Fantasy fiction; Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction
So when the Foliots were assembled, one stood forth with a horn at the
command of the Red Foliot and blew three blasts. Therewith came forth
from their booths the lords of Demonland and their men-at-arms, Juss,
Goldry, Spitfire, and Brandoch Daha, all armed as for battle save
Goldry, who was muffled in a cloak of cloth of gold with great hearts
worked thereon in red silk thread. And from their booths in turn came
the lords of Witchland all armed, and their fighting men, and little
love there was in the glances they and the Demons cast upon each other.
In the midst stalked the King, his great limbs muffled, like Goldry’s,
in a cloak: and it was of black silk lined with black bearskin, and
ornamented with crabs worked in diamonds. The crown of Witchland,
fashioned like a hideous crab and encrusted with jewels so thickly
that none might discern the iron whereof it was framed, weighed on
his beetling brow. His beard was black and bristly, spade-shaped and
thick: his hair close cropped. His upper lip was shaved, displaying his
sneering mouth, and from the darkness below his eyebrows looked forth
eyes that showed a green light, like those of a wolf. Corund walked at
the King’s left elbow, his giant frame an inch less in stature than
the King. Corinius went on the right, wearing a rich cloak of sky-blue
tissue over his shining armour. Tall and soldier-like was Corinius, and
young and goodly to look upon, with swaggering gait and insolent eye,
thick-lipped withal and somewhat heavy of feature, and the sun shone
brightly on his shaven jowl.
Now the Red Foliot let sound the horn again, and standing in his ebony
car he read out the conditions, as thus:
“O Gorice XI., most glorious King of Witchland, and O Lord Goldry
Bluszco, captain of the hosts of Demonland, it is compact betwixt you,
and made fast by mighty oaths whereof I, the Red Foliot, am keeper,
that ye shall wrastle three falls together on these conditions, namely,
that if Gorice the King be victorious, then hath he that glory and
withal full liberty to enforce with the sword his claims of lordship
over many-mountained Demonland: but if victory fall to the Lord Goldry
Bluszco, then shall the Demons let the Witches abide in peace, and they
them, and the Witches shall forswear for ever their claims of lordship
over the Demons. And you, O King, and you, O Goldry Bluszco, are
likewise bound by oath to wrastle fairly and to abide by the ruling of
me, the Red Foliot, whom ye are content to choose as your umpire. And
I do swear to judge justly between you. And the laws of your wrastling
are that neither shall strangle his adversary with his hands, nor bite
him, nor claw nor scratch his flesh, nor poach out his eyes, nor smite
him with his fists, nor do any other unfair thing against him, but in
all other respects ye shall wrastle freely together. And he that shall
be brought to earth with hip or shoulder shall be accounted fallen.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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