Read Isolde: Queen of the Western Isle for Free Online Page B

waves sighed and sobbed on the rocky shore. The knight saw the salmon leaping and the plump gray seals basking in the sun and his spirits rose again. "Tirra-lirra," he sang, "lirra-li."
    The noonday sun shone on his silver helmet and the gold torque of knighthood round his neck. Across his back he carried a silver bow, with a silver quiver of arrows ready to his hand. Next to it hung a shapely silver harp just large enough to sit to the curve of his body when he played. His battle sword swung from his saddlebag beside a gold and silver shield, and he wore a slender ring of emeralds on the little finger of his left hand. His thick cloak was woven of summer green and gold, and his tunic was the color of ivy in winter when its black berries bloom.
    Near the shore the road divided into two, one track leading inland toward the great bluff ahead, the other winding along the cliff above the rocks. At the fork in the road he saw a poor aged man in a ragged tunic and a cloak of flea-bitten fur, leaning on a staff of knotted yew. His legs were clad in bindings of rough cloth, and a beggar's bowl dangled from the cord around his waist. A tangle of wild gray hair spilled from his battered hood, and even in the spring sunlight, his withered arms were blue with cold.
    The knight had traveled too far to take any stranger on trust, and his sword was never far from his right hand. But on closer acquaintance the old man seemed harmless enough.
    "Greetings, old sir," he called, drawing up his horse. "Would you care to ride? If so, mount up, you need walk no further today."
    The beggar turned, and from beneath the tangled mat of hair, the knight felt the shock of a glinting, golden gaze. With one bony hand the old man waved the offer away. "You come from Lyonesse?" he demanded brusquely.
    The knight's fair face clouded. "Not recently," he said with pained reserve.
    The old man craned forward, leaning on his stick. "So you have no news of the King's son—they called him Tristan, I believe?"
    The knight stared. "I am Tristan, sir. Why do you ask?"
    "No reason," returned the old man imperturbably. "But, meeting you, it came into my mind. Once I knew Lyonesse well, but I have not been there since the boy was born." He gave a courteous bow. "And boy no longer, I see, but a fine young prince. You have been traveling, my lord?"
    Tristan nodded. "Across Gaul and down through France, following jousts and tournaments and deeds of arms." He gave a sardonic laugh. "I had a lot to learn."
    "But you proved a great hero—success came to you?"
    "Success?" Tristan thought of the days in the ring and the nights on the hard ground, the stink and the crowds in the camps and the screams of wounded men. "Perhaps. I cracked a few heads and won my share of the spoils."
    "But you did not find a lady!" The old man cackled. "And a knight is nothing without a lady, just as a man is lost till he meets the woman of the dream?"
    "Wherever she lies."
    Suddenly Tristan had had enough of this. He straightened himself in the saddle and took up the reins. "Can you tell me, old sir, where this road leads?"
    "Why, this is Tintagel, boy," the beggar cried. "Over that bluff lies the castle of Queen Igraine. The high road will take you there, but it's not for you." He pointed to the track along the cliff. "There lies your way."
    With an effort, Tristan kept his irritation in check. "Sir, I go to Tintagel to pay my respects to Queen Igraine. Then I'm going on to find tournaments and feats of arms."
    "You will, boy, you will. But before that—"
    The old man raised his curious yew wand. There was a soundless stirring in the air and Tristan grew cold. "What do you mean?"
    The beggar fixed him with a glittering eye. "There is a lady craves a word with you," he said abruptly. "And by your oath of chivalry, you may not refuse."
    Gods above, would he never be free of the old man? Tristan drew a breath. "Refuse a lady? Never. But what does she want with me?"
    The old man cackled. "She will