"I am Leonora.
Royal daughter
Of most royal parents.
I come from a land most noble,
Among men renowned.
That tract of earth is not
Over mid-earth
Fellow to many peopled lands,
But is a celestial Paradise.
Beautiful is all that land,
With delight blest.
I come from there to Cornwall,
To mate with him who reigns,
And shower love and riches
All over his domain.”
Then, stretching her hand toward me, she cried to the Priest:
"Marry us forthwith, so we can, united, bless this fair land of Cornwall and its beloved people. Why should I care about leaving Paradise when I can spend an eternity in Cornwall?”
She was regal. From the golden crown which held her glorious locks together down to the silver slippers on her little feet she was a rare mate for any Overlord. Something of this must have impressed my people. Perhaps they felt that it was a happy ending to what might have turned out to be a difficult situation. At least they cried aloud their approval of the marriage.
But through the forest came the sound of silvery horns, and the neighing of horses and the dull roll of chariots. Who should it be but Queen Broda in her golden chariot with my friend, and her husband by her side? What fortunate magic secured her arrival at this time? I looked at the Priest and he winked at me. Good! With such a partner I would go far.
"Hail, Cecil, Overlord of Cornwall! Hail and thrice hail! I heard that you were adventuring into the land of matrimony tonight, and if this lady by your side is your bride, then your adventurings will be sweet indeed. But you have many maidens here who are unwed. It came to me to select fifty of my young nobles and offer them in marriage to your lovely girls. With such marriages the friendship of Ireland and Cornwall will be truly made too strong to break.”
Then into the moonlight came fifty Irishmen in purple robes and golden armlets and gold chains around their necks and golden curls on their heads, and between them it was hard to choose. The Cornwall maidens could hardly wait till proper introductions were made. Then by the same magic that had ruled the entire evening, the couples instantly fell in love, and agreements were soon made so that after an hour of merrymaking there were fifty-one couples to be married by the Priest instead of one.
Naturally, every one went away happy. I as many as I could in my Castle, but at last came the hour when I was alone with my bride. She had slipped off her regal robes and placed upon her lovely body a silken gown that showed in every part the truth of her statement that she had come from Paradise. I determined to be stern with her. Now was the time to find out who was to rule.
"Why did you do it?” I asked.
"Why should I not? That night when Sir Mallory talked to you I hid behind the velvet curtains. What one woman can do, another can. You gave me the dresses and jewels and I made up my mind to use them. Of course, you remember the poem? You taught me that yourself and I just made a few changes in it.”
"I recognized the poetry at once,” I admitted. "I read it to you from the Exeter Book and the name of it is De Phoenice. Of course, it was clever of you and you looked more than beautiful as you rose out of the well.”
"Of course, I had to practise that. It was rather hard to climb the ladder, but I would do anything for you, Cecil dear. And it all ended just perfectly lovely. Just like one of those stories you used to read to me.”
She smiled at me so sweetly, she clung to me so graciously, she looked so adoringly into my eyes that all my reserve melted. I crushed her to me.
"Oh, Ruth, Ruth! I am so glad that it happened the way it did. No other woman would have had the courage to do it. I am glad that you are going to be my Queen. I do not believe that I shall ever be able to stop kissing you.”
We heard a little laugh. Turning, we faced the Priest.
"I just dropped in to say good-bye, and wish you all kinds of happiness. You are going far in the world. Cecil, Overlord of Cornwall, with such a woman for your wife. By the way, would you mind if I borrowed your copy of Elephantis? There is a Cardinal in Italy, a friend of mine, who has expressed the desire to see it.”
"That is all right,” I answered. "Just take it with you. Now that Ruth and I are married, I do not believe I shall care to spend as much time with Elephantis as I did.”
"You are going to find me much nicer,” cooed Ruth, as she clung closer to me.
The Key to Cornwall
[Stirring Science Stories 1941-02]
The Overlord of Cornwall sat dreaming before the fire. He had never, even in his prime, been a large man; now age slowly has shrunk him till only his eyes held the youth that once was his. On the other side of the fire stood his son, Eric.
The men there waiting for the wise physician to announce the birth of Eric’s child, who in turn would some day rule all the land. Cecil had found this country of Cornwall a land of starved, simple folk, horrific monsters and still more terrible giants. His wisdom, more than his strength at arms, had wiped out evil till Cornwall was a pleasant place to live in. In time his only son, Eric the Golden, had married Black Breda, Princess of Wales. It was an odd marriage, the man a flaxen haired giant and the woman a black haired little female with great love in her heart and the laughter of pixies in her soul.
The old man stroked the golden key which hung pendant to a thick silken cord round his neck. He looked at his son.
“I am not easy about this matter of Breda and her child,” he said. “Long years ago I came to this land from France and in various ways won victory over the Toad Men and became Overlord of the land. My friend, in that struggle of right over might and light over darkness, gave me this key. On it are graven words of a race so long dead that none can read it, but the meaning of those words is simply this,
‘They who hold this golden key,
Shall ever lords of Cornwall be,’
“Thus far the prophecy on the key has been correct. In one way or another I have held the land for you and for those who come after you. We have made peace with those around us, have held our borders against those who lived by the sword. Our nobles rule wisely and our common folk are content.
“But yesterday I had a dream. Mayhap it was only a foreboding of evil caused by overanxiety concerning your lady and her travail, but it seemed to me that a few of the Toad Men still lived to do me and mine harm. I thought they were all dead, but it may be that evil never completely dies. You have heard me speak of this key before, but keep in mind the ancient words. Tell your son about them and have him tell his son. Long as we hold the key we hold Cornwall, but once it is taken Cornwall sinks back to the barbarism in which I found it.”
Cecil would have said more, but was interrupted by the old physician. He walked before the fire and stood there rubbing his withered hands, though it was springtime and the air was warm. At last he turned to Eric, and as though answering a question, said:
“Your Lady will live, Prince Eric, but she will bear you no more children.”
The golden haired giant sprang toward him, shook him rudely by shoulders and cried,
“What of the child? Is it a boy? Will he live?”
Lord Cecil leaned forward, hands gripping arms of his ivory chair. The physician laughed.
“ Tis a boy and he will live, though when you see him you will think it had been better had he died. Through him we are revenged for those of the Toad Men who died untimely that night Cecil, the pauper poet, slew us in his pride.”