The Fairies and the Christmas Child Page 7

  Chapter VII

  In the Dwarf's Palace.

  Now I knew that Germany was the very country for Dwarfs and Fairies,and when I heard that this was where we were going next I determined tobe on the look out. I did not see them, though, for a long time after wearrived, for I was so tremendously interested in everything else. Evenin the big cities where Father spent hours and hours in the hospitals,watching the wonderful things that the German doctors did, most of thechildren looked plump and rosy, and I didn't see any so thin and paleas those we had left at home. One of the Herr Professors, with whom westayed, said that this was because the State made so kind a Grandmother,but when I asked him what he meant, he only laughed.

  I liked this professor best of all--he had such a nice way of talking,and he loved Fairies as much as I do. He said "_Ach! So!_" when I toldhim I was a Christmas Child, and smiled all over his kind old face. Thenhe put his hand on my shoulder, and told me that I must remember to domy part to make my birthday the gladdest day in the year for everyonearound me.

  "It is different in your country," he went on, "but here, in theFatherland, there is scarcely a cottage home which has not its Christmastree, even if this is only a branch of fir stuck in a broken pot, andhung with oranges and golden balls. No child is so poor but has hisChristmas presents of cakes and toys, for if his mother cannot providethem, she tells his teacher in good time, and the teacher sees that heis not forgotten."

  I thought this was a ripping plan, for it is horrid when Santa Clausforgets you, and your stockings hang all limp and flat, like mine didlast year. And I made up my mind, then and there, that next Christmasthere should be a tree for all the littlest and grubbiest children in myold home.

  While Father was at the hospitals with the Herr Professor, I stayed withRudolf and Gretchen, two of his grandchildren--fat little things withbig blue eyes, who stared at me as if I had seven heads when I told themabout the Korrigans. Gretchen believed in Fairies of all kinds, butRudolf only in Dwarfs and Giants. He even said that Santa Claus wasjust his own father dressed up, and declared he had seen his old brownpipe peeping out of Santa Claus' pocket the last time he paid them avisit. Gretchen said that if so, Santa Claus had taken away the oldbrown pipe to bring a lovely new one in its place, and Rudolf told hergirls knew too much. They were both angry by this time, and their faceslooked very red. So I thought we had better talk about Dwarfs andGiants.

  "Grandfather says there are no Giants now," Rudolph said seriously, "butthere are plenty of Dwarfs in the hill which looks down on the forest. Isaw one there myself last summer; he ran away and wouldn't speak to me,as if he were afraid."

  Without saying anything to Rudolf, who might have wanted to come too, Istarted for the hill directly after dinner, while he and Gretchen werearguing again over the pipe and Santa Claus. The Professor's house wasjust at the end of the town, so I didn't have far to go; but the hilltook much longer to climb than I thought it would, and I was quite outof breath when I reached the top and sat down on a flat white stone. AsI looked about me, I swung my foot, and it tapped against a biggish rockthat was just in front. The third time that I did this, a little brownman hopped briskly out of a crevice and stood before me. He wore abright red coat trimmed with green buttons, and carried in his hand aclose-fitting cap of grey.

  Fat little things, with big blue eyes.]

  "Gently, gently, good child!" he cried. "One knock is enough, if we wantto hear it, for our ears are as keen as we could wish. Why did you callme, and what would you have?"

  "I would hear of you, and of your kinsmen, Master Dwarf!" I said. "I ama Christmas Child, and the Fairies are all my friends."

  At this he bowed, and said he was glad to meet me, nodding his head witha sort of grunt as I told him where I had met Titania.

  "If it be your pleasure," he said, looking round to see that no one wasnear but me, "I will take you within the hill, and introduce you to mywife. The ground whereon you stand is hollow, as you will soon perceive,and we are less than a stone's throw from my palace."

  I told him that nothing would please me more than to pay him a visit,and muttering a word in some strange language, he rapped his knuckles ona cleft in the rock. It widened sufficiently to let us both through, andclosed again with a thud.

  The winding passage in which I found myself was lit by a soft red glow,coming from hundreds of rubies set deep in the walls, which seemed tobe of oxidised silver. After several twists and turns, it ended in awide hall, where I could just stand upright under the jewelled dome! Assoon as my eyes grew accustomed to the blaze of light which came fromthe diamond stars set round it, I saw a sweet little creature in a frockof pale purple silk, cut short in the sleeves to show her pretty whitearms, on which she wore many bracelets.

  "My wife!" said the Dwarf proudly, and he explained to her who I was andwhat I wanted, and a great deal more about me that I was astonished heshould know. My surprise amused him a good deal, and as his wife led theway to her boudoir he chuckled merrily.

  "There are Kobolds, or House-Spirits in most old houses," he remarked,"and it is more than two hundred years since the first stone was laid ofthe Herr Professor's. I knew this noon that you were coming, and theKobold spoke well of you, and said that you were not above taking advicefrom others wiser than yourself. Now, sir! What do you think of this?"And he opened a door with a great flourish, holding it back for me toenter.

  "It's grand!" I said, for so it was. The silver floor was inlaid witha gold scroll; the walls, of tinted mother-o'-pearl, were adorned withwreaths of forget-me-nots, each tiny turquoise flower having an ambercentre. The furniture was of filigree silver, so fragile to look atthat I was afraid to touch it, much less to sit down on one of the tinychairs, even if I could have fitted myself in. The Dwarf invited me tobe seated, and his small wife gave me a roguish smile as she brought avelvet cushion from an inner room, and placed this on the ground. Ifound afterwards that it was the Dwarfs own bed, and that his pillow wasmade of spun spider silk, filled with scented roseleaves and wild thyme.

  The Dwarf invited me to be seated.]

  "When you are rested and refreshed," said the Dwarf kindly, as hislittle spouse offered me a sip of nectar from a crystal goblet, "I willshow you my palace. There is not much to see, for we are humble folk,and this hill comparatively a small one. The estates of some of ournobles extend for miles, and that of our Emperor runs through a rangeof mountains. In times gone by we welcomed mortals as our guests, forwe were anxious to be their friends. But they grudged us even a handfulof peas in return, and met our advances with jeers. Now we keep to ourhills as far as possible, and when we desire to walk abroad, we arecareful to wear our mist caps, which render us quite invisible."

  He sighed so deeply that the dainty lace cap poised on his wee wife'shair was almost blown away, and then, straightening his bent shoulders,he took me to see his Banquet Hall. The curtains were all of filigreesilver, fine as lace, and on the walls of the kitchen, where silentlittle men in big white aprons kneaded cakes on crystal slabs, shoneruby and sapphire butterflies.

  But this was nothing to what I saw in the long low vault where the Dwarfkept his treasures. At one end was a shimmering heap of pearls, somelarger than pigeons' eggs; at another, a conical mound of diamonds,which threw out marvellous lights as the Dwarf stirred them gently withone small hand.

  "We know the properties of each stone," he said; "how some givestrength, and some wisdom and power to rule, while others still stirup strife and envy, and make men merciless as beasts of prey. Thatruby you see has an evil history; a woman gave her soul for it, andthousands were slain in her cause."

  I picked up the beautiful, glowing gem, and fancied I saw the face of anevil demon grinning at me from its depths. Dropping it quickly, I lookedinstead at a pile of rings at the other side of the vault. One inparticular drew my attention; it was of beaten gold, with a curiousstone set deep in its centre. As I held it aloof and stared at it, Icaught a glimpse of a waving meadow, with a tiny path leading past abrook.

  "That is the ring which the Queen of Lombardy gave to her son, Otnit,"said the Dwarf. "Come with me to the Court of Rest, and you shall hearthe story."

  This was the loveliest place which I had yet seen in the palace. Acircle of orange trees in full bloom enclosed a space round a ripplingfountain, where from the gleaming beak of an opal bird a stream of watersplashed into an emerald basin. The invisible wind that stirred thepetals of the orange blossom brought with it the swish of the sea, andsomewhere, far off, a nightingale was singing.

  The Dwarf seated himself on one of the velvet cushions strewn on theground, and motioning me to take another, began his tale.

  Dwarf Elberich and the Emperor.

  "Otnit, Emperor of Lombardy, was one of the greatest kings that everlived. By force of wisdom more than by might, he subdued the surroundingnations, and his people looked up to him as to a god. When the time camefor him to wed, no maid in his wide dominions pleased his fancy, forthe wife he pictured in his dreams was sweet and simple, though of royalbirth, and quite unspoiled by praise and flattery. He told his ministersthis, and they shrugged their shoulders.

  'His Majesty desires the impossible!' they whispered amongst themselves,and so it seemed until the Emperor's Uncle Elias, the wild-bearded Kingof the Russians, told him of a highborn maid who was as good as she wasbeautiful, and had never yet been wooed by man.

  'She shines o'er other women as bright roses do!' he cried, and Otnitvowed to win her.

  On the eve of his departure for Syria, where she dwelt with her fatherthe Soldan, Otnit's mother gave him the ring you held, bidding him takehis horse and ride toward Rome while gazing at the gem in the ring, thatwhat he saw there might direct his path. The Emperor smiled, but wishingto humour her, did as she requested, and rode through the silverstarlight thinking of his fair maid. At early dawn, when the welkin rangwith the song of birds, he saw mirrored in the ring a narrow pathwaytrodden in the green grass. Making his way by this fragrant road, hereached a linden tree by a lake. Here he stayed his courser, and sprangto the ground, peering beneath its boughs.

  'Never yet from tree came so sweet-breathing a wind,' he laughed; forlo! an infant lay on the grass, his fair white frock fringed with manygems. Otnit found it all he could do to lift him, in spite of hisstrength, but placing the little creature on the saddle, declared hisintention of taking him to the palace, and putting him in his mother'scare.

  But this did not please Dwarf Elberich, who for his own purpose hadtaken the form of an innocent babe. He offered Otnit such splendidransom of sword and shield to set him free, that the Emperor laid himdown again, and even allowed him to hold the magic ring, by the wearingof which it had been possible for him to see what is usually hidden frommortal sight.

  Now it was Elberich's turn, and being once more invisible, he teasedthe Emperor to his heart's content, dwelling on the anger of theQueen-Mother should she find that her gift was lost. Not until theEmperor was out of patience, and on the point of riding away didElberich restore the ring to him.

  'And now, O Otnit,' he said, 'since I see you love well your mother,whom I loved long ere you saw the light, I will help you to gain yourbride.'

  And Otnit was glad, for he knew that the word of a Dwarf is ever as goodas his bond.

  In the spring of the year, 'when all the birds were singing,' theEmperor called his friends together and bade them embark their troopswith his in the ships at anchor in the harbour. The waters of the baygleamed as a field of gold as the stately vessels glided over them, andfor long the carols of the birds on shore went with them on the breeze.Otnit's hopes were high as he paced the deck, though he grieved that theDwarf had not come to join him.

  At length the fleet reached the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean,and there King Otnit beheld a haven full of ships, far more in numberthan his own. 'I would that Elberich were here, for he is skilled inwarfare,' he murmured uneasily, for his men looked askance at the fleetbefore them. The words had barely left his lips when the sound of alaugh came from aloft, and straightway the Dwarf displayed himself. Hehad been in hiding amongst the rigging, and was now at hand to use hisFairy powers in Otnit's service.

  Elberich's gift of a small round stone, which he bade him thrust intohis cheek, conferred upon Otnit the gift of language, and enabled himto impersonate a rich merchant with so much success that his ship wasallowed to drop anchor in the harbour. When dusk had fallen, and allwas quiet, the Emperor disembarked, encamping with his troops among therock-hewn burial places of the ancient Phoenicians, which abounded onthat coast. Here he abode for three whole days, while Elberich soughtthe King of Syria, demanding his daughter's hand in marriage for hisroyal master. It was refused point blank, and, more than this, theSoldan ordered his unwelcome visitor to be put to death. But theflashing blades of the guards cut the empty air, and Elberich jeered atthem finely.

  Elberich had jeered him finely.]

  'Your daughter shall go to my lord of her own free will,' he cried tothe Soldan, 'and only so shall your skull be saved!' He then returned tothe Emperor, who bade his troops attack the city of Sidon.

  A desperate battle with the heathen followed; for awhile the enemy'snumbers triumphed, but not for long. The Emperor's charge swept allbefore him, and the Soldan's soldiers fell like corn before the scythe.Then the Dwarf led the army to the Syrian capital; and red as had beenthe field of Sidon, it was as nothing to that of Muntabur, where men'sblood flowed as a crimson river.

  While yet the battle was at its height, Elberich made his way, unseen,to an inner chamber of the Royal Palace, and though he had come torate the Princess for her father's obstinacy, words forsook him in herpresence. So fair a maid he had never seen; her mouth 'flamed like therose,' her flowing hair was the colour of rich red gold, and her lovelyeyes had the radiance of the moon. Elberich drew her to the window, andby the aid of his power over space, showed her King Otnit in the thickof the fight. The sun fell full on his upturned face, as, seated on hiswhite charger, he rallied his men for the final onslaught; he looked asbrave a knight as the Princess had ever seen, and she lowered her glanceas Elberich told her how she could save her father.

  'Death alone can wean King Otnit's desire to wed you,' he said. 'Hislove for you passes the love of man, and is withal as tender as that ofa woman for her child.'

  Much more Elberich spake to her to the same purpose, and at close of dayshe allowed him to lead her where he would. Together they passed througha secret passage beneath the Palace, and so through the royal gardens,to a path which wound down to the field of battle.

  Fighting had ceased for awhile, for the heathen had been sore smitten;and since his men had neither eaten nor slept for many long hours,the Emperor must needs let them rest until dawn. Full of impatience atthe delay which kept him from storming the walls that held the lady ofhis love, he paced his tent, and turned to find her standing before him.Her mouth flamed red as the reddest rose; her eyes had the lustre of theharvest moon, and her red-gold hair framed a snowy brow that was whiteas the breast of a swan. Bending his knee, he touched with his lips thehem of her gown, and when the Princess gave him her exquisite hand, hecould scarce breathe for rapture.

  "'She is yours, O Otnit!' cried the Dwarf"]

  'She is yours, O Otnit!' cried the Dwarf; and the Emperor lifted her onto his charger, speaking to her with such tender and kindly words thather fears were stilled. With Elberich perched on the horse's mane,they straightway rode to the coast, where the sails of the Emperor'svessel swelled roundly in the wind. On the summer seas of the blueMediterranean, they two were wed; and never had mortal man a sweeterwife, or maid a more gallant husband."