Housecarl

by Griff Hosker

  With that sobering thought in our heads we found our beds but my night was filled with dreams. Since Saint Asaph I had dreamt each night. I did not understand the dreams but knew that they had a meaning. That night I dreamt we were in a shield wall and a dragon attacked us. His flames destroyed the rank in front of me and it was left to Wolf, Ridley and me to fight it. I awoke just before I was consumed by his fiery teeth. I wondered if I should speak of this to Aethelward but I did not want to feel foolish. Since our arrival in Winchester I had seen how important he was and my strange dreams were not.

  By the time the Earl arrived with the rest of the Housecarls the six new recruits felt a bond and strength through having worked together so ardently. We looked forwards to the return of our comrades for we were keen to impress. However training ceased when the Earl returned for we had news from Northumbria. King Malcolm had begun raiding the border lands near the Tweed and there was much debate about the action we ought to take. It was then that I saw the wisdom of Harold for many of the Thegns urged him to join his brother and fight Malcolm who had been supported by King Edward when he was in exile. The Housecarls felt that the Scottish king had shown treachery to bite the hand which had protected him. Harold had let them shout their arguments and counter arguments and then stood. He was afforded total silence.

  “If we march north, through the winter and join our brother then that will lay open all of our heartlands to the avaricious and treacherous Welsh. We know that Aedgar of Mercia supports Gruffyd and we could defeat the Scots only to find our land in the south has been taken from us. I have confidence in my brother Tostig and the doughty Northumbrians.” He looked at me and nodded and I felt like a giant. This was also the first time that the Housecarls had a real intimation of the campaign in the spring. I knew the details of course but the rest now wondered when we would go north and the debate now began about Aedgar of Mercia and his treachery.

  Harold came over to join Aethelward, Sweyn, Ulf and myself. I did not wonder then why I was included and allowed to be with such important men. I would discover that much later. Ridley and Wolf were with some of the other younger warriors engaged in drinking and arm wrestling contests. Not for them debate and discussion, they yearned for action.

  “The King will be here for Christmas and he has told me then if he will support our campaign.”

  “The longer we debate the more likelihood there is that Gruffyd will learn of our plan and forestall us with a premature attack.”

  “That is why I have decided to send you two with half my Housecarls north to the crossing of the Severn to watch for him. You can also keep an eye on Aedgar.”

  I could barely contain my excitement. I was to be in the vanguard of the army. My uncle poured cold water on that excitement.”With thirty warriors we can do little but hold them up for a short time. It would be a waste of fine Housecarls.”

  “You will not only have merely Housecarls. I am giving you fifty horsemen and fifty archers. You will have a formidable force.”

  Aethelward considered this. “And who will command?”

  “Why you of course!”

  “Aethelward the lame eh?”

  “Do not put yourself down old friend. You are not there as a warrior but a general and there is no one better suited is that not right Ulf?”

  Sweyn answered for him. “Aethelward I would follow you as would any of the Housecarls. Your reputation speaks for you.”

  He shook his head and looked at me. “This is how flattery works nephew. They send you to freeze your arse off in the borderlands and make you think they have done you a favour!” The others laughed at this and slapped him on the back; he had, of course, accepted the role.

  I could not, of course, tell the others what I knew. I was in a privileged position and I did not wish to put that in jeopardy but I was bursting to tell them. What I did do was to use my first pay as a Housecarl to buy things which I knew I would need. I went to the markets and bought some oil, it was expensive but I knew that in the damp borderland my armour would need protection from rust. I also bought a wolf skin which, again, cost me much money but which would protect me from the cold. I also spent money buying pieces of leather of varying sizes for I knew that there would be no farrier to repair any damage to my gear. I was desperate to ask Aethelward more but he was busy for the next few days with Harold planning and meeting with his leaders.

  All preparations ceased when the King and his retinue arrived. We had been told to present ourselves fully armed for his arrival and I could not wait. My armour and helmet gleamed. My shield shone and with my spear and my axe I felt like Beowulf himself. We were line up in two ranks before the cathedral with Earl Harold and Sweyn at our head. Aethelward was not there and I wondered at his omission. The King was disappointing. He wore neither armour nor crown. He looked more like Brother Aidan than Gruffyd. I was, however, impressed by his retinue for they were ten Norman knights. Each one had mail covering their whole body, including their legs. They each had a kite shield and a pointed helmet with a nasal. The effect was chilling as no human features could be discerned. There was no flesh to be seen; it was as though they had been made by some blacksmith. Lastly their lances seemed much longer than the spears we had and I wondered how one would fight them. When Ap Iago had chased us they had neither spear nor lance and were easily despatched. These warriors would need a different approach. I determined to ask Aethelward what his thoughts were but at that moment I stood proudly with my peers hoping that we were making the same impression on the Normans as they had made on me.

  The King totally ignored all of us and walked, with his knights into the cathedral. I don’t know about the others but I felt that we had been snubbed. I looked at Ridley and Wolf and they appeared to be unaware of any problem. As I looked at the reddening ears of the Earl I knew that I had been offended because my leader had been snubbed and everyone in the kingdom knew that the only thing keeping Edward on the throne was Earl Harold Godwinson.

  We stood there for most of the morning and then, when the king and his party did emerge, they went directly to the King’s hall. The Earl spoke to Sweyn and then followed them. Sweyn turned to us and I think I could detect a subdued anger about his face. I had come to know the man and recognise his idiosyncrasies. He was like me, unhappy that our Earl had been treated thus. “You may stand down. The Earl is proud of you and the display you made.”

  As we went back to the hall I felt empty. I was fighting for a man I could not respect. Even worse I would be fighting a man I did respect, Gruffyd. And then, like a dream like vision it struck me. I was not Edward’s man I was Harold’s man and that made all the difference for my leader was a man of honour and a man worth following. Edward was merely a symbol of England but Harold was England.

  Chapter 5

  Winchester 1062

  The Normans spoiled my Christmas. They arrogantly prowled around the crowded streets, always armoured and often mounted. We recruits could not understand their words but some of the older men told us that they spoke disparagingly about our ancient weapons, armour and tactics. We considered it the height of bad manners to behave so martially in the peaceful town of Winchester, especially at Christmas. There would have been trouble had not Sweyn and Ulf passed on Harold’s admonition to bite our tongues. I knew that he did not wish to jeopardise his attempt to persuade Edward to go to war with the Welsh and offending the Normans would do just that. There was one young Norman, a knight not much older than me who seemed to enjoy intimidating the ordinary folk of the city. He was Guy of Evreux and was even more arrogant than his fellows. Matters came to a head on St. Stephen’s day when I had emerged from the small church we used. I had gone to pray for my mother and Nanna. As I came out I saw the Norman knight riding through the street. That was not unusual but he was not riding slowly as one would expect in a busy town. Instead he was riding as though across an open field, galloping. I saw an old woman and her son crossing ahead of me towards the cathedral and I could see that Guy of
Evreux could ride them down. Impulsively, and remembering dear Nanna, I hurried to their side and took her arm for the ground was muddy and churned up. “Here Mother, let me take your arm.”

  She looked up at me in surprise and then smiled. “Thank you, young sir. That is very Christian of you.” I understood her comment for many of the Housecarls were not Christian and she was surprised that one behaved in so thoughtful a manner. Rather than slowing up when he spied us Guy accelerated and I could just see the grin on his face. I would not move and I made sure that I was on his side of the couple. I was not afraid for I remembered the attack in Wales. The horse would veer away, even if the warrior tried to run us down. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing us run. I was also ready with my right hand to ward off any blow and I kept my eye on the horse. The knight was aiming at us and, although the horse was trying to avoid us I could see that the reins were jerking his head to strike me. I knew that he would crash into us and I did the only thing I could think of, I punched the horse as it drew close. It immediately reared and veered away throwing the young knight to the floor. I escorted the shocked couple to the cathedral and noticed some of my comrades smiling at me.

  “Well done young Aelfraed. An interesting approach.” Osgar was leaning on the cathedral wall but keeping an eye on the knight. I saw him nod his head and I turned to see the angry young man storming towards me, sword in hand.

  “You Saxon dog! How dare you strike my steed. Defend yourself.” I had not known he could speak our language until then.

  I was, to my own surprise, calmness personified and I spread my hands. “With what Norman cur? Unlike you we do not ride armed in a peaceful town at this holy time of year.”

  A crowd had gathered and I heard the clatter of hooves as other Normans approached. Seeing them emboldened the young knight. “Well go and get a weapon and then I will teach you a lesson.”

  “And why would you need to do that Guy of Evreux?” The man who spoke was the leader of the knights, Odo of Mortain. A powerful baron and a confidante of Duke William we had heard.

  “He struck my horse and I fell.”

  One of the other knights laughed. “And you want to kill him because you are a poor horseman?”

  He reddened at that and pointed his sword at me, “He has insulted me and I demand satisfaction.”

  Odo’s voice was chillingly threatening. “Sheath you sword. This is a holy day and we will not spill blood.” He seemed to see me for the first time. “Housecarl what have you to say?”

  “I was escorting the gammer,“ I pointed to the terrified old lady and her grandson, “to the cathedral and he rode in too fast. Had I not struck the horse then we would have been hit ourselves.”

  Odo flashed his eyes at Guy, “Is this true?”

  “I was in charge of my horse.”

  “Were you young Guy of Evreux? So much so that you were close enough for this man to hit your horse. Go back to the quarters and I will deal with you later.” As Guy rode away I could see the look which he gave me and knew that this was not over. “You have courage to stand and face a charging horse but I would advise you to move a little quicker the next time.” With that he turned and rode away his companions clanking after him.

  I turned to see ten Housecarls advancing on me, all of them cheering. “Well that is a Christmas gift and no mistake. Come Aelfraed, this Stephen’s day you do not buy ale for we are all delighted that the Norman was humbled so.”

  “You are a fool!”

  My uncle’s words sobered me up in an instant. The day had been a blur of praise and banter from my comrades. When I had returned to the hall my uncle’s glowering face had warned me of a storm. The drink had made me bold. “Should I have let him knock down the old lady?”

  “You should have bitten back the pride that rose in your throat and hurried across the street. You deliberately provoked the knight.”

  I became angry. “So we are to bow down and kiss their arses are we?”

  In answer Aethelward slapped me backhanded across the face. “Do not speak to me like that ever or you shall be sent back to Medelai in disgrace.”

  I stammered my reply, “You cannot do that I am one of Earl Harold’s Housecarls.”

  “You are a housecarl because I say so. Now you will not leave the hall again until we leave for the borderlands.”

  I thought about arguing but behind his back I saw Ulf and Ridley their pleading faces willing me to accept my punishment. I nodded. Ridley came over to me. He could always hold his ale better than I could and he put his arm around me. “Come along master let’s get you to bed.”

  Ulf’s voice came from behind me. “Give him some well water to drink.”

  As I swallowed the icy cold water Ridley began to undress me. “You made your uncle angry. He was going to send you home until Ulf intervened and said that you should be given another chance.”

  As I began to sober up I realised that I had almost lost my place in the shield wall; all because of an arrogant Norman. Uncle was right I could have avoided the conflict but I wanted him to charge me so that I could show him I was a better warrior. It had been foolish and I would apologise the next time I saw Aethelward.

  Perhaps my foolish action precipitated our early departure or perhaps it had always been decided that we leave during the first week of January but whatever the reason I was glad to be away from the confines of the hall. The archers and mounted men arrived the day after St Stephen’s Day led by Magnus of Wallingford the horseman and Edwin the Archer. Both had enough scars about them to suggest that they were no strangers to the battlefield. Ridley and I were lucky that we had our own horses for our gear. Most of the men had to throw their arms and armour in the back of a wagon. I had hoped that, as we had a number of horses, we would be allowed to ride but Ulf had put his foot down. “We are the Housecarls and we all suffer the same privations as well as the same glory. We walk.” Ridley threw me a look which told me that he thought I had been foolish to bring it up and perhaps he was right. I had allowed my combats and the training to make me feel more important than I was and I still bridled at the arrogant Norman. Perhaps walking would be good for my humility.

  As we left, in the early hours I saw the Normans watching us; it irked me that they did so but it made me march a little straighter and with a little more pride. Soon, however, I realised that this would not be a glorious march. We used the remains of the Roman roads whenever we could and for the most part made good time but sometimes we came across stretches where the locals had decided to use the cobbles for their buildings and then we squidged through mud which sucked at our feet. We were heading north westwards, towards the frontier town of Worcester. Hereford would have been closer to the Welsh but it was still garrisoned by Aedgar’s Mercians. Most nights we were able to sleep in a walled town for which we were grateful. At other times we froze on the ground. I was glad that I had brought my wolf skin for it kept me dry and protected me from the cold. I felt guilty that I had not told Ridley to buy one and I tried to make it up to him by sharing on the really cold nights.

  “No master. It is not right for you are noble and I am not.”

  “But Ridley we are brothers in arms. We fight and die together.”

  “Aye and that is a good thing but it is my own fault that I did not use my pay wisely as you did. Fear not master I am tough and I will survive.”

  As we passed through many of the Roman settlements I was amazed that they had built in stone all those years ago and yet now, hundreds of years later we still built in wood. They had indeed been a wondrous people who could build such roads and such buildings. When we reached the old town of Aqua Sulis I took Wolf and Ridley to explore the deserted baths. “They went in water? They deliberately made themselves wet?”

  “Aye Wolf, although from what I was told the water was hot as were the rooms.”

  He shook his head. “Do not mock me Aelfraed. How could they make the rooms hot? I can see no fires.”

  I pointed to the floor. �
��They heated air and warmed the floor.”

  The two of them could not comprehend just what the ancient Romans had achieved. The broken aqueducts were just one of the many things which were alien to them.

  It was a relief to reach Worcester which had fine ramparts, a garrison and, most importantly, a warrior hall so that we would be warm at night. I went with Ridley to find stabling for our horses and to see what damage had accrued over the long journey. Fortunately my oil had protected mine and, after we had cleaned Ridley’s I gave him some of the precious liquid to protect his. Aethelward did not waste any time in discovering what lay beyond the frontier. He and Magnus of Wallingford led the mounted men each day, first north and south and then gradually west. Ulf drilled the archers and the Housecarls so that we could fight as a unit. Once again we were left in no doubt that our role in a two line shield wall was to protect the archers but for once I didn’t mind. I remembered how effective Ridley had been when attacked on the road and anything which whittled down the enemy before we met was fine by me. When we were in wedge I found that we were still in the rear rank but that was now the sixth rank. We would be much closer to the fore in any fight. Whenever we could we practised with spear and axe to hone and perfect our skills.

  After three weeks of training I was becoming bored and yearned for action. I envied the horsemen who rode out each day and returned empty handed. At least they had been doing something more productive than practising endlessly. When action did come it came not from the west but from the east and it was not the Welsh but it was the Mercians. Whilst we had been in Worcester we had gained the friendship of the garrison there. Largely Mercian they were the retinue of the son of the Earl, Edwin. Edwin was not like his father and distrusted the Welsh. Harold and Aethelward must have had some inkling of the discord otherwise we would have been sent to Longtown or closer to Hereford. It seems that Aedgar had aspirations on the English crown but Harold’s power meant that could never be. Edwin on the other hand was content to be in Mercia and saw the advantage of a strong England and a weak Wales. I did not know what messages had passed from one to the other but it seems, looking at it now, that there must have been an agreement from Edwin to use his fort.