Havelok the Dane PART 1 – English Literature Chapter 16

There once lived a great King named Athelwold, who was explained in the last chapter which I didn’t explain. He had no one to rule after him, except one daughter who at the time was just a baby. The king called his nobles from all around, telling them to protect the baby princess. He appointed one of them as guardian. The king soon died of old age, and the princess, over time, grew up. When she had come of age, the king had instructed the Guardian to Wed her to some man. 


Now, as with all stories, there has to be an antagonist. The Guardian, turning evil at the worst time, decided he wanted her for himself. Thinking about it some more, he decided that his son should have her. So, what does he do? Marry them? Of course not! This isn’t that kind of story where everything makes sense! He throws her in a dungeon and we don’t hear of her for a while…


Now, moving on…. There once lived ANOTHER great king, whose name is not mentioned, who had 3 children (2 girls and a son, Havelok). He knew he was going to die soon, so he left his children in care of his best friend Godard. As soon as the king died, Godard threw the children in a dark prison. Wow…. How could the king be that oblivious to the fact that his best friend is an evil psychopath? Now at this time, the children were about 3….

One day, Godard decides to go to the tower. He decides to murder all of the children. Wow…. You think the country might notice that the heirs to the throne have gone missing…. He kills the girls, but Havelok, being an excellent salesman (not really, just a good beggar) convinces Godard to spare him. 

He says “Lord, mercy now! Homage, Lord, to you I vow! All Denmark to you I will give if you spare me!” Excellent vocabulary for a three year old, don’t you think?


What will happen next? Will Havelok survive? Will the first story actually start being relevant? Will the author stop leaving so many plot holes? Will I stop asking questions? We may never know…. Until next time….

Published by Gabe Dalrymple

I am a young entrepreneur that snowboards, runs, backpacks, hikes, and plays tennis. I've traveled around the US with my family, and had some amazing experiences. I grew up in Austin, Texas and Breckenridge, CO, where I graduated high school in 2020. I started my own business in 2020, Gabe Media, and help clients with Google Ads, YouTube marketing, and video editing.

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