elf: the wedding was fixed for the morrow morn.

The next day at dawn Earl Godrich sent for Havelok, the mighty cook's
boy, and asked him: "Wilt thou take a wife?"

"Nay," quoth Havelok, "that will I not. I cannot feed her, much less
clothe and lodge her. My very garments are not my own, but belong to
the cook, my master." Godrich fell upon Havelok and beat him
furiously, saying, "Unless thou wilt take the wench I give thee for
wife I will hang or blind thee"; and so, in great fear, Havelok agreed
to the wedding. At once Goldborough was brought, and forced into an
immediate marriage, under penalty of banishment or burning as a witch
if she refused. And thus the unwilling couple were united by the
Archbishop of York, who had come to attend the Parliament.

Never was there so sad a wedding! The people murmured greatly at this
unequal union, and pitied the poor princess, thus driven to wed a man
of low birth; and Goldborough herself wept pitifully, but resigned
herself to God's will. All men now acknowledged with grief that she
and her husband could have no claim to the English throne, and thus
Godrich seemed to have gained his object. Havelok and his unwilling
bride recognised that they would not be safe near Godrich, and as
Havelok had no home in Lincoln to which he could take the princess, he
determined to go back to his faithful foster-father, Grim, and put the
fair young bride under his loyal protection. Sorrowfully, with grief
and shame in their hearts, Havelok and Goldborough made their way on
foot to Grimsby, only to find the loyal Grim dead; but his five
children were alive and in prosperity. When they saw Havelok and his
wife they fell on their knees and saluted them with all respect and
reverence. In their joy to see their king again, these worthy
fisherfolk forgot their newly won wealth, and said: "Welcome, dear
lord, and thy fair lady! What joy is ours to see thee again, for thy
subjects are we, and thou canst do with us as thou wilt. All that we
have is thine, and if thou wilt dwell with us we will serve thee and
thy wife truly in all ways!" This greeting surprised Goldborough, who
began to suspect some mystery, and she was greatly comforted when
brothers and sisters busied themselves in lighting fires, cooking
meals, and waiting on her hand and foot, as if she had been indeed a
king's wife. Havelok, however, said nothing to explain the mystery,
and Goldborough that night lay awake bewailing her fate as a t