Havelok the Dane

by Charles W. Whistler

we left them apart, as one might suppose.

  Now came a warrior into the courtyard, and he bore more arms. It wasWithelm, who had borrowed the gear of the widow's dead husband, that hemight be ready for whatever might happen: and it was good to seeHavelok's eyes grow bright as he spied the well-known weapons that hisbrother had in his arms. He said one word to Goldberga, and then came to us.

  "Let me get into war gear at once," he said, laughing in a way thatlightened my heart. "I shall not feel that I have shaken off service toAlsi until I have done so."

  And then he saw Berthun here for the first time.

  "Nay, but here is my master," he added. "And I will say that I owe himmuch for his kindness."

  "Now the kindness shall be on your part, if any was on mine. Take meinto your service, I pray you, henceforward."

  "Good friend of mine," said Havelok, "naught have I to offer you. Andhow should one serve me?"

  "With heart and hand and head, neither more nor less," answered Berthun."I have seen you serve, and now will see you command. Let me bide withyou, my master, at least, giving you such service as I may."

  "Such help as you may, rather. For now we all serve the princess,"Havelok said.

  And with that Berthun was well content for the time.

  "Well, then," said I, "see to Havelok's arms, while we get the horsesready, for I want Withelm here."

  So Havelok and his new man went into the house with his arms, and then Isaw Goldberga beckoning to us. It was the first time that I had spokento her, and I think that I was frightened, if that is what they call thefeeling that makes one wish to be elsewhere. But there was nothing tofear in the sweet face that she turned to us.

  "Brothers," she said, "Havelok tells me that it was one of you whobrought David the priest to me. I do not rightly know yet which is Withelm."

  With that she smiled and blushed a little, and I stood, helm in hand,stupidly enough. But my brother was more ready.

  "I am Withelm, my princess--" he began.

  "Nay; but 'sister' it shall be between me and my husband's brothers.Now, brother Withelm, there is one thing that is next my heart, and init I know you will help me."

  There she wavered for a moment, and then went on bravely.

  "Christian am I, and I do not think that we are rightly wedded until thepriest has done his part. And to that Havelok agrees most willingly,saying that I must ask you thereof, for he does not know where the oldman is now."

  "Wedded in the little chapel that is in the thick of Cabourn woods shallyou be, for David has gone there already. We can ride and find himbefore many hours are over, sweet lady of ours."

  She thanked him in few words, and with much content.

  Then came forth from the house Havelok, in the arms that suited him sowell--golden, shining mail shirt of hard bronze scales, and steel,horned helm, plain and strong, and girt with sword and seax, and withaxe and shield slung over shoulder, as noble a warrior surely as was inall England, ay, or in the Northlands that gave him birth either; andwhat wonder that the eyes of the princess glowed with a new pride as shelooked at her mighty husband?

  But Mord almost shouted when he saw him come thus, and to me he said,

  "It is Gunnar--Gunnar, I tell you--come back from Asgard to help myprincess."

  "Wait till we get to Grimsby, and Arngeir will make all clear," I said."Get into your arms, and we will start. All is ready now."

  We did not wait for Mord, but mounted and rode out, and the princesslooked round at us as she rode first beside Havelok, and said, "Neverhave I ridden so well attended, as I think."

  And from beside me, with broad face from under his helm, Berthunanswered for us all, "Never with men so ready to die for you, at least,my mistress."

  And that was true.

  Half a mile out of the town we rode at a quick trot, and then thunderedMord after us, and his hurry surely meant something. I reined up andwaited for him.

  "What is the hurry, Mord?" said I.

  "Maybe it is nothing, and maybe it is much," he answered; "but Griffinof Chester has gone up to the palace, for I saw him. He has his arm in asling, and his face looks as if it had been trodden on. Now Alsi willtell him all this, and if we are not followed I am mistaken. He wouldthink nothing of wiping out our party to take the princess, and Alsiwill not mind if he does. How shall we give him the slip?"

  Withelm rode with his chin over his shoulder, and I beckoned him andtold him this. Not long was his quick wit in seeing a way out of whatmight be a danger.

  "Let us ride on quickly down the Ermin Street, and he will think usmaking for the south and Norwich. Then we will turn off to Cabourn, andhe will lose us. After that he may hear that some of us belong toGrimsby, and will go there; but he will be too late to hurt us. Hard menare our fishers, and they would fight for Havelok and the sons of Grim."

  So we did that, riding down the old Roman way to a wide, waste forestland where none should see us turn off, and then across the forest pathsto Cabourn; and there we found the hermit, and there Havelok andGoldberga were wedded again with all the rites of Holy Church, and thebride was well content.

  Now while that was our way, I will say what we escaped by this plan ofmy brother's, though we did not hear all for a long time. Presently wedid hear what had happened at Grimsby towards this business, as will beseen.

  To Lincoln comes Griffin, with Cadwal his thane, just as we had left thetown thus by another road, and straightway he betakes himself to thepalace. There he finds Alsi in an evil mood, and in the hall the peopleare talking fast, and there is no Berthun to receive him.

  So, as he sits at the high table and breaks his fast beside the king, heasks what all the wonderment may be. And Alsi tells him, speaking in Welsh.

  "East Anglia is mine," he says, "for I have rid myself of the girl."

  Griffin sets his hand on his dagger.

  "Hast killed her?" he says sharply.

  "No; married her."

  "To whom, then?"

  "To a man whom the Witan will not have as a king at any price."

  "There you broke faith with me," says Griffin, snarling. "I would havetaken her, and chanced that."

  "My oath was in the way of that. You missed the chance on the road theother day, which would have made things easy for us both. There was noother for you."

  Now Griffin curses Ragnar, and the Welsh tongue is good for that business.

  "Who is the man, then?" he says, when he has done.

  "The biggest and best-looking countryman of yours that I have ever seteyes on," answers Alsi, looking askance at Griffin's angry face. "Thereis a sort of consolation for you."

  "His name," fairly shouts Griffin.

  "Curan, the kitchen knave," says Alsi, chuckling.

  "O fool, and doubly fool!" cries Griffin; "now have you outdoneyourself. Was it not plain to you that the man could be no thrall? EvenRagnar looks mean beside him, and I hate Ragnar, so that I know well howgoodly he is."

  Now Alsi grows uneasy, knowing that this had become plainer and plainerto him as the wedding went on.

  "Why, what do you know of this knave of mine?" he asks. "He was goodlyenough for the sake of my oath, and the Witan will have none of him.That is all I care for."

  "What do I know of him? Just this--that you have married the queen ofthe East Angles to Havelok, son of Gunnar Kirkeban of Denmark, for whommen wait over there even now. The Witan not have him? I tell you thatevery man in the land will follow him and Goldberga if they so much aslift their finger. Done are the days of your kingship, and that by yourown deed."

  Alsi grows white at this and trembles, for he minds the wondrous ringand the names of the Asir, but he asks for more certainty.

  Then Griffin tells him that he was with Hodulf, and knew all the secretof the making away with the boy, and how that came to naught. Then hesays that Hodulf had heard from certain Vikings that they had fallen onGrim's ship, and that in the grappling of the vessel the boy and a ladyhad been drowned. It is quite likely that they, or some of
them, thoughtso in truth, seeing how that happened. After that Hodulf had madeinquiry, and was told that there were none but the children of Grim withhim, and so was content. So my father's wisdom was justified.

  "Now I learned his name the other day; and I have a ship waiting to takeme at once to Hodulf, that I may warn him. I have ridden back fromGrimsby even now to say that, given a chance, say on some lonely ride,that might well have been contrived, I would take Goldberga with mebeyond the sea. I thought more of that than of Hodulf, to say the truth."

  Now Alsi breaks down altogether, and prays Griffin to help him out of this.

  "Follow the party and take her. They are few and unarmed, and it will beeasy, for men think that there is a plot to carry