by Griff Hosker
I looked at Gawan. If there was the power of the spirits involved then he should have known. He nodded. “I sensed power in her but I saw it as raw and untamed. I thought it just a relic of her heritage.” He looked at Daffydd, “The rumours and gossip, they were about her parentage?”
“Aye lord.” My captain of archers was not surprised for he knew Gawan’s powers well. “It is said by those with nothing better to do than to chatter like magpies that a young Hibernian warrior, some say a prince, was shipwrecked and came up the river for help. He stayed a month. It was when the King was away fighting his enemies around Powys.”
Gawan said, “It is the hair and the features. She has her mother’s beauty and yet she does not look like her sister nor her father and then there is her hair. I believe the gossip for it would explain much. It would explain her mother’s attitude towards her daughter.”
I turned to Daffydd, “Thank you Daffydd. I can trust your discretion. We would not wish Arturus to hear of this.”
“Of course, lord. I had to speak.”
“And you did right.” When he had gone we spoke quietly about the choices we had before us. After a morning’s discussion, as we neared the river by the old Roman fort of Bremetennacum, we decided that there was little to be gained by telling Arturus what we had learned. Her parentage was not her fault and she would either tell or not tell him why she ran away. Gawan would use his powers to try to unravel the mystery.
As we dismounted he said, “Now I know why Myrddyn told you what he did. I do not think that Gwenhwyfar will be easy to live with but I believe that she has been sent to serve a purpose. As yet I cannot see it. If Myrddyn wishes it then it will, in the end, help us. But the river flows a long way before it reaches that sea.”
While our horses drank and we ate I spoke with Llenlleog. I could see that he had been curious about our conversation. “Is aught amiss, Warlord?”
I smiled. He was not what the women in the town square at Civitas might call nosey but he had a little of the wizard in him and I knew that he was genuinely intrigued. “Gawan and I were speaking of the changes which the fiery princess will bring to our land.”
“Your nephew is smitten, Warlord, that is obvious and she is enamoured of him and yet…” He looked uneasy.
“Speak.”
“To me this seems like a volcano. I have never seen one but I know from those who have seen the ones in Italy and Greece that they are brooding and silent. They bubble and they hiss. When they erupt you have no warning. That is what I see in this liaison. They are obviously in love but that does not guarantee peace.”
“Like Gawan you have powers; do you see harm?”
“I see change and men our age never like change.”
“Thank you Llenlleog. You are a good friend.” I looked south. “The world has changed since my father led the alliance of warriors who defied the Angles and the Saxons. Now we fight alongside some of them. We cannot go back and change the world to one we like. We must make the best of what we have. Myrddyn told me that this was good. I have to believe him. If he was wrong then our whole world is based upon a lie. We are getting old Llenlleog. Any change is an unwelcome one for us. Arturus will lead and I believe he will have someone at his side who can help him.”
Gwyneth was the one who was most overjoyed at the news. The fact that her son would be marrying a princess made up, a little, for the fact that she was not living in Constantinopolis. She was a little annoyed at the haste and the fact that we would be leaving less than a day after we had returned. She wished to impress Queen Heledd. She wanted more time to have dresses made. However, she knew she would have to forego that. It was a small price to pay for a bride for her son.
We were lucky that our ship ‘Gwynfor’ was in the river. Her captain, Daffydd ap Gwynfor had been cleaning her ready for the new trading season. We would not be able to take as many people as Gawan’s wife wished. It was not as big as Gwyneth would wish. I left Llenlleog to command in my absence and allowed Arturus to choose the four equites and squires who would come with us. He chose Agramaine, Pol, Llewellyn and Griflet. The rest of the passengers would be Gwyneth’s ladies and servants. She seemed to need a great number.
We left on the high tide and headed west. We had to use oars to navigate the first stretch for the wind was from the north and west. It would help us when we sailed but it prevented us from using the sails to reach the sea. With so few men on board Gawan and I had to take an oar. ‘Gwynfor’ was not a galley. The oars were sweeps intended to turn and manoeuvre the ship. Had we had time we would have organised horses to pull us to the sea but we knew that the King had set the date and we had to be there.
Gawan grinned at his son, “Well Arturus you have the sons of the Warlord pulling on oars like galley slaves just to take you to your wedding. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice.”
It was said with humour but Arturus was serious as he answered, “Aye, father. I know what you and my uncle have done for me and I hope that you do not think I am ungrateful. I do not think that my bride will give me an easy life but she is meant for me. Myrddyn has told me all. My wife to be has no secrets from me. All of this is…” he smiled, “wyrd.”
“Does this mean you are forgetting your White Christ? Are you returning to the old ways?”
In answer he said, as we pulled on the oars, “There are many versions of Christianity, Warlord. If you go back to the teachings of Christ and read the originals, as I did in Constantinopolis, you will see that Rome and the priests have changed the message. We believe in spirits and the one you call the White Christ became a spirit. There is not as much difference as you might think. Many who become priests try to make the world and the church fit their vision. I know what I believe.”
Captain Daffydd shouted, “Take in the oars. Thank you, lords. The wind will take us now. Loose sail!”
Agramaine pulled up a bucket of estuary water for us to cool our hands. Gawan said, “Then you did not spend all your time in the east enjoying yourself.”
He laughed, “No father. I did study. I became a better warrior and a better man. I became a Christian not because of what the priests said but because of what I read. Christ cared for the poor and the ones who could not defend themselves. That is what grandfather did. It is what the Warlord does. We owe a duty to the land but we also owe one to the people who live there; all of them. It matters not if they are Saxon, Welsh, Hibernian, Jute or Angle. We fight those who would use the sword and the spear to rule. That will be my quest. Your quests, uncle, showed me how we ought to be in the future. We will never have many equites. Let us use them as you do, wisely. A couple of equites, squires and archers can make sure that simple farmers, shepherds and herders are able to carry on with their lives without fear of attack, slavery and death.”
Gawan put his arm around his son. “Then your extended absence was worthwhile, my son. You have learned and you will be the leader to inherit the land of Rheged from my brother.”
I left father and son for they had much to say. I had no children left, not in this world, I had Rheged as my child and I went to the landward side of the ship to watch Rheged as it slipped by, Gawan was right. All of this was meant to be. Rheged would be safe, for a while at least. As I saw the ring of peaks which surrounded the heartland of Rheged I knew that one day it would fall. Myrddyn had told me that but Arturus was a promise of a different Rheged and that was good. My hand went to Saxon Slayer. The sword had come to me to bring light in a dark world. It had been hidden for a long time but the spirits who watched over our land had chosen the right time to bring it forth from the earth. When my time came I would see that it was returned to the earth from whence it came. Its light would be extinguished but its return would herald a new dawn.
Once we left my coast we would be in open waters. We would be in seas which could be dangerous. Our ship was a good one but she was slow. She was tubby and she laboured like a cow about to calve. Daffydd had good lookouts. It was getting on to dusk and we were half
way to the island of Ynys Môn and the mouth of the Clwyd, when the lookout shouted, “Two ships to the west.” There was a pause. “I think they are pirates!”
Daffydd’s lookouts were experienced. If they said there were pirates then there were. The captain shouted, “Full sail. We will blow the sticks from her!” He put the steering board over so that we had the wind astern of us. The Hibernians who followed would also have the wind but our ship had just had her hull cleaned. It might make a difference.
I shouted, “Warriors get your weapons.! Women get into the cabin.” There was a small cabin at the bow of the ship. It would be crowded but they would be safer there. “Gawan you and Arturus guard the women. The rest with me.” I saw Griflet’s squire, Tal, picking up his shield. “You will not find that to be of any use. Use a dagger with your sword.”
Agramaine joined me. “If we had but six archers we could hold them off.”
“But we have not and we make do with what we have. This will be a test of our skills for we dare not wear mail. If they gain a foothold on our ship then we are lost. Hold the men here by the mast and I will go to speak with Daffydd.”
“Aye Warlord.”
Daffydd was alternating looking astern and at the sail. “If we can survive until dark then we might lose them, Warlord. I know the waters around our coast better than they do. We can take them towards the shifting shellfish sands. We are shallow draughted.”
His voice suggested that he was more in hope than expectation. “If you can isolate one of them and let them try to board we might be able to discourage them.”
“Aye, I will try!” He nodded to his crew, “These are good lads and they have bows.”
When I reached the mast Gawan was there. He had two small pots. “I have made a small fire of wood chips and coals in this one and oil in the other. If they close with us then have one of your squires throw the oil and then a second the candle. If we can burn them…”
“Aye. Agramaine have your squire and Pol’s ready to hurl them. They are strong. Near to their mast would help.”
The two Hibernians were closer now. I could see the warriors at the bows. They were six hundred paces apart. Whichever way we bolted one would catch us. Almost half a mile behind us it would take some time for them to draw closer. I drew Saxon Slayer and my long dagger. Both were sharp and both had tips. The Hibernians were wild warriors but they had poor weapons. Some would board us with cudgels. Nasty, vicious weapons, they were crude and hard to use effectively on a ship. However, if they traded blows with their swords then their blades would bend or break. We had to retain our resolve and trust in our skills and our weapons. We all wore leather jerkins. Our mail was wrapped in cloth and below the decks. Salt air did it little good. Leather was protective and kept out the wind better than cloth. It would have to serve as armour.
When they were less than two hundred paces from us they had closed to within one hundred and fifty paces of each other. Daffydd ap Gwynfor chose his moment well. He put the steering board over to sail due south. Although it would bring us closer to the westernmost pirate we would have more speed for it would be from our quarter. Our captain was trying to give me all the advantage he could. The manoeuvre took them by surprise and they reacted slowly, allowing us to gain a length or two. When they did turn one was quicker than the other and they were no longer sailing side by side; the one which had been to the west of us was ahead of the other.
I knew now which ship would attack us first and that made things a little easier. Our small ship had ropes which the crew called stays and sheets. The Hibernians had the same. They were a weakness for if they were destroyed then the mast and sail would be at serious risk of falling. They could also be used for a support so that we could fight along the rail which topped the sides of the ship. As our ship rode higher in the water then this was an advantage. It was only a slight advantage and we would be outnumbered but it was all that we could do. I heard the Captain ordering his crew to ensure that they were armed. All of them had a seaman’s knife and most had a bow. The knife was a wickedly sharp blade but it would be of little use save in close combat. The first mate was issuing hatchets, hand axes and short swords. We might be taken for ransom. They would be killed or taken as slaves!
It was a race and the Hibernians had oars as well as its sail. They were catching us. I saw that they were coming along the same side as the steering board. That was a sensible move from the pirates. If they could disable the steering board then the ship would be theirs.
“Come, we will go to the Captain. We will be his sword wall. Squires, you watch our backs and when they are close enough throw the pots at their mast. We will try to buy you the time to enable you to do so.” I had chosen two squires who were known for their strength but if it was the Hibernian’s bow which struck us then they would have to throw the pots further.
I used one of the back stays to pull myself up on to the rail. I placed my feet well apart and balanced myself. Looking astern I saw the leading Hibernian had a prow filled with warriors. All were half-naked. They had breeks and that was all. I glanced down the ship. Gawan and Arturus were at the cabin watching. If my equites fell they would have to race the length of the ship and try to repel the enemy. If we five could not do that then I doubted that they would. The crew of the ship were behind my squires. They would fight and die hard. The battle would be won or lost in that first contact.
The wild men from the west were screaming and hurling insults at us. They were building themselves up for an attack. The first ones over knew that they would face just five warriors. The five of us were standing on the rail. One or two arrows sailed over but the pitching decks and the precocious wind made accuracy impossible for the poor bows the Hibernians used. It was a nuisance more than anything. I saw Griflet bat away an arrow as it came towards him. It was as though it was a summer fly, an irritant rather than a threat. Daffydd’s crew used the mast and stern to send their arrows at the Hibernians. Without even a leather jerkin some of their arrows found flesh.
The pirate ship came closer and closer. Its consort was four lengths behind. If they disabled the ropes which held the steering board then they would attack from the other side and we would be overwhelmed. I watched Daffydd ap Gwynfor. His eyes flicked from the pirate to the sails and back again. He was the only one without a weapon in his hand. He was about to make our ship a weapon. The pirate ship was almost upon us. The warriors at the fore were ready to jump. Daffydd did something I would never have been able to do. He judged the move with the steering board to perfection. He made a slight move away from the Hibernian and even before the pirate had reacted he turned back on our original course. The six warriors who were at the prow leapt as they saw our hull within leaping distance. One made our ship but the other five all fell between and beneath the two ships. As the hulls came together, briefly, two men were crushed between them. The warrior who made the prodigious and successful leap which landed him on the rail found Saxon Slayer in his middle. With a surprised look he tumbled over the side and into the water.
The deaths of their brothers in arms infuriated the pirates. They began screaming even louder. Their captain changed his course to move parallel to us. More men were lining the sides of the ship. He would place his bow closer to the mast.
“Spread out, equites. You two squires fill in the gaps.”
Daffydd had done all that he could and now it was down to our swords and skills. Night was falling fast now. The coast had disappeared into a grey murk. Captain Daffydd would know where we were. Behind us the sunset made the sails of the two pirates sinister silhouettes. I saw the pirate come closer. If we turned away we would lose way and the second pirate would close with us. Daffydd did the only thing he could. He turned towards the pirate. We were a bigger, stronger ship. He trusted to his vessel. When we hit it, the pirates standing on the rail lost their balance. The ones who held on did so with both hands. Our crew threw hatchets and hand axes. I saw a Hibernian’s head split open and he fell backwards
. I slashed my longer sword in an arc. It tore through the guts of one pirate and into the forestay. It parted with a twang. My four equites were in their element. The pirates were struggling to hold on and our weapons were longer. The two squires who did not have pots joined in with their swords and seven pirates fell. There were many more waiting but they had to pull themselves up. I swashed my sword and they reeled away. I sensed something behind thrown over my head and knew that the oil pot had been thrown. When the second one flew I prayed that the spirits would guide them both and that the flames would catch.
Despite the fact that ships sail on water covering the hull their decks and masts, not to mention the ropes, are bone dry. Fire and flames are their greatest enemy. I heard a crash as the oil filled pot broke. A pirate threw himself at our ship and his left hand grasped the rail at my feet. One of our crew brought down his axe and severed the hand. He fell screaming between the hulls. Just then the second pot struck. The two squires had done well for they must have landed close by each other. The flames flickered and then ignited. They raced up the mast. The wind from astern fanned the flames and I saw them catch the sail. The sail was tinderbox dry and the flames seemed to dance and race up it. Daffydd moved the steering board away from the pirate. We lost a little way and the second pirate came a length closer. It was a wise move for the severed rope and the burning mast and sail suddenly crashed down the length of the pirate ship. The whole vessel seemed to catch fire at once. I saw men hurling themselves in the sea. The crashing mast stopped the ship and Daffydd was able to put our steering board over and head south. The second pirate could not catch us for he had to sail around his stricken consort. The sunset was replaced by the burning pirate. We headed into the darkness of the coast.