Kabanata Kabanata 16 · OF THE KING'S SON AND THE MAID

. OF THE KING'S SON AND THE MAID

But as for Walter, he went out of the house again, and fared slowly over

the woodlawns till he came to another close thicket or brake; he entered

from mere wantonness, or that he might be the more apart and hidden, so

as to think over his case. There he lay down under the thick boughs, but

could not so herd his thoughts that they would dwell steady in looking

into what might come to him within the next days; rather visions of those

two women and the monster did but float before him, and fear and desire

and the hope of life ran to and fro in his mind.

As he lay thus he heard footsteps drawing near, and he looked between the

boughs, and though the sun had just set, he could see close by him a man

and a woman going slowly, and they hand in hand; at first he deemed it

would be the King's Son and the Lady, but presently he saw that it was

the King's Son indeed, but that it was the Maid whom he was holding by

the hand. And now he saw of him that his eyes were bright with desire,

and of her that she was very pale. Yet when he heard her begin to speak,

it was in a steady voice that she said: "King's Son, thou hast threatened

me oft and unkindly, and now thou threatenest me again, and no less

unkindly. But whatever were thy need herein before, now is there no more

need; for my Mistress, of whom thou wert weary, is now grown weary of

thee, and belike will not now reward me for drawing thy love to me, as

once she would have done; to wit, before the coming of this stranger.

Therefore I say, since I am but a thrall, poor and helpless, betwixt you

two mighty ones, I have no choice but to do thy will."

As she spoke she looked all round about her, as one distraught by the

anguish of fear. Walter, amidst of his wrath and grief, had wellnigh

drawn his sword and rushed out of his lair upon the King's Son. But he

deemed it sure that, so doing, he should undo the Maid altogether, and

himself also belike, so he refrained him, though it were a hard matter.

The Maid had stayed her feet now close to where Walter lay, some five

yards from him only, and he doubted whether she saw him not from where

she stood. As to the King's Son, he was so intent upon the Maid, and so

greedy of her beauty, that it was not like that he saw anything.

Now moreover Walter looked, and deemed that he beheld something through

the grass and bracken on the other side of those two, an ugly brown and

yellow body, which, if it were not some beast of the foumart kind, must

needs be the monstrous dwarf, or one of his kin; and the flesh crept upon

Walter's bones with the horror of him. But the King's Son spoke unto the

Maid: "Sweetling, I shall take the gift thou givest me, neither shall I

threaten thee any more, howbeit thou givest it not very gladly or

graciously."

She smiled on him with her lips alone, for her eyes were wandering and

haggard. "My lord," she said, "is not this the manner of women?"

"Well," he said, "I say that I will take thy love even so given. Yet let

me hear again that thou lovest not that vile newcomer, and that thou hast

not seen him, save this morning along with my Lady. Nay now, thou shalt

swear it."

"What shall I swear by?" she said.

Quoth he, "Thou shalt swear by my body;" and therewith he thrust himself

close up against her; but she drew her hand from his, and laid it on his

breast, and said: "I swear it by thy body."

He smiled on her licorously, and took her by the shoulders, and kissed

her face many times, and then stood aloof from her, and said: "Now have I

had hansel: but tell me, when shall I come to thee?"

She spoke out clearly: "Within three days at furthest; I will do thee to

wit of the day and the hour to-morrow, or the day after."

He kissed her once more, and said: "Forget it not, or the threat holds

good."

And therewith he turned about and went his ways toward the house; and

Walter saw the yellow-brown thing creeping after him in the gathering

dusk.

As for the Maid, she stood for a while without moving, and looking after

the King's Son and the creature that followed him. Then she turned about

to where Walter lay and lightly put aside the boughs, and Walter leapt

up, and they stood face to face. She said softly but eagerly: "Friend,

touch me not yet!"

He spake not, but looked on her sternly. She said: "Thou art angry with

me?"

Still he spake not; but she said: "Friend, this at least I will pray

thee; not to play with life and death; with happiness and misery. Dost

thou not remember the oath which we swore each to each but a little while

ago? And dost thou deem that I have changed in these few days? Is thy

mind concerning thee and me the same as it was? If it be not so, now

tell me. For now have I the mind to do as if neither thou nor I are

changed to each other, whoever may have kissed mine unwilling lips, or

whomsoever thy lips may have kissed. But if thou hast changed, and wilt

no longer give me thy love, nor crave mine, then shall this steel" (and

she drew a sharp knife from her girdle) "be for the fool and the dastard

who hath made thee wroth with me, my friend, and my friend that I deemed

I had won. And then let come what will come! But if thou be nought

changed, and the oath yet holds, then, when a little while hath passed,

may we thrust all evil and guile and grief behind us, and long joy shall

lie before us, and long life, and all honour in death: if only thou wilt

do as I bid thee, O my dear, and my friend, and my first friend!"

He looked on her, and his breast heaved up as all the sweetness of her

kind love took hold on him, and his face changed, and the tears filled

his eyes and ran over, and rained down before her, and he stretched out

his hand toward her.

Then she said exceeding sweetly: "Now indeed I see that it is well with

me, yea, and with thee also. A sore pain it is to me, that not even now

may I take thine hand, and cast mine arms about thee, and kiss the lips

that love me. But so it has to be. My dear, even so I were fain to

stand here long before thee, even if we spake no more word to each other;

but abiding here is perilous; for there is ever an evil spy upon my

doings, who has now as I deem followed the King's Son to the house, but

who will return when he has tracked him home thither: so we must sunder.

But belike there is yet time for a word or two: first, the rede which I

had thought on for our deliverance is now afoot, though I durst not tell

thee thereof, nor have time thereto. But this much shall I tell thee,

that whereas great is the craft of my Mistress in wizardry, yet I also

have some little craft therein, and this, which she hath not, to change

the aspect of folk so utterly that they seem other than they verily are;

yea, so that one may have the aspect of another. Now the next thing is

this: whatsoever my Mistress may bid thee, do her will therein with no

more nay-saying than thou deemest may please her. And the next thing:

wheresoever thou mayst meet me, speak not to me, make no sign to me, even

when I seem to be all alone, till I stoop down and touch the ring on my

ankle with my right hand; but if I do so, then stay thee, without fail,

till I speak. The last thing I will say to thee, dear friend, ere we

both go our ways, this it is. When we are free, and thou knowest all

that I have done, I pray thee deem me not evil and wicked, and be not

wroth with me for my deed; whereas thou wottest well that I am not in

like plight with other women. I have heard tell that when the knight

goeth to the war, and hath overcome his foes by the shearing of swords

and guileful tricks, and hath come back home to his own folk, they praise

him and bless him, and crown him with flowers, and boast of him before

God in the minster for his deliverance of friend and folk and city. Why

shouldst thou be worse to me than this? Now is all said, my dear and my

friend; farewell, farewell!"

Therewith she turned and went her ways toward the house in all speed, but

making somewhat of a compass. And when she was gone, Walter knelt down

and kissed the place where her feet had been, and arose thereafter, and

made his way toward the house, he also, but slowly, and staying oft on

his way.