Brand rolled his eyes in anguish which sent his twelve-year-old sister into a fit of giggles. Reaching out he teasingly tweaked one of her braids, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned back at Mairin and said, “Actually I’d like to go over the western hills into Cymru and steal a wild Welsh wench for a wife. A little new blood might be just the thing this family needs.”
“Brand!” Eada was shocked, but both Aldwine and Mairin burst into laughter, realizing that Brand was but teasing his mother.
The search for Brand’s bride had to be postponed, however, for the king requested of Aldwine Athelsbeorn the favor owed to him. When he returned from Winchester the thegn brought news that both startled and frightened his wife.
His children, of course, were far more interested in the gifts he had brought them. Laughing at their greed, for even Brand still enjoyed receiving gifts, Aldwine presented them. For his son he had brought a dagger whose blade had been made in Moorish Spain. The handle of the dagger, however, was fine Celtic enamelwork. Brand’s eyes lit at the sight of the weapon, and he thanked his father profusely. For Mairin there was a string of amethyst beads, “to match your eyes, sweeting,” said her father as she hugged him.
“And have you forgotten me, my lord?” Eada teased her husband.
“No,” he said slowly, “I have not. Are you not first in my heart, lady?” He handed her a small bolt of scarlet silk with stripes of pure gold woven into the fabric. As her mouth opened in exclamation he continued, “It comes from Byzantium where I must shortly go. I have been chosen by the king to lead a delegation to discuss new trading treaties between our two nations.”
“Byzantium?” It was only a name to Eada, a fabled and faraway place her husband had once visited in his youth. She had no idea of where it really was. “Is it far, my lord? How long will you be gone?” she innocently queried him.
Aldwine Athelsbeorn put an arm about his wife’s shoulders. “It is very far, my love,” he said, “and we will be gone for as long as it takes to negotiate the treaties for the king. I intend to take you and Mairin with me.”
“Ohh, father!” Mairin began to dance about the solar. “We are to go with you! How wonderful! How exciting! Will we actually get to see the Emperor of Byzantium himself? May I have a new gown for the trip? Can I take my horse, my merlin, and my dog?”
Aldwine laughed. “Yes, Mairin, you will probably get to meet the emperor, you may have several new gowns, and yes, you may take your horse. Your dog and your hawk, however, must remain here at Aelfleah.”
For Mairin the opportunity of traveling to an exotic place was irresistible. Eada’s face showed concern. She understood things that Mairin did not. The king was not in good health. The succession was already being haggled over despite the fact that Edward had designated his cousin, Duke William of Normandy, as his successor.
The queen wanted her brother, Harold Godwinson, to be England’s next ruler, and worked constantly toward that goal. There was no royal blood in the queen’s family. Her father, the late Earl Godwin, had forced her into marriage with the king, though he could not force Edward into his daughter’s bed. Edward, who held Earl Godwin responsible for his elder brother’s death, had not desired a wife at all. At one point he had even put the queen aside. A deeply religious man, he was more suited to the life of a monk. Indeed the royal couple’s lack of children gave truth to the rumor that the marriage had never been consummated.
Norway’s king also claimed sovereignty over England and he had a powerful army supporting him though his ambition was rooted in greed, not fact. If Edward died while they were gone from England war was certain to break out. What would happen to Aelfleah and its people? Then Aldwine answered her unspoken question, and Eada’s blood ran like ice in her veins.
“Brand will remain in England to oversee our lands. Had I the choice, I should not leave England at all, but I cannot refuse the king.”
Sweet Blessed Mother! thought Eada. If Edward dies while we are away chaos will follow. How can our son, a boy yet for all his wenching, hold Aelfleah against Harold Godwinson, Norway, and Duke William? She was certain that Aldwine could not possibly go to Byzantium at this time!
“Brand will never become a man unless we let him, Eada,” Aldwine said, reading her thoughts. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the cry as he turned to their son. “I cannot let you take a wife at this time. The less worry you have the more your mind will be on Aelfleah. Its people, its prosperity, and its safety will be your responsibility. It is all in your keeping until I return home.”
“I understand, father,” said Brand, and suddenly Mairin thought her brother seemed older. “I welcome the opportunity to wench a bit more before I must settle down,” he teased them. His generous mouth was turned up in a smile as he spoke, but his blue eyes were serious and thoughtful. He fully understood his duty, and the responsibility his father was placing into his hands. His entire life had been geared to the moment when Aelfleah would become his. Even if this was but a temporary thing he proudly accepted it, and looked forward to proving his worth to his father. “I will keep you fully informed, my lord,” he said gravely.
“Indeed,” his father agreed, “you will. Now, my son, you know the special white pigeons that are kept in the dovecote?”
“The ones with the black markings, my lord?”
“Aye,” answered Aldwine. “Those birds, Brand, belong to my friend Timon Theocrates, a wealthy merchant in Constantinople. I possess six of his birds in my cote. He maintains six of our birds at his home in Constantinople. I intend to take another six of my birds with me when we depart. They are special birds, Brand, which have been taught to carry message capsules on their legs. They can bring important news far quicker than a man on horseback.
“I suspected that the king would send a delegation to Byzantium. On the rare occasions that I have gone to court to pay Edward my respects he has questioned me closely on that empire. I did not expect, however, to head our delegation. It is true that my knowledge of Byzantium is better than any of our countrymen’s. In my youth I traveled widely, and the city of Constantinople was my home for over two years.
“During that time Timon Theocrates and I became close friends. That friendship has endured despite the fact that we have not seen each other in almost fifteen years. You will not remember it, of course, but Timon came to England when you were still a baby. It was then that we exchanged pigeons. They are an ancient and fairly safe way to send messages over long distances. It is rare the pigeon is injured or killed. The message arrives swiftly, and the messenger cannot gossip. Every three years Timon and I exchange additional birds, for our winged messengers can only be worked for three to five years. If they survive past then they are too old to be reliable.
“Should the king appear near death you are to launch at least two pigeons. I am Edward’s thegn. I cannot stand by while Godwin’s son steals England’s throne and Duke William is not likely to take England without a struggle, for Godwin’s brood are greedy and will not release their hold on it easily. I must be here to support the duke for in the end he will prevail over Harold. Those he believes to have opposed him will suffer the consequences of their foolish actions. I do not intend to lose my lands in the coming squabble, and you, my son Brand, are to steer clear of all factional fighting until I return.
“If Edward dies before I can reach England then you are to hold Aelfleah against all, swearing fealty only to William of Normandy. I am Thegn of Aelfleah, and those are my wishes, Brand.”
“Yes, father! Like you I cannot stomach the idea of a Godwin upon the throne! I will never pledge my loyalty to them! Never!”
Aldwine smiled at his son’s youthful fervor, and then he cautioned, “Never, Brand, declare never. If you had to choose between swearing to Earl Harold and losing Aelfleah, I would certainly expect that you would swear. These lands are our life’s blood, my son. We held them first in the days of Aethelwulf, and each generation has carefully husbanded them, some even adding to them
so that today this manor is twice the size it originally was. We are one of the oldest families in Mercia.
“Godwin’s family have gained too much power over the years. Particularly since they married their daughter to the king. They are overproud. I will not forget how they slighted our Earl Leofric’s good wife, your grandmother’s cousin, the Lady Godiva. Her ride through Coventry was a Christian act, and she was as brave as any man in battle for doing it.”
“Did she really ride naked?” demanded Mairin with all the indelicate curiosity of a twelve-year-old.
“Yes,” said Eada, taking up the story, “she did. I was no older than you at the time. She was a beautiful woman, but it was not just beauty she possessed. She had beauty of soul, and a good heart. Remember that, my daughter. A fair face will benefit you little in the end if your soul is black, and your heart hard.”
“Like the lady Blanche,” said Mairin softly.
“Yes,” agreed Eada. “Like the lady Blanche. Oh, dearest child, I had hoped those memories would have faded by this time.”
“I will never forget Blanche de St. Brieuc,” said Mairin coldly, but then her eyes lightened, and she smiled at her foster mother sweetly. “Pray, lady, continue with your story of the gracious Godiva.”
Eada sighed, and took up her tale. “Earl Leofric had imposed a tax upon Coventry that the lady Godiva considered unjust. When she complained to her husband demanding he rescind the tax, he refused. The lady Godiva was not a woman to be denied so she continued to badger her lord on the matter. Finally in a burst of temper the earl said carelessly that he would indeed remove the tax from the citizens of Coventry on the day that his wife rode naked through the streets of that town!
“He did not, of course, expect her to do such a thing, and considered the matter closed. I am told that the lady Godiva smiled most sweetly at her husband, and then to Earl Leofric’s horror she took up his challenge. Having said it, he could not then take back his words, and naturally was most chagrined.”
“Why could he not take back his words?” demanded Mairin.
“Do you not have your pride, my daughter?” Eada asked gently.
“Aye!”
“Well so do men, perhaps even more than women,” replied Eada, “for a woman like a young willow sapling knows how to bend with the breeze, and retreat before a stronger force. A man rarely does.”
Aldwine smiled in amusement at his wife’s statement. His eyes twinkled, but he wisely held his tongue as Eada continued on with her story.
Learning of the sacrifice the lady Godiva intended to make for the people of Coventry, the women of her family living nearby came to aid their kinswoman. The good people of Coventry, hearing of what their lady intended to do in their behalf, retreated to their houses, closing their shutters out of respect to her upon that fateful day.
“The earl, now shamed by his own actions, placed her himself upon a snow-white palfrey. She was as naked as the day God had brought her into this world with only her dark red hair—the same color as mine, and how proud I have always been of that fact—to shield her nudity. I remember my child’s heart swelling with pride that I could be related by blood to such a beautiful, brave, and noble woman as the lady Godiva.
“The gates of Earl Leofric’s stronghold were opened by the earl. He would allow none of his own men in the courtyard that day. Three nuns, all cousins of ours, escorted the lady Godiva; one on either side of her horse to lead it, and the third who went before to ring a bell warning of their lady’s approach.
“And the people of Coventry remained behind their shutters saying their beads for the lady Godiva until they could no longer hear the sound of the bells that were rung not only by the nun who led the procession, but by every church within the town’s walls. One rogue dared to violate the lady Godiva’s goodness. He was a blacksmith’s apprentice named Tom. The wretch paid dearly for his transgression, however, for the smith took hot coals from his forge and put out both the wicked creature’s eyes. From that day forth the blinded beast was known as Peeping Tom.”
“And Earl Godwin made mock of Earl Leofric’s wife, mother?”
“Aye, Mairin, he did. Peeping Tom was driven from Coventry by the citizens of the town. Earl Godwin’s men found him wandering. They brought him to their master who kept the rude fellow to amuse his guests. Over and over again the tale was told. With each telling it was embroidered upon until both the lady Godiva and her husband were made to seem the fools for their actions.
“The story was not allowed to die for years because of Godwin and his family. They were unable to understand the kindness and goodness of heart that caused the lady Godiva to make her ride. Earl Godwin made Mercia a laughingstock at court, but in the end it did him no good.
“King Edward is a saintly man. He understood the reason behind the lady Godiva’s ride. He honored Earl Leofric, and listened to his wise counsel. Had he not, we Mercians might have totally lost our influence at court. For a time the king even banished Earl Godwin from England, but alas he returned the year before he died, and his influence was stronger than ever. It was because of the king’s kindness that your father swore his fealty first to King Edward. Earl Leofric’s wish before he died and his son, Earl Aelfgar, inherited was that to thank the king for his kindness to the lady Godiva, some of his thegns would swear their first loyalty to Edward. Then to his son.”
Eada smiled somewhat ruefully. “That is why,” she continued, “the king knows your father and why we are now bound for Byzantium. Still, my lord, I should rather be with you than without you. How strange that in my old age I, who have never traveled in my entire lifetime, am now fated to leave my home. Do you realize, Mairin, that even you have seen more of the world in your few years than I have seen in my thirty-six years? I know that I shall be afraid of the sea.”
“We will not travel a great distance by sea, my love,” Aldwine reassured his wife. “Most of our journey will be upon land, but it will not be an easy journey. None of the other members of the delegation will be taking their families. You must travel as we would travel. It will be necessary for you to leave your women behind for I cannot bring carts and all manner of fripperies. We must cross various mountain ranges on horseback before the snows of late autumn come. There will be a few comforts, but little danger, as we will be well protected by a contingent of young men who go to join the emperor’s personal guard in Constantinople. I am only sorry that Brand cannot be with us.”
His words made Eada’s head reel for she could not imagine any world other than her own familiar one and Brand was like her in that he found it difficult to picture that which he could not see. Yet she knew that other worlds existed, and it occurred to her that they were as safe and familiar to their inhabitants as Aelfleah was to her.
Contrary to his father’s sorrow at having to leave him behind, Brand was not a bit regretful. If he never left England it would not matter a whit to him. He loved his lands, his horses, his dogs, and his falcon. When a wife was chosen for him he would do his best to love her and the children they produced. Unlike his father he was a true Anglo-Saxon. Aldwine Athelsbeorn took more after his Norman grandmother. He was curious about things that did not really concern him.
Mairin was also excited by the prospect of travel. She had only recently begun to learn Byzantium’s history, and now she badgered her tutor to teach her everything about this fabled remnant of the once mighty Roman Empire. Brother Bayhard willingly complied. He was going to miss teaching Mairin, and although Aldwine Athelsbeorn had found him another position with a family whose manor was just over the Wye, Brother Bayhard knew he would never have another pupil like Mairin. He cherished their last days together.
Mairin had been at Aelfleah six years. In all that time she had never left the security of the manor. Her whole life it seemed was bound up in this place with its hills and fertile fields, the river, and The Forest. Her memories of Brittany had been softened by the passage of time until Aelfleah’s world became the only reality for her. S
he loved the manor and its valley, but best of all she loved The Forest, and so it was difficult to say good-bye to her little realm.
It was a warm and sunny afternoon when she made her last visit to The Forest. The creatures had long since learned she was no enemy, and did not hide from her. She knew certain of the doe by their markings, and she had named them and their fawns. There was a particularly beautiful fox vixen she had healed several years prior. Now each year the dainty creature proudly displayed her kits to Mairin. Mairin loved the playful balls of fur with their needle sharp little teeth. Mairin would miss them all.
Brand bid his family farewell and Godspeed on the day of their departure. There was a lump in his throat, for he was of an age that considered tears a sign of weakness in a man. He would not show such public weakness before those whose safekeeping had been given over into his hands.
Brother Bayhard was not of so hearty a constitution. He wept noisily and copiously when Mairin impulsively kissed his cheek in sweet adieu. Eada and her women wept too while the horses shuffled their feet nervously at the irritating sound. Aldwine debated whether to speak harshly to his wife so they might get under way, or let her have her moment. There was but one female servant going with them, a pert young woman named Nara. She rolled her eyes comically at all the commotion which caused Mairin, who was eager for their departure, to giggle. Nara looked over at the young girl and winked.
Aldwine smiled, and spoke firmly to Eada. She sniffled, but before her tears might begin anew she was boosted into her saddle by a nearby servant. The Thegn of Aelfleah quickly signaled the start of their journey, and they were on their way. Dagda sidled his horse up next to his young mistress as they rode through the gate of the manor house, and down the dirt road across the Aldford.
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