Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine — Part 100

That night he dispatched Gerbert on a mission to the grand prior of the Knights-Templars, who had his abode at the neighbouring castle of Lahneck. The unsuspecting squire took the sealed missive and set out, thinking as he rode along how rich he was in possessing so sweet a love as Ida, and dreaming of the time when his valour and prowess should have made their marriage possible. But his dreams would have been rudely disturbed had he seen what was passing at Coblentz. For his betrothed, in spite of her tears and pleadings, was being secretly conveyed to the nunnery of Oberwörth, there to remain until she should have forgotten her lover—as though the stone walls of a convent could shut out the imaginings of a maid! However, Gerbert knew nothing of this, and he rode along in leisurely fashion, until at length he came to the Schloss Lahneck, where he was at once conducted into the presence of the grand prior of the Knights-Templars.

The grand prior was a man of middle age, with an expression of settled melancholy on his swarthy features. Gerbert approached him with becoming reverence, bent his knee, and presented the missive.

The prior turned his gaze so earnestly on the young man’s face that Gerbert dropped his eyes in confusion. A moment later the prior broke the seal and hastily scanned the letter.

“Who mayest thou be, youth?” he asked abruptly.

“Guba von Isenburg,” was the astonished Gerbert’s reply.

The prior seemed to be struggling with deep emotion.

“Knowest thou the purport of this missive?” he said at last.

“It concerns me not,” answered Gerbert simply.

“Nay, my son,” said the prior, “it doth concern thee, and deeply, too. Know that it is thy death-warrant, boy! The Freiherr has requested me to send thee to the wars in Palestine, and so to place thee that death will be a certainty. This he asks in the name of our ancient friendship and for the sake of our order, to which he has ever shown himself well disposed.”

Seeing the dismay and incredulity which were depicted in his listener’s face, the prior hastened to read aloud a passage describing von Metternich’s discovery of his daughter’s love for the humble squire, and Gerbert could no longer doubt that his fate was sealed.