VII. It is said that a little later Hˆgni went on a raiding expedition while Hethin stayed behind to look after his kingdom. It chanced one day that Hethin went into a forest to pass the time. The weather was mild. He again wandered away from his men. He came upon a forest glade, and there he saw sitting on a throne the same woman whom he had seen before in Serkland--only now he thought her even fairer than before. She was again the first to speak and chattered to him gaily. She was holding a horn with a lid to it. The King fell in love with her. She offered him a drink and he felt thirsty, as he had grown warm; so he took the horn and drank; and when he had drunk, a very wonderful change came over him, for he remembered nothing that had happened to him previously. He then sat down and talked to her. She asked him if what she had said to him before of the skill and courage of Hˆgni had proved true and Hethin replied that it was true enough--"for he did not come short of me in any feat that we tried, and so we declared ourselves a match." "Yet you two are not equal," said she. "And why not?" asked Hethin. "For this reason," replied she: "Hˆgni has married a wife of high birth, whereas you have no wife." He replied: "Hˆgni will marry me to Hild his daughter as soon as I like to ask him, and then I shall be as well married as he." "Your honour will be impaired," said she, "if you ask Hˆgni for a marriage alliance. If, as you profess, you lack neither courage nor valour, you would do better to carry off Hild by force, and put the Queen to death by taking her and laying her down in front of the prow of your warship, and letting it cut her in two when it is launched." The wickedness and forgetfulness contained in the ale which Hethin had drunk had so got the better of him that there seemed to him to be no alternative, and he had not the slightest recollection that he and Hˆgni were 'foster-brothers.' Presently they parted, and Hethin went back to his men. This took place in the late summer. Then Hethin ordered his men to get ready the warship, saying that he intended to go home to Serkland. Then he went into the ladies' bower and took the Queen and Hild by either hand and led them out. Hild's clothes and jewels were also taken. There was no-one in the kingdom who had the courage to do anything; for they were afraid of Hethin and his men--he glowered so fiercely. Hild asked Hethin what his intention was, and he told her. She besought him to think better of it, adding: "My father will marry me to you if you ask him for me." "Ask for you?" echoed Hethin; "I will never do that."