by Griff Hosker
“Where is he now?”
“I left him with Saxbjǫrn the Silent. I knew I needed to return as quickly as I could.”
Sven Blue Cheek said, “Lord, the boy heard them speak. You were right to worry about Beorn Straight Hair. He led the Danes and there is more.” I looked up. What more could there be? “The Danes were the ones who tried to take Rouen. It was Godfrid. They serve Alan of Brittany.”
Now part of my dream made sense. The attack on my grandfather in my dream was an illusion. It was symbolic. If that part was real then the other two elements were also true. I held my hand out for Egil to refill my horn. I was thinking. “And the other settlements? Valognes and Ċiriċeburh?”
“They are held. The Danes tried the same trick at Ċiriċeburh but the captain of the guard did not trust them. He dislikes Danes and he refused to open the gates. The riders who went to them caught up with Bertrand. Benni’s Ville is destroyed and there are none who live at Bárekr’s Haven but we knew that the Bretons had done harm when they raided Valognes.” Sven spoke calmly but I knew that he understood, as I did, the magnitude of the problem. I emptied the horn and I began to formulate my response. I knew I had been silent for some time when Sven Blue Cheek said, “Lord?”
“We are hurt and we bleed. I had a dream which disturbed me and Bertrand’s news did not come as a surprise.” I looked at Ragnar, “The lords of the Cotentin are under siege. You need to spend the next months growing your forces. You need to be vigilant and use what men you have left to watch for treachery. Unless you know the drekar which sails into your harbour regard them as foes. Ubba will need help but Saxbjǫrn has shown us that we can be strong even though we have been hurt.”
Ragnar nodded, “Aye lord.”
“Sámr, Sven, Bergil; you will hold this line and this road. Visit each other regularly. Use your new horses well. Bagsecg, you will be the most important for you must breed more horses. I see into the future. I see great danger. We learn from this disaster and we become, like Saxbjǫrn, stronger!”
“And you, lord, what do you do for I know that you will not sit idly by?”
“I will take ‘Fafnir’ and a crew. We will sail into the heart of King Alan’s land and we will kill these Danes. We will leave a message for King Alan.”
They nodded. Sven said, “And your dream? Where was the danger? Who was the danger?”
I said simply, “Rouen and the Franks!”
The day was spent preparing for Ragnar and Ubba to return home. Those of Finnbjǫrn’s men who had survived were given a choice. They could either join one of the Cotentin lords or serve me. Ten chose to follow me. They were the ones who had lost families. I was going to punish those who had taken their families and they would have a greater chance of vengeance if they followed me. I walked Sámr’s walls with Sven and Bergil. We offered suggestions to improve its defences. Bayeux was the front line. Like Lisieux it was further from the sea than we might have liked and aid would be slow to reach it.
“Sámr Oakheart, I would have a ditch dug around your town and let the river fill it. Build a stronger gatehouse.”
“Thank you, lord, that is good advice. If we had coin then we would build in stone.”
“Come the new grass we will go to war and there will be coin for you. You are luckier than the lords of the Cotentin. You lost fewer men. You have boys you can train as warriors. Ubba and Ragnar had boys taken as slaves or killed. Your warriors will need to father more.” Part of me was thinking about my wife and the child that she was expecting. The dream had said it was a girl. Was that true?
We rode east. We were not in celebratory mood. Despite the fact that King Alan had not achieved his objectives it did not feel like a victory. There were too many dead. Carentan and Saint-Lô had both shown me that my opponent knew me too well. I was predictable and that was not a good thing. I spoke with Sven and Bergil. To be truthful it was more Sven for he was wise in the ways of war. Bergil was not. Even Sven Blue Cheek struggled to think of a way to defeat the Bretons. “We have an army which is better than the Bretons but to defeat King Alan we would have to strip every town of its warriors.”
“Ragnar showed us that we can do that. We make our strongholds stronger. We need more drekar. I will not seek any from beyond our lands. I do not trust them. We have the winter to build more ships. If we are to succeed then we need to fight Alan of Brittany in his land and not ours.” I turned to look at Sven. “When I sail to punish these Danes, I will also examine the coast. I will seek somewhere we can land and hurt them. Bagsecg is quite right. Our horsemen are good to scout but not to fight. We have to fight as old-fashioned Vikings until we have more horses and men to ride them. My grandfather had the right idea but Alain of Auxerre and his men will not come again. Next time we will make our own horsemen. That will take time. I hope the Allfather grants me that time.”
By the time we reached Rouen we had been away for almost fourteen days. I am ashamed to say that the first thing I did was to give the box of papers to Padraig and the second was to order my drekar readied for sea. It was only then that I sought my wife. Of course, I should have wondered why she was not there to greet me but I was preoccupied and it was I who felt guilty. She smiled when she saw me. She did not hug me. I knew she would not. She disliked the smell of horses and sweat. She was now heavily pregnant.
“Did all go well, lord?” I shook my head and told her all. She patted my hand, “You do yourself a disservice, lord. You have driven the Bretons hence and our land is safe.” She smiled, “While you were away the Bishop of Paris came to visit us. He is a friend of Æðelwald of Remisgat.” I immediately began to feel anger rise. She must have sensed it and continued, “He came from King Charles to thank you for rescuing the Count of Anjou. He sent a necklace for me and a medal for you.” She handed it to me. There was writing around it.
“What does it say?”
“Hrólfr, defender of the Seine!” It is a great honour. Your star is rising, husband.”
I might have been excited if it had not been for the worry that as Æðelwald of Remisgat was involved it was all part of the conspiracy. My wife was too innocent or perhaps she was too desperate to be one of the Frankish nobility again.
“When you have bathed and changed we will eat. We have much to speak on.”
I bathed quickly but I did not return directly to the hall. I went to see Padraig. He needed to know my plans and I needed to know what he had discovered.
“The maps are useful lord. They tell us more about the waters you will sail and it identifies their strongholds. The parchments,” he held them up, “are even more informative. King Alan the Great and King Charles the Fat are allies. The Bretons will be given the Cotentin if you are driven from this land.”
“You are sure?”
“There are letters and documents which make it quite clear. The land between will be given to King Alan’s son, Pascweten, and he will be Count of Caen. Bowing the knee to King Charles he will be a buffer between them."
“Clever. Is there any date for when they will attack?”
“I am guessing, lord, that the attacks on Carentan and Valognes was the start of the offensive. They might have hoped that you would be defeated and even killed. You are the glue which holds this land together lord.”
“Perhaps. Tell me, was any mention made of Danes or Vikings in the documents?”
“No lord.”
I told him all. I explained how we had won and what we would do next.
“This revenge raid against the Danes is not necessary, lord.”
“I believe it is. There are more out there like Godfrid and I do not want them to join together and make war against us.” I jabbed a finger at the maps. “Find somewhere you think the Danes would be hiding.” I had a sudden thought, “Godwin, is he healed?”
“Almost.”
“He knows Godfrid. I will speak with him. Make sure that Egil is there too.”
He smiled, “Your son and the Dane get on well. If you are trying to
subvert him then the two of them will have more effect than you or I.”
I nodded. As I went to the hall I saw the complexity of the Norns’ threads. It was unlikely that Godwin would know where Godfrid and his ship were to be found but he could tell me things about the crew and the ship. I had taken Egil on and he had proved to be more useful than I could possibly have imagined.
Æbbi Bonecrusher was waiting outside my hall, “Lord, what are your plans?”
“We need a full crew to take ‘Fafnir’ to the land of the Bretons. We seek the Danes.”
He nodded. “There are but ten oathsworn left lord.”
“You know yourself, old friend, that oathsworn are not chosen. They choose themselves. Ten will be enough.”
“I do not think that one drekar will be enough, lord. We need two.”
“Can we afford to leave my home so ill defended?”
“It will be well defended and Gandálfr is keen to sail his ship. ‘Wolf’s Snout’ is a fine ship.”
“We need the best of crews!”
“I will ask Gandálfr and Magnús Magnússon to help me choose them. There is much talk in the ale houses about the treachery of the Bretons. Finnbjǫrn was popular. Ubba led many of the men who now live here. There are plenty who wish to wreak vengeance on the Danes.”
“Then tell the two of them that I will see them tomorrow. I would sail sooner rather than later. I have a child to see into the world and I would be here for the birth.”
My wife had organised a feast for me. Dressed in clean and colourful clothes I felt like a new man. William was keen to speak with me about Godwin and then to discover what had happened in the battle. My wife seemed a little quiet and reflective. At the time I put that down to my garrulous son and her pregnancy. When I asked her, she said that the baby was healthy, so far as the women who knew such things could discern, and all would be well.
“I confess, husband, that the slave you brought, Popæg, has proved to be a gift from God. She is a little rough and uncouth and she cannot speak our language well yet but she knows babies and children. Sprota is teaching her our words for she will be able to take much of the work from her shoulders.”
“I am pleased.” The Norns had spun well. I had not known when I had sought slaves that I would find one to satisfy my wife. I promised myself that when I returned from this raid I would speak at length with this mighty matriarch.
Before I went to see Padraig and Godwin I needed to see my shipwrights and captains. Erik Leifsson and Gandálfr were already at their ships. Neither had been needed for a couple of months and both captains had ensured that their ships were well maintained. My lieutenant had given them the barest details of our raid. “Padraig has new maps. I will have him make you copies. We will not be at sea for long. We destroy the Danes and then sail along the Breton coast so that the two of you know where we could land.”
“We invade?”
I was wary. I trusted my two captains but there were others in the shipyard who might be spies. “We raid. King Alan thinks that he has hurt us. We will raid his ships and his ports. He will become weaker and we will be richer! There may be spies in the port. If any ask questions then tell them we return to Wessex to make more profit.” There had been much speculation about the papers I had brought back. “Tell any who ask that the papers told us where there was great treasure to be found.” I counted on the fact that the Franks, Bretons and Saxons would believe that gold held the greatest sway over our hearts.
They were satisfied with that. I left them and went to speak with Padraig. Egil had already taken William there. Padraig had his own room. It was close to the chapel. He used it for quiet reflection. When I saw Godwin, I could not believe the changes which had been wrought. Although his face was still scarred he was able to open his eyes. Padraig had given him a straw hat with a brim as his eyes were still sensitive to light. As I entered I heard the three youngster all laughing. Padraig winked. The priest had the ability to conjure and it always impressed the young. When he saw me, Godwin started a little and stopped laughing. To him I was still the enemy. I was the one person in the room he had little contact with. I had a battle to win. I began by smiling.
William said, “Padraig is a wizard! He can make coins appear from my ears! We will be rich for he can produce many such coins!”
I saw now why they were all laughing. “An excellent idea but we would not wish to use all of Padraig’s power, would we?”
My son nodded seriously. He opened his hand to look at the coins.
“Godwin, I am pleased that you are healed.”
“Thank you, lord. You gave me a life and Brother Padraig gave me a life which was worth living.”
I looked at him. I was not able to have true eye contact with him as he could lower his brim and hide his eyes. I wanted him to see my eyes and the truth within them. “And now you have a choice to make. We have healed you. Would you leave us and make your own way in the world or would you join the Clan of the Horse?”
To William it was an easy question to answer. He would stay with us but Egil knew the dilemma in Godwin’s mind. Could he desert his oar brothers?
I would not be foresworn in this matter even though it might cost me. “Know you that I intend to hunt down Godfrid. He used treachery to enter one of my towns and took many women and children as slaves. If you joined my clan you might have to fight Godfrid.”
He raised his head so that I could see into his red eyes. Padraig had told me that the scarring around the eyes was permanent. “Lord, I was not in Godfrid’s crew. I have a complicated story.”
“I have time and I would hear it.”
“I am neither Frisian nor Dane. I am a Saxon. My village was raided when I was a babe in arms, or so my mother told me. My father and brothers were killed. I was raised in Frisia. My mother worked in the hall of a Frisian chief. I lived there until I had seen five summers. There was a dispute with the Count of that land. The chief was executed for the Count wished his land. We were sold with others. A Dane who in lived in Beodericsworth bought us. The Christians now call it St. Edmund’s Bury. The Dane liked my mother and took her as one of his wives. It meant I was treated well and taught how to use a sword. I was not freed you understand. My mother was also retained as a thrall but she was not beaten and she had fine clothes. Two years since his brother was seeking a crew. Ragnar, the hersir who owned me, gave me to his brother. Einar was a good warrior. I liked him. He gave me my freedom a month after we set sail. We raided Wessex. It was after one such raid that we met Godfrid. We were in Dorestad and we were selling our treasures when he asked us if we would raid with him. It made sense for his father ruled Frisia and Einar saw it as a way to become richer. We were a poor crew. None of us had mail.”
“Then how did you manage to raid successfully?”
He shrugged, “We were lucky. We never raided burghs but kept to the small villages, hamlets and large farms.” He shook his head, “It all changed when Godfrid’s father died. Godfrid commanded ten ships then and he tried to avenge his father at Dorestad. He lost four ships there. Two more deserted him. He decided to seek support from the King of the Bretons for he thought that he would fight the Franks. On the voyage south, a storm blew up and we lost another ship. I thought that we had ill luck and ought to turn around. Einar did too but he said he had given his word.”
“Alan of Brittany, did he offer support?”
“That was the strange thing. Einar told his crew all. He was in the meeting. He said that Alan of Brittany was not at war with the Franks. It was a ruse but if Godfrid thought to make war then he should sail to Rouen where he would find an ally. Einar was not convinced for he had heard that you were an ally of the Franks. Godfrid gave him a byrnie. It worked. Einar followed him.”
I sat back in my seat. Now it all made sense. I wondered at the sudden rage from Godfrid. He had expected me not only to allow him up river but also to join him.
“Have I said something wrong lord?”
“No Godwin
. I see the Norns at work. Their threads are cleverly bound.”
“Godfrid had a plan. He said that Einar and Folki would lead their crews against the gates of your town. He said that we were best suited for we had no mail and we could move quieter and quicker. It made sense. We thought that you kept a poor guard. Einar fell when he led men up the ladder. He landed at the bottom of the ladder. His back was broken. He told his oathsworn that we should save ourselves. We could not win. Then he died. When we tried to get back to our ship it had been taken by Godfrid. He was sailing away. Your men’s spears, stones, arrows and darts took a fearful toll. We had no option but to try to sail Godfrid’s ship, ‘Ghost Dragon’. She was stuck. Even so we boarded her and then we were hit by one of your fiery missiles. It bounced before me and scorched my face. I fell overboard. The river was cooling but I must have passed out. When I awoke I was in the shallows and I could not see. I crawled to where you found me. I had lost my sword and my seax. If I had not then I would have taken my own life.”
“That would have been a waste, Godwin. You would not have gone to Valhalla.”
He waved a hand across his face. “Odin would not have me and besides, Padraig has been telling me about the White Christ. Perhaps his heaven might be a better place for me.”
I glared at Padraig who spread his hands, “Lord, you said I could not try to convert your people. All I did with Godwin was give him counsel.”
“Words, priest! I thought I could trust you!” I saw William and Egil look anxiously from Padraig to me and back. They were unused to us having heated words.
“And you can. My words have saved a young warrior. Calm down and ask him the question that is in your mind! Then you can dismiss me. Then I will return to my rock in the wild seas west of here.” He paused. “Before he was taken he was baptised. The White Christ is beneath his skin and all that is on the surface is a veneer. He was a slave what else could he do?”