And he remained kneeling as she had commanded, while she stood before him, and she placed her hand upon his head and pushed back the matted locks. Even as she touched him the great man wept, and she combed and cut the locks, and washed with her own white hands his dust and sun and blood-stained brow, while her maidens laughed and wondered; but ever she combed and cut and smoothed his hair and beard, which now, freed from their load of dust, shone out like dark gold, and ever the great drops fell from his eyes. Then suddenly she pushed back his forehead with her soft white palm and with the other hand plucked him by the beard, lifting his chin therewith, and thus at length looked into the eyes of him. One deep long look she gave as their eyes met, and then she uttered a wild scream and fell back in a swoon. Her maidens ran forward to her, but still the wild man knelt there gazing upon her. As he looked his brow grew smooth, his face blanched, and his whole body shook as if palsied, while great drops stood upon his brow, and he breathed a mighty sigh that startled all who stood near, and then he arose and, lifting his great head erect, shook his locks, and in a voice that made the roof ring shouted, “Torfrida! Torfrida!”
Then he pushed them aside and knelt and lifted her, clasping her to him, and kissed her again and again, laying her head upon his breast. And his tears fell upon her like rain, till at length she awoke and looked and knew that it was indeed he whom she loved.
CHAPTER XIII
AWAKE!
Long time they sat, though little they spoke; their hearts were too full for speech. And greatly the maidens wondered. At length Feargus arose, for the day was wearing late; then Torfrida stayed him again and gaily ran and brought a helm, bravely wrought with gold and precious stones in the rich interlaced patterns common amongst the Picts, and a sword and byrny of like richness she also brought. Then she bade Feargus kneel while she put the helm upon him, saying: “It is not seemly that so great a warrior should go uncovered. This helm hath sat on the brow of a chief of my mother’s kinship, and long it hath lain aside, being too large for most men; but see, it fits thee like as though it had been wrought for thee.”
And she put the byrny upon him and set the great two-handed sword hanging at his back. “There, no one will know thee; with thy helm and byrny and sword of wondrous workmanship, thou lookest as thou wert wont in the old days.” She kissed his brow and called him her warrior, and sent him forth. And all was lit up before him and he minded that which had happened in the past time. He saw King Penda and his host overwhelmed, and his fight with Osbert and all things else that had chanced since.
And he threw himself down in his old place, but Torfrida, hearing from her maidens that he still lay at the threshold of her hall, went out and begged him away, for fear lest Osbert or her father should know him. “Nay,” said he, “any other thing that thou biddest must I do, thou maid of my heart, for no desire hast thou that is not better than I am, and no wrong can I do guided by thee, but ever rightly and wisely; but here, Torfrida, thou hast asked me to leave thee and that will I never. We have had long leave of one another already. And even if thou lovedst me not, and had not the love-light in thine eyes pierced the darkness my soul had fallen into since that day thou wottest of, I would not leave thee. Nay, Torfrida, neither Sigmund nor Osbert nor any other shall part us twain more.”