Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair | Page 8

day
when she had not in some wise grieved and tormented her prisoner; and
whatever she did, none had might to say her nay.
But Goldilind took all with a high heart, and her courage grew with her
years, nor would she bow the head before any grief, but took to her
whatsoever solace might come to her; as the pleasure of the sun and the
wind, and the beholding of the greenery of the wood, and the fowl and
the beasts playing, which oft she saw afar, and whiles anear, though
whiles, forsooth, she saw nought of it all, whereas she was shut up
betwixt four walls, and that not of her chamber, but of some bare and
foul prison of the Castle, which, with other griefs, must she needs thole
under the name and guise of penance.
However, she waxed so exceeding fair and sweet and lovely, that the
loveliness of her pierced to the hearts of many of her jailers, so that
some of them, and specially of the squires and men-at-arms, would do
her some easement which they might do unrebuked, or not sorely
rebuked; as bringing her flowers in the spring, or whiles a singing-bird
or a squirrel; and an old man there was of the men-at-arms, who would
ask leave, and get it at whiles, to come to her in her chamber, or the
garden? and tell her minstrel tales and the like for her joyance. Sooth to

say, even the pinched heart of the old Burgreve was somewhat touched
by her; and he alone had any might to stand between her and Dame
Elinor; so that but for him it had gone much harder with her than it did.
For the rest, none entered the Castle from the world without, nay not so
much as a travelling monk, or a friar on his wanderings, save and
except some messenger of Earl Geoffrey who had errand with Dame
Elinor or the Burgreve.
So wore the days and the seasons, till it was now more than four years
since she had left Leashowe, and her eighteenth summer was
beginning.
But now the tale leaves telling of Goldilind, and goes back to the
matters of Oakenrealm, and therein to what has to do with King
Christopher and Rolf the Marshal.

CHAPTER VI.
HOW ROLF THE MARSHAL DREAMS A DREAM AND COMES
TO THE CASTLE OF THE UTTERMOST MARCH.
Now this same summer, when King Christopher was of twenty years
and two, Rolf the Marshal, sleeping one noontide in the King's garden
at Oakenham, dreamed a dream. For himseemed that there came
through the garth-gate a woman fair and tall, and clad in nought but
oaken-leaves, who led by the hand an exceeding goodly young man of
twenty summers, and his visage like to the last battle-dead King of
Oakenrealm when he was a young man. And the said woman led the
swain up to the Marshal, who asked in his mind what these two were:
and the woman answered his thought and said: "I am the Woman of the
Woods, and the Landwight of Oakenrealm; and this lovely lad whose
hand I hold is my King and thy King and the King of Oakenrealm.
Wake, fool--wake! and look to it what thou wilt do!"
And therewith he woke up crying out, and drew forth his sword. But

when he was fully awakened, he was ashamed, and went into the hall,
and sat in his high-seat, and strove to think out of his troubled mind;
but for all he might do, he fell asleep again; and again in the hall he
dreamed as he had dreamed in the garden: and when he awoke from his
dream he had no thought in his head but how he might the speediest
come to the house of Lord Richard the Lean, and look to the matter of
his lord's son and see him with his eyes, and, if it might be, take some
measure with the threat which lay in the lad's life. Nought he tarried,
but set off in an hour's time with no more company than four
men-at-arms and an old squire of his, who was wont to do his bidding
without question, whether it were good or evil.
So they went by frith and fell, by wood and fair ways, till in two days'
time they were come by undern within sight of the Castle of the Outer
March, and entered into the street of the thorpe aforesaid; and they saw
that there were no folk therein and at the house-doors save old carles
and carlines scarce wayworthy, and little children who might not go
afoot. But from the field anigh the thorpe came the sound of shouting
and glad voices, and through the lanes of the houses