Ralph Cometh To the Vale of the Tower
But when it was morning Ralph awoke, and saw that the sun was shining
brightly; so he cast his shirt on him, and went out at once, and turned
his face eastward, and, scarce awake, said to himself that the clouds
lay heavy in the eastward heavens after last night's haze: but
presently his eyes cleared, and he saw that what he had taken for
clouds was a huge wall of mountains, black and terrible, that rose up
sharp and clear into the morning air; for there was neither cloud nor
mist in all the heavens.
Now Ralph, though he were but little used to the sight of great
mountains, yet felt his heart rather rise than fall at the sight of
them; for he said: "Surely beyond them lieth some new thing for me,
life or death: fair fame or the forgetting of all men." And it was
long that he could not take his eyes off them.
As he looked, came up the Captain Otter, and said: "Well, Knight, thou
hast seen them this morn, even if ye die ere nightfall." Said Ralph:
"What deemest thou to lie beyond them?"
"Of us none knoweth surely," said Otter; "whiles I deem that if one
were to get to the other side there would be a great plain like to
this: whiles that there is naught save mountains beyond, and yet again
mountains, like the waves of a huge stone sea. Or whiles I think that
one would come to an end of the world, to a place where is naught but a
ledge, and then below it a gulf filled with nothing but the howling of
winds, and the depth of darkness. Moreover this is my thought, that
all we of these parts should be milder men and of better conditions, if
yonder terrible wall were away. It is as if we were thralls of the
great mountains."
Said Ralph, "Is this then the Wall of the World?" "It may well be so,"
said Otter; "but this word is at whiles said of something else, which
no man alive amongst us has yet seen. It is a part of the tale of the
seekers for the Well at the World's End, whereof we said a word that
other day."
"And the Dry Tree," said Ralph, "knowest thou thereof?" said Ralph.
"Such a tree, much beworshipped," said Otter, "we have, not very far
from Utterbol, on the hither side of the mountains. Yet I have heard
old men say that it is but a toy, and an image of that which is verily
anigh the Well at the World's End. But now haste thee to do on thy
raiment, for we must needs get to horse in a little while." "Yet one
more word," said Ralph; "thou sayest that none alive amongst you have
seen the Wall of the World?" "None alive," quoth Otter; "forsooth what
the dead may see, that is another question." Said Ralph: "But have ye
not known of any who have sought to the Well from this land, which is
so nigh thereunto?" "Such there have been," said Otter; "but if they
found it, they found something beyond it, or came west again by some
way else than by Utterbol; for they never came back again to us."
Therewith he turned on his heel, and went his ways, and up came David
and one with him bringing victual; and David said: "Now, thou lucky
one, here is come thy breakfast! for we shall presently be on our way.
Cast on thy raiment, and eat and strengthen thyself for the day's work.
Hast thou looked well on the mountains?" "Yea," said Ralph, "and the
sight of them has made me as little downhearted as thou art. For thou
art joyous of mood this morning." David nodded and smiled, and looked
so merry that Ralph wondered what was toward. Then he went into his
tent and clad himself, and ate his breakfast, and then gat to horse and
rode betwixt two of the men-at-arms, he and Otter; for David was ridden
forward to speak with the Lord. Otter talked ever gaily enough; but
Ralph heeded him little a while, but had his eyes ever on the
mountains, and could see that for all they were so dark, and filled up
so much of the eastward heaven, they were so far away that he could see
but little of them save that they were dark blue and huge, and one
rising up behind the other.
Thus they rode the down country, till at last, two hours before noon,
coming over the brow of a long down, they had before them a shallow
dale, pleasanter than aught they had yet seen. It was well-grassed,
and a little river ran through it, from which went narrow leats held up
by hatches, so that the more part of the valley bottom was a
water-meadow, wherein as now were grazing many kine and sheep. There
were willows about the banks of the river, and in an ingle of it stood
a grange or homestead, with many roofs half hidden by clumps of tall
old elm trees. Other houses there were in the vale; two or three cots,
to wit, on the slope of the hither down, and some half-dozen about the
homestead; and above and beyond all these, on a mound somewhat away
from the river and the grange, a great square tower, with barriers and
bailey all dight ready for war, and with a banner of the Lord's hanging
out. But between the tower and the river stood as now a great pavilion
of snow-white cloth striped with gold and purple; and round about it
were other tents, as though a little army were come into the vale.
So when they looked into that fair place, Otter the Captain rose in the
stirrups and cast up his hand for joy, and cried out aloud: "Now,
young knight, now we are come home: how likest thou my Lord's land?"
"It is a fair land," said Ralph; "but is there not come some one to bid
thy Lord battle for it? or what mean the tents down yonder?"
Said Otter, laughing: "Nay, nay, it hath not come to that yet. Yonder
is my Lord's lady-wife, who hath come to meet him, but in love, so to
say, not in battle--not yet. Though I say not that the cup of love
betwixt them be brim-full. But this it behoveth me not to speak of,
though thou art to be my brother-in-arms, since we are to tilt together
presently: for lo! yonder the tilt-yard, my lad."
Therewith he pointed to the broad green meadow: but Ralph said: "How
canst thou, a free man, be brother-in-arms to a thrall?" "Nay, lad,"
quoth Otter, "let not that wasp sting thee: for even such was I, time
was. Nay, such am I now, but that a certain habit of keeping my wits
in a fray maketh me of avail to my Lord, so that I am well looked to.
Forsooth in my Lord's land the free men are of little account, since
they must oftenest do as my Lord and my Lord's thralls bid them.
Truly, brother, it is we who have the wits and the luck to rise above
the whipping-post and the shackles that are the great men hereabouts.
I say we, for I deem that thou wilt do no less, whereas thou hast the
lucky look in thine eyes. So let to-day try it."
As he spake came many glittering figures from out of those tents, and
therewithal arose the sound of horns and clashing of cymbals, and their
own horns gave back the sound of welcome. Then Ralph saw a man in
golden armour of strange, outlandish fashion, sitting on a great black
horse beside the Lord's litter; and Otter said: "Lo! my Lord, armed
and a-horseback to meet my lady: she looketh kinder on him thus; though
in thine ear be it said, he is no great man of war; nor need he be,
since he hath us for his shield and his hauberk."
Herewith were they come on to the causeway above the green meadows, and
presently drew rein before the pavilion, and stood about in a half-ring
facing a two score of gaily clad men-at-arms, who had come with the
Lady and a rout of folk of the household. Then the Lord gat off his
horse, and stood in his golden armour, and all the horns and other
music struck up, and forth from the pavilion came the Lady with a
half-score of her women clad gaily in silken gowns of green, and blue,
and yellow, broidered all about with gold and silver, but with naked
feet, and having iron rings on their arms, so that Ralph saw that they
were thralls. Something told him that his damsel should be amongst
these, so he gazed hard on them, but though they were goodly enough
there was none of them like to her.
As to the Queen, she was clad all in fine linen and gold, with gold
shoes on her feet: her arms came bare from out of the linen: great
they were, and the hands not small; but the arms round and fair, and
the hands shapely, and all very white and rosy: her hair was as yellow
as any that can be seen, and it was plenteous, and shed all down about
her. Her eyes were blue and set wide apart, her nose a little snubbed,
her mouth wide, full-lipped and smiling. She was very tall, a full
half-head taller than any of her women: yea, as tall as a man who is
above the middle height of men.
Now she came forward hastily with long strides, and knelt adown before
the Lord, but even as she kneeled looked round with a laughing face.
The Lord stooped down to her and took her by both hands, and raised her
up, and kissed her on the cheek (and he looked but little and of no
presence beside her:) and he said: "Hail to thee, my Lady; thou art
come far from thine home to meet me, and I thank thee therefor. Is it
well with our House?"
She spake seeming carelessly and loud; but her voice was somewhat
husky: "Yea, my Lord, all is well; few have done amiss, and the harvest
is plenteous." As she spake the Lord looked with knit brows at the
damsels behind her, as if he were seeking something; and the Lady
followed his eyes, smiling a little and flushing as if with merriment.
But the Lord was silent a while, and then let his brow clear and said:
"Yea, Lady, thou art thanked for coming to meet us; and timely is thy
coming, since there is game and glee for thee at hand; I have cheapened
a likely thrall of Morfinn the Unmanned, and he is a gift to thee; and
he hath given out that he is no ill player with the spear after the
fashion of them of the west; and we are going to prove his word here in
this meadow presently."
The Lady's face grew glad, and she said, looking toward the ring of new
comers: "Yea, Lord, and which of these is he, if he be here?"
The Lord turned a little to point out Ralph, but even therewith the
Lady's eyes met Ralph's, who reddened for shame of being so shown to a
great lady; but as for her she flushed bright red all over her face and
even to her bosom, and trouble came into her eyes, and she looked
adown. But the Lord said: "Yonder is the youngling, the swordless one
in the green coat; a likely lad, if he hath not lied about his prowess;
and he can sing thee a song withal, and tell a piteous tale of old, and
do all that those who be reared in the lineages of the westlands deem
meet and due for men of knightly blood. Dost thou like the looks of
him, lady! wilt thou have him?"
The Lady still held her head down, and tormented the grass with her
foot, and murmured somewhat; for she could not come to herself again as
yet. So the Lord looked sharply on her and said: "Well, when this
tilting is over, thou shalt tell me thy mind of him; for if he turn out
a dastard I would not ask thee to take him."
Now the lady lifted up her face, and she was grown somewhat pale; but
she forced her speech to come, and said: "It is well, Lord, but now
come thou into my pavilion, for thy meat is ready, and it lacketh but a
minute or so of noon." So he took her hand and led her in to the
pavilion, and all men got off their horses, and fell to pitching the
tents and getting their meat ready; but Otter drew Ralph apart into a
nook of the homestead, and there they ate their meat together.