In the evening, after the agreement had been made, the boy came home from school to the court of Earl Haakon, by whom he was being raised, and he hurried to the old veteran, Helge Hvasse, who was especially fond of the boy, and used to give a great deal of attention to him. This time, however, he turned away and would not speak to the child. "Why are you angry with me?" asked the boy. "Begone!" said Helge. "I will have nothing to do with you. You were disinherited to-day." "How did that happen, and who did it?" asked little Haakon. "It was done at Oere-Thing," said Helge, "and it was done by the two brothers, King Inge and Earl Haakon." "Be not angry with me, my own Helge," said the boy, "and do not care anything about this; for this decision cannot possibly be valid. My representatives were not present to answer in my behalf." "And who are your representatives?" asked Helge. "My representatives are God, the holy Virgin, and Saint Olaf," answered Haakon; "in their hands have I left my case, and they will guard my interests in the best possible way, as you will see, both as to the division of the country and in my other welfare." Deeply moved, the old Birchleg took the boy in his arms and kissed him, and said: "That was better said than unsaid, my prince, and I thank you for those words." What this boy of eight years had said was soon reported among the Birchlegs, who all greatly admired him. The story also soon reached Earl Haakon and his wife Christina. The earl did not say much; but Christina got very angry, and from that day treated the boy more harshly than she had done before. Earl Haakon was taken sick and died in Bergen in January, 1214, and his wife, Christina, who understood that she had made herself very unpopular, hastened to leave the country with her young son, Knut, and returned to Sweden. Young Haakon Haakonson was transferred to King Inge's court. He and Guthorm, King Inge's son, were sent to school together, and they were in every way treated alike. In the winter of 1216-17 King Inge was taken sick, and when he could no longer attend to the public affairs he appointed his half-brother, Skule Baardson, as regent with the title of earl. King Inge died April 23, 1217, and Earl Skule had him buried with great ceremony in Christ Church in Nidaros. CHAPTER XXX _Haakon Haakonson the Old (1217-1263)_