by Griff Hosker
"If this works then you shall have an extra share of gold."
We watched as the front wheels rolled towards the dung filled sacks. They rose and then fell back. The men pushing kept trying to cross the obstacle. They rolled back and forth. As they did so they weakened the edge of the ditch and I held my breath as the back of the logs moved a little. The logs slipped down the far side of the ditch by a hand span. The ram now had to contend with the dung sacks and an uphill roll. The men inside must have been exhausted. One of Llewellyn's archers suddenly loosed an arrow at a leg. There was a scream of pain. The wounded man must have lurched and it proved to be the tipping point. The ram began to lean as the back of the bridge sank deeper into the ditch. The men inside had no purchase for their feet and, when the sacks of dung split they found themselves slipping on the horse manure. The logs slid at an angle into the ditch. Suddenly the ram tipped on its side. The archers had been waiting for this and the men inside were slaughtered as they were exposed. The cheer from inside the stronghold was as though they had won. The back of the logs slid all the way down and the ram was now on its back.
Llewellyn clapped Eystein on the back, "Well done warrior! That has stopped them!"
I shook my head, "No, it has given them a bridge. See the ram and the log have filled the ditch. They can come over whenever they like. They will just use axes to break down your gate. It is a single gate and you have no secondary defence. We have delayed their attack. They cannot use the ram to break down the walls but it will allow them to cross the ditch and close with us." I pointed to the mailed warriors. "They will come tonight."
"You are so certain?"
"I have fought Coenwulf before now. He will send men over tonight. He does not waste his warriors. Your walls are high but not high enough. They can scale them with ladders."
"Is there no hope then?"
"So long as a warrior stands with a shield and sword there is always hope. The odds are now in their favour."
"But they have lost men and we have suffered no casualties."
I pointed at the bodies. "These were strong men but they were not his warriors. They were like cattle. It was their strength he needed. His attacking power is undiminished. See those men with mail and axes? They will come tonight. Your arrows will bounce off their shields and they will hack your gate to pieces. When they come through then we will meet them with spears and swords but King Coenwulf can reinforce them any time he likes. Your archers will need night eyes to spot them in the dark."
He nodded, "I will walk the walls and then speak with the King." He smiled, "You do not try to win friends with words of hope, do you?"
"I told you, I speak the truth."
When he had gone Haaken joined me, "What can we do, Jarl? Do we sneak out and fight them when they approach?"
"If we had more Ulfheonar then I would say yes. But the new warriors do not have the skill and I would not waste them for this. We have few enough as it is. Besides they will have men watching the ram and watching for such a trick. However I like Eystein's plan. Is there any more dung?"
"Aye Jarl."
"Then fetch it and Snorri, go and find pig fat and oil. We will make life hard for them."
When my men had gone I descended the ladder. The Mercians showed no sign of a sudden movement and I needed to see what other resources we had. Surprisingly it was close to the stone church which was under construction that I found my inspiration. There were some large stones which were waiting to be lifted into place. There were eight of them and each one was the length of an arm on all four sides. They would take some shifting.
Llewellyn came from the hall and his face was not happy. "I told the King and he said we should put our faith in God."
I smiled, "Then, for once, I agree with him. Have your men carry these eight stones and place them behind the gate as a second wall. Lay three across and tight to the gate then another three on top and the last two behind. When the Mercians break through they will get a shock."
"But they are intended for the Church!"
"Did I not hear that your God moves in mysterious ways. Perhaps this is wyrd that they have not yet been used."
"It is worth a try."
I returned to the gatehouse where my men awaited me. "Do we make the gate way slippery now, Jarl?"
"No, wait until dark. Let them think we are bereft of ideas."
When the Welsh defenders began to haul the stones into place Haaken laughed. "Now I see why you are so cheerful. You see a way out."
"Let us just say that I see a chink of light, nothing more."
I went down with Llewellyn to inspect the stone blocks. Even if the Mercians did manage to knock them over, and that was unlikely, they would still be a barrier and the huge numbers of Mercians would mean nothing for they would have to negotiate a stone barrier.
As night began to fall Llewellyn had the men fed and we watched from the walls for any sign of movement from the Mercians. They sat in small groups just watching our walls. If I had not known better I would have thought that they were waiting for us to leave the safety of the stronghold and meet them in the field. King Coenwulf was a wily old warrior. He was trying to play tricks with our minds. As we waited I studied the entrance. The men who had built this stronghold had used Roman cobbles from the nearby Roman fort to make a better entrance. That would help us now for the stones would become slick. I saw that the ram had fallen kindly for the Mercians and they would be able to move quite quickly across it; the wooden machine was firmly jammed in the ditch.
The ramparts were quite pungent with the sacks of dung waiting to be thrown. I would leave the throwing to Eystein and Asbjorn. They had shown me that they had their eye in. There was precious little oil and I would use the pig fat first. It had been warmed and was in a liquid state. As it cooled it would become more solid and the oil would help to grease it. I did not think for one moment that it would stop the warriors who would attack us. They would be the best that King Coenwulf had but the slippery nature underfoot would induce mistakes and make it hard to keep their footing. I had had every javelin and throwing spear we could find so that we could add to the barrage of arrows the attackers would have to endure. It would be a slow and deadly journey for the Mercians.
As soon as it was dark I had Eystein throw the sacks of dung. They were thrown so that when the warriors stepped from the ram they would find the sacks. We poured the liquefied fat onto the cobbles. I waited a short time and then used the oil to complete the trap.
When the Mercians began to rain fire arrows at the walls I was surprised. We had plenty of water and they had few archers. Many were woefully short and hissed in the water filled ditches. Others struck the walls but men leaned over and pulled them out before they could catch fire. Had they aimed at the thatched roofs of the halls and buildings they might have had more success but they were releasing blind.
The failure must have spurred them on for we heard the sound of metal jangling in the dark. Their men were advancing. We readied ourselves but said nothing. It would plant the seeds of doubt in the mind of the attackers. Were we awake? Had we something planned? Not knowing was always hard.
We both saw them and heard their feet as they stepped on to the ram. The archers chose their targets and aimed for flesh. Those warriors with open helmets and who were slow to raise their shields fell to their deaths in the ditch. The better warriors kept their shields high. That was what I wanted. As they stepped from the ram they tried to move quickly. The first warrior across slipped on the dung and fell flat on his face. Rolf Tryggson hurled a spear. We were just fifteen paces from them and the warrior was pinned to the ground. Although his body covered the dung it was awkward for the others to get by. Another two died before the body could be moved.
Someone in the Mercian ranks shouted orders, "Form a wedge and wait for my command!"
It was easier said than done for some had to form the wedge using the ram as a bridge and it was at an angle. Another died as he slightly overbalanced a
nd Ulf hurled a javelin into him. They were patient. The wedge had some forty warriors in it. The formation was not a true wedge as it was only as wide as the ram but it afforded protection to the men for there were shields protecting them on all sides.
The archers who faced the right side of the advancing warriors began to shower them with arrows but the mail and the shields protected them. If we had not prepared our traps I would have been worried but as soon as they stepped on the pig fat and oil the leading warriors, all six of them, lost their footing. Arrows would find it difficult to penetrate mail but my Ulfheonar were powerful warriors with spears. The leading Mercian was pinned to the ground by two spears; others lay writhing on the ground. The whole wedge was in danger of grinding to a halt. Even the arrows loosed by the Welsh were striking flesh.
King Coenwulf lost patience. He launched his line of warriors. We could see nothing for it was too dark but we heard the war cries from in front as the Mercian warriors raced forward.
"Llewellyn, prepare your men. They will attack along the whole of the wall."
It was what I had feared. He had overwhelming numbers and our archers could not see the advancing warriors. I drew Ragnar's Spirit. The gatehouse was well defended but further down was not. "Haaken, stay here. Snorri, Ulf, come with me."
Llewellyn was to the left of the gatehouse. I went to the right. Some of my warriors were here bolstering the courage of the Welsh who fought with spear and shield only. I saw a mixture of fear and respect as I joined them. I must have looked terrifying. It was some time since I had trimmed my beard and with the red eyes, black armour and wolf skin I looked like nothing they had ever seen before.
It seemed oddly quiet at this end of the wall. I could hear the wedge slowly dying by the gate but there was a dull roar as the other Mercians advanced. The Welsh looked afraid and this time it was not me. It was the unknown of warriors they could not see; numbers they could not know.
"When they come they have to climb the wall. Believe me it is hard to wield a weapon and climb. When you see them your spears will knock them to the ground. Stop them from attaining the ramparts and we will win. Men will long sing of this day when the men of Dyfed and Gwent defeated the mighty Mercians!"
They cheered.
Snorri shouted, "Jarl! I see them!"
I saw them too as they approached the ditch. Some had not seen it and plunged into its water. Others tried to leap it. I saw one warrior crash with a leg sticking out at an unnatural angle. The timid and the less brave survived. They entered the ditch slowly and they climbed the steep side cautiously over the bodies of their wounded and dying comrades. They still outnumbered us but these were not the reckless ones and that gave us an advantage. The ones at the front threw their spears.
"Shields!"
One Welshman was too slow and he pitched over the wall transfixed by a spear. Three struck my shield and two were thrown with such force that they stuck in the wood. I reached around and pulled them out. I hurled one at an exultant Mercian and he fell back trying to tear the spear from his stomach. The men with the ladders appeared.
"Stand firm!"
I took the second spear and threw it towards one of the ladder carriers. It struck his thigh and, as he fell into the ditch, the ladder broke in two. The number of Mercians was such that we could not kill or wound all who approached. This would come down to close fighting. "Snorri and Ulf spread yourselves out. These warriors will need support. May the Allfather be with you!"
Snorri banged his shield, "Ulfheonar!"
I was proud to lead such men. They made me a better warrior! The Welsh were doing better than I might have hoped. They jabbed with their spears and kept the enemy from the wall. As more men appeared so did their archers and they began to pluck warriors from the wall. When they did so it afforded the ones on the ladders the opportunity to scale the top. A warrior made it and his sword slashed across the middle of a Welshman who fell to his death below us. Before the Mercian could strike the next man I brought Ragnar's Spirit around in a wide arc and it bit into his side. It jarred against his spine and he followed the Welshman he had just slain. More Mercians were now on the wall. I had a sudden vision of that first fight when I lived with Ragnar. Haaken and I had had to fight alone with Ragnar and yet we had won.
"Ragnar!" I ran down the narrow walkway. I ignored the drop to my left. I had my shield on that side and I raised my sword above my head. A Mercian saw me and swung his axe at me, two handed. It was a mighty blow and it smashed into my shield. I was moving forward else it might have sent me over the wall. I brought my sword over my head and it hacked deeply into his neck and chest. My shield punched him to the side. I kept running , towards the gatehouse. I could see that the Ulfheonar were being set upon by large numbers of warriors.
Behind me I heard, "I am with you Jarl!" It was Snorri. My back was covered. Two warriors managed to stand side by side and they had locked shields. Their swords faced me. I did not stop. I kept running. One sword tore down my mail. I punched its owner with the edge of my sword and he fell over into the ditch. The other was knocked to the ground. I heard a loud crack which told me he was dead.
I saw Haaken and he shouted, "Jarl! The gate! They have breached it!"
The ladder was close to me. I ducked beneath a wild axe swing and stabbed up into the armpit of a Mercian and then I descended the ladder. Haaken was right. The gate had been broken. There were four frightened looking Welshmen standing there with their spears.
"Stand behind me and keep all from me!"
I saw that the blocks had held. A mailed warrior struggled to climb over them. My blade darted up and found his unguarded neck. He fell back and knocked some of his comrades to the ground. Then Snorri was next to me and there were two Ulfheonar who would face whatever came through the gate.
I heard a Saxon voice, "All together! Heave!"
The wedge of warriors all pushed together and the top two stones tumbled forward. Such was the force that three Mercians came over with the stones. I brought my sword across the back of the neck of one mailed warrior and took his head. Snorri stabbed a second. As the third tried to stand I smashed the boss of my shield into his face and as he opened his arms to regain his balance I slew him.
Two spears appeared above my head as a Mercian tried to clamber over his dead comrades. They rammed into his face and he fell back. There was a gap between the tops of the blocks and the bottom of the gate house but it was narrow. If the Mercians wanted to enter they would have to widen the gap. Beyond the gap I could see the faces of the Mercians as they debated their dilemma. Haaken and the men on the gatehouse were hurling missiles down at them. I saw bodies of dead Mercians thrown too.
The Mercians brought their shields together . They were going to charge the single stone at the top of the makeshift wall. "Snorri, lock shields and brace yourself!"
We put out shields together and, kneeling upon the fallen stones held them against the remaining top stone. If the Mercians could knock it over all that they had to do would be to pull their dead comrades away and they might be able to breach our defences. The Mercians threw their bodies at the stone. They had just one man at the fore and the others were pushing. Even as they crashed into the stone I saw a warrior at the rear fall, transfixed by a spear. The leading Mercian was just the width of the stone away. The Welshmen behind were jabbing their spears forward. I took my chance and pushed Ragnar's Spirit into the eye piece of the Saxon helmet. He screamed as the blade entered his eye and I pushed even harder. I felt the pressure from the stone lessen and I rammed my hand forward, twisting as I went. A Mercian spear came at me. I turned my head slightly and the edge rasped along my helmet. The warrior I had stabbed was dead and I pulled out the gore covered blade. The dead man was stuck in place. The Mercians behind had a dead body, a stone and Snorri and me to push. They could not do it.
Suddenly I saw a bright light flash beyond the gate and two Mercians at the back of the wedge burst into flames. The pressure lessened as the Mercians
fell back from the stones to watch the two warriors burning. I pushed the dead Mercian away. "Snorri, over the wall! This is our chance."
We rolled over the wall. Had we not been defending the wall then the Mercians could have done the same. As we landed the Mercians turned to face us. Behind them the ram had begun to burn and prevented more warriors joining those who faced us. I stabbed forward with my sword and the blow was blocked by a shield. My opponent tried to swing overhand with his sword and he caught the top of the gatehouse. I punched him in the stomach with the boss of my shield. He gasped and I stabbed again. My sword hit his mail and I kept pushing. I heard a crack as it began to break the mail links and I pushed harder. A spear came over my shoulder making the warrior move his head out of the way. It allowed me to step forward and push harder. The sword broke through the mail and into the warrior. I roared, "Ulfheonar!" and used the weight of my shield and my body to push the dying man backwards. Snorri had slain a second Mercian and I could see just four warriors before us. They were holding their shields above their heads for my men were hurling objects from the gatehouse and they were clattering on their shields.
The corpse I was pushing struck the leading Mercian hard and I was able to withdraw my sword and then swing it horizontally. Two of the Mercians at the rear fell backwards into the inferno of the burning ram in the ditch. Their screams made the last two turn and that was their last mistake. I plunged my sword into the throat of one while Snorri took the head of the second. There were no more Mercians before the gate! We had beaten off the attack.
The six of us climbed wearily back over the stones into the fort. I faced the four Welshmen who no longer looked fearful. I nodded. "You fought well and we are grateful."
One said, "It was an honour to fight with two such warriors who feared nothing. When we saw you facing so many and not flinching it gave us courage."