of that house was my father lord, and after him my eldest brother
Amald; and me they called Florian de Liliis.

Moreover, when my father was dead, there arose a feud between the
Lilies' house and Red Harald; and this that follows is the history of
it.

Lady Swanhilda, Red Harald's mother, was a widow, with one son. Red
Harald; and when she had been in widowhood two years, being of
princely blood, and besides comely and fierce. King Urrayne sent to
demand her in marriage. And I remember seeing the procession leaving
the town, when I was quite a child; and many young knights and squires
attended the Lady Swanhilda as pages, and amongst them, Amald, my
eldest brother.

And as I gazed out of the window, I saw him walking by the side of her
horse, dressed in white and gold very delicately; but as he went it
chanced that he stumbled. Now he was one of those that held a golden
canopy over the lady's head, so that it now sunk into wrinkles, and
the lady had to bow her head full low, and even then the gold brocade
caught in one of the long slim gold flowers that were wrought round
about the crown she wore. She flushed up in her rage, and her smooth
face went suddenly into the carven wrinkles of a wooden water-spout,
and she caught at the brocade with her left hand, and pulled it away
furiously, so that the warp and woof were twisted out of their place,
and many gold threads were left dangling about the crown; but
Swanhilda stared about when she rose, then smote my brother across the
mouth with her gilded sceptre, and the red blood flowed all about his
garments; yet he only turned exceeding pale, and dared say no word,
though he was heir to the house of the Lilies: but my small heart
swelled with rage, and I vowed revenge, and, as it seems, he did too.

So when Swanhilda had been queen three years, she suborned many of
King Urrayne's knights and lords, and slew her husband as he slept,
and reigned in his stead. And her son, Harald, grew up to manhood, and
was counted a strong knight, and well spoken of, by then I first put
on my armour.

Then, one night, as I lay dreaming, I felt a hand laid on my face, and
starting up saw Arnald before me fully armed. He said, "Florian, rise
and arm."

I did so, all but my helm, as he was.

He kissed me on the forehead; his lips felt hot and dry; and when they
bought torches, and I could see his face plainly, I saw he was very
pale. He said: "Do you remember, Florian, this day sixteen y