THE SCENE: When a King plans to kill his subjects, everything goes awry after a one-legged man – who might just be a shapeshifter – gets involved.
THE TEXT: While king Cunincpert, indeed, after these things was taking counsel in the city of Ticinum with his master of horse, which in their language is called “marpahis,”‘ in what way he might deprive Aldo and Grauso of life, suddenly in the window near which they were standing sat a fly of the largest kind which when Cunincpert attempted to strike with his knife to kill it, he only cut off its foot. While Aldo and Grauso indeed, in ignorance of the evil design, were coming to the palace, when they had drawn near the church of the holy martyr Romanus which is situated near the palace, suddenly a certain lame man with one foot cut off came in their way who said to them that Cunincpert was going to kill them if they should go on to him. When they heard this they were seized with great fear and fled behind the altar of that church. Presently it was announced to king Cunincpert that Aldo and Grauso had taken refuge in the church of the blessed martyr Romanus. Then Cunincpert began to accuse his master of horse asking why he had to betray his design. His master of horse thus answered him: “My lord king, you know that after we conferred about these things I did not go out of your presence and how could I have said this to any one?”
Then the king sent to Aldo and Grauso, asking them why they had taken refuge in the holy place. And they answering said: “Because it was reported to us that our lord the king wished to kill us.” Again the king sent to them, seeking to know who he was who had given them the report, and he sent them word that unless they would report to him who had told them, they could not find favor with him. Then they sent word to the king as it had occurred, saying that a lame man had met them upon the way who had one foot cut off and used a wooden leg up to the knee, and that this man had been the one who told them they would be killed. Then the king understood that the fly whose foot he had cut off had been a bad spirit and that it had betrayed his secret designs. And straightway he took Aldo and Grauso on his word of honor from that church, pardoned their fault and afterwards held them as faithful subjects.
The History of the Langobards, Paul the Deacon, 8th Century AD
