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Consequently, that same day, he went to see Zbyszko, in his underground cell, commanded him to have hope, and told him about the princesses' prayers and about Danusia's tears.
Danusia tottered and stretched out her little hands, but before she could fall or jump, Zbyszko rushed up like a wild-cat and seized her in his arms. The princess, who at first screamed from fear, laughed immediately and began to shout: "Here is Danusia's knight! Come, little knight and give us back our dear little girl!" "He grasped her boldly," some among the courtiers were heard to say.
The abbot, rubbing his forehead, listened; then he suddenly jumped from the chest, on which he had seated himself to be more comfortable and to think the matter over, and exclaimed: "Wait! I want to tell you something!" "What?" asked Zbyszko. "If you fought for Jagienka and injured them for her sake, then you are really her knight, not Danusia's; and you must take Jagienka."
He only knew that it was necessary to go to Danusia's assistance at once and as far as Prussia and there to tear her out of the foe's hands or perish. He then returned to the room to tell Jurand that the weapons and horses would soon be ready. He was sure that Jurand would accompany him.
"We shall see how Danusia's brave knight will acquit himself." "Ej! They are of oak, those fellows! Did you hear what they said about that fight for four knights on each side?" "Perhaps they will join our court; they are consulting with each other now."
Some of the ladies-in-waiting were also shooting, because all were filled with enthusiasm for the sport. Zbyszko alone did not think about hunting; but having leaned his elbows on Danusia's knees and his head on the palms of his hands, he looked into her eyes, and she smiling and blushing, tried to close his eyelids with her fingers, as if she could not stand such looks.
Zbyszko stood at Danusia's side and began to tell her that from the hill one could see Krakow; at the same time Macko was telling one of the rybalts about the extraordinary strength of the Pan of Taczew, who had broken the spear in Zbyszko's hand, as though it were a dry stem. "And why did he break it?" asked the rybalt. "Because the boy in fun attacked the German."
"I shall not escape death," he thought; "nothing can help me!" But the next day, the worthy Princess Anna Januszowna came to see him, and brought Danusia who wore her little lute at her belt. Zbyszko fell at their feet; then, although he was in great distress, after a sleepless night, in woe and uncertainty, he did not forget his duty as a knight and expressed his surprise about Danusia's beauty.
If a knight made a vow to a young girl, he did not thus become her fiance; on the contrary he usually married another; he was constant to his vow, but did not hope to be wedded to her, but to marry another. The monks were more astonished at Danusia's youth, and even not much at that, because in those times sixteen year old youths used to be castellans.
The thought came to him that if Macko died, it would be one more reason for vengeance on the Germans, by whose means he had nearly lost his head, by whom all his forefathers had been killed, also Danusia's mother and many other innocent people, whom he knew or about whom he had heard from his acquaintances and he began to say to himself: "In this whole kingdom, there is no man who has not suffered some wrong from them, and who would not like to avenge those wrongs."
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