by Griff Hosker
My equites were all equal. The table was round to reflect that. I sat next to Gawan because he was my brother and Llenlleog because we were of an age. Agramaine was one of the youngest equites and he occupied the seat next to Gawan while Pol was next to Llenlleog. Six of us had been on a quest and we enjoyed the wine and the food more than the others. Half a moon was a long time to endure dried venison. We had been lucky that the Angles knew how to hunt!
After we had shared our news Gawan said, "Oswald will not risk riding down the valley of the Eden. We have not enough men to defeat his whole army but we could hurt him before he was able to fight Penda."
I nodded. "I agree. The road which passes Eoforwic is too far from us and there are few places to ambush."
"You must ride to meet with King Penda. The road south of here is clear. He must be warned of the danger."
"But this land needs protection too."
"You need not take a large number, brother. I was thinking four equites and squires with twenty archers. Daffydd has been training up new ones. You could take those with you."
Kay nodded, "The squires who are in training are almost ready to be equites. The blacksmiths are making their hauberks now. The attack on Lann Aelle focussed them. We lost good equites and those who live in the west, where it is safe are keen to replace them. There is no lack of courage in Rheged."
I sipped the heavy red wine which Gwyneth had brought from Constantinopolis. Perhaps I needed to leave the land, briefly. It would show me if it could survive without me. Myrddyn had foretold my death. I had already seen fifty summers. My father had not seen many more before he was killed. The question was should I take Arturus or leave him to learn more about the land of Rheged?
Gawan said, quietly, "Take Arturus with you. He needs to learn from you and not his father. He will not be a wizard." My face must have shown the surprise. He laughed, "Did you think that Din Guardi was an accident? I can read your thoughts brother. I do not travel far these days and I use the land. While you were on your quest I was in the cave of Myrddyn and I spoke with him. When you travel south to Mercia take my son to see Myrddyn and his grandfather. It is meant to be."
And so it was decided. I went south with Llenlleog, Agramaine and Llewellyn. Daffydd ap Miach and nineteen young archers came with us. Left Kay in command of my equites and Gawan as ruler in my stead. He did not see death in my journey but the spirits had played tricks before now. We would put plans in place.
Chapter 3
It was just after high summer when we left. There was a temptation to travel by ship but storms could come from nowhere and there were Hibernian pirates. It was safer and easier to ride. Geraint and Tadgh came with us. That was their choice and their decision. Although both had families and farms their wives and sons who lived by the Grassy Water did all the hard work. Geraint and Tadgh hunted. This was not the time to hunt and so they came. I was grateful for them. They were like Gawan. They sensed things which others, me included, could not even see. It took a day to reach the small port where Prince Pasgen had lived. We still called it Pasgentun. His sons had died but his daughters had survived and they lived there. Their husbands were warriors. Two of their sons, Coen and Coel were squires. We stayed one night for when we left we would be in the land between Rheged and Mercia. Until we had allied with the Mercians we had fought over this bloody ground. Now our people and Mercians farmed the fertile plain and harvested the shellfish rich waters. We headed for the old Roman fortress that had been called Deva. Nearby was Tatenhale. Eorledman Ethelbert had a home there. We had fought alongside him before now. We would visit with him. It had been more than a year since we had seen King Penda. Saxon politics were complicated. Eorledman Ethelbert also knew how the Kings of Gwynedd ruled. Cadwallon I had known. He had been a shield brother. He had changed from the young squire who had ridden behind my father. I did not know his successor. I would take a Saxon's advice on the new king. That was a change from my father's time. The only thing he took from a Saxon was his life.
The old fortress of Deva had been used both by us and by the Mercians. The walls were now too damaged to be defensible and no one had the time or the ability to rebuild. I knew that we were lucky at Civitas Carvetiorum. We just had minor repairs for the structure of our walls was sound.
We neared Tatenhale close to dusk. The Mercians did not ride their land for they did not use horses for war. When we neared Tatenhale we caused a stir. Geraint and Tadgh had told us that there was no danger from enemies but the Mercians of Eorledman Ethelbert just heard our hooves and ran for the shelter of their walls. We must have been recognised for the sentries did not slam the wooden gates shut. The Eorledman was in his hall and he came out to greet me. He had been a thegn and, as a reward for his service the King had made him Eorledman of the lands around Deva. I thought it a poisoned chalice for if their allies, the men of Gwynedd changed their mind about allying with the Saxons then it would be Tatenhale which would have to fight off an attacker and the walls would not stop a determined army. He was a big man and almost my age. He had battle scars on his arms and his face. He fought in an open helmet and his armour was leather. Since fighting against Edwin and Oswald he had had metal plates sewn on.
"Warlord, I would say this is an unexpected pleasure but you do not make visits to chat about the hunting."
I nodded, "Nor do I speak out in the open when what I have to say is for your ears alone."
He frowned, "I trust my men."
"That is good for I trust mine and yet I would not speak of important matters where the slaves and common ceorls could hear."
His frown turned to a smile. "You are wise. I am unused to men like you. Come, your men are all welcome. It will be a little crowded and a little more pungent than you are used to but we are all men who have fought together."
Saxons ate the same food as we did but they prepared it and served it differently. I had to smile at Arturus. It was as far from Constantinopolis as it was possible to get. Everyone ate in the hall. There was a cacophony of noise. There were no platters neither pot nor wood. Knives were used to spear cuts of meat. The vegetables had just been cooked. There was neither dressing nor sauce on them. The rest of my men had eaten like this on campaign but Arturus had had just half a moon with his uncle. Perhaps this was why Gawan had wanted his son to come with me. He needed to forget about the Emperor. This was now his world.
One advantage of the noise was the fact that Ethelbert and I could talk. We put our heads together and I told him of what I had learned. He drank his ale and wiped the froth from his beard. "I have heard of this Clan of the Snake. They came over from the land of the Saxons beyond the sea. One rumour is that they were banished by their own people. They are wild and cruel."
"Then as we killed almost half of their band they will not be such a threat."
"Would that it was true. The wild and the evil leave other clans and tribes. The outcasts of every Saxon, Jute and Angle village in this island heads towards them."
"And, where are they?"
"You would seek to end this blood feud?"
"I would."
"Now they are at Hamwic in the south. They are raiding the island of Wihtwara. It has managed to survive until now. I think that Lang Seax sees it as his kingdom. The King of the West Saxons is happy to have him off his island."
That was too far away from my home for me to do anything about it but I now had a better idea of how the clan gained new members.
"And I have news of danger for Mercia. Oswald is sending scouts to find an easy way south. We have deterred him from a passage down the west coast. Tatenhale may be safe."
"They will head for Lincylene. King Penda will need your news."
"And his allies, the men of Gwynedd?"
"The men are good allies but the King? Cadafael ap Cynfeddw has no spine. He is no Cadwallon. The King of Powys, Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn is a warrior alongside whom I would fight." He gestured to my horn which was almost empty. "More ale?"
I shook my
head, "I am of an age where I would be up and down all night making water."
He laughed, "I am getting like that. I will have some men come with you. Some Mercians just remember your father. They have forgotten our alliance. I would not have harm come to you."
"Where will he be?"
"Tomwordig." He smiled. "If Oswald comes south to Lincylene then he is in for a shock for the King is close to there already."
I felt a little better about my visit after speaking with the thegn. Our business done he and his men took to that activity which the Saxons seemed to enjoy more than any other; they began to get drunk. My men did not and I saw the amused looks on their faces when men with whom they had been talking sensibly gradually became so drunk as to be incoherent. Even Ethelbert joined them. The only exception appeared to be a young Saxon from his hearth weru. Thingfrith was a young warrior. He had the battle bracelets of a Saxon who has fought for his lord but he still looked young to me. Perhaps that was my age. He must have been a good warrior for the thegn to have chosen him for his hearth weru.
He smiled at me as Thegn Ethelbert fell face down in the remains of the wild boar he had been eating. "Warlord, if you would help me take the thegn to bed I would appreciate it. He is not getting any lighter."
I nodded, "Arturus." My nephew rose and joined us. He had said little all evening for he had been too busy watching the Saxons. The Thegn was a big man and it took the three of us to carry him to his sleeping mattress. His wife was there already and she was asleep. Like many Saxon women she might have been pretty once but now she was almost the size of her husband. We laid him down and left them; both were snoring.
Few of the Saxons had managed to leave the table. Some still drank. Thingfrith saw Arturus' shocked look as a Saxon who had just vomited began to drink again. "It is a game for some of these men, young lord. Tomorrow they will boast of how much they have consumed. We do not do this every night but the visit of the Warlord is a time to celebrate."
Arturus was astute, "Yet you do not join them."
"I am the youngest of the hearth weru. One day I will do that which Angeltheow does, I will lead the hearth weru. I will be captain of the thegn's men."
Arturus nodded. He could understand that. They both had much in common. They came from different people and culture but they had similar ambitions. The difference was that Arturus would get he is by right when I died. Thingfrith would have to earn the right.
"I will go and see to the horses, Arturus. I will join you later."
"I will come, uncle."
We left Thingfrith who went to the semi-conscious Angeltheow to help him to his bed too.
When we were outside Arturus said, "These Saxons are not to be feared for they have no discipline."
"Yet they are wild fighters. These men are not Christian. The ones who are Christian have had some of their barbarian edge taken away. It is why Penda was able to defeat Oswald."
"And he had the Welsh and the men of Rheged."
I laughed, "That is true but I believe he would have won anyway. Perhaps Penda would have lost more men but victory would have been his." We checked on the horses. Saxons did not understand war horses. Sometimes a thegn would ride a horse. He might even take one to war but he would not ride to war. They saw horses as a tool to carry goods or pull a plough. They would not harm our animals but I knew I would sleep easier having seen that they were not distressed.
Despite the heavy drinking the hearth weru and Ethelbert were ready to march first thing in the morning. I sighed with disappointment when I saw that only Ethelbert rode. The rest would be marching on foot. It was seventy miles. Where we could have made it in a quick two days it would take three or even four days to reach Penda's stronghold. Surprisingly however, and despite the drinking, the Saxons kept up a good pace. We only needed two rests along the way. We stayed one night in Nantwich at the home of Ethelbert's nephew, Aethelfrith, and a second in the hall of a warrior called Eccles. Both were wary of my men and I could see why Ethelbert had accompanied us. We might have been offered violence. Ethelbert was a wise warrior and he knew the value of our alliance.
Tomwordig was the biggest Mercian settlement I had seen. It was bigger than any of Oswald's towns save Eoforwic. Din Guardi was a fortress but it could hold few people. Tomwordig had a wooden wall and just a single gate. Not as formidable as Din Guardi it still had ditches, wooden towers and a fighting platform. Even more impressive were the one hundred men Penda had in his personal guard. It was too many to be called hearth weru. Angles and Saxons did not keep a large number of men in a standing army. They used the ordinary farmers and townsfolk to do their fighting for them. Penda's oathsworn were the most impressive Saxons I had seen. Each had a helmet and a leather byrnie studded with metal. Their swords were the finest I had seen and they had large round shields. They looked to be heavy but I knew that they could take a great deal of punishment. Each of them had an identical spear. That was unusual. Most Saxons made their own and used whatever wood came to hand. This way their shield wall would be hard to break. Finally, they all had a cloak. It might have been red once but the sun had faded it to a rusty brown.
When King Penda saw me looking at his men and assessing them he smiled, "When you were our enemy, Warlord, we learned from you. These are not your horsemen in mail but they will suffice for me."
I nodded, "I am impressed King Penda."
He waved a hand, "This is my son, Peada and my brother Eowa whom you have met him before and that is his son, Alweo. Come inside for you would not journey here unless it was important."
King Penda might have copied some of our warrior ways but his hall was the same as all Saxons. Our men stayed outside and I took just Arturus with me. With his brother, son, nephew and Ethelbert the only other present was the captain of his personal guard, Pybba.
Slaves came with ale. On the ride over from Tatenhale I had suggested that Arturus pretend to like the Saxon beer. The Mercians seemed to think that any who did not like their golden ale was to be viewed with suspicion. He smacked his lips convincingly when he drank.
"So, Warlord, what brings you from your mountain lair?"
"Oswald. He has sent scouts to find a way through my land. We have killed them but I think it means that he is heading south. The only reason for that is to make war on you."
I saw Penda considering that. Eowa said, "But surely that helps you, Warlord. If Bernician fights Mercian then you win."
Penda looked up, his eyes angry. "Brother, the Warlord is our guest. If it were not for him and his horsemen then we would not have had the victory we did."
Eowa nodded but I could see that he bore me no love.
"Thank you for that information. We have spies in Eoforwic and I had heard that he was gathering his forces." He looked at me. "If he comes will you bring your men to our side again? Will the alliance still hold?"
"I will ask you, King Penda, can you rely on the men of Gwynedd?"
He smiled, "Since Cadwallon fell they are less than reliable but the men of Powys are doughty." I nodded. "You have not answered my question. Will you bring your horsemen and archers to our side?"
"I will bring men to aid you, aye King Penda."
Eowa said, "But not all."
"Not all, Eowa. If I bring all then I leave my land and my home in danger." I fixed him with my eye and then turned to King Penda. "I will bring enough to make a difference for that is what you want, is it not? You have men for the shield wall but you need the quick strike of mailed and mounted men who can strike anywhere on the battlefield. You need the accuracy of my archers who can punch a hole in a shield wall."
"That is precisely what I want."
"Then when we are summoned we will come. It will take two days for a message to reach us and two days for us to march here."
The King nodded but Ethelbert said, "If it is here." We all looked at him. "I know that the Warlord thinks that they will not come through the Eden valley. That does not mean that they will strike from Lincylene
. There is another way/"
The King frowned, "Where?"
"There is a pass over the High Divide. It is south of Rheged and close to the old kingdom of Elmet. It comes out close to the old Roman settlement of Mamucium." He smiled, "I know for it is close to my hall. What if he comes that way?"
King Penda nodded, "Then you will have to watch for him." He stroked his beard. "I had forgotten that route. He would be able to divide us from Powys and Gwynedd. It is good that we have you Eorledman Ethelbert, to watch the west."
Alweo was the one who looked the least happy. I could not discern the reason and I put it from my mind. The King asked, "What will be the quickest way to reach you? Your home is far to the north."
I nodded, "We live in parlous times, King Penda. I would need some sign that the message was from you. King Oswald has shown that he can be cunning. The attack by the mercenaries was evidence of that. I will have an equite at Pasgentun. That way you could send a ship or a messenger but how will I know that it is from you?"
King Penda looked around and smiled, "I can see that you have lived this long because you are wise and wary. Before you go I will speak with you privately."
His brother, Eowa, said, "Do you not trust us, brother? We are family."
King Penda smiled, "Let us just say that I have not yet thought of a safe and secure way. Besides I have yet to contact my Welsh allies. I will let you know brother. After all, if anything happened to me then you would be the Regent who would ensure that my son attained the throne." I saw the look exchanged between Eowa and Alweo. There was a conspiracy here. I feared for our coalition. I had hoped for unity from the Mercians and the Welsh. It seemed we did not even have unity amongst the Mercians!
"Of course, brother."
The King smiled, "We will hold a feast in honour of the Warlord. If you would come with me now, Warlord, there is a pleasant walk through my orchard. The apples are just beginning to ripen. I can tell you of the methods we might use to stay in contact."
When we left Pybba pointedly walked behind us to discourage any from following us. "It is strange, Warlord, that you, a former enemy and the son of the bane of the Saxons should be the only one I can truly trust even in my own court."