Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/307

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 295 Gudbrand Skaf haugsson. Simun Skalp and Halvard saga xv. Hikre went against each other with their troops, and fought while they drew aside past Tr^elaberg; and in this conflict both Simun and Halvard fell. Orm, the king's brother, gained great reputation in this battle ; but he at last fled. Orm the winter before had been contracted with Ragna, a daughter of Nicolas Massa, who had been married before to King Eystein Haraldsson; and the wedding was fixed for the Sunday after Saint Blasius' mass, which was on a Friday. Orm fled east to Sweden, where his brother Magnus was then king ; and their brother Rognvald was an earl there at that time. They were the sons of Queen Ingerid and Henrik Halta, who was a son of the Danish king Swen Swensson. The princess Christina took care of King Inge's body, which was laid in the stone wall of Halyard's church, on the south side without the choir. He had then been king for twenty-three years. In this battle many fell on both sides, but principally of King Inge's men. Of King Hakon's people fell Arne Fredriksson. Hakon's men took all the feast and victuals prepared for the wedding, and a great booty besides. Then King Hakon took possession of the whole Chapter country, and distributed all the offices among his own of^^i^' friends, both in the towns and in the country. King Hakon and Hakon and his men had a meeting in Halvard's church, Christina, where they had a private conference concerning the management of the country. Christina the princess gave the priest who kept the church keys a large sum of money to conceal one of her men in the church, so that she might know what Hakon and his counsellors intended. When she learnt what they had said, she sent a man to Bergen to her husband Erling Skakke, with the message that he should never trust Hakon or his men. u 4