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.In the worst case Helena could marry in her own land for the sake of peace, to some Folkung or even an Erik.As long as no decision had been reached, she was allowed to remain unattended, becoming ever more beautiful.Actually King Sverker should have consigned her to one of his own clan’s cloisters, to Vreta or Gudhem, to better prepare her for the bridal ale with the man he eventually selected.But she was too dear to him.She reminded him of a time when he was happier than now in his position as king.Her mother Benedikta had been a lovely and fair woman, while his new queen Ingegerd was hard and coarse of mouth and as hungry for power as a man.As soon as she bore him a son she had played all sorts of tricks so that she no longer had to take him to her bed.And she constantly nagged him both about petty matters and about intrigues that were dangerous enough to cost them all their lives.Helena was like a beautiful memory and a constant reminder of happier times.That was why he didn’t want to send her to a convent.But he would have done so in an instant if he knew who she was meeting at night.Now these rendezvous were certainly chaste, for Helena had sworn to God never to let any man enter her bedchamber at night.Her room had once served as the council chamber of the realm, but now it was much too small for the growing royal council.It was situated high up in the eastern tower at Näs, and a wild vine grew on the wall, enabling an eager young man to climb up to the window.Helena lit two candles in her window as the signal.After his victory in the warrior games Sune had been given command of part of the guards.So it was no problem for him to visit the walls at night, as if he were going to check that all the guards were attending to their duties.Many were their passionate meetings at her window; he may not have entered her bedchamber but he did enter her heart.He would stay until his arms grew numb from holding onto the wild vine, which took a long time because he was stronger than most and more eager than them all.They refused to reconcile themselves to the fact that she was the daughter of a king, destined to be married to someone better than a guard.They found it utterly irrelevant that she was a Sverker and he a Folkung, and they promised each other eternal faithfulness after only two weeks when he ventured to lean forward and kiss her for the first time.Because their love was as hopeless as it was great, Helena also told him things that would have been viewed as treason if anyone had heard.But she had only one person in whom to confide.So one night in late summer Sune learned that the days of Erik jarl and his brothers were numbered.Queen Ingegerd had demanded their lives for the safety of her own son Johan and his legitimate inheritance of the crown of the realm.Often she had dripped her venom like the Serpent in the king’s ear, and she claimed to have discovered that the Eriks were merely waiting for the right moment to kill him.She was constantly seeing secret signs that a conspiracy was growing at Näs.Finally King Sverker gave in.The Eriks would be drowned and delivered to Varnhem for burial, and there would be no mark on their bodies from either sword or dagger wounds.The story would be that they were out fishing for trout and that an unexpected autumn storm on Lake Vättern had blown up and taken their lives.Sune was doubly filled with sorrow when he heard this news.The lives of the Erik royal brothers may not have been his greatest concern, but the information he had now received was such that he would have to return to Forsvik.That meant being separated from Helena.Otherwise he would have to find a way to warn the Eriks.At evening meals he often sat right next to Erik jarl and his brothers, although they all refused to talk to him.They treated him as if he were invisible, as a traitor deserved.Loudly so that everyone could hear, Erik jarl had complained more than once that Ebbe Sunesson hadn’t been able to lop off Sune’s head, but it might not be too late.As if it were a special insult to have to sit near Sune, the Erik brothers took turns.One evening when it was Erik jarl sitting beside him, the moment came that Sune had been waiting for with growing trepidation.Now he could not falter; it had to happen now.‘The king intends to drown you all and say that the storm took you while fishing.You don’t have much time to flee,’ he said in a low voice but with a smile as he handed a piece of meat to Erik jarl with a polite bow.‘And why should I believe a traitor like you?’ Erik jarl snorted, but not loudly.‘Because I am Sir Arn’s man and not the king’s, and because I would be a head shorter if anyone heard these words pass between us,’ replied Sune as he courteously poured the jarl more ale.‘Where can we flee?’ whispered Erik jarl, suddenly tense and serious.‘To Forsvik.There is shelter there and riders with Sir Arn,’ said Sune, raising his ale tankard.‘But you must hurry, you don’t have many nights left.’Erik jarl nodded gravely and to his brothers’ astonishment raised his ale tankard to Sune.Two days later the commotion was great when it was discovered that Erik jarl and his brothers had escaped.Nobody knew where and nobody knew how, and it did no good to whip the guards who had been on duty that night.The suspicious Queen Ingegerd cast long, suspicious looks at Sune.She thought she had seen Sune and Erik jarl having a brief, whispered conversation, contrary to their habits not so long ago.King Sverker thought it impossible that Sune, the brave and faithful warrior, could have warned the Erik brothers.For how could he have known what was going on in the minds of the king, the queen, or the marshal? Which of the three would have betrayed such a plan? Could Ebbe have confided in Sune, when his feelings about the guard were no secret after the ignominious defeat? If not, could he himself or the queen have done such a thing? No, the Eriks had been lucky and that was all.Besides, it was clear as water that they had not had occasion to thrive at Näs.The king then did the only thing he could do.He promised two marks in pure gold to anyone who could bring him information about where the Eriks were hiding, because they certainly hadn’t been swallowed up by the earth.It took a year before he learned that all four of them were hiding at an estate in the northern part of Western Götaland, a Folkung estate called Älgarås.Then he ordered Ebbe Sunesson to equip a hundred horsemen and bring the four back alive, although just their heads would suffice.Sune found out that the Eriks had been discovered and were doomed to die.The same night that Sune heard this news, he was thrown into the tower dungeon by order of the queen, who had always suspected him.From the tower dungeons he heard the rattling of stirrups and weapons.It meant that the king’s hundred riders were preparing to leave at dawn, and he cursed himself.He had pursued this game too long, and he lamented the fact that love had brought him not only his own death, but that of the four royal sons.It had also led to despair, which was a great sin.He who despaired dug his own grave.He began to pray to Saint Örjan, the protector of knights and the noble-minded.When the night was at its darkest there was a rattle of keys at his cell door, and two men in dark clothes came in and took him gently but silently up the stairs.Helena was waiting for him.They said a hurried and whispered farewell.She was now going to be sent to Vreta cloister, and she wanted him to swear to fetch her from there.He had at first trembled and hesitated at the thought of stealing a maiden from a convent, which was one of the lowest deeds a man could commit [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]