by Griff Hosker
I turned and said, a little colder than I intended, “Then you were wrong.”
“You have changed, Rollo!” She refused to use my Viking name and used the name the Franks called me. “I gave you a son and now you need me not!”
“Then give me another son!”
It was the wrong thing to say. We rarely coupled these days and she appeared to be indisposed more than when we had first met. She stood, “You are a barbarian but I am Christian! I will go to Æðelwald of Remisgat and we will pray for your soul!”
I knew that they would be closeted together for hours in the chapel she had had built in my town. I missed Gefn. She had been the one who had been the bridge between Poppa and me. Since she had died I had grown apart from my wife. Left alone I went to the door which led to my fighting platform. It looked out on the river. I had chosen this land. My grandfather had chosen this land but the more I thought about it perhaps the Norns had chosen it for us. If that was the case then perhaps they had chosen Poppa. I no longer had someone in whom I could confide. My grandfather was gone, my adopted mother had been taken. Sven Blue Cheek and Bergil Fast Blade lived far from here and now had their own families. I would try to change my ways. I needed to build bridges with my wife. Perhaps the time I spent away from her might make her warm to me.
I liked Erik Leifsson as soon as I met him. Although young, I estimated that he had seen twenty or so summers, his skin had the leathery look of a man who spends most of his time at sea. He was also unafraid of me. I liked that too.
“Your father has spoken to you?”
“Aye lord. He said you need a captain for your drekar. She is a fine ship.” I nodded. “I have a ship of my own.”
“I know. I do not need a captain for long periods. If you agree then you will just sail my ship when we raid. It might be for a month at a time.”
“A month when I will not be earning coin.”
“A month when you will earn more than when you sail your knarr.”
“What will my share be, lord?”
“You have a tenth of the coins and treasure we take but you pay for your ship’s boys from that.”
He nodded, “That is generous.”
“Trust me Erik Leifsson, you will earn it.”
“And when do you need me?”
“We sail at Harpa.”
I watched him considering. “I will tell you what, Lord Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson, I will sail your drekar when you sail at Harpa. When the voyage is over then we should sit and talk. Perhaps you might not wish me to continue and perhaps I will go back to my knarr.”
He was confident and forthright. I knew of lords who would have taken offence at his words but they suited me. I held out my arm. “I am happy at the arrangement. I leave the ship to you.”
He smiled, “Do not worry, lord, I may not know of battles but I know ships. She will be ready and she will fly.”
There were some things I enjoyed about being Lord of Rouen. We had good walls. We had ready access to the sea. My people were prosperous and the climate was pleasant. What I missed were the warriors who had helped me to take this enclave of land in the heart of Frankia. This had been one of the jewels in the crown of Frankia and now it was mine. But warriors like Sven, Bergil, Sámr. Ragnar, Finnbjǫrn and Olaf were no longer warriors who lived in my hall. I missed the ease with which we could speak. We had been shield brothers. They were closer than any family.
My wife was still with her priest and so I went to the town square. It was where we held a market each morning. As I reached it the farmers who had come into town to sell their produce were packing up. Snorri was my bodyguard. Each stranger was viewed with suspicion. I did not think I would come to harm but it did not pay to be careless.
“Come Snorri. I see that Dómhildr the ale wife has brewed fresh ale. Let us go and taste it.” When an ale wife brewed fresh beer, she hung out a sheaf of wheat. We went to drink not simply because the ale would be good but because it would draw many men there and this was my way of gauging the mood of my people.
Snorri rubbed his hands. Dómhildr had taken over Brigid’s mantle including some of her secret recipes. My men enjoyed good ale. I did not tax Dómhildr. Her beer brought in far more coin to my town than any other business. I taxed the other stall holders and the ships who not only used my port but the river as well. At first the merchants and captains had complained of the cost but as the river was now much safer they realised it was an investment. It was another reason why the Franks tolerated us. We kept their river safe.
The market was where I was most popular. There had always been a market in Rouen but until I had captured it the townsfolk had suffered raids not only from Vikings and Frisians but Angles, Saxons and, increasingly, Bretons. I was hailed and offered all sorts of delicacies as I headed towards the alehouse with the upturned barrels and trestle table. Dómhildr beamed. Her husband was a tiny man which contrasted with the huge Dómhildr. They seemed happy enough together. I envied them. “Abel, fetch some sausage for the lord.” As her husband hurried away behind the curtain to the food, Dómhildr bobbed a curtsy. “You must have known that I had brewed some of your favourite ale, my lord.”
“Black jet?”
She nodded, “And I think I have managed to keep to Brigid’s recipe too.” She pointed above her. “If there is a wind from the west then we know I have it wrong.” Dómhildr was not a Christian. She believed in signs, portents and omens. “The sausage is a new recipe. I hope you enjoy it!”
“I am sure we shall. How is business?”
“I cannot make enough ale to satisfy demand, lord. I am looking for slaves to work in my brewhouse. If you could find some I would appreciate it. Saxon girls would be best. They know ale and they can be trained. Not Bretons or Franks. The do not know ale and they run. It is hard to run across water.”
Her husband appeared with a wooden platter and two horns of black ale. They both looked at Snorri and I as we took a mouthful. You did not sip ale, you swallowed it! It tasted dark with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The foam stuck to my beard. A sure sign of a good ale. “It is better than Brigid’s!”
“Lord, you are too kind.” Just then some of the market traders who had finished clearing their stalls arrived. “Business lord. Just shout when you want more. Valka! Fetch more horns!”
We chewed on the sausages and washed them down with more ale. Snorri wiped his greasy hands on his breeks. “We have not raided the Saxons for some time, lord. It might be worth raiding there before we visit with Saxbjǫrn. He will have dealt with the Bretons himself.”
“Do not be too sure, Snorri. This Alan of Vannes has shown himself to be a survivor. I will not underestimate him.”
It was late in the afternoon when we returned to my hall. I had learned much in the short time I had spent amongst my people. There was no unrest. The Franks who came to trade also spoke of the peace they enjoyed but they also spoke of the threat of the Bretons.
My wife was sat with William and she and Æðelwald of Remisgat were teaching him to read. I frowned. The priest had too much influence on my son. I feared he would try to turn him Christian. One day Æðelwald of Remisgat would upset me and then he would pay for all the trouble he had caused my family and my land. He was the one person who never saw me smile for each time I saw his face I wished to draw Long Sword and take his head.
“The market is prosperous and it is growing.”
My wife sniffed, “When they bring and sell fine cloth from Bruggas then I will enjoy the market until then it is a place for ale, beans and cabbages and the people there smell! None of which will entice me there.”
I sighed, “When I raid I can always make a raid on Bruggas.”
It was the wrong thing to say. I knew not why I said it but my wife stood and jabbed a finger at me, “You are a barbarian! I do not want clothes stolen from some poor gentlewoman! I want to pay for them!”
I did not say that we would be taking from the merchants and traders who would have made a profit.
I just shrugged and went to my chamber. There I had maps and I would study them. Perhaps we could raid the Saxons in Cent and then sail to Carentan. As Snorri had said it was some time since we had sailed and there would, inevitably, be new crew. I found myself looking forward to the opportunity to draw my sword and spend some time with my warriors.
I sought out Padraig. Although he was a priest he was not of the same church as my wife’s priest. He was a clever man and he organized the taxes and the running of my hall and town. “How long will you be away, lord?”
“Fourteen nights would mean that events have not turned out the way I might have hoped.”
He hesitated, “You do not need to go, lord. Your men would happily raid for you and the result would be the same.”
“Perhaps. You are right that they are well trained but I do this for me. Besides neither my town nor my family need me at the moment. William is too young to train to become a warrior and my wife….”
He looked nervous. I think it was because he was a man of God. “I do not know women, lord but it seems to me that Lady Poppa just needs someone to be gentle with her.”
I was puzzled, “I have never raised my hand to her!”
He sighed, “I am the wrong man to ask, lord, but if I were you I would speak with those warriors who have been married for a long time.”
I knew that he meant well but he sent me to sea in a confused state of mind.
Chapter 2
I stood with Erik Leifsson at the steering board as we sailed gently down the river towards the sea. I had made a blót and been rewarded with a gentle wind from the south and east. It would take us to the land of Cent which lay to the east of Wessex. When we returned we could use the wind to head into the open ocean and then return home. We planned to land on the south coast of Cent. We would be far enough away from the ships Alfred of Wessex used to hunt down drekar. Other Vikings had told me that the Saxons had improved their ships and seamanship. I was not worried. Alfred might have tricked poor Guthrum and made him a Christian. I was made of sterner stuff.
“How long for us to reach Cent?”
“This is a fast ship. In my knarr it might take four or five days, even with a wind like this. This is a drekar and ‘Fafnir’, if we used the oars, could do it in two.”
“There is no rush. We can take half a month for this raid. I am not due at Carentan until another moon has passed.”
Erik was a clever young man, “This way you can see if I am any good and which of the crew you wish to change.”
I smiled, “Perhaps but it may be that I just wish to enjoy the raid. It has been more than two years since I went to sea.”
He nodded. “Is it true, lord, that once you sank to the bottom of the sea and did not drown?”
“I was pushed into the Tamese and I was under the water a long time. When I surfaced I was alone on the ocean. Ran came to my aid.” I turned and holding my horse amulet, bobbed my head at the sea, “For which I am eternally grateful.”
“Then you truly are a chosen one for I have never heard of any who sank to the bottom of the sea and lived.”
I smiled, “Even one as tall as I?”
“Even one like you, lord.” He pointed towards the mast fish. “I have used oars on my knarr but I have never had thirty-two men pulling at the same time. You know that I will need advice.”
“It is not hard. For this voyage I will command them to be run in and run out. You need to use them to change direction. You can make an even more extreme turn than you can with a steering board. You order one half to be out of the water and by putting the steering board over you can turn a drekar almost in its own length. By backing one set of oars while rowing forward with the other you can spin the drekar around.”
“All of this sounds good. I thought we just used them when there was no wind.”
“That often happens. We are just single crewed. If we had a double crew the men can keep rowing for half a day and more. That can prove useful.”
I was pleased with all the questions he asked me for it showed he had a mind and that he wanted to be the best that he could be. Once we cleared the headland south of Djupr and left the estuary the motion of the drekar became busier. We also moved far quicker. We were out of the river and had the wind pushing us hard. It would not be on the outward voyage where my new helmsman would learn to use oars.
I left him to discover the drekar’s secrets and joined my men by the mast. We had my oathsworn and another twenty men. Some, a handful, were younger warriors without mail who wanted coin to buy some. Half of the others were married men who had had enough of life at home and wanted adventure. The others were farmers who needed either coin or animals. For them a perfect world would be one where they found animals and treasure. They would choose to take part of their share from the animals. I remembered when I had been a young warrior who needed to raid. When I was picked up and taken to Norway I had had nothing. Everything I owned had come to me after I had sunk to the bottom of the river. I knew that was the work of the Norns. This trip to the land of the Angles and Saxons had not been my idea. The seed had been planted by Dómhildr. Who knew whence the seed came? The Norns had made a prophecy to my grandfather and it had still come to fruition. My son and I were tools of the Norns.
The wind was benevolent and took us where we wanted to go. We would land where it took us. There would be people. If they were men they would die and if they were either women or children then they would become slaves. My grandfather had been one such slave and he had ended life as one of the most respected Vikings anywhere. Dragonheart had been a Saxon slave and yet he had become the most famous of warriors. Slavery was not a bad thing. A man made of it what he could.
They made space for me to sit down. I was the largest man on the drekar and everyone had to move. I took the horn of ale Harold Strong Arm offered me and leaned with my back against the mast fish. I listened to them as they bantered and joked. Without even knowing I recognised the ones who were farmers for they were more intense. I heard the bravado from those who had never yet fought and I listened to those leaving wives behind who laughed and joked about their women. All had different motives but once we went ashore then we would all have to be as one.
Siggi Svenson was one who had a farm. It was south of the river. He had been a warrior who had raided with me. He had a short mail byrnie, a well-made helmet and a good shield. When he had married he had left his life as a Viking behind. I was pleased to have him for he was a doughty warrior. He turned to me, “Where do we raid in Cent, lord?”
I pointed to the sail above us, “Where Ran sends us. There are many towns. There is Hamwic in the west, Haestingaceaster, Hastingas in the centre and Dwfr to the east. In between there are many beaches, many small ports and inland there are many towns. It is a rich land.”
“But they have burghs. They have walls to defend them.”
“And we will not touch the ones with walls. We need slaves and animals. If we find a church then the gods truly favour us. If not…”
He nodded, “I have four children, lord. I have good land but I need animals. The animals from Cent will be hardier than the beasts we buy. He shook his head, “And they are expensive!”
I laughed, “Then we will try to get as many as we can then!”
Normally I would not have stood a watch but my captain was new and so I did. We were out of sight of land and it was night. There were no stars but that did not worry me. We were heading roughly north. We had to hit the coast at some point and it would not be during my watch. The two ship’s boys who shared the watch with me were more excited than any crew I had ever seen. It was their first voyage and Erik was not only their captain he was also their uncle. Added to that they were watching with the Lord of Rouen. I had to find tasks for them to keep them occupied. I wondered how William, my son, would behave. Despite what his mother might say I intended to bring him to sea as soon as he was able. It would make a man of him and also help him to get to know the men with whom he would b
e fighting. Poppa could posture all she wanted now. It did not matter for the present. He was too young. When he became old enough then he would be mine!
During the night I felt the wind veering. It became more east south east than south east. I made corrections but we would need the sun to get a more accurate position. I woke Erik well before dawn. “The wind has shifted, Erik, I adjusted our course but…”
“We have all day before we see the coast of England. Thank you for standing a watch, lord. Next time I will bring my first mate with me. Lars is a good man.”
“There will be a next time?”
“I think so but let us not tempt the Norns for this voyage is not even begun properly yet.”
As I laid down in my furs I realised that Erik had an old and wise head upon his shoulders. I had one less matter to occupy my mind.
My sleep was filled with dreams and pictures I did not understand. My wife laughed at me as I lay pinned to the ground with a cross lying upon me. I saw Alan of Vannes leading horsemen and burning farms. I saw Danes trying to take my town. The dream disturbed me and I woke when it was still dark. I stared up at the black sky and then tried to get back to sleep. I forced myself to think of my grandfather and the days I had lived with him at the Haugr. They were happy times and I fell asleep.
They let me sleep until the fourth hour of the morning. I made water and then went to the steering board. Erik pointed to the sun. “The wind took us further west than we wished, I have corrected but it means we are moving more slowly. Should I run out the oars?”
“No, we have time. I will relieve you in the afternoon watch. My mistake means we will not reach the coast until nightfall now.”
I ate and we ploughed north. The ship’s boys spotted a sail at noon but it was on the horizon and it could have been anyone. A drekar had a high mast and kept a good lookout. Few other ships had such a good view. I doubted that we had been seen. When we drew closer to the coast then we would be in danger. Our newly painted shields and fresh sail would make us stand out. Perhaps I had been meant to make a mistake so that we could land at night.