“Thou art safe, lady; they have brought thee here because my master, the prince, has loved thee since the day they took thee to the king with yon great man thy squire.” “Oh, tell me who is thy master? I know him not.” “Weep not, lady; my master is right comely.” “What is his comeliness to me?” “Nay, thou hast seen him, but thou wouldst not look upon him, so he was angered, and he knew that his father, the king, set too much store by thy knight to let him take thee from him, even if he had a wish to fight thy lord, which methinketh few men about the king have. So he cast round for a way to win thee, and none other could he think of but the taking of thee in this wise—but there, I am telling thee too much. It matters little, for I am sent, my lady, to tell thee that my master, prince Siegfried, wills to wed thee to-night—for he fears to lose thee still; even now the priest awaits thy coming, and the feast is spread.” Torfrida groaned aloud. “As thou art a woman I beg thee to let me hence. Let me go out into the mountains and the woods that the wild beasts may devour me.” “Nay, thou art over young and comely, and I would not if I could, for it would be shame.” “Nay, good woman, not shame as great as mine will be when this wild beast thou speakest of, thy master, comes. Let me hence and amongst the hills and moors I may find men who speak the Gaelic tongue and will befriend me.” “Nay, thou art in the hills here and all the men about Glencorse and Bonaly are adread of the prince and this new castle, and thou wouldst lose thyself and be drowned in the bogs that surround us long before any of the Pictland men could succour thee, for hills encompass Glencorse on every side and the paths are hard to find to a stranger. And they would quickly follow thee with dogs and men and there would be no escape.” “Oh, say not so, good woman, for I could slay myself by leaping into the burn or into the bog—it were easy.” “Nay, vex not thyself, child. Thou wilt soon be reconciled. And if I let thee free, then would the prince be so angry that he would turn me into the night, if he did not slay me, and I am old and the fireside is my place, and I have neither kith nor kin to shelter me in this wild country.” “Nay, then, if thou fearest for thyself let me escape on to the battlements and I will throw myself from them and thy master will never know thou hast shown me the way, but will believe I have escaped from thee. And I will give thee these rings and this collar of gold worth a king’s ransom, an thou wilt be rich.” And Torfrida threw herself on the ground and clasped and kissed the woman’s feet. “Nay, rise, sweet girl, for I lack courage for this thing thou askest. I would serve thee if I could for never have I seen any woman so modest and so comely as thou art. Greet no more and have no fear, for the prince is mad for love of thee and will let no harm befall thee, but will wed thee and make thee lady of his house and the queen of all his lands.”