A soft twilight reigned in the vast hall of the palace to which they
now came. The walls were of polished marble, inlaid with gold and
silver. The floor was formed of a single agate, the ceiling of a
sapphire, and from it there hung shining carbuncles like stars in the
blue sky of night. All at once it became light as day. The queen came
in surrounded by her maidens. Her girdle and necklace were jewelled,
and in her coronet was a diamond that shone like the sun, bringing the
brightness of day wherever it came. But the lady herself was more
beautiful than aught else. None could take their eyes off her face. She
seated herself beside Laurin, and signed to her brother Dietleib to sit
down at the other side of her. She embraced him and asked him many
questions about her old home and friends. By this time supper was
ready. Laurin was a perfect host, and his guests were soon quite at
their ease. Even Wittich forgot to be suspicious. When the meal was
over, the dwarf king left the hall, and Dietleib seized the opportunity
to ask his sister whether she was willing to remain in that underground
paradise as its queen. She answered with tears that she could not
forget her home and friends; that she would rather be a peasant girl in
the upper world than a queen among the dwarfs, and that though she must
admit that Laurin was very good and kind, yet he was not as other men.
Dietleib then promised to save her, or lose his life in the attempt.
Laurin now returned, and asked the hero if he would like to retire to
his bedchamber. He took him there, and remained talking with him for
some time. At last he told him that his comrades were all condemned to
death, and that he had only spared him because he was his
brother-in-law.
“Traitor, false dwarf!” cried Dietleib. “I live and die with my
comrades, but you are in my power!”
He started forward, but the dwarf was gone, and the door was shut and
locked on the outside.
Laurin then returned to the hall, filled the goblets of the warriors
from a particular jar, and entreated them to drink the wine, which
would insure them a good night’s rest. They did so, and immediately
their heads sank upon their breasts, and a heavy drugged sleep fell
upon them. Then turning to the queen, Laurin desired her to go to her
room, for these men must die in punishment for the wreck they had made
of his rose-garden; adding that her brother was safely locked up in a
distant room, that he might escape the fate of his comrades. Künhild
wept aloud, and said that she would die if he carried out his cruel
purpose. He gave her no distinct answer, but reiterated his command.
As soon as the queen had retired, he sounded his horn, and immediately
five giants and a number of dwarfs hurried into the room. He commanded
them to bind the warriors so tight with cords that they could not move
when they awoke. After that he had them dragged to a dungeon, where
they might remain until he should decide their fate next morning.
Having seen his orders carried out, he went to bed, and began to think
whether it would be better to let the men off to please the queen, or
to punish them for their evil deed. The last seemed to him the wiser
plan, and he fell asleep, gloating over the intended slaughter of his
helpless victims.
Dietrich awoke soon after midnight; he felt that he was bound hand and
foot, and called to his comrades for aid; but they were as powerless as
he. Then Dietrich’s wrath was roused to such a pitch, that his fiery
breath burnt the cords that bound one hand, and left it free. After
that, it was a matter of little difficulty to untie the knots at his
wrist and feet, and then to set his comrades at liberty. What was to be
done now? They could not break open their dungeon door. They had
neither weapon nor coat of mail. They were helpless victims. At this
very moment, while they were looking at each other in despair, they
were startled by hearing a woman’s voice asking in a low whisper if
they were yet alive.
“We thank you, noble queen,” answered Hildebrand, “we are alive and
well, but totally unarmed.”
So Künhild opened the door, and appeared on the threshold with her
brother. She placed her finger on her lips to enforce silence, and led
the way to where the heroes’ armour was piled. As soon as they were
ready, the queen gave each of them a ring, by means of which he could
see the dwarfs, even when they wore their caps of darkness.
“Hurrah!” cried Wolfhart. “We can make as much noise as we like, now
that we have our armour on, and our weapons in our hands.”
Laurin, wakened by Wolfhart’s loud tones, knew that the prisoners were
free, and at once summoned his dwarfish army to his assistance. The
battle began, and raged for a long time without any advantage being
gained by either side. Laurin was pleased in his heart of hearts that
matters had turned out as they had, for he was a bold little fellow,
and liked open war better than trickery. At length the underground
forces were routed with great loss, and Laurin himself was taken
prisoner.
Dietrich spared the life of the dwarf king at fair Künhild’s request,
but deposed him from royal power, and gave the mountain to Sintram,
another dwarf of high rank, for a yearly tribute. When everything was
ordered to their liking, the heroes returned to Bern, taking Laurin
with them as a prisoner.
There was great joy in Bern at the return of the heroes, who were much
praised for their valiant deeds, while the unfortunate Laurin was
laughed at by all. There was only one person who showed him any
sympathy, and that was Künhild. One day she met him when he was
wandering about alone and melancholy. She spoke to him kindly, tried to
comfort him, and told him he would soon gain the king’s friendship if
he proved himself to be faithful and true.
“Ah,” he laughed bitterly; “they think that they have kicked a dog who
will lick their hands; but a trodden snake bites! You may know what I
intend to do. I have sent to inform Walberan, my uncle, who rules over
the dwarfs and giants from the Caucasus to Sinai, of what has happened,
and he is coming at the head of his forces to be my avenger. He cannot
fail to win the day, slay strong Dietrich and his comrades, and lay the
whole land waste. When that is done, I will take you back to my
kingdom, and replant my Rose Garden, that it may be lovelier in May
than it ever was before.”
“Laurin,” she answered, “you carried me away from home by trickery and
magic spells; but I have not been blind to your love, and feel myself
honoured by its greatness. I cannot live in your underground kingdom,
but I will love you and be your queen in the Rose Garden, if you will
think of love and faithfulness, and not of revenge.”
She left him, and he sat pondering the matter for a long time.
A few days afterwards, Dietrich came to the Dwarf King, and, taking him
by the hand, said, that he had been his prisoner long enough, that he
must now sit with his comrades, or return to his own home, whichever he
liked best.
“And then,” continued the king, “I will go with you to your Rose Garden
next spring, and see it in its beauty.”
The dwarf silently followed the king into the hall. He sat at
Dietrich’s side at the feast, and thought over the vengeance he would
take when his uncle came.
But lovely Künhild appeared and filled his goblet, saying a few kind
words the while, and immediately love conquered hatred, and he cried,
emptying the goblet to the last drop,—
“Henceforward I am your faithful comrade in life and death.”
Whilst the warriors were still at the feast, a messenger from King
Walberan came in, and declared war on Dietrich in the name of his
master, unless Laurin were at once restored to his kingdom, and unless
the hero of Bern sent Walberan all the money and all the weapons in the
country, as well as the right hand and left foot of every warrior who
had taken part in the destruction of the Rose Garden.
Dietrich answered proudly, that he intended to keep his money, arms,
hands, and feet, and those of his subjects also.
“And tell him,” added Laurin, “that I send him my thanks and greeting
for coming to my assistance, but that I am now free, and have entered
into a bond of love and friendship with the King of Bern.”
Both sides prepared for battle, but before a blow was struck, Laurin
rode into his uncle’s camp, and tried to make peace between Walberan
and Dietrich. His uncle told him he was no better than a
broken-spirited serf, and refused to listen to his words. So the fight
began, and raged furiously for many hours. At length, late in the
afternoon, Dietrich and Walberan met, and challenged each other to
single combat. It was a terrible struggle—both kings were severely
wounded, and it seemed to the onlookers as if both must die. Suddenly
Laurin threw himself unarmed between their swords, flung his arms round
King Walberan, and entreated him to make peace. Almost at the same
moment Hildebrand did the same by the angry Dietrich, and after much
expenditure of words, the peacemakers had their way.
So the fighting was changed to feasting, and the kings entered into a
friendly alliance at the banquet that evening. The hero of Bern made a
long speech in praise of Laurin, who had endangered his life in
endeavouring to make peace, and to whom he therefore restored the free
and independent rule over his kingdom and Rose Garden. When he had
finished, Queen Virginal came forward, leading fair Künhild, and laid
the hand of the maiden in that of Laurin, saying that she knew he would
regard her reward of his faithfulness as the greatest he had that day
received; for Künhild had promised to be his wife if her brother did
not object. As no dissentient voice was heard, the marriage was
celebrated there and then.
In the May-month of the following year, when the roses were again in
bloom, the dwarfs put the finishing touches to a beautiful palace,
which they had built in the Rose Garden. Many a herdsman and Alpine
hunter has seen it; but to those who go in search of it from mere
curiosity, it remains ever invisible.
To this day, Laurin and Künhild show themselves at odd times in the
valleys of Tyrol, and there are people yet alive who are reported to
have had a distant glimpse of the wonderful Rose Garden.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: KING LAURIN’S FEAST.]