The Knights of the Cross | Page 9

to Count Jurand of Spychow. She was pretty and belonged
to a powerful family; the princess liked her better than any of the other
young girls and she loved the princess. That is the reason she gave the
same name to her daughter--Anna Danuta. But five years ago, when
near Zlotorja, the Germans attacked the court,--she died from fear.
Then the princess took the girl, and she has taken care of her since. Her
father often comes to the court; he is glad that the princess is bringing
his child up healthy and in happiness. But every time he looks at her, he
cries, remembering his wife; then he returns to avenge on the Germans
his awful wrong. He loved his wife more dearly than any one in the
whole Mazowsze till now has loved; but he has killed in revenge a
great many Germans."
In a moment Zbyszko's eyes were shining and the veins on his forehead
swelled.
"Then the Germans killed her mother?" he asked.
"Killed and not killed. She died from fear. Five years ago there was

peace; nobody was thinking about war and everybody felt safe. The
prince went without any soldiers, only with the court, as usual during
peace, to build a tower in Zlotorja. Those traitors, the Germans, fell
upon them without any declaration of war, without any reason. They
seized the prince himself, and remembering neither God's anger, nor
that from the prince's ancestor, they had received great benefits, they
bound him to a horse and slaughtered his people. The prince was a
prisoner a long time, and only when King Wladyslaw threatened them
with war, did they release him. During this attack Danusia's mother
died."
"And you, sir, were you there? What do they call you? I have
forgotten!"
"My name is Mikolaj of Dlugolas and they call me Obuch.[19] I was
there. I saw a German with peacock feathers on his helmet, bind her to
his saddle; and then she died from fear. They cut me with a halberd
from which I have a scar."
Having said this he showed a deep scar on his head coming from
beneath his hair to his eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence. Zbyszko was again looking at Danusia.
Then he asked:
"And you said, sir, that she has no knight?"
But he did not receive any answer, because at that moment the singing
stopped. One of the _rybalts_, a fat and heavy man, suddenly rose, and
the bench tilted to one side. Danusia tottered and stretched out her little
hands, but before she could fall or jump, Zbyszko rushed up like a
wild-cat and seized her in his arms.
The princess, who at first screamed from fear, laughed immediately and
began to shout:
"Here is Danusia's knight! Come, little knight and give us back our dear
little girl!"
"He grasped her boldly," some among the courtiers were heard to say.
Zbyszko walked toward the princess, holding Danusia to his breast,
who having encircled his neck with one arm, held the lute with the
other, being afraid it would be broken. Her face was smiling and
pleased, although a little bit frightened.
In the meanwhile the youth came near the princess, put Danusia before
her, kneeled, raised his head and said with remarkable boldness for his

age:
"Let it be then according to your word, my gracious lady! It is time for
this gentle young girl to have her knight, and it is time for me to have
my lady, whose beauty and virtues I shall extol. With your permission,
I wish to make a vow and I will remain faithful to her under all
circumstances until death."
The princess was surprised, not on account of Zbyszko's words, but
because everything had happened so suddenly. It is true that the custom
of making vows was not Polish; but Mazowsze, being situated on the
German frontier, and often being visited by the knights from remote
countries, was more familiar with that custom than the other provinces,
and imitated it very often. The princess had also heard about it in her
father's court, where all eastern customs were considered as the law and
the example for the noble warriors. Therefore she did not see in
Zbyszko's action anything which could offend either herself or Danusia.
She was even glad that her dear girl had attracted the heart and the eyes
of a knight.
Therefore she turned her joyful face toward the girl.
"Danusia! Danusia! Do you wish to have your own knight?"
The fair-haired Danusia after jumping three times in her red shoes,
seized the princess by the neck and began to scream with joy, as though
they were promising her some pleasure permitted to the older people
only.
"I wish, I wish----!"
The princess' eyes were filled