"It is growing late and she will soon be here."In a great hurry the dwarfs caught up the link from the water and laid it on the anvil again, and then they all stood back from it.Every noise has ceased through all the forges, and the dwarfs were waiting in breathless stillness as though for something to happen.
Suddenly, in the silence, Teddy heard a faint tinkling as though of icicles struck lightly together, and at the same moment he saw that a woman all in white had entered the forge down at the other end.Her dress shone with all different colors, just as icicles do when they hang in the sunlight, and as the light of the fire caught it here and there, it almost looked as though it were on fire.Her hair was very black, and she wore a crown.
She stepped up to the anvil that was in the forge and laid her hand upon it.She was too far away for Teddy to see what she did, but there was a clink as of something breaking, and a low wail arose from the dwarfs that stood near by.Then she passed on to the next anvil, and to the next, and to the next, and at each one she paused and touched the link that lay upon it, and always at that there was a clink, and a wail arose from the dwarfs.
At last she came to the very forge where Teddy was, but he had drawn back behind the stone archway and she did not see him.Gliding to the anvil, she stretched out her white finger and laid it upon the link that the dwarfs had made, and instantly, as soon as she touched it, the iron flew into pieces with a clink.
The dwarfs burst into a low wail, but the woman with the crown struck her hands together and stamped her foot in a rage."Fools! fools!" she cried."Not yet one link that will not fly into pieces at a touch.But you shall make the chain, though it should take your very hearts to do it."Then, still scowling until her beautiful face was like a thunder-cloud, and without a single glance at the trembling dwarfs, she glided from the forge and was gone.
The dwarf who held the pincers drew his arm across his forehead to wipe off the sweat."Come," said he, "let us set to work, for now it's all to be done over again.""But tell me first," said Teddy, "what does this all mean, and who is this woman with a crown who comes and breaks your links with a touch as soon as you have finished them?""Ah! that is a long, sad story," said the dwarf who held the pincers.
"Yes, it is a long, sad story," echoed the others."You tell him, Leatherkin," they added.
"Well," said Leatherkin, sitting down on a rock that lay close by, "it's this way.This mountain where we live is only one of many that are called the Fire Mountains, because their rocks are so red, and because they are all full of forges.Here we dwarfs used to live happily enough, for our good King Fireheart was so rich and strong that no one dared to make war on us, and we were left in peace to do what we would.
"King Fireheart, however, was not contented, for he wanted to see the world, so one day he set out on a journey, no one knew whither, leaving the country in the charge of his foster-brother.
"While he was away the Ice-Queen came with all her white spearsmen and attacked the country and conquered it.Then she set us all to work, for she knew that in all the world there were no such smiths as the dwarfs of the Fire King's country, and not until we have forged her the magic chain that binds all but one's self will she set us free to go about out own affairs again.
"That is why we are all working to forge the links, and if we could but make one that would stand so much as a touch of her finger we would have hopes of making it, but so far not one has been made but what flies into pieces at her lightest touch.
"But there," he added; "we must set to work, for the days are all too short for what we have to do.""Wait a bit," said Teddy, "I should like to have a stroke at that chain myself.Will you lend me a hammer and let me try?""No, no," cried the dwarfs, shaking their heads."We have no time to waste in lending out hammers and anvil.""Look!" said Teddy, taking off his ruby girdle and holding it out to them."You shall have this if you will let me try."The dwarfs' eyes glittered, and they took the girdle and all crowded around to look and handle it, for they had never seen such fine rubies before, not even down in the middle of the earth; and at last they told Teddy that they would lend him their hammers awhile in exchange for the ruby girdle."Though what can you do with them?" they said, "for look at your hands; they are white and smooth, and not hairy and strong like ours.""Never you mind," said Teddy, "for sometimes white, smooth hands can do the work that others can't," and he took one of their hammers in his hand as he spoke.
"What will you have to work with?" they asked.
"Oh, anything at all," said Teddy, "if it is no more than an old nail, so that it is something to begin with."The dwarfs laughed, and picking up an old nail that was on the floor they laid it upon the anvil.
