The Rune of Healing: chapter 15 of The Great Severing

   

Ingor neiso gilig osien rogni

Ûthéat rádë gundus fipá harokdu.

Lansenet’s sickness was no silent unmoving state like that of Thilfri. He tossed and turned, seeming feverish. And now and then he murmured in his sleep, snatches of some tale or lay. Those who attend on him for long hours thought that these might be glimpses of the deeds and encounters on his quest: he babbled of Gulgrudur and the Hand of Glory and Murnag ta-Valka, of which they knew little, yet whose very names made them shudder with cold fear. 

Hadhríka the Smith, though she was no nurse, refused to leave the knight’s chamber, claiming kinship with him; and the attendants, needing no extra fuss, left her to watch quietly from the corner of the room.

And now Queen Vidnî and Prince Arbros came to his bedside. They were moved with pity for the companion of their youth. They lightly took his hand and smoothed his brow, but he made no response. They witnessed his tossings and the snatches of words that he uttered.

When they turned sorrowfully away, they were met by Hadhríka, who told them of her discovery: that Lansenet was of the family of Yankuvithri, and she was certain that he was the child that she was forced to give away. And that, if she was right, the Lady Thilfri was not his twin sister. They were amazed; but before there was time for further talk, Lansenet cried out in his sleep:

Berulâk t’Apsû   boldly summon!

And almost writhing in his bed, he cried again:

I bid Berulâk to my bride’s bedside!

Come Green Rider and read the riddle!

Berulâk t-Apsû, fringîn ê hwet ilmaduz!

These words not one of those assembled could make out. For none knew of the Green Rider, nor did Lansenet have any wife, or bride, or betrothed. The Queen and the Prince took counsel with their advisers. No one knew if this was mere raving in a troubled dream, or if Lansenet had encountered on his journeys some doughty warrior whose help he desired, and whether to seek such a person would be a pointless errand or bring some relief to his plight.

While the debates continued, folk entered in haste, coming from the Queen’s House, and they said:

My Lady and My Lord, there is come an outlandish stranger to the doors of your house: a great rider on a mighty horse all arrayed in green, but wearing the arms and armour of my lord Lansenet. We recognized them, but had no need to challenge him for a thief, for he frankly acknowledged whose they were, saying he had come to exchange them for his own armour that he had lent to my lord.

Then Arbros said:

There, then, is one riddle unravelled, though not the most urgent: we know whence came that strange armour that Lansenet returned in. Come, let us meet this stranger.

And Vidnî said:

Could this be the very person that yon sick one summoned in his sleep? For Berulâk means Greenhelm, and the outlandish helmet that Lansenet carried with him was of that colour, like the rest of the armour.

And he replied:

I’ll warrant you are right, my love. But how he could come so quickly at a summoning made not one hour ago, I wonder at!

And turning to Hadhríka, he said:

Now, Dame Hadhríka, pray have patience with us. We will hear you again, and perhaps by then there will be more light shed upon all these mysteries.

And so the party returned to the Queen’s House. And there on the threshold stood the Green Rider. In stature the Rider overtopped them all by a head, and for that reason the armour of Lansenet fitted him ill. The grooms of the Queen that held the bridle of the mighty horse Stéoldam, all accoutred all in green, looked like Kabadri beside him. Yet there came from him such a feeling of might and antiquity that all were abashed in his presence. Before anyone could speak he called out:

Where is my erstwhile sparring partner, the Lord Lansenet, whose call has brought me to help him in distress, as I promised him it would? And where is the Lady of this realm?  You, my Lady, are she, proclaimed by your gracious bearing! And my Lord the Prince, valiant man: for how many have dared to enter the Round Halls of Kapgar Kûm or the vaults of Onskabâ, save you and the two who lie sick in this city?

Queen Vidnî said:

Sir, we gather that you are Berulâk of the Fountain, on whom our beloved Lansenet called. Though how you twain are acquainted, and why you have answered his call, we have no notion; nor how you might come here almost quicker than thought! But pray, disburden you of Lansenet’s armour and we will send and bring you yours from his lodgings, and meanwhile eat and drink somewhat with us.

And the Green Rider bowed, and replied:

Nay, Lady, though I thank you for your courtesy. The exertion of my visit is naught; and I will await to receive my armour back from Lansenet’s own hand, and to hear from his own lips how he adventured with it.

And Arbros said:

Good Sir Berulâk, you yourself have spoken of the sickness of Lansenet — though how you know of it we cannot comprehend! — and for that reason it will be a long wait for you to see him strong enough to speak to you or deliver your armour back, if indeed he will ever regain strength, for truly we begin to despair of his recovery!

And the Green Rider said:

Fear not, good mortals. For I know that you have a riddle to read, and that another lies more grievously sick than he. And so I am here to help you. Show me the Rune of Healing!

And all were amazed, yet so many wonders had befallen that they stayed for no further talk, but led the Green Rider directly into the Chamber where Thilfri lay. He stepped to the bedside and gazed on her, and then smiled at the Company. Queen Vidnî placed the leaf from the Lady’s book in his hand. He looked carefully at it, then smiled at them again.

This works not alone. It needs somewhat to assist it!

Then the hearts of all sank, for they could only guess what they lacked, and had no notion of how they could obtain it.

But, still smiling, the Green Rider continued:

My Lady, you see the twenty-five tibros that make up the ûthéka perlum, no doubt! But see you aught else?

She answered;

No, sir. The leaf is otherwise blank.

He said:

Hold it up to the light of day.

Then the Queen held up the parchment to the light, and looked hard, and then she cried:

I see them! Letters and numbers! They are made of tiny pricks in the parchment, smaller than the smallest pin could cut. And they say: Count 9, then 7, then 5, then 3, then 1; and let P enter. Let me see: this must mean ‘count to the ninth tibron, then to the seventh’, and so on. The ninth is S, the seventh from there is O, the fifth after that R, the third then N, and at last, I: spelling SORNI. And let P enter — it is plain: Sporni. He is what we need to work with the rune! We tried his power alone to heal her, and it was of no avail! Why did we never think to use them together? For indeed, Sporni was dearest of all things to Slungandi who set down this rune!

So once again she took the crystal shard, the child of the Talyoran, and made ready to wield him. But Berulâk said:

Teach Sporni the rune, Lady. Point Sporni to the words and speak them to him.

So Queen Vidnî held in her left hand the Rune of Healing and in her right the Child of the Talyoran. She directed the sharp end of the crystal wandkey to the tibros on the parchment leaf, as she spoke:

‘Ingor Neiso Gilig Osien Rogni’ 

The she turned to look questioningly at the Green Rider. He said:

Now touch the sleeping Lady in every vital point.

And so she did, all seven: brow, eyes, nose, lips, ears, heart, and belly. All present watched breathlessly.

Then Thilfri stirred. She opened her eyes. She stretched her arms. She turned her head. She raised herself. She looked around. A gasp of wonder and joy went up from all assembled there. 

Then her eyes came to rest on Arbros.

Lord Arbros! You live! But what became of Oigenas? The ghastly hand and the loathsome sword!

And Arbros said:

Yes, dearest Thilfri, I live, and only because of your valour. And I bore you out of the cavern and away from the hand of horror. But we will doubtless hear much more of that when Sporni rouses your poor brother Lansenet, who lies sick of his quest to find a cure for you. But let that wait. You surely need time to recover your full strength.

But Thilfri said:

Nay, my Lord! I am both well and strong. I feel as if I had awoken from the best night’s sleep of my life. I will come and visit Lansenet. But, my Lord and Lady, I know now: Lansenet, whom I dearly love, is not my brother!

There was another gasp from the company. All wondered what she could mean by those last words. But she stepped lightly from the couch where she had lain so long and put on herself a furred mantle brought to her by one of the ladies that attended on her. The Green Rider stepped to her side and took her hand, saying:

Come, Lady Thilfri, and come, one and all: we shall raise up him who still lies sick and reunite two beloved ones!

It was now a great throng that went to the lodging of Lansenet, for word had spread; and they crowded around the door, while the Green Rider, the Queen, the Prince, and Thilfri went to the chamber of Lansenet. On sight of him, at once the freshly coloured countenance of Thilfri grew pale with consternation, and she ran to his couch, and took his hand. But the Green Rider came to her. He called the Queen to him, saying:

My Lady Queen Vidnî, permit the Lady Thilfri to rouse the one she loves so dearly. Madam, touch him in every vital point as just now the Queen touched you.

So Thilfri received Sporni from the Queen and took him in her hand and with his point touched her beloved’s brow, eyes, nose, lips, ears, heart, and belly. And Lansenet stirred, opened his eyes, stretched his arms, turned his head, and raised himself. He looked around and his eyes rested on Thilfri. Immediately he sprang from his bed without a trace of sickness or fatigue, and embraced her; and they clung together.

Then Thilfri said:

Beloved Lansenet, while I lay sick it was shown me in my sleep: we are not brother and sister! O Lansenet, let us be wed, for I love you so much!

And Lansenet said:

Beloved Thilfri, before I fell sick, Dame Hadhríka discovered that I am the child she gave away, for on my hand I bear the crooked finger that every member of her family has borne as far back as memory goes. And she had but one child, and so you cannot be my sister. But how came it that you were shown this?

And Thilfri said:

In my dreams I saw our dear fosterparents, Halsenet and Firitháli, who died so long ago, just as they were when we were little children. And they had two babes in their arms. And they spoke to one another about how like the two children were, as it were twins; only that the boy had a crooked little finger. And they resolved to bring the infants up as twin brother and sister. Those babes were you and I, of course! My dearest, I have loved you so long. Let us be wed as soon as we may, if Queen Thilfri and Prince Arbros will give us their consent.

Lansenet replied:

That is all my will also, beloved Thilfri. But let me go and thank my benefactor, Berulák; for he is of the noble people of the Fâdhéri, and he aided all my labours.

Then, disengaging himself from Thilfri, Lansenet turned to speak to the Green Rider: for he wished now to change arms and armour with him. But he was nowhere to be seen. And where the green arms and armour had lain, and the helmet adorned with the fangs of Gulgrudur, now there lay only the arms and armour of Lansenet, that the Green Rider had worn at his coming in. And moments later, the grooms who had stabled the great charger Stéoldam came in to report that the steed had gone, no one knew whither.

Then the tale tells that the couches of sickness were put away, and all the accompanying basins and salves and simples and every other thing pertaining to sickness. And in their place, Queen Vidnî and Prince Arbros appointed a great feast to be held for the people of Tídris and the neighbouring region. And Arbros and Thilfri and Lansenet told the tales of their adventures to a minstrel skilled in story. When all had feasted, the minstrel (whose name was Bardhanel) stood forth with his harp and sang before all seated in the hall the deeds of Arbros, and of Thilfri Opalë ta-Marwë Arabríga, Thilfri the White, the Mighty Severer, and of Lansenet ta-Hwenet, Lansenet of the Lake. Then all present drank to their praise, and Bardhanel went forth to those assembled in the great space surrounding the Kapatingos and sang again the Lay of the Three Champions, the Káta Hamargúna.

Within a few weeks, Thilfri and Lansenet were wed; and they defended the Realm of Dúmiel valiantly to the end of their days.