by Griff Hosker
I held a war council. “Osbert, take the fyrd back to Topcliffe and half of our men at arms and archers. Lord Ridley and I will follow them south and then take Aethelward to Jorvik for I do not like the look of his wound. Although Osbert did not like splitting our forces he knew that I was worried about Maiden Bower. We lashed a sling together made from cloaks and spears and put Aethelward between two horses. Our progress was slow but I still felt every bump as my uncle winced. I was grateful when we reached Easingwold and he passed out. I suppose I could have taken him to the priory just ten miles north but I did not trust Morcar any more. He needed to know that we had won. We had our first victory against the Normans.
It was dusk when we reached the northern gate of the city. The sentries wondered at our state for men were covered in Norman blood. We were quickly admitted and I sought the nuns at the house of healing. The looks on their faces when they beheld my uncle’s wounds were not hopeful. He woke and murmured, “Go find Morcar. I am in good hands now.”
Morcar was beaming from ear to ear. I have heard that you have trounced the enemy.”
“They fled the field if that is what you mean but they are still around and there is another column heading for Ripon.” I paused, “William has sent Copsi north.”
Had I slapped him I could not have effected a bigger change. He paled. “It is not over then?”
I laughed. “No it has not started. But at least you will be safe now and we have the chance to build up the army. You can allow the people back into the city now.”
He looked shamefaced. “They never left. They would not go.”
I was about to become angry but there would have been little point. It was in the past but it just proved that Morcar was not a leader. “I will remain here tonight and then take the army to Ripon to find this Copsi…”
When I returned to the house of healing Aethelward was looking a little better. He grabbed my hand. “Find Reuben and fetch him here.” I was about to argue but he just said, “Do it, please.”
I owed my uncle all and I did as I was bid. Reuben looked a little nervous as he entered the house of healing. The nuns had little love of Jews but my presence and Reuben’s kind and ancient face made it easier. As we entered his chamber one of the nuns who was leaving touched my arm and gently shook her head. I hoped that I had misunderstood the gesture. Perhaps she meant that Reuben should not be there but in my heart I knew what it meant.
“Reuben , Aelfraed, I am dying.” He held up his hand to silence my arguments. “I am a warrior and I know these things but I have had a good life and I have seen my sister’s son become the greatest Saxon warrior of his age.” He turned to Reuben. “Old friend, for that is what you are, you have my monies. I hereby bequeath them to my nephew.”
“It will be done my lord and it has been an honour to serve you.” He then did something surprising, he leaned forwards and kissed Aethelward on his forehead. “I will leave you with your nephew now for it is time for those things we leave unsaid, to be said.” He turned to me. “Before you return to your home my lord, if you come to my home I will apprise you of your assets.” He stood in the doorway looking at Aethelward and then he left.
“Come closer Aelfraed, we have little time.” I sat on the bed and leaned my ear so that it was close to his mouth. “You will no longer have me for advice but I saw today that you do not need it. You are a strategos. I know not how things will turn out. That is wyrd, but I hope that we will prevail and return England to its rightful rulers. If events turn out ill then use your money to buy safety in another land. I was happy in Constantinople and they would make you welcome.”
He sighed and lay back. “Uncle!” He opened his eyes and gave me a wan smile. “I want to thank you for coming back for me all those years ago and making me the man I am. I love you as the father I never knew and I promise that I will not rest until I have ended the rule of the tyrant.”
“Do not waste your life. Unless you can raise the country behind you then you will lose. At the end of my life I realise now that life is precious and not to be thrown away. But I shall now be with Sweyn and Ulf, Osgar, Wolf and Harold and we will watch your deeds…..”
And he was gone. Lord Aethelward, the Varangian Guard, the Thingman, the strategos and my best friend, died in the house of healing in Jorvik.
The next day we laid him to rest in the churchyard of the cathedral. Reuben, Ridley, Branton and Morcar were the only mourners present at the interment. I wanted it to be quiet with those who had known the great man. As we stood in silence, each saying goodbye in his own way, I suddenly felt very lonely. There had always been someone for me, Nanna and then Aethelward and now I was alone. I still had Ealdgyth but she was not someone who could replace Aethelward. However, it made me desperate to see her again for with her I could cry; with her I could seek comfort.
The men at arms had all respected Aethelward and we marched in sombre silence across the Ouse, and north west to Topcliffe. Yesterday’s victory now seemed hollow. We had paid a bigger price than I had wanted and I was even more determined to rid my land of these invaders. Reuben had given to me a list of my assets and I was a rich man. He had also given to me a small box of coin. When I had asked him why, he had inclined his head and said he had a feeling that I would need it sooner rather than later. It was only a tiny part of my money but money was not important to me; people were.
We were still ten miles from Maiden Bower when we saw the thin tendril of smoke spiralling into the sky. Branton had his scouts out but we were all on edge. One of his scouts suddenly appeared, waving his arms. We halted and readied our weapons. “Riders approaching!”
We relaxed when Branton recognised them as two if his archers. Their faces were ashen as they reined in their mounts. ”My lord, Sergeant Osbert sent us. Maiden Bower has been attacked and destroyed.”
I turned to Branton. “Take charge and bring the men along. I will ride ahead.”
“I will come with you Aelfraed.”
Ridley and I rode as though the devil was chasing us. I cared not if Sweyn suffered, this was far more important. The smoke grew as we drew closer. I could see that the wooden walls had gone long before we reached it and, of the settlement, neither a stick nor stone remained unburned. We could see the fyrd, under Osbert’s direction, moving the bodies into neat lines. When he heard our approach he turned to come towards me and dropped to his knees. I dismounted and lifted his face. Tears were coursing down his cheeks. “Rise Osbert and tell me all. But first, were there any survivors?”
“No my lord, all are dead.” He stood, “All.” The emphasis on the last word told me all that I needed to know. I nodded to him to begin.
“It was late when we reached here last night for the men were weary. The fires were still burning. We ran the last mile but we could not save any of the buildings. We found one survivor, Ralph’s boy, Ralph. He was hiding in the river, hidden by the stream. He sleeps now but he told us the story. Norman knights arrived the day before yesterday with a proclamation which took Topcliffe from you and gave it to a Guy of Evreux. Thomas argued that you were rightful ruler and he was slain, when Sarah tried to intervene she too was slain. The men on the walls had opened the gates to see what was happening and the Normans rode in unopposed. They slaughtered all who were within. Ralph told his son to hide and then he fought the Normans with his hammer. We found his body surrounded by much blood. He died well.”
“And the Queen?” He took a breath. “Come on man. She is dead. Tell me how?”
“She and her servants were raped and then they had their throats slit. I have placed her body with that of Ralph, Thomas and Sarah.” He looked at me tearfully, “I knew that they were special to you.”
I waved a hand around the dead. “They were all special to me.“ I took him and embraced him. “Thank you old friend, I knew that was not easy. Take me to the Queen.”
As I gazed down on the wife of my father I suddenly realised that I was the only one who knew she was with child. That se
cret died with Aethelward and Ealdgyth. “We will bury them all in the morning in the ruins of Thomas’ home.” This was a new way to wage war. This was the Norman way. All had been killed, men women and children. It gave us a foretaste of what was to come when William himself came north.
As we went out into the setting sun I asked Osbert. “Who was with the Norman knight and where did they go?”
“Ralphson heard one say he was Copsi, Earl of Northumbria. He said they headed north west. “
“Which means Ripon or Medelai. Tomorrow, send a rider to Medelai to see if they are there and then you and I will visit Ripon.”
He and Ridley looked shocked. “You cannot take the army to Ripon…”
“Never fear Ridley. I will take just Osbert for the army is in no condition to take a city and I would not risk innocent Northumbrians dying. If we waited for them to come to us then we would be trapped between them and William of Perci’s force. No I have to strike quickly. We will go in disguise to Ripon if the curs are not at Medelai. And then Ridley, old friend, I would like you to care for my people as this land has been given to another.”
“Of course. What will you do?”
“Do? Why when I have finished with these murderers I will continue to fight this Norman tyranny. When I have disposed of these two murderers then we will raise the north. This is not the end of the war. It is the beginning. Morcar had better decide it he is part of it or not for I have finished playing at war. Now it is to the death!”
Chapter 9
Branton was as angry and distraught as any when he arrived later in the evening. All of us just wanted to hurt someone. All the elation of our victory had been sucked from us by the deaths we had all suffered. It was aggravated by the fact that our losses on the battlefield had been so light but the ones we had suffered at our home of Topcliffe were grievous and irreplaceable.
The dead were laid to rest in separate graves. I put silver coins from the box given to me by Reuben on their eyes. It was the second funeral in as many days and I had had enough. We placed stones at the head of each grave and we had ensured that the graves all faced east. When we had time we would place proper headstones but we had more pressing matters on our mind. As events turned out we never did put the headstones there and the four graves still have a rough stone to mark them as far as I know. Ridley took Ralphson with him to Coxold for the young man had no-one. He had been his father’s apprentice and when Ridley offered him a post as blacksmith he was delighted. Ridley was the kindest man I knew. The rider from Medelai arrived soon after the funeral. “The Normans are not at Medelai, my lord.”
“Then they have gone to Ripon. Branton take the men to Medelai and await your brother and me there.”
He didn’t move. “My lord, with respect I would rather go with you, “I opened my mouth to speak, but he put his hand up. I saw Osbert reach for his blade but I shook my head. Branton was loyal and he must have had a good reason to be so insolent. “You wish to sneak around Ripon my lord. Good. That is what I do best. If you were to stand in a shield wall then my knuckle headed brother is a far better man that me.” He said it with a smile to take out the insult and I saw his brother give a half smile. “With me we would blend in but with my brother you would both stand out like sore thumbs because, with respect, my lord, you are big. And finally I know Ripon better than my brother for I served there for a short time.”
There was silence and then Ridley said, “He makes sense; Aelfraed and I know that Osbert would go with you but if you want to succeed then you need Branton who is stealthier but I want to ask what you hope to achieve?”
“I will kill Guy of Evreux and I will kill Copsi.”
“You know what it is you do?” I nodded. “It will not be in battle, this will be murder. Are you ready for the consequences?”
“I am, for I know that you will look after my men should aught happen to me.”
“What about Gytha and your son?”
I looked at the three men; I was now as close to these as any since I fought with Ridley, Wolf and Osgar in the shield wall. I took a breath. “Lady Gytha now makes beast with two backs with the Thegn of Fife.” The shocked look on their faces was mixed with sympathy and revulsion. “So you see, this is now my world. And I have to do something about it. It is wyrd.” That they understood and they nodded. “Branton I will take you. Osbert take my men to Medelai but tell them that if they no longer wish to serve me then I will understand.” I handed him a heavy purse. “In this purse is enough coin to give each archer and man at arms ten silver pieces. They can serve Lord Ridley if they choose.”
Osbert was appalled. “My lord they would serve you.”
“Give them the choice, Osbert, for I am stepping over the line and where I am going I cannot guarantee that they will have a lord.”
“I will do as you ask my lord but to us you will always be a lord and you will always be our leader.”
“Thank you for that. Take my armour and weapons with you to Medelai and we will meet you there when this is finished. Now, Branton, tell me, how do I become anonymous?”
By the time we left Maiden Bower I had been transformed. He took a tunic from one of his archers and tied it with an old belt. There was a hood on it and it would help to disguise my face. Its colour was a nondescript browny green which would blend in well with a range of backgrounds. More importantly, it was a common colour and a common design. I would look like many other men. We found a sword which had been used by one of the defenders who had died and I took my own dagger, given to me by King Malcolm. Around my shoulders he placed one of the wolf skins we used to keep us warm and on my head he put a leather helmet, much as I had worn when I first left Medelai. He changed Sweyn for one of his nags and we both looked like itinerant warriors seeking employment. It was not far from Topcliffe to Ripon and we took it slowly. “We need to get there just before dark, before they close the gates my lord.”
“If you spend the whole time my lording me then we will soon give the game away. I will take your brother’s name eh?”
He smiled, “Right, Osbert. We will see if there are rooms at The Swan and keep a low profile. I always find that if you sit and drink you will normally hear more than if you ask questions.” I nodded. That was how he and his brother had first come into my employ when Ridley and I had stayed at The Angel for a meal all those years ago.
Ripon is a fine city and an old one but it is much smaller than Jorvik. The warrior hall stood next to the river and it was where, I assumed, the Normans would stay as it was the best accommodation in the city. Branton was worried about our venture, I could see that. He nervously scanned the road ahead and behind. When he caught me looking at him he gave me a false smile; it was not like Branton.
“What is on your mind Branton?”
“I understand why you want to rid the world of these Normans but why not bring our men at arms and we could ambush them and kill them in battle.”
“Because, Branton, I feel responsible for all those who died at Maiden Bower. I gave the Queen my protection. If we came to Ripon with our men at arms they could wait us out and besides we do not have enough men, at the moment, to fight them. Besides I do not wish to lose any more men. Two men can do the job as easily as twenty.” I looked at his quiver. “How many knight killers do you have left for your bow? “
“A few.”
“And with Ralph dead where will we get them? No this must be done in dark of night to tell these Normans that they cannot do as they have done without punishment. I want them to fear us and to fear me in particular.”
“It is a huge risk my… Osbert. They will all hunt you.”
I laughed. “And that is what I want for then they will have to fight us. As long as I am with the army then we know where the battle will be. I want no more innocents to die for us.”
“I think I understand.”
“Good, and Branton, you just have to watch my back. I will not soil your hands with my crime.”
There were two g
uards at the gate; one was fat and sat on a small stool. His companion had a narrow cruel face and when he looked at us I could see that he was dismissing us as vagrants. “What do you want? We want no tinkers here.”
I bit back the retort and played the role. “We are not poor men.” I jingled the small purse. “We have money to pay for a bed and food.”
The fat one belched, “Well you’ll be lucky. The city is filled with Normans.” The thin one stood aside and we rode in. The streets were busier than I had seen in many a year. The ale houses were filled with noisy and boisterous voices. The Norman soldiery were celebrating their victory at Maiden Bower and that gave us a chance for they were relaxed and that made them vulnerable. We struggled to find a stable and had to settle for a smithy where the blacksmith knew Branton and allowed us to stable the horses, for a few coins, of course.
Once we left the smith we wandered the streets to see if we could see where the Norman knights were housed. It was, as I had expected, the warrior hall which was not far from the smithy; our first piece of luck. We stood in an alley forty paces from the door while we sought a way in. There was none for there were guards on the doors and they challenged all who approached. “If we can’t get them in then we must find a way to get them out.”
We found an alehouse which had the sign of barley outside. It was crowded and, thankfully, dimly lit by a fire and a few tallow candles which emitted a smoky, thin light. There were no seats and we stood against a wall watching all those who were drinking. We were looking for a Norman, any Norman so long as he was alone. Most of the ones we saw were in groups but then Branton noticed a solitary figure who was seated by the door. We approached him.
“What do you two want?”
“We see that you serve the Normans we would like to know if they are recruiting.”
He laughed as he looked at the two of us; we made a sorry scruffy pair. “Why, are you warriors?”