"Who art thou who knockest so loudly? Know that I hold the castle for
Sir Terrible, and that I open only when my master comes."
At which the king laughed.
"Then open hastily," said he, "for thy master is here even now."
And swinging his arms, he hurled the gory head of the traitor knight
over the iron spikes of the gate, so that it fell with a thud at the
feet of the warder. The terrified fellow shrieked and fled, and his
cries rang through the castle, causing the men-at-arms to grasp their
weapons and stand at attention.
By this time the king was hammering loudly at the gate--great blows
that shook the stout oaken portal so that it trembled in its sockets,
and threatened to fall into splinters.
"By my troth," cried the captain of the men-at-arms, "but 'tis a
mighty arm which deals such blows. No wonder our master fell before
it."
Then, leaning over the rampart, he called aloud:
"Ho! there without. Who art thou who makest such a din; and what is
thy business?"
Then Arthur made answer:
"I am the king,"
Whereupon the men were overcome with fear, and casting aside their
weapons, they opened the gate, and surrendered the castle to King
Arthur. The king ordered all the captives to be set at liberty, and
this was immediately done, the long procession of unfortunate victims
of the cruelty of Sir Terrible passing before the king, each one
blessing him for having wrought their deliverance.
Last of all came the maiden whose rescue had been the immediate cause
of the king's visit to Longdendale. She was wondrously beautiful, and
as she stood before him, Arthur was so struck by her good looks that
he could not refrain from passing knightly compliments.
"Such beauty as thine," said he, "would best befit a court. 'Tis
wasted in these wilds. Thou shalt have a place among the maidens who
wait upon the Queen."
But the maiden answered:
"If it please thee, sire, I would stay in fair Longdendale. I am but a
country maiden. I love the free life of these hills and valleys; and
at thy court I should be but as a wild bird in a cage."
Whereupon the king, noticing her earnest look of supplication,
smilingly bent his head, and suffered her to depart.
* * * * *
Now the rest of the tale is soon told. The king bestowed the castle
and the lands of the dead Sir Terrible, upon the young squire who had
accompanied him, and whom he now made into a knight.
And then great changes took place in that part of Longdendale. Instead
of being looked upon with dread by all the people of the countryside,
the castle came to be regarded as the seat of a protecting power, to
whose lord the poor might look for succour in time of need, and for
justice in all seasons.
And perhaps the greatest change of all took place in the maiden who
had been rescued from the clutches of Sir Terrible by King Arthur and
his squire. Formerly she had trembled at the very name of the lord of
the castle, and had witnessed his approach with a terror as great as
that which causes the timid to shrink from death. But now she shrank
from his approach no longer, there were even whispers that she kept
tryst with the new lord; and at length there arrived a day when the
young knight came in state, and carried her to the castle--a willing
captive--where, in the presence of the king, they were made man and
wife. The two lived long and happily together, trusted by the king,
respected by their equals, and beloved by all who were beneath them in
station. The knight won great renown as a warrior, so much so that
evil-disposed men feared to meet him, and during his lifetime,
although there were wars in other parts of the kingdom, the land of
Longdendale enjoyed peace.
In due time the knight and his lady had several fine sons, who grew up
after the pattern of the king, and long maintained the fair fame of
Arthur Pendragon in Longdendale, even in days after the good king had
passed from life, to sail in the black barge with the three Queens, to
Avilion, the Isle of Rest.