Fantasy fiction; Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction
When the Lord Goldry Bluszco understood that the Red Foliot would pay
no heed to his accusation, he grew red as blood. A fearsome sight it
was to behold how he swelled in his wrath, and his eyes blazed like
disastrous stars at midnight, and being wood with anger he gnashed his
teeth till the froth stood at his lips and slavered down his chin.
Now the cymbals clashed for the onset. Therewith ran Goldry upon the
King as one straught of his wits, bellowing as he ran, and gripped him
by the right arm with both his hands, one at the wrist and one near
the shoulder. And so it was that, before the King might move, Goldry
spun round with his back to the King and by his mickle strength and
the strength of the anger that was in him he heaved the King over his
head, hurling him as one hurleth a ponderous spear, head-foremost to
the earth. And the King smote the ground with his head, and the bones
of his head and his spine were driven together and smashed, and blood
flowed from his ears and nose. With the might of that throw Goldry’s
wrath departed from him and left him strengthless, in such sort that
he reeled as he went from the wrastling ground. His brethren, Juss and
Spitfire, bare him up on either side, and put his cloak of cloth of
gold worked with red hearts about his mighty limbs.
Meanwhile dismay was fallen upon the Witches to behold their King so
caught up on a sudden and dashed upon the ground, where he lay crumpled
in an heap, shattered like the stalk of an hemlock that one breaketh
and shattereth. In great agitation the Red Foliot came down from his
car of ebony and made haste thither where the King was fallen; and the
lords of Witchland came likewise thither stricken at heart, and Corund
lifted the King in his burly arms. But the King was stone dead. So
those sons of Corund made a litter with their spears and laid the King
on the litter, and spread over him his royal mantle of black silk lined
with bearskin, and set the crown of Witchland on his head, and without
word spoken bare him away to the Witches’ booths. And the other lords
of Witchland without word spoken followed after.
III: THE RED FOLIOT
OF THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE WITCHES IN THE PALACE OF THE RED
FOLIOT; AND OF THE WILES AND SUBTLETIES OF LORD GRO; AND HOW
THE WITCHES DEPARTED BY NIGHT OUT OF THE FOLIOT ISLES.
The Red Foliot gat him back into his palace and sat in his high seat.
And he sent unto the lords of Witchland and of Demonland that they
should come and see him. Nor did they delay, but came straightway and
sat on the long benches, the Witches on the eastern side of the hall
and the Demons on the west; and their fighting men stood in order on
either side behind them. So sat they in the shadowy hall, and the sun
declining to the western ocean shone through the high windows of the
hall on the polished armour and weapons of the Witches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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