FOLK-MIGHT.
BUT of the time then passing, it is to be said that the whole host abode
in Silver-dale in great mirth and good liking, till they should hear
tidings of Dallach and his company, who had followed hot-foot on the
fleers of the Dusky Men. And on the tenth day after the battle,
Iron-face and his two sons and Stone-face were sitting about sunset under
a great oak-tree by that stream-side which ran through the Mote-stead;
there also was Folk-might, somewhat distraught because of his love for
the Bride, who was now mending of her hurts. As they sat there in all
content they saw folk coming toward them, three in number, and as they
drew nigher they saw that it was old Hall-ward of the Steer, and the
Sun-beam and Bow-may following him hand in hand.
When they came to the brook Bow-may ran up to the elder to help him over
the stepping-stones; which she did as one who loved him, as the old man
was stark enough to have waded the water waist-deep. She was no longer
in her war-gear, but was clad after her wont of Shadowy Vale, in nought
but a white woollen kirtle. So she stood in the stream beside the
stones, and let the swift water ripple up over her ankles, while the
elder leaned on her shoulder and looked down upon her kindly. The
Sun-beam followed after them, stepping daintily from stone to stone, so
that she was a fair sight to see; her face was smiling and happy, and as
she stepped forth on to the green grass the colour flushed up in it, but
she cast her eyes adown as one somewhat shamefaced.
So the chieftains rose up before the leader of the Steer, and Folk-might
went up to him, and greeted him, and took his hand and kissed him on the
cheek. And Hall-ward said:
‘Hail to the chiefs of the kindred, and my earthly friends!’
Then Folk-might bade him sit down by him, and all the men sat down again;
but the Sun-beam leaned her back against a sapling ash hard by, her feet
set close together; and Bow-may went to and fro in short turns, keeping
well within ear-shot.
Then said Hall-ward: ‘Folk-might, I have prayed thy kinswoman Bow-may to
lead me to thee, that I might speak with thee; and it is good that I find
my kinsmen of the Face in thy company; for I would say a word to thee
that concerns them somewhat.’
Said Folk-might: ‘Guest, and warrior of the Steer, thy words are ever
good; and if this time thou comest to ask aught of me, then shall they be
better than good.’
Said Hall-ward: ‘Tell me, Folk-might, hast thou seen my daughter the
Bride to-day?’
‘Yea,’ said Folk-might, reddening.
‘What didst thou deem of her state?’ said Hall-ward.
Said Folk-might: ‘Thou knowest thyself that the fever hath left her, and
that she is mending.’
Hall-ward said: ‘In a few days belike we shall be wending home to
Burgdale: when deemest thou that the Bride may travel, if it were but on
a litter?’
Folk-might was silent, and Hall-ward smiled on him and said:
‘Wouldst thou have her tarry, O chief of the Wolf?’
‘So it is,’ said Folk-might, ‘that it might be labour lost for her to
journey to Burgdale at present.’
‘Thinkest thou?’ said Hall-ward; ‘hast thou a mind then that if she goeth
she shall speedily come back hither?’
‘It has been in my mind,’ said Folk-might, ‘that I should wed her. Wilt
thou gainsay it? I pray thee, Iron-face my friend, and ye Stone-face and
Hall-face, and thou, Face-of-god, my brother, to lay thy words to mine in
this matter.’
Then said Hall-ward stroking his beard: ‘There will be a seat missing in
the Hall of the Steer, and a sore lack in the heart of many a man in
Burgdale if the Bride come back to us no more. We looked not to lose the
maiden by her wedding; for it is no long way betwixt the House of the
Steer and the House of the Face. But now, when I arise in the morning
and miss her, I shall take my staff and walk down the street of
Burgstead; for I shall say, The Maiden hath gone to see Iron-face my
friend; she is well in the House of the Face. And then shall I remember
how that the wood and the wastes lie between us. How sayest thou,
Alderman?’
‘A sore lack it will be,’ said Iron-face; ‘but all good go with her!
Though whiles shall I go hatless down Burgstead street, and say, Now will
I go fetch my daughter the Bride from the House of the Steer; while many
a day’s journey shall lie betwixt us.’
Said Hall-ward: ‘I will not beat about the bush, Folk-might; what gift
wilt thou give us for the maiden?’
Said Folk-might: ‘Whatever is mine shall be thine; and whatsoever of the
Dale the kindred and the poor folk begrudge thee not, that shalt thou
have; and deemest thou that they will begrudge thee aught? Is it
enough?’
Hall-ward said: ‘I wot not, chieftain; see thou to it! Bow-may, my
friend, bring hither that which I would have from Silver-dale for the
House of the Steer in payment for our maiden.’
Then Bow-may came forward speedily, and went up to the Sun-beam, and led
her by the hand in front of Folk-might and Hall-ward and the other
chieftains. Then Folk-might started, and leapt up from the ground; for,
sooth to say, he had been thinking so wholly of the Bride, that his
sister was not in his mind, and he had had no deeming of whither
Hall-ward was coming, though the others guessed well enough, and now
smiled on him merrily, when they saw how wild Folk-might stared. As for
the Sun-beam, she stood there blushing like a rose in June, but looking
her brother straight in the face, as Hall-ward said:
‘Folk-might, chief of the Wolf, since thou wouldst take our maiden the
Bride away from us, I ask thee to make good her place with this maiden;
so that the House of the Steer may not lack, when they who are wont to
wed therein come to us and pray us for a bedfellow for the best of their
kindred.’
Then became Folk-might smiling and merry like unto the others, and he
said: ‘Chief of the Steer, this gift is thine, together with aught else
which thou mayst desire of us.’
Then he kissed the Sun-beam, and said: ‘Sister, we looked for this to
befall in some fashion. Yet we deemed that he that should lead thee away
might abide with us for a moon or two. But now let all this be, since if
thou art not to bear children to the kindreds of Silver-dale, yet shalt
thou bear them to their friends and fellows. And now choose what gift
thou wilt have of us to keep us in thy memory.’
She said: ‘The memory of my people shall not fade from me; yet indeed I
ask thee for a gift, to wit, Bow-may, and the two sons of Wood-father
that are left since Wood-wicked was slain; and belike the elder and his
wife will be fain to go with their sons, and ye will not hinder them.’
‘Even so shall it be done,’ said Folk-might, and he was silent a while,
pondering; and then he said:
‘Lo you, friends! doth it not seem strange to you that peace sundereth as
well as war? Indeed I deem it grievous that ye shall have to miss your
well-beloved kinswoman. And for me, I am now grown so used to this woman
my sister, though at whiles she hath been masterful with me, that I shall
often turn about and think to speak to her, when there lie long days of
wood and waste betwixt her voice and mine.
The Sun-beam laughed in his face, though the tears stood in her eyes, as
she said: ‘Keep up thine heart, brother; for at least the way is shorter
betwixt Burgdale and Silver-dale than betwixt life and death; and the
road we shall learn belike.’
Said Hall-face: ‘So it is that my brother is no ill woodman, as ye
learned last autumn.’
Iron-face smiled, but somewhat sadly; for he beheld Face-of-god, who had
no eyes for anyone save the Sun-beam; and no marvel was that, for never
had she looked fairer. And forsooth the War-leader was not utterly
well-pleased; for he was deeming that there would be delaying of his
wedding, now that the Sun-beam was to become a maid of the Steer; and in
his mind he half deemed that it would be better if he were to take her by
the hand and lead her home through the wild-wood, he and she alone; and
she looked on him shyly, as though she had a deeming of his thought.
Albeit he knew it might not be, that he, the chosen War-leader, should
trouble the peace of the kindred; for he wotted that all this was done
for peace’ sake.
So Hall-ward stood forth and took the Sun-beam’s right hand in his, and
said:
‘Now do I take this maiden, Sun-beam of the kindred of the Wolf, and lead
her into the House of the Steer, to be in all ways one of the maidens of
our House, and to wed in the blood wherein we have been wont to wed.
Neither from henceforth let anyone say that this woman is not of the
blood of the Steer; for we have given her our blood, and she is of us
duly and truly.’
Thereafter they talked together merrily for a little, and then turned
toward the houses, for the sun was now down; and as they went Iron-face
spake to his son, and said:
‘Gold-mane, wilt thou verily keep thine oath to wed the fairest woman in
the world? By how much is this one fairer than my dear daughter who
shall no more dwell in mine house?’
Said Face-of-god: ‘Yea, father, I shall keep mine oath; for the Gods, who
know much, know that when I swore last Yule I was thinking of the fair
woman going yonder beside Hall-ward, and of none other.’
‘Ah, son!’ said Iron-face, ‘why didst thou beguile us? Hadst thou but
told us the truth then!’
‘Yea, Alderman,’ said Face-of-god smiling, ‘and how thou wouldest have
raged against me then, when thou hast scarce forgiven me now! In sooth,
father, I feared to tell you all: I was young; I was one against the
world. Yea, yea; and even that was sweet to me, so sorely as I loved
her—Hast thou forgotten, father?’
Iron-face smiled, and answered not; and so came they to the house wherein
they were guested.