Tears fell upon his cheeks,

And so he laid her down;

His loving bride forever to sleep,

In the cold, cold ground.

"Lie still in wormy earth my love,

Your death I shall avenge;

Soon they'll dine on cold steel my love,

And I on bitter sweet revenge."

With these words he straddled his mount,

And fast he began to ride;

Through the woods to the castle,

To avenge his loving bride.

Proudly he rode to the castle gate,

But all was locked and barred;

Then out from the shadows,

There stumbled a drink stupored guard.

"What are ye doin' my foin young man,

Out on such a night?

With the wind whippen through the trees,

And no moon to lend it's light."

"I am a weary traveler,

And I've journeyed from afar;

Tonight I seek a nice warm bed,

And a strong drink at a bar."

"Well come into the gate house,

And have some of me home made ale;

Ye can rest your bones for a while,

Then continue on your trail."

They entered the gate together,

And began telling tales;

Words ran from their lips like water,

And freely flowed the ale.

Hours later he left him,

Slumped over the table in sleep;

And he stole into the castle,

Through the gate in the keep.

He hit his shin in the darkness,

But felt not the pain in his leg;

His mind was filled with hatred,

And his heart was numbed by rage.

He crept silently through the night,

Until he found what he was searching for;

He took a moment to listen,

And the quietly opened the door.

He came upon the Lord,

Fast asleep in bed;

Then a wicked gleam came into his eyes,

As an evil thought filled his head.

"Wake up you murderous bastard,

You shall pay for what you have done;

You have taken everything from me,

And stolen my beloved one.'

'You killed my new married wife,

While on a journey I was away;

And I swear by the gods of my fathers,

For that great crime you shall pay!"

With that he took hold of him,

And yanked him from his bed;

Then he made him kneel upon the floor,

And firmly grasped his head.

"If on this night you should kill me,"

The lord of the castle said;

"My kinsmen shall hunt you down,

And then they shall take your head."

"Your kinsmen can kill my body,

But my soul has already died;

You killed it when you lay with,

And murdered my new married bride."

They found their lord the next morning,

His arms and legs tied to the bed,

And on the floor his torso,

And on the chair his head.

They searched the land for his murderer,

But they never found a trace;

For no one saw his shade in the night,

Or his well worn face.

They found the body of the husband,

Beside the grave of his wife;

For it appeared that after he buried her,

He had taken his own life.