When morning was, the captains came to King Christopher to council:
but while they were amidst of their talk came the word that the foe was
anigh and come close to the river-bank; whereat was none abashed; but to
all it seemed wisdom to abide them on the vantage-ground. So then there
was girding of swords and doing on of helms; as for ordering of the
folk, it was already done, for all the host was ranked on the bent-side,
with the banner of Oakenrealm in the midst; on its left hand the banner
of the Tofts, and on the right the banner of Brimside.
Now when Christopher was come to his place, he looked down and saw how
the foemen were pouring over the river, for it was nowhere deep, and
there were four quite shallow fords: many more were they than his folk,
but he deemed that they fared somewhat tumultuously; and when the bowmen
of the Tofts began shooting, the foemen, a many of them, stayed amidst
of the river to bend bow in their turn, and seemed to think that were
nigh enough already; nay, some went back again to the other bank, to
shoot thence the surer and the drier, and some went yet a little further
back on the field. So that when their sergeants and riders were come
on to the hither bank, they lacked about a fifth of all their host;
and they themselves, for all they were so many, had some ado to make up
their minds to go forward.
Forsooth, when they looked up to the bent and saw the three banners of
Oakenrealm and the Tofts and Brimside all waving over the same ranks,
they knew not what to make of it. And Christopher's host, when they saw
them hang back, brake out into mocking whoops and shouts, and words were
heard in them: "Come and dine at Brimside, good fellows! Come up to the
Tofts for supper and bed! A Christopher! A Christopher!" and so forth.
Now all King Christopher's men were afoot, saving a band of the riders
of Brimside, who bestrode strong and tall horses, and bore jack and
sallet and spear, but no heavy armour.
So Christopher heard and saw, and the heart rose high in him, and he
sent messengers to the right and the left, and bade the captains watch
till he waved his sword aloft, and then all down the bent together; and
he bade the Brimside riders edge a little outward and downward, and be
ready for the chase, and suffer not any of the foemen to gather together
when once they fell to running; for he knew in his heart that the folk
before him would never abide their onfall. And the day was yet young,
and it lacked four hours of noon.
King Christopher abode ill he saw the foemen were come off the level
ground, and were mounting the bent slowly, and not in very good order
or in ranks closely serried. Then he strode forth three paces, and
waved his sword high above his head, and cried out: "A Christopher! A
Christopher! Forward, banner of the Realm!" And forth he went, steady
and strong, and a great shout arose behind him, and none shrank or
lagged, but spears and bills, and axes and swords, all came on like a
wall of steel, so that to the foemen the earth seemed alive with death,
and they made no show of abiding the onset, but all turned and ran, save
Walter the White and a score of his knights, who forsooth were borne
down in a trice, and were taken to mercy, those of them who were not
slain at the first crash of weapons.
There then ye might have seen great clumps of men making no defence, but
casting down their weapons and crying mercy; and forsooth so great was
the throng, that no great many were slain; but on the other hand, but
few gat away across the water, and on them presently fell the Brimside
riders, and hewed down and slew and took few to mercy. And some few
besides the first laggards of the bowmen, it might be three hundreds in
all, escaped, and gat to Woodwall, but when they of the town saw them,
they made up their minds speedily, and shut their gates, and the poor
fleers found but the points of shafts and the heads of quarrels before
them.
But on the field of deed those captives were somewhat fearful as to what
should be done with them, and they spake one to the other about it, that
they would be willing to serve the new King, since he was so mighty.
And amidst of their talk came the captains of King Christopher, and they
drew into a ring around them, and the lords bade them look to it whether
they would be the foemen of the King, the son of that King Christopher
the Old. "If so ye be," said they, "ye may escape this time; but ye see
how valiant a man he is, and how lucky withal, and happy shall they be
whom he calleth friends. Now what say ye, will ye take up your weapons
again, and be under the best of kings and a true one, or will ye depart
and take the chance of his wrath in the coming days? We say, how many of
you will serve King Christopher."
Then arose from them a mighty shout: "All! All! One and All!" Albeit
some there were who slunk away and said nought; and none heeded them.
So then all the sergeants and the common folk swore allegiance to King
Christopher; but of the knights who were left alive, some said Yea, and
some Nay; and these last were suffered to depart, but must needs ride
unarmed.
Now by the time all was done, and the new men had dined along with the
rest of the host, and of the new-comers tale had been taken, the day was
wearing; so they set off for Woodwall, and on the way they met the Mayor
and Aldermen thereof, who came before King Christopher and knelt to him,
and gave him the keys of their town; so he was gracious to them, and
thanked them, and bade see to the victual and lodging of the host, and
that all should be paid thereafter. And they said that they had seen to
all this before they came forth of the town, and that if the Lord King
would ride forth, he would find fair lodging in the good town. So King
Christopher was pleased, and bade the burgesses ride beside him, and he
talked merrily with them on the way, so that their hearts rejoiced over
the kindness of their lord.
So they came to the gate, and there the King made stay till Goldilind
was fetched to him, so that they might ride into the good town side
by side. And in the street was much people thronging, and the sun was
scarce set, so that the folk could see their King and Queen what they
were; and they who were nighest unto them, they let their shouts die
out, so were their hearts touched with the sight of them and the love of
their beauty.
Thus rode they in triumph through the street till they were come to
their lodging, which was great and goodly as for a cheaping town; and so
the day was gone and the night was come, and the council and the banquet
were over; then were the King and Goldilind together again, like any
up-country lad and lass. But she stood before him and said: "O thou King
and mighty warrior, surely I ought to fear thee now, but it is not so,
so sore as I desire thee; but yet it maketh both laughter and tears come
to me when I think of the day we rode away from Greenharbour with thee,
and I seemed to myself a great lady, though I were unhappy; and though
I loved thy body, I feared lest the churl's blood in thee might shame me
perchance, and I was proud and unkind to thee, and I hurt thee sorely;
and now I will say it, and confess, that somewhat I joyed to see thine
anguish, for I knew that it meant thy love for me and thy desire to me.
Lo now, wilt thou forgive me this, or wilt thou punish me, O Lord King?"
He laughed. "Sweetling," he said, "meseemeth now all day long I have
been fighting against raiment rather than men; no man withstood me in
the battle, for that they feared the crown on my helm and the banner
over my head; and when those good men of the town brought me the keys,
how should I have known them from borrel folk but for their scarlet
gowns and fur hoods? And meseemed that when they knelt to me, it was the
scarlet gowns kneeling to the kingly armour. Therefore, sweetheart, if
thou fearest that the King should punish thee for so wounding the poor
Christopher of those few days ago, as belike thou deservest it, bid the
King do off his raiment, and do thou in likewise, and then there shall
be no King to punish, and no King's scather to thole the punishment, but
only Christopher and Goldilind, even as they met erewhile on the dewy
grass of Littledale."
She blushed blood-red; but ere his words were done, her hands were busy
with girdle and clasp, and her raiment fell from her to the earth, and
his kingly raiment was cast from him, and he took her by the hand and
led her to the bed of honour, that their love might have increase that
night also.