"That is true, royal Ethelred, for I have found again my hero." And at that the King laughed again.
Then did the Atheling turn to Wulnoth and ask him of his search after the mightiest, and where he would now look, seeing that Regner Lodbrok was dead; and Wulnoth answered that he knew not where to look now, unless he went afar to Rome and sought the Emperor.
"Now, Wulnoth," the Atheling said, "let me be thy redesman in this. Thou didst think that Regner Lodbrok was the mightiest warrior?"
"Then, by my beard, he was not far out," cried Wahrmund. And the Prince smiled.
"So! Yet this Regner is dead, and there is no king but must die in the end."
"That is true, Prince," Wulnoth said; and Wahrmund nodded.
"Then death is mightier than the mightiest," said Alfred. And Wulnoth looked puzzled.
"Does that mean we should follow death, Prince?" he said. "By my word, we soldiers do that all our lives, methinks."
"Nay, Wulnoth. 'T is true we follow death, for 't is our call; but there is one mightier than death even."