Long ago, in the days when Denmark and England were almost like one
country, the palace of the King of the Danes was dark and gloomy, and
the sound of weeping and wailing rose within its walls; for the fair
young queen, whom all the people loved, had died in giving birth to a
son. When she was dead, they took the babe from her arms, and,
having called him Olger, they carried him away to the royal nursery,
and laid him on a quilted bed of down, and left him there alone. But
ere long a sound of rustling was heard in the silent room, and there
assembled round the bed six beautiful fairies, who smiled and kissed
their hands to him; and the babe smiled back in return.
Then the Fairy Glorian took the child in her arms, and kissed him,
and said: "My gift to you is that you shall be the strongest and
bravest knight of all your time."
"And mine," said the Fairy Palestine, "is that you shall always have
battles to fight."
"No man shall ever conquer you," promised the Fairy Pharamond.
"You shall ever be sweet and gentle," said Meliora.
And Pristina added: "You shall be dear to all women, and happy in
your love."
Then Morgan le Fay, who was queen of all the fairies, took the boy in
her arms, and pressed his head to her bosom, saying: "Sweet little
one, there are few gifts for me to give you; but this shall be mine:
You shall never die; and after you have lived a life of glory here
you shall be mine, and shall dwell with me for ever in Avalon, the
land of Faery." Then she kissed him many times, and laid him back
upon the bed; and with soft rustling of wings the fays departed.
Ten years passed away, and Olger had grown a brave, strong boy, and
comely to look upon.
At that time it befell that the Emperor Charles the Great sent a
message to Godfrey, King of Denmark, and father of young Olger, to
bid him come and do homage for his lands; to which King Godfrey,
being a stout and stalwart man, made bold answer: "Tell Charles I
hold my lands of God and of my good sword; and if he doubt it, let
him come and see. Homage to him I will not do." So Charles the
Great came up against him with a mighty army, and after long fighting
King Godfrey was defeated, and forced to promise to appear before the
Emperor every Easter to do allegiance. And, fearing lest he would
not keep his word, the Emperor demanded that young Olger should be
given to him as a hostage. To this King Godfrey agreed; and the boy
was carried off to the Emperor's Court, and there instructed in all
the arts and learning of the time, and so grew up an accomplished and
handsome youth.
For three years King Godfrey appeared each Easter to do allegiance;
but in the meantime he had married again. And when another son was
born to him, his new wife persuaded him to cease to humble himself
before the Emperor, for she hoped that by this means Olger would be
put to death, and her own son would inherit the kingdom. So on the
fourth Easter the King of Denmark appeared not at the Court; and so
they took young Olger, and threw him into the prison of the Castle of
St Omer, until messengers should find out why King Godfrey had broken
his pledged word.
Now, the keeper of the castle was very good to the young man, who
also found much favour in the eyes of his wife, and those of
Bellisande, his daughter, who loved him from the first moment he
appeared.
Instead of a gloomy dungeon Olger was placed in a rich apartment,
hung with beautiful tapestry, and Bellisande herself was proud to
wait upon him.
Meantime the messengers of Charles had met with a shameful reception
at the hands of Godfrey, King of Denmark. Their ears and noses were
slit, their heads shaven, and they were driven from the kingdom.
Full of shame and wrath they appeared at the Court of their master,
and cried loudly for revenge against Godfrey, and against his son
Olger, since he stood as hostage for him. The Emperor at once gave
orders that the lad should be put to death; but the keeper of the
castle implored the Emperor not to insist upon instant execution, but
at least to grant that the young knight should be brought before the
Court and told why he must suffer death. To this the Emperor agreed;
and as he sat at a great feast among his nobles there entered Olger,
and kneeled meekly at his feet. When Charles saw how fair a youth he
was, and how gently he humbled himself for his father's pride, he was
moved with pity and compassion. Many of the nobles, too, were in
favour of the lad, and would have begged the Emperor to save his
life; but the rage of the messengers was so great that they would
have torn him to pieces, had not Duke Naymes of Bayiere kept them
back.
Then Olger looked up at the Emperor, and said:
"Sire, you know that I am innocent in this matter, and that I have
always been obedient to you. Let me not suffer for my father's
fault, but, since I am his true heir, let me pay the homage and
allegiance which he refuses, and grant that I may atone for him by a
life of devotion and service in your cause. And for your messengers,
I will from this moment do all in my power to recompense them for the
cruel indignities they have suffered at my father's hands, if you
will but spare my life and use it in your service."
Then all the barons began to beg the King to grant the boy's request;
and in the midst of the discussion a mounted knight rode into the
hall, crying:
"Tidings, my lord King! Ill tidings for us all! The Soudan and the
Grand Turk and Dannemont his son, with the help of King Caraheu, have
taken Rome by storm, and Pope, cardinals, and all have fled. The
churches are destroyed; the Christians put to the sword. Wherefore,
as a Christian king and pillar of the Faith, I summon you to march to
the aid of Holy Church."
Then, as all was bustle and confusion in preparing a great army to
take the field immediately, Duke Naymes prevailed upon Charles to let
him take young Olger to the battle as his squire, promising to give
all his lands, and himself as prisoner, to the Emperor, if the boy
should flee away. So Charles agreed, and hastened to prepare for the
fight, swearing that he would not return to his own land till Rome
should be restored to the Christians. The first thing Olger did when
he recovered his freedom, was to hasten back to the castle and wed
the fair Bellisande; and when she wept at losing her young husband so
soon, he comforted her, and said: "Weep not, for God has given me
life and you have given me love--and these two gifts will strengthen
me to do great feats of arms."
So Olger rode off with the host, following the standard of Duke
Naymes and his two brothers, Geoffrey and Gautier. And they marched
till they came to Rome, and took their station on a hill before the
city with an army of two hundred thousand men.
Then the host of paynims came forth from the city to the battle; and
Olger, hearing the din of war, the neighing of horses, and the
shouting of men, longed to dash into the thick of the fight; but his
master forbade him, and charged him to remain among the tents.
From this position Olger watched with wild anxiety the standard of
King Charles as it waved in the forefront of the battle. He saw the
armies come together and heard a crash that rent the sky. Then the
standard waved in triumph; but suddenly it fell--then rose again; and
anon he saw with horror that the band of the Emperor's chosen knights
had been repulsed, and that Sir Alory, the standard-bearer, had
turned his horse, and was fleeing for his very life. In a moment
Olger had rushed down the slope, and, flinging himself on the bridle
of Sir Alory's horse, he snatched the standard from his hand, crying:
"Coward, go home with all the speed you may, and live among women for
the rest of your life, but leave the noble banner, Refuge of France,
with me."
The terrified Alory was easily disarmed; and Olger, ordering a squire
to dress him in the standard-bearer's armour, sprang on a horse and,
sword in one hand and banner in the other, rushed into the thick of
the fight.
He soon found that Duke Naymes and many other nobles had been held
prisoners behind the array of the paynims, and, with the fierceness
of a young lion, he cut his way through to them, freed their bonds
with his sword, and forced a way through the enemy both for himself
and for them. And wherever he appeared among the heathen host, he
slew so many that he was protected, as it were, by a rampart of the
dead. Presently he heard the King cry loudly for help, and, spurring
in the direction of the sound, found that Dannemont had killed his
horse under him, and that he was down, and hard pressed on every
side. Then Olger, waving the standard on high, rushed upon the
paynim, and soon cleared a free space about the King, and mounted him
on a fresh horse. And in the same way on three separate occasions he
saved the life of Charles. At length, with Olger at their head and
the battle-cry of "Montjoy" on their lips, the King and his host
drove the paynims back to the city gates.
When the fight was over, the Emperor Charles ordered the
standard-bearer to be brought before him; and when Olger appeared,
with his visor closed, he thought it had been Alory, and said to him:
"Alory, though with grief I saw you flee at the onset, you have most
nobly redeemed your honour. Three times have you saved my life, and
I know not how to reward you fitly. I will make you ruler of any
province you may choose in my kingdom, and you shall be my
lieutenant, and fight in my quarrel in all disputes touching the
crown of France."
But a squire who stood by spoke up, and said: "Sire, this is not that
Alory of whom you speak. He bowed the colours, and fled for his
life, at the first onset; but this young knight seized the standard
from his hands, while I helped to dress him in Alory's armour; but
who he is I know not."
Then Olger took off his helmet, and knelt down, and said: "Have pity,
sire, on Godfrey, King of Denmark, and let his son atone for his
offence and be your faithful vassal in his stead."
And the Emperor embraced him, and said: "You have changed all former
hate into love for you. I give you your request. Rise, Sir Olger,
Champion for France and Charles, and God be with you."
Thus Olger became a knight, and all the nobles of France came to
salute him and thank him for their deliverance. On the next day,
proud in his new-made knighthood, Olger once more bore the standard
against the foe, and the paynims fell like corn before the scythe
wherever he appeared. And when the Franks began to waver, then there
rode into their midst a knight on a great horse, who did such mighty
deeds on their behalf that they knew him for their Champion, and
crying: "Olger! Olger the Dane!" they made many a mighty charge upon
the foe.
When Sadonne, the paynim general, heard that the tide of battle was
going against his army, he rode forth to meet his followers with the
news that Caraheu, Emperor of India, with thirty kings, was coming to
their aid. But soon he met the whole array fleeing, panic-stricken,
towards him in full flight, and crying, "Save yourselves, for Michael
the Archangel fights against us!" Then, before Sadonne had time to
flee, his path was crossed by the dread knight on the great horse,
and at once he threw down his arms, and begged for life.
"What is your name?" said Sir Olger.
"I am Sadonne," answered he, "the general of Caraheu, Emperor of
India."
"On one condition only will I grant you your life," said Sir Olger:
"You must bear to Caraheu my challenge to fight with me in single
combat, so that by this the course of the war may be determined."
So Sadonne departed, and next day Caraheu arrived at the pavilion of
Charles the Emperor with a gorgeous retinue, and with him he brought
the beautiful Gloriande, the fairest lady in all the Eastern world.
Her hair was like spun gold, and fell to her feet like a cloak. It
was bound about her temples by a jewelled circlet of the rarest gems,
and her dress, of whitest damask sewn with pearls, had taken full
nine years to weave.
Then Caraheu the Emperor said: "I am in search of Olger the Dane, who
has demanded single combat with me. His challenge I accept, and fair
Gloriande, my promised bride, shall be the victor's prize."
But Charlot, son of the Emperor Charles, looked with envy on Olger,
and said: "'Tis meet that you, great Caraheu, should fight, not with
my father's bondsman, but with me."
"Not I," replied the Emperor. "I fight not with braggarts, but with
men. Sir Olger rules the hearts of men, which is nobler far than
ruling over lands."
"Nay, Emperor," said Olger modestly; "Charlot here is the Emperor's
son, and worthy to fight with the highest."
"Let him fight with Sadonne, my general," said Caraheu. "I will
joust only with you."
So a double combat was arranged, and Gloriande sat in a place from
which she could strengthen the combatants with the glances of her
bright eyes. For half a day they fought without either getting the
upper hand, until Sadonne killed Charlot's horse, and courteously
leapt from his own in order to fight upon equal terms. But the
base-minded Charlot only pretended to fight until he reached the
place where Sadonne's steed was standing, and, leaping on it, he rode
away, like a coward and recreant knight.
Meantime the good sword of Caraheu had cut through Sir Olger's shield
and armour, and would have done worse harm had not the knight with
his great strength dragged Caraheu from his horse, and disarmed him.
But Dannemont, the paynim, had hidden three hundred men among the
bushes of that place to see how the combat went. And when he saw
Caraheu at Olger's mercy, he rushed forth at the head of his men, and
began to attack the knight. In vain did Caraheu rail at them for
their treachery, and fight with all his strength on Olger's side,
crying: "Shame on ye, traitors! Better death than this!" Numbers
overpowered them, and Olger's life was only saved at the request of
the fair Gloriande. He was loaded with chains, and thrown into a
dungeon, in spite of all that Caraheu could say or do on his behalf.
At length, angry and disgusted at this foul blot on his honour, the
latter left the paynim army, and went over with all his men to the
side of the Emperor Charles, determined to go on fighting against the
paynim until Olger was delivered. But Gloriande, who, according to
the fairy gift, had loved Olger from the first moment she saw him,
went in secret to his prison, loosed his chains, and let him escape
to the camp of Charles. Then Charles and Olger and Caraheu joined
together against the paynim host, and ere long Rome was freed from
her enemies. Then Olger rescued Gloriande, and gave her to Caraheu
to be his wife. In Rome were they baptised and married, and returned
to India a Christian man and woman. But ere he departed, he gave to
Olger his famous sword, Courtain, saying: "My life and my bride both
have you won, and both you have given back to me; take, therefore,
this sword as a pledge that I owe all to you."