broad marches, he cried out, "Now say, friend Siegfried; knowest thou
whose are these castles and these fair lands? By my troth, I have never
in my life seen castles so many and so goodly as stand there before us.
A mighty man he must be that hath builded them."

Whereto Siegfried made answer, "Yea, I know well. They are all
Brunhild's - towers and lands, and the castle of Isenstein. I say sooth;
and many fair women shall ye behold this day. Now I counsel you, O
knights, for so it seemeth good to me, that ye be all of one mind and one
word; we must stand warily before Brunhild the queen. And when we see
the fair one amidst of her folk, be sure that ye tell all the same story:
that Gunther is my lord, and I his liegeman. So shall he win to his
desire. Yet this I do less for love of thee than for the fair maid, thy
sister, that is to me as my soul and mine own body, and for whom I gladly
serve, that I may win her to wife."

They promised with one accord, and none gainsayed him through pride, the
which stood them in good stead when the king came to stand before
Brunhild.


Seventh Adventure
How Gunther Won Brunhild

Meanwhile the ship was come nigh to the castle, and the king saw many
fair maidens that stood above at the windows. It irked him that he knew
them not, and he said to Siegfried, his friend, "Knowest thou aught of
these maidens that look down at us on the sea? Howso their lord hight,
they are, certes, right noble."