Niebelungenlied: Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Enter King Etzel, recently widowed, of Hunland. (Funny, I didn't know the Huns were out of Vienna. Oh well)

King Etzel's friends: Dude, you should lay Siegfried's wife.

King Etzel: But. . .I'm not Christian.

King Etzel's friends: Pfft. Who cares? Do her anyway. She's hot.

King Etzel: K! Ruediger, if you can go there and win her for me, I'll give you presents ^_^.

Ruediger: Fine.

King Etzel:

“When now wilt thou fare
To seek the lovely lady? / God of thee have care
To keep thee on thy journey / and eke a wife to me.
Therein good fortune help me, / that she to us shall gracious be.”

(notice the reference to God, lol. Heathen my ass.)

Ruediger stops by at his own estate with his men on the way to Worms, to tell his wife and daughter what's going on:

 “My master now hath sent me / to woo him other wife,
Since that by death was ended / the fair [Queen] Helke’s life." <-- really? Her life was ended? By death?

Ruediger's wife dresses all the knights up nice, and then off they got to Gunther's court.

Gunther: Who're they?
Hagen: Huns, sir.
Gunther: What do you want
Ruediger: To get your sister to marry my king, sir.
Gunther: Meh, I'm fine with it. Go ask her.
Hagen: IF SHE MARRIES A KING, SHE'LL RAISE AN ARMY AGAINST US *paranoid twitch*

Hagen's dire warnings aside, Kriemhild's brothers attempt to persuade her to marry King Etzel. She is adamantly against it, although she does agree to speak to Ruediger.

Scene:

Kriemhild, surrounded by her ladies, all in fine dress, is not looking so fine herself. She is dishevelled, wearing poor clothes, and sobbing her eyes out. Ruediger winces, shrugs, and kneels before her

Ruediger: My king Etzel is in love with you. He's been widowed too, you know.
Kriemhild: I've been widowed more! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE LOST!
Ruedigar: Yes, well. . .perhaps you could seek solace in one another. . .
Kriemhild: I SHALL NEVER MARRY AGAIN! There is no solace for the loss I have endured!
Ruedigar: But --
Kriemhild: Talk to me tomorrow.

Exit, Ruediger and his men. Enter Kriemhild's mother and youngest (nicest) brother, Giselher.

Kriemhild: Something terrible has happened!
Mother: You broke a nail?
Giselher: You're terminally ill?
Mother: You discovered that the world will end in 28 days?
Kriemhild: Worse. I've been proposed to by King Etzel.
Giselher: You know, that might not be such a bad--
Kriemhild: Weeping loudly I SHALL MOURN FOREVER MY DARLING SIEGFRIED.
Mother: We're all getting tired of seeing you in mourning.
Kriemhild: But. . .he's not as handsome, wealthy, or christian as Siegfried.
Mother/Giselher: Well, no. . .
Kriemhild: curls into the fetal position, weeping. I'll think about it.

The next day, enter Ruediger and his men into Kriemhild's presence.

Ruediger: My dear lady--
Kriemhild: I WONT MARRY HIM
Ruediger: If you'd just listen--
Kriemhild: NO HUSBAND WILL EVER BE AS GOOD
Ruediger: M'lady--
Kriemhild: BEGONE
Ruediger: We can help you get your vengeance for Siegfried's murder.
Kriemhild: Abruptly cheerign up Suddenly interested! But your king is still a heathen.
Ruediger: Meh. So baptize him.

Kriemhild agrees to journey to Hunland with what is left of her treasure to become King Etzel's wife.