Protected by a hedge of myrtle, in the heart of a mighty forest, Love
had fashioned his bower. His couch was strewn with honey-flowers and
rose-leaves. Stately red chrysanthemums made splashes of crimson
brilliance against the dark green of the scented myrtle. Pink
carnations, roses of every hue, sweetbriar, ambrosia, balsams,
forget-me-nots, and every flower sacred to the great god, Love, grew in
profusion, to make his bower into a resting-place worthy of him.
He lay tossing on his fragrant couch in a fit of anger. For some time
Princess Myra's disdain of all the great princes and nobles whom he had
sent to woo her had offended him deeply. But on this particular
afternoon his messengers had informed him of the maiden's morning
interview with the Rose-Mallow, and of the question she had asked with
regard to himself. Unable to forget the Princess's impertinence, he lay
brooding and fretting, until the position of the sun warned him that the
day was passing away.
"What is this Love for which the whole earth pines?" he murmured, as he
bounded from his couch into a cluster of forget-me-nots. "Ah! I will
teach thee. Thou shalt learn, ere the day is dead, what Love is. In the
semblance of an earthly prince, I will woo thee myself. I will adore
thee, sweet Myra, gaze into thine eyes, and pretend that there is only
one woman in all the world for me. I will do as men do--pet thee, and
coax thee, and win thy affections by the thousand little nothings that
make up a courtship. When I have conquered thee, and thy heart is mine,
I will break it and trample it under foot, and leave thee all thy life a
remembrance of the power of Love. Thou shalt never hear sweet music, but
a desperate longing for my presence shall come over thee. Thou shalt
never see a rose, but thy heart shall bleed. The sight of a lark,
winging his morning flight heavenwards, shall draw tears to thy weary
eyes. Ah! woe betide the mortal maid when Eros is her lover!"
"These," he said, choosing a hundred chrysanthemums, "shall be my
escort."
As he spoke, the flowers were transformed into a hundred gallant
knights; their dresses were of crimson brocade, and on their heads were
caps of chrysanthemum petals. Then Love took up honey-flowers and
rose-leaves, and changed them into a suit of rich purple silk.
Meanwhile the King had been having a far from pleasant interview with
Her Majesty on the subject of their daughter.
"Indeed, it is not my fault," the Queen had said. "I cannot help it if
our child's heart is still whole."
"But, my dear love, thou never givest her any counsel. If thou wert to
tell her that it is meet she should marry one of the many lords who
desire her I feel assured she would do thy will."
The Queen burst into tears. Knowing the girl's parentage as she did, how
could she advise her to accept a mortal for her husband? Yet she dared
not tell the King of Myra's birth; she must always keep the hateful
secret to herself. Oh that she had chosen the straight path when the
choice had been hers!
The King was distressed to see her weep. But just at that moment he
observed a small fleet with crimson sails flying up the river towards
the royal landing-stage.
"Why, that must be another suitor for our daughter's hand!" he
exclaimed.
All the flowers remarked the pretty boats scudding along in the late
afternoon sunlight. The Rose-Mallow alone was too busily employed in
climbing the wall to observe what circumstance was disturbing the
flower-garden. The ladies of the palace, the lords and the pages, were
aware of the visit of the Prince long before he had landed. The
household was greatly agitated. Their Majesties hurried to the audience
chamber, to find the Court already assembled to receive the high-born
visitor. Myra alone was unconscious of the advent of another suitor. Had
she known of it, the fact would only have annoyed her somewhat, and
made her eyes a trifle more wistful than they usually were.
Suddenly the Queen entered the Princess's room trembling with
excitement.
"My child, my child! thou must proceed at once to the audience chamber,
by the King's commands. A great Prince has come to woo thee."
Myra was robed in a loose gown of fine linen, her dark hair hung upon
her shoulders, and a book which she had been reading lay open on her
knee.
"Oh, come, let me clothe thee!" cried the Queen, assisting the girl to
her feet and hurrying her into the adjoining room, where, with nervous
fingers, she bound up the thick hair in embroidered bands of opals and
diamonds. Then, opening a cedar chest which stood at the end of the
apartment, she drew forth a dress, and was about to slip it over the
Princess's head, when Myra started back in amazement.
"My royal Queen, I cannot wear that garment," she said. "Why, it cost
the King, my father, over a hundredweight in gold. I was warned to keep
it only for great occasions."
"Foolish girl, is not thy betrothal a great occasion? Ah! I do not jest.
Pause until thou hast seen the youth who awaits thee. He is handsome
beyond all men that even I, old as I am, have ever looked upon."
The Princess was struck by the Queen's enthusiasm. She allowed herself
to be attired in the superb robe which had been a present from the King.
It was fashioned of rich silk, and had a design of lilies round the hem
and on the sleeves, each flower being worked with opals and diamonds.
Twenty maidens had been employed for twenty months embroidering the
costly pattern. In sunlight the fabric was pale sea-green, bordering on
silver-grey; but when the sky was dull there were faint purple tones in
its folds, like the soft bloom on the fruit of the plum-tree.
When Myra entered the hall a murmur of admiration fell from the lips of
the assembly. She had never looked so lovely. She seemed to stand in a
halo of light; the opals on her dress reflected themselves in the
diamonds, making a haze of pale fantastic colour, strange as it was
beautiful. As she entered, the Prince was talking apart with the King;
so she had a moment in which to observe him before he knew of her
advent. He appeared to be a merry youth, with golden curls and blue eyes
that were full of mirth and the love of fun. He turned and saw her, and
fell on one knee and took her hand, lifting up his face to hers. Then,
as he gazed upon her, the brightness and the mirth that had illuminated
his lovely countenance died away. She looked down to see his eyes filled
with a new meaning, a wondrous expression of mingled tenderness and pain
shadowed them. She looked down to see large tears furrowing his cheeks.
She looked down to love him!