by Griff Hosker
I laughed. “Do not despise that for it is good training. But if I may give you some advice Calum I would spend a couple of hours each day with your men at arms. When the day comes for you to fight with them you will see the difference and you will have more chance of surviving.”
I suddenly noticed that the table was silent and all, including the king were listening to me. King Malcolm nodded, “I can see now Aelfraed the Bastard that your reputation is deserved. I wondered how one so young could have achieved such fame. Those are good ideas and from the silence around the table I can see that many of my lords are listening.” The rest of the evening was spent with me answering questions about the battles in which I had fought. I could feel my uncle’s stare and I was glad that I had taken no ale for I thought about each word before it slipped from my tongue.
At the end of the feast Ross escorted us to a small chamber at the end of the hall, close to the guard room. It showed that, whilst we were being honoured, we were being watched. Once in the room my uncle spoke quietly to me. “That was well done Aelfraed. The King is a careful man. He wished to hear us make a slip in our cups and divulge information which he could use. You did well and I am pleased that you have impressed them for that may help us in the future. This may end the way we wish it to.”
The next day we were taken to meet the King along with Ross who was obviously his lieutenant. “Firstly Lord Aethelward I have to tell you that I have no intention of fighting the Normans. If that is your embassy then this will be a short meeting.”
“No your majesty, we will fight our own battles. There was an attempt on the life of the Queen and she fears that with the unrest in the country, she and her children are at risk. She would seek sanctuary with you much as you sought it with the Confessor.”
Malcolm rarely showed what he was thinking but I detected relief upon his face. “It is our Christian duty to aid our sister. Is that it? Is that all that she requests?”
“It is…”
“Except,” Aethelward shot me an irritated look, “I would ask, your majesty, if my wife and unborn child could also be housed with the Queen for I fear for her safety too.”
“That will be an honour, Lord Aelfraed, if only for your illuminating lecture last night.” In honour of our visit the king presented us both with a pair of daggers. The steel was from Toledo and the handles were carved from bone and inlaid with silver. “Take these as a symbol of the love and respect we have for two warriors but this is the only armed aid we can provide.”
“Your majesty, this is more than enough.”
As we headed south Aethelward called Branton over. “Well Branton, what did you discover?”
“They are waiting to see what happens with the Normans my lord. There are armed camps all along the border. If Duke William succeeds in England and tries to come north they will repel him and if not then their king will see what he can steal from England.”
Aethelward had obviously briefed Branton to be a spy. “Well uncle it confirms what you said, with the Queen in his court he has a hostage.”
“Hostage, guest, the terms are interchangeable. It is what we do in the field which will determine the outcome of this war not where the Queen is. I would rather her in Scotland and safe than in England and at risk. This way we will not worry about our women and we can fight harder.”
Chapter 3
March 1067 Topcliffe
Christmas had not been the joyous time we had hoped. William was crowned and he showed his political acumen by restoring the lands of Edwin and Morcar to those two earls and giving Edgar the Aetheling large tracts of land in the south. If it had not been for the indefatigable Queen then we would have all been down at heart but the news from Scotland had heartened her as she now had a sanctuary and she was the reason we survived the dark days of deep midwinter. Gytha’s pregnancy was not going well and it took all my patience to control my tongue as she lambasted all bar the Queen. Poor Sarah could not do right and I, for one, was glad when, as the first flowers of spring thrust their heads through the icy ground, my son began his journey of life. The Queen and Sarah dismissed me, along with the other men so that they could concentrate upon the task in hand and safely deliver my son and heir. Ridley came over as soon as he knew that she had gone into labour and it felt good to have my oldest friend with me on that momentous day.
When Harold was born I finally realised that my responsibilities had doubled. I now had a wife and two estates to care for in addition to all of my warriors. The child was my future and he suddenly dominated my life. The walls of my castle which had seemed so secure now felt perilously thin and the news of their uncles’ submission to the Normans made our place in the land even more perilous.
Aethelward and my men insisted on the ceremony of wetting the baby’s head. This was a simple enough process, it meant drinking as much ale and wine as we had and telling each other how great we were as warriors and how powerful Harold would be when he attained manhood. Before I became totally inebriated we managed to have a serious conversation about the future.
“We could fight for this land!”
“Yes Aelfraed, if we had the support of all the lords but the Earl’s defection has thwarted us. I have spoken with the lords hereabouts and we can only count on a thousand men at most and of those it is your men and Ridley’s who would be the shield wall. Less than one hundred armoured men in byrnies with axes could not stand up to the Normans when they come. We will have to hope that the Earls change their mind. Now that William has returned to Normandy there may be some hope.” None of us could actually call the Norman, King as though by not naming him it would make his state untrue.
“So you would have us submit to William?”
Aethelward had looked at me sadly. “It is not even as easy as that. Ridley could submit but you are the bastard son of Harold. You are the hero of Fulford, Stamford Bridge and Rhuddlan. You are a serious threat to William, more serious than the Aetheling or the young twins. Add to that the strategic nature of this place and you can see that William would have to put one of his own men in place here.”
At that point Ridley had looked appalled. “If Aelfraed is thrown off his land I would join him.”
“Think about your people both of you. If you fight then your people would suffer. Do you want that Ridley?”
He was silent; torn between his duty as a lord and his duty as a friend. Osbert swallowed off his ale and said flatly. “I care not. I will follow my lord to the gates of hell if needs be. I am his man and I think most of the others would feel the same too.” Branton and the others had banged their beakers in agreement and as tears filled my eyes we had gone on to drink ourselves into an alcoholic oblivion.
By the time that summer arrived the three children of the house were a noisy distraction. The twins, Harold and Ulf had begun exploring and managed to find every nook and cranny where they should not. They were both fascinated by my Harold who seemed a placid enough baby. He looked to have more of his mother about him than of me and I did not mind for I had always thought of myself as unattractive. I had never seen my face save reflected in someone’s shiny shield but it was an impression I had of myself. I was content with the way things were. The early summer was, however, spoiled by Aethelward’s illness. He began coughing, not uncommon in the wet spring but Sarah confided to me that she had seen blood mixed with the sputum. My uncle laughed it off and he recovered but it was the first sign of his decline.
When we heard that Edwin, Earl of Mercia was to marry one of William’s daughters then we knew that there would be no revolt. Despite the unrest in Hereford and Exeter the Normans had just taken over. We knew that was largely because there were no leaders south of Mercia, they had all died at Senlac Hill and we deluded ourselves that William had not come north because there were leaders and he feared them. That was arrogant and we were wrong. It did, however make the Queen’s mind up. Word had inevitably got out that she was in Topcliffe and Branton’s scouts had reported many spies in the hills.
One morning she came to speak with Aethelward and myself. “I will take Malcolm up on his offer of sanctuary. You are sure you can trust him?”
“I believe he is an honourable man and it is in his interests to keep you safe.”
“Then I will go in high summer.” She turned to me. “I will miss Gytha and yourself Aelfraed; you have shown true generosity and I can see your father’s nobility in every inch of you. I hope that my sons turn out as fine as you.”
I was touched. “Majesty I would not separate Gytha from your side. The King has said that he will shelter my lady and I will feel happier if she is there when the storm breaks.”
“You believe that the storm will break?”
“My uncle does and he is rarely wrong. I believe it too and this land and this castle will not be safe when William does come north.”
“Does Gytha know of this?”
“Not yet.” I hung my head. “I fear no man in battle but I dare not broach this with my wife. Does that make me weak?”
“No Aelfraed that makes you a man. I will speak with her.”
I thank the lord for the Queen. She had a charm about her that took one’s breath away. Gytha could not say no and by midsummer we set off north. I took Branton again for Osbert would be needed to defend the manor. Ridley promised to watch over my estates as well. In truth we were doing well. The crops and animals had done well and I had taken a great deal of coin to Reuben the Jew. If it was not for the spectre of William looming over us, life would have been good. I now had forty men at arms and I took five of them with us for we had the Queen. Our progress was slower than it had been when six of us had journeyed north and it took us six days to reach Eidyn Dun where the King was spending the summer. This time we had no trouble for his lords were expecting us and they cheerfully escorted us the last few miles to the new hall the king was having built on top of Arthur’s seat.
When he met the Queen he was as gallant as any man wooing a woman. He had no wife and I idly wondered if this could be a union which might turn out well for England. If the King of Scotland married the Queen of England then they would be a powerful force to face the Normans. There may have been political will for such a union but there was neither spark nor emotion between the two and they just became good friends. Aethelward and I had intended to return swiftly south but Ross and the King reminded me that I had promised I would try out a few bouts with some of his eager warriors. I regretted that promise but I could not renege, having given my word and we stayed for a month. Luckily this allowed me to prepare for a combat. I had not fought for almost a year, not since I had been wounded and training was not the same as a bout. I wished that Ridley was there for I had always trained with him. Nor was Osbert available and I had to use my men at arms. They meant well but they were, in truth, in awe of me, firstly as their lord and secondly as a renowned warrior. I did not improve my skills but I did manage to become fitter. I just hoped that the muscles would remember what they ought to do when I faced one of these Scotsmen, all of whom looked like giants to me.
I had never fought for exhibition and I asked Aethelward about it. “You use swords and shields but the swords are blunted. There is a master of ceremonies who determines when to stop the combat for no-one is supposed to die.”
I became worried. “Do they die?”
A cloud appeared over his face. “Men have been wounded in these combats when the combatants become too excited. I would finish it early if you can.” I took some comfort that my uncle thought that I would be able to finish it but I doubted that I would be able to do so quickly.
As Branton helped me to dress I confess that I was feeling quite nervous. I should have remembered my promise when I had been at Topcliffe and tried my arm against Osbert who would have given me a better assessment of my fitness for combat. Now it was too late. What exacerbated the situation was the fact that Malcolm had deemed our combat to be the highlight of the Midsummer games and I had to sit, along with the King, Ealdgyth and Gytha to watch the other events. I had no opportunity to practise. The games themselves would have been interesting had I not had this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach and a sudden ache growing down the scar which ran along my back. There were wrestling bouts, warriors threw hammers, warriors danced across razor sharp swords and two teams of warriors engaged in a tug of war across a pit of fire. All of it passed before me in an annoying blur as I wondered who I would fight.
As the last of the defeated tug of war team rid themselves of the last sparks from the fire Malcolm turned to me. “Now my Saxon friend, it is time for you to finish the show.”
“And whom do I fight?”
The grin he gave me was that of the wolf. “It is Duff; a warrior from the highlands. He is the chief of a tribe and he has fought many Vikings from Orkney. He is a fierce warrior.”
As I stepped down I saw Aethelward give me a confident nod. He did not look worried but then he did not have to face this warrior who had never been defeated. Branton was waiting with my shield and the sword I was to use. It was not as balanced as my own but it was not as heavy as I had expected. At least I had my own shield and I knew that to be strong. Branton had my cap which went beneath my helmet and he made sure that it fitted snugly before encasing my head in the helmet Ralph had made for me. I had never seen such a fine helmet on any field of battle and he had added a small spike at the top in which we could place a feather to mark me in battle. We had done so after Stamford but I had yet to fight it a battle using the identifying feather. Finally he held out my well used gauntlets and I was ready.
The sound of horns told us that it was time to enter the arena. “Good luck, my lord, but you do not need luck for you will beat him.”
He, like Aethelward, looked confident but I was not. When I stood before the King and the other lords I glanced to my right and saw that the warrior I was to fight was a whole head taller than me and I am not a small man. He had the shoulders of Ridley and I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. The King just said, “Finally we have a contest between a champion of the Saxons and one from the Highlands. May the better warrior win.”
I turned to face Duff. He had teeth missing so that when he grinned at me it was like looking into a rock filled cave. “And dinna fret wee man, the better man will win and you’ll be on your arse before too long.”
It seems strange now but it was in that moment of arrogance and pride from Duff that I knew I would win for he was one man and I knew that I could beat any warrior one on one, the secret was finding his weakness. He swung his sword above his head and I could see that he had a longer reach than me which meant I had to get in close. I remembered the words of Aethelward, finish it quickly, and I determined to do just that. Suddenly he swung his sword all the way from around his back to crash down on my shield. It was such a powerful blow that had it been another shield it would have shattered and I think he thought so too for, as the sword slid off the metal discs, he looked surprised and them annoyed that there was not a pile of kindling. I wondered how strong his shield was if he had won his other combats by breaking his opponent’s shields with his first blow? I swung my sword sideways at his shield for his huge, arcing move had been risky. I connected well and saw a sliver of wood slice off and he stepped back a little. With a roar he swung over hand again and this time I stepped inside his swing and punched upwards catching his sword hand with the boss of my shield. The blow with his sword did not connect and he stepped backwards, warier now. His eyes narrowed and I could see him assessing my strengths and weaknesses. The crowd, too, had quietened and I suspect that many of the Scots had seen him fight before and had expected an easy, early victory.
He circled me and began to use his longer reach. The problem was he could not strike me hard enough at that range but I too was feeling the effects of my first combat as muscles began to ache as did the wound on my back. As he swung at me, I stepped inside and hit hard against his knee with the blunted sword ; his extra height made it easier for
me to strike below his shield and he roared back in anger. The sword was not edged but he had been hit by an iron bar and it had hurt. He now swung, in an anger which was fuelled by rage, at my head. I just ducked and punched again with the boss of my shield. As he stepped back I punched at his shield with the fist, wrapped around the pommel of my sword. The two blows took him by surprise and he fell backwards. As he tumbled I pulled my sword back and smashed down at his head. He was good and, for a big man, had quick reactions; he protected himself with his shield. This time it was more than a sliver of wood which fell from it and a large chip and then a crack appeared. He rolled to the side and leapt to his feet. He now knew he had a contest and I could see that he was going to finish it quickly. His eyes narrowed and he grinned; once more I looked into the rocky cave. He pulled his sword back to swing for my head and once again I stepped inside with my shield to punch him but it was a trap. The sword did not come down but he enfolded me with his arms.
“Got you now you scraggy wee shit!”
He pulled his head back and I knew he was going to head butt me, I had used the tactic myself but what he had forgotten was his height and I put my head forwards so that he connected not with my nose but the top of my helmet. The spike Ralph had fitted on the top was no bigger than a thumbnail but it was enough to pierce his eye socket and as he roared back screaming, with blood pouring from his wound, I saw the remains of his eye drip to the ground. The warrior charged with supervising the contest raced in to prevent me continuing, not that I would have done so and the crowd remained silent. Suddenly I heard clapping, a single pair of hands and saw the King, on his feet applauding. Next to him with shocked expressions were my wife and the Queen while Aethelward and Branton smiled and nodded. The King’s applause signalled the crowd that they too could show their feelings and they began to shout and cheer, the warriors banging their shields.