The Wood Beyond the World

by William Morris

  CHAPTER XXII: OF THE DWARF AND THE PARDON

  Now she began to say: "My friend, now shall I tell thee what I have donefor thee and me; and if thou have a mind to blame me, and punish me, yetremember first, that what I have done has been for thee and our hope ofhappy life. Well, I shall tell thee--"

  But therewithal her speech failed her; and, springing up, she faced thebent and pointed with her finger, and she all deadly pale, and shaking sothat she might scarce stand, and might speak no word, though a feeblegibbering came from her mouth.

  Walter leapt up and put his arm about her, and looked whitherward shepointed, and at first saw nought; and then nought but a brown and yellowrock rolling down the bent: and then at last he saw that it was the EvilThing which had met him when first he came into that land; and now itstood upright, and he could see that it was clad in a coat of yellowsamite.

  Then Walter stooped down and gat his bow into his hand, and stood beforethe Maid, while he nocked an arrow. But the monster made ready histackle while Walter was stooping down, and or ever he could loose, hisbow-string twanged, and an arrow flew forth and grazed the Maid's armabove the elbow, so that the blood ran, and the Dwarf gave forth a harshand horrible cry. Then flew Walter's shaft, and true was it aimed, sothat it smote the monster full on the breast, but fell down from him asif he were made of stone. Then the creature set up his horrible cryagain, and loosed withal, and Walter deemed that he had smitten the Maid,for she fell down in a heap behind him. Then waxed Walter wood-wroth,and cast down his bow and drew his sword, and strode forward towards thebent against the Dwarf. But he roared out again, and there were words inhis roar, and he said "Fool! thou shalt go free if thou wilt give up theEnemy."

  "And who," said Walter, "is the Enemy?"

  Yelled the Dwarf: "She, the pink and white thing lying there; she is notdead yet; she is but dying for fear of me. Yea, she hath reason! Icould have set the shaft in her heart as easily as scratching her arm;but I need her body alive, that I may wreak me on her."

  "What wilt thou do with her?" said Walter; for now he had heard that theMaid was not slain he had waxed wary again, and stood watching hischance.

  The Dwarf yelled so at his last word, that no word came from the noise awhile, and then he said: "What will I with her? Let me at her, and standby and look on, and then shalt thou have a strange tale to carry off withthee. For I will let thee go this while."

  Said Walter: "But what need to wreak thee? What hath she done to thee?"

  "What need! what need!" roared the Dwarf; "have I not told thee that sheis the Enemy? And thou askest of what she hath done! of what! Fool, sheis the murderer! she hath slain the Lady that was our Lady, and that madeus; she whom all we worshipped and adored. O impudent fool!"

  Therewith he nocked and loosed another arrow, which would have smittenWalter in the face, but that he lowered his head in the very nick oftime; then with a great shout he rushed up the bent, and was on the Dwarfbefore he could get his sword out, and leaping aloft dealt the creature astroke amidmost of the crown; and so mightily be smote, that he drave theheavy sword right through to the teeth, so that he fell dead straightway.

  Walter stood over him a minute, and when be saw that he moved not, hewent slowly down to the stream, whereby the Maid yet lay cowering downand quivering all over, and covering her face with her hands. Then hetook her by the wrist and said: "Up, Maiden, up! and tell me this tale ofthe slaying."

  But she shrunk away from him, and looked at him with wild eyes, and said:"What hast thou done with him? Is he gone?"

  "He is dead," said Walter; "I have slain him; there lies he with clovenskull on the bent-side: unless, forsooth, he vanish away like the lion Islew! or else, perchance, he will come to life again! And art thou a lielike to the rest of them? let me hear of this slaying."

  She rose up, and stood before him trembling, and said: "O, thou art angrywith me, and thine anger I cannot bear. Ah, what have I done? Thou hastslain one, and I, maybe, the other; and never had we escaped till boththese twain were dead. Ah! thou dost not know! thou dost not know! Ome! what shall I do to appease thy wrath!"

  He looked on her, and his heart rose to his mouth at the thought ofsundering from her. Still he looked on her, and her piteous friendlyface melted all his heart; he threw down his sword, and took her by theshoulders, and kissed her face over and over, and strained her to him, sothat he felt the sweetness of her bosom. Then he lifted her up like achild, and set her down on the green grass, and went down to the water,and filled his hat therefrom, and came back to her; then he gave her todrink, and bathed her face and her hands, so that the colour came abackto the cheeks and lips of her: and she smiled on him and kissed hishands, and said: "O now thou art kind to me."

  "Yea," said he, "and true it is that if thou hast slain, I have done noless, and if thou hast lied, even so have I; and if thou hast played thewanton, as I deem not that thou hast, I full surely have so done. So nowthou shalt pardon me, and when thy spirit has come back to thee, thoushalt tell me thy tale in all friendship, and in all loving-kindness willI hearken the same."

  Therewith he knelt before her and kissed her feet. But she said: "Yea,yea; what thou willest, that will I do. But first tell me one thing.Hast thou buried this horror and hidden him in the earth?"

  He deemed that fear had bewildered her, and that she scarcely yet knewhow things had gone. But he said: "Fair sweet friend, I have not done itas yet; but now will I go and do it, if it seem good to thee."

  "Yea," she said, "but first must thou smite off his head, and lie it byhis buttocks when he is in the earth; or evil things will happen else.This of the burying is no idle matter, I bid thee believe."

  "I doubt it not," said he; "surely such malice as was in this one will behard to slay." And he picked up his sword, and turned to go to the fieldof deed.

  She said: "I must needs go with thee; terror hath so filled my soul, thatI durst not abide here without thee."

  So they went both together to where the creature lay. The Maid durst notlook on the dead monster, but Walter noted that he was girt with a bigungainly sax; so he drew it from the sheath, and there smote off thehideous head of the fiend with his own weapon. Then they twain togetherlaboured the earth, she with Walter's sword, he with the ugly sax, tillthey had made a grave deep and wide enough; and therein they thrust thecreature, and covered him up, weapons and all together.