‘What about me,’ said Inga. ‘I don’t want to be left out again. I could ride Rainbow.’
I realised that next year Harald would be a man and beyond my jurisdiction so I left them to their good-natured bickering and sought out Gudrun and her two faithful followers, Cub and Osred. They had taken part in just about every game and every competition available and between them had gathered some honours.
‘We liked the football game best,’ said Cub.
‘Please tell me you only watched,’ I said.
‘I told you not to tell her,’ said Gudrun. ‘We only played a bit. And you did too when you were little.’
‘I was older than you.’
‘No, you weren’t, Anlaf Yngvarson told us.’
‘Chickens coming home to roost,’ said Kirsten. ‘I’ve been busy. I missed Olvir’s help this year. Harald and his friends have kept out of major trouble but Gudrun and her hird have been picking up bruises and grazes like they were trophies in themselves.’
‘I’m not sure we should call them her hird.’
‘Too late! And anyway she has by far the strongest will, I can’t see her following any of the others.’
‘Gudrun is far too headstrong. If she wants to lead she’ll have to change. A leader cannot expect people to follow unless she has earned their respect. I had to learn that the hard way. She needs my guidance. I must stay at home from now on.’
Spring 952
Staying at home was a forlorn hope. It was two moons and a week after Yule when a messenger from Leifr Olafson told me that a muster was to be expected in a month or perhaps even less. I was thankful that the Lawman had seen fit to warn me ahead of time. I sent word to our relatives at Rannerdale and Buttermere and they arrived already knowing what to expect.
‘I must find Ragnar and Kveldulf,’ I said. ‘Unn shall come with me. Ylva is too far gone in her childbearing or I would have sent for her. Anlaf, you shall stay with your family this time.’
‘But Sigrid, what about Unn, will you be able to keep her out of trouble on your own?’
‘Probably not but it’s better than leaving her at Becklund where I’d be certain nobody could stop her if she were in the grip of her fury.’
Anlaf was still put out at being left behind.
‘But I always go with you.’
‘Not this time, Anlaf. I don’t expect a fight. Just two of us can travel faster. And two women aren’t a threat to anyone.’
That made them all laugh.
Helle put her hand up to speak. ‘Please don’t send your fostrings home. We have spoken of this and we’d all like to come with you but if we can’t then at least let us stay here together.’
‘It is good that you want to stay together. You are a firm sisterhood, I am proud of you. Nobody will expect you at the muster. You shall stay here and be ready to defend the farm and also the homes of my relatives. It will be good for my sisters-in-law to know that they can call on you. One of you should be leader, a banner woman. If I had a banner that is.’ They all giggled at this. Then they all looked at Helle and nodded.
‘Only for when Ylva isn’t here,’ said Helle. I liked that, she would not let her new status go to her head.
All that was simple. But who could I put in charge of Becklund? How I missed Varg at that moment. Vida and Aluinn were more than capable of running the household, Kirsten would keep everyone healthy, Thrall Toki could be trusted with the farm-work. But he was a thrall. Someone had to take overall responsibility. I looked around at all my people. Both Anlaf and my brother-in-law Lothar from Buttermere offered to come and take over. I felt reassured and was about to suggest they took it in turns a week at a time. Then my gaze fell on Harald. He sat perfectly still and calm. I felt he had drawn my eye to him.
‘You’re not of age,’ I said in answer to the unasked question.
‘I’m twelve, Mor. This autumn Thing I shall be initiated. And I have good people to help and advise me.’ Like the time at Varg’s funeral pyre, Harald spoke with such assurance, nobody thought to object.
The next morning I got ready to mount North Wind. I caught my breath when I saw the stallion Harald brought for Unn.
‘That’s Lord of the Fells!’ Harald grinned and nodded.
‘I reckoned Unn will need a good horse to keep up with you.’ Suppressing my suspicion, that he’d want a favour in return, I thanked him.
‘Look after him,’ he said to Unn.
‘Oh yes, Harald, don’t worry, like my own life.’ She beamed him a smile, patted Lord of the Fell’s neck and swung herself into the saddle. I watched her with a twinge of envy. I felt cold and stiff. My old leg-injury ached and I was forced to accept Thrall Toki’s help to mount North Wind. I pulled my cloak round me to keep out the persistent drizzle.
‘I’m coming with you.’ I didn’t recognise the voice. I looked down. Nanna stood with a small bundle in her hand. ‘I can help you find Kveldulf,’ she said. I couldn’t bring myself to utter the girl’s name but gave my orders in a tight voice:
‘Harald, get a good steed, Meadowsweet perhaps. Vida, get her some better clothes.’ In no time she was dressed in breeches under a simple woollen dress and a warm cloak and mounted on a swift mare. I saluted my people and we rode off.
I thought Olvir had gone in search of Archbishop Wulfstan. So finding Olvir would lead us to Wulfstan who would lead us to Eirik and his hird. One who might know Wulfstan’s whereabouts was Brother Ansgar. The last I knew of him, he had spent some time with a small Christian community by Keswick. Maybe he was still there. It was a lead, the only one I had.
It took us two wet, cold, miserable days to reach the small monastery. There was a church of sorts; a simple wooden building with a cross above the door. It was surrounded by even simpler houses. Half-naked children shared the muddy paths with pigs and poultry. A woman milking a cow spotted us and called:
‘Father Cuthred! Visitors!’ A man came out from behind a barn carrying a pitchfork. Only the silver cross glinting on his simple woollen tunic made him out as more than a thrall. He smiled at us. This kind of priest was new to me. I was used to the po-faced men dressed in embroidered robes that populated the court at Jorvik.
‘I bid you welcome, weary travellers,’ he said. ‘My name is Father Cuthred.’ He helped me and Nanna dismount and gave Unn an intrigued look as she leaped from her saddle.
‘My name is Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter. I come in search of my fostring Olvir.’
‘Oh,’ he said and his smile widened, ‘I believe you know my good friend Brother Ansgar as well. We have much to talk about. But let me find you a place by a warm fire to dry you out and restore your body’s humour.’ By now we were surrounded. Small children touched our cloaks, three young women and an old matron stared and whispered among themselves and four men hovered at the back of the group. We were led to one of the small houses and invited in. At first I couldn’t see anything except the fire on the hearth. My eyes stung and watered from the smoke but gradually I was able to distinguish shapes in the dark beyond the fire. An old crone and two old men sat huddled by the hearth. The crone stirred something steaming in a cauldron. She nodded and sent us a toothless smile. One of the men sat silently rocking back and forth. He didn’t seem to notice us. The other man turned towards us and said in a booming voice:
‘I sense the presence of strangers. Do you come in the peace of the Lord?’ I noticed a bright silver cross in a chain on his round belly. Father Cuthred went up to him and spoke loudly close to the old man’s ear
‘Three travellers, Brother Bothwid. One of them is Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter.’
‘Ah, Brother Ansgar’s heathen friend. Has she finally come to her senses? Has she at last found the Merciful Lord?’
‘I don’t know Brother, we shall find out.’
‘You said three. Is young Olvir with her? I miss him, he should have stayed here. I told him so.’
‘No, not Olvir but two women. You know one of them, Nanna, she shared a cot with Cinedred.’ A
t this I gasped. Before I could ask what he meant, Nanna whispered:
‘I beg your pardon, Mistress Sigrid,’ and squeezed past me to kneel in front of the old monk. She took his hand and kissed it. ‘Brother,’ she said, ‘we need to find Olvir and, if God wills, Mistress Sigrid will be able to stop a great bloodshed.’
‘Little Nanna,’ said Brother Bothwid, ‘it is good to hear your voice again. And you are in the company of Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter. That gladdens my heart. Our Lord rejoices in reconciliation and forgiveness.’
I felt a wave of bitterness well up inside me at those words. How dared he? What had the little vixen said to him about me, no doubt in the confession these Christians were so fond of. Then I remembered that she had, after all, come from here to denounce her own father at the Thing. But I was still suspicious and resentful to have been forced to invite her into my hall. I realised the hut had become silent. Father Cuthred smiled at me and beckoned us to sit on the benches that lined the walls. The old crone ladled hot gruel into wooden bowls and Nanna, seemingly quite at home, handed them round.
I was grateful for the warmth and the gruel was nice and thick and stilled my hunger. Father Cuthred sat down next to me and while I ate he told me about the Christian community whose guest I was.
‘There was once a splendid church here. It was destroyed by Halfdan’s men when the Great Army laid waste to the land. Those who lived here were either killed or taken as slaves. Not many escaped. But that was several generations ago and you cannot deny the Lord. So, when he was a young man, Brother Bothwid was called to re-build God’s house and bring the comfort of the Gospel to the people here. Brother Ansgar was a great help to us. But then he was called to serve the Archbishop. He was most irritated to have to leave and he promised to come back.’ I smiled, thinking I could hear Ansgar complaining about the Archbishop and his demands.
‘But there have been many new moons since then. Have you heard nothing from him?’
‘No, but who would bring us news and messages here? We rely on travellers and there are but few of those. It’s almost two years since Olvir stopped by to ask if we knew where Ansgar was. Of course, he had seen Ansgar more recently than we had so I couldn’t help him. Nor can I help you, I’m afraid. But I would welcome news about Ansgar.’
‘I have none that Olvir won’t have told you. Last time I saw him he was with Archbishop Wulfstan in Ripon, just after the Minster had been burnt.’
‘A sad occasion, no, worse than sad, an outrage.’ Cuthred shook his head. ‘King Aedred will answer to Our Lord for it on Judgement Day.’
‘Father Cuthred, you mentioned Cinedred before. Is she here?’
‘Yes, Sister Cinedred has joined our community. Her father sent her away. He was much shamed by her adultery with the young man who should have been a son to her. He paid us a most generous amount to keep her. You’ll find her much changed. She has repented and put her sinful thoughts away. She no longer mourns the boy. She has accepted that even mourning him would be a sign that she has failed to put her trespasses behind her. Prayers and self-denial have cleansed her sinful body.’
Now this sounded more like the priests I had learnt to know and dislike. How could he condemn her like that? Poor Cinedred, married off to a man old enough to be her grandfather. Who could blame her for being attracted to her handsome step-son? I never liked her but I did feel sorry for her.
Cinedred arrived a few moments later. Brother Cuthred was right. She had changed. Thin, pale, dressed in coarse, grey wool, her hair covered by a cloth she bore no resemblance to the pretty, giggling young woman of only a few years ago. She hugged me in greeting and blinked away tears.
‘Oh Sigrid, to find you here.’ She glanced in Father Cuthred’s direction and stiffened. ‘I pray for you and your children,’ she said. I was spared having to reply by Nanna.
‘My dear Cinedred,’ she said. ‘It’s good to see you again.’
‘I am Sister Cinedred now.’ The unhappy creature tried a smile but looked more like crying. We stood in uncomfortable silence until Brother Bothwid called out in his booming voice:
‘It must be time for Vespers. I take it our guests, heathen though they may be, will respect the holy prayer. Now will someone help me to my feet?’ Cuthred and Cinedred took an arm each and pulled Brother Bothwid from his seat. He groaned and sighed and gradually straightened up. He smiled and I almost cried out at the sight of his filed teeth. A Wulfhedne, a berserker! How had this once feared warrior ended up leader of a Christian community? Blind though he was he seemed to read my thoughts.
‘The Lord chose to call this miserable sinner to his bosom. I live my life in repentance and service.’
‘How did He call you, Brother?’ I couldn’t help myself, I had to ask. He seemed pleased so it was obviously the right thing to do.
‘The Lord showed me a miracle. He cured my wound by the sacred power of St. Kentigern’s finger-nail.’
‘His nail, you were cured by a nail?’ Over the monk’s shoulder I saw Unn roll her eyes but thankfully she kept quiet.
‘I was part of a group of sinful marauders. We took the only object of value that was kept here, a pretty little box made of gold and precious stones, and then we set fire to the church. But we had a falling out. We fought. I killed my two companions and took the box. In the fight I had been grievously injured with much blood pouring from a wound. I sat down to try and put a bandage on it. I dropped the box and the lid flew open. I thought there was nothing in it but when I picked it up a small flake blew out and landed on my wound. I lost consciousness and when I came to my senses again the blood was staunched and the wound healed. What I thought was a small leaf or a husk was the sacred finger-nail of the saint. I made my way back here to replace the holy relic and rebuild the church. I shall spend the rest of my life here in the service of Our Lord.’ He lumbered off without waiting for a comment from me. I was grateful for that because what could I have said?
I was about to sit down again when Father Cuthred pointed out:
‘It is customary for guests to join in worship, although it is not obligatory.’
‘I am much fatigued from the ride. I think I’ll stay here,’ I said and heard Unn heave a sigh of relief.
‘I shall join you Father,’ said Nanna and followed Cinedred and Cuthred out.
After their prayers we shared a meal of bread and salted herring. Cinedred offered to show us to our lodgings. She led the way to a small, sunken-floor hut, the kind our thralls sometimes made for themselves if they disliked sleeping in the hall. She took my hand and led me aside while Unn and Nanna went inside.
‘I would have a word with you, Sigrid.’
‘Are you unhappy here, Cinedred?’ I said, thinking she wanted me to help her.
‘Oh, grievously. I know I did wrong but this I do not deserve. Not even my thoughts are my own.’ I made to speak but she hurriedly continued: ‘But that’s not what I wanted to say. Sigrid, I plead with you to let your son marry Nanna. Nothing good comes from keeping lovers apart, nothing, Believe me, I know.’ She kissed my hand and was gone. I stood engulfed in conflicting thoughts.
We left early the next morning. I gave three pieces of hack silver to the church and in return Father Cuthred promised to pray for me.
Nanna brought Meadowsweet up to ride next to me.
‘Kveldulf sometimes spoke of an Orkney Jarl called Arnkeld,’ she said. I reined in North Wind.
‘Orkney? You think he’s there?’
‘I’m not sure. This Jarl spends the winter on his farm.’
‘If Kveldulf is on Orkney, he’ll not be involved in Eirik’s bid for the Kingdom of Jorvik.’
‘But the Jarl is a supporter of Eirik’s so…’
‘So they’re likely to have joined him, I see. It all comes back to my uncle. He’s the one we must find however much I try to avoid him.’ The girl looked uncertain.
‘I thought that if I…if Unn and I... you could…’ She fell silent, drew a deep breath and began again
: ‘You needn’t see King Eirik. He won’t know who we are, so if Unn and I went.’ I had to admit the girl had courage. And she was shrewd, it sounded possible. All they’d need to do was to tell Ragnar where I waited for him.
Wulfstan would know Eirik’s whereabouts. But where was he? I decided to begin at Ripon. It took us eight days to get there. We rode hard during the short hours of daylight. Unn and I were used to that but Nanna all but fell from Meadowsweet every time we stopped. She was determined though, I had to give her that. She gritted her teeth and allowed Unn to help her mount and dismount. She slept on the cold ground when we were unable to find shelter and she did not complain.
The monastery at Ripon still bore the scars of the destruction wrought on it by Aedred’s warriors. True to their warped sense of priorities the monks had concentrated on repairing the Minster while neglecting dormitories, kitchen, the hospital and even the infirmary. Still the pilgrims kept coming, that was obvious from the makeshift shelters around the Minster. The village seemed to be thriving. We were greeted by the farmer whose yard I had used for weapons-practice all those months ago.
‘Welcome back, Sigrid Kveldulfsdaughter. We struggle to find room for all since those of the pilgrims that can pay are filling everybody’s houses and barns. But I shall find room for you, don’t worry. Oh, and for your horse, magnificent creature.’ He patted North Wind and grinned. ‘I shall never forget the sight of him kicking and biting those English soldiers. As useful with his hooves as any warrior with a sword! And this one,’ he took the reins of Lord of the Fells, ‘he looks like a brother of your horse.’
‘Yes they are from the same stable.’
He housed us in a corner of his own hall. It was by far the most comfortable we had been since beginning our quest. That evening we joined him and a group of well-to-do pilgrims along trestle tables. After a simple meal the pilgrims left for some prayer or other and our host came to sit with us.
‘Those monks have no sense at all,’ he said. ‘It wouldn’t have taken them long to rebuild the hospital. Not that I’m complaining. I make good money from offering hospitality and so do most of the people here.’ He poured me another beaker of ale. ‘So, what brings you back? I can see it’s urgent or you would have brought a following and ridden less hard. Those horses, especially the little mare, were exhausted.’
Honour is All Page 18