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Updated: June 11, 2025
But Giles the archer, sitting beside him, vented by turns bitter curses upon Sir Pertolepe and humble prayers to his patron saint, so fluent and so fast that prayers and curses became strangely blent and mingled, on this wise: "May Red Pertolepe be thrice damned with a candle to the blessed Saint Giles that is my comfort and intercessor.
"Dogs," quoth he, "go to your master and say Helen, Duchess of Mortain bringeth a wedding gift to Ivo, called the Black. Behold here he that slew twenty within the green, that burned down Black Ivo's goodly gallows, that broke the dungeons of Belsaye and bore Red Pertolepe into the green, behold him ye seek Beltane, son of Beltane the Strong, heretofore Duke of Pentavalon!"
"Lord, 'twas the Duchess Helen!" said one. "Helen!" cried Sir Pertolepe, "Helen of Mortain?" "Aye, lord, as her wedding gift to our lord Duke Ivo." Now hereupon Beltane's staring eyes closed, the great muscles of his body twitched and writhed and stood out gnarled and rigid awhile, then he sighed, a slow, hissing breath, and lay there staring up wide-eyed at the vaulted roof again.
But now, from where the van-ward marched, came galloping a tall esquire, who, reining in beside Sir Pertolepe, pointed down the hill. "Lord Pertolepe," he cried joyously, "yonder, scarce a mile, flies the banner of Gilles of Brandonmere, his company few, his men scattered and heavy with plunder." "Gilles!" quoth Sir Pertolepe. "Ha, is it forsooth Gilles of Brandonmere?"
Yet I would see thee walk in bonds first." "Ha, dare ye bind me, then? He that toucheth me, toucheth Duke Ivo dare ye so do, rogue?" "Aye, messire," nodded Beltane, "I dare so. Bring hither the rope, Roger." But when Roger was come nigh, Sir Pertolepe turned and stared upon him. "What!" cried he, jovial of voice yet deadly-eyed, "is it my runaway hangman in very sooth.
Now suddenly the noise about him ceased, all voices were hushed, and he was aware of one who stood near by, a doleful figure swathed in bandages, who leaned upon the arm of a tall esquire. And looking upon this figure, he saw it was Sir Pertolepe the Red. "Ha, by the eyes of God!" quoth Sir Pertolepe, "'tis he himself O sweet sight see, I grow better already! Who brought him, say you?"
A running of swift feet and Walkyn sprang betwixt them, his face grimed with dust and sweat, his armour gone, his great axe all bloody in his hand: "Master!" he cried, "in Winisfarne lieth Pertolepe with over a thousand of his company, I judge and in the woods 'twixt here and Winisfarne is Hollo of Revelsthorne marching on us through the woods with full five thousand of Ivo's picked levies, new come from Barham Broom!"
"Nay, my brave Fidelis, heed rather how valiant Sir Jocelyn and his knights drive in their advanced lines ha! Benedict, see how he breaks their array an he can but turn their flank " "Nay, Beltane yonder cometh the Raven banner where Pertolepe spurreth in support " "Aye, but yonder doth my father launch yet another charge ha!
And Pertolepe is not here, yet where Pertolepe is, there shall we surely find Walkyn, for Walkyn hath sworn full oft ha! master master, behold what cometh here see, yonder!"
Now upon the seventh evening as he sat thus, came Sir Pertolepe according to his wont, but to-night he leaned upon the shoulder of Beda the Jester, whose motley flared 'gainst rugged wall and dingy flagstone and whose bells rang loud and merry by contrast with the gloom.
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