The Brothers Lionheart

I wondered, too, what Mathias would say when he found Orvar in his hideout. How glad he would be. All that, I sat and thought about.

But dusk began to fall, and then I realized that I would perhaps have to spend the whole night there. Jonathan wouldn’t have time to get back before dark. It was creepy, and anxiety began to crawl over me as dusk fell; I felt very lonely.

Then suddenly I saw a woman riding along high up on the riverbank, and it was none other than Sofia, yes indeed, Sofia, and never had I been so pleased to see her as at that moment.

“Sofia!” I cried. “Sofia, here I am!”

I crawled out of the tree and waved arms, but it was a long time before I could make her understand that it really was me.

“But, Karl,” she called, “how did you get here? And where is Jonathan? Wait a minute, while we come down to you. We must water the horses, anyway.”

Then I saw two men behind her, also mounted. I recognized one first---Hubert. The other man was hidden, but then he rode up and I saw him. it was Jossi.

But it couldn’t be Jossi---I thought perhaps I had gone mad and was seeing things. Sofia couldn’t have come here with Jossi! What had gone wrong? Was Sofia mad too, or had I just dreamt that Jossi was a traitor? No, no, I hadn’t dreamt it; he was a traitor! I wasn’t seeing things, here he was, and what would happen now?

He came riding down toward the rover in the half-light and he called from a distance:

“Well, look who’s here, little Karl Lionheart. fancy meeting you again!”

All three of them came down, and I stood still waiting for them with only one thought in my head. Help, what will happen now?

They jumped down from their horses, and Sofia came running up to me and flung her arms around me, so glad that her eyes were shining.

“Are you out hunting wolves again?” said Hubert, laughing.

But I stood there without speaking, just staring.

“Where are you going?” I managed to get out at last.