We learn that True Thomas was on a tree and looking at a road, wasn’t there anything important True Thomas could have been doing at the time or was he waiting for someone? He momentarily sees a lady riding down. Her skirt was green as the grass; her mantle was velvet in colour. There hang 59 silver bells around the neck of her horse, thus she drew attention to herself where ever she went on the horse since the 59 bells rung when the horse moved. Why where there only 59 bells? And why where there made of silver and not any other material? True Thomas shows her courtesy and claims that he had never seen someone like her before. We learn that the lady claims to be the queen of fair elf land and not anyone else, she however claims that see has come to visit True Thomas, let us note the key word VISIT.
The queen asks True Thomas to prepare himself and come with her. She doesn’t warn True Thomas not to kiss her lips, she however says that she would be part of True Thomas’s body if he did, thus she would be a part of him if he kissed her. She tells True Thomas to be careful with her since something weird shall never frighten or discourage her. She told him this because he had kissed her lips? Why did True Thomas do that, was there someone else in his life? We learn that because of the kiss True Thomas had to compulsorily go with the queen and serve her seven years. However the queen assures True Thomas of the possibility of unchangeable events
We learn that she gets unto her horse and help True Thomas up as well who sit behind her. Whenever the bells on the horse rung the horse sped up even faster than the wind. They went a very long distance to a desert The queen asks true Thomas to rest a while possibly because he was tried being the first time riding on the back of a very fast horse. She promises to show him three roads afterwards. The first road is the path of righteousness. It is narrow and has thorns and briers. Only a few people seek this path. The phrase path of righteousness alludes to the book of proverbs 12:28. On the path of righteousness there is suffering---thorns---and there is happiness as well—briers.
The other road is a broad road across lily leven, and is the path of wickedness, though some call it the road to heaven. Heaven is allured to in this stanza, however the queen tell True Thomas that some people are ignorant that the broad road is the path of the wicked since they endure no thorns---hardship on such a path. The third road is to fair elf land where the queen and true Thomas must go to in the very night. We learn that the queen gives True Thomas caution to be silent while in elfin land since he would not be able to return to his country after doing so.
The queen and True Thomas ride on and on through rivers and did not see the sun nor moon but heard the roaring of the sea. It was very dark and they went through blood, since blood that is shared on the earth passes through the springs of that country, how True Thomas sees the blood when he claims it was very dark. There is no evidence in the passage to tell us that the queen had told True Thomas about the blood. True Thomas is presented with an apple for his wages, an apple that would make sure he lives an honest life. True Thomas declares he is an honest man. True Thomas reassures the queen that he would be silent in elfin land. And endure all that would come his way. True Thomas we are told we are told changes his clothes to that worn in elf land and is seen in his own country 7 years later.
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