by Unknown
I spoke with Alain and told him of the treachery of the Leudes of Rouen, “I knew that he would not allow us to get away with this insult. I am not surprised he used assassins. You Vikings have a different code to that of the Frank. To them you are a barbarian and do not count as a person.”
I was interested. “This Leudes will think us wild men?”
“Everything you do would lead him to that conclusion. You fight odds which are too great. You fight beyond hope and you are fearless. A Frank fears the wild. You are wild.”
“Then if he fought us he would expect me to be wild and irrational?”
“Aye he would. What is on you mind, lord?”
“Some time, I know not when, he will come to punish me and he will bring an army. If I can make him think I am reckless then I might be able to trick him.”
“How, lord?”
I laughed, “I do not know, yet, but I have the short days and long nights to devise a way. If he has not attacked yet, then he will not do so until after the winter.”
Just then a sudden squall descended upon us like the wrath of Odin. We hurried into the shelter of the stables. “I cannot get used to this weather, lord. Where I come from, we are far from the sea. We have cold and we have snow but we do not have this constantly damp and wet weather.”
“It makes for good grass and that makes fine horses.” I stroked Dream Strider’s mane. “I do not think we need ride out each day. Let us cosset our mounts for I fear we will need them in the spring.”
“The men we have trained are improving each day. I would not like them to face the Franks yet but that will come.”
“For the present so long as they look like horsemen that will do. They have met eleven of us who have bested them each time we have fought. If we go to war with treble that number they may believe we all have the same skills. If there is doubt in an enemy’s mind, then that is half the battle.”
He nodded, “I heard how you deceived three Saxon ships. It may be harder to do that on a battle field.”
“What do we have which the Franks do not?”
He looked confused and then said, “Archers.”
“Aye. And we now have three Saami bows. When Harold fast Sailing next sails to Dyflin I will use my share of the ransom to buy more. Mounted Vikings and good archers allied to a sound shield wall will surprise these warriors of Charlemagne.”
PART TWO
Revenge of the Franks
Chapter 13
The winter was a hard one. It was the coldest we had had in our new home. We even had snow. It did not last long but it made us worry that it might. My wound healed well. The scar was vivid and red at first but gradually it softened to a hard white line. It was a reminder to me of how close I had come to death. We had also spent the winter practising, when we could. It exercised our horses without taxing them. We rode on the beach. We practised riding boot to boot and in open formation. I had finally given in and changed my helmet. Alain and Bertrand had persuaded me that the helmet with the nasal would give me as much protection as my helmet with the face mask but I would have better vision and it would not be as heavy. They were right. I added more protection by having a mail coif underneath it. It covered my neck below my fuller beard. Now that I had finally stopped trimming it for Mary it was thick and lustrous. Unlike many of the other warriors I did not plait it.
We had made changes, too, for our riders. The shields we used on foot were too large to be used on a horse. We made new ones which were slightly smaller and more oval in shape. It allowed us to protect our legs a little better. It meant we were able to use them on both sides of the saddle. Some of Alain’s men adopted the spike boss. I retained my round one for it felt more familiar. Being smaller it was easier to fit a metal rim around it and we could stud it with more metal. Finally, I added metal to my cloak, especially around the neck. The wound to my chest had made me warier of such blows. Bagsecg beat some metal so thin that it hardly weighed anything and my wife sewed around the edge of my cloak. It made it look more attractive and, with the thick material of the cloak, would make it harder for an edged weapon to hurt me. I was still vulnerable to a mace or a hammer.
Sven and Harold bought us four more Saami bows and then sailed to the clan of the fox. They took gifts from our clan. When they returned, it was with the disturbing news that Fótr was contemplating attacking Caen. I wanted to go to him and dissuade him. It was Mary who argued that I should not. She was backed by Alain and Bertrand. They sat with me and Gilles around my table as we discussed our young neighbour.
“If you do try to dissuade him he will think it jealousy, lord. He will say that because you do not wish to go to war he should not.”
“No, for I will tell him that I am happy to go to war with him but not yet.”
Mary had shaken her head, “He will resent you. He has had success which was nothing to do with you. He admires you for what you did. If you try to tell him what he should do it is like a big brother telling a younger one what he should and should not do. He will rebel and do it anyway. If you say we are not ready for war, then it is right that you wait. I agree with you. I do not think that you have the men to defeat a Leudes like Philippe of Rouen.”
“You know him?”
“No, but I knew men like him. I grew up with lords like that around my father’s table. My father might not have been able to withstand a sudden attack by Vikings but he and his friends knew how to plan a campaign and use strategy to defeat an enemy before a battle. The Leudes will know that Fótr comes for him. He will be prepared.”
Gilles suggested, “Perhaps this is a good thing. If he has a bloody nose, then he might listen to you.”
They convinced me. I wish they had not but they did and I would have to live with my decision. We did not look out, we looked in. We planted crops. We began to train young boys. We cleared more fields and we patrolled our land. When we met the men of Valauna or Ċiriċeburh they fled before we could come to grips with them. I knew that they were under orders but so long as we were safe then it did not seem to be a problem. My son was given his first dagger and we began to plait his hair. Gilles told us he would be a father and our world seemed perfect.
The first news of problems came at the start of Einmánuður. It was a busy time of year for us. Gilles and Alain were busy with the mares who were foaling and my farmers were just finishing sowing their summer crops. My sailors had repaired, cleaned and readied my drekar. They were now fitting the new sail. I was with Mary and Bertrand and we were dealing with the Haugr and the business of administering justice. With more people than ever living in close proximity there were disputes. On Raven Wing Island the jarl had ignored them and it had led to deaths and civil unrest. We had decided that would not happen to us and we had a court in the spring and at harvest time where I settled disputes.
The three of us were just going through the cases I would hear when Finni Jarlson burst in, “Sorry to bother you, jarl, but there are armed men in the woods. I think they are Vikings.”
We dropped everything. Anyone close to our settlements was a danger. I donned my mail and sent Finni to tell my men to mount. By the time Gilles and I were ready Alain had brought his men around along with our horses. The eleven of us rode, with Finni, south.
“Did you not ask who they were?”
“It was not us. It was two of Rurik’s slaves. They were in the woods gathering blackberries and they rushed back to say they heard the sound of fighting and they had seen a dead warrior. They recognised him as a Viking but as he had no clan markings and no head, they knew not who he was.”
Rurik had brought both families behind his walls and he was ready for war. Leaving Finni there we rode into the woods with drawn weapons and cocked ears. We found the Viking. I recognised him from his arm rings. “This is Audun. He is one of Folki’s men. What is he doing here? Spread out and move through the woods.”
Once I was away from the others I could hear, in the distance, the sound of metal on metal. Men were f
ighting. I whistled and my men joined me. I pointed my sword in the direction of the fighting. Soon it became much louder. There were cries and shouts and the clash of swords. We were almost at the place where we had ambushed the men of Valauna when I spied the first horse. They were Franks. I did not shout nor did I give orders. I waved my sword and kicked Copper in the flanks.
The Franks were not on their horses. They had dismounted to deal with the Vikings of Folki’s band. As Copper crashed through the woods a Frank turned. He was just in time to see Heart of Ice come towards him and lay his chest open. I wheeled to the left and brought my sword down across the neck of another warrior. My handful of men had caused mayhem amongst the enemy. When they heard horses, they thought they were friends. Now they saw that they were foes. They melted back south, away from our flashing blades.
I reined in, “Come, they will reorganise! If you wish to live, then come north with us!”
There were less than eight of the Vikings left and four of them were wounded. One turned around and I recognised him as Folki Kikisson. He looked at me as though I was an apparition. “Jarl? Is that you?”
“It is; now hurry. We do not have enough time. Alain, have four of your men ride double with the wounded. Hurry!”
It would not take long for the Franks to find their horses and come after us. They would rapidly realise that we were a handful. I waited until Folki and his men had passed and then shouted, “Back but keep your ears open.” The Franks were never stealthy in the woods. They tended to lumber around them like a wild bull. We would hear their horses. It was Theobald the Fair who had led the wounded Vikings from the woods. He would keep Folki and his people safe. It was now up to me to give them time to reach Rurik.
We were a thousand paces from the end of the woods when we heard the hooves of the enemy horses. It was Bertrand who heard them first, “Lord, they come.”
There were just seven of us. “Come to the trail and we will ambush them.” As they joined me I placed them on either side. I had Bertrand and Gilles with me. The trail was the fastest way through the woods. The alternative was a twisting, turning and, potentially, hazardous route over tree roots and wickedly positioned branches. If you wished speed, then you used the trail. You kept your eyes ahead. By keeping our horses just three paces from the trail I hoped to surprise them.
When the first Frank passed, I kicked Copper and leapt forward. My sword hacked into the arm of the third Frank in the line. I heard shouts and orders from further down the column. Alain and I turned our horses together and rode at the next Frank. Alain favoured the spear and his spear took the Frank in the chest. I lunged at the next warrior while holding my shield before me. His spear smashed into my shield and I lunged at his leg. My sword went deep into his thigh.
“We have done enough. Ride!” My new helmet saved my life. Even as I turned a Frank had left the path to attack my shield side. In my old helmet, I would not have seen him but I glimpsed the movement from the corner of my eye. Pulling Copper’s head around I was able to swing at him as his spear came towards me. He went for my face but his spear head caught on the clasp which held my cloak. The metal on the edge stopped penetration and I brought my scything sword around to lay open his stomach.
I continued the turn and headed through the forest. I knew I had less than a thousand paces to reach the edge of the wood and I rode as skilfully as I ever had before. I twisted and turned; I leapt fallen trees. I laid low over the saddle to avoid low branches and I used hands, knees and eyes as never before. It was when I heard the cries of those following who fell from their horses that I knew I had a superb horse and that I was now, truly, a horseman.
As I burst from the woods I saw my men waiting anxiously, twenty paces to my left. “I am safe. Where are the others?”
Alain pointed to the north. “They will be close to Rurik now. We should go!”
“Aye, we have used all the luck we have.”
Now that we were in the open we made much better time. Our ambush and my hazardous escape had divided the Franks and they were five hundred paces behind us as we hurried north through freshly cleared land and across a greenway which had been compacted over the year by our hooves. We began to catch Folki and his men. I saw, just four hundred paces away, the sanctuary that was Rurik’s. It was only a small place but we could defend it.
“We will keep our horses outside to threaten them. I think our attack in the woods was effective.”
Theobald the Fair and his men entered the gates. They were followed by Folki and his men. Alain shouted, “Theobald rejoin us!”
I saw that Rurik and Finni were already on the walls with their slaves. Folki and his men joined them. They soon filled the walls. Theobald brought the others to line up behind me. The Franks hurtled up the greenway in a disorganised line. Rurik and Finni both had bows and they loosed arrows as soon as the Franks were in range. They did not cause wounds but the arrows falling amongst them made them stop and form a line. Even as they began to do so Finni sent an arrow into the shoulder of one of the Franks. I saw that there were thirty of them. They began to debate what they ought to do. Folki and his men must have been give bows by Rurik’s people for there was a flurry of arrows which descended upon the Franks. They were not as well aimed as those of Rurik and Finni but it did not matter as it was the numbers which disconcerted the Franks. They wore no mail. They withdrew.
“Alain, take your men and follow them at a discreet distance. Make sure they return whence they came. We will wait within these walls for you. See if you can capture any of the spare horses.”
“Aye lord.” He smiled, “That was as skilful a piece of horsemanship as I have witnessed. You are truly named.”
“I was lucky.”
I went with my two men into the stronghold. Agnathia and Finni’s wife were tending to the women. “Water the horses, Gilles. I will see Folki.”
I hung my shield from my saddle and climbed the ladder to the fighting platform. Rurik was speaking with Folki. Folki turned. I saw that he had been wounded too. He had a wound which ran from his eye to his chin. He was lucky not to have lost the eye. He held a piece of cloth to it. “We owe you our lives, jarl.”
“What happened?”
His head dropped, “It is hard to tell.”
“We have time. I would wait until the Franks have gone. Were they from Valauna?”
“No, they are the men of Caen. They have chased us for the last three days.” Rurik handed him a horn of ale. He drank it and nodded. “My brother decided to attack Caen. Men had begun to desert us for we just sat behind our walls and they had joined us for profit. When a whole clan left us, my brother thought that we ought to act. We thought we had enough men and he thought to use an attack from the river and from the land. We moved in the dark of night and my brother thought he had outwitted the Frank. The Leudes had anticipated our move. He was waiting for us. Our scouts had counted the men in the stronghold but they had not seen those who were hidden by the woods and on the far side of the river. He had machines which threw fire and stones. The three drekar were all destroyed. One burned and the other two were beached. When they were lying helpless on the shore, then the Franks fell upon them. The men were slain.”
He emptied the horn of ale.
“My brother led the attack in the walls. I was with twenty men and we attacked the gate. The Franks on their horses attacked when we were committed.” He shook his head. “Some of those who had recently joined us, the Danes, they fled. It was a waste for they were cut down. My brother saw that we were trapped and so he descended from the ramparts and we made a shield wall. We began to head back to the drekar. The crews had been slain but two were beached by the river.”
“We had a hundred men in the shield wall when we started to fall back. Twenty died before we reached the drekar. Even as we reached it they fired one. Their horseman attacked again and again. We beat them off but, after every attack there were fewer of us. We fought our way aboard the drekar and the fifty of us who rema
ined boarded and we took to the oars. My brother said we would sail back to our stronghold. It seemed a good idea. Even as we sailed their machines hurled stones at us. They weakened the hull and we rode lower in the water as we headed north to our walls.”
“We barely made it. We had to abandon the sinking ship. The forty-four who had escaped the slaughter had to run the last thousand paces but it was in vain. The Franks had sent men to fire our home. It burned along with all of the treasure we had collected. My brother decided that we would head here and join you.”
I nodded, “That is a long journey. I have done it on a horse.”
“We had to fight our way past the men who had fired the walls and we kept fighting until the sun went down and then the thirty-five who were still alive found shelter in a forest. Fótr thought we had lost them. We spent the next day moving through the woods. He was confident that we would have lost them.”
“But you had not.” I now knew that this Leudes was a clever man. He had not sought them out for he knew where they were going. They would be heading for me. “They were waiting for you close to the woods where we found you.”
Folki looked at me as though I was a galdramenn. “Aye, how did you know?”
“It is what I would have done. The only place you would find a sanctuary was here.”
“We woke the next morning and headed north along the greenway. When we were not attacked then Fótr took heart. He sent me and fifteen men ahead to spy out the road ahead. We had just found the woods when they attacked. They fell upon Fótr and his men. We tried to get back to them but there was a wall of horses between us. We slew many horses. Fótr was the last to die. A lord with a dragon on his shield took his head. When I saw that they were dead then I fled, with those who survived into the woods. After we had slain some of their horses they dismounted and then you found us.”
“He had a good death.”
“Aye he had a good death.”