Arngeir went up the hall at once, and stood before the king, and greeted
him in the English way, which seemed strange to me after the two years
of Danish customs; and then Alsi bade him tell his errand.
"I have come from Goldberga of East Anglia, and from Havelok the Dane,
her husband, to say that she has returned to her land, and would ask
that you would give her the throne that you have held for her since the
day that her father made you her guardian. It has been said that she
might ask you to give account of your management of the realm to her;
but that she does not wish to do, being sure that all will be rightly
done in the matter, and she only asks to be set in the place that was
her father's."
So said Arngeir, plainly, and I could see that the thanes thought the
words good.
And Alsi answered, "Has this matter been put before the Witan of the
East Angles?"
I suppose that he thought to hear Arngeir say that there had been no
time for so doing at present, but my brother was readier than I should
have been.
"Doubtless it has," he said, "for that was your own promise to Goldberga
on her marriage."
At that Alsi flushed, and his brows wrinkled. He had said nothing to the
Witan at all, but had waited in hopes that he should hear no more of his
niece, telling the tale that we had heard.
"I have had no answer from them," he said at last, for Arngeir was
looking at him in a way that he could not meet.
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