But her brother Giselher said, “Sister, something telleth me, and I trow it, that King Etzel will end all thy dole. It seemeth good to me that thou take him to husband, whatso any other may counsel. He may give thee again all that thou hast lost. From the Rhone to the Rhine, from the Elbe to the sea, no king is so mighty as he is. Thou mayest well rejoice that he chooseth thee for his queen.” She answered, “Dear brother, wherefore counsel me thus? Mourning and weeping suit me better. How could I appear before the knights at court? Had my body ever beauty, it hath lost it.” Then said queen Uta to her dear daughter, “Dear child, do what thy brother saith. Be counselled by thy friends, and good will betide thee. Too long have I seen thee mourning bitterly.” Then she asked mighty God to guide her. Albeit she might have gold and silver and apparel to give, as aforetime, when her husband lived, never again could she have the happy hours. She thought to herself, “Shall I give myself to a heathen? I am a Christian woman. I should be shamed before the world. Though he gave me the riches of the whole earth, it could never be.” At that point she left it; and all night long, till the day, the woman lay on her bed full of thoughts. Her bright eyes were never dry till she went to mass in the morning. The kings also came at the hour of mass, and took their sister by the hand. They counselled her to wed the king of the Huns. But the lady was no merrier of her cheer. Then they bade Etzel’s men come before her, that were fain to be gone with her answer, whether it was a “yea” or a “nay.” So Rudeger came to the court. His comrades urged him to learn the princes’ mind without delay. This seemed good to them all, for it was a far way back to their land. They brought Rudeger to Kriemhild. And the knight asked the queen gently to let him hear the message she sent to Etzel. He won nothing from her but denial, for never could she love another man. Then said the Margrave, “That were ill done. Wherefore ruin so fair a body? Still mayest thou with honour become a good man’s wife.” Yet all their entreaty availed not, till that Rudeger said secretly to the queen that he would make good to her any hurt that might befall her. At that, her grief abated somewhat. He said to the queen, “Weep no more. If thou hadst none among the Huns save me, my faithful kinsmen, and my men, sore must he pay for it that did thee wrong.” Much milder was the lady’s mood, and she said, “Swear me an oath that, should any do aught against me, thou wilt be the first to avenge it.” The Margrave answered, “I will swear it.” So Rudeger swore with all his men always to serve her truly, and to deny her nothing in Etzel’s land that her honour called for, and he confirmed it with his hand.