has won the hand of my lady sister.'

'Nay,' cried the impatient Queen, 'thou must tell me without delay or
never will I be thy wife,' and Brunhild arose and stepped down from
the throne.

King Gunther was displeased with the Queen's impatience, yet lest his
guests should be disturbed, he answered her quickly:

'The hero Siegfried has as many castles as have I, and his realms are
broader. In truth he is no vassal of mine. Ere long he will be King of
the Netherlands.'

Brunhild could but hide her anger now, yet in her heart she disliked
Siegfried more than she had done before. It did not please her that he
should be a greater king than Gunther.

When the banquet was ended, the wedding was celebrated, and the King
placed a crown upon the brow of the haughty bride, for now she was his
wife, and Queen of his fair realm of Burgundy.

Siegfried too was wedded to the maiden whom he loved so well, and
though he had no crown to place upon her brow, the Princess was well
content.

As wedding gifts the hero gave to his dear wife the treasure he had
won from the Nibelungs, also the girdle and the ring which he had
taken from Brunhild in her contests with King Gunther.

With his merry laugh Siegfried told his wife how he had fought for her
royal brother, himself unseen, because he had on his Cloak of
Darkness. And Kriemhild listening thought never had she known so fair,
so brave a knight.

For fourteen days the wedding festivities never ceased. Then King
Gunther and Prince Siegfried scattered costly gifts among their
guests, so that they returned to their own lands in great glee.

No sooner were the guests departed than Siegfried also began to make
ready to journey to his own country. Fain would he take his beautiful
wife to see Siegmund and Sieglinde, and to dwell in the land over
which one day he would be king.

Kriemhild, too, was glad to go to her dear lord's country. Taking a
loving farewell of her lady mother, Queen Ute, and of her royal
brothers, with five hundred knights of Burgundy and thirty-two
Burgundian maids, Kriemhild rode away, Sir Siegfried by her side.

CHAPTER XIII

SIEGFRIED GOES HOME WITH KRIEMHILD

In the court of the Netherlands there was great gladness, for tidings
had come that Prince Siegfried and his beautiful wife were already on
their homeward way.

King Siegmund rejoiced, and resolved that now indeed his son should
wear the crown.

Sieglinde wept for joy, then dried her tea