The Lady Tells of the Strife and Trouble That Befell After Her Coming
to the Country of the King's Son
"When we came to the King's House, my lord followed his father into the
hall, where sat his mother amongst her damsels: she was a fair woman,
and looked rather meek than high-hearted; my lord led me up to her, and
she embraced and kissed him and caressed him long; then she turned
about to me and would have spoken to me, but the king, who stood behind
us, scowled on her, and she forebore; but she looked me on somewhat
kindly, and yet as one who is afeard.
"Thus it went for the rest of the day, and my lord had me to sit beside
him in the great hall when the banquet was holden, and I ate and drank
with him and beheld all the pageants by his side, and none meddled with
me either to help or to hinder, because they feared the king. Yet many
eyes I saw that desired my beauty. And so when night came, he took me
to his chamber and his bed, as if I were his bride new wedded, even as
it had been with us on the grass of the wilderness and the bracken of
the wildwood. And then, at last, he spake to me of our case, and bade
me fear not, for that a band of his friends, all-armed, was keeping
watch and ward in the cloister without. And when I left the chamber on
the morrow's morn, there were they yet, all in bright armour, and
amongst them the young knight who had delivered me from the felon
baron, and he looked mournfully at me, so that I was sorry for his
sorrow.
"And I knew now that the king was minded to slay me, else had he bidden
thrust me from my lord's side.
"So wore certain days; and on the seventh night, when we were come into
our chamber, which was a fair as any house outside of heaven, my lord
spake to me in a soft voice, and bade me not do off my raiment. 'For,'
said he, 'this night we must flee the town, or we shall be taken and
cast into prison to-morrow; for thus hath my father determined.' I
kissed him and clung to him, and he no less was good to me. And when
it was the dead of night we escaped out of our window by a knotted rope
which he had made ready, and beneath was the city wall; and that
company of knights, amongst whom was the young knight abovesaid, had
taken a postern thereby, and were abiding us armed and with good
horses. So we came into the open country, and rode our ways with the
mind to reach a hill-castle of one of those young barons, and to hold
ourselves there in despite of the king. But the king had been as wary
as we were privy, and no less speedy than we; and he was a mighty and
deft warrior, and he himself followed us on the spur with certain of
his best men-at-arms. And they came upon us as we rested in a woodside
not far from our house of refuge: and the king stood by to see the
battle with his sword in his sheath, but soon was it at an end, for
though our friends fought valiantly, they were everyone slain or hurt,
and but few escaped with bare life; but that young man who loved me so
sorely crept up to me grievously hurt, and I did not forbear to kiss
him once on the face, for I deemed I should soon die also, and his
blood stained my sleeve and my wrist, but he died not as then, but
lived to be a dear friend to me for long.
"So we, my lord and I, were led back to the city, and he was held in
ward and I was cast into prison with chains and hunger and stripes.
And the king would have had me lie there till I perished, that I might
be forgotten utterly; but there were many of the king's knights who
murmured at this, and would not forget me; so the king being
constrained, had me brought forth to be judged by his bishops of
sorcery for the beguiling of my lord. Long was the tale to me then,
but I will not make it long for thee; as was like to be, I was brought
in guilty of sorcery, and doomed to be burned in the Great Square in
three days time.
"Nay, my friend, thou hast no need to look so troubled; for thou seest
that I was not burned. This is the selfsame body that was tied to the
stake in the market place of the king's city many a year ago.
"For the friends of my lord, young men for the most part, and many who
had been fain to be my friends also, put on their armour, and took my
lord out of the courteous prison wherein he was, and came to the Great
Square whenas I stood naked in my smock bound amid the faggots; and I
saw the sheriffs' men give back, and great noise and rumour rise up
around me: and then all about me was a clear space for a moment and I
heard the tramp of the many horse-hoofs, and the space was full of
weaponed men shouting, and crying out, 'Life for our Lord's Lady!'
Then a minute, and I was loose and in my lord's arms, and they brought
me a horse and I mounted, lest the worst should come and we might have
to flee. So I could see much of what went on; and I saw that all the
unarmed folk and lookers-on were gone, but at our backs was a great
crowd of folk with staves and bows who cried out, 'Life for the Lady!'
But before us was naught but the sheriffs' sergeants and a company of
knights and men-at-arms, about as many as we were, and the king in
front of them, fully armed, his face hidden by his helm, and a royal
surcoat over his hauberk beaten with his bearing, to wit, a silver
tower on a blue sky bestarred with gold.
"And now I could see that despite the bills and bows behind us the king
was going to fall on with his folk; and to say sooth I feared but
little and my heart rose high within me, and I wished I had a sword in
my hand to strike once for life and love. But lo! just as the king was
raising his sword, and his trumpet was lifting the brass to his lips,
came a sound of singing, and there was come the Bishop and the Abbot of
St. Peter's and his monks with him, and cross bearers and readers and
others of the religious: and the Bishop bore in his hand the Blessed
Host (as now I know it was) under a golden canopy, and he stood between
the two companies and faced the king, while his folk sang loud and
sweet about him.
"Then the spears went up and from the rest, and swords were sheathed,
and there went forth three ancient knights from out of the king's host
and came up to him and spake with him. Then he gat him away unto his
High House; and the three old knights came to our folk, and spake with
the chiefs; but not with my lord, and I heard not what they said. But
my lord came to me in all loving-kindness and brought me into the house
of one of the Lineage, and into a fair chamber there, and kissed me,
and made much of me; and brought me fair raiment and did it on me with
his own hands, even as his wont was to be for my tire-maiden.
"Then in a little while came those chiefs of ours and said that truce
had been hanselled them for this time, but on these terms, that my lord
and I and all those who had been in arms, and whosoever would, that
feared the king's wrath, should have leave to depart from his city so
that they went and abode no nearer than fifty miles thereof till they
should know his further pleasure. Albeit that whosoever would go home
peaceably might abide in the city still and need not fear the king's
wrath if he stirred no further: but that in any case the Sorceress
should get her gone from those walls.
"So we rode out of the gates that very day before sunset; for it was
now midsummer again, and it was three hours before noon that I was to
have been burned; and we were a gallant company of men-at-arms and
knights; yet did I be-think me of those who were slain on that other
day when we were taken, and fain had I been that they were riding with
us; but at least that fair young man was in our company, though still
weak with his hurts: for the prison and the process had worn away
wellnigh two months. True it is that I rejoiced to see him, for I had
deemed him dead.
"Dear friend, I pray thy pardon if I weary thee with making so long a
tale of my friends of the past days; but needs must I tell thee
somewhat of them, lest thou love that which is not. Since truly it is
myself that I would have thee to love, and none other.
"Many folk gathered to us as we rode our ways to a town which was my
lord's own, and where all men were his friends, so that we came there
with a great host and sat down there in no fear of what the king might
do against us. There was I duly wedded to my lord by a Bishop of Holy
Church, and made his Lady and Queen; for even so he would have it.
"And now began the sore troubles of that land, which had been once so
peaceful and happy; the tale whereof I may one day tell thee; or rather
many tales of what befell me therein; but not now; for the day weareth;
and I still have certain things that I must needs tell thee.
"We waged war against each other, my lord and the king, and whiles one,
and whiles the other overcame. Either side belike deemed that one
battle or two would end the strife; but so it was not, but it endured
year after year, till fighting became the chief business of all in the
land.
"As for me, I had many tribulations. Thrice I fled from the stricken
field with my lord to hide in some stronghold of the mountains. Once
was I taken of the foemen in the town where I abode when my lord was
away from me, and a huge slaughter of innocent folk was made, and I was
cast into prison and chains, after I had seen my son that I had borne
to my lord slain before mine eyes. At last we were driven clean out of
the Kingdom of the Tower, and abode a long while, some two years, in
the wilderness, living like outlaws and wolves' heads, and lifting the
spoil for our livelihood. Forsooth of all the years that I abode about
the Land of Tower those were the happiest. For we robbed no poor folk
and needy, but rewarded them rather, and drave the spoil from rich men
and lords, and hard-hearted chapmen-folk: we ravished no maid of the
tillers, we burned no cot, and taxed no husbandman's croft or acre, but
defended them from their tyrants. Nevertheless we gat an ill name wide
about through the kingdoms and cities; and were devils and witches to
the boot of thieves and robbers in the mouths of these men; for when
the rich man is hurt his wail goeth heavens high, and none may say he
heareth not.
"Now it was at this time that I first fell in with the Champions of the
Dry Tree; for they became our fellows and brothers in arms in the
wildwood: for they had not as yet builded their stronghold of the
Scaur, whereas thou and I shall be in two days time. Many a wild deed
did our folk in their company, and many that had been better undone.
Whiles indeed they went on journeys wherein we were not partakers, as
when they went to the North and harried the lands of the Abbot of
Higham, and rode as far even as over the Downs to Bear Castle and
fought a battle there with the Captain of Higham: whereas we went never
out of the Wood Perilous to the northward; and lifted little save in
the lands of our own proper foemen, the friends of the king.
"Now I say not of the men of the Dry Tree that they were good and
peaceable men, nor would mercy hold their hands every while that they
were hard bestead and thrust into a corner. Yet I say now and once for
all that their fierceness was and is but kindness and pity when set
against the cruelty of the Burg of the Four Friths; men who have no
friend to love, no broken foe to forgive, and can scarce be kind even
to themselves: though forsooth they be wise men and cautelous and well
living before the world, and wealthy and holy."
She stayed her speech a while, and her eyes glittered in her flushed
face and she set her teeth; and she was as one beside herself till
Ralph kissed her feet, and caressed her, and she went on again.
"Dear friend, when thou knowest what these men are and have been thou
wilt bless thy friend Roger for leading thee forth from the Burg by
night and cloud, whatever else may happen to thee.
"Well, we abode in the wildwood, friends and good fellows from the
first; and that young man, though he loved me ever, was somewhat healed
of the fever of love, and was my faithful friend, in such wise that
neither I nor my lord had aught to find fault with in him. Meanwhile
we began to grow strong, for many joined us therein who had fled from
their tyrants of the good towns and the manors of the baronage, and at
last in the third year naught would please my lord but we must enter
into the Kingdom of the Tower, and raise his banner in the wealthy
land, and the fair cities.
"Moreover, his father, the King of the Tower, died in his bed in these
days, and no word of love or peace had passed between them since that
morning when I was led out to be burned in the Great Square.
"So we came forth from the forest, we, and the Champions of the Dry
Tree; and made the tale a short one. For the king, the mighty warrior
and wise man, was dead: and his captains of war, some of them were
dead, and some weary of strife; and those who had been eager in debate
were falling to ask themselves wherefore they had fought and what was
to do that they should still be fighting; and lo! when it came to be
looked into, it was all a matter of the life and death of one woman, to
wit me myself, and why should she not live, why should she not sit upon
the throne with the man who loved her?
"Therefore when at last we came out from the twilight of the woods into
the sunny fields of the Land of the Tower, there was no man to naysay
us; nay, the gates of the strong places flew open before the wind of
our banners, and the glittering of our spears drew the folk together
toward the places of rejoicing. We entered the master City in triumph,
with the houses hung with green boughs and the maidens casting flowers
before our feet, and I sat a crowned Queen upon the throne high raised
on the very place where erst I stood awaiting the coming of the torch
to the faggots which were to consume me.
"There then began the reign of the Woman of the Waste; for so it was,
that my lord left to my hands the real ruling of the kingdom, though he
wore the crown and set the seal to parchments. As to them of the Dry
Tree, though some few of them abode in the kingdom, and became great
there, the more part of them went back to the wildwood and lived the
old life of the Wood, as we had found them living it aforetime. But or
ever they went, the leaders of them came before me, and kissed my feet,
and with tears and prayers besought me, and bade me that if aught fell
amiss to me there, I should come back to them and be their Lady and
Queen; and whereas these wild men loved me well, and I deemed that I
owed much to their love and their helping, I promised them and swore to
them by the Water of the Well at the World's End that I would do no
less than they prayed me: albeit I set no term or year for the day that
I would come to them.
"And now my lord and I, we set ourselves to heal the wounds which war
had made in the land: and hard was the work, and late the harvest; so
used had men become to turmoil and trouble. Moreover, there were many,
and chiefly the women who had lost husband, lover, son or brother, who
laid all their griefs on my back; though forsooth how was I guilty of
the old king's wrath against me, which was the cause of all? About
this time my lord had the Castle of Abundance built up very fairly for
me and him to dwell in at whiles; and indeed we had before that dwelt
at a little manor house that was there, when we durst withdraw a little
from the strife; but now he had it done as fair as ye saw it, and had
those arras cloths made with the story of my sojourn in the wilderness,
even as ye saw them. But the days and the years wore, and wealth came
back to the mighty of the land, and fields flourished and the acres
bore increase, and fair houses were builded in the towns; and the land
was called happy again.
"But for me I was not so happy: and I looked back fondly to the days
of the greenwood and the fellowship of the Dry Tree, and the days
before that, of my flight with my lord. And moreover with the wearing
of the years those murmurs against me and the blind causeless hatred
began to grow again, and chiefly methinks because I was the king, and
my lord the king's cloak: but therewith tales concerning me began to
spring up, how that I was not only a sorceress, but even one foredoomed
from of old and sent by the lords of hell to wreck that fair Land of
the Tower and make it unhappy and desolate. And the tale grew and
gathered form, till now, when the bloom of my beauty was gone, I heard
hard and fierce words cried after me in the streets when I fared
abroad, and that still chiefly by the women: for yet most men looked
on me with pleasure. Also my counsellors and lords warned me often
that I must be wary and of great forbearance if trouble were to be kept
back.
"Now amidst these things as I was walking pensively in my garden one
summer day, it was told me that a woman desired to see me, so I bade
them bring her. And when she came I looked on her, and deemed that I
had seen her aforetime: she was not old, but of middle age, of dark
red hair, and brown eyes somewhat small: not a big woman, but well
fashioned of body, and looking as if she had once been exceeding dainty
and trim. She spake, and again I seemed to have heard her voice
before: 'Hail, Queen,' she said, 'it does my heart good to see thee
thus in thy glorious estate.' So I took her greeting; but those tales
of my being but a sending of the Devil for the ruin of that land came
into my mind, and I sent away the folk who were thereby before I said
more to her. Then she spake again: 'Even so I guessed it would be
that thou wouldst grow great amongst women.'
"But I said, 'What is this? and when have I known thee before-time?'
She smiled and said naught; and my mind went back to those old days,
and I trembled, and the flesh crept upon my bones, lest this should be
the coming back in a new shape of my mistress whom I had slain. But
the woman laughed, and said, as if she knew my thoughts: 'Nay, it is
not so: the dead are dead; fear not: but hast thou forgotten the Dale
of Lore?'
"'Nay,' said I, 'never; and art thou then the carline that learned me
lore? But if the dead come not back, how do the old grow young again?
for 'tis a score of years since we two sat in the Dale, and I longed
for many things.'
"Said the woman: 'The dead may not drink of the Well at the World's
End; yet the living may, even if they be old; and that blessed water
giveth them new might and changeth their blood, and they are as young
folk for a long while again after they have drunken.' 'And hast thou
drunken?' said I.
"'Yea,' she said; 'but I am minded for another draught.' I said: 'And
wherefore hast thou come to me, and what shall I give to thee?' She
said, 'I will take no gift of thee as now, for I need it not, though
hereafter I may ask a gift of thee. But I am to ask this of thee, if
thou wilt be my fellow-farer on the road thither?' 'Yea?' said I, 'and
leave my love and my lord, and my kingship which he hath given me? for
this I will tell thee, that all that here is done, is done by me.'
"'Great is thy Kingship, Lady,' said the woman, and smiled withal.
Then she sat silent a little, and said: 'When six months are worn, it
will be springtide; I will come to thee in the spring days, and know
what thy mind is then. But now I must depart.' Quoth I: 'Glad shall I
be to talk with thee again; for though thou hast learned me much of
wisdom, yet much more I need; yea, as much as the folk here deem I have
already.' 'Thou shalt have no less,' said the woman. Then she kissed
my hands and went her ways, and I sat musing still for a long while:
because for all my gains, and my love that I had been loved withal, and
the greatness that I had gotten, there was as it were a veil of
unhappiness wrapped round about my heart.
"So wore the months, and ere the winter had come befell an evil thing,
for my lord, who had loved me so, and taken me out of the wilderness,
died, and was gathered to the fathers, and there was I left alone; for
there was no fruit of my womb by him alive. My first-born had been
slain by those wretches, and a second son that I bore had died of a
pestilence that war and famine had brought upon the land. I will not
wear thy soul with words about my grief and sorrow: but it is to be
told that I sat now in a perilous place, and yet I might not step down
from it and abide in that land, for then it was a sure thing, that some
of my foes would have laid hand on me and brought me to judgment for
being but myself, and I should have ended miserably. So I gat to me
all the strength that I might, and whereas there were many who loved me
still, some for my own sake, and some for the sake of my lord that was,
I endured in good hope that all my days were not done. Yet I longed
for the coming of the Teacher of Lore; for now I made up my mind that I
would go with her, and seek to the Well at the World's End for weal and
woe.
"She came while April was yet young: and I need make no long tale of
how we gat us away: for whereas she was wise in hidden lore, it was no
hard matter for her to give me another semblance than mine own, so that
I might have walked about the streets of our city from end to end, and
none had known me. So I vanished away from my throne and my kingdom,
and that name and fame of a witch-wife clove to me once and for all,
and spread wide about the cities of folk and the kingdoms, and many are
the tales that have arisen concerning me, and belike some of these thou
hast heard told."
Ralph reddened and said: "My soul has been vexed by some inkling of
them; but now it is at rest from them for ever."
"May it be so!" she said: "and now my tale is wearing thin for the
present time.
"Back again went my feet over the ways they had trodden before, though
the Teacher shortened the road much for us by her wisdom. Once again
what need to tell thee of these ways when thine own eyes shall behold
them as thou wendest them beside me? Be it enough to say that once
again I came to that little house in the uttermost wilderness, and
there once more was the garth and the goat-house, and the trees of the
forest beyond it, and the wood-lawns and the streams and all the places
and things that erst I deemed I must dwell amongst for ever."
Said Ralph: "And did the carline keep troth with thee? Was she not
but luring thee thither to be her thrall? Or did the book that I read
in the Castle of Abundance but lie concerning thee?"
"She held her troth to me in all wise," said the Lady, "and I was no
thrall of hers, but as a sister, or it may be even as a daughter; for
ever to my eyes was she the old carline who learned me lore in the Dale
of the wildwood.
"But now a long while, years long, we abode in that House of the
Sorceress ere we durst seek further to the Well at the World's End.
And yet meseems though the years wore, they wore me no older; nay, in
the first days at least I waxed stronger of body and fairer than I had
been in the King's Palace in the Land of the Tower, as though some
foretaste of the Well was there for us in the loneliness of the desert;
although forsooth the abiding there amidst the scantiness of
livelihood, and the nakedness, and the toil, and the torment of wind
and weather were as a penance for the days and deeds of our past lives.
What more is to say concerning our lives here, saving this, that in
those days I learned yet more wisdom of the Teacher of Lore, and amidst
that wisdom was much of that which ye call sorcery: as the foreseeing
of things to come, and the sending of dreams or visions, and certain
other matters. And I may tell thee that the holy man who came to us
last even, I sent him the dream which came to him drowsing, and bade
him come to the helping of Walter the Black: for I knew that I should
take thy hand and flee with thee this morning e'en as I have done: and
I would fain have a good leech to Walter lest he should die, although I
owe him hatred rather than love. Now, my friend, tell me, is this an
evil deed, and dost thou shrink from the Sorceress?"
He strained her to his bosom and kissed her mouth, and then he said:
"Yet thou hast never sent a dream to me." She laughed and said: "What!
hast thou never dreamed of me since we met at the want-way of the Wood
Perilous?" "Never," said he. She stroked his cheek fondly, and said:
"Young art thou, sweet friend, and sleepest well a-nights. It was
enough that thou thoughtest of me in thy waking hours." Then she went
on with her tale.