m the message of King Ring.

Now Helge was nothing loth to give his fair sister to the king,
although he was an old man and she but a young girl; but, since he was
always very heedful of the will of the gods, he offered sacrifice and
carefully consulted the wise men and the wise women and all the omens
as to whether this thing should be. And all with one consent answered
that the marriage must not be allowed.

So Helge refused the king's request courteously enough, saying that
man must obey when the gods decree; but Halfdan, being rude and
waggish of tongue, said: "King Greybeard himself should have ridden
hither for his bride if he is not too old to mount his horse!"

Then the messenger returned wrathful, and King Ring said grimly: "They
shall soon see if King Greybeard be too old to take revenge," and with
that he struck his war shield, as it hung on the tree above him, such
a blow that the echo of it was borne even to the hall of Helge and
Halfdan. Then he sent messengers, this time in warlike array, to the
two kings, bidding them submit to his authority and pay him tribute.
"If ye refuse," said they, "our king will send a great army and take
the kingdom and utterly destroy you and your people."

But Helge and Halfdan answered with spirit:

"Not in our young days will we learn to do that which we will never
know when old, and that is how to do shameful service to a neighbour
king."

Then they summoned Hilding, their foster-father, and bade him go to
Frithiof and pray him to come with his followers to their aid. And
meantime, being in fear for their sister's safety, they sent her away
to the dim grove where Balder's temple rose grey among the shadows.
There, day by day, fair Ingeborg sat among her maidens at her
embroidery, and as she drew the thread it was wet with her tears.

Now when Hilding, that good old yeoman, reached the hall of Frithiof,
he found the hero sitting with Bjoern at a game of chess. Gladly was he
greeted by the young man, who pointed to the High Chair, the chief
seat at the board, and bade him sit and drink a horn of mead while
they finished their game.

But Hilding, full of his errand, began at once to speak: "I am sent by
the sons of Bele," said he. "They now salute thee and pray that thou
wouldst go up to their help to battle against King Ring, who is about
to attack their land with violence."

But Frithiof seemingly paid no heed to his words, saying only to his
opponent: "Bjoern, th