of heart, from which full many a
lusty knight and a good must die."

"Now bide a time," spake the good king, "till I bethink me better; then
ye shall know my mind. Have I aught of trusty men, I will not withhold
from them these startling tales, but will make complaint thereof unto my
friends."

To Gunther, the mighty king, it was loth enow, but in his heart he bare
the speech in secret wise. He bade Hagen be fetched and others of his
men, and sent eftsoon to court for Gernot. Then came the very best of
men that could be found. The king spake: "Men would seek us here in this
our land with mighty armies, now make ye wail for that."

To this Gernot, a brave and lusty knight, made answer: "That will we
fend indeed with swords. Only the fey (2) will fall. So let them die;
for their sake I will not forget my honor. Let these foes of ours be
welcome to us."

Then spake Hagen of Troneg: "This thinketh me not good. Liudegast and
Liudeger bear great arrogance; nor can we summon all our men in such
short time. Why tell ye not Siegfried of the thing?" So spake the
valiant knight.

To the messengers they bade give lodging in the town. Whatever hate they
bore them, yet Gunther, the mighty, bade purvey them well, as was but
right, till he discovered of his friends who there was who would lend
him aid. Yet in his fears the king was ill at ease. Just then full
blithe a knight, who wot not what had happed, saw him thus sad and
prayed King Gunther to tell him of the matter. "Much it wondereth me,"
spake Siegfried, for he it was, "that ye thus have changed your merry
wont, which ye have used thus far with us."

To this Gunther, the stately knight, replied: "It liketh me not to tell
all folk the grievance which I must bear within my heart in secret wise.
Only to trusty friends should one confide his woe of heart."

At this Siegfried's color waxed both pale and red. To the king he spake:
"I have denied you naught and will gladly help you turn aside your
woes. And ye seek friends, I will be one of them and trow well to deport
myself with honor until mine end."

"Now God reward you, Sir Siegfried, your speech thinketh me good, and
though your prowess help me not, yet do I rejoice to hear that ye are
friend to me, and live I yet a while, I shall repay you well. I will
let you hear why I stand thus sad; from the messengers of my foes I
have heard that they would visit me with war, a thing which knights have
never done to us in all the