Chapter 18
Encounter on the turret stair Hellalyle, followed by the young Ethla, crossed the castle courtyard to a concealed doorway, where they started to climb the winding stair of a turret leading to the princess’s apartment and the fortifications above. On their ascent, they halted by a small window, overhearing voices below. Peering through the opening, they spotted a group of her bodyguards, returned from surveying the outer defences of the fortress. Their leader, assigned to inspect the battlements in his line of duty, was about to enter the hidden doorway to the spiral staircase the princess and her maid had used, unaware the woman he loved was within. Catching sight of Hildebrand at the foot of the tower, Hellalyle, apprehensive their paths might cross, hastened up the next flight. Ethla poked fun at her mistress’s predicament, and, finding this turn of events amusing, she impulsively chased after Hellalyle with hair-brained glee. The princess, shouting breathlessly over her shoulder, rebuked the girl’s witless behaviour. As the echo of the knight’s footsteps grew louder, the princess was eager to reach the privacy of her room, but high-spirited Ethla had other ideas. Mischievously overtaking Hellalyle, she was the first to enter the room, and slammed the door, sliding the bolt, leaving her luckless mistress stranded on the landing. The unsuspecting Hildebrand drawing ever closer, the panic- stricken princess implored Ethla to come to her senses and unlock the latch, but the impudent girl refused, treating the precarious scene as a childish prank. The Englishman finally reached their level and stood spellbound by this unexpected vision of the princess. Convinced fate had brought them together, he pressed forward heedlessly to embrace her, but Hellalyle – timorous and abashed – took upward flight once more, gaining but half-a-dozen steps before Hildebrand caught up with her. Hellalyle’s back turned, her left hand braced against the wall to support her slender figure, she bowed her head until it nudged the rough stone surface of the staircase outer wall. The ardent warrior, his chainmailgloved hands gripping the right arm she had surrendered, buried his enraptured face in the smooth folds of her sleeve. Besotted Hildebrand, his back pressed firmly to the newel, kept hold of her arm passionately and raised her delicate hand to his lips; Hellalyle swooned. With trembling voice, the knight declared she was, in truth, the fairest woman he had ever beheld, far excelling his runaway dreams. He begged her to ride out with him to Lake Eydis, whose enchanting waters seemed to reflect her transcendental beauty. Overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, the princess felt her heart about to break; wretched, apprehensive, she burst into tears. She knew it would be her father, the arbiter of her suitors, who would ultimately control her destiny. Mortified by her reaction, Hildebrand felt unnerved that he had crudely misjudged her nature. Hellalyle cast a momentary glance at him as she fled to her chamber, which Ethla had wilfully left open so she would be able to eavesdrop on the proceedings. One peek at the despondent prince sufficed for Ethla to dart forward and embrace him with little inhibition, before skipping back into the room and gauchely elbowing the door to with a bang. The knight, stifling a nervous chuckle, wistfully reflected that he might have found an unusual ally in his struggle to win Hellalyle’s heart. Confused and downhearted, Hildebrand tried to compose himself, counting aloud the uneven steps as he climbed to the ramparts where he was to finish his tour of duty that day. Later, after an hour had passed, he descended, passing the princess’s apartment. He noticed as the door suddenly swung ajar to reveal Ethla, beaming inanely, frantically waving a silk scarf belonging to her mistress. Impulsively, the girl ran up to Hildebrand and pressed the garment into his hand, then scurried back, tittering mindlessly. Stupefied, holding the kerchief to his face, he looked up and made out the figure of Hellalyle, poised in the shadows at the far end of her chamber. The exquisite features of her pretty face were just visible beneath her hood, with both hands holding her cloak together at the throat. In the intriguing image, although blurred in the ghostly light, her penetrating eyes could be seen intently focused, following him, before she slowly turned away, motioning Ethla to close the chamber door. At nightfall, people flocked outside the castle to watch the awe inspiring spectacle of a celestial body in the heavens. For it was a comet, which had suddenly appeared without warning, its dazzling tail on closer observation, just for an instant, appeared like the menacingly shaped handle of a brandished mace; its spiked head glowed with ultimate white, like a cauldron of fire. Fearful, in disbelief, the mood of the crowd was uneasy, as they muttered amongst themselves, speculating superstitiously, about what strange portent it foretold. *This chapter describes the drama depicted in the book cover picture. The painting hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland. Here is a link to the radio show I did with Tagai: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/starzcast/2021/03/17/interact-live-with-author-tagai-tarutin-and-host-natalie-sist |
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