Now the story turns homewards, to the old king.  After the disappearance of his son he became sad and weary of life, being, as he was, sinking in age.  His queen also had died sometime since.  One day it happened that a wayfaring woman came to the palace.  She had much knowledge about many things and knew how to tell tales.[FN#420] The king was greatly delighted with her story-telling and she got soon into his favour.  Thus some time passed.  But in course of time the king fell deeply in love with this woman, and at last married her and made her his queen, in spite of strong dissent from the court.  Shortly this new queen began meddling in the affairs of the government, and it soon turned out that she was spoiling everything by her redes, whenever she had the chance.  Once it happened that the queen spoke to the king and said, “Strange indeed it seems to me that you make no inquiry about your youngest son’s running away:  smaller faults have been often chastised than that.  You must have heard that he has become king in one of the neighbouring kingdoms, and that it is a common tale that he is going to invade your dominions with a great army whenever he gets the wished-for opportunity, in order to avenge the injustice he thinks he has suffered in that bygone bridal question.  Now I want you to be the first in throwing this danger off-hand.”  The king showed little interest in the matter and paid to his wife’s chattering but little attention.  But she contrived at length so to speak to him as to make him place faith in her words, and he asked her to give him good redes, that this matter might be arranged in such a way as to be least observed by other folk.  The queen said, “You must send men with gifts to him and pray him to come to you for an interview, in order to arrange certain political matters before your death, as also to strengthen your friendship with an interchange of marks of kindred.  And then I will give you further advice as to what to do.”  The king was satisfied with this and equipped his messengers royally.

Then the messengers came before the young king, saying they were sent by his father, who wished his son to come and see him without delay.  To this the young king answered well, and lost no time in bushing his men and himself.  But when his queen knew this she said he would assuredly rue this journey.  The king went off, however, and nothing is said of his travels till he came to the town where his father lived.  His father received him rather coldly, much to the wonder and amazement of his son.  And when he had been there a short while his father gave him a good chiding for having run away.  “Thereby,” said the old king, “you have shown full contempt of myself and caused me such sorrow as well-nigh brought me to the grave.  Therefore, according to the law, you have deserved to die; but as you have delivered yourself up into my power and are, on the other hand, my son, I have no mind to have you killed.  But I have three tasks for you which you must have performed