and roared in a bellow that could have been heard on the other side of the valley. âHarken! When we get down thereââhe threw out an arm and pointed to the silvery Elf-Buildings belowââthereâll be Grannams! I want nobody messing with Grannams!â
There was a silence from his people.
âNo jeers, no starting fights! And keep away from their women!â
A great cough of laughter went up from the gathered people.
âHear that, Per?â
âKeep away from Grannam women!â
Toorkild cursed their stupidity and waved them all forward again. Armed riders and the pipers led the way down the hill with all the crowd of people on foot following. The pipers started a new tune:
âMy hob is surefooted and swift,
My sword hangs down at my knee:
I never held back from a fightâ
Come who dares and meddle with me!â
It was the Sterkarmsâ song, and the whole party took it up, shouting out its refrain, clapping its rhythm and cheering, announcing their coming as they rode down toward the Elvesâ camp. The armed men drew their pistols and fired their one shot into the air, with deafening, startling bangs that made the horses skip, the children cry, and the women squeal.
As they drew near the Elf-Palace, they came among the straggle of small kitchen huts built by the Sterkarm cooks, into the harsh smoke from the turf fires and the smell of cooking. Women and children came from the fires, clapping and cheering as the ride went byâand, ahead, they saw more people gathering before the largest of the glittering palaces. Elves, with their strange hairstyles and stranger clothes, stood among Sterkarms and Grannams too, and all laughed and cheered to see the ride come in.
The leaders of the ride reined their horses in. âNo whiff of Richie Grannam!â Toorkild called out, and those near enough to hear him laughed. Richie Grannam would sell his daughter to a Sterkarm, in return for enough Elvish gold, but thought himself too good to greet the Sterkarms as they arrived.
A bustle of dismounting, and horses were given over to servants. Toorkild and Isobel took off their cloaks, handing them to servants, in order to display their best clothes to advantage, and Isobel shook out her skirts before going to Per, to comb his hair again with the comb from her belt. She made him bend his head down for the grooming and checked that his face wasnât smutched.
âLeave him, woman, leave him!â Toorkild said, offering her his arm. âLetâs be doing!â
Isobel linked her arm through his, and they marched toward the entrance of the Elf-Palace, followed by Per. Their people, massed behind them, seeing them stroll forward so grandly, raised a cheer of pride, and cheered again when Per looked back at them over his shoulder and grinned.
As they drew nearer to the doorâwhich was arched, like a church door, and decorated all around with fantastically whirling, delicate white-and-gold filigreeâPer saw the beautiful Elf-May. She was standing close beside Elf-Windsor, holding a small, shining bag in either hand. In the slightly dimmed light just inside the doorway, she seemed to glow, more beautiful than ever. Her large eyes shone, her red lips were parted, her cheeks were flushed, and her pale-brown hair fell down over her shoulders in long waves. The tight Elvish top she wore, the color of harebells, showed the fine, full curves of her figure and became her well. At the sight of her, Per smiled. He couldnât help it. Life was good, life was fine. He would be Per the May who had a Grannam for a wife and an Elf-May for a mistress.
Andrea, catching sight of the Sterkarms, wanted to jump up and down and wave. Her excitement was such, she could hardly breathe. But she had to remember that, except for Per, they had never seen her before in their lives and would think she was mad. So she clenched her fists around the strings of the little bags, drew in
There was a silence from his people.
âNo jeers, no starting fights! And keep away from their women!â
A great cough of laughter went up from the gathered people.
âHear that, Per?â
âKeep away from Grannam women!â
Toorkild cursed their stupidity and waved them all forward again. Armed riders and the pipers led the way down the hill with all the crowd of people on foot following. The pipers started a new tune:
âMy hob is surefooted and swift,
My sword hangs down at my knee:
I never held back from a fightâ
Come who dares and meddle with me!â
It was the Sterkarmsâ song, and the whole party took it up, shouting out its refrain, clapping its rhythm and cheering, announcing their coming as they rode down toward the Elvesâ camp. The armed men drew their pistols and fired their one shot into the air, with deafening, startling bangs that made the horses skip, the children cry, and the women squeal.
As they drew near the Elf-Palace, they came among the straggle of small kitchen huts built by the Sterkarm cooks, into the harsh smoke from the turf fires and the smell of cooking. Women and children came from the fires, clapping and cheering as the ride went byâand, ahead, they saw more people gathering before the largest of the glittering palaces. Elves, with their strange hairstyles and stranger clothes, stood among Sterkarms and Grannams too, and all laughed and cheered to see the ride come in.
The leaders of the ride reined their horses in. âNo whiff of Richie Grannam!â Toorkild called out, and those near enough to hear him laughed. Richie Grannam would sell his daughter to a Sterkarm, in return for enough Elvish gold, but thought himself too good to greet the Sterkarms as they arrived.
A bustle of dismounting, and horses were given over to servants. Toorkild and Isobel took off their cloaks, handing them to servants, in order to display their best clothes to advantage, and Isobel shook out her skirts before going to Per, to comb his hair again with the comb from her belt. She made him bend his head down for the grooming and checked that his face wasnât smutched.
âLeave him, woman, leave him!â Toorkild said, offering her his arm. âLetâs be doing!â
Isobel linked her arm through his, and they marched toward the entrance of the Elf-Palace, followed by Per. Their people, massed behind them, seeing them stroll forward so grandly, raised a cheer of pride, and cheered again when Per looked back at them over his shoulder and grinned.
As they drew nearer to the doorâwhich was arched, like a church door, and decorated all around with fantastically whirling, delicate white-and-gold filigreeâPer saw the beautiful Elf-May. She was standing close beside Elf-Windsor, holding a small, shining bag in either hand. In the slightly dimmed light just inside the doorway, she seemed to glow, more beautiful than ever. Her large eyes shone, her red lips were parted, her cheeks were flushed, and her pale-brown hair fell down over her shoulders in long waves. The tight Elvish top she wore, the color of harebells, showed the fine, full curves of her figure and became her well. At the sight of her, Per smiled. He couldnât help it. Life was good, life was fine. He would be Per the May who had a Grannam for a wife and an Elf-May for a mistress.
Andrea, catching sight of the Sterkarms, wanted to jump up and down and wave. Her excitement was such, she could hardly breathe. But she had to remember that, except for Per, they had never seen her before in their lives and would think she was mad. So she clenched her fists around the strings of the little bags, drew in
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