And then began the strangest game of cat and mouse you ever saw
You couldn't tell who was the cat
And who was the mouse
Atlas, the necromancer
Drove the hippogriff at Bradamante
Pretending to attack her, now with a lance
Now with a rapier, now with a mace
While Bradamante pretended to dodge
Until she fell to the ground
Pretending to be stunned
As she'd hoped, Atlas drove the obedient hippogriff to the ground
He dismounted and came to claim his victim
But Bradamante leapt up and bound him
With his own unbreakable chain
She raised her victorious arm to cut off his head
'Die, evil necromancer,'
She said and pulled off his helmet
But what did she see?
A doleful face, wrinkles, silver hair
'You're old,' she said. 'I don't kill old people.'
'Old maybe, but not that evil,' replied the necromancer.
'It's not for myself I want to cheat death
Love was it that moved me to rescue that gentle knight
My foster son Ruggiero
To save him from the evil influence of his fixed stars
That's why I keep him in this castle
Surrounded by fine company
Every wish that heart can feel and lips can utter
Leave me Ruggiero and you may have the rest.'
Bradamante did not agree to this
She forced the chained Atlas to show her the magic flasks
Smoking with a hidden fire, under the castle threshold
She smashed them
And the steel walls of the castle dissolved to insubstantial air
Leaving Ruggiero and the other prisoners running around in confusion
Atlas, too, disappeared
Like a minnow through the gaps in the fisherman's net.
Ruggiero and Bradamante's eyes met once more
And at that moment both of them knew
They couldn't escape their fate.
But then a shout from the escaped prisoners
They were trying to catch the hippogriff
Bradamante and Ruggiero joined the chase
The magical creature landed just within Ruggiero's reach
He grabbed her reins
She wouldn't budge
He couldn't resist this marvellous prize
So he threw himself onto her back
The hippogriff, trotted a few steps
Reared up on her hind legs
And leapt into the air
Ruggiero couldn't help it
He was carried away from all the responsibilities of love
Completely against his will of course
And all Bradamante could do was watch him go.