“How so?” quoth Ralph.  Said Redhead:  “At Utterbol all do the will of the Lord of Utterbol, and he is so lustful and cruel, and so false withal, that his will shall be to torment the damsel to death, and to geld and maim thee; so that none hereafter shall know how goodly and gallant thou hast been.”

“Redhead,” quoth Ralph much moved, “though thou art in no knightly service, thou mayst understand that it is good for a friend to die with a friend.”

“Yea, forsooth,” said Redhead, “If he may do no more to help than that!  Wouldst thou not help the damsel?  Now when thou comest back from the quest of the Well at the World’s End, thou wilt be too mighty and glorious for the Lord of Utterbol to thrust thee aside like to an over eager dog; and thou mayst help her then.  But now I say to thee, and swear to thee, that three days after thou hast met thy beloved in Utterbol she will be dead.  I would that thou couldst ask someone else nearer to the Lord than I have been.  The tale would be the same as mine.”

Now soothly to say it, this was even what Ralph had feared would be, and he could scarce doubt Redhead’s word.  So he sat there pondering the matter a good while, and at last he said:  “My friend, I will trust thee with another thing; I have a mind to flee to the wildwood, and yet come to Utterbol for the damsel’s deliverance.”  “Yea,” said Redhead, “and how wilt thou work in the matter?” Said Ralph; “How would it be if I came hither in other guise than mine own, so that I should not be known either by the damsel or her tyrants?”

Said Redhead:  “There were peril in that; yet hope also.  Yea, and in one way thou mightest do it; to wit, if thou wert to find that Sage, and tell him thy tale:  if he be of good will to thee, he might then change not thy gear only, but thy skin also; for he hath exceeding great lore.”

“Well,” said Ralph, “Thou mayst look upon it as certain that on that aforesaid night, I will do my best to shake off this company of tyrant and thralls, unless I hear fresh tidings, so that I must needs change my purpose.  But I will ask thee to give me some token that all holds together some little time beforehand.”  Quoth Redhead:  “Even so shall it be; thou shalt see me at latest on the eve of the night of thy departure; but on the night before that if it be anywise possible.”

“Now will I go away from thee,” said Ralph, “and I thank thee heartily for thine help, and deem thee my friend.  And if thou think better of fleeing with me, thou wilt gladden me the more.”  Redhead shook his head but spake not, and Ralph went his ways down the dale.

CHAPTER 39

The Lord of Utterbol Makes Ralph a Free Man

He went to and fro that day and the next, and none meddled with him; with Redhead he spake not again those days, but had talk with Otter and David, who were blithe enough with him.  Agatha he saw not at all; nor the Lady, and still deemed that the white-skinned woman whom he had seen sitting by the Lord after the tilting was the Queen.