Said the King, smiling: "Well, it shall be thought on; and meantime bethou merry with us; for indeed I deem of thee, that but for thy helpingmy life had been cast away that morning in Littledale."
So they made much of the Meadham man for three days, and thereafterthey rode into Meadham and to Meadhamstead, Christopher, and Jack of theTofts, and Goldilind, in all honour and triumph, they and seven hundredsof spears, and never were lords received with such joy and kindnessas were they, but it were on the day when Christopher and his enteredOakenham.
The Earl Geoffrey was not amongst them that met them; but whenas theysat at the banquet in the hall, and Goldilind was in the high-seat,gloriously clad and with the kingly crown on her head, there came atall man up to the dais, grey-headed and keen-eyed, and he was unarmed,without so much as a sword by his side, and clad in simple black; and heknelt before Goldilind, and laid his head on her lap, and spake: "Ladyand Queen, here is my head to do with as thou wilt; for I have been thydastard, and I crave thy pardon, if so it may be, for I am Geoffrey."
She looked kindly on him, and raised him up; and then she turned to thechief of the serving-men, and said: "Fetch me a sword with its sheathand its girdle, and see that it be a good blade, and all well-adorned,both sword and sheath and girdle." Even so it was done; and when she hadthe sword, she bade Sir Geoffrey kneel again before her, and she girthim with the said sword and spake: "Sir Geoffrey, all the wrong whichthou didest to me, I forgive it thee and forget it; but wherein thouhast done well, I will remember it, for thou hast given me a mighty Kingto be my man; nay, the mightiest and the loveliest on earth; wherefore Ibless thee, and will make thee my Earl to rule all Meadham under me, ifso be the folk gainsay it not. Wherefore now let these folk fetch theeseemly garments and array thee, and then come sit amongst us, and eatand drink on this high day; for a happy day it is when once again I sitin my father's house, and see the faces of my folk that loveth me."
She spake loud and clear, so that most folk in the hall heard her; andthey rejoiced at her words, for Sir Geoffrey was no ill ruler, but wiseand of great understanding, keen of wit and deft of word, and a mightywarrior withal; only they might not away with it that their Lady andQueen had become as alien to them. So when they heard her speak herwill, they shouted for joy of the peace and goodwill that was to be.
There then sat Geoffrey at the banquet; and Christopher smiled on him,and said: "See now, lord, if I have not done as thou badest whenthou gavest me the treasure of Greenharbour, for I have brought thewolf-heads to thy helping and not to thy scathing. Do thou as much forme, and be thou a good earl to thy Lady and mine, and then shalt thouyet live and die a happy man, and my friend. Or else--"
"There shall be no else, Lord King," quoth Geoffrey; "all men henceforthshall tell of me as a true man."
So they were blithe and joyous together. But a seven days thence wasthe Allmen's Mote gathered to the wood-side without Meadhamstead, andthronged it was: and there Goldilind stood up before all the folkand named Sir Geoffrey for Earl to rule the land under her, and nonegainsaid it, for they knew him meet thereto. Then she named from thebaronage and knighthood such men as she had been truly told were meetthereto to all the offices of the kingdom, and there was none whomshe named but was well-pleasing to the folk; for she had taken counselbeforehand with all the wisest men of all degrees.
As for herself, all loved and worshipped her; and this alone seemed hardunto them, that she must needs go back to Oakenrealm in a few days: butwhen she heard them murmur thereat, she behight them, that once in everyyear she would come into Meadham and spend one whole month therein; and,were it possible, ever should that be the month of May. So when theyheard that, they all praised her, and were the more content. This customshe kept ever thereafter, and she lay in with her second son in the cityof Meadhamstead, so that he was born therein; and she named him to beKing after her, to the great joy of that folk; and he grew up strong andwell-liking, and came to the kingship while his mother was yet alive,and was a good man and well-beloved of his folk.
Before she turned back with her man, she let seek out Aloyse, and whenshe came before her, gave her gifts and bade her come back with her toOakenham and serve her there if she would: and the damsel was glad, forthere in Meadhamstead was she poor and not well seen to, whereas it wasrumoured of her that she had been one of the jailers of Goldilind.
When they came back to Oakenham, there they met Gandolf, Baron ofBrimside, now whole of his hurts, and the King greeted him kindly, anddid well to him all his life; and found him ever a true man.
Good thenceforward was the life of Child Christopher and Goldilind:whiles indeed they happed on unpeace or other trouble; but never didfair love and good worship depart from them, either of each unto each,or of the whole folk unto them twain.
To no man did Christopher mete out worse than his deserts, nay, to mostfar better he meted: no man he feared, nor hated any save the tormentorsof poor folk; and but a little while abided his hatred of those, forit cut short their lives, so that they were speedily done with andforgotten. And when he died a very old man but one year after Goldilindhis dear, no king that ever lived was so bewailed by his folk as wasChild Christopher.
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