Thus, hand in hand, they descended to the lake, and then Thora took from the boat her three-sided harp, and thus they wandered down by the streamlet which flowed from the lake to the sea, and on to the bay, towards the west.
And the ship, which from the west had held her course towards the island, was the Singing Swan.
There, at a short distance, she now lay at anchor in the bay; her sails shining brightly in the evening light. And the ship's boat glided over the water towards the shore, to bring Halfred and the smaller boat, rowed by Hartvik and Eigil.
And the blood brethren sprang on shore, and marvelled greatly, when they saw Halfred stand there, hand in hand with a wonderfully beautiful woman. Silently their glances questioned him.
But Halfred spoke, twining his arms round the slender girl--
"This is Thora the golden-eyed. King Thorul's daughter.
"She was hidden from me here, and clad in boy's clothing that I might not find her.
"Nevertheless I have found her, according to the course of the stars and the will of the Gods--Love her as myself--for she is my wife."
And now it was very wonderful to see what a wholly different man Halfred had became since he had won Thora.
He threw off his tattered clothing, and clad himself in the most costly royal raiment of scarlet and rich gold, which lay stored away as a special treasure among the spoils of the Singing Swan.
He quaffed the sparkling Chios wine from a silver cup, and eagerly pledged Thora in Freya's love.
He played often upon her harp, and sang new songs far more beautiful and ardent, and moving according to a melody which he invented, and called "Thora's melody."
And his youth seemed to be given back to him, for the deep furrows vanished from his forehead, his eyes, which had always been cast down, as though he revolved the past, or his own thoughts, now looked brightly upwards again, and around his lips again played joyously the smile of Oski.
And he stirred not night or day from his young wife's side; and was never weary of stroking her long golden hair, or looking deep into her golden joyfully glistening eyes.
But in the night he often held her high aloft in his arms, and silently showed her to the silent stars.
And he had himself seized the helm, to turn the Singing Swan towards the south, for he said, "Thora shall see the islands of the blest, in the blue Grecian waters, where marble statues, white and slender as herself, look out from among evergreen laurels."