It could all have been so simple
Ruggiero was rescued from the shipwreck
He'd resolved to give up his lands and position for Bradamante
And he was on his way back to her
When he was kidnapped and imprisoned in the deepest dungeon
Of the Emperor of Greece
Meanwhile, Bradamante returned to her family home
To find that her father had arranged her marriage
With the son of the Emperor of Greece, prince Leo
No penniless Saracen for their family!
Bradamante, however, was not so easily silenced
She went to see her liege lord, Charlemagne
'I have done you good service,' she said
'Grant me this favour
That the man I marry must meet me in battle
And prove himself my equal before we wed.'
She knew that Leo
The prince with the soul of a poet
Would never manage to defeat her
But she didn't know that Ruggiero
Rescued by kind-hearted Leo from his chains
Was bound by gratitude to put on Leo's armour
And face her instead of him in the tournament
She entered the combat ground dancing with excitement
Like a Barbary steed waiting the signal to charge
Her sword cutting sparks from the air as she swung it
Meanwhile Ruggiero had stayed up all night
Blunting his sword so it would do his beloved no harm
He walked to the centre of the field
Bradamante circled round him
Then hurtled towards him
Her sword raised
While he stood braced to endure her every blow
These two, perfectly matched
At the peak of their powers
Who will win?
But that's where we must leave them
They still have to face more dangers
And desperate adventures
Than we have time to tell
But that's a story for another night
Let's leave the last word with Bradamante