CHARLEMAGNE: ROLAND BATTLES MANDRICARDO

These are the legends about Charlemagne and his Paladins, not the actual history, so there will be dragons, monsters and magic. 

FOR MY FIRST CHAPTER ON CHARLEMAGNE’S PALADINS CLICK HERE.

ROLAND BATTLES MANDRICARDO – In our previous installment Charlemagne’s Paladin named Roland saved Princess Isabella of Galicia from the Moroccan corsairs who were holding her for ransom.

Now, Roland and Isabella were riding northward to link up with Emperor Charlemagne’s main army as they fought the ongoing Saracen invasion. As always, the Paladin wielded his sword Durindana.

At length they approached a town where there was much consternation. Several soldiers were making their way through the streets but at this distance Roland could not make out if they were friend or foe.

Our hero had Isabella slip down from their horse and hide behind a tree while Roland met with the approaching soldiers to determine their intentions. He saw that they were conducting a prisoner, bound hand and foot.

Finally, Roland could make out the ensigns of the troops – they were men of the Count Anselm, head of the treacherous House Maganza. That House was ever ready to secretly ally themselves with every foe of Emperor Charlemagne.

Feeling that any captive of such men might well be an ally, Roland demanded that the commanding officer tell him the name of their prisoner. The man replied that the man had murdered Pinabel, Count Anselm’s son, and that his name was none of Roland’s affair.   

The captive, recognizing Roland’s renowned crimson colors, cried out to him that he had nothing to do with Pinabel’s death. The Paladin believed him, given the nature of his captors and insisted that the men of House Maganza release the man.

The hostile soldiers boasted that they did not fear Roland and pointed out that they outnumbered him seven to one. They told him to do his worst.

Roland charged into the body of men and swiftly killed their commander. The others tried to slay Roland in turn but that nephew of Charlemagne killed three more of them with Durindana and the survivors fled.

Next, our hero unbound the former prisoner and, while the man was donning the armor that his captors had made him carry, Roland signaled for Isabella to emerge from hiding. By a typical coincidence of these stories, Isabella saw that the man freed by Roland was her beloved Prince Zerbino of Scotland.

Zerbino and Isabella embraced, and she told the prince about how Roland had rescued her from her Moroccan captors. Zerbino in turn explained that, believing Isabella dead in the shipwreck which had separated them, he obeyed his father’s command to lead the Scottish forces helping Charlemagne against the Muslim invaders from North Africa and colonized Spain.

The Scots had suffered a defeat at the hands of a combined army of Saracens and men of House Maganza, with himself being given to Count Anselm’s troops to use as a hostage. At length an armored warrior on horseback approached.

Zerbino recognized him and told Roland that the approaching figure was a Mongol warrior who was allied with House Maganza. It was he who had captured Zerbino and had been riding a few hours behind the party leading Zerbino in chains.

Roland was surprised to see that the stranger wore the legendary armor of Hector of Troy. Likewise, the stranger recognized Roland and identified himself as Mandricardo.

NOTE: Several installments back, Mandricardo was introduced as the son of Agri Khan, who had been slain in combat by Roland during the Siege of Albracca. News of his father’s death had drawn Mandricardo from his partying lifestyle and prompted him to seek out his father’s killer.

        While searching for Roland in order to slay him, Mandricardo had an adventure which saw him earn the armor of the ancient Trojan warrior Hector. The only missing piece of the set was Durindana, the sword wielded by Roland since he was knighted by Charlemagne long years ago.

After a lengthy conversation, each man knew where they stood with the other, and Mandricardo challenged Roland to a battle to the death. The Paladin noted that Mandricardo bore only a lance and no sword.

Mandricardo replied that, upon donning Hector’s armor, he had sworn to wield no other sword than Durindana. He planned to avenge his father’s death AND take Hector’s sword from Roland’s dead hand. 

As a matter of honor, Roland replied that he, too, would fight swordless, wielding only his lance. He hung Durindana in its sheath from a branch in a nearby tree. Isabella and Zerbino bore witness as a battle for the ages began. 

The Paladin and the Tartar charged each other again and again but could not knock each other from the saddle. Their lances were broken over and over and were now reduced to useless stubs. Roland and Mandricardo discarded them and, still on horseback, they struck at each other with armored fists.

Still neither could unseat the other, and as they grappled at close quarters, Mandricardo dropped his reins. Desperately, he broke the girths of Roland’s horse and the Paladin, too, was in danger of falling from his saddle.

At the same time, the men began slipping from their horses, with Roland hitting the ground and Mandricardo, one foot still stuck in the stirrup, was dragged off helplessly by his now-fleeing horse.

Roland waited at the site with Isabella and Zerbino until the next day, when, assuming that Mandricardo had either given up or had met his death from being dragged by his horse, they decided to move on.

The Paladin retrieved the hanging Durindana and the trio departed, with Roland wondering if or when he and Mandricardo would meet again.  

*** I’ll be examining more tales of Charlemagne soon, picking up from this one. 

FOR LINKS TO THE PREVIOUS CHARLEMAGNE INSTALLMENTS CLICK HERE.