Kaiser Karl had not been married very long. He held a great assembly of
the notables. Count Gerhart appeared amongst the rest, for he expected
that this would be the time chosen by the emperor to invest him with
the promised fief of Viane (Vienne in France), and perhaps also with
that of Burgundy. When he received the letters patent relating to the
first of these, he stooped, and, in fulfilment of ancient custom, would
have kissed the emperor’s foot; but he staggered, for the empress had
stuck out her foot, which he involuntarily touched with his lips in
falling.
“He must have drunk too much Burgundy before he would have kissed the
foot of the Lady, whose rosy mouth he formerly disdained. Wine teaches
humility,” murmured the courtiers.
Gerhart sprang to his feet, his cheeks flushing with anger. He waited
in expectation of the second letter; but the emperor told him that he
could not have the fief of Burgundy, for the empress, who was also the
widow of the last duke, was strongly against it. The count took his
leave with a low bow, and set out for Vienne, his heart boiling with
rage. Arrived there, he called out his troops, and sent to ask his
brother, the mighty lord of Apulia, for help against his sovereign. He
knew that the emperor’s heart would henceforth be turned against him,
for was not the empress that same widowed duchess of Burgundy whose
proffered love he had rejected?
The brothers took the field at the head of a great army. With them came
their younger brother Rainier, his son Olivier, a bold warrior, and his
daughter Auda, who was marvellously beautiful, and brave as one of the
Northern valkyrs.
Karl besieged the stronghold on the river Rhone where they had taken up
their abode. The place seemed impregnable, for it was defended by brave
men, rocks, and river. Sometimes the besiegers tried to take the
citadel by storm, and sometimes part of the garrison would make an
attack on the enemy beneath the walls. On such occasions, Auda would
now and then accompany her friends dressed in full armour, and would
fight with the best. Once when she had done so, she found that her
opponent was none other than strong Roland. He disarmed her without
even drawing his sword, and took her prisoner. Her brother Olivier,
seeing what had happened, at once came to the rescue. While the heroes
were engaged in single combat, Auda made good her escape, and took
refuge in the castle, where she was soon afterwards joined by the rest
of the party. The siege continued. The Lady Auda often stood on the
battlements, and helped to fling stones on the heads of those warriors
who came within reach of their missiles. One day Roland came with the
rest, and, seeing the maiden, asked her name and parentage. When she
had told him, and he had answered by informing her that he was Count
Roland, a nephew of the emperor, he went on to say that he loved her,
and would never cease to woo her, even though it were at the cost of
his life. At this moment Olivier appeared, and flung a spear at him,
upon which Roland challenged him to single combat on an island in the
Rhone.
The heroes and their horses were ferried over the river to the island,
and there they fought. Each of the combatants displayed the most heroic
valour. At length, when evening was drawing on, a fleecy cloud hovered
over them, and, coming between them, forced them apart. An angel
wrapped in rosy light came out of the cloud, and said:
“Wherefore do you fight, Christian against Christian? Why would you
shed a brother’s blood? I call upon you to be reconciled in the name of
the Saviour who died upon the cross. Be of one heart and of one mind,
and turn your arms against the adversaries of the true faith.”
The angel then waved a palm branch as a sign of farewell, and vanished.
The two men exchanged a hearty shake of the hand, and sat down to talk
over matters of much moment to both of them. Before they separated,
Olivier had promised to use his influence with his sister in Roland’s
favour, and the latter had given his word to fight no more against
Vienne, and its defenders.
Now the emperor was very fond of hunting, and used to go on many an
expedition into the neighbouring country in search of game. On one such
occasion he and his companions were attacked and hard pressed by a
party of Viennese under the leadership of Olivier. At one moment it
seemed as if Karl must lose his life in the struggle. Olivier, seeing
this, protected him with his shield. When the combat was over, the
emperor and Olivier had some talk together, and the former was so
touched and pleased with the noble and generous disposition of the
young man, that he not only promised to make peace, but to appoint
Olivier one of his paladins, to forgive Gerhart, and to restore the
fiefs he held under him.
There was great joy in Vienne and all the neighbouring country when the
news of the peace was spread abroad. Smiling faces were everywhere to
be seen, and happiest of all was perhaps Kaiser Karl himself. A few
days later a time was fixed for the public betrothal of Roland and
Auda. Great preparations were made, and all was done to make the day a
joyful one.
While the heroes were sitting at the feast in the royal tent,
messengers appeared from the banks of the Garonne, who brought the sad
news that the Moorish king Eigoland had come from Africa with a large
army of blacks, had fallen upon Gascony, and laid waste the country
with fire and sword.
“That is good news,” said brave Roland, “for an angel appeared to my
comrade Olivier and me, and told us to fight against the infidel.”
“It is bad news,” answered the emperor, “for the Moor is a great
warrior, and has an immense number of black devils at his back. Listen,
noble knights, and I will tell you what happened years ago. After the
death of my father Pipin, my step-brothers, the sons of cunning Bertha,
drove me out of my inheritance. I found refuge with the heathen king
Marsilio at Saragossa. With the help of brave Diebolt, I regained my
rights, was crowned king of the Franks at Aix (Aachen), and emperor in
Rome. One night St. James, the apostle, appeared to me, and commanded
me to free his grave, to which there was a yearly pilgrimage, from the
yoke of the infidel. I obeyed him, and reduced the whole country as far
as Galicia, where the apostle lies buried. There I learnt that Eigoland
had come over from Africa, and had already reached Pampeluna. I marched
back at once, and met the Moorish forces near the river Ceres. There
was a terrible battle. The Africans fought like very devils. They broke
through our ranks, and defeat seemed certain. Then the brave Milo, my
brother-in-law, and your father, nephew Roland, threw himself upon the
demons at the head of his men. They fought like heroes, and defeated
the enemy. But before the victory was quite decided, the noble Milo
fell, wounded to death. The loss on both sides was so great that either
party retreated on the morrow. Eigoland returned to his African
deserts; but he seems to have come back at the head of a larger army
than before, and to have invaded our own land. We must now fight for
home and faith, for on this crisis will depend whether Christ or
Machmet shall rule the Franks.”
“I think this much is certain,” said Roland: “we shall conquer, whether
we live or die. Was not my father victorious, though he fell at
Pampeluna? The Lord would not deny him the martyr’s crown, when he
passed away on that field of blood. Here, or there, ye Frankish men,
what does it matter which? The crown is ours.”
As he spoke, his eyes shone with enthusiasm.
“And what is to become of me,” whispered Auda, “if you do not return?”
“You are the angel that shall give me the palm, either here or there,”
he answered; and before the assembled knights and ladies he gave her
the kiss of affiance.