lips move, and caught the words which he muttered; but only -Fulrad, that abbot learned in Holy Writ, might have divined his -meaning,--"He that ruleth himself is greater--is greater--!" - -Olvir, though so watchful of his Saracen kinsman, noted the strange look -on the king's face. But then, in common with the greater number of the -Franks, his attention was drawn by Fastrada. Two rolls of scarlet silk -already lay in the girl's litter; yet, not content with these, she had -seized upon a gorgeous purple. Her cry of gratified vanity fixed upon -her the looks of all around. - -Most maidens would have drooped their heads in modest shame at thus -being made the centre of observation; not so the Thuringian. The rich -coloring of her cheeks heightened, though not with shame, and her eyes -sparkled like sapphires. Waving aside the attendants, she unrolled the -purple silk, and, with a daring glance at the king, wrapped herself -about in the folds of the imperial color. - -Many of the Franks cried out their admiration of the maiden's -gracefulness; but the few who were quick enough to perceive the -audacious allusion of her act took good care to preserve silence. Karl, -however, maintained his stern observation of the city battlements, and -the girl, foiled of her expected triumph, shifted her attack to Olvir. -Here again she was to meet with disappointment. The young Northman -returned her half-defiant, half-alluring look with an indifferent -glance, and recalled his attention to Rothada. - -The Thuringian's cheek paled. She let the folds of the purple silk slip -from about her, and bowed forward in the litter, with hot eyes and -thin-drawn lips, deaf to the murmured compliments of the courtiers. The -strong white teeth gleamed between her tightened lips, and soon another -look than suffering stole into her face. - -In her sudden fury, the girl raised her head to transfix the Northman -with her glance; and, instead, she met the solemn gaze of Roland's blue -eyes. - -From the giving of the silks to this decisive moment, the count had been -watching her every look and action with closest attention. Until she -bent her head, not even the slightest change in her expression had -escaped him. And now, his gaze sharpened to the utmost keenness by the -intensity of his feeling, he saw, as it were, the girl's dark troubled -soul stand out bare before its lovely mask. The Frank shuddered, and -crossed himself hastily. - -At this moment the king suddenly recalled to mind Vali Kasim, who still -stood bowing before him with Oriental obsequiousness. He smiled, and -raised his hand. "Again we render thanks for your gifts, Count Kasim." - -"_Bismillah_! I rejoice that my glorious lord is pleased. It is for me -to serve him in all things. Therefore, I have brought my learned geber, -Kosru the Magian, to make certain that your Majesty shall enjoy health -and full strength while you honor our land with your gracious presence." - -"Health!" repeated Karl, and he smiled as he drew up his massive figure. -But then his glance chanced to rest on Rothada, and he signed to the -Magian to join the royal suite. "It is well. The maidens may have need -of leechcraft in a strange land. Our chamberlain will have command to -make fitting return for your gifts, lord count." - -"It is not for gifts I ask, most gracious sultan." - -"What, then?" demanded Karl, his keen grey eyes fixed upon the Saracen's -impassive face. - -Kasim salaamed to the ground before replying. "My lord and sultan is -gracious; he opens my lips. Let him not be offended. I have said that -the people of my city are consumed with fear of the mighty Afranj; they -tremble lest the fierce giants of the North be loosed in their midst." - -"So--you would have me forego the placing of my wardens in your burg. -How shall it be held when all your warriors are withdrawn?" - -"The walls are high, O sultan. The townfolk will bar out my lord's foes -and my foes. Can my lord doubt that they will hold fast for the sultan -of their own faith?" - -"How, lord vali," demanded Anselm, the Count Palatine; "if your folk are -so friendly, why should they seek to be rid of us? I would not be the -one to speak of mishap; yet here is bitter truth, sire: Should not God -and the holy saints give your Majesty victory; should we fare homeward, -a war-broken host; would these timorous Navarrese then open their gates -to give succor; or would they not rather seek our harm, to gain favor -with the pagan king?" - -Kasim smiled blandly, and would have spoken again, had not Karl held up -his hand for silence. For a little, the king gazed at the thousand and -more Saracen horsemen massed together in dense ranks on the spot where -they had been halted by the cry of their chief. Then he glanced up at -the burg on the height and back to the little maiden behind him. - -"O sultan of sultans--" began Kasim; but again Karl held up a -restraining hand. - -"I cannot grant your wish, lord count," he said. "I must hold to the -compact. Count Olvir, you will guard this stronghold with your vikings, -and Rothada and her companion shall remain here in your care. It had -been wiser to have left the maidens at Casseneuil." - -Olvir frowned with disappointment at this unexpected turn of events. - -"It was not to sit behind stone walls, lord king, that I joined your -host," he protested. - -"Yet I ask it of you, my Dane hawk," replied Karl, gravely. "For a -time, at least, I ask you to shield this little maid, who is more -precious to me than all the old Goth realm." - -"For her sake," muttered Olvir, half reluctantly. - -Karl spoke in a lowered voice: "For her sake, lad! I would not ask the -service but for her. Would that I had not brought her across the -mountains! I look for treason from this fawning hound. I must -safeguard the maiden and this stronghold at all cost." - -"Enough, lord king!" exclaimed Olvir. "I give you willing service." - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - -Blithe then grew the breaker of rings. - BEOWULF. - - -Early two months had passed since from the loftiest tower of Pampeluna's -citadel Olvir had watched the Frankish warriors wind away across the -green plateau, on their southward march to the Ebro. In all the dreary -weeks of waiting no tidings had come back from the invading host,--not a -word to tell whether Karl was battling for the old Goth realm on the -Ebro's banks, or, finding Abd-er-Rahman too cautious to encounter him -near Saragossa, had ventured on south to Toledo or to Cordova itself, in -search of the fierce but wily old Emir of Andalus. - -Whatever might be the truth as to the movements of the host, there could -be no doubt that trickery was rife in its rear; for Karl most certainly -had sent more than one messenger northward, and death or capture at the -hands of the king's Saracen allies could alone account for their failure -to bring tidings to Pampeluna. - -At the end of the first month Floki was for taking a score or so of men, -and going in search of the Franks; but Olvir told him that he would not -risk one man, much less a score, to fall into the traitors' snare. -Instead, he set about strengthening the defences of the citadel, and -levied on the townfolk for food, until the storerooms were filled to -overflowing. The old Roman cisterns already held enough water to last -out a six months' siege. - -That he could hold the citadel against all comers Olvir had no doubt; -but his warriors were far too few for him to man the burg walls. He had -to content himself with a watch at each gate of half a hundred warriors, -who, he planned, could hold their posts secure against any chance band -of the enemy, or, in the event of an attack in force, could check the -first assault, and so save the citadel from the possibility of a -surprise. - -In his vigilant watch over the safety of the citadel, the young Northman -found little time to spend in the society of Rothada's miniature court. -Yet it was not seldom that he saw the little princess; for she often -sought him out with the complaint that Fastrada was closeted with the -wizened old Magian leech whom the king her father had left to care for -her, and that she was weary of playing with the pages and the -tiring-women. - -On the morning of the day which opened the ninth week of waiting, Olvir -came riding up to the great door of the citadel, after his round of the -burg gates, and as he dismounted in the shadow of the archway, smilingly -unlashed a roll of cloth from his saddle. Then he beckoned to one of -the door wardens and said briefly: "The mare frets with so much -stall-standing. Take her for a run across the Arga." - -Overjoyed at the chance, the man sprang into the saddle, and Zora -started down the steep path, picking her steps daintily but with a -quickness that showed her impatience at the restraints on coursing -within the burg. - -A little later Olvir climbed out upon the roof of the citadel's main -tower, the roll of cloth still in his hand. For a while he swept with -his glance the neighboring heights and the broad harvest fields on the -plain below the burg. All lay calm and peaceful in the hot sunshine, and -his gaze turned with his thoughts to the cloth in his hand. Half -smiling, he peered within its folds, and began to pace slowly to and fro -across the narrow space of the roof. - -"By the hair of Sif!" he chuckled, "I 'll wager it's a gift to delight -any maid!" - -But his pleasant musing was cut short by the sound of a sibilant voice -in the upper room of an adjoining tower. - -"Loki!" he muttered. "Can I never get beyond earshot of that woman?" - -Frowning, he moved over to the farther battlement, and turned his face -away toward the barren fells which lay between him and the mysterious -South. But though he sought to fix his thoughts on the host which had -vanished behind those desolate hills and crags, he could not shut out -the sound of that sibilant voice or the shrill, cackling answers of -Kosru, the old Magian leech. - -"Of a surety, man,"--Fastrada was speaking,--"you are a warlock of note. -Strange you have already wandered over Rhine! You must come again, and -farther,--to my Thuringian home. My mother will give you fair welcome. -Though a woman of the roving Wends, she is skilled in herbs and magic -spells. At her bidding the storm-wind rises. She rules the forest -sprites,--kobolds and nixies,--even the fiend-gods of the Saxons." - -"I do not claim to rule the storm-wind, maiden." The leech's voice was -raised in shrill protest. - -"Yet you do not lack knowledge of powerful spells," came back the quick -response. "Tell me again of that which saved you from the wolves in -Fulda Wood." - -"It was a little thing, maiden, for a geber whose learning has saved the -lives of princes. Yet the most learned might well have perished in the -fangs of those fierce children of Ahriman. Only by chance did I have -the magic drug to throw behind me and stay them, while the Jew and I -fled on to the Christian monastery." - -"But the drug? You did not tell me--" - -"A foul-smelling resin from Arabia. Others than I have tested its charm -over the grey demons of the forest. It will stay the wolf-pack on a hot -trail, or draw them from so far as they may scent its odor. But as to -black magic--" The voice of the leech sank to a whisper. - -For a time the words of neither speaker were audible. Then Fastrada's -voice vibrated on the air, sharp and distinct: "How! Even the Magian -chief? Listen, leech; stand my friend, and I pledge you sure gain in -the king's court. My word carries favor among his lords." - -"A bargain, maiden! Help me to a fair standing in the court of Karolah, -and I give you a talisman of greatest potency,--a ring set with the -magic stone whose hues shift and change even as the tints of your eyes." - -"Its powers--?" - -"To the weak it brings destruction; to the strong, honors--" - -"And love?" - -"Love, if already he does not love another." - -"Another? Then I am safe! He will come back--he will come back to me! -Give me the spell-stone, leech--now! A day may lose all! I swear to -befriend you!" - -"I do not doubt, maiden. But the ring is in your own land,--at Metz on -the Moselle, pledged to a Jew trader, Yusuf Ben Israel. It is a heavy -debt,--four ounces of gold." - -"I will pay it gladly for such a ring. Here is what will win the -spell-stone from the greedy Jew. _Ai!_ you may well eye the bright -clasp. It was my first gift from _him_!" - -Olvir sprang up from his seat on the battlement as though stung. - -"Loki!" he muttered. "The witch's daughter thinks to creep back into my -heart with the aid of spells and evil craft. I have wasted my pity. -Sooner would I cherish an adder than that fair-faced werwolf." - -He turned to descend out of ear-shot of the sibilant voice, only to -pause as it pierced the air in a hissing whisper: "Hist, leech! Some -one mounts the other tower. Let us go down." - -"The trolls flee before the light-elf!" murmured Olvir, and he stepped -forward, smiling, as Rothada sprang gaily into view up the last steps of -the narrow stairway. In a moment she was beside him, her face raised -for his greeting. But when, instead of kissing her forehead, Olvir bent -to her lips, she drew back with a startled look, and a faint blush crept -into her cheeks. - -Never had the little maiden appeared so winsome as when she stood thus, -half shrinking before him, overcome by a shyness whose source was a -mystery to her child mind. In her play with the pages, she had dressed -herself in a Saracen woman's street costume, several of which had been -found in the citadel. Swathed from head to foot in the uncouth gown, -with her face framed about by the brown folds, she appeared for all the -world like a spring blossom just bursting from its dull husk. Olvir was -quick to see the resemblance. - -"By Ostara, little maid!" he exclaimed; "had I come upon you so out in -the woodland, I 'd have fancied you the elf of the violets. Surely no -flower-elf could be more winsome!" - -"Oh, Olvir!" protested the girl, and her blushing face bent yet lower. -Her bosom rose and fell quickly, and she glanced shyly at the smiling -Northman. But then, overcome by wonder at her strange emotion, she -looked up at him in bewilderment. - -"What is this, dear hero?" she murmured. "When you speak kindly to me, -my very heart sings with gladness, and yet I fear--I am ashamed." - -The eyes of the young sea-king sparkled like black gems, and he bent to -kiss her again. But as his gaze met hers, he paused, checked by her -trustful innocence, and a quick flush reddened his dark cheeks. - -"I am not worthy!" he said, half aloud. "Who am I to open life's -mysteries to this little dove?" - -"What is it, Olvir?" persisted Rothada. "Will you not speak out and -answer me? Why do I not feel so when Dame Hildegarde and my father, who -are no less kind--" - -"Why--ah, why?" repeated Olvir. "But wait, child. Do not fret your -little heart over such mysteries. Wait and ask your questions of the -gracious queen who has shown to you a mother's love. We 'll be merry -and care-free while we may. See; here is a gift I 've brought you from -the booths of the Saracen tradefolk." - -Flinging open the roll in his hand, Olvir drew out from its wrappings a -silken bodice, worthy even a king's daughter. Strange as was its shape, -Rothada forgot all her shyness and bewilderment as she gazed at its -beautiful embroidery, wrought in pearls and gold-thread. Never before -had she set eyes on such graceful designs. She needed little urging to -fling aside her brown cloak and slip on the gay blue kirtle. - -"Saint Petronella bless you, dear hero!" she cried in her delight. -"Truly, it is a king's gift! I feel as beautiful as the bower-maidens. -If you like, you can kiss me again--on the mouth." - -"Like!" echoed Olvir, almost in a whisper, and he thrust out a gentle -finger to lift her chin. Yet before he could stoop to meet her pouting -lips, she sprang aside and pointed out over the battlements. - -"The horses! the beautiful horses!" she shrieked. "Oh, look, -Olvir,--thousands of horsemen racing!" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - -Feeder of foul deeds, -Fey do I deem thee. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -Even as the Northman spun about at the cry of the little maiden, his -hands were loosening the horn at his belt. His glance rested but a -moment on the torrent of Saracen spearmen which was pouring out across -the green plain from behind the nearest hill. - -"By Thor! three thousand and more, if a man!" he cried, and with the -words the horn was raised to his lips. As its warning note blared down -to the very donjons of the citadel, he bent out over the battlements, -and stared across the roofs of the Saracen quarter to the open space -about the Ebro Gate. Even as he looked, a shrill battle-cry rent the -air,--"_Allah acbar! Allah acbar!_"--and in a twinkling all the space -about the distant gateway was swarming with armed Saracens, the turbaned -warriors surging in a wild mob into the great arch of the gateway. - -Olvir's nostrils dilated. "Thor!" he muttered. "The Crane will do well -to close the gate with those stinging gnats behind him." - -"Oh, Olvir! are they fighting--all those fierce warriors?--and Floki has -so few! He will be slain! Hasten--" - -"He must fare for himself, king's daughter. But never fear! The -horsemen have yet a bow-shot to race, and--_heya!_ look; there's proof -the gate is barred." - -Great as was the distance, the dry, smokeless air was so clear that -Rothada could see with startling distinctness the battle-ebb of the -attacking mob as they fell back before the counter-charge of the vikings -in the archway. Suddenly the little band rushed into view, their weapons -flashing in fierce strokes. The deep viking battle-shout rolled out -above the shrill yells of the Moslems, and the giant warriors, forming -swiftly in a wedge, hurled themselves like a huge barbed spear-point -straight through the thick of the mob. - -"_Haoi!_ there's fighting, king's daughter!" shouted Olvir, his eyes -aflame. But Rothada shrank back, and pressed her hands upon her eyes, -to shut out the cruel sight. - -"What! So fearful of a little bloodshed?" he exclaimed. "But I forget. -You 're still a cloister-dove. Come down and hide with your pages. I -must look to the door when Floki comes knocking." - -"Holy Mother! Why must there be so much of war and slaying?" wailed the -girl. - -"Ask the priests of your White Christ," retorted Olvir, and taking her -hand, he led her quickly down the tower stair. - -Having left the little princess in the care of her tiring-woman, he ran -from post to post of the citadel's defences, that he might see with his -own eyes whether every man was in his appointed position. Last of all, -he mounted the great arch above the entrance, whose oaken doors stood -ajar to welcome the retreating gate wardens. - -At sight of his earl, a watchman who had climbed the main tower shouted -down to him: "Ho, ring-breaker! Floki's gate swings open. The Asiamen -ride into the burg." - -"What of Floki?" demanded Olvir. - -"I cannot see. But the other wardens gather in the great square. Ho! -there come the Crane and his men, a horde of swart curs yelping at their -heels. The bands join, and the Asiamen run to shelter. Now the Crane -turns this way." - -"Good!" said Olvir. "They have little more than a bow-shot to come, and -the crooked lanes will check the horsemen." - -It was none too soon, however, that the men of the gate watches swung up -the steep path after Floki and Liutrad, and poured through the archway -into the citadel court. As the ponderous doors swung to behind them, -the vanguard of the Saracen host came racing into view, hot on their -trail. But when they saw that their quarry had reached cover, the -swarthy riders contented themselves with a derisive yell, and wheeled -swiftly about to seek shelter from the arrows of the vikings. - -Olvir hastened down into the court. - -"Well done! well done, vikings!" he greeted the returned warriors. "You -had brisk play for a time, old Crane. What of the slain?" - -"Go ask the Asiamen, earl," replied Floki, with a dry chuckle. "We have -none to name, though you can see enough of scratches among my men. The -black cats do not lack claws." - -"I give thanks they are no sharper. Had your gate been opened when you -first left it--" - -"The traitors did well to open it at all. I clenched the chain-hooks -with a sledge. For all their treachery, the curs gained nothing but -scathe." - -"Yet we can count one man fated. Tell me, Liutrad; did not Ottar pass -out your gate upon my mare, to ride across the Arga?" - -"He passed the gate, earl, but not to cross the river. I heard him say -that he was minded to ride around the burg to the Ebro Gate." - -"Loki! my Zora,--my matchless mare!" - -"Ho, earl!" called down a warrior on the wall; "here comes one waving a -green branch. Shall I loose an arrow at the swart hound? He is like -Earl Kasim as two peas." - -"Hold!" commanded Olvir, and he ascended quickly to the parapet, Floki -and Liutrad at his heels. As they gained the top and leaned with him -over the battlements, they saw Kasim Ibn Yusuf, branch in hand, riding -up the steep ascent. Poisoner or not, there could be no doubt as to the -man's boldness. - -"Thor smite me!" gasped Liutrad. "Zora!--he rides Zora!" - -"It is a taunt," croaked Floki. "None but a fated man would venture -such a deed. Let me drive an arrow through his hide, and the mare is -yours again, ring-breaker." - -Olvir was white with anger; but he shook his head. - -"No," he lisped; "he bears a peace-branch,--he is a herald, and -peace-holy,--the foul poisoner!" - -"May Hel's hand soon grip him!" growled Floki; and then all three stood -silent, glaring down on the approaching rider. - -As he came within speaking distance, the Moslem peered up at the Norse -chiefs, and waved his green branch in mocking salute. - -"Greeting, kinsman!" he called. "I have returned to my city with a few -friends, and so I am here to beg your hospitality for the night. Come -down, I pray you, and join us in the market-place. What! you are -silent? Is it thus you greet a guest? How speaks the Koran: 'For the -weary guest, food and a bed; for the stranger in your gates, a wife and -the queen of your drove.' Already you have made gift of the choice -mare. The groom who brought her you will find, arrow-pierced, beyond -the hill. He rode heedless into our very midst. I have besought you -for food and shelter; for wife, I might name that fair houri who rode -with Karolah's daughter--" - -"Stay a little, dog," lisped Olvir, in a voice ominously gentle. -"First, tell me whether you come as envoy." - -The vali raised his branch, and answered jeeringly: "I, Kasim Ibn Yusuf, -envoy of the Beni Al Abbas, come riding from Saragossa, to tell you how -I have outwitted the great Karolah and ridden over his camp." - -"That is a lie, adder!" - -"No; by the beard of the Prophet! In the dusk of evening we rode over -Karolah's tent and trampled his bright banner in the dust. Now will you -come forth with your braggart giants and meet my friends in the game of -swords?" - -"I am content to lie at ease for the night," rejoined Olvir, quietly, -though his eyes were blazing. - -"What! is my kinsman so backward when it comes to blows? I have heard -that he besought Karolah for the forefront in battle. Yet it may be he -is chilled by so long sitting behind the stone. I will try a last word -to stir his cold blood. When I rode over Karolah's camp, Vali Al Huseyn -opened to me the gates of Saragossa and shut them in the face of the -Afranj. But when Karolah named the city's ransom, he demanded that I -also should be delivered over to him. Urged to the treachery by my own -wife's father, the false vali assented. I was forewarned none too soon -to escape from Saragossa in the night. And yet, with all my haste, let -it be known to you, son of Gulnare, that I found time to force the gate -of the Balatt Al Arabi and bestow on your mother's father a scratch -which all the skill of Kosru my geber could not heal." - -"Enough, poisoner!" lisped Olvir, almost in a whisper. "If you value -life, go--go quickly!" - -Though the softly uttered words barely reached his ear, the Arab could -see the look on the Northman's white face. Without a word, he wheeled -Zora, and clattered down the slope at headlong speed. - -"Ho, the murderous nithing!" jeered Liutrad. "He flees as from the -Fenris-wolf." - -"None too fast to outstrip an arrow," growled Floki. "Give the word, -earl! My fingers itch to drive a dart into his swart back." - -"No!" gasped Olvir; and he stood glaring after the fugitive, while the -cold sweat gathered and ran down his white face. "Hel seize the foul -murderer! He--he, my blood kin's slayer--has named me nithing!--and I -cannot leave this cursed rock heap!" - -"Thor! Must we then lie idle for the sake of a Roman keep?" - -"And for the vala's sake!" added Liutrad, quickly. - -"I am not one to forget the maid," grumbled Floki. "But a hundred men -can hold the keep while we go out to the blood-game." - -"No," broke in Olvir, harshly. "Far rather would I meet death than -swallow the taunts of that poisoner. Yet Karl the Frank gave over this -keep into my charge, and I hold the hard stones fast till Karl the Frank -comes again. Wait till he knocks at the burg gates. It will then be for -us to go out and open them to him." - -A smile of terrible joy lit up the face of the sea-king, and he turned -eagerly to the southward, as though he already saw the vanguard of the -Frankish host. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - -With guile the great one -Would they beguile. - SONG OF ATLI. - - -When it became known through the citadel that there would be no sorties -against the Asiamen until the coming of the Frankish host, the towers at -once were crowded with watchers, all gazing southward along the Ebro -road. But a bitter disappointment lay before the war-eager vikings. - -Toward mid-afternoon there was a great stir in the Saracen quarters, and -soon all the Moslem folk of the burg--mounted and afoot, or drawn in -their heavy-laden ox-carts--began to move in a steady stream along the -streets and out through the Arga Gate. Before nightfall the last cart -had creaked over the Arga bridge, and was trailing away on the Astorga -road. - -Floki was like a baited bear. - -"_Hei_! ring-breaker," he grumbled; "the dogs seek a new kennel. It -must be they know the Franks are coming. Now is the time to strike the -poisoner,--now, before he slips through our fingers. He will flee -to-night on the trail of these slow-moving tradefolk." - -"And what if it be a lure to draw us into the open? No, old Crane! If -the swart dogs linger till the Franks come, we will make blood-play for -them. Not now." - -The last drop in the bitter cup was drained when at dawn the Saracen -spearmen were seen leisurely riding westward on the Astorga road. -Astride their swift desert coursers, they well knew their safety from -the pursuit of any kaffir force. - -An hour or so after their rearguard had disappeared four thousand -Frankish horsemen came plodding north upon the Ebro road, their heavy -war-chargers so weary that they could not be spurred out of a walk. - -"They have done their best," admitted Olvir, half reluctantly, and -choosing the first hundred men in the courtyard, he marched out to meet -the Franks. There was none to bar the way. The Saracens were all gone, -taking with them the Jews, and the Navarrese townfolk wisely kept out of -the path of the fierce Northerners. - -But there was some delay in the Saracen quarter, where the vikings -scattered to see whether any loot was to be found in the deserted -houses. As it proved, nearly everywhere the owners had fled in such -haste that all manner of rich plunder lay ready to the hand of the first -comer. - -In vain Olvir sought to recall the eager looters from their search. -Hardly a score appeared after repeated blasts of his horn; but, spurred -on by his desire to hear the tidings of the Frankish host, he advanced -with this scant following. - -The delay had been considerable, and before Olvir could reach the great -archway of the burg gate a horseman on a black Arab stallion came racing -through the dark tunnel. In two leaps the splendid courser was beside -him, and Count Roland was springing from the saddle, to grasp his -shoulders. - -"Brother!" the Frank almost shouted. "Brother!--you 're safe--the -poisoner did not take you unawares! We rode night and day to overtake -the traitors; but the horses of my men--Thank God, I find you safe!" - -There was no resisting the heartfelt joy of the Frank. It swept away at -a breath every trace of the grievance between the friends. Olvir gazed -earnestly into the radiant eyes of his captor. - -"No less am I glad to see you, brother," he said. But even at that -moment his face clouded: "I thirst for your tidings, king's kin! No -word have I heard since the host fared south,--only, the poisoner mocked -me with evil tales. What of my mother's father? Is it true he met his -fate--?" - -"True, Olvir! The wretch struck him with a poisoned blade. We came -with Al Huseyn to hunt out the traitor, but found only the dying count." - -"And none stopped the murderer?" - -"He was already gone, brother. It was at twilight. He and his following -rode out of Saragossa before Al Huseyn could send word to the gates, and -the swart hounds burst through our beleaguering lines in the darkness. -I could not leave your dying kinsman,--and it was well. He intrusted me -with your inheritance,--this pouch of gem-stones, and a book in Arabic -script, which he said contained the wisdom of Plato, the old Greek sage. -The book is on my saddle; the gems have not left my bosom since the -noble count gave them into my charge." - -Olvir took the heavy pouch, and, thrusting in his fist, drew out a -handful of flashing gems,---rubies and emeralds and sapphires. - -"Here's honor to the dead!" he exclaimed, as he held out the precious -stones to Roland. - -"In his honor!" replied the Frank, gravely, and he took the gift as -freely as it was offered. But as the gems rolled into his palm, he -picked out a great pearl, and handed it back to the giver. - -"Keep this for the little princess, brother," he said. - -"It is a gift for a bride, if it has mates," murmured Olvir. - -"A fitting betrothal gift from a sea-king to a princess! Now that our -bitterness is past, only one thing is lacking to round out my happiness. -Two more years or so, and your little may--" - -"Say no more, brother. That pure snow-blossom,--and I, the -bloody-fanged wolf! Not a day has gone by since I saw in her eyes-- -But tell me! Is it true the poisoner rode over the king's camp?" - -"I must own he told you truth. We were watching for treachery, and yet -the wily fox caught us unawares. When our smaller host came faring from -Barcelona, Count Barnard rode across the Ebro half a day in the lead, -and the king was holding war-council with him, when, in the twilight, -the pagan spearmen burst upon the royal guard. Only by good chance did I -bring up the horsemen in time to save our lord king." - -"Thor! You 've not lacked sword-play. But what of Abd-er-Rahman, that -old Omyyad lion?" - -"Ask the South Wind; it alone may tell you. He proved too wary a lion -to show himself within hail of the Ebro; while, for our part, with -treachery in our rear, we would have been mad to fare south into the -enemy's country." - -"Treachery?" - -"When we marched down the Ebro valley to Saragossa, the false vali of -the burg closed the gates against us, though the noble Al Arabi sought -to hold him to his compact. So we laid siege to the burg until Count -Barnard came with the eastern host, and the poisoner sought to slay the -king. Before that, messengers had come, by way of Narbonne and -Barnard's host, with word from Count Rudulf that the Saxons threatened -an uprising. The king at once sent Gerold and Worad Rhineward at the -head of a thousand horsemen. They took the longer but safer road by way -of Narbonne; for the whole land swarmed with the bands of our -treacherous allies." - -"That I foreboded," said Olvir. "No messenger came through with -tidings." - -"Small wonder! Of all our Saracen allies, your noble kinsman Al Arabi -alone kept troth. We had had enough to sicken us of the Southland -without old Rudulf's warnings. Already our host was wasting from fever -and famine, and so, as Abd-er-Rahman would not come to give us battle, -there was naught to do but to take the wergild which Vali Al Huseyn had -offered to ransom his burg. The host is already following my trail." - -Olvir flung out a hand toward the south: "By Loki! a bitter warfaring -has it been for more than one. I have drunk a cup of gall; no less the -great king--" - -"Gall would have been honey to him beside that bitter draught. But see; -here come my laggard riders." - -"Your riders! Halt them, brother; let them camp outside the walls. -They 've already had their share of war-loot, while my men have not -fingered a penny. Ours should be the plunder of the Saracen houses." - -"But the Christian townfolk--?" - -"King Karl shall levy their wergild. We will not break a Christian -door. I can trust my sea-wolves even in the looting." - -"It is well, brother. The horsemen shall camp outside the burg. They -shall guard the gates, but not enter," replied Roland, and, raising his -horn, he blew a ringing call to halt. - -So the weary weeks of war-vigil came to an end, and few other than the -townfolk of Pampeluna grumbled at the half-week which lapsed before the -main host of the Franks, with its huge over-burdened ox-train, came -trailing out of the South. - -Throughout the days of waiting the weary horsemen were well content to -lie about their camps and feast on the good fare sent out by the -luckless townfolk; while up in the citadel the vikings made exact -allotment of their Moslem loot, and in the heat of the reckless gaming -which followed forgot how they had been cooped up for months like -nun-women, and cheated of the merry sword-play. - -The days of idleness, of wassail and gaming, were soon cut short. On -the morning that the main host reached Pampeluna, King Karl called the -councillors of the city before him, and told them that their burg should -no longer serve as an eyry for the treacherous Saracen hawks. He would -exact no wergild,--no ransom; but the citadel and walls of the burg -should be razed to the ground. - -There was no appeal from the hard decree. Within an hour the city walls -swarmed with thousands of Frankish warriors, armed with mattock and -battering-ram. Soon the battlements were crashing down, to shatter one -upon the other. - -But the task was not one to be accomplished in a day, even by hordes of -brawny Northerners. While the greater number toiled at battering down -the walls and casting the loosened stones into the Arga, others scoured -the country for miles around, levying tribute and hostages wherever they -went. - -Among the first of these forays was one led by Count Hardrat in the -direction of Astorga. When he returned, he reported that no trace of -the Moslems had been found. Yet, for such a fruitless faring, he seemed -highly satisfied over its outcome, and he had no little to say apart -with the beautiful daughter of the Grey Wolf. - -The nearer the time set for the homeward faring approached, the more -frequently was Hardrat to be seen with Fastrada; but as he was well -known to be a suitor for the maiden's hand, his attention aroused no -comment other than pleasant raillery. - -When at last the plunder-burdened host trailed away from the dismantled -city, up the valley of the Arga, Hardrat had no other choice than to -join his command. But Kosru the Magian rode in closest attendance upon -Fastrada, up the Zubiri, and across the wooded hills, into the glen of -Roncesvalles. - -That evening, as Fastrada rested with others of the court on the turf -before the royal pavilion, Hardrat approached the king's seat and knelt -haltingly to kiss his lord's knee. Karl smiled, and reached out his -hand instead. - -"What would our brave count ask?" he said. - -"No great favor to grant, sire, yet one upon which I have set my heart," -answered the Thuringian, hurriedly. "Since Count Gerold left, the men of -Duke Tassilo's levy have marched at random. Among them is a warrior who -fought beside me at Pavia--" - -"A small favor," replied Karl, carelessly. "You wish to command the -Bavarians. If that is all--" - -"I take heart to ask a greater favor, sire. Since your Majesty put me -over the Austrasians, my command has not led the host. I have swung -sword for your Majesty in more than one hard fight." - -"Your service is not forgotten. If such is your wish, you shall lead -the host back across the mountains." - -Hardrat bowed, but stood hesitating. - -"What more?" asked Karl. "What other favor can I grant my bold hero?" - -"None other to me, sire, but one to a maiden. The daughter of Rudulf -wishes to be among the first to look out upon the northern slopes." - -"There is nothing to hinder. The maiden shall have her wish." - -"I thank your Majesty doubly," said the Thuringian, and he withdrew -hastily, as though he feared that the king might recall the lightly -spoken favors. - -"A gruff man, but trusty," muttered Karl to Anselm, the Count Palatine, -who stood by his seat. "For all his drunkenness, there are few bolder -than my forest hero." - -"That may well be, sire," rejoined Anselm, dryly. He was about to add -more, when Roland and Olvir came racing down the valley through the -twilight, Olvir mounted on a black Arab courser, the gift of his -sword-brother. The hoofs of the horses ploughed up the turf before the -king as the riders drew rein. Roland leaped off at once. - -"Tidings, sire!" he cried. "I bring tidings, both good and bad. A -messenger has come through the pass; he follows with the written word." - -"Speak your tidings,--the ill first. The good may sweeten the bitter." - -"This, then, sire: The Saxon wolves harry the Rhine bank from Cologne to -the Moselle,--Wittikind and his wild followers. No burg or host has -checked their advance across the country of the Hessians. It is feared -that Fulda may already lie in ashes. The heathen ravage with fire and -sword, slaughtering all, even to the women and babes." - -Those nearest the king heard the grinding of his teeth, and caught the -flash of his eye through the gloom. Yet he spoke in a calm voice: -"Truly, you bear bitter tidings! Give us now the sweet." - -"In a word, sire, the queen is safe past her time. Two strong-limbed -king's sons await your Majesty at Casseneuil." - -"And will wait long!" whispered Hardrat in the ear of Fastrada. The -girl clutched his sleeve. - -"Hark to the king's answer!" she hissed. - -But there was no need to strain the ear. Through the gathering night -the king's voice rang out, clear and joyful: "Ho, my liegemen, here is -honey to sweeten the sour wine! We shall taste of both. We will not -linger in the morning for the plodding oxen to overtake us. The sooner -the host crosses the pass, the quicker the wains can follow. Hardrat, -with the Austrasians and Bavarians, will march an hour before dawn. -Roland, with the horse, will wait as foreguard for the treasure and -baggage." - -"With Roland before and Steward Eggihard in the rear, sire, the treasure -could not well be safer," observed Abbot Fulrad. - -"There is no question of danger. It is speed we should bear in mind," -said Karl. - -"Then they must sharpen the goads, sire," remarked Roland. "The host -will be lolling about camp in the Nive valley even before Eggihard -brings his oxen within view of my waiting riders." - -"There will be need, sire, to urge on the drovers," said Count Anselm. -"Give me leave to so lend aid." - -"A good service, lord judge. Look to it that no pilferers lay hand on -goods or gold, to slip away into the forest. Many of the drovers are of -Vascon blood. Choose whom you wish to aid in your watch. Who comes?" - -"The tidings-bearer, lord king," replied Olvir. - -"So. Bring lights." - -A dozen courtiers ran to fetch brands from the nearest fire. As they -returned, a gnarl-faced Vascon stepped forward in the light of their -torches, and knelt to present to the king a sealed parchment. Fulrad -took the message, and, at a sign from Karl, broke the seal. But the -king turned to the messenger, who had risen and was about to slip away. - -"Hold, man," he said. "Where do you come from?" - -The Vascon halted, and stood hesitating, as though he but partly -understood the question. Then he answered in a harsh voice: -"Casseneuil, Frank king." - -"You have rendered good service," said Karl. "Our steward shall see to -it that you have fitting reward." - -A strange smile passed across the Vascon's stolid face, like a flicker -of the torchlight, and he turned quietly away into the darkness. Olvir -caught the man's look, but then his attention was drawn by Abbot Fulrad. - -"Here are three several messages, sire," observed the priest. "The -first is from Count Teutoric, who sends word that Rudulf is gone against -the Sorbs; that the Saxons are ravaging in the Rhinegau, and that he is -marching against them with all speed from the Frisian Mark. Below, in -Worad's hand, is word that he and Gerold had met the messenger near -Soissones, and would press on with utmost haste to levy warriors and -attack the rebels. Last of all, word noted at Casseneuil, that the -queen is safely delivered of twin sons, alike unblemished and vigorous." - -"Praised be the Holy Mother!" murmured Karl, and for a while he sat -musing, his face aglow with love and tender pride. - -The songs of his distant warriors, who were celebrating their last night -on the southern slope of the mountains by a wassail-feast, presently -aroused the king. He glanced up at the waiting ring of lords, and -signed to Anselm and Abbot Fulrad. - -"Come within," he said. "Let wax tapers be brought, and send for my -Dane scribe Liutrad." - -Roland sprang back into the saddle and rode with Olvir across the valley -to where Rothada sat in a ring of torches, surrounded by a little court -of the younger courtiers. Liutrad, though by no means willing, ran to -do the king's bidding, while the merry companions he left behind fell -suddenly silent with the coming of the high-counts. But Rothada welcomed -with delight both her kinsman and Olvir, and when the war-famed heroes -showed a willingness to lay aside their dignity and join in the games, -all was soon merry again with the court of the king's daughter. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - -There lay many a man -Marr'd by the javelins, -Men of the Northland -Shot over shield. - BATTLE OF BRUNANBURH. - - -Noon found Roland and his horsemen still waiting for the ox-train at the -head of the valley. Hours since, the last files of the main host had -wound away up the wild gorges of Ibaneta. - -From the bank where he was sitting with Olvir, Roland sprang up for the -twentieth time, to peer down the valley. - -"By my sword, brother," he said, "you 'll soon be wishing you had gone -on with your sea-wolves. By now they are resting over in the Nive -valley." - -"What odds? Are you not here with me? I might wish for the little vala -also; yet this is not unpleasant," replied Olvir; and he called the -black Arab courser which Roland had given him, to stroke the beast's -starred forehead. But Roland walked to and fro restlessly. - -"We cannot pass the fells in the dark," he said. - -"True; yet there is still good time, and--the wains come now!" - -"That creaking? One can hear them creak a mile or more." - -"Not from where we stand. They 'll soon wheel into view." - -"A true seer! There comes the first ox-span, and Anselm waving to us. -It is well he rides with the train, else we should never have seen them. -None but oxen could have come at all with wains so laden." - -"Tribute gold of a dozen burgs and all the plunder of the Ebro valley!" -muttered Olvir. - -"Not all, brother. Your sea-wolves bear theirs upon their own -shoulders." - -"Where it is safest. They 'll yield it with life,--no sooner." - -"One and all, they 're welcome to their loot, and welcome to bear it. I -trust mine in Anselm's care." - -"Mine is yet safer. My Saracen gems lie in Floki's bosom. What thief -would risk the bill of the Crane?" - -"Only one utterly reckless of life. But why do we talk of safety? We -have put even Kasim behind us. Would to Heaven we 'd first met the -traitor! Yet now all that is past. We go home to enjoy our war-loot." - -"Rather, to push on to wilder war-fields." - -"Ah, brother, if only we may ride together! Yet I fear that his Majesty -may leave me on the Garonne, or send me back to my Breton Mark." - -"You shall go Rhineward with us, though I bend knee for the favor." - -"We shall soon see. Now to horse. The oxen press upon us." - -"To horse, and forward!" the command passed down the waiting ranks. -Four thousand heavy-armed Franks swung into the saddle; four thousand -war-steeds wheeled into column. The ancient Roman way shook with the -tread of hoofs. At the head of the column the black Arabs pranced and -curvetted, no less pleased than their riders to be off, after the long -wait. - -"Now we fare homeward!" exclaimed Roland, and he gazed up joyfully at -the towering peaks and precipices. But a sudden shadow fell on Olvir's -face. - -"Homeward!" he echoed. "I trust it may not yet be the homeward faring -for me." - -"Saint Michael, no! Surely, there is nothing now to draw you back into -your frozen North. As to your ships, we 'll sail them around into the -Rhine." - -"My ships will soon be sailing the North Sea; but they may steer for -another haven than Rhine Mouth. My sea-wolves are fairly glutted with -plunder, and I dread lest these fells recall too well the cliffs of our -Trondir fiords." - -"But what if the little vala bids her warriors stay? Never doubt, -brother; we 'll sail to the North as we sailed to the South,--unless the -king sails with us." - -"Not he. You Franks are not fond of brine. But with Rothada aboard, we -could hold fast all the crews,--Dane and Norse alike." - -"I could swear to that. And we shall soon put her power to the test. -By nightfall we will overtake the host, and can tell the little maiden -of our wish." - -"Before nightfall! Already we scale the pass, and Anselm urges on the -ox-drovers. Their beasts follow close upon our rear." - -"Yet, at the best, they 'll drag their wains all too slowly up these -steep gorges," grumbled Roland. "How the grim cliffs tower above us! -Here is fitting abode for fiends and evil sprites." - -"Rather, for evil-minded Vascons! Look above in the cleft. I saw the -glint of steel." - -"The spear of a bear-hunter. The sullen mountaineer halts in the chase -to watch us pass." - -"I saw more spears than one! By Thor! I'm minded to scale the cliff." - -"To what end? At the worst, it is only a band of Vascon thieves lying -in wait to cut off stragglers." - -"Were my vikings here, we 'd not pass by this wasp nest." - -"Ride on. The gnarl-faced thieves will not even fall upon the tail of -the rearguard, if the men keep close. It would not mend matters should -we seek to climb the cleft. My horsemen are no more crag-bred than am I. -In their heavy war-gear--" - -"Come, then. But first, send back warning to Eggihard and Anselm." - -Roland turned and gave the command to the first of his horsemen. Then -his black stallion clattered on up the steep ascent, side by side with -the black courser. - -For some time the sword-brothers rode in silence. Olvir, with the -delight of one bred among fells, was drinking in eagerly the wild and -rugged beauty of the pass. The Frank, however, was depressed in spirit, -half awed by that which most pleased his Norse mate. He sighed with -relief when the road began to wind about the towering mass of -Altobiscar. - -"Saint Michael!" he cried; "here's a landmark to pass with joy! Now we -shall soon be looking down upon the gentle valley of the Nive." - -"I said true. Even at this pace twilight will see the last of -Eggihard's Neustrians trailing into camp." - -"Ah, brother, that will be a merrier return to the north slopes than I -could hope for when we marched from the Garonne. Those were bitter -days--" - -"Speak no more of that ill time, Roland,--nor of the maiden. Never -again shall doubt come between us. Our hearts are now one." - -"Even to the end of all things." - -"In life!--in death!" cried Olvir, so fervently that the echoing cliffs -rang with the words: "_life in death!--in death!--death!_" - -Roland shuddered. - -"God's mercy!" he cried. "Hark how the crag-fiends mock!" - -"_Hark--fiends mock!--fiends mock!--mock!_" called back the echoes. - -"It is nothing," laughed Olvir. "Whoever the rock-dwellers may -be,--kobold or scrat, troll or dwarf,--they never do harm. In my -bairnhood I would often linger in the glens where they dwelt, to jeer at -them." - -"Truly, yours was a wild boyhood, Olvir. You have yet told me little of -it." - -"A merry bairnhood, though Otkar's was a heavy hand." - -"That I can well believe. Tell me more of your tomb life." - -"Tell me, rather, of your swart Bretons, and of the Frisian vikings, -who, you say, settled along the coast of southern Neustria in the olden -days." - -"Such is the tale. But I am not in the mood for talk. I would rather -hear of your wild Norse land." - -"Then look well at these crags and heights,--most of all at the great -snow-peak. Let this rough way be instead the smooth ship-path,--the -fiord; and on either hand the foam-white torrents leaping from the -heights. Such is my home." - -"I choose, then, the oak forest, with quiet hill and dale, where, if you -come upon sprites, the worst will be some gentle swan-maiden, combing -her hair by the brookside." - -"Or a werwolf lurking in the gloom to seize the unwary hunter." - -"Well cast! But I 've yet to see either swan-maiden or werwolf; whereas -your crag-fiends that mock with witless mimicry--ay! and peer down from -the cliff brink-- Look, brother!" - -"Thor! that's no fiend. A Saracen without turban!" - -"Saracen? How should they--" - -"An onfall! Look ahead!" - -"A wall--the gorge is walled!" - -"And beyond--black banners! By Loki, the poisoner has snared us! Now -are we fated, brother! From the heights men will cast down rocks." - -"God help us! We cannot stand; nor, with foes on the cliff, can we -cross that wall." - -"Sound your horn. To turn back may alone save us." - -"Not even that, if there are many of the traitors," replied Roland; yet -he raised his horn. The gorge re-echoed to the blast. - -From end to end the long line of horsemen wavered and halted, amazed at -the note. But a second blast sent them wheeling back to the rear. -Cries of alarm and bewilderment burst out all along their scattered -ranks. Those nearest the ox-wains shouted to the drovers to turn back. -But the Vascons goaded their beasts on into the jam of backward-wheeling -Franks. - -Then, when all in the gorge was wildest flurry and confusion, high up -the steep slopes and along the cliff crests a thousand horns brayed out -the battle-note, and in a twinkling the heights swarmed with armed -Vascons. - -"Lost! all is lost!" cried Roland. - -"Thor aid! We die, brother; but we die as men. Ho, Rhine wolves! turn! -turn again! We cross the wall!" - -The wild cry roused the great war-count from his despair. Out flashed -Ironbiter, and the black stallion bounded after his fellow. - -"Christ and king! Christ and king! Upon the pagans! Follow me, -Franks!" - -A hundred or more riders wheeled at the call, to charge after their -leader. And as they charged, the gorge behind them darkened with clouds -of spears and arrows, with avalanches of rocks and tree-trunks. From -van to rear a shriek went up from the host,--a wail of despair, soon -lost in the screams and groans of mangled victims. - -Little did the heavy Northern armor avail its bearers. Neither shield -nor hauberk nor helmet of bronze or iron could withstand the ponderous -Vascon missiles. The very completeness of the Frankish war-gear was -fatal, for its weight impeded the efforts of the warriors to escape the -trap. Penned in the gorge like sheep for the slaughter, the Franks -charged back, to trample their fellows behind, or vainly sought to scale -the heights after the nimble Vascon drovers. - -Pierced through by arrows and darts, mangled by logs and stones, the -doomed warriors fought and trampled one upon another, in frenzied -struggles to escape that terrible downpour. But above them the Vascons -mocked their cries for mercy with yells of triumph, and drowned their -pitiful shrieks with the crash of the war-hail. - -Summoned by Anselm's horn to guard the treasure from the pilfering -drovers, Eggihard and his Neustrians rushed forward among the ox-wains, -only to share in the fate of the Frankish horse. When they turned again -to fly, they found the way behind them bristling with pikes and spears. -The laggard Asturians and Navarrese, silently trailing the host, had -closed upon the rear, eager to share the Moslem plunder and to avenge -the ruined walls of Pampeluna. - -In the heart of that steel-leaved thicket fell Eggihard the High -Steward, valiantly striving to cut a way for his Neustrians out of the -shambles. - -But the greater number of the footmen shrank back before the advancing -spear-points, to perish on the heaps of slaughtered beasts and men. -Soon Anselm and a score of followers fled alone before the advance of -the Hispano-Goths; while from every mountain cleft and slope the Vascons -clambered down to snatch their blood-drenched booty from beneath the -mass of torn and shattered victims. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - -We have fought; if we die to-day, -If we die to-morrow, there is little -To choose. No man may speak -When once the Norns have spoken. - LAY OF HAMDIR. - - -But not all the Frankish host perished by the Vascon missiles. As Roland -and his hundred horsemen charged after Olvir upon the wall which barred -the gorge, the fiery Moslems answered the Northern battle-shouts with -shrill yells, and the foremost among them leaped their coursers over the -barrier, to rush upon the Franks. A hundred or more had crossed the -wall before the slower Frankish horses could meet them; and the -treacherous Vascons above, only too willing that their allies should win -more of wounds than plunder, hastened away to share in the looting of -the baggage-train. Of all the riders who had turned to follow their -count, two only were slain by Vascon arrows. The others, stung to -desperate fury by the shrieks of those behind them in the gorge, -thundered after their leader with brandished blades. - -"On, men! on!" cried Roland. "The dogs leap to meet us! On, and strike -them down!" - -"_Heu_! _heu_! Christ and king! Down with the pagans!" roared back the -Franks, and they crashed at full gallop into the mass of charging -Saracens. The shock was frightful. Hurled back by the massive strength -of the Frankish horses, the graceful desert coursers were either -overthrown and trampled underfoot with their riders, or crushed back -upon the barrier. - -In a twinkling Franks and Saracens were mingled in the death-grapple,--a -furious hand-to-hand struggle, where all the vantage lay with the -heavy-armed Northerners. Only the closeness of the jam kept the Franks -from at once shattering the whole Saracen band. Vengeance lent double -force to their blows. - -Side by side on their black Arabs, the foster-brothers thrust in among -the yelling Moslems. Roland, high in his stirrups, was wielding his -ponderous Norse sword in both hands. Where Ironbiter fell, shields and -iron casques were shattered like glass, and their bearers hurled down as -though struck by a sledge. The Frank's blue eyes flamed with white -fire, his face was flushed, and his powerful frame quivered with rage. -As he struck, he ground his teeth savagely. - -But Olvir's fury was of another kind. In his black eyes was the bright, -cold glitter of the striking snake's. Unlike the Frank count, he -crouched low in the saddle; and from beneath his little steel shield -Al-hatif darted out incessantly, like the beak of a heron. The Frank's -sword-play was more appalling to the eye, but the Northman's was the -deadlier. So swift and fatal was Al-hatif's thrust that many were slain -before they were aware of the danger. - -Close on the sword-brothers came the Frankish horsemen, hewing and -slashing with sword and double-bladed axe. Twice the number of the -Saracens could not have withstood such an attack. The slender-limbed -Arabs and Berbers were fairly crushed by their big foes. Less than a -score in the rear managed to free themselves from the jam and escape the -slaughter by leaping back over the barrier. - -The Franks, recking little of their own loss, trampled forward over the -slain, in hot pursuit of the fugitives. The rout drew from them a roar -of triumph, and they rushed forward, only to recoil in rage and despair. -The barrier was far too high for their heavy horses to leap, and its -timbers had been too firmly knit together to be easily torn apart. But -the main body of the Saracens, hindered by their retreating fellows of -the van, had not yet closed upon the farther side of the wall. Olvir -was quick to see the vantage. - -"Ho, Franks!" he called. "Your horses cannot leap; afoot and follow me! -Behind pours the Vascon hail; before lies the sword-path. Let us die -like men!" - -"Lead on!" roared the horsemen, and they sprang from their saddles to -rush upon the barrier. - -Olvir turned to Roland, his look strangely soft. - -"Farewell for a little while, brother," he said. "We are fated; the -valkyries call us." - -But Roland smiled grimly, and reined back his black stallion for the -leap. - -"Saint Michael!" he cried. "Life, not death, is before us! We 'll cut -our way through the midst of the pagans. _Heu_! _heu_! Christ and -king! Follow me, men!" - -Already Olvir's courser was leaping the barrier, clean and light as a -gazehound. No less gallantly the stallion sprang forward and leaped in -turn. But the feat was beyond his power. Borne down by the weight of -his rider, he failed to clear the wall. His forelegs struck against the -crest, and he fell headlong on the farther side. Roland, though hurled -violently to the ground, sprang up at once; but the stallion lay where -he fell. - -[Illustration: "'Love!' she cried, half hissing the word. 'You speak of -love,--you, the heathen outlander!'" (Page 163)] - -Olvir wheeled his horse before the count, to shield him from the flights -of Saracen darts and arrows which came whistling about them. - -"Forward, men! forward, and wedge!" he cried; and the Franks, with a -wild shout, came swarming over the wall. - -"Wedge, men! wedge!" shouted Roland, as he sprang out in the lead. But -the dismounted horsemen, unused to the movement, were slow in forming. -Before their ranks could lock shields, the Saracens charged upon them. -Line after line, the Moslem horse came leaping along the gorge in close -order, three hundred swift coursers, three hundred turbaned riders -shrieking their war-cries. - -Before the fierce attack the half-formed line of Franks wavered, and -more than one warrior glanced about at the wall. But Roland clashed -Ironbiter against his shield and cried cheerily: "Stand fast, my Rhine -wolves,--stand, and strike for Christ and king!" - -"Christ aid! Christ and king! _Heu_! _heu_!" came back the deep roar -of the Franks. - -No longer did any look about at the barrier. All bent forward in their -places, and as the flying mass of Saracens crashed upon their -half-formed wedge, they met the enemy with mighty blows of axe and sword -and war-hammer. Down went the foremost line of horses, and their riders -fell slain with them; down went the second line, the third. Yet -relentlessly the Moslems thrust forward, trampling over the bodies of -their fallen leaders, to hurl themselves against the Frankish -shieldwall. - -Soon the Northern warriors began to give ground before the incessant -shocks. Arrows and darts whirred into their midst from the Saracen -rear, and many fell, pierced in throat or face. Others were crushed by -the plunging horses, or thrust with lances through the joints of their -rude armor; but most of all met their fate under the keen-edged -scimetars. - -The first impetus of the Saracen charge was quickly lost; but the dark -riders gave the hated Afranj not a moment's time to gain breath. Their -massed ranks closed up against the Franks, and overbore them with the -sheer weight of the horses. - -In vain Roland fought with a strength and skill such as no other Frank -than Karl himself might have equalled; in vain Olvir, his face white to -the lips and rigid with cold fury, spurred his courser forward into the -mass of the Saracens, and struck down warriors to right and left with -his lightning stabs. - -Had there been room for retreat, the foremost Moslems would have shrunk -away from the attack of the sword-brothers; but they had no choice. -Penned between the cliffs, they were forced on by their fellows behind, -without hope of escape other than in victory. In their rear rode Kasim -Ibn Yusuf and a score of chosen men, threatening with instant death any -who should turn. So, yelling with desperate rage, the Moslems continued -to fling themselves upon the Afranj, each fiercely striving to cut down -at least one unbeliever before he himself fell beneath the trampling -hoofs. - -At last the blows of the Franks began to lessen in force. Wearied by -the furious struggle, and spent by wounds and blood-loss, increasing -numbers sank beneath the steadily advancing hoofs. Only with the utmost -effort could those who were left close the many gaps in their thinning -ranks. - -"The end draws near, brother!" cried Roland; and he drew back with his -men, undaunted, but so wearied that he could hardly swing Ironbiter. - -"Oh, for two score of my sea-wolves, with Floki at their head!" called -back Olvir, bitterly. "We should soon rend our path through the midst -of these swart hounds. Thor! Yonder rides the poisoner! I 'll cut my -way to him, or die!" - -But as the Northman sought to spur his horse farther into the dense jam -of Saracens, Roland's voice rang out in a despairing cry: -"Brother--brother! Farewell!" - -Then berserk rage seized upon the Northman. He wrenched his horse -about, and turned straight across the fore of the Saracens, his eyes -glaring and the froth dripping from his lips. For the moment he was a -madman, and had all the madman's strength. Al-hatif no longer thrust -out, but glittered in wide strokes that slashed through the firmest -mail. The viking's attack was so terrible that the bravest of the -Moslems sought to avoid him; and though he fought utterly heedless of -guard, fear so weakened their arms that their blows fell without harm on -his helmet and mail-serk. - -Striking down all in his path, Olvir cut his way without check to the -spot where Roland, shieldless and utterly spent, reeled back under the -blows of the enemy. Warned by the shrieks of their fellows, the count's -assailants turned to meet the raving Northman. But already Olvir was -upon them, and Al-hatif whistled in vengeful strokes. - -Then the blood-mist cleared from the Northman's eyes, and he wheeled his -horse around beside Roland. - -"Close, men! close!" he cried. "One more rally, and we die together! -Ho, brother; I come! stand back!" - -But the dying Frank glared past his sword-brother. With a terrible cry -he swung up Ironbiter and hurled the blade into the midst of the -Saracens. It was the last deed of the hero. As the great sword whirled -from his grasp, he reeled and would have fallen, had not Olvir bent to -catch him. - -Putting out all his strength, the Northman drew the great Frank up -before him on the saddle. Then the black courser leaped with his double -burden to the barrier, while behind him the bare score of Franks yet -standing formed in shieldburg to guard their dying count. - -Tenderly Olvir laid his friend on the crest of the wall, and drew the -broken helmet from the tawny hair, already clotted with blood. The -hero's eyes were fast dimming; but his cold hand closed on Olvir's -fingers, and he murmured brokenly: "Ha, brother--Christ and king!--We -'ve fought--a good fight!" - -"We have fought!" cried Olvir. "Now we die. Wait here for me, brother; -I will soon join you!" - -But Roland clutched at the turning Northman, and his voice rang out -clear and strong above the Saracen yells and the clash of weapons: -"Stay, Olvir! Not death to you, but life,--life and vengeance! To the -king, brother! You alone may scale the cliff!" - -"Go--go, lord count!" shouted the horsemen. "We die; but the king shall -avenge! Go, tell him of the traitors!" - -"While my brother breathes I will not leave him," replied Olvir, and he -bent from the saddle to embrace the count. Then sudden grief fell upon -him. The blue eyes were glazed, the noble face ghastly with the -death-pallor. Olvir stared down upon the torn and bloody corpse, his -heart wrung with bitter grief. - -But it was no time for mourning. Thicker than ever, the arrows came -whistling overhead and upon the barrier, and one struck the black -courser through the neck. Roused by the beast's wild bound, Olvir sat -up and gazed alertly about him. Already the Saracens were thrusting -back the Frankish shieldwall. - -"_Ai_, my fleet one!" cried Olvir. "Even you are stricken. But you -have yet to save your rider. Bear me over the wall and back through the -death-gorge." - -Though quivering with pain, the black courser heeded instantly the voice -and touch of his master. Lightly as a gazelle he bounded up and over -the barrier, and fled along the bloody gorge at racing speed. - -Though the way was heaped with rocks and logs and the bodies of men and -horses, the black courser raced on unchecked until, swinging around a -sharp bend, he all but ran upon a Frankish horse coming up the gorge. - -"Anselm!" shouted Olvir--"you live? Thor! We shall both go free! Turn -back! Yonder's a cranny in the cliff--turn back!" - -"No, Olvir; I could not climb!" gasped the count, and he pointed to the -splintered shaft of a javelin, fast in his side. - -"You 're wounded, friend!" - -"Where's Roland?" - -"Slain,--slain by the swart dogs! His body lies on the wall crest. -Before it fall the last of the horsemen. I alone have fled." - -"And I alone come from the Vascon hail. I alone live; and now-- But -you, hero; you 're yet unharmed; hasten up out of the bloody pit. To -the king--to the king!" - -"I have fled once. I stay here till you die." - -"No, Holy Mother, no! Fly, hero! You alone may bear the evil word. -The Vascons turn to loot the slain,--I hear yells behind you. Fly!" - -"Let them come. Fenir tear me if I leave you, living!" - -"Then shall your stay be brief!" cried Anselm. - -With one hand he tore loose the clasps of his hauberk; with the other he -grasped his dagger. Before Olvir could cry out or grasp his arm, he had -struck himself to the heart. - -A groan burst from Olvir's lips as he sprang off to catch the body of -the count. Gently he drew it from the saddle and stooped to the ground. -But as he bent, the horses snorted in terror. Loosening his hold of the -Frank, Olvir rose up just as a boulder, hurtling from the cliff, -shattered upon an outjutting ledge and flew about him in a hundred -fragments. He heard his courser scream, and felt himself hurled back as -though struck by the axe of Otkar Jotuntop. - -In a moment he was up again, the blood spurting from a terrible wound -just below the collar of his mail-serk. The sharp point of a whirling -rock had torn through his threefold mail, snapped the bone beneath, and -laid open his chest. But for the thick strand of Rothada's hair, he -would never again have risen. Though severed by the sharp-edged stone, -the strand had helped to break its blow. As he rose, the loosened plait -came slipping down his breast, and, half dazed, he thrust it in through -the rent in his mail. - -Then his eye fell upon the black courser, standing in dumb anguish. -Other fragments of the fatal rock had struck down Anselm's horse and -broken the Arab's foreleg. Forgetful of his own wound, Olvir sprang to -the faithful beast and kissed his white-starred forehead. - -"Farewell, fleet one! You have served me true. May we meet again in -Paradise!" he said, and then, swift and sure, the point of Al-hatif -pierced the courser's heart. - -A burst of triumphant yells re-echoed down the gorge. The last Frank had -fallen. At the warning, Olvir thrust the scarlet blade back in its -sheath and ran swiftly across the gorge. - -"Now do all lie slain," he muttered; "and I--I go to bear the tidings, -if so the Norns will. Here is a cleft,--I can yet climb; but if the -feeblest of foes lies in wait on the crest, he may cast me down." - -Thrusting the corner of his cloak in upon his wound, Olvir sprang up the -cliff foot and began the ascent of its all but perpendicular face. -Though every movement of his injured shoulder cost him terrible agony, -he climbed with the utmost haste; for on the one side he could see -advancing parties of the plunder-laden Vascons, while on the other, -Moslem yells of victory rang near around the turn. So swiftly did he -scale the cliff that he had gained a side ledge which sloped up to its -crest before the Saracens raced into view. - -Overcome by exertion and the anguish of his wound, he paused for a time -at the top of the cranny, too faint and giddy to attempt the narrow -ledge. But the pursuers, far below in the gorge bottom, never thought -to look up for their quarry where all along was sheer precipice. For a -little they circled about the bodies of the black courser and the Frank -count, like hounds which have over-shot the scent; then they raced on -through the gorge. Not until they came upon the advancing Vascons and -learned that the fugitive had not passed that way, did they turn back to -scan the cliffs. But they saw no warrior clinging to the dizzy ledges. - -Urged on by the peril of discovery, Olvir had crept sideways up the -ledge, even as the Saracens galloped away. The rock, as he slipped along -its face, seemed to reel and thrust out against him, so that at each -slow step he thought to hurl down into the chasm. It was well for him -that in his boyhood he had climbed for the nests of sea-fowl on cliffs -yet dizzier. The rock was swaying before his darkened gaze. -Instinctively he drew himself upward. At last he was bending over the -cliff's edge. Then darkness fell upon him, and he sank forward in a -death-like swoon. - -But life lay strong in the breast of the sea-king. In a little he -sighed and half turned. His opening eyes gazed sideways along the -cliff's edge. A hundred paces or so distant, over a projection of the -rock, he saw the tops of a pair of turbans. Stung to instant action by -the sight, he drew himself up from the brink of the cliff, and crept -over the rocks toward a little fir wood on the slope above. Within a -spear's length the heads and shoulders of the two Saracens came into -view; but both men were leaning over the brink of the precipice, staring -down at the wild scene in the gorge bottom. - -"Odin blind the Asiamen!" he muttered, and he glided like a wounded -weasel over the bare space which lay between him and safety. - -At last he gained the first tree. He was safe from the swart watchers. -But then something stirred in the midst of the young firs, a few feet -before him. A groan rose to his lips. He sank down, only to grip his -sword-hilt and rise again, the bared blade ready to strike. His lips -pressed together in a smile of grim despair, and he crept forward again. -Something showed through the fir twigs. He peered under the branches -into a tiny glade. There, within half-a-dozen steps, stood Zora his red -mare, tethered beside two other coursers, and no man was in sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - -Then Brynhild laughed -Till the walls rang again: -"Good luck -To your hands and swords -That have felled -The goodly prince!" - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -Midway down the valley of the Little Nive the warriors of the Frankish -host lay at ease about their fires, while across the camp fell the -shadow of the early mountain twilight. All alike were merry; for now -the rugged fells were passed; the sun-scorched Saracen Land lay behind. -In the morning the great train of plunder-laden carts and wains would be -allotted, and each folk-levy would journey home by its own way, to enjoy -the war-loot. - -Not the least merry in the host were the king's "men," gathered about -the royal pavilion. Messengers had come from Casseneuil with -confirmation of the queen's good health, and the welcome tidings that -old Rudulf, the Grey Wolf, had come leaping out of the Sorb Mark in the -nick of time, to save Fulda from the ravaging Saxons. With Teutoric, -Count of the Frisian Mark, sweeping across Westphalia toward Paderborn, -and Gerold and Worad making for the harried Rhinegau by forced marches -through Austrasia, none might doubt that the wolves of Odin would soon -be fleeing back to their forests with aching teeth. - -In celebration of the fair tidings, Karl had relaxed his usual -abstemiousness, and was drinking freely with his lords at the door of -his tent. All about the royal seat the Franks stood laughing and -jesting. The king himself sat smiling in careless amusement at one of -the gay groups where Rothada and Liutrad played at tag with the pages -about Abbot Fulrad. - -But back in the dark recess of the pavilion was another group, whose -members gulped their wine from shaking goblets, and peered out at the -wassailers with little merriment in their looks. Crouched in the corner -behind the others was Kosru, the Magian leech, muttering plaintive -invocations to his sun-god. - -"It cannot now be long. The word will soon come," growled Hardrat, who, -though drinking even more immoderately than usual, was kept sober by the -intense strain. The Magian edged a little nearer the thickset -Thuringian. - -"The word will soon come," he echoed in a trembling voice. - -"And we crouch here like witless oafs," rejoined Fastrada. "Come; -there's nothing to betray us but our own faces. Let us go out and make -merry with the others." - -"Well spoken, daughter of Rudulf! This time our great plot has failed; -yet our enemy will soon have cause enough for grief. We will go out and -rejoice at the tidings which shall soon blacken his merrymaking. Come. -The good wine has put heart into me," answered Hardrat, and he stooped -to grasp Kosru by the arm. But the Magian was palsied with terror; and -while Fastrada lingered beside him, in a vain attempt to overcome his -fear, Hardrat came springing back from behind the king's seat. - -"Stay!" he cried. "Here comes a rider, fleeing down the valley." - -"_The word!_" Seized with a second panic, the plotters drew back again -into the depths of the tent. - -A sudden hush had fallen upon the merrymakers about the king. All had -turned, with paling cheeks, to gaze up the road. Down the valley a red -Arab courser was racing as for life, and upon the flying beast sat a -blood-stained figure which swayed and reeled in the saddle like a -drunken man. - -The king sprang up beside Fulrad. - -"God's wounds!" he cried. "What mummery is this?" - -But then from the viking camp in the rear burst out a terrible shout, -and the lofty figure of Floki the Crane came rushing through the midst -of the Franks. - -"Olvir! Olvir!--my earl--my bright one!" he cried; and as Liutrad -sprang in and halted the red mare at the edge of the gathering, Floki's -long arm caught her rider from the saddle. But it was Rothada who took -the king's flagon out of the cupbearer's hand and ran to place it at the -lips of the Northman. - -The fiery wine lent new strength to the fainting messenger. He drew -away from Floki and faced the king. - -"Vengeance!--vengeance, lord king!" he gasped. "Slain is the Hero--my -brother--and all his host! I alone come forth alive--I alone--to call -for vengeance!" - -Karl's eyes blazed with terrible anger. - -"Whose is the guilt?" he demanded. - -But Olvir was reeling. Blood gushed from his mouth. He fell back into -Floki's arms like one dead. - -Quivering with rage and grief, the giant raised his earl as though a -child, and turned upon the king. - -"Thor!" he roared. "Do you still stand idle? Who rules the fell-folk?" - -"Ha! Lupus,--that bastard fox!" cried Karl. "Where's Hardrat? Stay; -'tis a deed for his own men; they will not fail. You shall lead them -yourself, Crane,--you and Liutrad. Those who have horses, let them -ride; the rest follow as best they may. Five thousand of my Austrasians -shall come after. Here is my seal-ring. Go swiftly to Bordeaux, and -seize the Vascon Wolf!" - -Without a word, Floki laid his earl upon the ground and ran to turn back -the wild rush of vikings who came seething around the pavilion. Liutrad -paused to lay his hand on Olvir's bloody breast and mutter a vow. Then, -leading Zora by the bridle, he ran after Floki. - -As the crowd parted before the Norse leaders, Karl knelt down beside -their stricken earl. - -"The leech,--where's the outland leech?" he demanded. - -Back in the pavilion the plotters dragged Kosru to his feet. - -"Hist, Magian!" cried Hardrat. "The king calls; I know that tone. Woe -to you if you fail to heed!" - -"_Ai_, God of Light! I cannot, noble lords. My limbs fail--" - -"Here's the spur, dotard," said Hardrat, brutally, and he shook his -dagger in the leech's face. - -"Go, friend," urged Fastrada. - -Reassured by her look, Kosru threw his cloak about his head, and ran, -tottering, out beside the king. - -But the fear-stricken Magian left behind him others little less -overcome. As he passed through the entrance, Fastrada turned upon -Hardrat. - -"Oaf! sluggard!" she hissed. "You loiter here, and the chance is gone. -Others ride first to Bordeaux. Lupus will be taken." - -The Thuringian turned, snarling; but Fastrada was already calm again. - -"Why wrangle, count?" she said. "What is done is done. Lupus is lost." - -"And we with him! He will tell all to save his own skin. Who trusts a -Merwing?" - -"No, no," insisted Fastrada. "His is too crafty a nature. He could not -speak straightforward if he wished. There may be danger if his trial is -kept waiting; but if that happens my knowledge of the king is at fault." - -"You are right, maiden," muttered Hardrat, and he drew a deep breath. - -Fastrada laughed low and softly,--a laugh at sound of which her -fellow-plotter drew away from her, shuddering. - -"What do we care for Lupus?" she said. "We shall yet win success; -and--and him whom I hated I have slain!" - -Hardrat crossed himself hastily. - -"Saints shield us from werwolves!" he mumbled. - -But Fastrada flung herself face down upon the earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - -Of fourteen winters was I, -If thou listeth to wot, -When I swore to the young lord -Oaths of love. - HEL-RIDE OF BRYNHILD. - - -"Ho, there! Can this be Niflheim? Why is my voice so weak? I cannot -lift my arm. If this is the under-world, I would look upon the blue and -white face of Hel. Ho, there! Who hearkens to Olvir, son of -Thorbiorn?" - -"Peace, ring-breaker! You 're yet in Manheim," croaked a well-known -voice. "When Olvir Elfkin goes hence, Odin, not Hel, shall claim his -spirit. Now lie still, for a blood-fire has burned within your skull -these twelve days gone." - -"Faul! I 've dreamt dreams of ill omen. What tidings of the Wolf -Duke?" - -"He hangs in chains with his namesake. Before the Frank could strike, -Asiamen and fell-folk had fled to safety with their bloody spoil. But -Liutrad and I took the traitor earl even as he was flying from his burg. -Short shrift did the Frank give him. Eight nights he has ridden on the -tree." - -Olvir uttered a hollow laugh: "Then this night he should be wise as -Odin." - -"Thor!" cried Floki; "that is a welcome laugh. Now shall you surely -live." - -"I laugh with a sore heart. What of my brother?" - -"They build him a hero's mound in the dewy valley." - -"Would that I might see it!" - -"That you shall, ring-breaker, when your strength comes again. Yours is -the right to ward the hero's mound and to seek vengeance upon his -slayers. For listen, son of Thorbiorn: When the king fared north, -though you yet lay as a dying man, he named you Earl of the Vascon Mark. -From Toulouse to Bordeaux, from the Garonne to the Pyrenees, you are -earl and hersir. The sons of Lupus are borne off to the king's hall. -Where the Wolf Duke ruled, you rule." - -"Earl--of the Vascon Mark!" muttered Olvir. "Now, by Thor, if the men -stay by me--" - -"All stay but Liutrad." - -"Liutrad! I 'd have thought him the last after you--" - -"The king's will, earl. The Frank is minded to do well by the lad. For -his good and the pleasure of the king, you will not forbid. The king -looks only to your welfare. While we raced away to take thrall the Wolf -Duke, the king put you in the care of Kosru, that outland warlock. The -man's own head was in pledge against your death. Between his wizardry -and the care of the little vala, Hel's hand was thrust back from you. -But now that you grasp firmly at life again, Liutrad should be faring -away north, to return the old warlock to the king's household, and to -bear back the little vala to the nun-women at Chelles, whence she came." - -"To the cloister,--to the pale nun-women! By Loki! that shall not be; -she shall not become one of that crew--I--" - -"Settle that with the maiden," rejoined Floki, and he slipped softly -from the room. - -"He has gone--he has left me alone!" exclaimed Olvir, and, in his great -weakness, he could have wept. But then a little maiden came darting -across the room and knelt to clasp his wasted hands. - -"Rothada--little may!" he cried. "What's this I hear? You go to the -cloister?" - -"Back to Gisela and the blessed sisters, Lord Olvir. My heart aches with -this terrible world-life. I cannot bear the hatred and cruelties of it -all. I seek peace where my mother died." - -"You shall not stay,--you shall not stay for all time! Bend lower, -king's daughter--little vala with eyes like dewy violets!--lower yet, -till your lips press upon mine. So; bravely done, sweetheart! Now lay -your arm about my neck, and promise me--by your tress which I wore, by -my ring on your hand--you will not take the cloister vows, but will -wait--let the time be long or brief--you will wait my coming!" - -Obediently Rothada clasped her arms about the young sea-king's neck, and -with her face hidden close against his tangled red-gold hair she -answered him softly: "I promise, Olvir." - - - - - BOOK TWO - - -Surely know I -No love like your love -Among all men -On the mould abiding! - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - - - CHAPTER I - -He waxed under welkin in worth and honor -till the folk around him, far and near, -... hearkened to him. - BEOWULF. - - -Four long years had come and gone, and at last the dreaded loss had -fallen upon the common folk of Vascon Land. The rule of the young Dane -count, who from the first had dispensed a justice throughout his mark as -keen and as bright as his Saracen sword, had come to an end. The king -had at last given way to the request of Olvir, whose followers had -become unutterably wearied of the small pleasure to be gained in hunting -out thieves and lawless lords; and that he might do honor to his loyal -liegemen, Karl had sent as special _missi_ Abbot Fulrad and Count Gerold -to take over the mark. - -After the ceremony the _missi_ had journeyed on to Toulouse to place the -rulership in the hands of Count William, for he was the guardian of -Louis, the survivor of the royal twins born at Casseneuil, whom Karl, a -year since, had caused the Pope to anoint as King of Aquitania. - -When they came sailing back down the Garonne from Toulouse, the _missi_ -found the five longships of the Norse fleet lying moored at Bordeaux, -all newly refitted and scraped and painted, in readiness for the voyage -north. So it chanced that the two Franks had clear proof of the nature -of Olvir's rule; for the quays of the city swarmed with townfolk who had -come to bewail the departure of their just count. - -"Ah, Olvir," cried Abbot Fulrad, as they boarded the Raven, "our lord -king did well to keep you here in the South all these years. I doubt if -the _missi_ will bring such satisfying reports of William's rule." - -"There will be some who will not grieve at my going," answered Olvir, -meaningly. But the smile left his firm lips as he turned to gaze at the -sorrowful crowds on the quays. Gerold, who came and stood beside the -Northman, had lost little of his old-time boyishness; but Olvir's dark -face was marked by the lines of rulership and shadowed by habitual -thought. Floki could have told the curious guests that during the past -two years his earl had spent no small part of his time in poring over -the runes of the White Christ and the strange book of the Asiamen which -Count Roland had brought to his foster-brother with the gem-pouch, out -of Saragossa. - -As the Raven at last cast off from the moorings and glided away down the -Gironde in stately lead of the fleet, Olvir waved his hand to the -weeping townfolk, and turned quietly to Abbot Fulrad. - -"Liutrad has written fully of your bitter Saxon war," he said. "The -heroes have met on the stricken field. Again you have beaten Wittikind -back into the North, and men say that the war has been fought to a -glorious end. Yet I have lain here in the South with sheathed sword, -and--do not grieve." - -"You may well say that, my son!" exclaimed Fulrad. "Far nobler are the -victories of peace than war-won fame. If you have lost the wild joy of -battle, you have gained the love of the folk you ruled, and a -happiness--" - -"Love and happiness? Ay; but not the love and happiness for which I -long," sighed Olvir, and his hand went to the double strand of chestnut -hair clasped around his throat. "Listen, Father Fulrad. Liutrad once -wrote that he had told you of my betrothal. It was a secret which -promised me joy; but it has brought me sorrow instead. Through all -these years I have sent message after message to my little may, ever -faithful to my pledge, ever longing for a word of love in answer. But -she is silent,--she has forgotten me in your cold cloisters." - -"Forgotten!" cried Gerold, in protest. But Fulrad made a hasty sign to -him to be silent, and answered Olvir gravely: "Be patient, my son. Much -may chance in so long a time. The maiden was yet a child. None can say -whether or not she has forgotten you. However that may be, bear in mind -that you have won high favor in the king's eye. That alone should give -you joy." - -"Nor have you altogether lacked the joy of battle, Olvir," added Gerold. -"Liutrad has told me how, at the very first, you searched out the -mountain Vascons in their fastnesses, and avenged the death of Roland." - -"Vengeance? I found little joy in that. There was more in the finding -of Ironbiter, my brother's sword, which he flung among the swart -Saracens, and which Floki took from a dying Vascon. I 'd had enough of -blood." - -"No need to tell us, my son, how you turned to the arts of peace. You -have ruled with wisdom; you have tempered justice with mercy. Few -counts give heed to the welfare of those they rule. You, not content -with the administration of justice, have aided the landfolk out of your -own treasure. The Lombards whom you brought in have shown the folk -better methods of tillage, and I hear that our own men have sought to -teach the rude shipwrights of Bordeaux your Norse art of shipbuilding. -Our lord king will not soon forget such deeds." - -"If he approve them, why, then, does he deal so harshly with the -Saxons?" demanded Olvir, with sudden heat. "No Frank pays the tithe he -has put upon the forest-folk. He has taken away their cherished -freedom, and saddled them with stern laws that will goad them to -revolt." - -"No, no, lad; only to crush out their stubborn heathenism." - -"A sight for the heathen fiend-gods!--a world-hero priest-ridden!" - -"Saint Michael, no, Olvir!" cried Gerold, and he burst into a boyish -laugh. "You 'd not say that had you been with us in Rome. Listen! It -is now some five years since one of the learned deacons found a -parchment, under seal by the Kaiser Constantine, whom men call the -Great, giving to the Holy Father the title to Rome and all Italy. Yet -our lord king set aside the claim, and, as you know, caused the Holy -Father to crown little Carloman as King of Italy, under the name of -Pepin." - -"By Thor! those are good tidings. I had not heard that part of the -tale, though I heard of the crowning of the bairns. William of Toulouse -saw to that. The short-nosed count wrote to me, in the name of King -Louis of Aquitania, demanding aid in his war against the Saracens. I -sent back word that the Count of the Vascon Mark was not the man of any -bairn or of any bairn's nurse." - -"We heard of that sending, Olvir, even in the Saxon Mark," said Gerold. -"William did not trouble you the second time." - -"No; but the shrewd Neustrian waited his chance, as you know. And now, -by Thor, I'm done with all that. Like my sea-wolves, I 've sickened of -this mild Southland. Ho for the gritting snow and the icy breath of the -frost-giant!" and the sea-king thrust over the Raven's tiller to steer -out into the open sea. - -The voyage Rhineward was very boisterous for the season, and Abbot -Fulrad spent much of his time on a cot beneath the Raven's quarter-deck. -But Gerold proved himself a better sailor, and after the second day was -able to keep his place with Olvir beside the tiller. Standing thus, -with the noble ship beneath him racing at the head of the fleet, Gerold -could not only comprehend, but could share in the Northman's keen -enjoyment of the whistling gale and the high-leaping waves. He felt, as -few landsmen might, the wild fascination of the viking life. - -But when Olvir began to talk of Trondheim Fiord and the joys of a home -visit, Gerold quickly sought to turn his thoughts back to the honors and -friendships he had won in Frank Land. The king was eager to see his -Dane hawk, and it was not right for Olvir to delay for even a short -visit in the North. What might he not expect of the king's favor, when -Worad, who was not half so learned, had been raised to the judgment-seat -of the Count Palatine? Then there was Liutrad, beloved of all in the -king's hall, and one of the foremost pupils in Alcuin's School of the -Palace,--ah, yes, Alcuin! Surely Olvir would be eager to meet the famed -Anglo-Saxon scholar, whom the king had at last induced to come to his -court. - -To all this Olvir listened with a cold ear. But when, having vainly -tried to arouse interest by tales of Fastrada's unsuccessful suitors, -and of her reputed dabblings in witchcraft with the Magian leech Kosru, -Gerold at last gained leave of Fulrad to tell how the king had finally -yielded to the wish of Hildegarde, and bidden Rothada to leave the -Convent of Chelles, in which she had so long secluded herself, he struck -the right note to stir his companion. He had then only to add the rumor -that the king's purpose in compelling the presence of the daughter of -Himiltrude was to betroth her to some outland king. - -Here were tidings which touched Olvir to the quick. From the moment he -heard them he was aflame to reach the Rhine and the hall of Karl. He -might have been willing to forgo the king's favor; but the possibility -of Rothada--the little vala--being betrothed to another roused all the -tender love and affection which he felt toward the maiden, and -intensified that love tenfold by a single touch of jealousy. - -His should be the king's daughter, if it were within the power of man to -win her! The thought that the king planned to give her to another -stirred him to deepest anger, which, when it left his heart, gave place -to a great longing to see again the little maiden's violet eyes and pure -young face. - -And so, while the Raven drove on up the stormy channel, the sea-king no -longer saw rising before him the iron cliffs of old Norway. In his -thoughts were now pictured the quiet convent garden of Chelles, and in -that garden, walking among the roses with Gisela, his little may, -sweeter than ever, and no longer a child. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - -It is marvel -And the red blood -Runs not as the rain -Runs in the street. - FINNESBURH. - - -When at last the gale-driven fleet sighted the dune shores of the old -Rhine Mouth, and the ships steered in across the bar, no time was lost -in beginning the ascent of the river. From a passing Frisian trader, -the crews learned that war had broken out anew in Saxon Land; and after -such tidings there was no need to urge the viking oarsmen to their -benches whenever, in rounding the wide bends of the stream, the breeze -chanced to come ahead. Olvir was not more eager than were they to reach -Mayence, where both Abbot Fulrad and Gerold thought they might now look -to find Karl and the court. When the _missi_ started south, the king was -about to leave for Aix, to enjoy the warm baths, and plan the building -of the grand palace and the domchurch, which were so long to commemorate -his reign. By this time, however, he should have returned to the -Rhinegau, to urge on the construction of the new palace of Ingleheim. - -But as the fleet lay to for provisions at the great stone bridge of -Constantine, which spanned the Rhine at Cologne, the monks of Saint -Martin of the Isle brought full account of the bloody disaster at -Sunthal, to avenge which Karl the King had a month since gathered a -great host and swept north into Saxon Land. - -The various stories of the battle, though contradictory on many points, -all agreed as to the main outline. The Sorbs, taking advantage of the -fact that the grim Count Rudulf lay at Fulda helpless from the goring of -a wild boar, had stirred up trouble in their mark. To quiet them, Karl -had levied a host, under the command of Count Worad, the High Marshal -Gilo, and Adalgis the Chamberlain, and had unwisely added to the host a -contingent of Saxons. - -In the midst of the forest these Saxons had deserted and fled across -Eastphalia, to join the great war-earl Wittikind, who had once more -returned from Denmark with fire and sword. Following the deserters to -the Weser, the Franks came upon a small host under the command of Count -Teutoric of the Frisian Mark, who had counselled that all should join in -a united attack on the Saxon camp. - -But the jealous counts planned secretly to make the attack without the -famed kinsman of the king. Thinking to overwhelm the Saxons by the -impetuosity of their assault, they had rushed upon the Saxon war-hedges -in wildest disorder; only to be caught by the crafty Wittikind as -Herman, his great predecessor, had trapped the Roman Varus. The greater -part of the Frankish host, including Adalgis, Gilo, and twenty counts, -had been slaughtered, and Count Worad had barely managed to bring three -hundred warriors out of the ambush. - -After such tidings there was no longer holding the vikings in check. -The ships were at once left in charge of a scanty ship-watch, and with -the swiftness of a mounted levy the vikings swept north from the Rhine -toward the Saxon Mark. - -But near the Ruhr a rumor reached the eager band that the king was now -at Fulda; and Olvir, at the urgent request of Abbot Fulrad, turned aside -toward the monastery. - -The march to Fulda across the war-trampled fields of Hesse was taken far -more leisurely than the rush from the Rhine. The vikings had little -heart for turning aside, and there was much grumbling among them at -being cheated of the merry sword-play. Even at their slower pace, -however, the third day found them close upon their journey's end, where -they were fated to hear that which should cool the blood-fever of the -grimmest berserk in their number. - -Marching through the wild beech forest, the Norse band came upon Fulda -late in the day. They found the half-cleared groves around the -monastery filled with the booths of the Frankish host, and everywhere, -by scores and by hundreds, the leathern-jerkined warriors were to be -seen cooking their evening meal, or seated in groups to eat. - -It was the time of day when the men of a victorious host should have -broken into song and merriment. But a hush lay upon the Frankish camp, -and the faces of the less brutal among the warriors bore the gloomy look -of defeated men. - -Uneasy with forebodings of evil, Abbot Fulrad spurred on to the -monastery to see the king, and Gerold rode with him. Confident in the -speed of Zora to overtake them, Olvir waited to direct the arrangement -of the viking camp; but a quarrel between two berserks delayed him -longer than he had intended. He had at last pacified the angry men, and -was about to spring upon Zora, when Liutrad Erlingson came galloping -through the wood, afire with eagerness to greet his beloved earl. -Leaping from the saddle, he flung his arms about Olvir and held him -fast, too overjoyed to speak. - -Olvir met the bear-like hug with a grip that forced the breath from the -broad chest of his captor, and then, slipping eel-like from the massive -arms, he stepped back to view the young giant. - -Like Gerold, Liutrad had not yet lost all his boyishness of look and -bearing. His blue eyes lacked none of their old-time frankness, and his -ruddy face still showed to the world the kindly spirit which dwelt -within. Yet across his forehead was drawn a newly creased line, and -there was a look in his eyes which even his joy at the meeting could not -altogether hide. - -"How now, son of Erling?" demanded Olvir. "Have the Christian priests -taken the heart from your breast? You look as do these moody Franks. -Has the whole Christian host seen a bloody guardian-sprite?" - -"Ah, Christ! do not speak of blood!" cried Liutrad, and he threw up his -arm before his eyes. - -"Read me the riddle, then," rejoined Olvir. "I wait." - -"Would that another might tell that tale, ring-breaker! Holy Mother! I -see all again,--the bloody swords, the headless slain splashing into the -Aller!" - -"Thor!" muttered Olvir. "I had yet to learn that Christians could -sicken at thought of sword-play." - -"Sword-play! sword-play!" echoed Liutrad. "It was no sword-play, earl; -it was slaughter." - -"Out with it, lad. You speak in riddles." - -"Yet it seems to me, earl, that the wide world must have thundered with -the tidings. But listen. When the king in his wrath swept north -through Saxon Land, Wittikind fled back again to Nordmannia, and all the -forest-dwellers stooped beneath the heel of the Frank. At Verden, on -the Aller, the king called before him the earls and eldormen of the -Saxon folk. They came in a multitude, crying out against Wittikind, who -had stirred them to take up the sword, and submitted themselves humbly -to the will of the king. Some were thrust forward by their fellows, and -many more stood out of themselves to meet, as leaders of the revolt, the -expected doom. But the king was in no mood to content himself with so -small a vengeance. The blood-mist was before his eyes,--he was maddened -by the harrying of the forest-wolves. Of all the high-born -Saxons,--four thousand and more earls and eldormen,--not one was spared. -In a single day the heads of all were hewn off and their bodies cast -into the Aller. The stream flowed red into the Weser,--God grant I soon -forget that sight!" - -Again Liutrad flung up his arm before his eyes, and stood shuddering. -Olvir waited, silent and seemingly calm; but the lines about his mouth -drew tense, and his dark eyes gazed past Liutrad into vacancy. - -When the son of Erling dropped his arm, Olvir turned on his heel, -without a word, and started to lead Zora back to his tent. - -"Stay, earl!" exclaimed Liutrad. "The king will be waiting to welcome -you." - -"He may wait," answered Olvir, very quietly, and he kept on until lost -to view beneath the striped viking tilt from which fluttered his starred -banner. - -When Liutrad, after greeting Floki and the crews, presently ventured to -peer into Olvir's tent, he saw him seated beside a torch, alternately -reading marked passages in a pair of use-worn books. One of the books -was new to Liutrad, both in binding and script; but the other he at once -recognized as Otkar Jotuntop's Greek Gospels. At his cry of surprise, -Olvir bade him enter and be seated, and then resumed his reading; but -now he read aloud. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - -Too baleful vengeance -Wroughtest thou. - WHETTING OF GUDRUN. - - -Vainly did Karl the King look that night for the coming of his Dane -hawk. Neither Olvir nor Liutrad stirred from the viking camp. Nor did -they go out in the morning until the king sent Gerold to call Olvir -before him. - -Though the bidding was worded in terms of heartiest praise, and though -Gerold spoke it with the delight of one who sees a beloved friend about -to attain the highest honors, Floki alone heard the message with -pleasure. Liutrad turned quickly to his earl, with a troubled look, as -though he dreaded some rash outburst. But his dread was baseless. Olvir -showed neither delight nor anger. As quietly as he had led Zora back to -the tent the evening before, he now called for the mare, and rode off to -do the king's bidding. - -Very shortly the three riders came to the monastery gates and entered -the great courtyard. At the door of the hospice they leaped off, and, -without pausing to exchange greeting with the counts who stood about the -yard, turned at once to enter. As they passed through the doorway, -Olvir stepped before his companions and gazed up the long guest-hall. -Beyond the square of white light which poured down through the -roof-hole, he perceived a group of men in the semi-gloom at the far end -of the room. The king stood with his back to the entrance; but Olvir -knew him at once by his powerful figure and the stateliness of his -bearing. - -Then, in turn, he made out Abbot Fulrad and Count Hardrat, old Rudulf of -the Sorb Mark, and Baugulf, who had been chosen abbot in the year 780, -when the venerable Sturm departed this life. There was one other -present,--a stooped, thin-faced priest, unknown to Olvir. - -The three young warriors had hardly crossed the threshold when Rudulf's -slit eyes caught sight of them. At his guttural exclamation, Karl faced -about and peered down the hall. In a moment he had recognized Olvir by -the brightness of his mail, and was advancing with swift strides to meet -him. The counts and priests followed, Rudulf supported between the two -abbots. - -Olvir and the king met in the full light beneath the roof-hole. The -Northman's face was pale and stern, and as he halted, he raised his hand -in formal salute. But Karl gave no heed to this coldness. His great -hands clasped Olvir by the shoulders, and he stood beaming down into the -young man's hard-set face. - -"Greeting! greeting to my just steward,--to my bright Dane!" he cried. -"We grieve that you no longer rule over the folk of Vascon Land; but -greater is our joy to welcome you in our presence." - -Olvir quivered beneath the royal praise as though he had been struck, -and his face flushed hotly. But, curbing his anger, he gazed direct -into the king's eyes and answered with cold deliberation: "For whatever -I have done, lord king, I have been repaid in full. Once the praise of -the King of the Franks would have tasted sweet in my mouth; now gall is -not more bitter." - -A cry of amazement burst from the lips of the priests and counts, and -Karl himself stepped back, frowning and bewildered. - -"How now, Olvir?" he demanded. "What riddle is this?" - -"A simple one, lord king. I 've had my fill of Christian ways. I would -be faring over the whale-road, to a land where even the mad berserk -slaughters only in the heat of battle." - -"_Heu_! _heu_! down with the traitor!" shouted Rudulf and Hardrat in a -breath, and the red-faced count tore his sword from its sheath. But -Karl, with a sweeping side-stroke, like the blow of a lion's paw, met -Hardrat's forward spring, and flung him sprawling upon the rushes. - -For a little, while the others stood staring, some flushed and -indignant, others pale with anxiety for their outland friend, Karl gazed -down upon the Northman, his broad chest slowly heaving beneath his -folded arms. Presently the look of half-angry wonderment which had -seamed his face with deep lines gave place to a calm like that of his -daring reproacher. He extended his hand, and replied to Olvir, not as -the over-lord of half Europe to his retainer, but as man to man. - -"Friend," he said with simple dignity, "you charge me with cold -slaughter. God judge if I was cold! Had I not looked upon a harried -land,--upon desecrated churches, upon priests and monks of God, helpless -women and babes tortured with fiendish cruelty? Cold! My reproach is -that I doomed the murderous traitors while wrath inflamed my soul. -However stern the judgment, the judge should not speak in anger. That -alone I regret." - -"Whether the sword fell in anger or in coldness, what Christian can -justify such a slaying?" rejoined Olvir. - -"Upon my head be it!" answered Karl, firmly. "If I have done wrong, -mine is the retribution. But by the King of Heaven, I swear, I stand -here with a clear conscience. Listen, Olvir. Your wits are keen as -your sword; you have eyes. You shall look into my heart and see what I -have set before me as the aim of my lifework. If when you have looked, -you would still be faring, I shall not urge you to stay." - -"Beware, lord king," growled Rudulf. "Would you tell the riddles of -your kingcraft into the ears of this heathen Dane?" - -"Silence, old wolf!" commanded Karl. "Who has better proved his -trustiness than the Count of Vascon Land? But your warning comes in -good season. I speak with Count Olvir alone." - -Hushed by the rebuke, all silently withdrew with the Grey Wolf to where -Hardrat stood brooding over his humiliation. When they were beyond -ear-shot, Karl turned to the Northman, his face aglow with inward light. - -"Again, Olvir, I call you friend," he began. "It is a precious word in -the heart of a king; for it is seldom he can so name any man. I bear in -mind how even at the first, at Casseneuil, you uttered words that were -bitter, yet wholesome. I were a witling if I failed to value at the -full one who has proved himself a just ruler,--one who dares speak his -heart's thought in the face of a king, recking nothing of the king's -disfavor. In all my realm I can name only two such men,--yonder deacon, -whom men call Alcuin the Scholar, and yourself." - -"He--Alcuin of York?" - -"The Northumbrian. Why have I drawn the pale student from his island -home, and made him gift of abbeys and lands? Be sure it is not alone -that he is learned and the priests of my realm are unlearned,--not alone -that he shall be a light to illumine the night of our ignorance. Rather -is it that he, like yourself, Olvir, is a man who puts truth first and -the king second. Therefore I have honored him, and therefore I shall -honor you. I shall do for you that which tears my very heart-strings. -The day when you bow to our Lord Christ in baptism, that day I will -betroth to you Rothada, my daughter." - -Abruptly Karl paused and looked at the Northman. Olvir stood staring, -half-dazed. He had steeled himself to meet reproach, anger, even -flattery; but this mode of attack was unforeseen. All too clearly he -realized the full meaning of the king's words; he had only to comply, -and honors, power, riches, love, the little vala,--all were his. A deep -flush reddened his dark face; his eyes sank before the king's kindly -smile, and for a while he stood speechless. But then the flush faded -from his cheeks, and he looked up, calm as before, and his eyes glowing -with a strange light. - -"My lord king has honored me with his praise," he said. "Yet he bids me -stay, not because he has justified the bloody deed of Verden, but -because by staying I may win a bride. It is a tempting offer. Were the -maiden here before me, I doubt if I should have strength to withstand -it; and then your Majesty would be certain loser. Should I sell my -truth, even at such a price, the king's truthful friend would be farther -away than Trondheim Fiord." - -Karl studied the speaker with a steady gaze, and at the end smiled in -keenest satisfaction. - -"I have not wittingly tempted you, Olvir," he replied. "It was in no -sense as a bargain that I spoke of Rothada. Yet I rejoice at this added -proof of your worth. Listen now to the aim of my statecraft. If I do -not justify my ways in your sight, I bid you God-speed." - -"Do not believe, sire, that I long to go. I can value at its true worth -the friendship of one whom I know to be a world-hero, and--and I have -not forgotten my little may." - -"Friendship and maiden,--both shall be yours, Olvir, if my tongue can -make clear what is in my heart. You charge me with slaughter. The King -of Heaven is my witness whether I wage war for blood. If I seek -dominion, I seek it for the good of men and the fulfilment of God's -will. Were you not a heathen, I would bid you read that grand -writing,--Augustine's 'City of God.'" - -"As to Christian writings, sire, I am content with the words of the -White Christ," replied Olvir. - -Karl gazed fixedly at the Northman, his brows gathered in deep thought. - -"I wish that you had read Augustine's 'City,'" he repeated. "It would -make plain to you the course of my statecraft. But it seems that I must -light the way myself. First, I would have you look at the world through -my eyes. If yours then see a difference, I ask you to tell me. Now let -us gaze out upon the wide world, Olvir. What do we see in the -East?--that vast giant of the past, the Empire of the East Romans, -within a hundred years shorn of Egypt and Africa, of Armenia and Syria, -by the fiery Saracens, before whose attacks the Christian Marks still -crumble and wane. Look to the South,--that same pagan horde, winners -and still fast holders of nine parts of the Christian Goth realm. Look -to the Northeast,--hordes of savage Wends and Avars, waiting only a new -Attila to sweep Europe with a second Hunnic harrying. Does my Dane hawk -see?" - -"I see, lord king." - -"Then look beyond Rhine Stream, into the forests whence came Burgundians -and Lombards, Allemanni and Bavarians, and my own folk, the tribes of -the Franks. I have heard told the great story of the past,--how, one -and then another, the wild hordes of the North came swarming from their -forests, to crush and trample the Western Empire. They slew the priests -of Holy Church, and trampled under foot all learning and goodness and -art, until God, in His grace, bent Clovis the Merwing to His will." - -"A word, lord king. I, too, have heard how the free forest-folk broke -the sway of the subtle Romans. Who looks for praise on the lips of his -foe? Bear in mind, sire, those who wrote the tale. Were not the -scribes Romans? And what destruction of good could there be, when their -own scribes who went before told how the realm was tainted throughout -with utter foulness? The heathen warriors of the forest at least -honored women and truth, and were free men. If, through contact with -the Christian Romans, they forgot those traits--" - -"Stay a little, lad. Is the Frank more false, more impure than the -Saxon?" - -"If Otkar spoke truth, lord king, the Saxons are purer than the Franks, -and they are free; while in Frank Land I see a race of free men fast -sinking into thraldom. As to the falseness of the Saxon, has not the -forest-dweller learned the use of lies from across Rhine Stream?" - -"My faith, you strike hard! But whether or no I give assent to that, it -matters little. At the least, the heathen hosts of old-time shattered -the peace and order of Rome. Where was peace, came war; where was -safety, came peril. Order was swept away, and confusion reigned; and -still it reigns throughout the Western World. But--listen, Olvir--I -have set for myself the task of bringing again the old-time peace and -order. Within my kingdom and upon my borders, where men are now given -over to brute lust and murder, they shall learn to bend to just laws. -Count and bishop, abbot and judge, free man and slave,--all hearts shall -enshrine the image of our Lord Christ!" - -Flushed with self-aroused ardor, Karl looked inquiringly at his -stern-faced listener. - -Olvir was staring straight before him, intent on the words of the royal -speaker. It was evident that his doubts were not yet satisfied, and so, -after a moment's pause, Karl spoke on: "What more need I say, Olvir? -You have seen how the heathen hedge in my kingdom on three sides,--how -within my borders the mass of my own folk drag upon my skirts with the -weight of their ignorance and sinful living. Even I must at times bend -and smile,--must swallow the gibe, and stoop to some landed lordling -whose benefice was bestowed upon his father by my father, yet which he -now makes pretence of holding by the new and unlawful claim of heritage. -Does the son of Thorbiorn believe that I am one to eat with pleasure a -dish so seasoned? Yet I smile and bide my time. My thought is other -than of kingly dignity. Before all else I have set my task to bring -about peace and order and enlightenment; and there, by God's grace, -shall it stand, until my realm has passed out of the night of ignorance -into the full day of bright learning,--until justice reigns throughout -my kingdom, as for these four years past it has reigned in Vascon Land." - -"By Thor!" cried Olvir, "now do I see! You, sire, are even such a king -as was sought by Socrates the Greek,--a golden king, a king who loves -wisdom." - -"I have heard of that Greek. You shall tell me of his words another -time. Now I seek to justify my deeds. Already you give praise, yet I -will speak further. Weigh well what I have said,--the task I would work -out; the dangers I must withstand. I have not named all which threaten -my realm. There is yet another looming in the future,--one which I -should have no need to name to you. Beyond the forests and fens of Saxon -Land I see rising a cloud black with menace to Christendom. Am I blind, -my Dane hawk? Have I not watched with a heedful eye the bearing of your -sea-wolves? Have I not measured in battle the shock of those fierce -warriors who follow Wittikind from Sigfrid's realm? Your folk are at -home both on land and sea. Where your own ships have come, others will -follow, and there will not always be king's daughters to turn their -crews from harrying. I foresee a great peril in the North. My sons -will have enough to defend the long coast lines of Neustria and Frisia, -without the open door of a heathen Saxon land for your wild Dane folk to -enter. Therefore I press upon the rebellious Saxons with my whole power, -that I may crush out the last spark of their savagery and heathenism. I -have been mild,--I have sought to win them by kindness. But they have -rebelled many times, and, not content with bowing to their fiend-gods, -they have harried my borders with fire and sword. Must I then forgo -vengeance because the oath-breakers come before me to seek pardon, their -hands yet red with the blood of priests and babes? No, by the King of -Heaven! I have wreaked fitting vengeance upon the murderers. Once for -all time I have crushed the forest-wolves. Now, what says my bright -Dane?" - -Olvir stood silent for a while, tapping the jewelled hilt of Al-hatif. -Then he answered deliberately: "I have weighed well your words, sire, -and now wish to remain your liegeman. Already I knew you a world-hero; -you have proved yourself yet more,--a king who seeks first the welfare -of his people. Yet do not mistake me, lord king. Though, in the eyes -of men, your task and the ruthless harrying by your foe may justify that -bloody deed, I still hold that nowhere can you find justification in the -words of the White Christ. Yet more, I hold that by this deed you have -also failed in kingcraft." - -"How then?" demanded Karl. "If it cow the forest-wolves, there will be -more saved in blood and woe--" - -"But will it daunt those sons of Odin?" broke in Olvir. "The Saxon is -no soft Aquitanian or Romanized Lombard. Does the she-wolf run when her -young are struck? Rather, she turns and rends the hunter. So shall the -forest-dwellers rush to attack you." - -"God forbid! If such be the fruit of Verden, I will freely own myself -at fault. But such shall not be. The stiff-necked heathen are broken. -And now, enough of that which is past. I again hold you to be what you -have proved yourself these four years gone,--a friend and a helper in my -lifework." - -"I cannot pledge my followers, lord king. They are free vikings, not -henchmen. They may go, or they may stay. But I can pledge myself. In -the days to come, it will be fair cause for boasting that one has had a -hand with Karl the King in the uplifting of men." - -"True, lad; and I welcome your learning and keen wit even as I welcome -the wisdom of yonder scholar. Ho, Brother Alcuin, come forward with -your fellows! Come, greet my bright Dane!" - -At the bidding, the thin-faced deacon advanced before the counts and -abbots and saluted Olvir gravely. - -"In the name of our Lord Christ," he said, "I greet joyfully the high -earl who in deed, if not in word, has ruled his earldom as a true -Christian." - -"Yet I am no Christian," answered Olvir. "The sayings of the White -Christ are hard to live. I follow such as lie within my strength. In -time I may gain strength to follow more; but he who has been reared to -manhood with a bared sword in his hand is slow to forget the joy of -battle. At the least, I shall never fetter the wit which God has given -me, nor stoop from my freedom to the yoke of your church. If you -Christian priests can read the words of the White Christ, so can I. But -I would not contend. You have come with the lamp of learning to lighten -the gloom of our lord king's broad realm. I rejoice with him at your -coming, and whatever of power lies within me, I give it freely and -gladly in aid of the good work." - -"Young man," interposed Abbot Baugulf, "before you offer your aid, you -should first seek to know whether such would be acceptable in the sight -of God. Has He need of heretics to do His holy work? We hope the -charge may prove untrue; but I grieve to say that many times word has -come from the Southland of how you made a scoff of Holy Church, and of -the first bishop of Christ's fold, His Holiness the Pope; how, with -sacrilegious force, you went so far as to drag from holy sanctuary--from -the very altar of God's temple--one who had thrown himself upon the -mercy of our Heavenly Father." - -"That is a lie, lord abbot," answered Olvir, coolly. "I and my men sat -down around the church, and after a time the slayer crept out to meet -his doom. If one may not enter a wrongdoer's house to force out the -guilty owner, much less should one force the nithing from God's house. -I did not break sanctuary; you have given ear to a lie." - -"Lie or not, it would be fitting for you first to bow to the vicar of -our Lord Christ before you thrust yourself into Christ's service." - -"Brother," interposed Fulrad, "what do we eat,--the kernel or the husk? -The learned Alcuin has spoken of Count Olvir's righteous deeds in Vascon -Land; you speak of the false tales sent out by those who sought to -withstand the justice of their lawful ruler. Count Gerold and myself -have searched closely into the affairs of the Vascon Mark. I need only -mention the year of famine, when Count Olvir sold a fourth of the gems -of his Saracen treasure, and gave the price in alms to the poor of his -mark. He may be unorthodox in name, but his deeds were surely -Christian." - -"If Father Fulrad speaks for peace, I will also seek to curb my tongue," -said Olvir. - -"And none shall goad you, my son. We will stand together in good acts, -and avoid the strife of tongues." - -"My bright Dane is free to speak at all times," interposed Karl, -quickly. "None the less, the thought is good. Our searchings for truth -shall be without bitterness. The land is now at peace, and we go to -Thionville, to set about the great task of order and learning." - -"God speed the good work!" cried Abbot Baugulf, and all around echoed -the prayer. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - -Green go the ways -Toward the hall of Guiki, -That the fates show forth -To those who fare thither; -There the rich king -Reareth a daughter. - LAY OF REGIN. - - -The most subtle courtiership could not have gained for Olvir half the -honors which his bold stand for truth had won for him by confirming the -esteem and friendship of the king. But Karl, like all great leaders, -looked for unstinted service in turn for unstinted honors. And so it -was that even before the Frankish host moved Rhineward, he singled out -the young Northman to go with Gerold and Abbot Fulrad as special _missi_ -to Italy. - -To Rome and back was no short journey. After a tedious delay over the -affairs of Pope Hadrian, there were months to be spent aiding old -Barnard in settling the administration of the new Kingdom of Italy. So -that summer and autumn had passed, and the December snows lay white on -the banks of the Moselle, when at last the three came back from the -Southland. - -They had lain over-night at Metz, and as the roads were fair, the -sixteen miles which made up the last stage of their long journey was -covered with ease during the forenoon. A little short of Thionville, -they stopped at an inn for the noon meal. Then, after Olvir had groomed -Zora, and all three had looked to their dress, they rode on quietly -toward the villa. - -The first to greet the wayfarers were a party of vikings who had been -hunting up the Moselle. At their head stalked Floki the Crane, and -beside him rode Pepin Hunchback and young Karl, to whom the tall giant -had been teaching woodcraft. - -It was a question who were most delighted over the unexpected -meeting,--the king's sons or their Norse guard. All crowded around the -_missi_, with shouts of welcome, so that it was some little time before -the party could move on. Then Gerold and Abbot Fulrad rode ahead with -the king's sons, and Olvir followed in the midst of his overjoyed -warriors. The young earl's own face was aglow; but, true leader as he -was, he lost no time in learning the condition of his men. He had no -need to ask twice. At the first question, Floki pointed down the -Moselle bank to the ship-sheds and the high-peaked Norse hall in the -midst of the viking huts. - -"All's well with your sea-wolves, ring-breaker," he croaked. "We have -thatched enough roofs to shelter every head, and the Frank king gives -with an open hand." - -"Good! Now I will ride on with my fellow heralds, to speak our tidings -to the king. But I will be with you by nightfall, old Crane," replied -Olvir; and, at a word, Zora leaped forward to the side of Abbot Fulrad's -ambling mule. - -There were none but house-slaves at the villa gate to greet the _missi_. -The greater number of the courtiers were sleeping after the noon meal. -Gerold would have called the doorward; but Pepin and young Karl ran -ahead to their father's chamber, and themselves announced the wayfarers. -As the three paused at the curtained doorway, the king's voice, clear -and resonant with pleasure, called upon them to enter. - -Fulrad at once thrust aside the curtains and stepped within the chamber, -followed closely by his journey mates. Karl, who had been lying upon a -fur-heaped couch, was already on his feet, gathering his long cloak -about his half-clad shoulders. As Fulrad and Gerold advanced to kiss -his extended hand, Liutrad, who had been alone with him in the room, -reading from Augustine, flung down the book, and ran to meet Olvir. - -"Welcome, ring-breaker!" he cried; "thrice welcome, in the name of our -Lord Christ!" - -"Greeting, lad, in the name of Truth and Life," rejoined Olvir, and, -gripping the young giant in his arms, he lifted him clean off his feet, -in the sheer joy of friendship. As they parted, an eager question as to -Rothada sprang to his lips; but the answer was interrupted by the king's -imperious call: "You, too, my bright Dane! I would look again into -those eyes of starlit darkness." - -"It would seem that your Majesty has been studying skald-craft," replied -Olvir, and he sprang forward, his black eyes sparkling. - -Karl's powerful hands closed upon his shoulders, and the clear grey eyes -gazed down into his face, aglow with friendliness. - -"Welcome, Olvir, in the words of Liutrad," he said. "Christ is Truth and -Life, and you have both in good share. What says Father Fulrad?" - -"His deeds, sire, abound in the spirit of Christ. If only he would bend -his stiff knee to Christ's vicar!" murmured Fulrad, regretfully. "Even -the very presence of the Holy Father failed to move him to reverence." - -A slight cloud shadowed the king's face; but soon a smile again -brightened it, and he answered confidently: "Give him time,--give the -lad time, father. He has found the true kernel; the rest will follow. -I look for yourself and Alcuin to win him over before the springtime. -And now to the matters of your mission. The school hour is drawing -near. Go, my sons; hold watch in the hall to warn us, lest we keep the -learned deacon waiting." - -"First, a word to the bairns, lord king," interposed Olvir, and he -sprang to catch young Karl as the active boy was darting past, in lead -of his crook-backed brother. - -"Say out," answered the king, smiling in response to the gleeful shout -of the boy as Olvir swung him arm's length overhead. Olvir lowered the -boy, to place one hand on his tawny head. The other he rested on -Pepin's glossy locks, so like the chestnut tresses of his sister. - -"Listen, lads," he said. "Yule-tide draws near, and my vikings will be -having games. It is fitting that the king's sons should prove -themselves skilled in weapon-play. Come to me in the morning, that I -may see how well the grey Crane has trained you in our Norse games." - -"We have not lacked willingness to learn, Lord Olvir," replied Pepin, -and his pale face flushed with pleasure as he caught the approving smile -of his hero-count. - -"Not we, by Thor!" cried young Karl, and he thumped his sturdy little -chest with a red-knuckled fist. "I shot a roebuck, and Pepin a stag of -ten tynes; and we--we trailed a boar." - -"Which, I am minded, would have ended in two king's sons the less, -little boaster, had not Floki and I trailed you in turn," broke in -Liutrad. - -"But we 'd already struck the quarry, Lord Olvir! My spear--" - -"Go; go, lads," interposed the king, with kindly impatience. "Another -time you can tell of your deadly fray. Now we have matters of state -before us." - -Pepin immediately ran from the chamber; but young Karl lingered for a -moment to whisper in Olvir's ear: "Wait for me to tell of the boar. I -want to tell." - -"There goes a king's son," observed Olvir, as the boy darted away. - -Karl nodded: "You say well, Olvir. He is my main hope; he shall be -first among his brothers. My people would not stomach the luckless son -of Himiltrude. Though the eldest, Pepin is not fitted in mind to stand -before the others. Yet he shall have his fair portion. I trust to you -four, above all others, to see that the son through whom Heaven has -afflicted me for my sins shall not suffer loss in the allotting of my -realm." - -"We give heedful ear to your Majesty's wish," replied Fulrad. "And now -let me deliver the last letter of His Holiness." - -With the words, he turned to fumble among the scrolls which crowded his -scrip; but before he could pick out the Pope's missive, Pepin and young -Karl came running back, with word that Deacon Alcuin was in waiting. - -Their father rose at once and signed to the abbot. - -"Another time, Fulrad," he said. "Come now and see our school." - - - - - CHAPTER V - - -Out then went Sigurd, -The great king's well-loved, -From the speech and the sorrow, -Sore drooping, sore grieving. - VOLSUNGA SAGA. - - -As the king passed down the main corridor of the villa with Fulrad, -Liutrad touched the arm of his earl, and Olvir, giving instant heed to -the sign, dropped behind Gerold and the chattering young Franks. - -"What now, lad?" he asked, as the others hastened on. - -For several paces Liutrad walked along beside him without replying. -Then, his eyes fixed upon the stone pavement, he stammered slowly: -"Ring-breaker,--friend,--I must speak out! You yourself first taught me -runes, and so--and so--but already you 're aware how I 've been drawn to -the White Christ. I know you 'll not be harsh. There are Alcuin and -Deacon Paul and many others,--they speak powerfully. I am almost -persuaded to become a monk." - -"A monk!" cried Olvir. "Has it come to this? Would that long since I -had called you aboard ship and sailed away to Trondheim Fiord! The son -of Erling a monk!--a beggarly, wifeless, kinless, childless _thing_! By -Thor, sooner would I strike you dead! Can you not yourself read and put -into deed the runes of the White Christ? Did He not take part in the -wedding feast at Cana?" - -"True, Olvir; and I know well your horror of the cloisters. I, too, -have felt that loathing." - -"You may well say loathing! Man is here on earth to live,--to live in -fulness of life, abounding in health and strength for the joy and -uplifting alike of himself and of others. What, then, is more holy than -wedlock and the rearing of strong sons and pure daughters for the -welfare of the land?" - -"Enough, earl," replied Liutrad, in a low voice. "I shall never become -a monk. But I long to give myself to Christ. The secular clergy--" - -"Rather, to the Bishop of Rome. You 'd shear off your long locks to -become the thrall of a woman-clad Roman. But the evil is less than I -dreaded. Fulrad has told me of the king's friendship for you. Before -many years we may look to see Karl name you a bishop. As such, you 'd -hold no small measure of power and wealth,--a mitred priest-earl, with -all the gold and wares and lands of your bishopric to give or take -according to your own will. You could do no little good among the -downtrodden poor folk. So; it might be worse. When I sail home again -to Lade, I shall not have to speak of the son of Erling with face -downcast, but can name him in full voice a high liegeman of the Frank -king,--an earl of the White Christ." - -"May it be long before you leave us, Olvir!" exclaimed Liutrad, and he -paused to clasp the hands of his gravely smiling companion. Then -together they followed the Franks into the great hall of the villa. - -After the ornate magnificence of the Roman basilicas, the -audience-chamber appeared far less imposing to Olvir than would have -been the case before his Italian mission. Interesting as were the -hunting trophies and the rich tapestries which decorated the wall, he -was more attracted by the gaily clad group of lords and clergy about the -dais. - -As the courtiers parted before the king, Olvir's gaze fell upon the -crafty, shrivelled face of Kosru, the Magian leech, side by side with -Count Hardrat's bloated visage. Though more sober in look than of old, -the Thuringian's eyes had acquired a furtive glance, and his features -had grown much harsher in outline. - -"There stand an odd pair of scholars for the Engleman," muttered Olvir. - -"You mean Hardrat and the Asiaman. The old leech has long been known as -a searcher for lore; but that such a one as my red pig should show, -little less hunger for knowledge than the king himself is, to say the -least, very strange. It is even said that he takes part with the leech -and Fastrada in their study of the black art. Heaven forfend, -ring-breaker, that the daughter of Rudulf seek to weave again the spell -which she cast on you in the Southland!" - -"Never fear, lad; I 've seen the werwolf's teeth once. There is no need -for a second sight." - -"Yet I beg you to beware, Olvir. From Kosru, the maiden has had the -gift of a ring set with magic opal. The hues of the wonderful gem shift -and change like the tints of the maiden's eyes. Few can withstand the -power of that spell; nor has the maiden lost the charm of her beauty. -In face, as in form, she is lovelier than ever." - -"Forewarned, forearmed," rejoined Olvir. "And I bear a charm to -withstand all the spells of the Thuringian,--the memory of a little -child-maid." - -"Rothada! She came again from Chelles not a fortnight since. Our lord -king gave her leave to go back when you fared away to Italy. But see; -the king beckons to us. No; it is to Abbot Fulrad. Yet we should be -seeking our places; the others draw up their benches. And here comes -the queen. The school will soon open." - -"Lead on," said Olvir, eager to draw nearer the private passage by which -Hildegarde and her maidens were entering the hall. Liutrad advanced at -once; but the move failed to bring his earl that which he sought. -Hildegarde had paused just across the threshold, to meet the boisterous -welcome of Gerold; and while brother and sister exchanged greetings, -Olvir looked in vain for the face he longed to see among the half-score -of maidens who slipped into the hall behind the queen. While he yet -stood there, disappointed and hesitating, the queen turned to him from -Gerold. - -"Welcome to my lord's bright Dane!" she said. "I see, Olvir, that your -wrist is still burdened with my ring." - -"I have never ceased to wear it, dear dame, with reverence and gratitude -for the giver," replied Olvir, as he bowed to kiss the queen's extended -hand. - -Hildegarde gazed graciously into his dark face, and answered him with -quiet earnestness: "We seek to make you a gift, Olvir, far more precious -than any ring,--a pearl beyond price. There is now but one thing in the -way,--your resistance to the voice of Holy Church. You have won a warm -place in our hearts, Olvir. Consider well, and do not let your pride -bar your way into Christ's fold." - -"I shall weigh the matter with utmost care," said Olvir; and the answer -brought a glow to the anxious face of the queen. But while Liutrad and -her brother escorted the royal dame to the dais, he stood lost in -thought, his eyes fixed upon the rushes at his feet. - -He was aroused by a well-remembered voice, whose soft murmur would have -been inaudible but for its sibilance: "Welcome to Count Olvir! Will he -not let bygones be bygones, and swear the peace-oath?" - -Olvir started and stared keenly about him. On his right, framed as it -were by the curtained doorway, and almost within arm's length, stood the -daughter of Rudulf, gazing at him from beneath her drooping lashes with -an indescribable look,--a half-smile, full of insolence and dread, of -love and hate. For the moment all the wild whirl of conflicting -emotions which the unexpected sight of her former lover had aroused in -the Thuringian's breast stood out plain to view on her face, through its -court-mask of dissimulation. - -Olvir had no need to look twice to assure himself that Liutrad was not -mistaken when he spoke of the maiden's ripened beauty. She had -certainly lost none of her former loveliness, and art had added no -little to her charms. The purple dress, cut low after the latest -Frankish fashion, suggested every soft curve of the girl's rounded form; -her brown hair, with its gleams of gold, was bound by a diadem of all -but queenly splendor; while the fingers of her right hand were covered -with gem-rings half to the tips. But on her left hand, which she held -out to the Northman, there was only one ornament,--the ring whose -reputed magical powers had caused Liutrad so much uneasiness. It was -fashioned of two miniature serpents, one black, the other red, which -held in their jaws an opal of great size and peculiar fire. - -For a moment Olvir stood hesitating; then he took the girl's hand, and -answered her gravely: "I take the peace offered by Count Rudulf's -daughter. There is a saying that those who have broken betrothal bonds -can never join in friendship. I trust that with us it may prove -otherwise. At the least, I shall seek to heal the wrong which I wrought -against you." - -"And I, Olvir!" murmured the girl, the rich blood leaping to her cheeks. -"I give thanks for your--friendship. We were not fated to meet under the -same roof with cold hearts." - -"True, maiden. The past is past. I rejoice that you would now bury it, -and accept friendship instead of bitterness." - -A look too subtle even for the Northman's eyes flitted across the girl's -face, and she tightened the handclasp which he was relaxing. - -"It is then peace and--friendship," she said. "Come; the questions -begin,--Deacon Alcuin fingers his scrolls. Yonder is a bench behind the -others. You shall sit beside me and enlighten my dull wit." - -"As you will," replied Olvir, and he turned at once to comply. - -As the couple seated themselves on a bench in the rear of the main group -of students, Alcuin selected one of the scrolls handed him by his -pupils, and bowed to the king. - -"Your Majesty, all is in readiness," he said. - -At the word, Karl glanced about the hall. All present except Alcuin -were now seated; but the king gazed up and down the benches until he -caught sight of Olvir. Then he nodded and replied: "It is well; the -lesson will now begin. Summon all your lore, my dear teacher. We have -with us to-day a new-comer whose wits are keen as his sword." - -"Such learning, sire, as I have gained from the Holy Fathers, I stand -ready to impart. But who may say that he knows all of wisdom? Not even -Solomon, son of David, could so claim." - -"What is wisdom?" queried Karl. - -"The fruit of knowledge,--the soul of learning." - -"And learning?" - -"The inscribed knowledge of the ancients." - -"What says my bright Dane to that?" - -Olvir started up at the question, and saluted the king. - -"I am over-new in this game to take active part, sire," he said. "I do -not even know its rules." - -"Another time, then, lad. You will soon learn our ways. We will now -follow the lessons set for the day. Worad was to question Alcuin on -dialectics." - -As the young Frank rose to confront the master, Olvir sat down again -beside Fastrada, and fell to musing, heedless alike of the learned -disputants and of his fair benchmate. - -In the midst of his revery, he was roused by Fastrada, who, under cover -of Alcuin's voice, leaned over and whispered softly: "Look, my hero -friend. Here comes one whom I doubt if you can name. Though she has -not yet taken the veil, Gisela has all but made a nun of her." - -"How? Ah!" - -Rothada had come in by the queen's entrance, and was already close at -hand, gliding silently over the rushes. It was little wonder that -Olvir, after the first quick start of recognition, sat staring at the -king's daughter, with lips parted and black eyes glistening. He did not -see the Rothada for whom he had looked. That gay, bright-eyed -child-maid was gone, and in her stead was a maiden no less lissome than -the little vala, but taller, and grave with habitual meditation. The -slight pallor of her face, together with the spirituality of its look, -gave to her features an ethereal--almost unearthly--beauty. - -As she was about to pass by, unconscious of his presence, Olvir uttered -a stifled cry. Rothada looked down, and met his eager gaze. At sight -of him she halted, as though struck, and he could see her eyes widen and -darken with doubt and vague dread. Her first impulse apparently was to -hasten on; but she checked herself, and was about to speak, when she -chanced to catch Fastrada's look of insolent triumph. At that a flush -rose in her white cheeks, and without a word of greeting she passed -quickly by to her stool, on the dais beside Hildegarde. - -For a moment Olvir sat staring in utter bewilderment. Then the hot blood -leaped into his face, and he sprang to his feet. Heedless of the -disputing scholars, of the Thuringian, with her short-lived triumph, of -the king himself, he stalked down the hall, his head high, and his eyes -flashing. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - -One I loved, -One and none other, -The gold-decked may. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -For several days Olvir avoided the villa, pleading the need of -overlooking the affairs of his men. At last, however, Karl himself, -chancing to pass through the viking camp from a hunt down the Moselle, -stopped to bid Olvir attend the mass in the royal chapel on Christmas -Day. There could be no excuse for failing to obey the direct command of -the king, and Olvir came to the service in his gayest dress. But with -him for fellow he brought the grim Floki. - -The gloomy chapel exhibited a sepulchral magnificence well in keeping -with the ascetic spirit of priest and monk. The few and broken sun-rays -which struggled in through the narrow windows glistened brightly on the -screens and gates of polished brass and the jewelled images of kings and -saints in the wall niches. The nave, crowded with courtly worshippers, -was further brightened by the glint of polished steel, the rich colors -of precious fabrics, and a bewildering display of gold and gems. - -Yet the magnificence of the nave was nothing to the splendor of the -chancel. There, from giant silver candelabra, hundreds of tapers shed -their radiance over the sumptuous decorations of the altar, the gold -crucifix, the tapestries of white silk, emblazoned with griffins and -peacocks, the gold vessels of the officiating priests, and the white -cassocks of the Italian choir. - -But notwithstanding the presence of king and court, the solemn harmony -of the Gregorian chants, and the impressiveness of the ceremony as -conducted by the venerable Fulrad, there were two onlookers present who -stood throughout the mass unbending and irreverent. - -"By the hair of Sif, ring-breaker," muttered Floki, in the midst, "here -is enough of gold to stock a dozen godi-houses." - -"It is nothing to the hoard in the temple of the godi of Rome. That is -all but sheathed with gold, wrung by Holy Church from the sweat and -blood of slaves! But I will not give way to bitterness. This is a -merry day to the Christian folk; we also will be light of heart. Look -how the beams sparkle among the gem-stones. I choose those before your -dull gold. See their bright hues,--blue and green and purple,--ay! and -red as the life-blood of white biorn gushing upon the snow." - -"I have eyes, son of Thorbiorn. There is one flagon which alone is -worth a king's wergild,--the jewelled cup that the Godi Fulrad holds -aloft. By Thor! that is a wassail-bowl worth the having. Not Otkar -himself could have drained it at a draught." - -"True, old Crane; and it may hold even more than our eyes show us. Tell -me,--you have now dwelt many seasons in Frank Land,--what is your -thought of the White Christ?" - -Floki scratched his long nose, and glanced shrewdly about the chapel -before replying. - -"You ask a hard riddle, earl," he muttered. "I should answer that He is -Odin and Balder--and more--in One. Yet why should I bend knee to Him? I -have seen how His runes have drawn the temper of your keen spirit and -marred your old-time joy of battle. What greater loss could befall a -viking? So I will yet drink to Thor, trusting in my own craft and the -sweep of my halberd." - -"I will not say you are wrong," replied Olvir. "At the least, one -cannot do the will of the White Christ and take joy in sword-play; that -I see clearly, though these Christian priests teach otherwise. Some day -I must make my choice, either to ungirt Al-hatif from my side, or to -burn my Christ-runes." - -"Thor!" croaked Floki; "it is time for a little sword-play to stir your -kingly blood. With the springtime, earl, there 'll be call for your -heron beak." - -"How? To peck the Saxon wolves?" - -"They 'll be afoot in full pack, else I 've lost my scent for blood. -Nor is that the whole saga. I smell blood on another trail,--one which -leads from the king's hall." - -"Treason again! I had thought that with the subtle Lupus gone--" - -"Gone--ay; but he left one behind him little less subtle. The Grey -Wolf's daughter might teach cunning to Odin, and she does not lack of -crafty mates. More than once I have seen her in the forest border, -waiting for Earl Hardrat and that wizened warlock Kosru." - -"I have heard of that from Liutrad. They go to practise witchcraft." - -"Then I am dull at riddles, earl. It is treason the three brew in the -woodland, not spell-herbs." - -"A fearsome brewing," said Olvir, smiling, "an old man, a maiden, and a -drunkard." - -"The fox, the adder, and the full-tushed boar," rejoined Floki. "Craft -cuts sharper than any sword. As to Liutrad's red pig, he has put away -the wassail-bowl. I name the Thuringian no mean foe. He has the -strength of a bull, and far more of wit than in the past, now that the -beer seeps from his brain." - -"Yet I see in all this nothing more than a love tryst, with witchery for -a blind. Even granting that the red pig has grown tushes, we will have -our boar-spears at hand when there is need. As to your fox and adder-- -But see; the mass is at an end. The king turns to withdraw." - -Floki stared down at his earl with a wry look; but as Karl, in all the -stateliness of his majesty and manhood, came down the aisle, side by -side with his beautiful queen, the grim viking drew himself up to his -full height, and sought to imitate his earl's easy salute. The upswing -of the giant's arm drew upon him Hildegarde's glance. At a word from -her, Karl turned to smile at the Northmen, and spoke briefly with Worad. -Immediately the Count Palatine slipped aside, and informed Floki that -the queen wished to inquire about the training of the king's sons. - -Floki pushed out among the courtiers. But Olvir, muttering a hasty -response to Worad's greeting, drew back into a niche behind a pillar. -As he did so, his eyes rested for an instant upon Fastrada. The girl -was gazing directly at him, her head thrown back, her eyes narrowed to a -line. When she caught his glance, she smiled and passed on, looking -down at the rings on her clasped hands. - -Olvir's face clouded, and his hand went unwittingly to the hilt of his -dagger. A moment, and the dark mood was past; for his gaze fell upon -Rothada in her simple novice's dress. She had lingered at her devotions -after the benediction, and now came slowly down the aisle behind the -other worshippers. Her head was bent, and her lips moved with the -prayers which her white fingers told off on the rosary of pearls about -her throat. - -The girl was so absorbed in her devotions that she failed to see Olvir -even when he stepped out beside her. Restraining his eagerness, he -silently followed her down the aisle and out of the chapel. But at the -first lateral passage which opened into the main corridor, he took her -by the arm and drew her within the doorway. - -"Stay a moment, little vala," he said quietly. "I would speak with -you." - -"Olvir!" exclaimed the girl, in a startled voice. Her hands pressed -tightly together on her bosom, and she stared at him, her eyes dark with -fear. - -"How is this?" demanded Olvir, almost angrily. "Have I grown tushes that -the maiden whose troth I hold cannot look at me without dread?" - -"Do not be harsh, Lord Olvir!" murmured the girl. "Truly, I have sought -to avoid you; on my knees I begged my father that I might stay at -Chelles. Oh, why cannot I, like Gisela, win the peace and holy joy of -the cloister?" - -"Because you are too true of heart to break troth, little may," replied -Olvir. "See; this passage leads to a room which opens on the -garden-court. Come within, where the light is clear, and we can look -into each other's eyes." - -A faint blush crept into Rothada's cheeks, and her gaze fell before -Olvir's; but, bowing her head submissively, she led the way down the -passage. Close behind her followed Olvir, his eyes fixed upon the -dainty head beneath its white wimple. - -In the middle of the postern-room, where the white light of the winter's -sun streamed through the narrow window, Olvir stopped the girl with a -touch, and placed himself so that he could look directly into her face. - -"Little vala," he said, "I must first ask you to make clear the meaning -of your long silence. Whether your answer brings me joy or pain, I -cannot wait longer; I must know the truth now. Four years and more have -passed since you gave me your troth." - -Rothada glanced up at him quickly, and then her eyes fell to her -novice's dress. - -"Lord Olvir speaks of my troth," she answered in a low but clear voice. -"If he doubts it, let him look at these pearls about my throat,--the -pearls which he gave me in the Southland." - -"And yet, Rothada, many as were my messages to you, never once through -all those years did you send answer." - -"You remembered me, Lord Olvir!" cried the girl, and she gazed up into -her lover's eyes, her face radiant. - -"Remember!" repeated Olvir. "And, could I have forgotten, were not my -sea-wolves at hand to keep me in mind? I never once sent you greeting -and pledge of my faith but your grim worshippers begged leave to add -their gifts. Yet when year after year passed by without answering word -from you, they, like myself, grew weary of sending. If the little -vala's heart had been so chilled by her cloister-dwelling that she chose -to forget those who loved her, we could not love her the less, but we -would cease to fret her with the tokens of our love." - -"Which never came! Oh, Olvir, there's been a bitter mistake! I never -once had word or token that you or those grim warriors held me in kind -memory. The months dragged by,--the weary years,--and no word from -Vascon Land. Then I thought you 'd all forgotten me, and in my sorrow I -turned for comfort to our Lord Christ. In Him I found peace, and I -longed to give myself to Him, as Gisela begged me; but I could not, for -I had promised to wait your coming." - -"Loki!" muttered Olvir, and he struck his thigh. "Not all my sendings -could have gone astray by chance. There's been a plot against me! Your -holy Abbess Gisela-- But what odds? Little vala, little may, if you -still doubt my troth, look at what lies about my throat." - -Rothada raised her eyes to the strand of glossy hair, whose ends, -severed by the rock in the gorge of Roncesvalles, had been rejoined by a -golden clasp. At sight of the token, she uttered a cry of naive -delight, and her eyes beamed up into Olvir's full of tender trust. Her -beauty, pearl-like in its soft, pure lustre, filled him with such -longing that he could no longer restrain himself. - -"Dearest!" he cried, and, kneeling to her, he clasped her hand and held -it to his lips. - -Smiling and blushing, Rothada sought to draw away. But when she found -she could not escape, she thrust her fingers into her lover's hair, and, -tugging playfully at the bright locks, burst out in her old-time, merry -laugh. - -"Free me! free me, Lord Olvir!" she protested in mock severity. "Am I -not the king's daughter? By what right do you hold me in thraldom?" - -"See, then, dear heart; I free you," replied Olvir, as he sprang up. -"You have but to speak, and I bend to your wish, sweet princess. Yet I -have double right to hold you fast,--the will of your father and your -own love." - -"My love!" murmured the girl, and she blushed. Her eyes sank, and she -drew back shyly. - -"Your love, dearest one," repeated Olvir, and he held out his arms. - -But then a sudden coldness fell upon her. The color faded from her -cheeks, and the happy light died out of her eyes. - -"Lord Christ forgive me!" she cried. "Oh, I did not mean to give way, -Olvir. Truly I do love you,--I am so weak and wicked I cannot but tell -it,--I do love you, Olvir, my bright hero! And yet--and yet, what is -there for us but grief and parting? Even did my father assent, how -could I wed one who will not bend knee to Christ,--a--a heathen?" - -Olvir caught up the girl's hand, and, clasping it between his own, gazed -steadily into her tearful eyes. - -"Listen to me, dear heart," he said. "You have listened to the idle -tales of others; you shall now judge for yourself. I render no worship -to the heathen gods; but each week, as it passes around, I meditate upon -the words and deeds of the White Christ. With my whole heart I strive -to worship the almighty, all-good God, His Father and our Father. -Answer me, then, little vala; am I to be named among the heathen?" - -"Ah, the blessed saints be praised!" cried Rothada. "Then all that they -tell of you is false. You do not mock at His Holiness the Pope, nor -deride Holy Church?" - -"I no longer mock, dear one; yet I bend knee only to the will of God in -my own heart. What one among your Christian priests and monks, the most -learned of whom can hardly spell out Holy Writ, shall say that I am -wicked and heathen? I accept fully the sayings of the White Christ, and -strive to live them. Enough, Rothada; I will say no more. Choose -whether you will give yourself to me as I am." - -"What shall I say, Olvir?" replied the girl. "I know now you are no -heathen. But I cannot understand,--I do not see how you bend to our -Lord Christ, and yet do not give reverence to those who stand in His -stead." - -"Let your heart speak for you, dearest. If I am wrong, leave it to -Alcuin and his fellows to show me my mistake." - -Rothada clasped her hands together, and sighed with heartfelt relief. - -"Surely, Olvir, if you are wrong, they will show it to you," she said. -Trustful as a little child, she clasped the outstretched hands of her -lover, and raised her lips for his kiss, her eyes shining with -happiness. The touch of her lips, tender and fragrant as a briar-rose, -sent a thrill through Olvir's whole being. But he did not take her in -his arms. As he gazed into her eyes, a sudden sense of unworthiness -came upon him. For the second time, he sank down before her, humbly and -reverently as a worshipper at the shrine of a beloved saint. - -"This day has God my Father blessed me with a great blessing," he -murmured. "He has given into my keeping the heart of a pure maiden. -May He give me strength and wisdom to prove myself worthy of so great a -trust!" - -"Do not be foolish, dearest," answered Rothada. "If our Lord God has -given you my heart, He has given me your love. How, then, can there be -room for doubt?" - -"My princess! Who am I that I should win the Pearl of Great Price?" - -"Hush! oh, hush, my hero! You take in vain the words of Holy Writ. It -grieves me." - -"I speak the truth. In the eyes of God there can be nothing holier than -a pure maiden. More than all else I hate and despise the teaching of -your Christian priests that women are the chief cause of sins. That is -a lie. But for women, men would be as wolves,--ravenous wolves! And so, -darling--" - -"Spare me, Olvir! Truly, you grieve my heart. I am very wicked." - -"So wicked that your soul would gleam white on new-fallen snow! Beware, -wicked maiden! For your naughtiness, you shall be given in marriage--" - -"To a foolish prattler," interrupted Rothada, with a quick return of -gaiety, and, half stooping, she clasped Olvir's head between her white -hands. "What a hero is this for a king's daughter to wed,--a thrall -bound by the collar of a maiden!" - -"Many a king would gladly kneel where I kneel, dear heart." - -"No, no, you foolish hero. Few are so blind as to see beauty where -there is none. I am very happy that you love me, dearest; yet I wonder -at your love when I think of the many beautiful maidens with Hildegarde. -Do you think it strange that I longed to go back to Chelles, when, after -all those weary years of waiting, I came upon you in the hall, side by -side with that maiden--" - -"--Whose very name is unfit for your pure lips," muttered Olvir. "As -you love me, darling, have nothing to do with her." - -"I will do as you wish, Olvir. Because my heart shrank from her, I had -felt it my duty to seek her friendship. But if you bid me shun her--" - -"Thank God for your willingness! May we never have need to mention her -name again! So now, dear one-- Hark! What is the shouting?" - -"The call of the stewards. We linger over-long. The feast is ready; -and, oh, dear hero, how shall we come before the king my father?" - -"Have no fear, darling. The king has already pledged me your hand. -There are terms to be first met; but trust me to see that in good time -they be fulfilled or set aside. Until then it seems to me wise that we -should keep silent." - -"Olvir, I should like to at least tell Hildegarde. She is so gracious -and kindly." - -"As well tell the king himself, simple heart! No, dearest, we had best -wait. It will not be for long, I trust. And now, remember, should I not -see you sooner, the counts are to join my vikings in the Yule games. -The king himself will take part. Be sure to come. There will be merry -play, and the Moselle is like a burnished shield. I will teach you to -skate." - -"I was taught long since, Olvir. Berga, my maid, is a Frisian. So I -shall soon learn again. And I shall not fail to attend the -games,--to--to see the deeds of the king, my father." - -For a moment the violet eyes were upraised in a look of tender mockery, -and then their owner was darting off to join the queen's following. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - -Fish of the wildwood, -Worm smooth crawling. - VOLSUNGA SAGA. - - -Never had Frank or viking known fairer weather for the Yule games. Each -day the sun shone bright through the frosty air; the snow lay hard and -firm on field and river-bank, and the Moselle offered to the feet of the -skaters its broad street of glassy ice. - -In the meadows before the villa, hazel rings for the wrestling had been -enclosed, racing-courses marked out, and targets set up for the contests -with spear and bow. Northmen and Danes, skilled in their own sports, -burned to outmatch the king's men in the games of Frank Land, and the -proud counts, whether East Frank or West Frank, Saxon, Goth, or Lombard, -were no less zealous to prove their superiority over the outlanders. -Yet, keen as was the rivalry, good-humor prevailed in all contests. - -Each day great crowds gathered to watch the games, and to skate on the -Moselle. Not a viking was to be found in the high-peaked huts, and such -inmates of the villa as failed to troop out after the king to the field -of games did not stay behind from choice. Aside from the house-slaves, -few were left in the villa. The chapel was deserted by its priests and -choristers, and the hall of state saw little of the sleek courtiers. In -the bower only a maiden or two and the queen's tiring-women lingered in -attendance on their mistress. - -The morning after Christmas, Hildegarde, complaining of a headache, had -sent Fastrada to summon Kosru the leech to her bedside. The Magian had -at once pronounced her sickness to be of a nature which, while not -dangerous, would require the utmost of rest and quiet. So the -chattering workers were sent from the chamber, and Kosru took up his -quarters in the anteroom, to overlook the queen's service and administer -her sleeping-draught with his own hand. - -Full of yearning for his beautiful queen, Karl would have chosen to -watch at her bedside; but the Magian's assurance of her safety, and his -plea for absolute quiet, sent the king out into the meadows to share in -the games. With the same plea and assurance, the leech also turned -Rothada away, and the girl, no longer dressed as a novice, went gaily -out across the snow-fields to meet her lover. - -Behind, in the silent bower, Hildegarde lay in a feverish sleep, waking -only to sip her broth and to drink the sweetish potion which was to lull -her again to sleep. But without, in the merry crowds, was one who took -good care that the king did not lack company. - -From morning till evening the daughter of Count Rudulf found occasion to -be always within reach of the king's eye. When Karl won in the -axe-throwing, neither the loud applause of the Franks and the vikings, -nor even Olvir's gift of the great sword Ironbiter as prize, was so -gratifying to him as the silent and half-awed admiration of the -Thuringian maiden. The readiness with which she joined in the praise of -Olvir's archery showed him how utterly her gentle nature had been -misjudged; and when, skimming beside him over the ice, she shyly -confided her love for Rothada, and her longing to see Olvir accept -baptism so that the little princess might wed her bright hero, the heart -of the great Frank went out to the girl in tender sympathy. - -At every turn she was ready to please and amuse him. Now it was a gentle -jest; now a murmured phrase whose flattery was too subtle to startle his -honest Teuton heart; and always accompanying the words would be a look -whose faint suggestion of allurement ever gave way to shy confusion. -Soon Karl began to give heed as never before to the many charms of the -lovely Thuringian. Often as he had remarked her beauty, he now wondered -at the perfection of her supple, rounded form and the rich bloom of her -cheeks. Others might own greater regularity of features, but none could -surpass her in grace of movement or charm of expression. - -But most of all the king was pleased and his heart touched by the girl's -words of endearment for Rothada and Hildegarde. Her inquiries about the -queen's health often ended in a sigh, and a naive exclamation of how -happy must be the lot of one wedded to a world-hero. - -So the days of Yuletide slipped by, each bringing with it new games on -the Moselle bank, and merry play for the onlookers. Even young Karl and -Pepin Hunchback took part, and in many ways proved by their boyish skill -the efficiency of Floki's training. Both were afield from dawn to -sunset, and when not testing their skill at the butts with bow or spear, -or watching some hotly contested race or wrestling match, they were to -be found skimming over the Moselle, in vain efforts to follow Olvir and -their sister. - -Dawn of the last day of Yule brought with it a threat of a weather -change. But Franks and vikings gathered as usual on the river-bank, and -the fact that this day was to see an end of the festivities gave added -zest to the games. - -None hurried afield with greater eagerness than Pepin Hunchback and the -boy Karl, whom Olvir had promised to take with Rothada down the Moselle. -Gerold and Liutrad were also to be of the party, and the failure of the -latter to appear at the set time kept the others waiting on the bank for -an hour or more. - -When at last the young giant did arrive, with the excuse that Abbot -Fulrad had needed him, Olvir, who had been studying the sky, urged that -the trip be given over. But at this the king's sons cried out in bitter -disappointment. Liutrad and Gerold good-naturedly yielded to their -appeals to plead for them, and Olvir finally consented to go part way on -the intended course. Yet before he would give the word to start, he -first sought out Floki in the midst of the wrestlers, and while the -lofty viking was stripping to enter the ring spoke a brief command in -his ear. - -As he approached the ring, Olvir had passed a tall and graceful woman, -who was gazing intently across to where the king stood bandying jests -with Fastrada. The gazer's face had been muffled in her scarf and hood, -and when Olvir, after speaking to Floki, turned with casual curiosity to -observe her more closely, she had disappeared in the crowd. But a -little later, as he was binding on Rothada's skates, the same woman came -down the river-bank, and, half running to young Karl, caught him in her -embrace. - -"Mother!" cried the boy, clinging to her neck. - -"Hildegarde!" echoed Gerold, in amazement, as the hood fell back from -the queen's pale face. "How is this, sister? You 're mad to venture -out--" - -"Hush, Gerold; be silent!" rejoined the queen. "I was stifling in the -bower. I woke when all were gone but the leech. He lay asleep, outworn -with watching; so I dressed myself and passed out quietly, that his rest -might not be broken. Have no fear; my strength has come again, and -every breath of the wintry air fills me with new life. See; I have -brought my skates. I will join you on the ice." - -Rothada came and put her arms about the queen. - -"We had thought to go down the river, mother," she said; "but now that -you are with us--" - -"I 'll run tell the good tidings to our lord king," broke in Liutrad. - -"No, lad; stay!" exclaimed Hildegarde, and she drew the hood out over -her face again. "It would mar the games should his Majesty withdraw -from the field, and--and there would be great outcry were my presence -known. I wish quiet--peace and quiet--while I skim about on the smooth -ice and breathe in the pure air. Now I am cold and sad. When the blood -leaps freely in my veins, I can join the folk without fear of marring -their play. Take me with you down the Moselle. Bind on my skates, -brother!" - -"The storm-light is in the sky, Dame Hildegarde," protested Olvir. "Is -it wise that you should venture beyond sight of the villa?" - -"I have spoken," replied Hildegarde, with unwonted sharpness. "Gerold, -lead on with the boys. I will trust to Liutrad's arm." - -When the queen spoke in such a tone, even Gerold could not venture a -remonstrance. He lashed the skate-thongs over his sister's slender -buskins, and sprang up, boar-spear in hand, to join the king's sons. -The boys were circling about, wild with delight at the thought that some -stray wolf or bear might give them opportunity to prove their prowess to -their beloved mother. As they darted off before Gerold, Hildegarde -rested her gloved hand lightly on Liutrad's massive forearm and glided -out beside him with the graceful stroke of a practised skater. - -Olvir slung his war-bow with its full quiver upon his back, and caught -up Rothada's hand, to follow the queen. - -"All's well with our gracious dame, dearest," he said. "She skims over -the ice-street with the ease of a swallow's flight. I wager she can -cover many long miles without wearying." - -"True, dear hero; and already I see the bloom creeping back into her -cheeks." - -"As it has crept into yours, little nun, day by day, since the first of -Yule. The cloister pallor is all but gone. Once more you are the vala -of my sea-wolves." - -"Their morning greeting still roars in my ears. Yet they are -heathen,--only heathen! How beautiful the world is, Olvir!" - -"To those whose hearts are filled with beauty and love, dearest." - -Rothada's fingers tightened in the firm palm of her hero, and for a long -time the lovers skimmed over the ice in happy silence. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - -Troll's lore and witchcraft. - VOLSUNGA SAGA. - - -As the little party shot out from among the other skaters, to sweep away -down the river, a shrivelled old man crept out of an alder thicket near -the bank, and called to a passing boy. The sight of a silver penny lent -wings to the lad's feet, and he ran nimbly through the crowds on the -snowy field, repeating to himself the two simple words which he was to -whisper in the ear of Fastrada, the queen's maiden. Chance favored him. -The king had drawn apart with Abbot Fulrad, and the Franks were moving -across the meadow to see the wrestling. In the confusion, the boy was -able to gain Fastrada's side and tell his message, unheeded by those -around. - -With all her years of court training, Fastrada was unable to hide her -vexation when the boy muttered his two words in her ear. She stopped -short and stamped her jewelled buskin deep into the snow, and her eyes -blazed with angry light. Count Amalwin, who chanced to be near, -inquired with uncouth sympathy what might be troubling the Grey Wolf's -daughter. But Fastrada turned from him without answer, to hasten after -Kosru's messenger. - -The boy, eager to finger his promised reward, reached the alder thicket -far in advance of the queen's maiden. But Kosru was so reluctant to -part with a single penny that the boy was still begging for his due when -Fastrada came up. Snatching the leech's pouch, she pressed not one but -four pennies into the hand of the astonished boy, and told him to go and -watch the Danish slingers. As he raced off, half mad with delight at -his treasure, Fastrada turned upon the Magian with a look that made him -cringe to the snow. - -"Dog!" she hissed; "you 've let the Swabian escape you! Enough of your -false promises! This very day I counted on for triumph; and now--" - -"Pardon! grant me pardon, maiden! Have I not served you well all these -days? Is it my fault that the drug loses its power when so constantly -given? I am aged and weak. Overcome by weariness, I slept--" - -"Where is she now?" - -The leech rose a little way, and thrust out a crooked finger from his -robe. - -"She came here to the river-bank. Hurrying out in search of her, I -spied her in the midst of the crowd. But then she followed after Count -Olvir to this place, where the king's children were waiting with Count -Gerold and Liutrad the Scribe." - -"She made herself known to them?" - -"But to none other. They disputed a little, and then all glided away -down the river on the ice-shoes. The warriors carried spear and bow, as -though they went to the chase." - -"The king himself told me of the skating-party; only, one is gone of -whom he is not aware. A lucky going for you, Magian! I may yet have -time to win; she forgets all else when the ice-blades are on her feet. -She may go far before turning. Would that she might never come back! -_Ai!_ and why should she? In the bleak forest are my mother's fiends -and many hungry mouths!" - -The girl turned panting upon the leech, her eyes gleaming green between -the narrowed lids, her scarlet lips drawn back from the strong white -teeth in a cruel smile. - -"Go!" she cried. "Fetch me quickly all you have of that drug which -saved you from the wolf-pack in Fulda Wood." - -"By the blessed Sun, maiden! what would you do?" gasped the Magian. - -"I 'd win for myself power and honors, and for you, gold without stint," -rejoined Fastrada, and her face hardened to a still more cruel look. -But the leech no longer faltered and cringed. Before his greedy eyes -glittered a yellow heap,--gold without stint! gold without stint! Very -humbly he salaamed to the witch's daughter, and then, bending to her -gesture, limped away on his unholy sending. - -An hour or so later, Count Hardrat, chancing to pass along the -river-bank, suddenly found himself face to face with Fastrada. It was -his first sober day since the Christmas feast, and he shrank from -meeting the daughter of Rudulf after his relapse into drunkenness. -Greatly to his surprise, she greeted him not only without reproach, but -even smilingly, and he readily accepted her proposal that they skate -together on the river. The girl's skates already swung at her girdle, -and for balancing-staff she carried a pretty silver and ivory dart, with -flint tip. - -Skates were soon found for Hardrat, and the couple darted out among the -ice-skimmers. As they swept in a long loop beyond the regular -racing-course, Fastrada drew her companion's attention to the tracks -leading down the river, and dared him to attempt the overtaking of the -party. Hardrat, who was a skilled skater, accepted the challenge with -eagerness, and very shortly the couple were flying past the viking -settlement and around the first bend of the river into the black borders -of the ancient forest. - -For two leagues and more the Thuringian count and the Thuringian maiden -raced side by side at utmost speed, each straining with every nerve and -muscle to outdo the other. At last the man, weakened by his excesses at -wassail, began to lose breath. Heedless of his growing distress, the -girl drove on, her eyes fixed on the narrow trail of skate-marks which -she followed. - -"Stay!" gasped Hardrat at last, as they swept down upon yet another bend -of the river. "Slack--your pace, maiden! I can--go--no farther!" - -Fastrada glanced about, frowning, at the purple-blotched face of her -mate; but suddenly she seemed to slip, and a cry of pain burst from her -lips. Leaning with all her weight upon one foot, she turned sharply and -glided inshore, borne on by the momentum of her swift flight. Taken by -surprise, Hardrat shot past for half-a-dozen strokes. Before he could -circle about and rejoin the girl, she had limped part way up the -snow-covered bank, to lean against a giant oak. As Hardrat scrambled -after her, she met his look of concern with a rueful face. - -"Satan spit the false wood-minnes!" she cried. "They 've wrought me -ill,--my ankle is wrenched." - -"Holy saints! and we three leagues from aid!" - -"Not so; less than two. The hut--" - -"--If _she_ still lingers." - -"Shelter, anyway. Yet there may be no need. Chafing and a fire might -ease my hurt." - -Hardrat's bloodshot eyes lighted dully. - -"There are less welcome tasks than to chafe the foot of Rudulf's -daughter. As to the fire, however, I carry neither flint nor tinder." - -"Ah, then, yet stay! Here's the tip of my staff-spear, and for tinder, -my kerchief, whose end I scorched on the coals this morning." - -"A lucky chance," muttered Hardrat, and he set to gathering twigs and -dry leaves from along the bank. As he bent to heap the fuel together -for lighting, Fastrada crouched upon the snow, and drew from her bosom a -large pouch, whose contents gave out a fetid odor. Laying the pouch -openly on the snow beside her, she stared over the broad back of her -companion into the depths of the leafless forest, and her face darkened -with the fearful look that had terrified the Magian. - -Having piled his fuel, Hardrat drew the broad knife which swung at his -belt, and with the back of the blade struck a shower of sparks from the -flint spear-tip into the linen kerchief. Quickly the tinder caught the -sparks, and a few puffs set the smouldering cloth aflame. Fanned by a -light breeze from up the river, the blaze spread with a cheerful -snapping through the heap of dead limbs and pieces of driftwood. -Hardrat took note how the smoke, instead of rising, drifted away between -the tree-trunks and over the ice, like morning mist. - -"See how the smoke lies on the snow," he said. "One needs scant -knowledge of woodcraft to tell that a storm is near." - -"Then we should soon be hastening back," replied Fastrada, who, instead -of looking at the ankle which he was chafing, was staring at the -low-eddying smoke with fierce exultance. "_Ai!_" she sighed -complainingly, "that was a luckless wrench! Stay your hand, though. It -may chance there 'll be no need to chafe the hurt. Am I not my mother's -daughter? Here is a charm stronger than the power of elf or nixie. If, -in truth, my hurt is the work of some evil wood-minne, I shall soon heal -it. In this scrip is a drug whose burning will force out the worst of -fiends. Cast it into the midst of the flames while I speak the needed -spell." - -Hardrat drew away, his cheeks suddenly gone ashen. - -"No! by all the saints, no!" he cried. "I 'll have no hand in your -witchery. I 've seen enough of black spells in _her_ hut." - -"Hero!" jeered Fastrada; and with her own hand she lifted the pouch, to -scatter half its contents around her in the snow. As she threw the rest -into the flames, her red lips muttered soft hissing words of the Wendish -tongue, and her beautiful face was distorted with a look that sent a -shudder of superstitious fear through Hardrat's thick-set frame. The -pungent odor sent out by the burning drug added yet more to his terror. -He stood cowering beside the fire, unable to fly, his bloated cheeks -grey and mottled, and his limbs trembling visibly, as he watched the -look of awful expectancy that crept into the face of the witch's -daughter. - -Moment after moment, the girl sat staring out after the drifting -smoke-wreaths, her lips softly muttering the sibilant Wend words. -Though Karl himself had marked the Thuringian's boldness on the -battlefield, the man was now like a frightened child in the dark. The -strain was almost more than he could bear. His tow-white hair bristled -beneath his cap; his very blood was curdling in his veins. He was on -the point of crying aloud when the silence was broken by the lone howl -of a wolf. Wild with terror, Hardrat sprang, about to fly. But -Fastrada leaped up as he passed and caught him by the shoulder. Her -eyes gleamed with fierce joy. - -"_Hei!_" she cried. "The fiend-gods are with us! Down the wind with the -smoke the evil sprite has passed, and my hurt is healed! my hurt is -healed!" - -"Saints shield me!" stammered Hardrat, and he crossed himself. That the -girl should scramble with him down the bank and out across the rough -ice-edge without a trace of her sprain, by no means tended to lessen his -dread. - -When they gained the smooth ice, Fastrada would have paused; but Hardrat -struck out at once in the face of the freshening breeze, feverishly -eager to put the long leagues between him and the fumes of the magic -drug. As Fastrada darted to his side, and they swept away over the -level ice, they heard once more, far back in the forest behind them, -that long-drawn, dismal howl; and this time the cry was caught up and -repeated from the farther depths of the forest. - -"Holy Mother!" gasped Hardrat. "Your spell has roused the werwolves -from their lairs!" - -Fastrada only smiled, and lengthened her stroke to meet the frantic rush -of her companion. - -Presently a bend of the river brought the wind into a more favorable -quarter, and the couple raced homeward up the ice-street yet more -swiftly than they had come. For a while they could hear howls in the -forest depths; but as the leagues melted away beneath their -skate-strokes, the dreadful sounds died out in the distance. - -Still Hardrat kept on, spurred by mad terror; nor would he slacken the -pace until they swept into full view of the viking settlement. At sight -of the steep-roofed buildings and the shouting merrymakers in the -meadows beyond, he uttered a hoarse cry, and ceased his frantic strokes. -Borne on by his momentum, he glided forward until opposite the viking -hall. Then, utterly spent, he sank down upon the ice, wheezing as -though he would choke. - -Fastrada circled about and came to a stand beside the over-wearied man, -eying him with cold indifference. When he had gained breath a little -and could listen, she bent forward and said significantly: "Let there be -no talk of this skating, friend Hardrat." - -"Trust me for that, witch-daughter! I 'll drown the memory at the -cask's bottom!" - -"It is well that your tongue does not wag with the wine. Here's gold -for your wassail-fee," replied Fastrada, and, flinging a coin to him, -she glided on up the river. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - -Unto all bale -And all hate whetted. - LAY OF BRYNHILD - - -In the centre of the skating-course the girl threw back her hood and -gazed about at the circling skaters. Being now easily recognized, she -at once became a focus of attraction for the younger Franks, who darted -forward from all sides to offer themselves as partners. But the girl -stood coyly in their midst, seemingly undecided whom to choose. She had -spied the king sweeping out from the bank, and so contrived that when he -wheeled past the cluster of eager suitors he caught her gaze fixed upon -him in a look of tender longing. Instantly his eyes kindled, and, -driving in among the young warriors, he bore off the prize from their -midst. - -With the girl's arm locked fast in his powerful clasp, Karl swept her -along at whirlwind speed, his skates ringing loudly on the ice with the -force of his strokes. His face glowed with the fierce delight of the -captor, and the half-frightened, half-pleased look of his lovely captive -sent the hot blood leaping through his veins. - -Unresisting but unassisting, Fastrada clung to his supporting arm while -he bore her around the skating-course at a speed no other skater born in -Frank Land might have hoped to equal. As he swept back through the -thick of the shouting onlookers, he wheeled, seized by some fresh -impulse, and drove away down the river, with no slackening in his -headlong rush. - -The Franks discreetly refrained from following their king; and Floki the -Crane, who alone of those present could have overtaken the flying -couple, headed back such of the younger Northmen as chose to consider -the manner of the king's leaving a challenge to race. - -So, followed neither by Frank nor viking, Karl drove on with his fair -prize into the forest. As the gnarled trunks of the giant oaks shut out -from view the last glimpse of field and dwelling, Fastrada's downcast -eyes shone with sapphire tints, and though far from wearied by her mad -race with Hardrat, she leaned more heavily upon the arm of the king. - -A little later, the two were standing face to face in the centre of the -river, a league beyond the viking camp. Karl was staring at the maiden -with a bewildered look as he listened to her pleading words: "Ah, stay, -my lord! You break my heart! I thought--I thought you 'd take me to -wife." - -Karl smiled, half incredulously. - -"How then, silly maiden," he said; "have you forgotten who sits beside -me on the throne?" - -Fastrada's drooping eyelids quivered, and her face whitened; but she -betrayed no sign of anger or jealousy. - -"I 've not forgotten, dear lord," she whispered. "Yet I thought-- I -'ve heard of kingly rights. Is there--was there not a custom that the -king might take to himself two wives?" - -"By my sword, fair one, you 'd make a Merwing of me! Is it not enough -that you have won my love?" - -"No, sire, no! It is not enough for me!" cried the girl. - -"Then what would you have?" asked Karl, wonderingly. - -Before she answered, the girl raised her eyes to his, and flung out her -arms. - -"Ah, how I love you, dear lord!" she half whispered. "But you forgo your -ancient right,--you 'll not seat two with you on your throne. I see -only one way that joy may come to me,--ay, and why not? Why should not -I have my turn?" - -"How then?" demanded Karl. "Speak out." - -"Ah, dear lord, do not be harsh! It is my love that forces my lips to -speak, and so--and so--I will say it, though it kill me! Dear lord, if -you will not make me joint sharer of your throne with the one who now -sits beside you, I would--I would that she might give place to me,--as -the Lombard's daughter gave way to her--as Himiltrude gave way to the -princess--" - -"Ha!" cried Karl. He drew back a step, and stood staring at her, -overcome with amazement at her audacity. - -For a moment the girl straightened before his angry wonder with a -gesture almost of defiance. But then her eyes sank, and her whole body -drooped forward. - -"Pardon me, dear sire!" she pleaded faintly. "Forgive the love which -carried me beyond reason. I could not stay my tongue, dear lord. I was -mad!" - -Softened by the girl's words and timid look, Karl relaxed his frown. - -"Daughter of Rudulf," he said, "it is I who am at fault. You are far -other than I thought,--I own it with shame! Here, then, is an end; for -as to your foolish dream, that may never be. No woman lives who can -thrust from my heart the daughter of Childebrand." - -"Then all is over, dear lord; I may not hope?" - -"All is over, maiden." - -For a while the girl stood silent, one of her skate-runners tapping -gently on the ice. But then, forcing as it were the words from her -lips, she murmured hurriedly: "Your Majesty, is it not best I should be -returning?" - -"Not you alone, maiden! Whoever's afield should be seeking shelter. -Already the oak-tops moan with the coming storm. But fear nothing. We -shall soon be warming our knees by the cheery hall-fire." - -"But how, sire, of those who-- Ah, Holy Mother forgive me! I forgot; -in my love and joy, I forgot! Kosru the leech-- Oh, hasten, sire! The -lads and Rothada,--they are on the river, and with them our gracious -dame!" - -"Hildegarde!" roared Karl, in angry alarm. - -"The queen," echoed Fastrada, and she shrank back in real fear of the -king's threatening gesture. But he advanced, only to motion her up the -river. - -"To the villa!" he commanded. "Tell the Danes their vala is in peril! -Bid the counts join with them! I go to meet the skaters." - -With the words, Karl wheeled past the cowering girl, and drove away down -the river at headlong speed. - -Instantly Fastrada sprang erect and glared after him. - -"_Hai!_" she hissed. "Let him go; let him rush to share the fate of the -others! The hungry fangs await him! Merry's the feast I 've set for -Odin's dogs!--king's kin and king; ay, and my false hero! All's merry -in the bleak wood! Hark to the moaning oaks! My mother's spell has -roused the storm-fiends,--the sky darkens. Soon the gnawed bones will -lie wrapped in a snowy shroud! And now I shall go to _her_. She shall -unriddle that old foretelling,--'a king, grey of eye.' The Merwing Wolf -rode the tree; Pepin's son rushes to meet his bane; who, then, may it -be? Adelchis the Lombard, idling in the Kaiser's hall, or that drunken -Hardrat? More likely he,--the white-bristled boar! I had thought to -crush him when the time came; but now-- Ah, would that Pepin's son had -lent a willing ear! He at least was a world-hero, with whom might be -named no warrior other than my sea-king. And now they are death-doomed. -_Ai!_ my bright hero bleeds! Olvir! Oh, Olvir!" - -Writhing in tearless anguish, the girl stumbled to the river's edge. -With feverish haste she tore loose the skate-thongs from her buskins, -and, leaping up the bank, fled wildly into the heart of the forest. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - -Thou shalt hear the wolves howling. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -When the little party, whose leader he had considered himself, glided -away into the forest, Olvir had thought to limit the trip to three -leagues at the utmost. But he failed to consider the queen's humor. - -After her long confinement within the bower, Hildegarde's fair face -glowed with almost feverish delight as she felt the ice glide away -beneath her feet, and she swayed her body to the skate-stroke with the -grace of a Greek dancer. Upborne by Liutrad's powerful grasp, she soon -lost all thought of fatigue and distance, and floated on--on--through -the white sunlight, her face serene with dreamy contentment. Her -enjoyment was at its height when Olvir, hand in hand with Rothada, -glided up beside her, a troubled look in his dark eyes. - -"Stay, Dame Hildegarde," he called out. "I beg you to turn back before -it is too late. The storm-light is boding, and we 're already too far -from hearth and roof-tree." - -Hildegarde threw out her hand in a gesture of vexation very unlike her -usual gentle bearing. - -"Leave croaking to the ravens!" she cried. "How soon will your storm -sweep upon us?" - -"That I cannot say, dear dame. I know nothing of your Rhineland." - -"I might guess," said Liutrad, in response to the queen's glance. "Yet -why not ask Gerold? None should know better than he." - -"Brother!" called Hildegarde; and when the young Swabian came circling -back to her side, she pointed skywards. "It seems that our Norse hero -is fearful of the storm-boding. He would have it that we wander too far -afield." - -"Ah, Olvir; so you still fret at the storm-light," laughed Gerold, and -he cast a careless glance at the sky. - -"In old Norway such a boding would bring the wind howling about our ears -within an hour," rejoined Olvir. - -"Here it will come with the sundown," said Gerold. "There is yet no -moaning in the oak-tops." - -"Enough!" cried his sister. "Rejoin the lads. We 'll fare on." - -Though far from satisfied, Olvir made no further protest. Saluting the -queen, he at once fell back with Rothada to their former position in the -rear. Surely Gerold should know. If he gave assurance of safety, why -need an outlander doubt? And it was very pleasant to glide on into the -forest depths, side by side with the little vala. Having done his part, -he could now put away all thought of mishap, and give himself over to -joy. - -Constant practice with Olvir through all the happy days of Yule had -gained for Rothada a skate-stroke which in lightness and grace all but -equalled that of Hildegarde herself. With the light staff-spear -balanced in her left hand, and scarf and cloak floating back from her -shoulders, the king's daughter skimmed over the ice-street with all the -airy freedom of a bird. But for the glint of the upcurving -skate-runners as her slender foot peeped from beneath her skirt, Olvir -might well have fancied that her flight was winged. Life and love had -driven the last trace of cloister pallor from her rounding cheeks, and -beamed from her eyes with the tender radiance of perfect trust and joy. - -The loveliness of his princess set every fibre of Olvir's being atingle -with rapture. His black eyes gazed down adoringly upon her lissome body -and dainty foot; upon the glossy braids which lay entwined with bright -ribbons down her heaving bosom; upon the flower-like face beneath its -jewelled cap; most of all, upon the soft eyes, half-veiled by the -tresses wind-blown across the white forehead. - -Mile after mile, the forest glided past in an endless maze of gnarled -trunks and leafless branches; but, like the queen, the lovers were lost -to all sense of time and distance. Gradually the space between them had -lessened. Now Rothada's hand was upon Olvir's shoulder; his arm was -clasped about her waist, and he was softly chanting to her of the fells -and fiords, of the salmon leaping in the torrents, and the crimson glow -of the midnight sun. - -When at last Hildegarde gave the word to turn, the lovers halted with -the others, and stood before them without altering their pose. Neither -would have become aware of Hildegarde's look of surprise or of Liutrad's -and Gerold's smiles, had not young Karl cried out in boyish glee: "See, -mother, Rothada and Count Olvir! Sister will wed our lord father's -bright Dane hawk, and he 'll never fly away to his frost-white eyry." - -"The dear Christ grant that such may be the outcome, child," replied -Hildegarde; and she gazed, with a tender smile, at Rothada's downbent -head. "Now that your sister gives proof of her love, all should go -well. Count Olvir has only to accept baptism." - -"Baptism, dear dame! Should you not rather say, the yoke of priestly -rule?" - -"Olvir, Olvir! put aside your stubborn pride! You little know how hard -it is for our lord to give his sweet maiden into another's keeping. If, -then, he holds you in such friendship, should you not be willing to bend -to Christ?" - -"That I already do, Dame Hildegarde," replied Olvir, gravely. "But let -us spare ourselves now. We are afield, and should give ourselves over -to joy." - -"Lord Olvir speaks well, mother," exclaimed Pepin, flourishing his -javelin. "Lead on again! We may yet chance upon an elk or bear." - -"No, sister; about and homeward!" cried Gerold, in sudden alarm. "Hear -the moaning in the oak-tops! How can I ever forgive myself? The -storm's upon us, and we so far from shelter!" - -"I alone am at fault," said Hildegarde. "Had I given heed to Olvir's -warning, by now we should have been within sight of home. Lend your aid -to the lads, brother. If you tire, Liutrad will take your place." - -"Beside me, lads!" cried Gerold, impatiently. - -The boys darted in to grasp the ends of the Swabian's crossed spear, and -with a shout all three struck out on the homeward race. After them -glided Hildegarde and Liutrad with long, easy strokes, while Olvir, his -arm still clasped about his little princess, swept her along in the wake -of the others like a cluster of thistledown upborne by the breeze. - -Spurred on by his alarm, Gerold steadily increased the pace, until the -air whistled in the ears of the skaters, and the long miles melted away -beneath their flashing ice-blades in swift succession. Few skaters, -however, could long sustain so rapid a stroke, and Gerold at last found -that he had overestimated his strength. Unhampered, he might have held -on without slackening to the very end of the course; but his strength -and training were now offset by the weight of the two boys. Little more -than half the homeward course had been covered when his strokes began to -flag, and he found himself compelled to ease the pace. Liutrad was -quick to heed his friend's distress. - -"Ho, gossip!" he called; "you 're all but winded. Leave Pepin to me, and -fall behind. I 'll lead for a while." - -"Lead, then! I must give way," panted Gerold, and reluctantly he -slackened speed for the Northman to pass. At the moment, however, Pepin -uttered a wild view-halloo, and dashed aside toward the river-bank, -followed hotly by young Karl. - -"A wolf!" sang out Liutrad, at sight of the gaunt black beast bounding -silently along the bank among the alders. - -"Ho! see the cowardly brute make off!" shouted Gerold, as the wolf -leaped away into the forest. - -"Cowardly?" repeated Hildegarde. "It seems to me very bold of the lone -beast to follow an armed party in midday." - -"Greyleg fares ill in the winter woods," answered Liutrad, in a careless -tone, and he beckoned to the disappointed young hunters. "Hasten, lads! -If we find ourselves within a league of the villa before the storm -bursts, we shall be doing well." - -"God grant no worse befall us!" muttered Olvir, half aloud, and as the -boys circled back to their new places in the party, he drew his war-bow -from its case and strung it, ready for instant use. But at Rothada's -startled look, he smiled, and said lightly: "Now I dare Greyleg to peer -out the second time. He shall find his bane without waiting for the -spears of bairns." - -"He will do well to overtake us again, Olvir, now that Liutrad leads." - -"True, dear heart. Few even in the North can out-ride Liutrad on the -ice-steeds, and his bigness breaks the wind for those of us who follow. -Lean more to the stroke, dear one, and waste no breath in words." - -Obediently Rothada bent forward on his supporting arm, while Olvir, -freed from her inquiring gaze, searched the river-banks with his glance, -and turned his head as though straining to catch the first note of some -distant cry. He had not long to wait. - -So faint that at first even the listening ear could scarcely tell it -from the moaning of the oak boughs, down the wind came floating that -most dismal of all sounds,--the long-drawn howl of a wolf. Olvir's face -grew tense, and his grip on the war-bow tightened as he glanced down at -Rothada. But he held on after the others, without a word, though howl -after howl was borne to his ears by the freshening breeze. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - ---Oft Wyrd preserveth -Undoomed earl--if he doughty be. - BEOWULF. - - -At first none other than Olvir gave heed to the dreary cry; for now the -storm's forerunners came soughing through the leafless treetops. A -half-mile, however, and the howls had merged into one continuous note -that rose and fell on the breeze like the wail of fiends in torment. -Even Rothada's untrained ear caught the appalling sound as it swelled -out with a sudden flaw of the wind. The girl cowered and pressed closer -to her companion. Nor was she alone in her fear. With all their boyish -pride, her brothers cried out in dread, and Gerold turned as pale as his -sister. Liutrad slackened speed, and looked instinctively to Olvir. - -"Hearken, earl!" he called. "The wolf-pack is before us! Should we not -turn back?" - -"_Heu!_" shouted Gerold; "turn--turn and fly while there's yet time!" - -"Where?" rejoined Olvir,--"to perish in the forest? The storm lowers. -Our only hope is ahead. Let us only sweep by the pack, and we may yet -gain safety. At the worst, we can mount an oak till Floki brings aid. -Lead on, son of Erling! Already we glide through the midst of the -horde. Look back!" - -A cry of terror burst from all others than Liutrad as they stared back -over their shoulders. From the point of the last bend, not a hundred -paces behind them, a dozen gaunt beasts were breaking cover to leap out -upon the ice. Even as the skaters looked about, other bands of the -silent pursuers sprang into the open from either bank, and a dry -snapping in the alders drew the eye to half-hidden forms flitting -through the thickets abreast of the party. - -Suddenly a huge grey wolf leaped out from the left bank, several yards -in the lead of the skaters. The beast made no attempt to attack the -quarry. Hardly even did he look at them, but bounded along on the -ice-edge, whining like a young dog. The strange actions of the beast, -coupled with the silence of the gathering pack, struck Liutrad's stout -heart with a fear little less intense than that of his companions. - -"Tyr! the beasts are upon us!" he shouted, and, gripping Hildegarde and -Pepin fast in his giant grasp, he bent far over and drove into the teeth -of the freshening wind at racing speed. At his heels followed Gerold -with young Karl, keen to hold the vantage of the wind-break offered by -the great body of the Northman. - -Olvir, however, did not join in the mad rush. With a word of assurance -to Rothada, he freed his hold of her and plucked an arrow from his -quiver. With the twang of the bow the grey leader of the wolf-pack -uttered a yell and leaped high in the air, pierced through and through -by the Norse arrow. Even as the beast fell dying, Olvir was back at -Rothada's side, and his arm linked in hers with a grip of steel. - -"Ho, dear heart!" he cried cheerily; "now will Odin's dogs whet their -fangs on the bones of their leader, while we race away up the -ice-street. Bend now--yet farther! The others outstrip us." - -"Christ save us!" gasped Rothada, despairingly. - -Olvir's face contracted with a pang of keenest anguish; but his voice -rang out almost gaily: "How now, king's daughter; where is your trust? -No wolf should overtake us though we had ten leagues to cover." - -"I trust my hero!" replied the girl, and the words gave added force to -the Northman's swift strokes. But as he whirled his precious charge -away from the silent pursuers, the dismal howling in the forest ahead -swelled out with fearful distinctness. - -Louder and yet louder resounded the yelling chorus, until the air -quivered with the hideous din, and even Liutrad faltered, half fearing -to advance. But then Olvir shot forward in the lead, and his call rang -out bold and clear: "On! on, wolf-racers! We outstrip the chase! At -yonder bend we 'll know the worst,--beyond is the howling pack. If we -cannot pass, turn in to the cleft oak on the point. Its boughs will -house us safe from Greyleg." - -"We follow, ring-breaker!" shouted Liutrad, and all dashed on at racing -speed, their hearts leaping with renewed hope. Every stroke left the -grim pursuers farther to the rear. - -But now they were sweeping around the river's bend, and the outcry -before them rose to a deafening clamor. Dreadful as was the sound, it -yet failed to prepare them for the scene that burst upon their startled -gaze. Even Olvir's face whitened, and his lips moved in quick prayer. -A little way beyond the bend, the river's bank and the ice-edge was -black with a dense mass of wolves, yelling and fighting and tearing at -the snow in mad frenzy. - -"God save us! they 're werwolves!" cried Gerold. - -Hildegarde turned her despairing gaze about till it rested on young -Karl. - -"To the oak! to the oak, brother!" she screamed. "Save my boy!" - -But Olvir pointed ahead with a forceful gesture: "Hold, fools! Follow -me on! We'll dash by the mad fiends. Beyond is safety!" - -Again the sea-king's words brought hope to his companions. Swifter than -ever their skate-blades spurned the glassy surface, and they swept on -around the bend at their utmost speed. - -Such was the frenzy of the wolves in their weird saturnalia that at -first they failed to heed the swiftly approaching skaters. But as the -fugitives came flying past, the young wolves on the edge of the pack -sighted the quarry, and yelled out the view-cry. Another moment, and -the whole pack was swarming down the bank and out upon the ice, to head -off the quarry. - -So swiftly, however, were the skaters skimming past that all but a few -of the foremost wolves were hopelessly outdistanced. Only a dozen or so -of those farthest upstream succeeded in coming near the fugitives, and -even of these the leader alone came within fair distance for the quarry -leap. With a yell, the beast crouched, and flung himself at Hildegarde; -but at the same instant Liutrad swerved aside with his charges, and -Gerold, driving along a few paces behind the Northman, straightened up -and cast his heavy boar-spear through the body of the leaping beast. - -In a twinkling the Swabian had whirled young Karl past the writhing, -snarling brute, and all were echoing the boy's shrill cry of triumph. -Though the wolf-pack yelled at their very heels, every hungry fang was -now behind them. - -"God be praised!" gasped Hildegarde. "The worst is past." - -"We go free!" echoed Gerold, panting yet joyful; "we go free, out of -their very jaws! Let the cheated fiends follow in their place!" - -But Olvir was silent, and his glance shifted uneasily from the horde of -yelling pursuers to the maiden at his side. There was little exultation -in his tense white face. One peril had been passed, but another now -threatened. Rothada was gasping for breath. Notwithstanding his aid, -she was almost outdone. Her strokes faltered, and Olvir could feel the -wild throbbing of her heart. Though she made no complaint, he saw that -the strain was more than she could bear. His despairing gaze glanced -from the oak-tops to the lowering sky. - -"Not that! not that!" he muttered. "Already the storm is upon us. She -would perish of cold on the shelterless boughs before Floki comes. By -Thor, we hold our own with the wood-fiends! Could we keep to the pace a -little longer-- Yet I cannot bear her up alone!" - -"Ah, Olvir!" gasped Rothada, "my strength fails; I can go no farther. -Loose me; loose me, and save the others, dearest! I but drag you -back--to death!" - -Olvir gazed down upon the girl, his dark eyes misty with infinite love -and tenderness; and with the soul-calm came sudden clearness. A flush -rose in his pale cheeks, and his eyes flashed with hopeful fire. - -"Liutrad! Gerold!" he shouted; "the princess faints! Skate abreast, -that you may bear her up between you. Soon you may ease your stroke. I -go to play with the dogs of Odin." - -"God forbid!" cried Liutrad. "Let me be the one to stay them." - -"And gorge their jaws! No, lad; you own the greater strength; I the -greater fleetness. Each to his part!" - -"Let Pepin come beside me," said Hildegarde. "He can hold to my hand." - -"I 'll drag little, dear mother," replied the boy. "I 'm still strong." - -"And I, mother," echoed Karl, with boyish pride. - -"You 're brave lads, both," answered Gerold. "Slacken more, Liutrad. -Now, Pepin, cross over to your mother--so; well done! We 're ready, -Olvir." - -"None too soon!" rejoined Olvir, and he fell back until Liutrad caught -the fainting maiden from his grasp. - -Borne up between the two young warriors, Rothada had now only to lean -her weight upon their strong arms, and glide onwards, swept along by -their powerful strokes. The pace was still swift enough to hold the -hundred strokes gained over the horde at the first. Olvir was quick to -heed the fact, and his face shone as he circled about the others for a -farewell view. - -"All's well!" he called cheerily. "Hold on only a little longer, and -you may ease the pace." - -Still smiling, he plucked an arrow from his quiver, and swept around on -his daring mission. In another moment he was skimming at arrowy speed -straight into the face of the pack, his gold-red hair streaming, his -face bright and eager with the joy of battle. - -Once and again the war-bow twanged, and two of the grey leaders sprang -high in the death-leap. But, heedless of their dead, the pack swept on -over the writhing bodies to meet the slayer. Already the rash skater -was upon them. Another instant, and he would be struggling in their -midst. But even as the lolling tongues drew in for the leap-bite, and -the fiery eyes gleamed red with baleful joy, the mad quarry wheeled like -a striking hawk, and shot away to the right from under their very jaws. -In their eagerness, many of the foremost wolves leaped at the Northman; -but their jaws clashed together through empty air, and they fell -sprawling upon the ice, to be overrun by their fellows. - -Wild with baffled fury, the whole pack swerved to follow the fleeing -quarry as he swept slantingly across the broad expanse of the river. -Olvir could have asked no more. Skimming along just beyond reach of the -foam-dripping jaws, he gazed back at his ferocious pursuers with a -mocking smile. - -"Follow! follow me, dogs of Odin!" he jeered. "I 'll lead you a merry -dance; to and fro,--a game of ice-tag. So; we near the bank. Now across -to the other side; and as we go, I 'll play on my one-stringed harp. -You shall have music to your singing!" - -Circling on the very edge of the ice-rim, Olvir swept obliquely back -across the river. But as he turned, his smile gave way to sudden -grimness, and he raised his hand to his quiver. Then the war-bow began -to twang its answer to the yelling beasts, and arrow after arrow drove -into their midst with vengeful force. Hardly a shaft flew wide of its -mark; yet they followed so swiftly one upon the other that the quiver -was emptied and the last shaft whirring from the string before the -flying bowman had crossed the channel. - -"Thor!" he shouted in fierce joy. "We 've played a merry game, -white-fangs; now for a merrier!" - -Deftly the bow was unstrung and slipped into its case, and then the -bared blade of Al-hatif glittered in the sea-king's upraised hand. But -as he swerved out again from the alder thickets, he first glanced up the -river after his fleeing companions. Briefly as the terrible play had -lasted, the others had already gained many more yards over the horde. -While their peril, however, was lessening, his had suddenly doubled. -Not all the wolves had followed him in his second turn across the river. -A hundred or more, running straight onward, had put themselves in -advance of the doubling quarry. The foremost were already circling -around to hedge him in. - -It was no time to falter. Putting out the very utmost of his skill and -strength, Olvir dashed toward the fast-closing line at a speed that -dropped the following wolves to the rear as though they had been at a -stand. - -"Ho, dogs!" he shouted. "Skate to paw; sword to fang! I come; I come -to your blood-game!" - -An outburst of ferocious yells answered the boastful shout, and from -right and left the beasts sprang in to meet him. But again Olvir -wheeled with hawk-like quickness. Two strokes, and he was before a gap -in the line guarded by a single grey leader. Once again he wheeled, to -dart through the gap. Swiftly as he came, the old wolf saw his purpose, -and crouched low. But, even as the beast leaped, Olvir swerved and shot -safely past him; and, in the passing, Al-hatif whistled in a slashing -upstroke. Greyleg fell upon the ice, never to leap again. - -With a wild shout, Olvir dashed out from the death-trap, and, undaunted -by his close escape, turned for a third race across the river. But as -he wheeled, a great gust of wind came roaring through the oaks, and the -air suddenly grew thick with driven snow. Instantly Olvir sheathed his -reddened blade, and, with his shoulder to the quartering gale, drove -straight up the river at a speed which Floki himself might not have -equalled. - -Soon the baffled pursuers fell to the rear. Their yells died away in -the roaring of the storm, and the snow swept between in a swirling, -blinding mist. But if the white storm-veil hid the Northman from his -pursuers, it blotted out no less completely all view of his companions. -For a while he kept on at racing speed, until he thought he should be -upon them. Then he slackened his stroke, and shouted into the white -gloom. No answer came back but the loud complaint of the straining oaks -and the shriek and roar of the blast through the lashing boughs. - -Again Olvir shouted, his face dark with sudden misgiving; still no -answer. With a bitter cry, he wheeled to circle about in the dense -whirl. But then the air quivered with the blast of a hunting-horn, so -clear and loud that it might have been blown within arm's length. - -"None bore horns! It must be Floki!" he cried, and he drove straight -into the teeth of the gale. The fierce-driving snow blinded him; but he -kept on, groping with outstretched hands. Suddenly a white figure swept -past before him, so near that he could almost touch it. He wheeled to -follow, and at once saw that it was linked in line with other figures. -His heart leaped with thanksgiving. Here were all six,--maid and dame, -bairns and warriors,--all safe; ay, and with one added to their number! -Not even Liutrad was so big and strong as the skater who drove along at -the far end of their line, his massive shoulder braced against the wind. - -"The king!" shouted Olvir, as he swung in to join himself to the near -end of the line. - -A welcoming hail burst from the lips of the skaters, and as they felt -the thrust of Olvir's tireless stroke, they swept on with added speed. -Even Rothada found new strength in the joy of her hero's presence, and, -no longer contented with gliding, she joined in the swinging stroke of -the others. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - -Now behold the fourth rede: -If ill witch thee bideth, -Woe-begetting by the way, -Good going farther -Rather than guesting, -Though thick night be upon thee. - LAY OF SIGRDRIFA. - - -Though the blast struck quartering in the faces of the skaters, the -brunt of its force was broken by the king's body; so that the others, -dragged on by his bull-strength and Olvir's wiry vigor, held to a pace -which lost none of the distance they had gained on the wolf-pack before -the storm burst. - -"Thor!" shouted Liutrad, hoarse but joyful. "We cheat both werwolves -and storm-fiends! We shall soon be sitting by the glowing hearth!" - -"God grant it!" replied Karl. "Yet you crow too soon, lad. There's a -turn ahead will bring us into the teeth of the wind. Even now we should -be swerving." - -"Saint Michael!" gasped Gerold. "We can never drive against this -blast!" - -"No, by Thor!" called back Olvir. "Even now we can scarce hold our -own--and behind comes the horde! We are doomed if we linger on the ice. -To the bank, lord king! There's no other way!" - -"A hard truth, Dane hawk! Yet it is better to freeze than to be torn by -ravening beasts. _Heu_! I know of a hut among the oaks. To the -forest! The pack runs blind, with neither sight nor scent. They 'll -follow the river and pass us by." - -"To the bank!" shouted Liutrad and Gerold; and the line of skaters swung -around to glide inshore. Blinded by the whirling flakes, they drove -upon the low bank before aware of its nearness. Staggering and half -falling, they stumbled across the rough ice-rim, and flung themselves -down upon the bank to tear at their skate-thongs. - -Olvir did not wait to untie knots. Even as he loosed his grip on young -Karl, he drew his silver-hilted dagger. In a twinkling he had freed both -himself and the boy, and was springing to the side of Rothada. -Thrusting her skates with his own and young Karl's into his empty -quiver, he drew the maiden to her feet. The others had all freed -themselves, and sprang up together. - -"Leave no scent for the wood-fiends! Hold to your skates, and follow -me!" commanded Karl. Flinging his younger son upon his shoulder, he -grasped Hildegarde by the hand, and rushed headlong in among the oaks. - -Liutrad caught up Pepin as the king had taken his brother, and dashed -away after their leader. Olvir and Gerold, with Rothada between them, -followed as closely upon his heels. They were none too quick. Hardly -had they covered a hundred paces, when behind them a sudden burst of -fierce yells rang out across the wind. - -"God save us! they 've turned!" gasped Rothada; while Gerold gripped his -sword-hilt and loosened the blade in its sheath, in readiness for his -last fight. But the yelling cry died away as quickly as it had swelled -out. The wolf-pack had overshot the snow-swept trail, and were racing -on around the river-bend. For many minutes, however, the king led on -into the forest without slackening his swift stride. He did not check -himself until Hildegarde stumbled and half fell. - -"Dear lord, I am very weary," she sighed. - -Halting so abruptly that Liutrad almost ran upon him, Karl caught his -queen in his free arm, and drew her close. - -"Rest, sweetheart," he said gently. "We are safe for a time." - -"A long time, lord king," added Liutrad. "Even should the pack turn, -they 'd do well to hunt us out in this wild flurry." - -All the party drew close together, and stood panting, while the -shrieking storm-fiends swirled the snow about them in dizzy eddies. -Soon, however, Olvir felt Rothada shiver beneath his cloak. - -"Lead on, lord king," he said. "To linger here is death! Lead on to -your hut." - -Karl raised his head, and peered around through the driving snow. - -"By my sword, Olvir," he muttered; "you ask what is beyond my skill. -Here among the trees the blast swirls down from every quarter. Who -could guide through such a storm?" - -"Then we must wander blindly. If we stand, we shall perish of cold." - -"Follow, then. We 'll try at a venture." - -"Stay, sire!" warned Gerold. "What comes behind you?" - -Karl turned sharply to stare at the huge form which loomed up out of the -snow-mist and drifted by within a spear-length. As it passed, the great -shape swung about its steaming muzzle to sniff at the party, and then it -lumbered on at the same leisurely gait. - -"A bear!" muttered Karl; and he drew back to shield his helpless -charges. - -Liutrad sprang before him with brandished spear. - -"White biorn!" he cried,--"white biorn! What does the berg-rider in -Frank Land?" - -"Were I yet heathen," rejoined Olvir, "I 'd say we look upon the king's -sprite." - -"It is--it is, earl! No beast could pass so quietly. Follow your -guardian sprite, sire! It leads you to safety!" - -"Would you have me follow a forest fiend? And yet, beast or sprite, we -can do no better! Come, then; our guide vanishes." - -"Lead on, sire," answered Olvir; and all hurried in pursuit of the dim -white figure. Once close upon it, they slackened their pace, and -silently followed the wraith-like guide as it lumbered steadily onward -into the forest. - -Half a league or more had been passed, and both Hildegarde and Rothada -were nearly outspent, when the strange guide swerved suddenly and -disappeared. At the same moment a dark object, broader than any oak, -loomed before the wanderers. They advanced, turning a little to one -side, and there, only a few paces before them, they saw a red spot -glowing in the dark barrier. - -"The hut!" cried Karl. - -Gerold sprang ahead, and, thrusting open a loose corner of the window -parchment, peered into the hut. The others would have hurried past him -to the rude door just beyond; but he uttered a low cry, and stepped -before the king with outstretched hands. - -"Stay, sire, stay!" he muttered in a hushed tone. "Better wolf and storm -than witch-cheer! Look within!" - -Startled by the warning, Karl and then Liutrad peered through the broken -parchment, and each in turn drew back with the same look which distended -the eyes of the Swabian. Last of all, Olvir put his eye to the hole. -The first glance showed him a squalid little room whose walls of rotting -logs stood out grimy and bare in the glow of the driftwood fire. The -rafters of the low thatch were veiled by the smoke, indriven by the -wind, which eddied through the roof-hole and sent little whirls of -snowflakes hissing into the flames. - -Crouched upon the rude hearth, across the fire from each other, were two -women; and Olvir instantly recognized the one on the left as Fastrada. -She sat with her head thrust forward, gazing keenly across at her -hearth-mate. - -After the maiden, Olvir felt little surprise when his glance turned to -the tall woman who sat rocking to and fro on the edge of the hearth and -crooning a strange song, while weasels played about her feet and ran up -and down her outstretched arms. It was the girl's mother, the Wend mate -of the old Grey Wolf. - -The woman's head was uncovered, and Olvir stared with keen curiosity at -her black hair and aquiline features. Her dark oval face still showed -traces of great beauty; but age and witch-deeds had stained and withered -her cheeks and caused the once beautiful eyes to sink deep into their -sockets. Even without the weasels, the look of malignant joy on the -witch's face would have set most hearts to quaking. But Olvir was -smiling, half pityingly, at the dread which even the king had betrayed, -when the witch chanced to turn so that the firelight struck upon her -cheek. At the sight he started and almost cried out. It seemed to him -that a red adder had thrust up from beneath the woman's neckband and -laid its venomous head upon her cheek. When he stared more closely, -however, he saw that the snake-head, though perfect in outline, was only -a crimson blotch upon the witch's skin. He drew back with a grim laugh. - -"No wonder she hid her face," he muttered. "What woman would not, with -such a mark? But now--ho, lord king; why do we linger? Let us hasten -in." - -"In!" rejoined Gerold,--"a witch den!" - -"She is Fastrada's mother,--the wife of Count Rudulf. She will gladly -give hearth-cheer to her husband's lord. Come." - -"Hold, Olvir. If we go, I lead," said Karl; and he thrust ahead to the -hut door. He found the latch-string in and the door fast barred. His -knock must have resounded through the narrow room like the beating of a -hammer; but though he waited for an answer, all was silence within. - -The king did not knock again. Setting down the half-frozen boy from his -shoulder, he threw his weight against the door. Before the shock, it -flew violently inwards, its bar snapped short in the socket. Having -thus cleared the way, the king drew Hildegarde and the boy to him, and -stooped to pass beneath the lintel. As the others pushed after him into -the warm interior, they saw Fastrada start up and stand glaring at them -with the horror of one who looks upon some grisly spectre. - -The Wend woman had shrouded herself about in her grey cloak, and sat -quietly in her place, staring at the forceful guests from the depths of -her hood. Of the weasels nothing was to be seen but a pair of fiery -little eyes peering out from the folds of the cloak upon her bosom. The -witch was the first to speak. - -"Odin bear witness," she said in a tone of quiet scorn. "It is very -fitting that he who thus breaks in on helpless women calls himself King -of the Franks." - -"And over-lord of your lord, Wend wife. Make way by the fire for us." - -"I make way for no one,--much less for Pepin's son," came back the -hissing retort. - -The king's brows met in a stern frown. - -"That we shall soon see, woman," he said. "Liutrad, put this hag from -the hearth." - -"I, lord king!" muttered the young giant, and his ruddy face whitened. -But then, crossing himself, he advanced resolutely upon the dreaded -alruna. None the less, his relief was plain to be seen when the Wend -woman rose and withdrew to the far end of the hut, without waiting to be -forced. - -Then at last, as the shivering guests crowded about the fire, Fastrada -found her tongue. Springing forward, she threw herself at Hildegarde's -feet, and loudly protested her delight: "My gracious dame--sweet queen! -You're safe! safe! and the bairns and the little maiden--all alike have -escaped the cruel--the cruel storm!" - -"And the wolf-pack!" rejoined Pepin, proudly. - -"Holy Mother!--wolves?" - -"Nor was aid sent us, maiden," said Karl, sternly. - -Fastrada half rose, and flung out her hands. - -"Forgive me, sire!" she murmured. "I, too, was lost; I, too, wandered -in the storm. Only a little while since I came upon this unholy den. -Blessed be the saints who brought you to end my fears!" - -"Why fears, maiden? Should any mother, however much a witch, harm her -own child?" - -Fastrada hung her head, visibly disconcerted by the answer. Her reply -came haltingly, and in a tone almost too low to be heard: "Your Majesty, -should I bear--should I suffer for her deeds? It is too much! Even my -horror-- Ah, let her witchcraft meet with the just dooming of the -king's law! She is no mother to me!" - -"Ay, girl, no longer am I mother to you!" hissed out the Wend woman, and -she glided around to the open door. At the threshold she turned, and, -flinging back her hood, faced all openly. The twitching muscles of her -sallow cheek gave to the crimson adder-head a fearful semblance of life, -and the horror lost nothing by the malignant fury of her look and the -sibilance in her low-pitched voice. - -"So," she hissed; "the sly trull is bent upon saving herself. Having -been caught in company with the Wend witch, she seeks to cast off the -mother who bore her! Let her be content; she has proved herself a -changeling. The daughter of the Snake could not be mother to a child so -base and cowardly as to deny the bond of kinship. No longer is she -blood of my blood or bone of my bone. I go; but, as parting gift, I -leave her my curse,--the curse of one who was a mother. She shall taste -of power, and it shall be as ashes in her mouth; she shall hunger for -love, and hate shall wither her heart. Woe to her!" - -Pausing, with upraised hand, the witch shifted her hateful gaze from her -cowering daughter to the startled group about the fire. - -"As for you, storm-guests," she went on, "learn that the witch-wife has -gifts for all. To Pepin's son I give toil and sweat and bloody victory. -Joy to the crusher of free folk! None may withstand the world-hero. -Hoary-headed, he dies in the straw; for no longer are there foes to -withstand him in battle. And then I see the storm gather in the frozen -North. The dragons swim the salt waves; they fall upon Frank Land, -ravening with fangs of steel and with flaming breath. The kin of -Pepin's son flee as hares. Thor smites the White Christ! The Frank -realm shatters in fragments!" - -"Hold, fiend-wife!" roared Karl; and he turned threateningly upon the -woman, all dread of her witchcraft forgotten in his deep anger. But she -met him with a look which even his imperious will could not withstand. -He stood spellbound, transfixed by the cold glitter of her sunken eyes. -For a little she held him powerless,--him, the world-hero, king of half -Europe. Then her thin white lips curled scornfully, and she turned from -him to the others. - -"Enough of Pepin's son," she scoffed. "As to these Norse curs, false -alike to their folk and their gods, my curse is needless. The gods whom -they have betrayed will exact full vengeance. But I put my curse on the -brood of the bloody Frank,--maiden, bairns, and bed-mate,--all who stand -before me. May the king's sons never wear crown; may the nun-maid lose -her bright hero; may the fair queen know beforetime--" - -The woman paused, and looked darkly from Hildegarde to her daughter. -She was yet gloating upon the two when Rothada rose and came to her with -outstretched arms. - -"Ah, dame, good dame, be still!" she cried. "Christ forgive you the -evil words! Turn to Him; cast out the hatred from your heart before -your own curses creep in to wither it!" - -"_Hei!_ what is this?" muttered the woman; and she drew back in -bewilderment. Her eyes glared into the pleading eyes of the king's -daughter with a look almost of terror. Suddenly, without a word, she -turned and rushed out into the storm. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - -Until that Guiki -With gold arrayed me -And gave me to Sigurd. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -For a while the deserted guests stood staring at one another, and there -was dread in the eyes of even Liutrad and the king. Olvir alone showed -no fear. If he had dared the power of the Wend witch in the depths of -Fulda Wood, he would not yield awe to her now. Presently he burst into a -scornful laugh. - -"Thor!" he jeered. "The witch-wife flees before a child,--a fearsome -witch!" - -"By the rood!" muttered Karl, and he drew in a deep breath; "they say -true who name Rudulf's wife a heathen alruna." - -But Hildegarde gathered the two trembling boys in her arms, and looked -across at Olvir with a grateful smile. - -"Dear lord," she said, "our bright Dane speaks truth. Witch or no, the -Wend woman has fled before our little maiden. What need have we to fear -the curse of one so powerless?" - -"Here is yet more comfort for those who have faith in spells," added -Olvir. "At the king's belt swings Ironbiter, my father's sword, upon -whose blade are magic runes, cut by Otkar himself. They are pledged to -guard the wielder against all witchcraft and evil." - -Gerold shook his head doubtingly, and drew closer to the fire. "I have -more faith in Christian signs. Yet though I marked the cross while she -spoke, and twice since, I say freely that I would sooner face an aurochs -bull naked-handed than stand again before that witch. Thank God, she is -gone!" - -"Into the storm, brother!" murmured Hildegarde, pityingly. "May the -dear Christ save her body from wolf and cold, and her soul from hatred!" - -At the fervent prayer, Fastrada stared up at the queen as her mother had -stared at Rothada. But when she met Hildegarde's mild eyes, radiant -with spiritual light, her gaze sank again to the hearth at her feet, and -a dark flush overspread her face. Karl, who alone gave heed to the -girl's shame, mistook its cause, and his own face reddened with a guilty -flush. - -"God bless you, dear wife!" he muttered. "What curse can bring harm -upon so gracious a soul? But as to that Wend witch, should she escape -the storm and wolf-pack, let her beware the law. Though twice over the -wife of Rudulf and mother of this maiden, I will enforce against her to -the utmost the just doom for evil spells and witcheries. Enough for the -time of the hag and her curses. She has gone out among her storm-fiends; -let them cherish her. We will warm our knees by her hearth. Fetch wood -for the fire!" - -As Gerold and Liutrad sprang up to bring fagots from the far end of the -hut, Olvir led Rothada about to the fire, and sought a new bar for the -door, which was swaying to and fro with the eddying draught. Before -making it fast, however, he peered out in search of the Wend woman. He -might as well have sought to look through a fog on the narrow seas. - -Though the first fury of the wind had spent its force, the snow was now -falling with greater thickness than ever. For all Olvir could tell, -their grim hostess might have been lurking within a dozen yards of the -doorway. He hesitated on the threshold, and was about to shout, when -his quick ear caught another note than the creak and soughing of the -oak-tops. - -"Floki!--The laggard comes at last!" he said, and he faced about to the -steaming group around the fire. "Listen, lord king! I hear horns. My -vikings come in search of their vala." - -Horn in hand, Karl sprang out beside the Northman, and blew the -trysting-note. Three times he repeated the call, and then at last an -answering note came blaring down the wind. Off toward the river other -horns caught up and re-echoed the call. The searchers were beating -through the forest. Guided by frequent blasts of the king's horn, they -gathered quickly through the white snow-mist. - -Soon the nearest horn resounded within a spear-throw, and Olvir flung -open the door, that the red firelight might glow out into the storm. -Hardly had he done so, when a gigantic white figure leaped out of the -swirling snow-mist, and halted within two paces of the doorway, to lean, -panting, upon the long shaft of a halberd. - -"Greeting, Floki," said Olvir, in a very quiet tone. "You come over-late -to the skating." - -"Forgive, earl!" replied the tall viking. "Let the king say if the -storm did not burst before the signs boded; and, more, we 've had a game -on the way." - -"Saint Michael!" cried Karl; "you 're torn, man,--you bleed! The -wolves!" - -"They had their chase, lord king; now they rest on the ice. Only a few -turned back before us. After the blood-game, we spread out from either -bank. A witling could have guessed that you 'd tricked the grey dogs in -the flurry." - -"Come within," said Olvir. "The others draw near. I 'll bind up your -shoulder while they gather." - -"Let be, ring-breaker. I would not bring blood before the queen and our -little vala. It is only a flesh nip, and can wait. Here come those -whom I outran. Make ready the women and bairns, and we 'll bear all to -the king's burg." - -"Better for them to linger by the warm hearth till the storm is spent," -said Olvir. - -But Karl struck his fist into his open palm. - -"No! by all the fiends, no!" he swore. "We linger no longer under this -unholy roof. Ho! within there,--Liutrad--Gerold! Cast the brands among -the fagots, and let all come out. Guests arrive; we should have -hearth-cheer for all." - -Obedient to the king's command, the young men swept the blazing brands -from the hearthstone across to the high-heaped stack of fuel. Quickly -the flames licked in among the dry fagots, and spread to right and left. -Then, puzzled, but satisfied that they had done the king's will, the -young men followed the others from the hut. As they passed the -threshold, a dozen vikings came leaping out of the white swirl, wild -with delight at sight of their little vala. - -In the midst of the rejoicings, the fire within the hut burst hissing -through the sodden thatch, and poured out overhead in a torrent of smoke -and flames. Then the red tongues began to thrust between the -half-rotted logs of the wall; for the hut within was dry as tinder. The -leeward wall soon became a solid sheet of flame. - -As all drew back from the blazing hut, a second band of vikings came -shouting through the forest, guided by the horns. Hot after these ran -half a hundred Franks and Northmen, with Fulrad, the valiant old -churchman, at their head, brandishing a boar-spear. - -At sight of the abbot, Karl beckoned to him, and called imperiously for -the shouting to cease. When both Franks and vikings had gathered in a -ring of wondering listeners, he laid his hand on Olvir's shoulder, and -raised his voice high and clear above the uproar of the storm. - -"Listen, liegemen and vikings! It is fitting that friends should return -gift for gift. This day my Dane hawk has given to me a gift beyond -price,--the lives of my queen and children. Had not the hero turned -back to play with death in the teeth of the wolf-pack, all my loved ones -would have met their fate on the frozen stream. Now, therefore, I -pledge to the son of Thorbiorn the hand of my daughter Rothada, and, -that none may doubt my faith, the maiden shall plight her troth with the -hero. Whenever he has fulfilled the terms I have set for him, they -shall wed. Fulrad will receive their vows." - -A great shout of mingled astonishment and delight burst from the lips of -the snow-shrouded onlookers. But all fell silent again as Olvir and -Rothada clasped hands. - -So, their hearts brimming over with love and joy, sea-king and king's -daughter plighted their troth before the priest, in the midst of the -swirling storm. Out of the jaws of the wolf-pack, they had won not only -life, but joy. - -When the vows were spoken, and the abbot had blessed the betrothed, the -Franks joined full-voiced in the shouts of the vikings. For the time at -least there was only one among all present who did not share in the joy -of the lovers. While all others pressed forward about them, Fastrada -alone drew back, cold and silent, and with another look than -friendliness in her narrow-lidded gaze. - -Deft hands had already lashed together spear-shafts and branches for -litters to bear the women; and now Hildegarde and the two maidens were -placed on the swaying seats. Brawny warriors perched the king's sons on -their shoulders; and all marched away through the whirling snow, to the -accompaniment of blaring horns and the wild shouts of the vikings. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - -An ill day, an ill woman, -And most ill hap! - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -Never had Olvir or Rothada known a happier winter. As betrothed lovers -they were allowed much greater freedom than would otherwise have been -held seemly. Hildegarde often invited the Northman, with Gerold and -Liutrad, to her bower, and there the lovers would sit by the hour in a -quiet window-nook, watching the games of the king's children. Sometimes -the young men and the bower-maidens joined in the play, and there was -wild merriment in the bower. At other times the presence of the king -restrained the roisterers to more sedate amusements. - -But Olvir was not always left in peace with his betrothed. The many -churchmen at Thionville, with Alcuin at their head, were untiring in -their efforts to convince him of the divine right of the Pope and Holy -Church. Over and over again, Olvir stated the high ideals of life which -he had gathered from the Gospels by his own reading, but the pious -churchmen had no ears for such heresy. Who so sacrilegious as to dispute -the dogmas of the wise and holy Augustine? Even Karl was puzzled and -annoyed by Olvir's failure to accept the argument of "authority." - -But though Olvir found it no great task to withstand the priests, his -position was not so easy when he came to the well-wishers who appealed -to his heart instead of his head. Hildegarde had masses sung for his -conversion, so great was her concern. Between his wish to gratify both -king and queen and his desire to win his bride, Olvir came far nearer to -losing the struggle than through any arguing of the priests. Yet -through it all he held fast to his first stand, even at the times when -Karl himself, roused by the failures of his churchmen, took part in the -dispute and sought to sweep away the defences of the Northman by the -sheer force of his giant will. - -So the winter months slipped by, and at last in sunny nooks the earth -began to peer through the holes in its white coverlet. Then the Moselle -burst its fetters and rolled free in the sunshine, while Ostara of the -Saxons came sauntering up from the Southlands, blowing open the -leaf-buds with her fragrant breath and strewing behind her a trail of -early blossoms. - -Never had the outer conditions of the land seemed more in keeping with -the quiet joy and peace of the Pascal season. The plans of Alcuin and -Karl for a general educational movement throughout the kingdom were well -under way, and gave promise of speedy fruition,--to the glory of the -king and the uplifting of his subjects. - -Into the midst of this peace and quiet the war-storm burst from the -Saxon forests without forewarning. On the very eve of Easter Sunday, a -messenger from Count Rudulf came riding in hot haste, with word that -Wittikind was back again from the North, followed by a host of -Nordalbingians. - -Further tidings of disaster were not long delayed. From all parts of -Saxon Land messengers came flying, with report of fire and sword, -bloodshed and sacrilege. The wild forest-folk, Eastphalians, -Westphalians, and Engern, had risen to a man, and, under the leadership -of Hessi and Alf and Bruno, were rushing to join the standard of the -indomitable Wittikind. Last of all came riders from Teutoric, Count of -the Frisian Mark. The Frisians were marching eastwards across their -fenlands, everywhere slaying and burning, like their Saxon kinsmen. All -beyond the Rhine, from Thuringia to the North Sea, the land was aflame. - -Such were the fearful tidings which were to bring sorrow to many a -Frankish hearthside and shatter the great king's fond dream of peace. -Olvir's forebodings of what Verden should bring forth had been verified -even more fully than he had expected. It was the hour of promise for -Wittikind, son of Wanekind. All the internecine bitterness and -jealousies of the tribes had melted away in the heat of their common -fury against the Frank. For the first time in the long struggle, the -utterly free forest-dwellers had forgotten the narrow boundaries of -their shires, and placed themselves willingly under a common leader. - -Yet, bitter as was his disappointment, Karl took up the renewal of the -war with unflinching resolve to bend the stiff-necked heathen to his -will. Riders were sent flying with the arrow-bode to all parts of the -kingdom, while the king and his war-counts set about the planning of a -campaign in the North greater than any that had ever gone before. - -By the end of April the first of the war-levies had gathered at Cologne, -where they were to be joined by the king. The first of May had been -fixed as the day for the start, and on the evening before, all the high -counts sat down to a farewell supper with the royal family. It was only -the king's customary meal of four dishes and the roast, yet the occasion -gave to it a distinction lacked by many a state feast. - -Among the greater number of the guests the talk was all of the coming -warfare,--of the long marches through the forests and over the broad -heaths of Saxon Land; of possible battles, and the certain speedy -overthrow of Wittikind. The gay Franks, many of whom were to find -bloody death-beds under the Saxon beeches or in the yellow gorse, jested -away the fears of their fair benchmates, and boasted how they would -return, covered with glory and laden with the loot of the heathen. - -But while most of the guests spent the meal-time in jests and boasting, -there were a few who had little desire for merriment. Karl himself, -though far other than disheartened that he was on the eve of the -death-grapple with the fiercest and most stubborn of his many foes, was -in no mood for gaiety. Had not the ravaging of the Saxons been enough -to sober his thoughts, there were rumors of fresh plots against him at -the court of Duke Tassilo of Bavaria, while old Barnard, his uncle, had -sent word from Italy of renewed attempts by Adelchis the Lombard to -obtain a fleet and host at Constantinople from the Empress Irene. - -But the king was affected most of all by the coming separation from his -wife and children. Though it was intended that they should rejoin him -in Saxon Land so soon as the full gathering of the Frankish host -safeguarded the mark from Saxon raiders, his affection would not suffer -him to part from his family without great reluctance. - -[Illustration: "'Go, Olvir!' muttered the king, thickly; 'go--before I -forget that I once loved you.'" (Page 467)] - -Saddened as were Karl and Hildegarde by the thought of parting, their -grief could not compare with that of Olvir and his little princess. -Though the king left love behind, before him he saw glory and power; and -even Hildegarde could look forward with pleasure to the success of her -dear lord. Olvir, however, in leaving love, left all that he held dear. -The expected battles, which lured on so many others with their promise -of blood-stained honors, meant no more to him than an unwilling -rendering of his duty to the king. - -"God grant, dear heart, that we meet the Saxons at once!" he burst out -after a long silence. "A single great battle may shatter their -war-earl's power, and end the bloody strife. With Wittikind crushed, -the most stubborn of the forest-folk may well give up the struggle as -hopeless." - -"If only they might bend to our Lord Christ without so much as one -battle!" sighed Rothada. - -"If only they might, little vala!" echoed Olvir. "But the best we can -look for is a pitched battle, and the more terrible the slaughter, the -more hope for peace to follow." - -"That is a fearful saying, Olvir!" - -"The truth of sword-rule. But this is no time, dearest, to fret our -spirits with such thoughts. We have enough to sadden us in our -parting." - -"Oh, my hero! If I were not so selfish, I would seek to lighten your -heart. But I sit here, heavy with sorrow, while all others are gay. -See; even Fastrada has put away her brooding, and makes merry with -Gerold and the pages, as once I used to do." - -"She may well rejoice! War is as welcome to her as to my vikings; and -no doubt she is merry that we are to be parted." - -"Dear hero, you should speak evil of no one." - -"True, sweetheart; I should not judge even the witch's daughter. Yet -her laughter lacks the ring of that which springs from a kindly heart. -Nor do I like the manner in which she looks at the king." - -"Surely, Olvir, you misjudge the maiden. All during Lent she has been -very kind and gentle. Look; here are the mushrooms which she told Pepin -and Karl to gather for our mother." - -"Loki,--a Roman dish! Yet the act was to be praised," admitted Olvir, -and he stared curiously at the salver borne past by one of the pages. -"I see it was not enough of honor to the ugly elf-stools that they -should be gathered by a king's sons. They must be served in a golden -bowl with a spoon of silver." - -"Do not mock, dear. The cook is from Ravenna, and very skilled in his -art. He bakes the spoon with the food, and if there should chance to be -any poisonous mushroom with the others, he knows that the spoon will -blacken." - -"Better trust to good flesh and grain, and leave such dishes to the -Romans and Greeks," rejoined Olvir, and he turned with sudden -remembrance to his neglected trencher. - -But his appetite, always moderate, was soon satisfied, and he was -turning again to Rothada, when, startling as a thunderbolt from a clear -sky, the king's voice broke in upon the laughter of the guests, harsh -and strained with alarm: "Bring water! bring water quickly! The queen -is ill! Mother of God, she swoons!" - -In the sudden hush which followed, all heard the sibilant voice of -Fastrada echoing the king's cry: "The queen swoons! Run, fetch the -leech!--Kosru, the leech!" - -Then all at the table sprang up together, and Liutrad and Worad rushed -away in search of the Magian. With his own hands Karl had laid his -queen upon the dais. About his stooping form gathered the dames and -maidens; while the lords, grave and silent with anxiety, drew together -at the far end of the hall. Olvir followed Rothada to the outer line of -the women; but Gerold alone pushed in through their midst. - -As the Swabian knelt beside his sister, Liutrad came thrusting Kosru -before him into the hall. The Magian was deathly pale, and trembled -visibly as Liutrad and Worad bore him forward between them. Yet he had -not lost his power of speech. - -"Stay!" he interposed in a quavering voice, as, at a sign from the king, -Fastrada and the other bower-maidens sought to raise the queen. "Stay, -maidens! I would first learn what our gracious dame has eaten." - -"What we have all eaten," replied Karl, quickly. - -"But more, lord king," called out Olvir. "How of the elf-stools?" - -"The mushrooms!" muttered Gerold, and he sprang up to point out the -little golden bowl, still on the board beside his sister's trencher. - -Kosru tottered forward and clutched the bowl in his claw-like fingers. -Breathlessly the onlookers watched while he sniffed at the shreds in the -bottom of the dish and placed one of them upon his tongue. Almost -instantly he spewed it out again. - -"Ahriman!" he cried, and he turned to the king, his face a sickly -yellow. - -"Speak out!" commanded Karl, sternly. - -"_Ai_! I feared it, lord king. Queen Hildegarde has eaten poisonous -fungi." - -"Yet the silver was untarnished. I saw it myself." - -"But listen, lord king," replied the leech, so huskily that few could -follow his words; "the test is not certain. There is a most deadly -fungus, so like the harmless kind--" - -"Who gathered the venomous mess?" demanded Karl, harshly. - -"Your two eldest sons, sire," replied Fastrada. - -"King of Heaven!" The great Frank's head bent forward, and he signed to -the bower-maidens: "Bear her hence." - -Out of the great hall and through the long corridors to her bower, they -bore the swooning queen. The guests, following at a respectful -distance, waited without the door, where they could soonest hear any -word sent out from the sick-chamber. - -Within the bower, husband and brother knelt side by side at the foot of -Hildegarde's couch, wrestling in agonized prayer; while around them the -maidens and tiring-women stood silently weeping, or, at the bidding of -the leech, glided hastily about in the service of their beloved -mistress. - -But though Kosru made trial of drug after drug, all alike failed to -rouse Hildegarde from her death-like stupor. Hour by hour the night -dragged through its dreary length, and Kosru began to shake his head. - -With all but infinite slowness, the grey dawn came stealing in upon the -silent watchers,--the dawn of the last day that Hildegarde, the beloved -queen, should abide with her dear lord. As the first red arrows of -sunrise shot up the eastern sky, Rothada glided out from the bower and -came to place her hand in Olvir's. Her face was very sad, and tears -shone in the violet eyes. - -"All is over!" murmured Olvir, in a broken whisper. But Rothada shook -her head. - -"No, no; she still breathes. Yet the leech has given up all hope. He -promises only to rouse her before the end. He has already given the -drug. I come to call Abbot Fulrad for the last offices of Holy Church." - -Groans of despair burst from the lips of the waiting liegeman; but Olvir -turned silently, and went with Rothada to the chapel. They halted in -the doorway, and gazed out over the kneeling congregation to the high -altar. There was no need of word or sign. Very solemnly Fulrad took up -the vessel of sacred oil, and came down from the chancel. As he passed -from among them the soft-voiced choristers sobbed out the wailing notes -of the _Miserere_, and the grief-stricken congregation prostrated -themselves in hopeless sorrow. But only Rothada and Olvir followed the -abbot along the silent passages and in through the entrance to the -bower. - -Within the sick-room there had been a change. Beside the couch were -gathered all the king's children, and Hildegarde, very faint, but fully -conscious, was taking the last farewell of her dear ones. The end was -very near. - -Fulrad raised his tear-stained face, and advanced, with all the -solemnity of his office, to administer the last rites of Holy Church. -Tremulous but clear, his voice pronounced the words of the sacrament, -and with the holy oil he anointed the head and hands and feet of the -dying queen. Then, the holy rite ended, he turned and went back to the -chapel. As the slow, heavy tread of his sandals died away down the -passage, Karl rose up and signed to the sobbing attendants. - -"Let all go out but those of kin," he said. - -Obediently the maidens and women took a last look at their mistress, and -crept away to seek comfort for their grief in the chapel. Behind them -followed Fastrada and Kosru the leech, with downcast eyes; while last of -all came Olvir, his dark face aglow with the spiritual light that shone -in the eyes of Hildegarde. He paused at the door, overcome with -yearning to linger inside; and as Fastrada and the cowering leech glided -out before him, his wish was answered by the king: "Turn again, Olvir. -She speaks your name." - -In a moment the Northman was back beside Rothada. Hildegarde had kissed -her own children for the last time, and, at a sign from Karl, they were -being led from the bower. She now turned her gaze to the grief-stricken -figure of Pepin Hunchback, and all bent forward to catch her faintly -murmured words: "Son of Himiltrude,--no less my son. Cherish him, dear -lord!" - -"As God gives me wisdom, beloved," answered Karl. - -The boy bent and kissed the lips of the gentle dame who had been to him -as his own mother; then, sobbing bitterly, he ran from the bower. In -his place knelt Rothada, and on either side of her Gerold and Olvir. -Already Hildegarde's mild eyes were darkening; but she turned her gaze -to the three, and a smile shone on her pallid cheeks. - -"Gerold--brother," she whispered, "God has blessed you. Yours shall -ever be a life of honor. Rothada--Olvir, my daughter--my son,--love is -yours. Be happy, as I have been happy with my dear lord. Karl--come to -me--" - -Silently the three rose and gave place to the king. He knelt and drew -his beloved into his great arms, and she nestled to him with the sigh of -a tired child. - -Then the others went softly out of the bower, and left the king alone -with his dead. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - -All the field with the blood of the fighters -Flowed, from whence first the great -Sun-star of morning-tide, -Lamp of the Lord God, -Lord everlasting, -Glode over earth, till the glorious creature -Sunk to her setting. - BATTLE OF BRUNANBURH. - - -With all the solemn pomp of church and state they bore the dead queen -through the budding woods to Metz, and there laid her to rest in the -crypt of the great domchurch,--the Basilica of Saint Arnulf her -forefather. The beggar crouching on the steps saw the great king pass -in with bowed head and fingers tugging at his beard, and knew that there -is a grief which comes to both high and low, which enters alike palace -halls and the hovel of the serf. - -But deep as was Karl's sorrow, once that he had turned away from the -tomb of his beloved queen, he set about the opening of the Saxon -campaign with added determination. Used as were his liegemen to the -tremendous energy of his movements, never before had they seen him bend -all to his will with such resistless force. To put away the anguish of -his grief, he threw himself headlong into the war-game, and welcomed the -fresh tidings of ravages which served to inflame his wrath against the -forest-dwellers. - -He did not return to the ill-omened villa, but moved the court direct to -Mayence. Leaving there the royal household in the charge of Queen -Bertrada his mother, who came from Saint Denis at his asking, he -embarked with his war-counts for Cologne in Olvir's long-ships. - -Yet with all his eagerness to meet and crush the harrying forest-wolves, -the first day of summer found him encamped at the Lippespring with but -thirty thousand warriors,--only a few more than those with whom he had -set out from Cologne. The greater part of the expected levies had been -delayed by lack of forage and by the all but impassable morasses which -covered the land during the heavy spring rains. - -Far from damping his ardor, however, the delay and disappointment had -served only to harden his resolve and call out his energy. Already he -had swept across the mark from the Ems to the Weser, and back again to -Paderborn, devastating all the southern shires of Westphalia. Where he -had passed, the Saxon hamlets, scattered through the vast woods and on -the broad heaths, were left as heaps of smouldering ruins. Their -defenders lay slain among the ashes; while all others of their -inhabitants whom the Franks could take thrall--man and woman and -child--were being dragged away to exile and slavery in the South. - -Had the forces of Wittikind been united, even so great a leader as Karl -could not have thus harried the land unchecked. But the Frisians were -yet making their way around the north of the Teutoburger Wald, and Bruno -and Hessi had marched with their tribesmen, the Eastphalians and Engern, -to foray along the northern borders of Thuringia. So, with only his -Westphalians and Nordalbingians, Wittikind, no less wily than intrepid, -had withdrawn into the hills which form the southern termination of the -Teutoburger Wald, and awaited attack near where the Roman Varus perished -with his legions. Though his host was smaller than the Frank's, it held -the vantage of position. - -Before he learned of the delayed levies, the king had sent Olvir into -Thuringia, to aid Count Rudulf against the harrying Engern and -Eastphalians. But when the vikings had marched clear across the forest -land to the Saale, they found that the Grey Wolf and his little host of -five thousand Thuringians had gone north and west into Eastphalia, -worrying the rearguard of the retreating Saxons. - -Eager to bring word to the king before Hessi and Bruno could join their -large host to that of the war-earl, Olvir marched straight across -country to Paderborn. But he reached the Lippespring with even his iron -followers outspent, only to learn that Karl had met the war-earl on his -chosen ground, and forced the passage of the mountains. Stubbornly as -the Westphalians and their Nordalbingian allies had fought, the Franks -had driven them back through their sacred forests, and wrested the holy -Burg of Teu from their grasp. - -Defeated but unrouted, Wittikind had withdrawn with his host along the -farther slope of the mountains, to meet his Frisian allies on the Haze -bank; and there, upon the arrival of his belated levies, Karl had -followed, to give him battle the second time. - -Such were the tidings that were poured into the ears of the eager -sea-wolves as they lay panting after their long chase. Nor had they -rested two days before Count Gerold came racing to the Lippespring with -word of the first great battle on the Haze bank. By forced marches, the -king had come upon the Saxon host before the juncture of Hessi and -Bruno. The forest-dwellers, surprised in their camp, had been driven -across the Haze, with great slaughter. But the outworn Franks were -unable to follow up their victory, and Karl, learning in the night that -Hessi and Bruno were about to join the war-earl, at once set to -replacing and strengthening the broken war-hedges of the captured camp. - -The immense host of the united Saxons now outnumbered the Franks by ten -thousand men. The Grey Wolf had not yet come up with his Thuringians -when Gerold left the Haze, and his whereabouts were unknown. There was -pressing need for every man who could swing sword. But Gerold might have -spared himself the urging. The vikings were wild to take part in the -blood-game. There were no laggards when, at dawn, Olvir gave the word -to start. - -Freshened by their rest, they swept over the hills, past the Teutoburg -and through the wooded valley country along the base of the Teutoburger -Wald, like wolves on a blood-trail. Even horsemen could not have -outdistanced them on that first day's march. Night fell upon them, but -the beams of the rising moon glinted on the bright steel of their -war-gear as they trailed across the open glades. When at last they -flung themselves down among the alders, to gnaw at their cold food and -stretch out for a half-night's rest, Gerold sprang from his horse, with -the welcome call that the Frankish camp could not be distant over three -hours' march. - -But when, at dawn, the vikings would have rushed on swifter than ever, -Olvir checked them. If the hosts had again joined battle, it was well -he should bring his sea-wolves into the field unwearied. So, chafing at -the restraint, like hounds in leash, yet bending to the will of their -earl, the vikings swung on at the pace he set, until through the oak -forest there came rumbling a sound like the bellow of angry bulls. It -was the deep battle-note of the Saxons, roaring in the hollow of their -shields. - -After that, Olvir no longer thought to hold his followers. Silent, but -with eyes gleaming and blades bared, the sea-wolves broke into a run, -and charged hotly after Gerold and their earl. It was not long before -they had burst out from the oak forest and were rushing across a stretch -of yellow gorse toward the war-hedges of the Frankish camp, on the -nearer bank of the Haze. - -A belt of trees shut out all view of the battle which raged on the -farther side of the stream; but above the dull rumble of the Saxon -shield-roar sounded the furious shouts of the Franks, the harsh braying -of horns, the shrilling of the Saxon fifes, and the terrific clash of -shields and helmets struck by the whirling blades. - -The Frankish host had left the shelter of the war-hedges to meet the -Saxons in the open field; but the ghastly heaps of Saxon slain which -half choked the bed of the Haze showed that the Franks had not been the -first to attempt the crossing. - -"Look, lad!" shouted Olvir. "It must be old Rudulf has come before us. -The king has driven back the attacking foe, and followed after, across -the stream." - -"If such has-- Saint Michael! Who are those come flying from the -field?--the Neustrians! God grant we 're not too late--" - -"None too late for the sword-play!" answered the Northman, his nostrils -quivering, and then, silent as his men, he led the way past the Frankish -camp. As they skirted the war-hedges, the charging warriors were -greeted by a welcoming hail from the frightened camp-followers within, -and Pepin Hunchback came racing out to meet Olvir and Gerold. - -"Turn back, king's son! We go into battle," commanded Gerold. But -Pepin urged his horse close in beside Zora, and rode along with Olvir. - -"Hero," he pleaded, "let me go with you. My father left me to hold the -camp. What place is that for a king's son?" - -"Come, then, king's son," answered Olvir, and the boy's face flushed -with joy. Then his horse leaped with Zora into the Haze, and close -after dashed the vikings, panting with eagerness for the blood-game. As -they floundered across the stream, the glimpse which they caught of the -retreating Neustrians down the bank served only to whet their temper the -keener. - -But on the farther side, Olvir wheeled the red mare, and sprang to the -ground. - -"Hold, men!" he commanded. "Form wedge. Afoot, Gerold. You 'll stand -behind me at the fore, with Floki and Liutrad. The king's son rides -beside the 'Gleam'--stay! he himself shall bear the banner. Put Zora -and the count's horse in the midst. So; well done! Now for Odin's -game. Keep close, all. When my wedge strikes, it should be with the -weight of every man linked to his fellows." - -"Lead on, son of Thorbiorn!" croaked Floki, and the men burst into a -roar: "Lead on! Lead on, ring-breaker! _Haoi!_" - -Al-hatif glittered above the sea-king's head, and he sprang about, to -lead his band at a half run through the screening coppice. A few swift -strides, and he burst from the thickets into full view of the battle. -Before him on the trampled gorse heath stretched out the vast disordered -mass of the battling hosts, locked fast in the death-grapple and reeling -to and fro with the stress of their mighty struggles. - -The Saxon warriors--Eastphalian, Westphalian, Nordalbingian, and -Engern--were mingled in a shapeless horde, which sought to thrust back -and overthrow the equally disarrayed mass of the Frankish footmen. But -to the left, the Frisians, most stubborn of all fighters, stood firm in -orderly array against the ferocious attack of the Grey Wolf and his -Thuringians, while across on the far side of the battlefield, where the -left wing of the Saxons had been thrust back, could be seen the Frankish -horse, with Karl himself in command, vainly striving to break the ranks -of the mail-clad Danes in Wittikind's shieldburg. - -Here was the key to the battle-scheme. None need tell Olvir where to -strike. The first glance had shown him how the battle went. He must -strike, and strike quickly. Already the Franks were giving back before -the Saxon wolf-horde, and even as the vikings burst from the coppice -after their leader, from the willows on their right a Frankish horn -sounded the retreat, and Count Hardrat came leaping into the open, to -fall headlong among the yellow gorse. - -Bewildered and dismayed by the call to flight, the last ranks of the -Neustrians wavered and broke, and the yelling Saxons leaped forward to -slay the fugitives. But at sight of the band of mailed warriors who -came charging from the thicket not a spearthrow distant, they halted and -closed up their ranks to meet the coming shock. As well might they have -thought to check the mad rush of an aurochs herd. The vikings, though -still locked in solid ranks, were now charging at full run. - -As they swept down upon the Saxons, arrows streamed from their midst -into the thick of the enemy; but they cast no spears until their leader -was within twenty paces of the Saxon line. Then at last Al-hatif swung -up, and a deadly flight of darts and javelins whirred into the dense -mass of the Saxons. Pierced through their half-mailed war-jerkins of -wolf and boar hide, scores of the forest-men fell dead or wounded, and -the wedge hurled forward to strike the line where weakened by their -fall. - -"Thor aid! Thor aid!" roared out the viking battle-shout, and then, -with a frightful rending crash, the wedge smashed in among the Saxons. -Fiercely as the forest-men leaped to meet the attack, they were like -children before the mailed vikings, who numbered in their midst many of -the most famous champions of the North. Through the rift opened by -Olvir and Floki, the Northmen followed hotly, roaring in grim delight as -they hewed wider the battle-path. - -To the very heart of the Saxon host the wedge charged without a check in -its terrible course, and the ground behind it was covered with fallen -warriors. Here and there a steel-mailed figure lay among the trampled -corpses, but for every such one there was to be counted a dozen of slain -Saxons. Even the savage Nordalbingians were appalled by such slaughter, -and sought to give way before the vikings, thinking that they would -swerve and pass through to the Frankish lines, where Worad and Amalwin -were bending every effort to hold their own. But the Norse wedge -crashed on its way straight for the rear of the Danish shieldburg. - -A few more brief moments of bloody slaughter, and then Northman was face -to face with Northman. Here was no longer the formless horde of -half-armed berserks, to be hewn down like cattle by the viking blades, -but Danes trained in shieldburg and armed like their assailants in -scale-hauberks or mail-serks. - -As the Danes faced about to meet the rear attack, Olvir thrust forward -through the last ranks of the Saxons, smiling like a guest newly come to -the feast. Protected alike against point and edge by his threefold -mail, the blue steel of his helmet, and the little blade-glancing -shield, he had come through the midst of the Saxons without a wound. - -At either flank of their earl, Floki and Liutrad swung their great -weapons with unflagging vigor. At every stroke of the young giant's -axe, a man went down, cleft through shield and helmet; while the -long-shafted blade of the strutting Crane rose and fell with still more -deadly effect. Floki did not strike downwards, but whirled his halberd -with a peculiar backhanded stroke, as erratic as the man's nature. - -Unlike their earl, neither had come scatheless from amongst the Saxons, -nor had Gerold. The young Swabian was gashed in the shoulder and thigh -by thrusting spears, and the bell-like rim of his casque had been broken -by a sling-stone, which, had it been aimed a handsbreadth lower, would -have beaten in his face. Liutrad's serk beneath his axe-arm showed a -long rent, where a sword had bitten through to the bone,--the blow of a -berserk-mad Nordalbingian. But the look of Floki was most terrible of -all. His cheek had been laid open by a glancing sword-stroke, and the -wound gave to his long wry face an aspect of ghastly grotesqueness. As -yet, however, none of the three felt his wounds, and all alike sprang -eagerly after Olvir, as he rushed upon the Danish shieldwall. - -"_Hei_, vikings, follow!" croaked Floki. "Leave the cattle. Here are -men!" - -"Men--Danes--sons of Thor!" echoed Olvir. "After me, sea-wolves! Here -are players. Hail, Danes--folk of Sigfrid! Odin calls you!" - -"Hail, bairn! Get thee to Godheim!" shouted a Dane of vast girth, and -he leaped forward from the shieldburg to meet the Norse earl. - -"Lead me! I follow--in good time," rejoined Olvir, tauntingly. - -The Dane whirled up his two-bladed axe, and struck with all his might. -Even Olvir's skill could not have warded such a blow. It was a -shield-smashing stroke, such as Liutrad was swinging. But it whirled -down through empty air, and the great blade buried itself deep in the -turf. Olvir had flung himself forward beneath the descending weapon and -on past the massive figure of the wielder. As he darted by, Al-hatif -stabbed up beneath the Dane's shield. The champion fell groaning upon -his axe. Without a backward glance, Olvir sprang forward to break the -Danish shieldwall. Before they could comprehend his deadly mode of -attack, two more Danes went down from the blinding stabs of Al-hatif, -and then Liutrad and Gerold and Floki were again at his back. - -On one side a little space had been left clear by the opening out of the -Saxons. This was a rare chance for the sharp-eyed Crane, who leaped -sideways, and, with a full-armed sweep, sent his halberd whistling low -among the legs of the foremost Danes. It was like a scythe in the -wheat. The one blow crippled in its sweep no less than four warriors, -whose sudden fall left a gap in the wall of interlocked shields. Before -the gap could be closed, Olvir had leaped into the opening, and was -putting forth his utmost effort to pierce the second rank of the Danes. - -Close at his shoulders pressed Liutrad and Gerold, while Floki stood -back for a second leg-shearing. But, though locked so closely in their -ranks that they could not leap above the terrible halberd, the Danes -were too crafty to be caught as at first. Three or four instantly -crouched to catch the stroke on their shields, and one, a skilled -swordsman, thrust out his blade to meet the haft of the halberd. -Neither his parry nor the intervening shields could entirely break the -blow. The swordsman's blade was dashed aside, his shield shattered into -fragments, and he himself hurled back among his fellows, a mangled -corpse. But his skill was not without avail to those beside him. The -halberd shaft, notched by his sword-edge, broke short off with the force -of the blow. - -"Faul!" croaked Floki, and, hurling the splintered shaft into the midst -of the shieldburg, he drew his sword--a blade half a span longer than -Ironbiter and little less weighty. He sprang forward none too soon. -Gerold had thrust himself in the way of a stroke aimed from the side at -Olvir, and the fierce blow, cleaving through his shield, had dinted his -helmet, and sent him reeling backwards, half-stunned. - -"Way, lad, way!" growled the Northman. Plucking the Swabian back, he -leaped upon the Danes in a berserk rage. - -Closing upon their leaders, the vikings now struck the shieldburg with -the full weight of their charge, and the force of the shock drove the -wedge's point well into the opening cleft by Olvir and his -shoulder-mates. Gerold, still dazed, was dragged back beside the -"Gleam" just in time to see young Pepin struck down by a sling-stone -which burst the lad's helmet. As a warrior caught the gold-starred -banner from the opening hand of the king's son, Gerold gave command that -the boy be lashed to his horse and taken back into the midst of the -wedge. He himself thrust forward again, that he might not lose his -share of the fighting. He found the wedge-leaders steadily cutting -their way deeper toward the heart of the shieldburg. - -But it was steel biting steel. Once the impetus of the viking charge -was lost, the advance became very slow. Even at the wedge's point, the -movement, though sure, meant for every step gained a matter of fiercest -struggle. Olvir and Floki yet fought as at first; but Liutrad, for all -his massive young strength, was glad enough for a time to give place to -Gerold. - -If, however, the viking wedge failed to burst open the shieldburg at -once, the slaughter they had wrought among the Saxons and their presence -in the Danish rear were not without effect on both friend and foe. The -fleeing Neustrians had turned again, and the Saxons, disconcerted by the -viking charge, no longer pressed so fiercely upon the Franks, who -immediately followed up the slight show of weakness by renewed efforts -to regain their lost ground. - -With the attack of the vikings, Wittikind, who had been trying to single -out his royal opponent, on the farther side of the shieldburg, quickly -heeded the greater danger of the fresh attack, and hastened to the rear -to aid in checking the in-thrusting wedge. - -Slowly but steadily, Olvir was piercing a rift for his followers into -the steel core of the shieldburg, when the Danish ranks before him -opened, and in the gap towered up the terrible figure of the Saxon -war-earl. He had time only for a glimpse of the Saxon's bearded face -and glaring blue eyes; then a blade more ponderous than Ironbiter -whirled down upon him. - -Unable to avoid the blow, Olvir raised his shield to meet it. Never had -he tilted the little buckler with greater skill. But his arm was -somewhat wearied, and the Saxon struck with a force that only Otkar -Jotuntop himself might have exceeded. Though the blow glanced aside, it -beat the shield down upon Olvir's helmet with stunning violence. As he -stood there, dazed and blinking, Liutrad thrust a protecting shield -above his head, while Gerold flung himself upon the Saxon. As the -Swabian leaped, he cut fiercely at Wittikind's neck. But the Saxon -caught the blow on his sword, and as Gerold's shield clashed upon his -own, he hurled the leaper backwards. - -"_Teu_! _Teu_!" he roared, and he whirled his great blade to cut down -the reeling Swabian. But then Liutrad swung up his axe, and dealt the -war-earl a crashing two-handed blow. Driven by all the massive strength -of the wielder, the heavy blade split the Saxon's shield, and sent him -staggering back as though struck by Thor's hammer. - -Even as the Danes pressed in before their war-earl, their close-set -ranks heaved and staggered with the force of a tremendous shock from -beyond. The Frankish horsemen had withdrawn from the battle-line, and, -led by the king himself, had hurled upon the shieldburg in a charge more -impetuous than any that had gone before. - -Galloping in the lead of his heavy horsemen, Karl spurred his charger -full against the wall of locked shields. A dozen spear-points glanced -from his shield or splintered upon his scale hauberk. Then his heavy -stallion struck the shieldwall like a war-ram, and burst through, -trampling upon the overthrown Danes. From all sides ready blades were -brandished to cut down the royal leader. But not even the halberds -could beat through the king's guard. His grey eyes flamed with white -fire, and he shouted joyfully, as Ironbiter swirled down to right and -left: "_Heu_! _heu_! Christ reigns! Down with the fiend-gods! Follow -me, Franks!" - -"_Heu_! _heu_! Christ and king!" shouted the horsemen, and, fired by -the example of their leader, they burst through the Dane wall in a dozen -places. In a twinkling, the close ranks of the shieldburg were rent -asunder, and Danes and Franks were mingled in a wildly furious struggle. - -Berserk-mad, Wittikind turned again from the Northmen, and rushed to -meet the Frank king as he came plunging through the heart of the -shieldburg. - -"The king!" he roared; "about him, men!" - -With a fierce shout, the Danes rallied and thrust in behind Karl with -such desperate valor that he was cut off from the horsemen, with scarce -a dozen followers. At once the mailed champions closed in on the -handful of riders, and hewed them down with axe and halberd. Karl alone -sat his saddle when the Danish ranks opened, and the war-earl came -leaping for his vengeance. The first blow of his sword split the skull -of the king's stallion, and Karl was hurled forward at the feet of the -Saxon. - -In the fall, the hilt of Ironbiter, slippery with blood, was wrenched -from his grasp. He saw Wittikind's whirling sword, and sprang up to -grip him fast about the body. Unable to strike, the Saxon in turn -gripped the king. For a little, the Danes held back, while the giant -leaders bent and strained to overthrow one another. But the Frank had -the vantage of the hold. A bear would have smothered in that hug. -Already Wittikind's face was blackening, when a Dane sprang in and -struck the crowned helmet of the king with his war-hammer. - -Instantly the king's grip broke. The war-earl thrust him away, and he -fell senseless upon the bloody ground. Half-smothered, the Saxon stood -gasping, unable to raise his sword. Then he was plucked aside by his -henchmen, as Olvir and Floki came leaping into the midst and thrust out -their shields to guard the fallen king. - -Back to back, the two Northmen stood alone in the midst of the Danes, -and so furiously did the champions of King Sigfrid press upon them, that -even Floki, in all his many battles, had never been put to such straits -to hold his own. Well was it the war-earl yet lacked breath to leap -upon them. While he stood gasping, Liutrad and Gerold burst through, at -the head of the wedge. - -Ground mercilessly between the Frankish horsemen on the one side and the -in-thrusting wedge, the Danes at last drew back from about the king, and -sought to form another shieldwall. - -"They break!" cried Gerold, and springing upon a riderless horse, he -wheeled about in the lead of the horsemen. "_Heu_! _heu_! Follow me, -Franks! Give the wolves no time to turn!" - -Rallying to the call, the Franks spurred their horses upon the -disarrayed ranks of the Danes, and for a while all Wittikind's efforts -could not make the beaten warriors stand and face the attack. Luckily -for them, they were rid of the Norse champions, else their retreat would -soon have broken into a rout. But Olvir had called upon his sea-wolves -to stand while he and Liutrad sought to restore the king to -consciousness. - -Fearful of the worst, the two stooped over the great Frank, and were -chafing his wrists, when his grey eyes opened in a fierce stare, and he -sat up, to grope eagerly about. - -"My sword--Ironbiter!" he muttered. - -"Here, sire," replied Olvir, and he thrust the gold hilt into the king's -hand. - -"Good! The battle--" - -Floki stepped upon a slain horse, and swept the wild battlefield with -his glance: "Yonder, lord king, I see Wittikind's shieldburg. The Danes -have faced about, and again withstand your riders. But everywhere the -Saxons give ground--even the stubborn Frisians!" - -"Saint Michael! we win! Why do your wolves stand idle, Dane hawk?" - -"We wait for you, lord king, and the Saxons are not minded to press upon -us," replied Olvir, grimly. "Lead us now against them, king! _Heya!_ -men; lead forward Count Gerold's horse." - -"The lad, also," added Floki. "How does the king's son fare?" - -"Look for yourself, Crane," rejoined the viking who led forward Gerold's -and Pepin's horses. - -The luckless boy, who had been lashed fast in his saddle by the vikings, -was crouched low over his horse's withers, and his delicate face, as he -gazed vacantly about among the vikings, was white and drawn. At the -pitiable sight Karl leaped up, his look dark with chagrin. - -"King of Heaven!" he cried, "have I lived to see my first-born -fear-stricken--my son a coward?" - -"Hold, king!" broke in an old berserk, with generous boldness. "You do -both yourself and the bairn a wrong. The lad's now witless. Till the -luckless stone struck him down, he rode beside me, blithe of heart in -the midst of the battle-din. No man in all our wedge cast a dart with -truer aim. I myself saw him pierce two Saxons. He's yet witless." - -"Thank God!" exclaimed Karl, and he sprang to fling his arm about the -boy. "Heed me, child--my brave child! Rouse up and draw sword--the -battle's not ended!" - -But Pepin stared vacantly into the glowing face of his father, and -pointed to the blood-reddened figures of the vikings with a foolish -smile. "They that are clothed in scarlet dwell in king's -houses--clothed in scarlet--scarlet and crimson," he babbled. - -"Mother of God!" muttered Karl, and his eyes fell before the meaningless -stare of the boy. But then Olvir sprang forward, his face pale, and his -brows meeting in a stern frown. - -"Here's a horse, king," he said almost harshly, "Mount, and lead us on -again." - -"But the lad--" - -"Liutrad shall take him in charge. We can do no more for him till this -scarlet play is ended." - -"Scarlet play--you speak truth, Dane hawk! But see! Ho, Christ -triumphs! My Grey Wolf rends his way into the midst of the -fen-dwellers. They break--the host itself! Ho, sea-wolves, after -me--after me, and burst the Danish shieldwall!" - -With a shout that rolled out above all the wild din and uproar, the -vikings closed their ranks again in wedge, and wheeled to follow their -crowned leader into the thick of the withdrawing Saxons. - -As yet only half beaten, the forest-wolves were giving ground with -stubborn slowness, and Wittikind was seeking to swing his shieldburg -around, that he might shake off the horsemen and rally the tribes in a -last furious charge upon the Frankish footmen. Even yet the tide of -battle might have been turned against the Franks. - -But then the viking wedge crashed into the heart of the Saxon host from -the one side, while from the other came sweeping a torrent of routed -Frisians, old Rudulf and his grey-armored warriors raging in their -midst. The yells of the fen-dwellers quavered with superstitious dread: -"The werwolf!--the werwolf! Fly, Saxons!--Fenir 's free!" - -Thousands of voices caught up the despairing cry, and the whole Saxon -host faced about and broke into utter rout. Wild with fear, they swept -across the bloody battlefield in a whirling flood that all but -overwhelmed the vikings. Like a ship adrift among the storm-waves, the -wedge was carried along in the midst of the flying thousands, clear to -the farthermost edge of the battlefield. There, at last, they made a -stand, and the horsemen came plunging through the flood to join their -royal leader. - -As Gerold rode up at their head, Karl signed to him: "Plant the -standard; send the horsemen on. To my side! I reel with blood-loss." - -Again the vikings gathered about the king, while the horsemen joined the -fierce pursuit of the Saxons. But hardly had Gerold and Liutrad bound -up his wounds, when the last of the flying host came rushing past, -intermingled with the Frankish footmen. - -"Ho, lord king!" called Olvir. "My wolves strain at the leash. Bid us -go. Yonder comes Amalwin. Let him guard the standard. It cannot be he -thirsts to slay his fleeing countrymen." - -"Go, then. But leave my luckless Pepin and these bold lads--" - -"I'm spent--I stay!" gasped Liutrad. - -"I go. My wounds are stanched," said Gerold, and as Olvir sprang upon -Zora, the Swabian mounted his own horse little less nimbly. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - -Many a man is brave -Who still does not thrust the blade -Into another man's heart. - LAY OF REGIN. - - -The sun was far down the western sky when the vikings swung away from -the corpse-strewn battlefield and joined the fierce chase of the broken -host. Already the foremost of the pursued and the pursuers were beyond -view, and for a time Northmen followed after the scattering Saxon bands, -in vain search for Wittikind and his Danes. - -But at last, off to the northward, Olvir caught sight of a distant -glimmering along the skyline, and he had no need to look twice to know -that it was the last rays of the sunlight glinting on burnished steel. - -"Look, lad, our quarry!" he called to Gerold. "No Saxon war-gear would -gleam so bright." - -"Wittikind and his Danes!" cried Gerold. "Saint Michael--this has been -a glorious day! Let us but kill their earl, and the war is at an end!" - -After this, those of the Saxons who turned aside out of the way of the -vikings were safe from their dreaded blades. The sea-wolves were on the -trail of bigger game. Yet swift as was their pursuit, night fell, and -they had not overtaken the Danes. Coming to a little brook, they halted -to bathe their wounds in the cool stream and to eat the last fragments -of the coarse fare which they had brought from the Lippespring. - -When, after a little, they clamored to be led on again, Gerold spoke of -a stronghold to which the war-earl might be fleeing, and at Olvir's -assent, guided the band by moonlight on that blind trail. But the moon -at last set and left them in darkness, without view of their quarry. It -was well, for even their iron strength was broken. Many had lagged -behind in the last hour's march. - -Yet at dawn, stiff from their wounds and half famished, they gathered -about their earl, and called upon him to lead them on across the -woodlands. - -When at last, bursting out on the edge of a broad meadow, the vikings -sighted the Danes fording a little stream, they uttered a roar, and -rushed forward to close with the foe. But even Gerold and Floki were -left far behind by Olvir, who raced ahead on Zora as though to ride down -singly the whole Danish band. His followers were nearly a bow-shot to -the rear when he drew rein just beyond sweep of the Danish swords. - -The greater number of the Danes were already across the stream; but a -few of the more resolute had halted to hold the passage against the -pursuers. Olvir, however, stared over the heads of the desperate -champions, to the little islet upon which Wittikind, striding up out of -the water, had paused to glance back at the Norse wedge. As the Saxon's -eye fell upon the viking earl, the latter raised his hand, and sent a -challenge ringing over the stream. - -"Ho, hero!" he shouted; "stand and wait--I would meet you in single -fight." - -"Faul seize you, dog of the Frank!" retorted the Saxon. "Am I a witling -to linger while your bloody wolves come up?" - -"Listen, son of Wanekind," said Olvir, very earnestly. "Odin bear -witness--I swear that no man in my following shall cross the stream, if -you fight with me. Let these men follow over to their mates. Mine will -stand here." - -"And if you fall, bairn?" - -"My pledge shall hold good nevertheless. But if you falter and fail to -meet me, I shall name you nithing from Rhine Stream to Trondheim Fiord." - -"_Teu_! It is a bold cockerel!" cried Wittikind. But the flush which -reddened his bearded cheek showed that the taunt had gone home. Only -blood could wipe out that threat of coward-naming. He signed -impatiently to the Danish rearguard. - -"Across, men!" he shouted. "I 'll soon trim the comb of this -loud-crowing cock, and then we shall see how the sons of Thor keep -faith." - -Olvir smiled, well pleased, and, as the Danes sprang into the stream, he -turned about, with upraised hand, to check the wild charge of his -vikings. - -"Hold, men!" he called. "I meet the war-earl singly. Whether scathe -come to me or to him, none among you shall cross over the stream." - -"How, Olvir?" demanded Gerold. "Would you then let the Danes escape -us?" - -"My word is pledged; the Danes go free. As to the war-earl, it is as it -was with that traitor Hroar." - -"You would trust everything to your own sword, Olvir; and yet the -war-earl all but struck you down." - -"In the press of the battle," answered Floki, sharply. "Here the -ring-breaker will have room to avoid the Saxon's sword." - -"I have given my word. See that you keep it," added Olvir, and, leaping -from Zora, he advanced out into the water. - -Wittikind calmly awaited the attack, leaning upon the hilt of his -terrible longsword. There was no feeling visible in his bearded face, -but his blue eyes were fixed upon the Northman in a vengeful look. Had -it not been for the Norse wedge, the battle would have surely gone -against the hated Franks before Rudulf, that werwolf Thuringian, could -break the Frisians. - -With a rush, Olvir passed, waist-deep, across the narrow channel, and -sprang out upon the lower end of the islet. Between him and the Saxon -lay a level stretch of sedge-grown sand, a dozen paces wide and twice as -long. With the water still dripping from the border of his mailserk, -Olvir advanced quietly upon his great enemy. Wittikind swung up his -sword, and stepped forward to meet the Northman. - -"Come, bairn, come!" he jeered. "We linger too long. I would make an -end of the matter, and be gone." - -"The gerfalcon strikes the stork!" retorted Olvir, and he ran in upon -the war-earl so closely that his little steel shield clashed upon the -spiked boss of the Saxon's linden-wood buckler. Down came the longsword -with a vicious swirl,--a stroke that few among the greatest champions -might have warded. Olvir made no attempt to meet it. Wide as was the -blade's sweep, he sprang back into safety as the blow fell. - -Gerold and the vikings shouted in approval of the adroit play; but the -Danes laughed and called out jeeringly: "Stay a little, dogs of the -Franks! Wait till the hero's blood warms!" - -"The more freely will it flow!" croaked back Floki the Crane, and the -vikings laughed in turn. - -Then all on either bank stood staring in silence at the oddly matched -swordsmen. Olvir, lithe and active as a panther, was circling round and -round his foe, every nerve and thew and sinew tense to take him -unawares. For a while he was content to spring in and out, avoiding the -terrible sweep of the war-earl's sword. Once his opponent had wearied, -he would lay himself open sooner or later to a disabling thrust from -Al-hatif. - -But the Westphalian was not easily wearied. Far from flagging, his -blows fell with steadily increasing quickness and force. The hero's -blood was warming, as the scoffing Danes had foretold. He no longer -stood in one spot, wheeling to face the attack of the Northman, but -began to press upon him, in a fierce attempt to pen him into a corner of -the islet, and make an end. Even when he stood over the king Olvir had -not been so hard pressed. The Saxon's attack combined all the savage -fury of a berserk in the rage with the cold craft of a host-leader. - -Twice Olvir's leaps barely saved him from the scythe-like leg-blows of -the great blade, and once, as he dropped beneath a backhanded sweep, the -keen edge shore a lock from his hair. Nothing daunted, however, by the -swirl of the longsword, his black eyes sparkled and wild joy filled his -heart. Difficult as it was to avoid Wittikind's fierce rushes, he -leaped and thrust and darted from side to side, always just a -hairbreadth ahead of destruction, without a thought of fear or weakness. -Had he given way to either, though only for a single instant, death -would surely have overtaken him. But always the great blade whirled -through empty air, and the elf leaped unharmed about the furious giant. - -Twice Olvir had retreated from end to end of the islet, and for the -third time was giving back before the war-earl's savage rushes, when -suddenly his eyes sparkled with a new purpose. Smiling as one who -greets a friend, he sprang aside to avoid the down-whirling longsword, -and then, heedless of the return stroke, stepped forward to aim a swift -blow at the Saxon's sword-arm. The utmost of his skill and sinewy -strength was behind the stroke. It fell upon the massive forearm midway -above the wrist, and the Danish mail parted like cloth beneath the edge -of Al-hatif. Through steel and flesh and tendon, the Damascus blade -shore its way, until it gritted on the very bone. Wittikind's sword fell -to the ground. - -The fight was won. The war-earl of all the Saxons stood before the -slender Northman, helpless. Olvir had only to raise his sword and -strike another blow, and the son of Wanekind would have met his fate. - -The Saxon lowered his shield, and stood waiting for the death-stroke, -his broad chest still heaving with the violence of his exertions, but -his face suddenly stilled from anger to calm scorn. - -"Strike--strike, and have done with your shame, false son of Odin!" he -called in a deep voice. "But for you this day the free Saxons should -have rid themselves of the Frank. You, a Northman, false to your folk -and your gods, have set the heel of a king upon the necks of a free -people. It is fit that you should slay the leader of a broken host. -Strike quickly, else Thor will smite you with his hammer." - -But Olvir stepped back, and met the scornful look of the Saxon with a -grave smile. - -"Hear me, son of Wanekind!" he rejoined. "In the North we listen to -witness on both sides before the dooming. You have yet to learn what is -in my mind." - -"I had rather talk with Odin! We of the forest have but one tongue with -which to speak to traitors; it is of steel." - -"Wittikind is dogwise," replied Olvir, and he raised Al-hatif to thrust -the blade into its sheath. "Here is my answer to the taunts of the -war-earl. Odin bids us slay our foe by guile or by force; but, in the -name of the White Christ, I now tell you to go free." - -"_Teu_! Is it not enough shame that a viking should sell his sword? -Must he mock an unarmed foe?" - -"Odin bear witness--the son of Wanekind is free." - -Wittikind stared down intently into the grave, almost solemn face of the -Northman, and his look softened. - -"How is this, viking?" he demanded. "Would you undo the scathe you have -wrought upon my forest-folk?" - -"The blood of your warriors brings me no joy, hero. Yet I am the man of -Pepin's son, and so must do his bidding. A year since I should have -broken the bond, had not Karl shown to me the need for this bloody war. -Many could tell you what little love I bear the Christian priests, and I -am not one to rejoice at the growing serfdom among the Franks; yet I see -that both Frank priest and Frank king would bring to your land more than -they would take away,--your boasted freedom is the freedom of the -wolf-pack, without order or true bond. This bitter day has proved that -all the forces of your forest tribes cannot hope to check the power of -the Frank. Why, then, drag on with a hopeless war?--why bring upon your -land fire and steel and famine?" - -"I would rather choose death than thraldom," rejoined Wittikind. - -"Who speaks for thraldom? For a time there would be a double yoke on -the necks of your people; but the son of Pepin will not reign for all -time, and who so dog-wise as to hold that one as mighty as he will sit -in the high-seat after he has gone? I foresee that the yoke of kingship -will then be light, and the Saxon folk can choose for themselves whether -they will any longer bear the yoke of the priests." - -"So--now I see. I am to go free, if I will sell my folk into thraldom." - -Olvir's face clouded. - -"You do not understand," he replied. "Christ grant that wisdom may come -to you! Now go. Your wound bleeds. Yet one more word. Bear in mind, -should you ever wish to treat with Karl, I stand pledged as hostage for -your safety." - -Without a word, the Saxon turned away across the islet. But at the -water's edge he wheeled and came striding back. - -"Listen, viking," he said. "I have misjudged you. Though you fight for -the bloody Frank, I must own that at heart you are a true man. May the -Allfather soon lead you back to your own!" - -"Rather, may the White Christ, to whom I bend knee,--I, who despise the -Christian priests,--may He bring you to the joy and freedom of His -love!" - -"His priests have brought us nothing but a clamoring for tithes and the -sword of their king. I am content with the gods of my fathers. Again I -say, may you soon return to your own folk and the old gods of the North. -I could wish you no better fortune." - -"I pray that wisdom come to you, hero, before more blood is spilt," -replied Olvir, earnestly. For a moment after the Saxon turned away, he -stood gazing at him; then he also turned and plunged into the stream. - -Midway across the narrow channel Gerold came riding to meet him, amazed -and angry. - -"Ho, Olvir!" he cried; "you 're mad, stark mad, to set the Saxon free! -A stroke would have put an end to him and his evil plots. At the least, -he should be brought thrall to the king. Turn back! There's yet time -to take him--" - -"No, lad. Draw rein. My word is pledged--Wittikind is free." - -"You 're mad!--mad! What will the king say? There 'll be no bounds to -his anger! We must tell him nothing of this." - -"The king shall know all," replied Olvir, and he waded on across to his -waiting band. - -When, late in the afternoon,--well fed from the loot of a farmstede, but -very weary,--the Northmen came dragging back across the borders of the -battlefield, their earl commanded them to make camp and gather in their -dead and wounded. He himself rode on with Gerold, over the Haze and -into the Frankish camp. The Swabian's face was clouded with fear for -his friend; but Olvir went to the meeting, calm almost to indifference. - -As they approached the royal pavilion, before which a group of -war-counts were gathered about the king, Olvir was astonished to -perceive in their midst the kindly face of Abbot Fulrad. He saw the old -councillor nod and smile at him, and then the high war-counts, of whom -only Rudulf was missing, rushed to greet him and Gerold. All others than -Amalwin were fairly drunken with the wine of victory. - -"Hail, heroes!" shouted Worad. "What tidings of the beaten wolves? We -were too far spent to follow for long, but your iron vikings--" - -"Would that we had stopped as well," replied Gerold, moodily. - -"How then?" demanded Karl, rising from a heap of furs. "Did the rebels -turn and beat you off? Where is Rudulf?" - -"Each went his own way, lord king," replied Olvir, quietly. "We -followed the Danes--" - -"And they outran you?" - -"No, lord king; we overtook them, and I fought with Wittikind." - -"And won!" shouted Gerold. - -"Where's the rebel's head?" rejoined Count Hardrat. "Were I a slayer, -his skull should serve me for mead-bowl. Satan seize the traitors! They -all but broke my own skull with their sling-stones." - -"The hero's head is on his shoulders,--where Count Hardrat is free to -seek it," said Olvir, coldly. - -"Speak out!" exclaimed the king. "You fought the Westphalian, and won; -yet he still lives. Do you then bring him back in thrall-bonds?" - -"No, sire. When the hero's sword fell from his grasp, I spoke with him -a little while, and then told him to go free." - -"Free! King of Heaven!" - -In an instant the king's smiling face was ablaze. He sprang up, and -stood towering above the Northman in speechless anger, his hand gripped -hard on the hilt of Ironbiter. There were few among the war-counts who -did not whiten with dread as they saw the great blade half drawn from -its sheath. - -But Olvir stood quietly in his place, and faced the king with a look of -calm friendliness that bordered on pity. As he met the look, Karl's -hand fell away from the sword-hilt, and he turned to pace across the -front of the tent. Twice he repeated the swift movement, and when he -paused to again face the Northman, all his anger was gone, and in its -place only bewilderment. - -"Lord Christ!" he muttered; "a little more, and I 'd have struck my -heart's friend. Ah, Olvir, why try me so? You were mad to set that -traitor free,--him, the head and front of all the heathen cause!" - -"Is there then no end to what you would ask of me, sire? The Saxon -reproached me as the one who had turned his victory into bitter defeat. -Have I not waded in blood for you,--the blood of my brothers? I could -not strike down that hero when he stood before me bare-handed, and death -were far less bitter than the shame of thraldom. The thought came to -me, sire, how he was a brave man, fighting for his country. He at least -is no forsworn traitor, however many of his fellows may be." - -"You forget that at Casseneuil you placed your hands between my hands. -As liegeman, you should have held my service above all else." - -"Not so, lord king. I own to a service above your service,--the will of -Christ." - -"Was it His will to free that heathen duke, who, more than any other -man, withstands the spreading of the Gospel?" - -"I and mine have slain many warriors in your service, lord king; I am -not yet Christian enough to slay one in the name of Christ." - -"The more shame to own it, Dane," muttered Hardrat. "But for what else -could one look from a heathen?" - -"Curb your scoffing tongue, drunkard," commanded Karl. "Prudence should -counsel you to silence. There are those who say that the false horn -which, in the midst of the battle, called your Neustrians to retreat, is -the horn which hangs at your belt." - -"It is a lie, lord king!--a foul lie! I am no coward!" - -"I know that well, Thuringian; yet I have known of brave traitors. -Enough. You will return to your shire when Count Rudulf marches -homeward. See to it that neither he nor the _missi_ have cause to -report drunkenness or ill deeds against you, if you do not wish to lose -your countship as well." - -As the Thuringian shrank back before the stern rebuke, Karl turned again -to Olvir, and his face softened. - -"I have been harsh, lad. I even failed to hear you out. You said that -you talked with Wittikind before you set him free?" - -"I sought to show him the hopelessness of this bloody struggle, and to -win him over to surrender." - -"But he would not listen?" - -"At the least, I stand pledged as his hostage, should he wish to treat -with your Majesty. I trust that I have sown seed in his heart that in -the end will bear fruit." - -"Ah, Olvir, were it not for your pride of spirit, I should look to see -you barter sword and helmet for the cowled robe, as have more than one -of my war-counts. But enough, lad. It is not fair to keep you longer; -go within the tent." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - -A may of all mays-- -Bright in bower. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -Olvir caught the look in the king's eyes, and hastened to the pavilion, -without waiting to ask questions. A moment, and he had darted through -the loose-hanging curtains of the entrance and stood staring about in -the gloom of the great canopy. Then, almost at his shoulder, there came -a cry of glad surprise, and Rothada sprang up from her father's couch, -blushing with delight and sweet confusion. Wearied by the long journey -from the Rhine, she had lain down to rest after the noon meal and had -fallen asleep. - -Before the little princess could even smooth her ruffled tresses, Olvir -had his arm about her shoulders and was bending to kiss her. At first, -overcome by shyness, she hid her face upon his shoulder; but the -ring-mail was cold and hard, and love bade her look up. - -"So, that is better, darling," said Olvir, as the violet eyes, beaming -with love and happiness, were raised to his own. "Now you gaze up -bravely, like a true king's daughter." - -"Dear hero! Surely I should be a little brave, when you have had to -undergo such fearful dangers--that terrible battle! I shall live in -constant dread lest next time--" - -"Foolish maiden! Fear slays far greater numbers than the sword. Where -is your faith in the White Christ? See now; He has given us this great -happiness." - -"It is hard to be always trusting, Olvir. But you renew my faith. Here -is joy to repay me for my dread." - -"Sweet joy, sweetheart! I had given over all thought of seeing you -until the host returned Rhineward." - -"If only it had been a happier cause that brought me! Dame Bertrada, my -father's mother, was stricken down with a sickness which none of the -leeches could ease, and when Abbot Fulrad, compelled by matters of -state, decided that he must come north, under guard of the Burgundian -levy, the queen-mother gave command that I should go with him, to bear -her message to my father. The good abbot has lost none of his liking -for you, dear hero. He was only too well pleased to bring me in his -following." - -"He has brought me joy!--But the queen-mother? God grant that the old -dame may yet find health!" - -"Kosru the leech will return to Mayence with Abbot Fulrad. His magic -drugs heal where others fail. Of all whom he has attended, only -Hildegarde, my beloved mother--" - -A sob choked Rothada's utterance, and tears sprang into her eyes. - -Olvir caught her face between his hands, and, stooping quickly, kissed -away the tears. - -"Do not grieve, dear heart," he said. "She rests in the joy and peace -of God's presence, where we shall meet again with her when we, too, go -hence. Tell me now of Dame Bertrada. By what lucky chance could you be -spared from her bedside?" - -"Another cares for her, Olvir, with greater skill than I can -give--Fastrada--" - -"Fastrada!" - -"Be just, dearest. The maiden has surely changed. Before -Hildegarde--passed on--she was softened, and now she gives all her time -to good deeds. Even Dame Bertrada has no word against her. If only I -might so rid myself of vanity and selfishness!" - -"That were impossible, sweetheart,--you have nothing of either." - -"Olvir! But tell me of my warriors. Oh, this terrible battle! I weep -at the thought of the slain." - -"Never weep for a viking who falls in battle, little vala. He goes -hence rejoicing." - -"That is no Christian joy." - -"Christian, but far from Christ-like. I have now seen your father's -Christian warriors in battle. They rejoiced in the bloody play even as -did my grim heathen and--myself." - -"Dear hero, I know that you fought only that you might aid in the coming -of Christ's kingdom." - -"No, Rothada--God forgive me! I came to the battlefield with nothing in -my heart but good-will toward the forest-dwellers, and then I thrust my -sword among them with wolfish delight." - -"Yet you gave assent, Olvir, when my father said that there was no other -way to bring about the highest good to the stubborn heathen." - -"For the better way was closed long since! Ah, well; let us put the -unwelcome thought behind us." - -"I, too, might give way to grief, dearest. My brother--" - -"The luckless bairn! How is he now?" - -"He lies on the couch across; but do not go near. The leech has given -him a sleeping draught, and he must not be wakened before dawn. He is -still dazed from the blow on his head, and though Kosru gives promise -that in time he will recover, he must now have the utmost of care. That -is why I must also go when Father Fulrad takes him and Kosru back to -Mayence." - -"So soon--but I will not complain. Though but for a day or two, Father -Fulrad has surely brought me joy!" - -"I am glad that you are pleased, dear hero. Now free me, that I may -make ready for the evening meal." - -Olvir ran his fingers through the girl's tangled tresses, and laughed -with a sudden outburst of boyish delight. - -"Be seated, king's daughter," he exclaimed. "Yonder is a stool. Seat -yourself, and I shall be your tiring-woman." - -"No, no, you foolish hero!" protested Rothada, blushing. - -But Olvir caught up from a bench an ivory comb and smilingly led the -girl to the seat. - -When, a little later, Karl entered the pavilion, he saw the boldest of -his war-counts on his knees before the daughter of Himiltrude, carefully -plaiting the long tresses of chestnut hair which fell down her bosom. - -Rothada drooped her head before the astonished look of her father, -overcome with shame; but Olvir continued his braiding with quiet -unconcern. The king stood where he had first paused, silently watching -the lovers. Soon surprise gave way to other emotions, and he smiled -half sadly. Very patiently he waited until the last gay ribbon had been -knotted, and then, when Olvir would have risen to salute him, he held up -a restraining hand, and went and fetched a stool to seat himself beside -the blushing girl. - -"You do well to be happy while you may, children," he said gently. "The -world is harsh and full of trials." - -"But love is heaven upon earth," replied Olvir. - -"True love; though earth cannot hold it long. But I did not come to mar -your happiness. Only, I would sit with you while they prepare the meal. -At dawn I ride over the fells." - -"At dawn!" exclaimed Rothada, and she lifted her head quickly to look at -Olvir. - -Karl drew her to him, and patted her glossy tresses. - -"Look rather at me, child," he said. "I go at dawn to bear the Magian -leech to the bedside of my mother; he stays here. I see plainly, Olvir, -that you have had your fill of bloodshed, and so I give you the command -which I had set aside for another. We have taken great booty and a -multitude of thralls, and in turn have suffered many wounded among our -bold warriors. Yours shall be the charge to guard all to the Rhine." - -"My lord king!" cried Olvir, and he sprang up to put his gratitude into -words. But Karl motioned him to fetch a stool instead. - -"Be seated, kinsman," he said gravely. "You owe me no thanks. It is -little enough for what you have done. In a few weeks I may call you into -the field again--and here I come thrusting myself in, to take from you a -portion of your brief season of happiness." - -"You do not take, sire, you add," replied Olvir, his face glowing. To -be named as kinsman by Karl, son of Pepin,--Karl, the world-hero,--meant -more to him than words could express. - -Karl smiled, and turned from the happy lover to his betrothed. - -"What is your word, child?" he demanded, half playfully. - -Rothada raised his great hand to her lips and kissed it, as she murmured -her answer: "Our Lord Christ is very good to me to give me such a father -and--and--" - -"Such a wooer!" - -"Such a wooer!" - -"God grant you fulness of joy, dear children,--wedded bliss for a -lifetime such as was mine for the few brief years." - -The broad chest of the speaker rose and fell with a heavy sigh, and he -bent forward upon his sword-hilt, to stare out into the gathering -twilight. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - -For wrong and hatred -Shall rest them never, -Nay, nor sore sorrow. - LAY OF SIGRDRIFA. - - -The king spoke very truly when he predicted that Olvir's journey -Rhineward would be slow. But at Cologne, the monks of Saint Martin of -the Isle took charge of the wounded Franks, and Count Amalwin came to -receive the king's share of the war-loot. He brought word of the -queen-mother's death and her interment beside King Pepin in the Basilica -of Saint Denis. After the burial, Karl moved the court to Worms, and -returned into Saxon Land by way of Fulda. It was his command that Olvir -should at once join the court, with Rothada and her brother. - -So the longships were hauled from their sheds, and raced away up Rhine -Stream, through the fair Rhinegau and past Mayence, on along the winding -streams to Worms. - -Old Fulrad greeted the king's Dane hawk with the embrace of a father, -and Fastrada welcomed the lovers with such sweet humility that their -hearts went out to her. Olvir himself could not withhold his friendship -when he came upon the maiden in the midst of the royal children, and saw -how even the boy Karl turned to her as to a mother. Only the most -malicious of the court gossips failed to praise the girl for her devoted -care of Queen Bertrada and the solicitude she had shown for the orphaned -children of Hildegarde. - -So it happened that when, in the autumn, the king returned from his -planting of fortresses and missions in Saxon Land, he found waiting him -a merry family group, of whom Fastrada was the life and centre. To this -little group Karl at once joined himself, and, in the pleasant days -which followed, he frequently put aside the affairs of state for a sail -on the Rhine in Olvir's Raven. - -Blind to all else in the happiness of his own wooing, Olvir knew nothing -of the report that was fast growing from court gossip to widespread -rumor, as to the king's intentions toward the daughter of Rudulf. The -awakening came to him and to Rothada without warning. - -Gerold and Liutrad, who had had in charge the building of the burg and -mission-church on the Haze for the newly founded Bishopric of Osnabruk, -returned to report their work complete. Neither had cause to complain -of the king's praise for their good service; yet the very next day Olvir -met them wandering moodily along the Rhine bank, and Gerold's face was -clouded with grief. - -"What is this, lad?" asked Olvir, with ready sympathy. "You grieve when -all others are merry." - -"All are merry, Olvir, even our lord king, and yet--and yet not half a -year has passed--" - -Sobs choked the young Swabian's utterance. He flung himself face down -on the turf, and lay quivering. - -Olvir flashed a look of inquiry at Liutrad, who shrugged his broad -shoulders and muttered tersely: "The king and the witch's daughter, -earl." - -"It would be more fitting to say 'Count Rudulf's daughter.' But what of -her and our lord king?" - -"Do you not know, ring-breaker?" - -"Why my question?" - -"Worad says that it has been rumored for a fortnight, and now it is -given out by authority, within a week our lord king weds the daughter of -Rudulf." - -"Weds--Fastrada!" - -"And why not, ring-breaker? Once I scoffed at the maiden's magic ring. -I was dog-wise. I know she hoped it would win back your love to her. -In that it failed. Yet see now--it has gained her a queen's crown." - -Olvir shook his head incredulously. - -"I see you still put faith in foolish charms and spells," he said. "It -was no bright stone that drew the king's heart. Though I wish that his -Majesty had been less hasty, I cannot grudge the maiden her success. -She has won it fairly,--not by spell or magic stone, nor altogether by -her beauty; but most of all by the kindness of her deeds and the modesty -of her bearing. Do not grieve, Gerold. Our lord king has not forgotten -your gracious sister. He is giving to her children another mother." - -"A stepmother--the witch's daughter!" muttered Liutrad. - -"Hildegarde! Hildegarde!" sobbed Gerold. - -"Ah, lads!" exclaimed Olvir, "you are unjust to the maiden. I myself -have seen how her heart has changed." - -"Changed?" retorted Liutrad. "Have you forgotten the past?--what of -your werwolf? Do not frown, earl. I lived the four years in the king's -hall with the witch's daughter, while you ruled Vascon Land. I saw much -of what you seem to have forgotten." - -"Enough. I believe that her heart has altered. At the least, she is -now the betrothed of our lord king." - -"The king has spoken. It is for us to honor his bride," said Gerold, -and he rose up, dry-eyed, to return into the burg. - -* * * * * - -Often as the king was accustomed to visit that city, Worms could never -remember so gay a festival as the wedding of the new queen. The narrow -streets had been cleaned of excessive filth; bright cloths and banners -hung from all the larger buildings, and the townfolk, heedless of the -autumn breeze, gaped from window and doorway at the gaily attired lords -who filled the streets with their armed henchmen. All Speyer and -Mayence and Frankfurt and the country-side for miles around had come to -see the royal wedding. The tradefolk had cause to rejoice in a surfeit -of custom; and many a year passed before the beggars and slaves forgot -the royal bounty doled out to them at the gate of every church and -cloister in the burg. - -Yet the giving was not all on the part of royalty. Lords and tradefolk -vied with each other in their gifts to the king's bride, until -Fastrada's bower overflowed with the finest of silks and woollens, -coffers of jewels, and the richest garments of women's wear. - -But in the midst of her abundance, the daughter of Rudulf sat cold and -still, taking no part in the gay chatter and delighted outcry of the -bower-maidens. There was a change, however, when, on the morning of the -wedding, Rothada came running to her with the gift sent by Olvir,--a -necklace of sapphires, the largest in the hoard of Sheik Al Arabi. At -sight of the gift, Fastrada's eyes shone with the hue of the all but -priceless gems, and she hastened to fasten the necklace about her -rounded throat in place of the river pearls sent by her father. - -The press of counts and officials in the burg was so great that when -they thronged with their retainers into the domchurch, on the heels of -the palace lords and the embassies from outland courts, they filled the -great edifice to the very doors. As to the common folk, they had to -stop outside in the church court and in the street. While they waited in -the frosty air, those more favored by birth or fortune stood massed in -dense ranks in the nave and feasted their eyes on the royal ceremony. -Priests and officials were clad in their most ornate raiment, and the -king himself had laid aside his plain dress for a costume unrivalled in -magnificence by the most extravagant among his lords. - -Very different was the appearance of the bride and her maidens. All -were dressed in white silk, and, with their white wimples, looked far -more like novices than bridesmaids. Even Rothada, who walked beside the -bride, wore no gold or gems. As the girlish procession passed softly -around into the chancel, the only jewel to be seen among them was the -great opal on the hand which the bride held clasped to her bosom. - -But when Fastrada advanced past her maidens to kneel before the high -altar, she raised her head, with a sudden upwelling of exultant pride, -and Olvir, gazing from his post behind the king, saw with wonder that -his sapphire necklace lay about her throat. Then, as he stood staring, -he met her glance, which had passed by the splendid figure of the king -to fix upon himself. The look flashed upon him like a stab out of the -darkness. In a moment it had come and gone, leaving him astounded and -full of dread. As the lightning reveals the storm-swept landscape, so -that instant's glance had opened to him a glimpse of the girl's inmost -soul, torn between triumph and despairing hate and the old love for her -lost hero. - -Shocked and humiliated, Olvir stood in a half-daze, heeding neither the -chanting of the choir nor the solemn words of Fulrad. His heart was -numb with a vague foreboding of evil, and his mind whirled with a chaos -of wild fancies. For a time he pictured himself as one entangled in the -dreadful deeds and bitter fate of the Nibelung heroes. - -But when at last Abbot Fulrad had pronounced the benediction, and Karl, -placing the diadem upon the brow of his queen, rose up from the altar -steps to lead her away, Olvir regained his calmness. He told himself -that the queen's strange glance was only an illusion,--that the false -light of the waxen tapers had deceived his eyes, and he was a vain fool -to have imagined that any thought of himself could have come to the -king's bride at the very steps of the altar. - -In his revulsion of feeling, he joined heartily in the outcry of the -Franks, and, side by side with Rothada, followed the royal couple from -the church. But during the wedding feast, while all others stared -constantly at the glittering figure of the king and the calm white face -of his bride, Olvir was fully satisfied with the sight of his little -princess. Though he had overcome the dread which had chilled his heart, -he had no wish to meet such another look from the new queen. - -The next day, however, Olvir heard with pleasure the summons to appear -before the king and the queen in the bower. Even when, having saluted -the king, he bent to kiss the slender hand on which glowed the many-hued -opal, no thought of doubt or distrust entered his mind. - -"All joy to my lord king and his bride!" he cried. - -"All joy is ours, Olvir," replied Karl, and he beamed down upon his -queen with the fond look of the newly wedded lover. Fastrada sat -motionless, her eyes downcast and her face wrapped in an inscrutable -calm. As Olvir released her hand and drew aside to where Rothada waited -him on their accustomed seat, the queen-bride bent over her opal, and -murmured softly: "Tell him of his fortune, dear lord. When one's heart -is full of joy or sorrow, it is good to see those around grieve or -rejoice with us." - -"Such is the nature of man, sweetheart. Listen, Olvir. As part of the -morning-gift of my bride, I have granted her kindly wish to do you -honor, and so name you Count of the Frisian Mark. Count Teutoric lies -wounded at Fitzlar, and Gerold is too young for so grave a charge. But -this dear one at my side has called to mind your good service in Vascon -Land, and though my selfishness urges the pleasure of your company, I -wish to render you the honor which is your due. My ungenerous love -would have had me regard my own pleasure before your advancement,--the -more so as you should hasten at once to your mark. I will see you again -before you sail. Now I go to advise with Alcuin." - -"My lord king!" cried Olvir, springing up. But Karl, mistaking his -purpose, stepped down from the dais and passed by, with a good-natured -shake of the head. - -"Render your thanks to your queen, to whom they are due," he called -back, as he left the bower. - -Olvir took a step or two after the king, only to turn again to Fastrada. - -"Dear dame," he said, "I am not one to value lightly the honor put upon -me; yet I wish that Gerold or Amalwin had been chosen instead. Let -another be given the countship. I am content here beside my betrothed." - -"Truly, it is a long way to Frisia," sighed Rothada, and she drew close -to the side of her hero. - -"A long way!" repeated Olvir, clasping her hand. - -For a while Fastrada sat calm and silent as before, fingering the opal -on her hand. Then, without raising her eyes or altering her look, she -said quietly: "Take the word of a well-wisher, Olvir. It is not -pleasing to kings to have their favors cast back upon them. Trust me. -My dear lord has chosen you to honor and power above all others of his -counts except Barnard, his uncle. Render him the service which lies in -you to render, and you may look for more welcome favors to follow." - -"I wish one only. Tell me, little vala, would you say no if the king, -your father, gave you leave to sail down Rhine Stream with your -sea-wolves?" - -"If my father bade me go, dear hero--" - -"Only one way could you go, child,--as bride of their count," broke in -Fastrada, sharply. - -"And so it shall be," rejoined Olvir. - -Fastrada did not raise her eyes, but her jewelled buskin tapped softly -on the dais. - -"Foolish children!" she murmured. "You will spoil all when the future -is brightest with promise. Would it not seem ungracious, Olvir, to so -soon beg another favor? You have yet to fulfil the terms of your -betrothal." - -"But for this countship, I would go to him and ask that those terms be -set aside. Yet you say true; I cannot tax his friendship. My mouth is -closed." - -"Trust me, Olvir. You will have a friend close to the king's ear. But -bear in mind my dear lord's unwillingness to part with his little maid. -It may be I can soon overcome that. If not, what is another year of -waiting to true lovers? Have I not waited all these years for my -king,--my king, 'grey of eye'? Rothada is still very young. I have -seen two and twenty summers; she cannot count a score." - -"She is none too young to wed, even by Northern custom," answered Olvir. - -"True, and we will all pray that your betrothal may have a quick ending. -Now send in the maidens from the antechamber, and say your farewells -when there is none left to chatter over your parting. You shall have -until the turn of the glass for your parting. No, Olvir; give me no -thanks. Go quickly; the sweet moments are winged. But bear in mind, if -it come to the worst, what is a year of waiting to true lovers?" - -"A year!" muttered Olvir, as he drew Rothada's hand through his arm and -led her from the bower, "a year! Doubtless, the queen's words are well -meant, but already, dear heart, our betrothal year is far gone; and did -I not love you all those long years before?" - -Rothada made no reply until the curious maidens had hurried into the -bower and she stood alone with her lover in the anteroom. Then she -placed her arms on his shoulders, and gazed up, clear-eyed, into his -troubled face. - -"Dear hero," she said, "Fastrada has spoken wisely. We must have -patience. In His own good time, God will grant us the fulness of joy." - -"Ah, darling, you forget the longing--the hunger of love! How shall I -sit at peace among the dreary fens, while my heart is with you in the -Rhinegau? Day and night I shall hunger for the sight of your sweet -face. By false Loki, would that our lord king might do me a wrong! I -should seize you, though it were from the very cloister, and bear you -away to Trondheim Fiord!" - -"Olvir! It grieves me you should hold such thoughts!" cried Rothada, -and she burst into tears. Olvir caught her to him in an agony of -contrition. - -"Would to Heaven I 'd never been a sea-king!" he muttered. "Dearest -heart--little princess, forgive me--do not weep!" - -"See, then; I have ceased already," whispered Rothada, and she looked up -through her tears, with a brave smile. "Yet I am very sad, my hero. -Oh, if only you could go to my father and tell him that your heart was -free to fulfil those conditions! Then I would--I would myself beg of -him that I might fare down Rhine Stream--with you." - -"Little vala! How the longships would fly, winged by the bowing oars of -your merry sea-wolves!"--and Olvir strained the girl to him. But then -he freed her, and his face grew stern. - -"Christ aid us!" he muttered. "My spirit is torn between love and -truth. Odin bear witness how I love you, dear; yet even for your sake I -cannot bend to the yoke of priestcraft. It would be a lie--a lie!" - -"The more do I love you, my hero, for your true heart! If you are -mistaken, our Lord Christ will give you light. Trust to His guidance, -and however you may be led, I have faith that all will come well in the -end." - -"In the end--ay, in the end; but I'm weary of waiting. Five long -winters have dragged by since we first plighted troth, there in the -Southland." - -"I was only a child; yet see, Olvir, my collar--the tress which saved -you at Roncesvalles--still lies clasped about your throat. It is not a -year since my father betrothed us. We must trust in Christ and in the -good-will of--of the queen." - -"The witch's daughter!" replied Olvir, and his face clouded yet more. -"Why did she not look up as she spoke? My mind is not at ease. Her -words were so kindly; but still, it seemed to me her meaning--" - -"Such doubts are unworthy of you, Olvir. Could a sister--a mother--show -greater tenderness than she has shown since Hildegarde left us?" - -"The bitterness of parting poisons my thought. Forgive me, dear, if I -give way to doubt. Yet there is one in the court whom I can trust to -watch over you. Trust Liutrad in all things. He would strike off his -sword-hand to give you joy. Wait; a word more, darling. Here is my -silver-hilted knife, the work of my own hands." - -"What--I bear a dagger?" cried Rothada, and she shrank from the gift. - -"Call it a bodkin; only, take and keep it in memory of our parting." - -"As you wish, then, dear; yet it is a large bodkin to carry in my bosom, -and if I sling it at my girdle, the maidens will mock me for a warrior." - -"A terrible hero! Tie the sheath with ribbons, and let the silly -maidens laugh." - -"No; I will hang it about my neck. It shall lie upon my heart, in -pledge of your love and protection. I will cherish it, dear; for it -comes from my hero." - -Olvir smiled, half sadly, and turned away, while the girl looped a -ribbon about her neck to suspend the dagger in her bosom. The movement -brought his gaze about to the doorway of the bower, in which stood the -withered form of old Kosru the leech, draped about with a gorgeous robe -of yellow silk. The moment Olvir's eyes fell upon him, the Magian bent -to the rushes, as in former years he had salaamed before the stern Vali -Kasim. The servile obeisance irritated the Northman quite as much as -the interruption. - -"Withdraw, leech!" he said almost harshly. - -"I go, lord count. But--may my lord forgive me the bearing!--the -gracious queen bids me say that the sand is nearly run." - -"Could she not give the glass another turning?" - -"_Ai_, lord; but our mighty protector Karolah has gone to the water-side -to see you take ship," replied the leech, and, with a dry cackling of -toothless laughter, he shuffled about into the bower. As he turned, he -thrust his hand beneath his robe, and a soft, metallic clink chimed with -his mirthless chuckle. - -"_At--ai!_" he muttered; "youth and love are soon sped; but the shining -gold is ever a joy and a comfort." - -Then his ill-omened figure disappeared from view, and Olvir clasped his -little princess to him for the last bitter-sweet moments of parting. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - -Why are ye sitting there? -Why sleep ye life away? -Why does it grieve you not? - WHETTING OF GUDRUN. - - -Bitterly was Olvir to regret that he had bent to the subtle taunt of the -witch's daughter. Had he taken Rothada before her father in the first -flush of his wedding joy, Karl could have refused them nothing. But he -had let himself be lured away to the fen-lands, far from king and court; -while the new queen was ever at the side of the world-ruler, free at all -times to whisper her guileful words into his willing ear. Olvir had no -need of Liutrad's gloomy letters to tell him of the evil spell which the -witch's daughter had laid on the great Frank. Before the year was out, -it was commonly known, even in Frisia, how the king's bride, who never -smiled, had driven Count Hardrat and others of her countrymen from the -court with scoffs and biting jests, had poisoned the king's mind with -evil thoughts of his most devoted liegemen, and had hardened his heart -to bloodshed and cruelty. - -After many dreary months of waiting, it was with a feeling almost of joy -that Olvir received the curt command which bade him join young Karl and -Gerold at the Sigiburg. The king had gone north to hunt out the wary -Engern and Eastphalians, and had left the Frankish horsemen under the -nominal command of his sturdy son, to meet the mounted forces of the -Westphalians. - -Even war was preferable to the torment of inaction, and in the great -battle of horsemen which was fought on the Lippe, Olvir proved that if -he had lost his old-time zest for fighting, he had by no means lost his -daring and quickness. The Saxons were defeated with great slaughter, -though not until Olvir had twice saved the life of young Karl. - -For such a service, Olvir might well have looked for some special mark -of the king's favor. But the queen had gone north with the court, to -join Karl on the Weser, and not even a word of praise came from the gay -camp near Sunthal, where Karl lingered until after Yuletide. - -Then came the command signed by Angilram, the new Keeper of the Seal, -saying that young Karl should join his father at the Eresburg, leaving -the horsemen under Gerold's charge; while Count Olvir should march into -Thuringia, to give aid to Rudulf, Count of the Sorb Mark. - -The tidings of Abbot Fulrad's death were very grievous to Olvir; for the -kindly old councillor had been his strongest friend at court. And to -this cup of sorrow was added the gall of Teutoric's reinstatement as -Count of the Frisian Mark. This, however, Karl himself sought to excuse -by a scroll in his own rude, bold handwriting. Teutoric had at last -recovered from his long illness, and had asked for his old countship. -In giving it to him again, he, Karl, had meant nothing against his Dane -hawk, but thought to honor him by sending him into the Sorb Mark, where -there was need of his sword. Sometime in the spring, if the Sorbs had -become quiet, he should call his bright falcon to him. - -Filled with renewed hope by this promise, Olvir bade Gerold farewell, -and marched swiftly across Westphalia with his vikings. At the -Eresburg, he left young Karl to await his father, who had stopped at -Paderborn; but he himself marched on with his vikings, over the Fulda -and Werra, into the great forest of the Thuringians. - -Not until they reached the banks of the Saale did the vikings come upon -the Grey Wolf's lair,--a great fenced camp on the farthermost border of -the Sorb Mark. But if their journey was long, their welcome was hearty -enough to make amends. Morose and savage as was his nature, old Rudulf -greeted Olvir with the open friendliness of one fearless man for -another. He had long since put away the grudge which he had once -cherished against the Northman, and now he could even speak of the -spurning of his daughter without bitterness. Half jestingly, he called -to mind that all but forgotten event, and pointed out how that which had -seemed so ill a happening had, in the end, turned out well omened for -all. Was not his daughter the king's wedded wife, and Olvir plighted to -the king's daughter? - -But Rudulf had other cause than his admiration for the Northman to give -warmth to his greetings. When alone with Olvir, he complained that, for -the first time in a score of years, the young men of his folk showed a -lack of willingness to respond to the king's bode. This was all the -more marked, he said, because of the spirit of unrest which moved -through the forests. Men sat uneasily at the hearthside, their thoughts -clouded with forebodings of evil. It was not that the Sorbs were astir -and threatened a harrying of the mark. That should have brought the -wild forest warriors with a rush to join the banner of their old-time -leader. Yet his war-ring was all but empty. Those who should have -crowded the hedges loitered about their farmstedes. - -The coming of Olvir and his sea-wolves was, therefore, a very welcome -event to the grim old Count of the mark. Though time and war had -lessened the number of the vikings to a scant four hundred, they were -picked warriors, mailed like chiefs, and trained as no band had been -trained since the days of the Romans. With such men at his call, the -Grey Wolf lay at ease in his lair, confident that should the Sorbs dare -raid his mark, they would ride back across the Saale far faster than -they came. It would seem that the crafty heathen were themselves aware -of this; for the arrival of the vikings was followed by signs that the -menacing Slavs had thought better of their purpose. All along the -border the account of how the giant Danes of Karl the Frank had turned -the Saxon Wittikind's victories into bloody disaster was now a -well-known tale. - -So the Slav folk kept across the Saale, biding a fairer season for their -raid; while the warriors, whose presence had put the curb on their lust -for blood and loot, lay about the Thuringian camp, grumbling at the lack -of merry sword-play. It was in vain that on the accustomed day for the -spring sacrifice they honored Odin with many choice victims. Neither -Floki, nor such others of their number as were skilled in signs and -omens, could foretell anything from the casting of the blood-chips. At -the least, no war was to be read in the boding, and the Sorbs did not -give the lie to the omens. - -May came and went, and then June, and Olvir was beginning to doubt the -king's faith, when word was brought to the forest fastness,--another -scroll in Karl's rough handwriting,--saying that he had gone north to -invade the land beyond the Elbe, but had not forgotten his Dane hawk. -With this assurance of the king's troth, Olvir rested fairly content. -Yet it was no easy task to wait through the long summer-time. - -Autumn was already at hand when the vikings began to talk of a weird -apparition, in appearance like a dead woman swathed in her shroud, which -wandered through their camp in the darkness. The manner in which the -Thuringians scoffed at the "grey walker" of their heathen fellows soon -convinced Olvir that the fancied wraith was none other than old Rudulf's -Wend wife. To test the matter, he expressed to the count his wonder -that the dame should see fit to act so mysteriously. - -The next night, as he sat by the Grey Wolf's hearth listening to a grim -tale of life in the mark, the Wend woman glided into the hut, and sat -down opposite the two men. Rudulf nodded carelessly to his wife, and -would have gone on with his tale. But Olvir turned to greet her. - -"Welcome, dame," he said. "I did not think to see you again in this -life, when at our last meeting you fared out into the storm and night." - -"And what if I am not now in the flesh-life, son of Thorbiorn?" asked -the witch, in a hollow voice. - -"The heartier should be my welcome, dame," rejoined Olvir. "I 've ever -longed to meet a farer from Hel's Land. But though I have seen many go -that journey, I have never seen one come again." - -"Not so the daughter of the Snake, bold mocker. In the midnight, when -the wolves feasted upon the bodies of the slain, I have walked on the -battlefield, gathering the death-dew for my spells, and my eyes have -seen the blood-reddened souls rising from the mangled flesh." - -"Your souls were going hence, daughter of the Snake; they as yet knew -only the earth-life. I spoke of those who have crossed over the -glittering way, and then come again to Manheim. Hel holds with a firm -grip those who go to her. Not many fare back who have set foot beyond -the wall of Loki's daughter." - -"The son of Thorbiorn would have his hostess tell of deeds forbidden -under the laws of Karl. Does not the Christian king doom to the -mire-death those who practise spells? _Ai!_ not all have forgotten my -hut in the Moselle Wood, and the curse which I put upon those whom I -left behind." - -"By the fiend Odin!" broke in Rudulf; "that was an ill-doing, wife. Yet -if the good queen has gone hence, and Pepin Crookback become a witling, -our guest will tell you that young Karl bids fair to fill his father's -sword-belt, and our daughter, the queen, goes clad in silk and gold." - -"Your daughter,--the false trull,--not mine!" hissed the woman. "As to -her luck, good or ill, have you forgotten my boding when this bright -gerfalcon flew out of the South to seek our leave for his wooing? 'A -king, grey of eye,' was my foretelling, and so it has chanced. But -again I gave my boding, as I fared from the hut into the storm, and -again my word has come true. The queen your daughter sits in her silken -bower, and her heart lies as a stone in her breast. With a touch she -bends the iron Karl to her bidding; yet power and wealth are become as -ashes in her mouth. There is wormwood in her drink, and gall in her -dainty fare. Do I speak truth, gerfalcon?" - -"I would say nothing against the dame of my lord," answered Olvir. - -"Yet she has brought you little else than sorrow and evil." - -"She has not turned the king's heart against me. I hold his pledge. -Each day I look for his bidding to come to him." - -"You have not heard, son of Thorbiorn! Your ears are duller than I -thought. Karl went north from Paderborn, not Rhineward. He is now upon -the Elbe bank." - -"I have heard, dame. It seems that my wait is to be a little longer." - -"You take the ill tidings calmly, hero. Will you laugh in joy when I -tell you that Karl is minded to break his pledge to you?" - -"That is not true," said Olvir, staring intently at the grey-shrouded -figure of the woman. - -"The hero talks foolishly. She who was my daughter lies in the king's -arms; Count Olvir lies on the Saale bank." - -"It is easy to speak bold words when the face is hidden," rejoined -Olvir. - -At the taunt, the witch flung back her cloak, exposing fully to the red -firelight the ghastly adder mark upon her cheek and the weasels nestling -in her bosom. Roused by the movement, the little beasts crawled upon -her shoulders, and stared, fiery-eyed, at the stranger. - -"Now I see the face of the alruna," said Olvir, quietly. "Let her -speak." - -"What more should I say, Dane hawk? Go through the Frank's realm; ask -of the king's men if their lord keeps troth with them; ask of the -harried Saxons whose is the bitter tongue that is ever inflaming the -king's mind to bloodshed." - -"Enough of ill talk, wife," growled Rudulf. "King Karl will do right by -our guest-friend." - -"Well said, old Grey Dog!" rejoined the woman, scoffingly. "Your teeth -have worn blunt on the bones of Karl's foemen, and now you 'd whine and -lick your master's foot, lest he beat you from the kennel." - -"Your tongue is keen, wife, but your speech dull," replied Rudulf, -unmoved. "There's little wit to be found in your jeering talk." - -"It may prove a biting jest when the queen's hound comes to lie in the -kennel of the king's dog. _Ai_, my Grey Wolf! your ears are keen for -the footfall of sword-foes, but you do not hear the tread of those who -come creeping from the king's hall." - -"How, then; what charges--" - -"Does the Count of the mark ask that, when he who should be most zealous -of all in doing the king's will harbors in his very bed one accused of -heathen witchery,--one who has put her curse upon the king himself and -upon his hearth-kin?" - -"A hero so great as Karl has little to fear from the curse of a Wend -woman. He will not think it ill that I cherish my wife, the mother of -his queen." - -"No mother--nor father, Grey Wolf! It is the king's bed-mate who stirs -him to strike those who gave her life." - -"That I do not believe." - -"Come, then, and hear it from one who can swear to the tale. Many are -to meet at Hardrat's hall, to talk of this, among other matters. Would -it not be well for Count Olvir and yourself to join them?" - -"That is a half-day's ride to the north, wife." - -"The Sorbs lie quiet, and you need take none of your followers from the -war-ring. It will be no council, calling for a show of henchmen; so, -unless you fear treachery from your own folk--" - -"Silence, woman! I 've had enough of jeering. Neither the Dane hawk nor -the Grey Wolf fears to roam alone in the forest. When does the beer-sot -look for his guests?" - -"The drunkard has again given over his bowl. You will find a sober -host. Come in time for the noon meal. Yet stay! There may be -horse-flesh in the trenchers. Is the Dane hawk so zealous a Christian -that the meat of sacrifice--" - -"How of the Christian host and this my hearth-friend?" laughed Olvir. -"I pledge myself to eat of the same dish, if the fare is savory." - -"It is well. There will be room for all at Hardrat's board. Now I go -before you," replied the woman, and, wrapping her grey cloak about her, -she glided out into the night. - -Olvir watched her go, and then he turned gravely to his companion. - -"I would speak out my inmost thought," he said. "Could youth come again -to my host, would he choose for the second time to wed with a worker of -spells?" - -"It is five and twenty years since, in the land beyond the Sorb country, -the Wend chief's daughter cut free the withes which bound me, and fled -away at my side. I have never since had cause to grieve that we -plighted troth on the Saale bank. I do not lay it upon her that she has -now brought us an ill boding." - -"Nor I. She is but the tidings-bearer." - -"Bitter tidings!" growled Rudulf, and he began to whet his sword. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - -Strife and din in the hall, -Cups smitten asunder; -Men lay low in blood-- - LAY OF HAMDIR. - - -But with the morning the Grey Wolf's thoughts had lightened. Side by -side, he and Olvir rode through the ancient forest, as, years before, -they had ridden through the beech-wood to Fulda. The black stallion was -dead, pierced by a Saxon spear. In his stead, the Thuringian rode a -long-limbed horse of coursing blood, the gift of the king. Even Zora -had to lengthen her stride when the big roan raced across the meadows. - -As it chanced, however, the roan cast a shoe and went lame, so that the -journey, which began so briskly, ended in a walk. When the two counts -rode into the yard of Hardrat's burg, the horses of their fellow-guests -were already standing in their stalls, and their riders were within the -feast-hall, sitting before half-emptied trenchers. But the host himself -came out to do the last guests honor, and they returned his greetings -with heartiness when they saw that his face, though harsh and morose, -had lost the purple flush and bloated look of the drunkard. - -"Again I welcome our Grey Wolf and that Dane hawk whose fame is in the -mouth of every hero," the host repeated. "Let them enter and sit at -meat with those who bear them good-will. My head groom shall see to -their horses. He is a skilled smith, and the forge is red. The Count -of the mark will find his roan shod again for the homeward riding." - -"A good deed,--for which I give thanks," answered Rudulf. - -"Stay a moment," said Olvir, as Hardrat turned to lead the way into the -hall. "Bid your groom leave my mare free in the yard. She is not used -to being stall-tied." - -"As you wish, hero. I do not wonder that you give thought to a steed -that has borne you through two pitched battles and countless frays. Men -say you care for the beast as one of kin to you." - -"They say true. More than once she has borne me out of the closing hand -of Loki's daughter. It may be that she will again carry me through -battle, though at heart I now long for peace. Her strength has at last -come again, and though the years lie heavily upon her, she can yet -outrace any courser other than one of her own blood." - -"That I can well believe, hero," replied Hardrat, and he led in his -guests. - -Within the skin-hung feast-hall the late-comers found that the seats of -honor, on the right and left hand of the host, had been kept waiting for -them. Next below Rudulf's place on the bench sat a huge Wend warrior, -beside whom was the Wend witch in her grey cloak. - -Upon the entrance of the counts, many of the guests had risen, with -brimming horn or bowl, to drink health to them, and Rudulf, as he passed -up the table, greeted many by name. But the black-bearded Wend giant -was bent over his trencher, and the old count took his seat on the bench -beside him, with a puzzled shake of his grisly, bristling head. - -"By the fiend Odin!" he muttered; "have I come here to sit with Karl's -foes?" - -"Be at ease, my lord!" entreated his wife. "Would I have asked you to -this feast had not all been well?" - -"All sit here as friends, hero," added Hardrat, earnestly. "We meet -like kinsmen, to talk upon weighty matters. Only give us fair hearing, -and I pledge myself you will not rue your coming." - -"Let be, then. I will listen," replied Rudulf. - -"Well said!" called out one of the guests, and many echoed the words. - -Hardrat rose, smiling, and addressed Olvir. "The guests sit in their -grey iron coats, and you in your linked mail, hero, as is fitting for -warriors gathered in council. Yet all heads other than your own are bare -of helmet. Uncover your sunbright locks, and sit at ease." - -"The war-cap rests lightly upon the head of a viking," replied Olvir. - -"Count Olvir doubts the faith of his host," sneered Hardrat. "Let him -sit with naked sword across his trencher. We ask only that, with the -Grey Wolf, he hear out whatever his fellow-guests would say." - -"I will listen till all is said," replied Olvir, coldly. "But, instead -of the sword, I would have meat upon my trencher." - -"Bring mead and the mead-horns for my high guests," called Hardrat. - -"I pledge the host in the black mead," said Rudulf, as a Sorb thrall -handed him the drink. - -"I pledge the Grey Wolf on my sword," answered Hardrat. "No longer does -the wassail-bowl touch my lips. I take thought of higher matters." - -"Well said, hero!" exclaimed the Wend woman. "And now, men of the forest -land, give heed while our host tells what happened on the Moselle, -before the passing away of the good Queen Hildegarde." - -Hardrat rose heavily, his face flushed and forbidding. - -"It is hard for a man to speak of his shame," he began in a harsh voice. -"The shame of my drunkenness is the greater because it has blurred that -which I would now recall. I owe it to the crafty wit of the alruna that -I have at last fished up the memory from the bottom of the wine-jar, -where I sought to drown it. Count Olvir will remember the wolf-chase on -the frozen Moselle, since it was then he won Karl's pledge for his -daughter's hand." - -"I remember," replied Olvir; and his eyes glowed as he saw again the -burning witch-hut in the midst of the storm-swirl, and his princess, -standing with him before the good abbot to plight their troth. - -But the harsh voice of Liutrad's red pig broke in on the pleasant -musing,--"Give heed, then, Dane hawk, and you, Grey Wolf of the mark. -To all that I now say, I take oath on my sword--by the holy cross--by -all the fiend-gods of the Saxons and our own heathen fathers! At -Thionville, when the Yule games were closing, Fastrada, daughter of -Rudulf, lured me to race down the frozen Moselle on the track of certain -skaters. Count Olvir will tell Count Rudulf that those skaters were -himself, the queen, the king's daughter, and others." - -"So far the tale is true," assented Olvir. - -"No less what follows," retorted Hardrat; "only, I wish it were clearer -to the eye of my memory. I see the gnarled oak stems race past on -either side as we sweep down the blue road of the frost-giant. Borne up -by the spell of her witch-ring, the maiden at my side skims along with -magic swiftness. Hardly can I, a skilled ice-runner, keep the pace. -But when we glide in the depths of the winter forest, the maiden makes -pretence of a sprain. I see a fire burning on the river-bank. The -maiden sits before it, muttering spells to drive away the nixie that has -seized her ankle,--such is her claim; but she has lied. She utters the -fearful spell of the werwolf, and from the pouch casts pieces of an evil -charm upon the snow and in the flames. Foul with the stench of the -burning drug, the smoke rolls low beneath the naked boughs. Grisly -shapes peer out from among the alder stems; the wood resounds with the -yelling of the werwolves--" - -Panting heavily, the speaker paused to wipe away the great drops which -had gathered on his forehead. In his glaring eyes and the sweat of -fear, the guests saw full proof that their host did not lie. Many -shuddered in the bright sunlight, and there was a hush in the hall as -Hardrat resumed his seat. All turned silently to old Rudulf, who, with -his grisly head bent forward between his shoulders, sat glaring at the -guests from his narrow slant eyes, more like one of the evil beings of -whom Hardrat had spoken than a natural man. But the Grey Wolf -restrained the fury which raged in his savage breast, and the silence -was broken only by the heavy breathing of the guests. Then the Wend -woman rose up. - -"I read the faces of the heroes," she said. "None here doubts the truth -of our host's tale." - -"Hold, dame; do not speak for all," broke in Olvir. "I believe that -Count Hardrat has told what to him is the truth; yet I doubt his tale. -He has himself spoken of the wine-jar--the mead-cask were enough! Men -in drink often see beasts unknown to sober eyes. What is more, I see no -cause for your daughter to dabble in black magic." - -"My daughter, ay; she was then my daughter,--an apt daughter of the Wend -witch! Shall I tell how the witch's daughter whispered in the ears of -her mother the tale of her wild vengeance?--of the drawing of the -wolf-pack; of the luring of Pepin's son, and how, when Karl would have -given her love without the queen's crown, she sent him on down the -ice-street, to find his bairns and his bed-mate in the jaws of the grey -ones? She told all to her mother while the storm-fiends howled about -the forest hut. And then Karl and his Dane hawk came faring safe with -the others to the witch's hearth, and that false trull fawned upon those -whom she had sought to destroy. The fiend-gods bear me witness; she -fawned upon her foe, and forswore the mother who bare her!" - -Old Rudulf's fist fell upon the table in a blow that split the oaken -board. - -"God in Heaven!" he yelled; "would that my child had come into the world -still-born! Hate and vengeance,--such befitted the Grey Wolf's -daughter; but lying--lying and fawning!" - -"Withhold your fury, lair-mate," said the woman; and even Olvir -shuddered to hear her mocking laughter. - -The Grey Wolf glared at his scoffing wife; but she threw back her cloak, -and withstood his look with the cold glitter of her sunken eyes. The -menacing light died out of the count's green eyes. He cast a crafty -glance about the hall, and said sullenly: "Take joy of your deed, wife! -My heart is now cold and hard like the flint-rock. I listen." - -"Listen, then, childless man! Shall I tell more of that maiden who was -fated to wed the grey-eyed king? The little birds have twittered many -tales in my ears. But no; our host shall speak again. He fared to -Paderborn when Karl held the assembly of his lordlings,--wretched -mockery of the day when the free folk of the shires gathered together -under the holy oaks, to make and unmake their own laws. The red boar -has come from the king's hall, and now I know that neither yourself nor -the Dane hawk will scoff at his tidings." - -"The lie is most subtle which is mingled with truth," said Olvir. - -Hardrat rose to face the Northman with a heavy frown. "Enough of -jeering, Dane," he said. "I do not ask yourself or Count Rudulf to -believe what I say of the king's ill-will toward you both. That you -will know shortly, when Worad comes faring to the Sorb Mark. It will be -joyous for the Grey Wolf when he sees the Wend king's daughter trampled -in the mire; joyous for the Dane hawk when, fleeing down Rhine Stream, -he hears the wedding bell of Worad and the king's daughter." - -"Beware!" lisped Olvir, softly, and his face went white. - -The Thuringian turned quickly to his fellow-plotters. - -"Listen to me, heroes of the forest land!" he called. "If those who sit -beside me are men, I have said enough to rouse them. We will talk now -of that which concerns all,--of how the fierce werwolf at the side of -Pepin's son has hardened his heart to fire and slaughter, has inflamed -his wrath against all free-minded men. He turns from those who uphold -his throne; he dooms without cause the faithful counts. Men say he is -great,--that none may withstand him. The bear is king of beasts; yet I -have seen him baited by the hounds. We shall not stand alone. How is -minded the noble Lombard Adelchis, whose father, Desiderius, shorn and -uncrowned, lies cooped among the meek brothers at Corbie, praying for -vengeance? Ask the heart's wish of Tassilo, Duke of Bavaria, and of his -Lombard wife. The haughty Agilofingian has little cause to bless -Pepin's son. All goes well! The whole of Italy will welcome the son of -Desiderius and his Greek host. Old Barnard grows dull with his fatness. -Count William of Toulouse fares far into Saracen Land, and the fierce -King Abd-er-Rahman will keep him busied; while here in the North all the -heroes of Thuringia are with us. Then, too, Wittikind--" - -"_Hei!_ the Saxon hero waits in Sigfrid's hall, ever ready!" cried the -Wend woman. "He will come again with a Dane host. Bid his -blood-sprinkled folk take heart! Yet another host shall aid them to -strike the cruel Frank. My father's warriors shall ride to join in the -baiting of the Frank bear. In Wend Land men have not yet forgotten the -daughter of the Snake." - -"Never shall Karl return across the Rhine!" cried Hardrat; and he rose -to pass down the hall. - -At once the guests shouted their approval: "The pledge! the pledge! Let -all taste the red drink of sacrifice!" - -Olvir stared at the shouting plotters, and then his gaze fixed on Count -Hardrat, returning up the hall with a copper bowl whose rim was streaked -with dark red. - -"Count of the mark," he asked, a strange smile on his lips, "have you -ever heard sung the Lay of Hamdir? It ends somewhat after this fashion: - -"'At the hall's gable-end -Fell Sorli to earth, -But Hamdir lay low -At the end of the house.'" - - -Rudulf made no reply. His slit eyes were fixed in a hungry stare upon -the bulky form of his black-bearded bench-mate. The Wend had been -drinking steadily of the mead, and the powerful drink was already rising -to his head. Drawn by the look of the old count, he turned his -bloodshot eyes upon him in an insolent leer. - -"Ho, Karl's dog," he jeered; "when the bear is baited, mine shall be his -bed-mate; nor shall I trouble your priests." - -Rudulf rose up quietly, as one who would address the company. The -guests on either side of the table stilled their loud talk, and turned -expectantly to the Count of the mark. For a little, he stood silent -before them, his bristling face thrust forward, his narrow-lidded eyes -blinking. Then, suddenly, he bared his corded arms, and his voice roared -through the hall: "Traitors to Karl! thus the Grey Wolf pledges you -friendship!" - -Swiftly the old wrestler stooped, and his terrible grip closed about the -giant Wend. The man had no time to call upon his bull-strength. Caught -fast in the fatal hold, he was bent backward; there came a snapping as -of a dry twig.--The Grey Wolf loosed his hold of the quivering corpse, -to spring at another victim. But his wife stood between, and before he -could pass her, the man had flung himself beneath the table. - -Then the hall resounded with wild shouts and the clang of swords torn -from their sheaths. The terrified house-slaves fled screaming into the -open, or crouched against the wall, as the Thuringians rushed forward to -avenge their fellow-plotter. Olvir leaped around beside Rudulf, and -thrust him forward. - -"To the door! to the door!" he cried. - -"I go--for your sake," growled the old count, and his sword circled -about his grisly head. - -"We go in peace," said the Wend woman. She flung the cloak from her -head, and glided, with upraised hand, between her lord and the -threatening Thuringians. "Make way, heroes! Bear in mind your pledge -to me." - -"Stand aside, Wend-wife!" commanded the foremost guest. - -"Make way yourself, dog! I see a bloody sprite beside you." - -The Thuringian flung up his arm to ward off the woman's evil glance. -"That for your boding, witch!" he cried, and she fell to his stabbing -sword. The frightened weasels scurried, squeaking, from the cloak of -their mistress, to hide beneath the table. Upon the slain witch fell -the body of her slayer, struck down by Rudulf. - -About the two friends the grey-armored Thuringians closed fast in the -doom-ring. Fierce blows rained down,--blade rang upon blade or clashed -against war-gear. Within the ring, the two, standing back to back, -fought their way steadily toward the door. The Thuringians could not -withstand the mad rage of Rudulf's attack or Olvir's cold white fury. -They fell back continually before the counts; but, from side and rear, -they thrust and struck as at maddened wolves. - -Now and again one of their number fell to Al-hatif's stabs or the fierce -downsweep of the Grey Wolf's sword. In turn, their blades beat like -flails upon the doomed men. Not even Olvir's triple mail was proof -against their blows. Soon blood was seeping through the netted rings. -Only the blue steel of his helmet saved his head from a splitting; -Al-hatif was far too light to ward off the heavy longswords. Already -Rudulf was bleeding from many gashes; his head was a mass of wounds. -Still he fought on like a mad beast. He fell at the very threshold of -the open door, pierced through by Hardrat's boar-spear. - -At the death-cry of the hero, Olvir sprang about, and his sword clipped -the point of the thrusting lance. Hardrat shrank back to draw his -sword. The Northman leaped through the doorway, calling loudly in -Arabic. - -Across the courtyard Zora came plunging to meet her master, and her hoof -struck down the groom who sought to hold her. Olvir vaulted into the -saddle; he bent forward on the mare's neck, and a sharp hiss burst from -his lips. Zora leaped away like an arrow. The fierce Thuringians, -bursting out from the hall, called upon the grooms to close the gate. -But before the nearest man could act, the red mare and her terrible -rider were upon him. He flung himself flat before them, and Zora leaped -over the man, out upon the open hillside. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - -Black deeds and ill -Have they been a-doing, -Evil rede -Have they wrought at last. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -Not from fear of pursuit, but because of that which he bore with him, -Olvir urged the red mare to her utmost speed. Never even in her prime -had Zora coursed over hill and meadow at a swifter pace. But the way -was long, and even her easy, swinging gait was agony to the wounded man. -When at last she leaped into the war-ring on the Saale bank, her red -coat was wet with the blood of her rider. He lay upon her neck, -clutching at the silky mane, so far gone that, when Floki caught him -from the saddle, he could gasp out but a few brief words: "To the little -vala! I 've fought my last fight!" - -Then darkness fell upon him, and he lay in Floki's arms as one dead. - -Deftly the grim vikings stanched the wounds of their earl and applied -healing salves. - -"It is but blood-loss," said Floki. "In a day, I wager, he calls for -his mare. But now we do his bidding. Bring a litter." - -So it was that when Olvir awoke from his swoon, he found himself -swinging along on the shoulders of four stout litter-bearers, well on -the road to Erfurt, the great market of the Thuringians. As Floki had -foretold, he at once called for Zora, and rode into Erfurt. There, -hearing that Karl had left Saxon Land and was already at Cologne, on his -way to Attigny, he turned and rode Rhineward. But though he sat his -saddle all the way to Fulda, and gave his followers little rest, when he -reached the monastery he was so utterly spent with weariness and pain -that he had to lie over a full week before he could push on. - -The bluff Northern monks spared themselves no pains to justify their -fame for hospitality; but Olvir's thanks, though sincere, were briefly -worded, and he had little to say to any one. When, rested and almost -healed, he made ready to push on Rhineward, he handed to Abbot Baugulf a -gold arm-ring, in kingly payment for his keep, and stood with unbent -head while the priest poured out his fervent blessing. - -From Fulda, Olvir rode steadily Rhineward on the old Roman highway, -though his face spoke of doubt and indecision. But at Mayence he called -Floki aside, and said briefly: "I ride alone to King Karl. Take the men -down Rhine to Cologne, and make all ready aboard the longships. Fit them -as for a race, and for the North Sea. I will join you in a few days, -and, with Freya's aid, I shall not come alone. Another shall ride with -me, whether Karl the King is loath or willing." - -"Ho, ring-breaker!" croaked Floki, smiling with crafty triumph. "So we -at last fare back to old Norway, and you are minded to take with you a -bride. There will be joyous howling when your sea-wolves sight their -vala. Yet I am minded of another matter. King Karl owes no small fee -for the long service of the hero's son and his ready champions. Though -we may leave somewhat hastily, on our path to Cologne stands Ingleheim, -the king's new burg, which men say is filled with gold and all manner of -loot." - -"By Thor!" cried Olvir, his eyes flaming; "were I sure the Frank had -broken his pledge, not Ingleheim alone should see sword and torch. As -it is, he may yet--Christ grant he keep troth! ... No, old Crane. You -must fare your way, with the peace-thongs firm knotted. If the Norns -have so woven, Zora will bear me to the Rhine far in the lead of the -following Franks; and there's rich loot between Cologne and Rhine -Mouth." - -"And what if the werwolf snare you? Let me ride with you, earl." - -"I ride alone. No horse in Frank Land could bear up your weight in the -flight from Attigny to Cologne. Yet again, I need you to hold the men -in hand. Do not tell them over-much. They will be nimble enough if -they but know it is for the little vala. Farewell." - -With the word, Zora wheeled and sprang away on the long ride to Treves -and across Eastern Neustria to Attigny. - -For all her age and the roughness of the way, the red mare could still -have covered the journey in four days. But Olvir, mindful that he might -have need later of the utmost of her speed and strength, kept a tight -rein on the willing mare, and was well content to double the time of the -journey. - -So it was that when they came to the Aisne bank, a little before -nightfall of the eighth day, neither man nor rider was any the worse for -the long faring. After bathing in the stream, Olvir rode into Attigny, -under cover of the darkness. The little town was swarming with people; -but Olvir avoided such of the streets as were torchlit, and, having -secured a small room at an inn, presently found a messenger who would go -to the king's palace with a token for Liutrad the scribe. - -He was seated alone in his room, reading from his Greek Gospels by the -light of a torch, when a deep voice sounded without the door, and a -moment later the heavy panel had opened and swung to behind a huge -figure in sombre priest robes. Olvir caught a glimpse of a white -tonsure in the midst of the curly yellow hair, as the new-comer turned -to bar the door, and then he was gazing up into Liutrad's honest, -smiling face. - -"Ring-breaker! Earl!"--how the joyously uttered words called up the -care-free past, when the longships rode the storm waves, or they two -stood side by side in the sword-game! For the moment, at least, it was -not Liutrad the priest, but Liutrad Erlingson, who put his great hands -on the shoulders of his friend, and met his keen glance with a look of -boyish delight. - -"Luck to you, earl!" he cried. "You come in good time. It is but three -days since Wittikind and Alf entered Attigny, with a long following of -Saxon athelings; and Deacon Alcuin has won over the heroes to peace." - -"It would seem that the bloody struggle is at last ended," replied -Olvir. "I give God praise, both for the forest-dwellers and for those -who have crushed them." - -"And for yourself, earl! Our lord king's face bears more of its -old-time cheerfulness." - -"It well may! I had thought the Saxons unyielding. For two years and -more he has harried their land in summer and in winter. How came the -great war-earl--" - -"He is broken at last; I pray that it may be for good. As you doubtless -have heard, after the Mayfields at Paderborn last spring, the king, -egged on by his werwolf, once more set to ravaging beyond the -Westphalian Gate. We had already marched to the Elbe and were encamped -on its banks, when word came of a plot between the Lombards and the Duke -of Bavaria, and the king thought better of his plan to cross the Elbe. -But Wittikind and Alf, thinking that he was about to come over and lay -waste all of Saxon Land yet unharried, sent to him, asking terms of -surrender. The king chose out Amalwin to go to them with hostages -suitable to their rank, that they might come to him in person. Then, -leaving the greater part of the host in the North, he came Rhineward by -swift marches, and here at Attigny made ready palace and court, that the -wild forest-men might see the greatness of his might and kingship. So -it has come about that Wittikind, following after with Amalwin, has seen -and wondered, and at last bent to the will of Pepin's son. Soon the -war-earl and all those who came with him will bow beside the holy font -and receive baptism. Two days more will see the heathen become -Christian." - -"Christian! By Loki, I grieve for the Christian werwolf, who 'll now -famish for lack of her Saxon blood!" - -Liutrad drew back, and his face darkened with dread and anger. - -"God's curse on that evil woman!" he cried; and then a sudden question -sprang from his lips: "How come you here, earl?" - -"You may well ask," replied Olvir, and he told of the plotters and the -fight in Hardrat's hall. - -As he listened, Liutrad's face cleared somewhat. - -"By Thor, earl," he exclaimed, "that was sword-play! But the best is -that you bring tidings of the plot. It may stand you in good stead." -His face darkened again. "God knows you need every vantage. I could -swear by the rood the werwolf has never forgotten how you scorned her, -there on the Garonne bank. Not for your good did she cause the king to -send Worad into Thuringia, when she met them at the Eresburg. It is -common talk in the palace that she is putting out her utmost craft to -sever your betrothal bond and wed Rothada to the Count of Metz." - -"Loki!" gasped Olvir, white with anger. Years had passed since he had -last given way to such passion; but now the cold fury came upon him with -all its old-time force. Liutrad shrank back before the look in his -earl's face. - -"Calm yourself, ring-breaker," he muttered. "All may yet go well. In -the morning I will bring you to the king." - -"The king," repeated Olvir, and then his face flushed with a sudden -resolve, and his eyes lost their deadly menace. "Who asks for the king? -I would speak with my betrothed." - -"But our lord king,--would he not be angered?" - -"I would speak to my betrothed, alone." - -"Holy Mother! Do not be rash, earl; you 'll ruin all!" - -"There is nothing to lose; something may be gained. I 've had enough of -waiting. The king himself shall no longer bar my way. Now I would -speak with my betrothed. She will know best where we may meet." - -"You 're mad, Olvir! What would you do?" - -"I do not yet know; only, I must speak with Rothada. As you call me -friend, seek out Berga her maid without delay. I must see the little -maiden soon; else I cannot answer for what may follow. The fiend -clutches at my heart." - -"I will go, Olvir; though it is no light task." - -"Then go and tell all to your grateful king." - -"Why reproach me, earl? Is he not my lord? And yet, I risk his -good-will to do you favor." - -"Forgive me, lad! Faul tears my heart-strings. Go now, and Freya aid -you." - -"I go, earl. Yet first, a wolf's-hair. You had best lie close this -night. In the morning I will bring you one of Deacon Alcuin's robes. -With sandals, you can then fare at will about the burg." - -"I 'll wear no priestly footgear; but the gown is well thought of. -Hasten now. You may yet see her to-night." - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - -But we in no wise -Might love withstand, -And mine head must I lay -On my love, the ring-breaker. - LAMENT OF ODDRUN. - - -Liutrad did not return to the inn until mid-morning of the next day, and -then it was to fling himself down with a sigh of discouragement. - -"The werwolf is keen of eye and ear," he muttered. - -"Rest easy, lad. You've done your best. Another day will see fairer -luck." - -"If only Father Fulrad were here to aid us! Had he lived, all would -have been well." - -"I could ask no more from any friend, son of Erling, than what you will -do for me. Now I will eat, that my full strength may come to me." - -"You have not rested much this night, Olvir. Your war-gear shimmers -like starlit ice." - -"A bride might use the shield as mirror, for all its dints. Eat now. -Here is plain fare, but toothsome." - -"May Worad eat bitter herbs when he sits at board! The base wretch, to -covet a friend's betrothed!" - -"Waste no thought on him, lad. The werwolf alone--" - -"True; her ring holds him with its magic glamour, even as it has cast -its spell over our lord king." - -"Ring or no, she is at the root of all the trouble. The world-hero is -as wax in her white hands. I have talked much with the Franks since you -left me. It is she who has turned away the king's heart from mercy. -Not the Saxons alone, but the nearest of his liegemen have suffered from -his harshness; and I must have my share, though the dints in my shield -and helmet should read me title to fairer reward. Ah, well, better luck -in Skuld's hand! Another day may bring a rift in the clouds." - -"Saints grant it!" muttered Liutrad; and the two fell to eating in moody -silence. - -Yet Olvir's confidence in the future was not mistaken. Before evening -Berga found Liutrad a chance to speak with her mistress; and he -prevailed upon Rothada to set a meeting for that very night. - -Immediately after nightfall Olvir, cowled and wrapped about in the -Benedictine gown brought to him by Liutrad, strolled with his friend -across the burg and around the great bulk of the palace to a shadowy -recess between the queen's apartments and the quarters of the -court-officials. Here they found Berga waiting for them beside a small -door used by the servants, and Liutrad addressed her openly: "Here is my -brother priest for your sick friend." - -"Let him follow," answered the woman, and she led the way into the -foul-odored passage. Olvir silently entered at her heels, leaving -Liutrad to watch at the door. - -Within was pitchy darkness, broken only by an occasional gleam from the -rooms where the house-slaves chattered over their evening meal or lay -about on their straw pallets, easing the toil of the day with broad -jests and coarse raillery. A flight of steps, steep and narrow, took -Olvir and his guide beyond the servants' quarters, and in the utter -blackness the Northman had need of his quick ear to follow the woman's -lead. She glided softly from passage to passage without a word, -stopping only for a touch of warning when the silence was broken by the -muffled clink of Olvir's mail beneath his monk's robe. Some little time -passed before the woman paused beside a curtained doorway. - -"The princess waits within, hero," she whispered. "Enter, and comfort -her. I must watch over the bairns, lest they waken and call for their -sister. May Freya soften the king's heart, that your love run smooth!" - -"My thanks to the good wisher," replied Olvir, and he stepped between -the curtains. - -He found himself in a large chamber, half lighted by the moonbeams which -streamed through the high, casemented window. Where the rays struck -upon the opposite wall, the grotesque figures of the tapestry-hangings -stood out with such startling distinctness that Olvir stepped back and -grasped the hilt of Al-hatif beneath his robe. But then a slender -figure glided out into the moonlight from the shadow beside the window, -and he ran forward to clasp his betrothed in his arms. - -"Little vala,--little vala!" was all he could say, for the words choked -in his throat at sight of her tears. - -For a while she leaned her head upon his shoulder, and wept as though -her heart would break; and he held her to him, unable to put into words -the tenderness and compassion which filled his whole being. At last, -however, she dried her tear-wet face on his robe, and looked up with a -pitiable attempt to be brave. - -"My hero, my hero!" she whispered. - -"Little vala! Has the witch's daughter sucked your blood, that you look -so white and wasted? May Hel, Loki's daughter, wither the red lips of -that werwolf! May she--" - -"Cease--oh, cease, Olvir! Curses ever come home to the sender. This -may be the last time we shall meet here on earth. Let there be no -wormwood with the bitter-sweet." - -"No, Rothada, this is not our last meeting here on the fair earth." - -"Will you then give way to my father? Liutrad said--" - -"He said aright. I will not sell my soul, though it be for your -father's kingdom. Yet, before God and man, you are my betrothed wife. -I have won you by service such as few have given the king, and--we love -each other. Your father gave pledge he would send for me, and he broke -troth. It is hopeless--nothing can turn his course while the witch's -daughter drives--it is hopeless to appeal to him." - -"What then, Olvir? Your words fill me with dread; you cherish the -thought of some wild deed." - -"Should it fill you with dread, darling, that I would have you wed me?" - -"No, dear one; my heart sings with gladness at the word. If only it -might come true!" - -"You have but to say it, king's daughter." - -"Would you have me wed you without the banns, Olvir,--in secret? It -could not be, dear hero! When the truth became known, the anger of my -father would pass all measure. He would never forgive us." - -"I look to your father for nothing. He has paid me ill for loyal -service. I shall now break the bond which has held me to him. Beneath -the priest-robe you feel the war-gear, king's daughter. Zora is saddled -for the road. Come! the night is before us. Dawn will see us far on our -way to the Rhine." - -"O Christ! O Holy Mother, save me!" cried the girl; and she shrank away -from her lover, wide-eyed and trembling. - -"Listen, darling; listen to me!" he protested. "I would not force you. -Only, I beseech you, by the love you bear me, come! At Cologne lie my -longships,--my ocean-racers. Who may overtake us when we sail down -Rhine Stream? _Haoi!_ how the ships spring to the bowing of the long -oars! Behind us lie the flat shores of Frisia; we ride the wild North -Sea; before us tower the iron cliffs of old Norway; up Trondheim Fiord -we glide, where the free men of Lade wait to welcome their earl and his -bride!" - -The Northman's black eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and he held out his -arms. But still Rothada shrank away. - -"It cannot be, dear hero!" she sighed. "It cannot be!" - -"Where, then, is the love of my betrothed?" - -"I love you none the less, dear, that I cannot go with you." - -An agony of grief distorted Olvir's face. He flung himself down before -the girl and clasped her feet. - -"Come with me,--come with me!" he begged. "Here is only sorrow and -parting. The king is iron." - -"Yet I am his daughter. There is still hope for us, Olvir. I will -plead with my father." - -"And if he deny you?" - -"God forbid! I can then only return to Chelles." - -"To the cloisters! My curse on them! Listen, king's daughter. You are -not fated for the nun's veil. That would not fill in fullest measure -the spite-cup of the witch's daughter. She will wed you to our -girl-faced Count of Metz." - -"That is no new tale to me, Olvir; yet I can promise you this much,--I -shall never be the bride of another than yourself. If I may not choose -the cloister, I will choose that which lies in my bosom." - -"You bear my knife?" - -"Always--ever ready for use against the bearer." - -Rothada put her hand to her breast, and the blue steel of the dagger -gleamed in the moonlight. Olvir took the blade from her, and pressed it -to his lips. - -"Be true, knife of my forging!" he muttered. "There is yet one hope--if -it fail, strike true; and when you pierce her heart, I will plunge -Al-hatif into my breast." - -"Olvir!--you grieve me; I cannot bear it!" - -"Why grieve, king's daughter? If we may not wed in this life, we shall -be united forever in the life beyond." - -"There is still hope; I will go to my father when he is alone, and -implore him to grant us happiness." - -"It may be he will yield to you--Loki! What's that? The hangings--" - -Hampered though he was by the priest's gown, Olvir sprang across the -room with the quickness of a leaping wolf. The tapestry, torn from its -fastenings by his fierce grasp, fell apart and exposed the withered form -of Kosru the leech, crouched against the wall. - -"So--it is the werwolf's dotard," said Olvir, and his lip curled with a -smile of utter contempt. But the spy was already grovelling on his -face, terrified by the dagger and the terrible look of the Northman as -he tore apart the tapestry. - -"Lord--lord!--spare the aged!" he babbled. "God of Light, soften his -heart! Spare me, noble count! I will tell all. I will pay you wergild -for my life,--shining gold,--all the scant hoard I 've saved and put -away for my helpless age!" - -Olvir touched the Magian's head with his buskin, and answered coldly: -"Odin bear witness--the hoarder's heart is touched! He 'd give away his -gold." - -"All--all, to the last penny--only spare my life! I will serve you; I -'ll be your slave! Do not thrust into the grave one who already totters -on the brink!" - -"The greyer the viper, the deadlier its venom," rejoined the Northman, -in an ominous tone. "That man is dog-wise who passes by the evil worm -because it lies in his path torpid." - -"Olvir--Olvir, do not slay the old man!" cried Rothada, and she darted -across the chamber, to cling to her lover's arm. "He has been good to -me, and--and he has saved many lives." - -"_Ai!_ the king's daughter pleads for me; the maiden pleads! I have -never sought to do her hurt--by the God of my fathers, I swear it, noble -count! Even now I was but coming to fetch the queen's sampler. How -could I know you from a priest, lord? If I hid behind the hangings, -thinking to creep near and listen, I meant no evil. Only forgive me, and -I will serve you; I 'll make confession how, with the witch in the -Moselle Wood, I brewed love potions for her daughter to give the Lord -Karolah, and how I bound the queen in slumber with my drugs, that the -dark maiden might be free to lure the king with her enticements. Spare -me, lord, and I 'll even tell--" - -"Go to the priests with your witchery and spells," broke in Olvir, with -impatient contempt. "As to your lying pledges, I ask nothing of a -miserly dotard; nor will I take your oath for silence. This knife is -better pledge. Do not forget its keen point, and learn that every man -among my blood-eager warriors bears such another blade. If you betray -me, by word or by sign, they will search you out, though it be from -under the very seat of the throne. I have spoken. Now rise up and -guide me back by the way I came, to the door of the slaves." - -"_Ai!_ the shadow of Azrael is upon me! The wrathful youth seeks to -lure me from the presence of the king's daughter, to shed my blood in -secret!" - -"Grey fool! That is a lie born of your own treachery. The knife is the -maiden's; I give it back into her own hand. Rise up; I would be going. -Farewell, little may! It is ill luck that our parting must be said -before such a one; yet I trust to the blue steel that he blots all from -his memory. Come now, darling, draw near my heart." - -"God forbid it be for the last time!" sobbed the girl, overcome by the -thought. The knife fell unheeded from her hand upon the wolfskin beside -her as she sank, half fainting, into Olvir's arms. Many moments passed -while she lay on his breast, quivering with grief. Then Olvir kissed -her forehead, and put her gently from him, to spurn the shoulder of the -leech. - -"Up, dog!" he muttered harshly. "Lead me out." - -Kosru shrank back, and huddled in a shapeless heap against the wall. - -"I cannot--I cannot go!" he gasped. "A palsy has stricken my limbs. I -cannot rise--I swear to you, lord count--" - -"Liar! Stand up or I--" - -"Stay; do not force him, Olvir. I will guide you myself." - -"To the king, then." - -"My father!" - -"Do you dream that this coward could withhold his secret from the -werwolf? He fears my vengeance; he will fear hers more. We will go to -the king, and make an end, either for good or for ill." - -"It is well, dear hero. Come; my father is in the cell of Deacon -Alcuin." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - -Nor shall I leave life -Ere the keen lord, -The eager in sword-play, -My hand shall make end of. - LAY OF GUDRUN. - - -For a while the Magian waited as the lovers had left him, appearing more -like a careless heap of yellow robes than a living man. At last, -gaining a little courage from the silence, he thrust out his hooked nose -and bald head, like an old vulture peering over a carcass. The glint of -the forgotten dagger drew his bleared gaze, and he glared at the cold -blade in a fascination of terror. Soon, however, the silver hilt caught -his eye, and his fear gave way to greed. A scrawny hand followed the -head from the yellow heap, reaching out to clutch the treasure. But -then a soft step sounded in the doorway, and the leech drew back into -his robes, livid with abject fear. - -The curtains of the doorway parted, and Fastrada, radiant in the -splendor of her jewels and her voluptuous beauty, advanced slowly into -the room. A little way from the entrance, she paused to glance -carelessly across the chamber, and then she stretched her arms above her -head with the lazy gracefulness of a cat. - -"_Ai_, Hertha," she purred, "you 'll lack service this night. The -laggard wizard has been called to dose some filthy slave, and I 've -waited till sleep weighs down my eyelids. Would that I were less -drowsy! The king is pleased that I ply needle with such industry. It -would give me double pleasure to sit by and watch the harlot's daughter -finish the piece. But it's pleasant these chilly nights to creep -beneath the silken coverlets. I 'll go now. Faul! Who's been at my -tapestries? Ah, Kosru! Is that you?" - -"Pity, gracious queen! have compassion on your slave!" whined the leech. -"A palsy has stricken my limbs. As I entered, the stroke came upon me. -The hangings tore in my grasp as I fell." - -"Ah--and how came this here?" demanded the queen, pointing to the dagger -on the wolfskin rug before the Magian. - -"That knife? I had not seen it, gracious dame." - -"You lie, Kosru," replied Fastrada, and, stooping for the dagger, she -held it up before her in the moonlight. As she looked at it, her lips -drew apart in a cruel smile, and her eyes sparkled. - -"This is no Frank blade, nor is it of Saracen forging," she said softly. -"On the hilt are Norse runes. I 've seen it before--at the belt of that -false Dane! It is well for you that you should speak out, Kosru." - -"Gracious dame--light of Karolah's eyes!" stammered the leech. "I have -lied; but, in truth, I am stricken with a palsy. I feared your anger, -and so I lied." - -"Speak out! The Dane was here to keep tryst with that sly trull!" - -"_Ai--ai_! They were here, sultana,--he and the king's daughter. I -sought to creep around behind the hangings; but the dust set me to -coughing. My throat--" - -"And then he came upon you! I can see him leap--the bright hero! Yet -you live. There's no blood on the blade. How came he to spare you?" - -"I--I know not, gracious queen. The king's daughter pleaded for me--and -I gave promise--" - -"Ah, I had not thought him so foolish. And to leave the knife to tell -the tale. Where were his keen wits? He might as well have left the -knife in your heart. _Hei_! The Dane left his knife in the heart of the -king's leech,--murder at the door of the king's chamber! Magian, that -was a luckless cough for you--Magian!" - -A swift movement of the supple, gem-flashing hand, and the loose end of -the tapestry was wrapped close about the head of the wretched leech. -All the frantic beating of his feeble arms could not stay the stroke for -a moment. - -When the frail body lay limp and still in her grasp, the queen rose and -went across the chamber to hold up her hands where the moon poured in -its brightest light. They were white and spotless. She looked them over -with careful scrutiny, and, having satisfied herself that they were -unsoiled, gazed down, wide-eyed, at the one on which the opal glowed -mysteriously in the cold light. - -"All honor to my witch-stone!" she exclaimed. "We 've snared our wolf at -last. Now to fetch the forester." - -She turned quickly away to the door, but paused on the threshold, to -step back and glance out through the window. - -"The night is clear; yet a cloud may drift across. It is well to make -certain," she muttered, and she drew the huddled form along the wall, -until it lay across the doorway. Then, fully satisfied, she slipped out -and glided swiftly down the dark passages until she gained the -bower-chamber. Within, lighted by a row of waxen tapers, the -bower-maidens sat about a long table, plying needle and bodkin on the -garments of the king and their mistress, while an old priest droned a -homily for the edification of their manners. - -Fastrada beckoned the nearest girl to approach, and spoke to her in the -doorway: "I go to sit with our lord and Deacon Alcuin in the East Tower. -You will find Count Gerold playing at chess. Go, bid him bring my -sampler from my morning-room and fetch it after me." - -"I beg pardon, my dame, am I to fetch it, or Count Gerold?" - -"The count, you silly trull! Could I trust such as you to wander at -night when young men are about? Go, and see that you return quickly -under the eye of the good deacon." - -As the maiden hurried away, her cheeks aflame, and her blue eyes wet -with the starting tears, her mistress paced calmly back by the way she -had come. It was some little distance around to the East Tower, and she -was not yet certain whether it would be best for Gerold or for herself -to arrive first. There was time to decide at leisure; for the young -count, presuming on the king's favor, would probably play out his match -before he came to do her bidding. All the better! What greater joy -than to stroll along the dark passages, where one was at liberty to give -outward play to all the bitter-sweet thoughts of revenge? - -But while the witch's daughter glided like a trailing weasel from wing -to wing of the great Merwing palace, there was happening in the East -Tower that which, had she known of it, would have lent wings to her -jewelled buskins. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - -From a heart full of hate -Shall come heavy vengeance. - LAY OF BRYNHILD. - - -Within a small turret room, that was warmed by a charcoal brazier and -lighted by the glow of his own hour-candles, Karl sat on a low bench -beside the book-strewn table, while before him knelt Rothada, clasping -his sword-hand to her bosom, as she pleaded for love and happiness. His -free hand lay upon her glossy head, but his eyes were raised in a -troubled look to where Olvir, in his burnished mail, stood calm and -beautiful as Forseti, son of Balder. Beside the Northman, with slender -fingers clasped upon his glinting shoulder-plate, waited Alcuin, the -gentle-hearted scholar, eager to add his appeal to the maiden's. - -But when the little princess ceased, and bowed her tear-wet face upon -her father's knee, he held up his hand for silence, and sat for many -moments, his brows bent in deep thought. Olvir waited the outcome, his -eyes fixed upon the king's face in a calm and steady gaze, neither -defiant nor imploring. - -Then Karl looked up at him, and spoke: "So, Dane hawk, after all the -honors I have heaped upon you, not content to defy Holy Church, you come -to steal my daughter from me,--a thief in the night! And yet you drew -back from the deed; you came before me--" - -"For that I claim nothing, lord king. Had not Rothada been loath--" - -"And why--why as a thief--" - -"Do you ask, lord king? Many weary months have passed since you gave -pledge to call me to your side,--to the presence of my betrothed. I -come at last, an unwelcome guest, to hear on every lip the bitter tale -that your queen is plotting to break my betrothal bonds and wed Count -Worad with my bride." - -"My queen plotting! Ward your tongue, Dane!" - -"It is not I who say that the queen is plotting. Whether she is or is -not, I do not know; but I know that your liegemen so say." - -"You do wrong to heed the ungrateful slanderers. The court is full of -gossip and evil tales, the offspring of envy and malice." - -"Then my lord king has not yet broken the betrothal tie between myself -and his daughter?" - -"Not yet, Olvir," replied Karl, and the severity of his look relaxed in -a half-smile. "The bond still holds. Yet tell me, you who talk of ill -faith--I speak no more of your plot to lure away the maiden; but how of -your loyal service? You are far from the Sorb Mark." - -"I bear tidings from the forest land, lord king,--ill tidings," answered -Olvir, and he told over again the plotting of the Thuringians and the -slaying of Rudulf and his witch-wife. - -Neither Alcuin nor Rothada could restrain their cries at the terse -recital; but Karl sat through it all, stern and silent, and gave no -sign, even when, in a dozen words, Olvir told how the grim old count had -fallen to the thrust of Hardrat's spear. When, however, the account was -ended, the king nodded, and said: "Years gone, I lost my trust in that -drunkard. Name his fellow-plotters." - -"Would that I might, lord king! Yet I knew only Hardrat and the -witch-wife, and I heard no names spoken." - -"You would know their faces again?" - -"Some of them in a thousand." - -"It is well. You have rendered me good service; and so, if you will -bend to Holy Church--" - -"I cannot--it would be a lie!" - -"Rather it is your pride, your haughty pride of spirit which bars your -way to all happiness. Do not tax my patience too far." - -"For the sake of the maiden, sire--" ventured Alcuin. - -Karl threw out his hand impatiently. - -"Is not the child also in my thoughts?" he demanded. "Ah, little maiden, -your pleading tears my heart-strings! For your sake, I give your hero -one more trial. I name him Count of the Sorb Mark, in the stead of my -slain Grey Wolf. Two days I give him at Attigny; then he goes to snare -those forest plotters. If when he drags the guilty men before me for -the dooming, he has brought himself to bow to Holy Church, he will find -yet other honors waiting him; if, however, he cannot in truth bend his -stubborn pride, then, nevertheless, I will give him his bride. Such is -my will. I have let mercy set aside my justice. Be content. Now, -child, rise and go to your chamber. The good deacon will see you safe. -I would speak with Olvir of the commands he bears back to Thuringia." - -"My father!" cried Rothada, rising; and the heart of the king softened -yet more as he saw the light which shone from the violet eyes. She -kissed his hand, and then, with the cry of a happy child, turned quickly -from him and ran to fling her arms about Olvir's neck. - -"Joy, joy, dear one! The Lord Christ has answered my prayer!" she sang. - -"I hear once more the voice of the little vala," said Olvir, softly. -"Keep your heart merry, beloved. The days of waiting will soon be -ended, and when we meet again, I wish to see those cheeks -rounded,--their roses once more blooming to shame the sweetbriar. Go, -now, darling. The king waits." - -Very tenderly he pressed her face between his hands and bent to kiss her -eyes and lips. Then he gave her over into the keeping of the scholar, -and turned resolutely away. As he looked around, a drop, bright as a -gem, was rolling down the king's bearded cheek. - -Silently Karl turned to the table, to grasp Alcuin's quill in his -unskilled hand; but the words which he sought to write were ill formed. -Throwing aside the blotched parchment, he signed to Olvir to take the -quill. Under the Northman's deft strokes, the beautiful letters of the -Irish script flowed from the quill's point as by magic. The king, as he -spoke the message, watched the nimble scribe with half-envious -admiration. When the missive was ended, he took wax and stamped it with -his signet, in lieu of the great seal. - -"So--that is done," he said shortly. "You are a ready scribe. Not even -Liutrad is as quick and sure in forming the letters. Now take the -scroll, and go." - -"I would first render thanks to my lord king." - -"Go! My heart misgives me, that I have let the weakness of a father and -friend stand in the way of God's service. Go quickly! I would be -alone." - -"I go, my heart singing with the praises of the golden king!" replied -Olvir. - -"I ask no thanks. Go," answered Karl, without any sign of response to -the young man's smile. As Olvir darted away, too overjoyed to be -disheartened by the cold parting, the great Frank's head bent forward, -and his brows gathered. - -He still sat there, tugging at his beard and gazing moodily at the spot -where Rothada had knelt, when the queen glided softly into the chamber. -At sight of her graceful figure, his frown gave way to a fond smile; but -she had seen his moody look. - -"What troubles my dear lord?" she murmured, nestling beside him on the -bench. Karl put his great arm about her and drew her to him, before he -answered, "It is nothing, sweetheart. I 've had enough of bitter -thoughts. Now I would woo my gentle wife." - -"Dear lord! Mine is the greater joy! When I dwell on my happiness, my -heart goes out to all mankind. I could love even the heathen and the -heretics, condemned of God to endless torment. What pity that men -should so bring upon themselves the fires of the nether world! One could -almost wish to give them good gifts here, to offset their sufferings to -come." - -"They are perverse and godless men, dear one. Do not trouble your heart -for their wickedness. There is enough of sin in Holy Church." - -"Yet my thoughts go astray, dear lord. Sometimes I think of our little -maiden. I doubt if your Dane hawk's proud spirit will yield. Yet, dear -lord, if your judgment hold in all its firm justice, she will ever live -in grief, torn from the arms of her hero. Always before I have given -heed only to the good of Holy Church; yet now--" - -"Take joy, then, kind heart! They were here only a little since, and I -gave pledge that they should wed." - -"Should wed!--Olvir here!" - -"You may well gaze in bewilderment. I wonder at myself. Yet what -father could withstand the heart's pleading of his maid-child?" - -"My lord, I--rejoice at their joy. I will go--" - -"Stay! Who comes leaping upon the stair?" - -Rising swiftly, Karl set his great form before the queen, and loosened -Ironbiter in its sheath. The half-drawn blade flashed out its full -length, when Gerold, pale and glaring with horror, rushed wildly into -the room, a bared dagger in his hand. Checked by the threatening -sword-point, the Swabian stopped short and sank to his knee, panting. - -"Murder, dear lord!" he gasped,--"murder beneath the king's roof! In -the queen's morning-room Kosru the leech lies stark, a knife-thrust -through his heart!" - -Karl lowered his sword, and stared down at the young count. - -"Murder?" he repeated. "Whose knife do you bear?" - -"The slayer's, sire! I drew it out, and ran to show it you." - -"Well done! Hold up the blade, that we may see-- So; it is of Danish -make-- And the owner?" - -"I do not know, sire." - -"He does not know!" hissed Fastrada. "His memory is strangely short. I -know the blade." - -"You, wife? Name the murderer!" - -"Count Olvir, sire." - -"Olvir!" - -"He, dear lord." - -"You know the knife?" - -"I could swear to it in a thousand. He once carried it at his belt. -Many of the court will remember the blade." - -Karl made no answer, but turned and paced slowly to and fro across the -room, his gaze fixed on the floor before him. He did not pause until -Fastrada looked up with white, drawn face and narrow-lidded eyes, and -cried sharply to Gerold: "_Hei_, king's man! why do you loiter? Go, -call warriors, and search out the slayer. It will be no light task to -take him, should he have warning. Go!" - -"Hold!" commanded Karl. "Am I the king, that a woman speaks for me?" - -"_Ai!_ forgive me, dear lord! I thought only of my leech,--my luckless, -murdered Kosru!" wailed Fastrada, and she flung herself at his feet. - -"Rise, dear one," he said gently. - -"Not until the warriors go to take the slayer of that helpless -greybeard! Ah, the good old leech! Many's the bitter pang he has eased -for me. Only the bloodiest of wretches could have slain so helpless a -one! How came the cruel Dane in my morning-room--beside Rothada's -chamber? Oh, my lord, could it be that the base outlander came skulking -in the darkness to--to-- And Kosru, the luckless greybeard, sought to -dissuade him from his evil deed! Send warriors, dear lord! Let the -bloody slayer be dragged before your judgment-seat! The mire-death were -light doom for such a foul slaying!" - -The queen's voice, quivering with agony and horror, broke into wild -sobs. Karl stooped over, as though to raise her; only to tower up again -and stare about in angry indecision. It was a luckless moment for the -sea-king and his betrothed. Before the memory of the Northman's calm -face and the little maiden's pleading could blunt and turn aside the -poisoned shafts of the witch's daughter, other feet came leaping upon -the stair. Again Karl's hand went to the hilt of Ironbiter, and his -frown deepened as Worad of Metz rushed into the room, covered from -helmet to buskin with travel-grime. - -"Lord king!" he gasped--"I could not wait--my horse fell at the gate, -outspent--but I--" - -"Another bearer of ill tidings," muttered Karl. - -"What? I do not understand, sire. I--" - -"You come late. Already I have word of Rudulf's death and of the -Thuringian plot--from Olvir's lips." - -"Plot--Thuringian plot!--and from him!" - -"I have said it, dolt." - -"And he told you? Saint Michael! there was no plot, lord king,--no plot -but his own when he lured Count Rudulf and his Wend wife into the ambush -of the Sorbs. I myself found the arrow-pierced bodies on the Saale -bank,--I myself, in the lead of the Thuringian searchers. Then many -counts who had been feasting at Hardrat's hall told how the Dane had -passed by, riding with his chosen victims." - -"Hold!" commanded Karl, and he bent forward to fix his keen eyes on the -young Frank. "You say they passed by Hardrat's hall?" - -Worad drew a large scroll from his breast and held it out to the king. -"Here, sire, is the tale, to which all the feasters took oath. I called -upon them for it, when, having brought up my warriors, I marched to the -warring to take the betrayer, and found that he had fled. Thank God, I -find you safe, dear lord! Days had passed since the foul deed, and men -said he had gone Rhineward. I rode fast, fearful of the worst--" - -"Your fear was needless. Traitor or true man, he came before me with a -calm face." - -"For you gave him all that he asked, dear lord!" cried Fastrada. "_Ai_, -Holy Mother--to think how near you 've been to his murderous blade!--the -bloody Dane, foul betrayer of my father--my mother!--red-handed from the -slaying of that helpless greybeard--_Ai!_ the mire-death were light doom -for such a treacherous slayer! Justice--justice, son of Pepin! I demand -vengeance on the slayer of my kin!" - -Even Gerold quivered at the grief and horror in the queen's voice. The -shrill appeal pierced to the heart like a knife-thrust. The king's face -was terrible to look upon in its deadly anger; and yet he still -hesitated. - -"It cannot be--it cannot be!" he muttered. "He, my bright Dane--" - -"Bright Dane!" screamed Fastrada--"heathen outlander--heretic--scoffer -at Holy Church! What lying tale has he told you, that you stand in -doubt? Look--look on the scroll which tells of my kin's betrayal--at -this knife from the heart of the greybeard! _Ai_--they shall trample -him in the mire!" - -"King of Heaven!--that battle-leader! He is no coward to be flung in -the fen. You ask too much, wife." - -"Too much! _Ai_, too much for the slayer of my kin! But the king -speaks-- Let him, then, be torn asunder by the plunging horses--the -murderous wretch! _Hei_! I can hear the snapping bones!" - -Karl stared down into the upraised eyes of his queen, and they were as -the eyes of a wolf, glaring green with exultant hate. He turned to -stride across the room, and as he turned, he saw again before him the -gentle eyes of his daughter,--the pleading face of Himiltrude's child. -Twice he paced across the room, the angry flush slowly receding from his -face. - -Then he paused before his queen, and said coldly, "Seek your bed, wife. -This is no place for grieving dames. As to my Dane hawk, rest content. -He shall fare from my realm, an outlaw." - -"How!--the murderer? Are you mad, son of Pepin? Free to go?--that -traitor!" - -"No traitor, dame; and he may have had cause for vengeance against your -kin. As to the leech, he was but an outlander,--a wizened dotard, -already on the grave's edge,--and the Dane is the bravest of all my -counts. I have loved him as a kinsman. Enough! His doom is spoken. I -give him this night. Then Gerold shall bid him go, under pain of death -if he linger an hour after sunrise. Here, Worad, is my signet. After -the baptizing of the Saxons, the High Marshal and his horsemen will ride -with you to Cologne, on the trail of the outlaw,--to drive him and his -wolf-pack from my kingdom." - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - -I will fare back thither -From whence I came, -To my nighest kin -And those who know me. - LAY OF SIGURD. - - -All night long Gerold searched Attigny for his outlawed friend, but -found no trace of him. At dawn he returned to the palace, weary and all -but overcome with the burden of his grief. He was too disheartened even -to speak to Rothada's Frisian maid, who stood by the outer gate. He -would have passed by her, had she not signed to him. - -"What is it, Berga?" he asked dully, when he had followed her into a -secluded nook. - -"You droop like an outspent hound, lord count. Take cheer. I can put -you on the trail." - -"How! you know--" - -"They slipped out, only a little since,--she and your mate, the big Dane -priest." - -"To meet Count Olvir!" - -"It is merry for lovers to ride in the greenwood." - -"My thanks!" muttered Gerold, and he rushed into the palace courtyard. - -His horse was dripping with sweat when, a mile up the Aisne bank, he -raced to meet the three riders who came cantering through the groves. -It was a happy little party. He could see the blush of love and joy -which had brought back the roses to Rothada's white cheeks, and her -joyous laughter rang clear in the still air. How could he mar their -happiness? - -But now they were racing forward to meet him, Zora in the lead. A -little more, and he was on the dewy turf beside Olvir, gripping his -arms. After the first outburst of gladness, however, his face darkened -with the shadow of his message. - -"How's this, lad?" demanded Olvir. "You stand gaping, doleful as a -bee-stung cub. God forbid that you bear ill tidings of our lord king!" - -"I bear ill tidings, not of our lord king, but from him," answered -Gerold; and he turned appealingly to Liutrad. "I cannot tell them! I -cannot say it!" - -"Speak! Speak out, man!" commanded Olvir, fiercely. - -"Sea-king,--king's son! here is fit ending for your seven years of -service. Now are you wolfshead throughout the length and breadth of the -Frank realm,--you and all your following! You shall sail down Rhine -Stream so soon as you can ride to Cologne. Worad rides after, to hunt -you from the realm. If within an hour you have not left Attigny, your -head shall pay for the loitering. Such is the command of Karl, King of -the Franks, to the hero who has served him as a king's son--a king's -son!" - -Gerold paused, the words choking in his throat with grief and anger, and -Olvir and Liutrad stood before him speechless, stunned by his message. -But Rothada slipped from her horse and ran to Olvir. - -"Ah, Christ!" she moaned. "My hero outlawed!" - -"The king your father has named him wolfshead, maiden," answered Gerold, -and then his voice broke into plaintive appeal. "Why did you slay the -old leech, Olvir? Why strike the greybeard? At the least, you should -have taken your knife with you. Where were your nimble wits? But for -the witness of the reddened blade--" - -"Hold! Are you mad?" cried Olvir. "You babble of knives and slain men -like a fool." - -"Would that it were so, friend! But your knife, the ill-omened blade! -With my own hand I plucked it from the heart of the luckless Magian." - -"How--my knife? None the less, it is a foul lie. I gave the blade long -since to this dear one on my breast, and last night I placed it again in -her hand, unused, when I spurned the cowering leech. Why should I slay -the spy, when I was even then going with my betrothed to stand before -her father? There would be nothing to betray." - -"Thor's hammer!" roared Liutrad. "The werwolf has snared you, earl--" - -"No, by Odin! The falcon bursts through the limed twigs. I 'll go to -the king--" - -"Too late--too late!" groaned Gerold. "She has shot her venomed shafts -too well. After I, wretched man that I am, had brought the blade that -sprung the werwolf's snare, Worad came also, with lies yet worse. The -Thuringians have spared no pains. A score of high-counts have sworn -that you lured old Rudulf to his death in an ambush of the Sorbs. It -was then the werwolf triumphed. The king is filled with her venom; and -yet--and yet even then he denied her and doomed you only to outlawry." - -Olvir struck his thigh. "Thor! I thank him little for that, when I -must go faring, and leave my bride to wed the werwolf's nursling." - -"I have another knife," said Rothada, and she looked up at Olvir, her -sweet lips straight and tense. - -"No, king's daughter!" he answered her sternly; "it shall not come to -that. I have the right to take you with me into my banishment. Now -what is the vala's word?" - -"Oh, my hero, I pray for light! If you must truly go-- But first, -there is yet hope. My father does not know the truth." - -"Would he listen were it told him? No, darling; come with me, that -there may be an end of doubt." - -"I cannot, Olvir,--I cannot go yet. First see my father. He is just; -he will right the wrong he has put upon you." - -"And if not?" - -"He will, dear hero!" - -"And if not?" - -"Then--ah, Christ forgive me! I must break the will of the king my -father. I must leave home and friends and father--unblessed!" - -"No, little vala; not unblessed," broke in Liutrad, his deep voice -trembling. "You shall be wed by a priest of God, who will shrive you of -all sin in doing what is just and right." - -"Enough," said Olvir. "I hold the pledge of my betrothed. Gerold will -lead her back to the palace, and Liutrad will fetch my priest-robe. He -will bring me in before the king during the noon rest. If I fail, but -get free, I 'll ride straight across the Ardennes to Cologne. At -nightfall, Liutrad will ride with the king's daughter; but they shall go -by another way, down the Meuse to Nimeguen. There I will meet them with -my longships. What says Count Gerold to the theft of the king's -daughter?" - -"Saint Michael! Could you think me so cruel as to hold her here in the -power of that werwolf? Yet a word: there will be swift pursuit." - -"They will follow me to Cologne." - -"And a priest has his cowl," added Liutrad. - -Rothada pressed her blushing face against Olvir's shoulder. - -"They shall not find our trail, dear hero," she whispered. "Berga in a -forester's dress, and I as a page--" - -"Freya guide you, my bride!" cried Olvir, and he pressed his lips to her -downbent head. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - - Unmeet we should do - As the doings of wolves are, -Raising wrongs 'gainst each other - As the dogs of the Norns, - The greedy ones nourished -In waste steads of the earth. - LAY OF HAMDIR. - - -When Liutrad returned with the sombre Benedictine robe for his earl, he -found Olvir pacing restlessly up and down the Aisne bank. - -"You 're slow, lad," he said impatiently; and flinging on the gown, he -at once called to Zora. But Liutrad had more knowledge of the king's -humor. - -"Curb your eagerness, earl," he said. "Wait until after the baptizing, -and our lord king has eaten and eased himself with the noon rest. When -he wakens, his mood will be fairest." - -"Yours is the better judgment, lad," assented Olvir. "My hour of grace -is already past, and it will matter little--Loki! We 've forgotten that -I cannot ride Zora into the burg. Worad will soon be searching me out, -and the mare is as well known as I." - -"We must leave her hid in the wood nearest the burg. My horse shall -stand in waiting for you by the palace gate. He is heavy, but can race -that far at good speed." - -"Well schemed, lad! I shall swoop among the limed twigs of the werwolf, -and they shall not hold me! Do you call to mind, lad, that day among -the sand dunes, when we outrode the angry Danes?" - -"Remember! Thor's hammer, but those were merry days!" cried Liutrad; -and with that he and Olvir fell to recalling the stirring scenes of -their hunts and their fights on land and sea since the day when Olvir -Thorbiornson came to Lade, with his grim foster-father, and won the -heirship of the high-seat. - -Noon came and passed, and the two still talked on with the care-free -tones of men at a feast. None might have dreamt from their manner that -they were desperate men, prepared, if need were, to defy the might of -the great king. - -At last, noting by the fall of the sun-rays through the foliage how the -time passed, Liutrad gave the word, and they made ready to enter -Attigny. - -Worms during the wedding of Fastrada was not more gay than was now the -little burg on the Aisne. All the court and all the townfolk rejoiced -with their king in the fond belief that the bloody Saxon struggle had at -last come to an end. The streets were thronged with revellers, through -whose midst Olvir, muffled in his cowl, walked unnoted behind Liutrad's -horse, straight to the great palace built by the second Clovis. - -No official would have thought to bar the entrance of the king's -favorite scribe into the most private apartments of the king, without -Karl's express command, and where Liutrad went, he had no difficulty in -gaining admittance for his priestly fellow. But when they came near the -door of the king's chamber, Liutrad thought it best that he should wait -outside in the passage. While they stood talking, they heard within the -sibilant, purring voice of the queen, and at the same time the Grand -Doorward approached, to inquire their purpose. Olvir's gaze grew stern, -and he drew Liutrad away, with quick decision. - -"Go, bring your horse into the courtyard--to the steps of the palace -doorway," he said. "Should I come out in haste, do not wonder if I take -the beast from you with a show of force. The Franks should know of -nothing against you till you 've fled with their king's daughter." - -"Olvir! You mean our lord king no harm?" - -"God forbid--greatly as he has wronged me! Only, I 'd not linger in the -werwolf's power should all go ill." - -"Saint Michael grant you have no need of flight!" - -"My thanks. Go quickly!" - -Liutrad hurried away, and Olvir stepped forward to meet the doorward, -his head bent beneath the cowl, and his lips muttering a Latin phrase. - -"Hold," commanded the pompous official. "What is the priest's purpose -at the door of our lord king?" - -"To enter it, fool!" muttered Olvir, in Latin, and, as the Frank bowed -to the blessing, he spoke in a tone of authority: "Lead me to his -Majesty. I come from Fulda and--" - -"Ah, the wise Abbot Baugulf. Follow me, priest, and pray for grace that -you do not stammer and stand dumfounded when you enter the presence of -majesty." - -Olvir made no answer, and the doorward, judging that he had sufficiently -impressed the humble priest, flung aside the curtains, and announced his -entrance. "A messenger, your Majesty, from Abbot Baugulf." - -"Let him stand and enjoy with us the verses of our Albinus," replied -Karl, without turning his gaze from Alcuin, at the foot of the royal -couch. - -Olvir stopped short, and, from the depths of his cowl, swept the room -with his glance. Evidently the king had thought the morning's ceremony -sufficient work accomplished for the day, even for his all but tireless -energy. In place of the usual crowd of counts and court-officials, -pressing about the royal couch to report their actions and receive fresh -orders from the king, there were present only Alcuin and Fastrada the -queen, who was seated beside her lord on the edge of the massive couch. - -At a nod from Karl, Alcuin raised his gold-illumined scroll, and recited -his Latin rhymes in a voice that went far toward easing the waywardness -of the feet. The king was very hearty in his praise of the poet's -efforts; but Fastrada murmured an ironical criticism: "A fair song, my -lord,--for children and priests. I myself would rather hear the -heart-stirring lays of our fathers." - -"They are the fierce songs of heathen warriors, my dame, ill fitted for -the lips of God's children," protested Alcuin. - -Karl nodded to him, smiling. "Ah, my Albinus, you speak true; I, as -head of God's church, must agree with you. It is well that our subjects -should not sing the heathen lays. Yet they are the songs of our -fathers, and I would not have them wholly lost to our children. But I -keep waiting the good abbot's messenger. Stand forward, my son, and -deliver over the scroll sent by your superior." - -"I bear no scroll, Frank king. The message is on the tongue of the -wolfshead," answered Olvir, in a clear voice, and he flung aside the -priest's robe, to stand before the king in full war-gear. - -"How? Olvir! King of Heaven!" cried Karl, and he sprang up to confront -the Northman as he had confronted Gerold in the East Tower,--with bared -sword. But Olvir gazed fearlessly into his angry eyes. - -"Twice before has my father's sword been brandished to strike down his -son," he said. "The edge of Ironbiter in a king's hand is fair fate for -a warrior." - -"Wretched man! why do you force me to anger? I have yielded to -mercy,--I gave you full time to quit my realm. Yet now you stand before -me, threatening." - -"My sword hangs in its sheath. Had I come to avenge myself for the -outlaw's doom, I could have leaped upon the son of Pepin while the -priest murmured his verses. Is the king answered?" - -Karl lowered his Norse sword, and gazed down moodily at the outlaw. - -"By my faith, Dane," he muttered, "I had thought you bold beyond most; -but this passes belief." - -"A man will do much for his honor and his love, King of the Franks. I -am no longer your liegeman; you have broken the fetter which bound us. -I have been named wolfshead. Without my knowledge, I have been doomed -to outlawry. Now I come to ask a hearing." - -"You come too late, murderous Northman!" exclaimed Fastrada. "Our lord -king has rendered judgment. Your doom is sealed. Go quickly, outlaw, -before the scullions beat you from the palace with their spits." - -Olvir looked into the beautiful evil face, smiling with malignant -triumph, and the white fury seized upon him. - -"I do not speak to the witch's offcast daughter. My appeal is to the -King of the Franks," he lisped. - -The king gasped in sheer amazement; then the blood leaped into his face, -and his eyes flamed. He turned to thrust out his fist at the gaping -doorward, and commanded harshly: "Away, fool! Bid the High Marshal and -his riders lead this Dane wolf Rhineward, in bonds. The bloody outlaw -shall not fare at will about my realm. Go!" - -"My lord,--dear sire!" cried Alcuin, as the doorward sprang away; "hear -the youth--" - -"Silence, priest! None shall pule over this false Dane! Doubly has he -earned the tree,--the mire-death. Yet I have spared his life; I have -shown mercy." - -"It is not for mercy, but for justice that I ask, King of the Franks," -replied Olvir; and then, as the thought of his little princess came upon -him, his voice broke into despairing appeal: "Hear me, lord king! Be -just to the liegeman whom you once honored. Do not send me from your -realm wolfshead, that those who hate me may jeer my name, and my friends -listen to the scoffing with sealed lips. I will go; I will go gladly, -lord king; only, take from me the shame of your dooming, and bless the -parting liegeman with a king's gift,--the hand of his betrothed." - -"By the King--" - -"Hear me, dear lord, I beg you! by the sword in your hand, by this ring -on my wrist, gift of Hildegarde--of Hildegarde who so loved my little -princess!--I swear to you, dear lord, that I had no part--" - -"Do not heed him, King of the Franks!" hissed Fastrada. "Look upon this -cruel blade, my lord,--the knife which pierced the feeble greybeard! -What justice for the murderer? What mercy for the traitor? I demand -vengeance upon my father's betrayer. He shall sink in the slime, or the -plunging horses rend him asunder! Vengeance!" - -"Go, Olvir!" muttered the king, thickly; "go--before I forget that I -once loved you." - -A gasping sob burst from the Northman. Karl could not have struck a -blow more cruel. The stricken man turned slowly about and passed from -the chamber, groping his way as though blinded. The king and the -scholar stared after him, hushed and motionless. Not until he was gone -did they heed that the queen had glided out by the bower doorway. Then -Alcuin began to pray aloud, and the king bent while the priest implored -the blessing of Heaven upon the soul of the outlaw. - -But Olvir, passing slowly from the doorway along the shadowy corridor, -felt a hand thrust out from another curtained entrance to draw him -within. Still half dazed, he yielded to the grasp. The hangings fell -to behind him, and he found himself face to face with the queen. For a -little they stood staring at each other, the queen's face still and cold -as a mask. Olvir looked quietly into her dilating eyes, and then, -without a word, he turned to go. But Fastrada put out the hand on which -glowed her magic opal, and caught his shoulder in an eager grasp. - -"Stay, Olvir!" she said. "Give heed, and learn that all is not lost to -you." - -"The king has spoken, witch's daughter." - -"But not the queen. Listen, my gerfalcon. The famished bird wings back -to the wrist of its keeper; the well-lashed steed comes to the call of -the master. Your spirit is broken, proud Dane, and now my vengeance is -slaked. There is gall in the cup. I wish to drink of a sweeter -draught, which you shall give at my asking; for in my hand I hold for -you good fortune,--honors and riches and power; the king's friendship -again for his Dane hawk." - -"And the price, werwolf?" - -"Take heed of your tongue, Olvir! I have yet a score to settle with -your puling nun-bride." - -"She has another knife--" - -"Take joy of the thought! Listen to me: I offer for her so much as the -veil, and that at Chelles, where she will be with Gisela. Weigh it -well, Olvir; on the one hand, peace for her; on the other, the knife--or -Worad." - -"The price?" - -A deep blush suffused the queen's cheeks, and her eyes, blue and soft, -gazed at the Northman from beneath their long lashes with an alluring -glance. - -"Surely the price is not too heavy," she murmured. "Men still hold me -not uncomely--" - -"Lord Christ--and to think! Ah, my world-hero, father of my betrothed! -Far better the outlaw's lot! And in my anger I would have left -you--beguiled by the plotters!" - -"Olvir--Olvir! my hero,--my gerfalcon! Do not shrink from me--do not -go--stay with me, Olvir! All the night I sat watching your ships sail -away into the cold North. I cannot bear it! Men say the Norse maidens -are fair-- My heart! another will lie in your arms. Stay--stay with -me, bright hero! See; I beg--I, the queen, on my knees to you. My -God--he goes! Turn again, Olvir, only turn. You shall have that -also,--I pledge it on your knife,--the girl also,--everything! only -turn!" - -But Olvir neither paused nor turned about to the frantic woman. His -eyes, clear and luminous with inward light, were upraised as though he -looked into the blue sky, and his lips smiled as they murmured the hard -sayings of the Carpenter's Son: "'Blessed are ye, when men shall revile -you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you -falsely.... Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to -them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.'" - -"He is mad--mad! I have stung him to madness!" cried the kneeling -woman; and she struggled up to peer out through the hangings after the -Northman. But when she saw him returning directly to the door of the -king's chamber, she clutched at her bosom, and glided swiftly out after -him. A blow between the helmet-rim and the gold collar of the hauberk-- - -But already the outlaw was at the other door. The doorward had not -returned. He parted the curtains, and stepped within, unchallenged, -even as the stealthy follower was upon him. The chance was lost. - -With a soft rustle of silken robes the queen darted past the Northman, -to fling herself into the king's arms. - -"He is mad, dear lord,--mad!" she cried. "He entered my bower, and I -alone! None but one crazed--" - -"Peace, dame. It is you have lost your wit; I have come into wisdom," -replied Olvir. "Peace to you and to your lord. I turn back, that, -before I go, I may take oath to my tidings of how Hardrat and his -fellows plot with Duke Tassilo and Adelchis the Lombard against the life -and throne of the son of Pepin." - -"So, outlaw," cried Karl, "you hold to that lie! Murderer and -traitor--and now--" - -"Peace, world-hero; do not speak the word you will ever rue," said -Olvir, so quietly that, as the king answered, his voice sank to a -mutter. - -"My Grey Wolf fell on the Saale bank, pierced by the arrows of the -Sorbs." - -"Bid men go look upon the count's riven hauberk and the wounds which -split his hard skull," rejoined Olvir. "Even Sorbs would not notch their -swords on bone and iron, when the foe lay arrow-pierced. Yet more,--no -crooked blade cuts like the sweeping longsword. My mail was proof; but -the weals still show where the blows struck across my back. As to the -slaying of the leech, does the king name me a witling, that I should -strike, and leave the knife to tell the tale? Let your daughter bear -witness. I gave the blade back into her hand when I turned from the -cowering dotard to come before you. It must be she let it fall as I -caught her to me. Another came, and found it lying ready for the foul -deed--" - -"Gerold!" - -"No, lord king. What could the brother of Hildegarde gain by the -slaying? No; it was another,--whom I could name. But I do not come for -vengeance, dear lord; I come only to open your eyes to the truth, that -the Thuringians may not take you unawares. Well was it you journeyed so -swiftly out of Saxon Land. I call to mind the words of that red boar -Hardrat: 'Never shall Karl cross again over Rhine Stream.'" - -The king flung out his hand. - -"God forgive me, Olvir!" he muttered. "The scroll which maddened me--" - -"In seeking my death, lord king, they have sealed their own doom. I -could not name them, so they have themselves sent their names to the -lord whom they would have betrayed. It is God's will. My counsel to -the King of the Franks: In the name of Christ, there has been much to -rouse hatred and enmity against your rule,--harshness and cruelty. You -have listened to the ill counsel of this misguided daughter of God. -Therefore I say to you, bear in mind your own deeds, and be merciful to -the wrongdoers. Now I go. The outlaw will not again trouble the son of -Pepin. God be with you!" - -"Stay, Olvir! You shall not go!" cried Karl, and, freeing himself from -Fastrada, he came with a rush to seize the Northman's shoulders in his -iron grasp. "Now I hold you fast, kinsman. You shall not go from me. -No longer are you outlaw. You shall wed your betrothed, and stay in my -hall, Count Palatine, in the stead of Worad of Metz. He whom the king -has wrongfully doomed to shame shall sit on the king's judgment-seat." - -"My lord! my lord!"--the queen's voice rose to a scream--"what would you -do? My father! Kosru! See the bloody knife. You 'd take the -murderer's word against a score--" - -"Silence, woman! I have given heed long enough to your ill counsel; -long enough have I, the king, turned a harsh face against my loyal -liegemen, at the bidding of a woman. My folly has borne bitter -fruit,--heart-burnings and strife. Go, hide your shame in the bower. -Prepare yourself to live at peace with my high judge, else I--" - -"Lord king!" protested Olvir, "is this time for harsh words? Listen, -dear lord! Wisdom has come to me. I see how my own anger has brought -my own sorrow. When, on the Garonne bank, I broke troth with the -daughter of Rudulf, the outcome might have been far different had I -curbed my tongue from scorn. If the maiden was at fault, my fault was -the greater." - -"O God!" moaned Fastrada, and she flung herself on the marble pavement. - -But Karl did not look about from the serene face of the Northman. - -"The Count Palatine has spoken," he said, gravely smiling. - -"Would that it might so be!" answered Olvir, and his dark eyes grew dim. - -"How then?" demanded Karl. But even as the words left his lips, the -door-hangings parted, and Rothada darted across the room, blind to all -else than her lover. - -"Fly, hero!" she cried. "The courtyard swarms with the warriors; they -come to take you! Fly! In the passage wait those who 'll lead you to -freedom. Ah, Holy Mother!--too late!" - -The passage without resounded with the tread and din of armed men -jostling together in their haste. All eyes were fixed on the doorway as -Gerold and Liutrad sprang into view. The Swabian paused at once, and -stood hesitating, his face white and drawn with despair. But Liutrad -strode across the room, tucking up his robe as he went. On the wall hung -his great axe. He plucked it down, and turned about, with flaming eyes, -as Count Worad rushed into the king's chamber, in the lead of a score of -warriors. - -But then the king's voice rang out, clear and joyful: "Stay your hand, -viking-priest! And you, Count of Metz, take away your men. There's now -no need of them." - -"Father!" cried Rothada. "You smile! He is no longer outlaw!" - -Karl drew her to him, and stood stroking her soft tresses, while the -wondering warriors filed out of the king's chamber. When Worad, -crestfallen and bewildered, had followed his men, Karl bent over his -daughter. - -"Do you, then, love him so much?" he murmured. - -"More than life! God be praised, you 've listened to him!" - -"I shall not soon forget how near I came to losing my Dane hawk,--and he -flown hither to warn me of deadly peril! Let the traitors give thanks -to Heaven for unmerited mercy. They will have a mild judge." - -Olvir shook his head. "My heart leaps with joy that I have won again -the friendship of the world-hero. Yet I ask two things only,--let my -lord king give me my betrothed to wife, and bid me God-speed on my -homeward faring." - -"The maiden is yours, kinsman. But we cannot part either with her or -you." - -"Dear lord, I speak with clear vision. The heretic cannot sit in peace -among those who bend to the Bishop of Rome; and more, it is best that we -should go, both for ourselves and for the queen. I am weary of strife. -My heart longs for the iron cliffs of my home land, for the salt billows -roaring among the skerries, for the still waters of the fiord. The -viking stifles in this sea-less land." - -"Can nothing stay you, Olvir? Think what you ask! You tear at my very -heart-strings. How can I send my child into the frozen North?" - -"Not all is rime and frost with us, lord king. The summer is fair in -our North land, and the Trondir are warm of heart. In time, I shall sit -on the high-seat of my father. The king's daughter shall not lack -either in honor or in love." - -"I will gladly give you whatever else you ask, Olvir. But to part with -my child--" - -Gently Olvir put Rothada from him, and half turned. He spoke with the -calm of utter despair: "It would seem the Norns have woven ill for me. -I go into the North, and--I go without my bride." - -"Ah, no!" gasped Fastrada. Struggling to her feet, she tore from about -her throat the necklace of sapphires which the Northman had given her -for wedding gift, and pressed it upon Rothada. "Take it, king's -daughter; take it--even that!--only, bid him stay!" - -Rothada thrust the blue stones from her, and drew herself up with a -haughtiness which the king, her father, had never equalled. There was -no grief in her white face as she made answer: "Am I such a one as you -that I should bid my hero bend his will? He goes--" - -"And you go with him!" The words burst from Karl's lips like a cry of -anguish. - -For a moment, Olvir stood as though dazed; then Rothada was locked fast -in his arms. "My bride! Joy is ours, king's daughter!" - -To them sprang their friends, with glad words,--Liutrad, Gerold, even -the calm scholar Alcuin. In the midst, Olvir thrust them aside with -friendly force, and Rothada and he stood forward, radiant, to return -thanks to the great king. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOR THE WHITE CHRIST *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42050 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a -registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, -unless you receive specific permission. 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