Ogier The Dane - The Babe Sleeps

On a calm June evening, somewhere in Denmark, long forgotten now, the castle by the sea was not filled with the laughter and joy that should have been. There was a different kind of calm and stillness in King Geoffrey's castle. All within was silent as the King sat in deep mourning for the loss of his beloved Queen. In the same chamber where his dead mother lay underneath a golden canopy, a new babe lay swaddled in a cradle, not a far distance from his father. Ogier, the babe, slept in his angelic innocence.

The castle of the Danish King was hushed by the sorrow and mourning of a lovely queen, whose soul was now bidding farewell to all those she had loved. She left behind her beloved husband and the new babe who would one day be king in his father's place. Ogier, she had named him, and Ogier the Dane would King Geoffrey have him baptized.

As the nurses cared for the babe, their whispers carried a word here and there to the King -- words that brought back memories of other days filled with love. He would look longingly upon the face of his beloved for a minute or two, then his gaze would drift far off and his head drooped in sorrow once more.

As evening began to bring on the darkness, a nurse carried her lit candle around the chamber to light larger candles that would keep the gloom and chill at bay. As she was lighting the candle near the Queen's bed, a spell fell upon her and the King slumbered in blissful forgetfulness. The silence and hush throughout the castle fell even deeper, as a veil to another realm was lifted.

All in the castle was still, not a soul stirred nor were they aware as the spell swept over them. Up the long flight of stairs, down the hall, and through the chamber door, came six women of the faery. Slender, petite, lovely, dressed in gowns of brilliant color in silk and gossamer. Their small slippered feet barely made a sound as they entered and approached the cradle where the babe lay, their gowns trailing silky whispers over the stone floor. They were surrounded in a soft glow of golden light, like sunshine that kissed the flowers that seemed to be with them, yet it was only the scent of flowers that followed them and lingered in the still air.

The Fae women stood in a circle round the cradle in their flower scented glow of light -- each had a magical gift for the child. The first one picked up the babe, kissed his brow and told him he would be the bravest of warriors in his time, then handed him to her sister. This second one gave him valor. The third sister gave him the promise that he would never be vanquished. The fourth sister gave him the ability to please. The fifth sister said to prevent all these gifts from making him proud and arrogant, she gave him the sense to return all the love he will inspire. Each held and kissed the babe as her gift was bestowed upon him. The last sister, the most lovely of all six, gazed at the child with tenderness as she cradled him in her arms. She promised him that in years so distant from that day, she would hold him to her bosom as he lay dying upon a distant land and then take him home to her own realm, where she would be his truest lover and love him forever -- and Morgan Le Fay was her name. She then laid the babe gently in his cradle. The Fae bid the babe farewell and left the castle as they had come, approached the edge of the beach and vanished through the mists between sea and sky.

As the castle and the people within arose from the spell, the fragrance of fresh flowers drifted across the sea, to gently blow through the open windows. Soft, warm light from the early morning sun, began to fill the castle rooms and gave the promise of healing. King Geoffrey picked up his new son and carried him to the holy font, where he had the babe baptized. And this is how the noble life of Ogier the Dane began.

Authors note: For the next phase in the life of Ogier, please click on the related link below: Ogier The Dane - Homage to Charlemagne. Thank you.


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