after prince had offered himself, but the young queen would have
nothing to say to any of them, and at last told her ministers
that if she was to have a husband at all she must choose him for
herself, as she would certainly not marry any of those whom they
had selected for her. The ministers replied that in that case
she had better manage her kingdom alone, and the queen, who knew
nothing about business, got things into such a confusion that at
last she threw them up altogether, and went off to her uncle.

Now when she heard how the two young men had slain the giant, her
heart was filled with admiration of their courage, and she
declared that if a feast was held she would certainly be present
at it.

And so she was; and when the feast was over she asked the king,
her guardian, if he would allow the two heroes who had killed the
robbers and slain the giant to fight a tourney the next day with
one of her pages. The king gladly gave his consent, and ordered
the lists to be made ready, never doubting that two great
champions would be eager for such a chance of adding to their
fame. Little did he guess that Geirald had done all he could to
persuade Rosald to steal secretly out of the castle during the
night, 'for,' said he, 'I don't believe they are pages at all,
but well-proved knights, and how can we, so young and untried,
stand up against them?'

'The honour will be all the higher if we gain the day,' answered
Rosald; but Geirald would listen to nothing, and only declared
that he did not care about honour, and would rather be alive than
have every honour in the world heaped upon him. Go he would, and