by Griff Hosker
The hint of a sneer appeared on Edwin’s face. He had changed since he had been so grateful to us for defeating the Welsh. “Are you afraid, Lord Aelfraed? The hero of Rhuddlan?”
Again I fought against the instinct which would have snapped a reply. “No my lord but I would prefer that King Harold did not have to face the Normans without your horses.”
I was pleased at the look of embarrassment on the Earl’s face. “When the Normans come then my horse will be ready.”
I worried that even if we did defeat the Norwegians then the Earl would lose more horses than was safe for the army. I held my counsel. It was obvious to me that Edwin Earl of Mercia would do it his way and any advice would be for guidance only. Already on the first day my heart began to sink. I felt Ridley’s shoulders sag as he stood next to me. Ridley had heard of my ideas and thought that they were sound. “Well my lord I will go and see to my men.” I had hoped we would have been invited in for a conference where we would feel part of the planning but I did not think that the Earl of Mercia took advice.
Later when I sat with Ridley and Osbert we all agreed that this lack of information could be disastrous. It was Osbert who had the idea. “My lord, do we need to stay here?”
I looked at him as though he had two heads. “We are with the army. Do you mean return to our home?”
“No my lord but if we were south of the city then we would, at least, have advance warning of the enemy approach.”
I slapped him on the back. “That is genius Osbert but more than that, we have horses, we could do what I urged the Earl to do and patrol the river. Ridley, how many horses do you have?”
“Fifteen.”
“With my thirty that gives us a sizeable patrol. I will visit the Earl in the morrow and suggest this course of action.” I was pleased that we had a course of action. Ridley still looked troubled.
“What is it old friend? I can almost see your mind working and coming up with problems.”
“Easingwold is some way north of Jorvik. I am no strategos,“ he grinned, “I am neither Aethelward nor Aelfraed, but it seems to this dull mind of mine that if we were closer to the city and the east then the host could close with the Norwegians quicker.”
“Your mind is anything but dull my friend and I am glad that you reflect more than I for it helps you to see things which I miss. I will hazard with the Earl tomorrow.”
I was not sure how the Earl would take my advice. Perhaps the fact that his sister had married the King made him feel superior to others who had fought more than he. I knew that Morcar, whose land this was, would heed it but his elder brother appeared to be using his prerogative as elder to take charge. I knew that I would have to be subtle and calm. My temper could have the opposite effect to the one I intended. The two Earls were outside their tent discussing matters with their sergeant at arms.
“Ah Lord Aelfraed did you sleep well?”
“I did my lord and it gave me some ideas which I would like to put to you.”
Morcar’s eager face was in direct contrast to the scowl which appeared on Edwin’s. The Earl of Mercia was a cautious man as he had shown when he conspired with Harold to remove his father. “We are always keen to hear ideas.”
I smiled my most engaging smile. “Well my lord, I fully understand that you do not wish to tire out your mounts by patrolling but my men will be fighting on foot. Have you any objection if I take my men and Lord Ridley’s to watch the river with our horse? We would be able to warn you of the enemy’s arrival and join you swiftly.”
Morcar eagerly looked at his brother. I could see the Earl of Mercia working out if he would lose face in this. I had looked at the suggestion from every angle and felt sure that he could not. “That seems a good idea. Thank you Aelfraed, I am glad that your mind is still as sharp as ever.”
It was now time to make him bring his army further south. “Of course if the army were further south and east then we would have fewer miles to cover to bring the barbarians to brook. I will leave with my men. We will be close to the bend of the river between Fulford and Riccall.”
“Wait, I think that it we were,” he lifted the calfskin map he held in his hand, “at, say , Stamford Bridge we could respond to their advances swiftly.”
“An excellent idea my lord. I think you have come up with a strategy of which the King would be proud.” The preening smile told me the best way to deal with the Earl of Mercia, use flattery.
As we walked away Ridley grinned at me. “Well done, he does what you wish and believe it is his idea.”
“Chess, Ridley , chess. I will teach you one day.”
We found a dell by the river a mile or some from Escrick. We were close enough to the big bend in the river where a fleet could land its men and yet but a couple of miles from Jorvik. Aedgart set up a camp in the Roman style with stakes around a rough perimeter and he organised the men while I prepared the patrols. “We will keep five horses here as a reserve. Ridley you take your ten, Osbert you take ten, have Branton take his archers and I will take the rest. No armour and no axes. We scout not fight. I had copied a map from the one Edwin had had. We need to scout from Riccall to Goole. We will stagger the patrol by an hour so that we do not tire out the horses. Remember that we are watching for ships or signs that the ships have already landed.”
“Surely they will leave their ships where they land?”
“They will, Ridley, but if I was Hadrada I would land scouts ahead of the boats to make sure that scouts like us did not spot him.”
Osbert nodded his head, “Then I hope that Hadrada is no Lord Aelfraed.”
I led my small patrol first. I had given myself the least men; it was not vanity, it was eagerness. I wanted to be able to reach the mouth of the estuary quickly and satisfy myself that the preparations were in time and they had not landed already. As we rode along the river I cursed that King Edward had got rid of the fleet. Had we still had ships then one could have stood off the coast and warned us of the fleet’s arrival. This way we could only react to the Viking moves, we could not initiate. He would always have the advantage.
The first week showed me that he had not arrived and my relief was tinged with doubt. Suppose the patrols were all a waste of time? The Earls had set up camp at Stamford Bridge and that part was satisfactory but all I was doing was working my men hard. When I confided in Osbert and Ridley they both laughed at me. “My lord if we were not patrolling we would be sat around the camp and the men would be bored. They would gamble and they would fight. This way every man has to ride two days out of three, the third day he trains. This is making us better warriors for we now fight as one band not two. I for one would not change this strategy and the longer the Vikings take to come then so much the better.”
“No Osbert, it is not, for the sooner that they arrive the better. We need to defeat them and then head south to aid the King for the battle for England will be fought in the south, not here in the north. This is a distraction.”
It was towards the middle of September and the fyrd were becoming anxious for it was harvest time. I wondered if they would arrive or not. Perhaps it was a feint and they were landing further south, suppose they were allied to Duke William? If that were the case then the King would be caught between two armies and he would surely need us. Eventually Branton galloped hard to meet me as I led my patrol east. “My lord! The Norwegians, they have come.”
We raced along the banks to the bluff close to Riccall, overlooking the river. There I beheld a mighty fleet of dragon ships. The river was filled with the dreaded long ships which were spilling their men ashore. They were spreading like ants from a nest. Had the army been handy then this would have been the time to strike for they were neither armed nor armoured but the warriors were many miles to the north. Our task was to scout and we began to count the ships. After we counted two hundred it became difficult but that gave us an estimate. Sending Branton back to Ridley with orders to break camp and head north to Jorvik, I kicked my horse and led my warrior
s north to Stamford Bridge.
As I arrived it seemed that I had arrived none too soon for the men sat sullenly around with no sense of order. Morcar ran to meet me while Edwin came at a more sedate pace to preserve, I do not doubt, his dignity.
“News my Lord Topcliffe?”
“The Norse men have arrived at Riccall. We counted more than two hundred ships.”
Edwin paled a little. “That would give them in excess of eight thousand men.”
“More, my lord, for there were other ships further distant we could not count.”
He looked around at the camp. “We have barely six thousand men. It will not be enough.”
“It will my lord if we choose the right ground.” He looked at me with a question in his mind if not on his lips. “Close to Fulford we can block the road to Jorvik. The river and the marshes can protect us and make him fight on a narrow front where his numbers will not matter.”
“That will not suit my horse.”
“With respect my lord the bulk of the army are on foot; had we an abundance of archers then we could threaten them with your horse and massacre them with arrows but we must fight with what we have.”
“Very well.” He turned to his brother . “Have the army moved to Fulford.” When Morcar ran off to give the orders Edwin turned to his sergeant at arms. “Send a rider to the king. Tell him that a mighty host has landed at Riccall and the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria, need his help.”
The sergeant left quickly. I was appalled. “My lord, the Normans!”
“The Normans have not yet come. If the King comes north then we can defeat these Norwegians and then march south to meet the Normans with a much larger army than he has.”
“But if they land now then they will be unopposed.”
“But we do not know that.” He shrugged. “If they have landed then the King will not aid us and the land will be stained with our blood and bones.”
He turned his back on me and headed for his tent. I was dismissed. I wished my uncle had been with us for the Earl might have listened to him. What was I but a Housecarl given a parcel of land for one brave deed? And yet I could see that we could have held them at Fulford or even beaten them. I rode back to my men with dread in my heart.
I cheered up when I reached Fulford for my men were in good heart having warned the rest of their danger they felt they had already played a part. Ridley had spied the piece of high ground where the marsh protected one flank and the bank of the river the other. “Good position Ridley.”
He beamed with pleasure, “I have been watching you and slow as I am, I do learn.”
I ordered the men to make it a defensive position. To my dismay Edwin did not like the position I had chosen and he placed his men with their flanks secured on the bank of the Ouse while his brother anchored his men close to the Fordland marsh. Leaving my men on the high ground I rode down to the two Earls. “My lord the high ground gives us an advantage.”
“But this gives us more for we have a narrow front.”
“We have nowhere to retreat!”
“We will hold them here. Our flanks are secure; place your men in the centre with the other warriors.”
He strode off the decision, a disastrous one as it turned out, made. I rode angrily back to my men. Ridley could see my anger and he said calmly, “We fight by the river.”
“Aye. If things go ill there will be no place to retreat.” I turned to Osbert, “Get the men started down the hill but keep the horses here.” He gave me a questioning look but followed my orders. I looked down the road to Riccall. It meandered its way from the south east which meant the Norwegian would approach the same way. There was a leat near Naeburn which was hidden by a small wood. I did not want to be north of the city if the Norwegians were victorious; the King would come from the south and I needed an escape route that way. I did not tell this to Osbert and Ridley for I knew that they trusted me. “Osbert, take four men from the fyrd that you can trust, men who know horses, and have them take the mounts down to Naeburn and hide them behind the trees. Tell them to guard them until we come.”
Osbert was clever enough to see where I was going with it. “Suppose the Vikings come?”
“I do not think they will but if they do then they should take the horses south. At all cost the beasts must not fall into their hands.”
Nodding he left to select his men. I peered down the road and could see no movement. If the men left now they would be gone before Hadrada arrived. I turned to Ridley as we watched our men trudge north. “Whatever happens I do not wish to be incarcerated in Jorvik. Tostig knows it too well and it will fall quickly.”
He looked at me in surprise. “You think we will lose?”
“Look at the way we are arrayed. The horses are trapped by the river. They cannot charge and the ground is boggy. On the other flank the secure swamp is a prison; it keeps the Earl there. They outnumber us and I think that the Earl of Mercia is relying on Harold to come to his aid.”
Ridley looked appalled. “But the King is a hundred and ninety miles away.”
“Exactly. Even if the messenger rides his mounts into the ground he will take three days to reach London and then the King will need the best part of a week to reach us. I want to be free and not trapped behind the city walls. We can do mischief to their ships and we can cause trouble so long as we have horses.”
“Which is why you have sent out horses away.”
We marched down with the last of our men and placed ourselves in the centre of the line. I knew that it was the place of honour but also that it was the most exposed, if either flank fell then we would all die. I placed our men at arms in two lines and behind them Branton’s archers. Behind that, in neat and ordered ranks, unlike the other fyrd I could see, I placed our fyrd. I felt proud that they looked so military whilst the others looked like farmers out for trouble. I called Branton over. “I want you to conserve arrows. When you are each down to your last ten then tell me.”We had spare arrows but I knew that mine were amongst the few that the army had. If we had to fight our way out then the archers might just be the weapon which would save us.
I looked at the men around me. There was the Thegn of Scarborough to our left. His men were hardy farmers and fishermen and although he had few mail shirts many of his men wore helms. To our right was the Thegn of Skipton. He had mountain folk and some of them wore mail. Both men were older warriors, veterans of wars against the Scots. Our shield wall in the middle would be the rock on which the enemy broke, of that I had no doubt. I hoped that the Norwegians would attack us piecemeal for in that lay our only chance. I estimated that they outnumbered us by three thousand men and, in terms of trained warriors, by over two to one for the fyrd, although keen and brave, would not stand long against a Northman.
This time Edwin had placed a rider on top of the high ground we had vacated. I cursed the Earl again for the high ground now aided the enemy rather than us. He would be able to see our numbers while we had no idea about his. Suddenly the excited rider galloped down and yelled, “They are coming, and I have seen Hadrada!”
He said it as though it was Jesus himself who had appeared! “Well it looks like we will get to fight today.”
Ridley laughed, “Was there ever any doubt?”
I looked for Edwin to ride out and encourage us with brave words but he and his riders sat behind his spearmen and fyrd. That particular formation meant that the cavalry would not be able to charge. It would, however, have easy access north, back to the city. I looked to my left and Morcar waved. He would not speak if his brother did not. His men were arrayed like mine and his Housecarls formed two solid rows. Behind them were his spearmen and then his fyrd.
No-one was going to speak. I would have spoken to the army but it would have seemed impertinent and a challenge to the Earls; right now we needed cohesion and unity. I turned to face the men of Coxold and Topcliffe. I spoke loudly enough for the men of Scarborough and Skipton to hear me. “Men of Topcliffe and Coxold. You have march
ed far from your homes to fight this invader from beyond the seas and the tyrant who taxed you to starvation. These men from the north are renowned fighters but I tell you, I Aelfraed of Topcliffe who fought alongside Thegn Ridley against the Welsh king and killed their champion,” There was a huge roar, not only from my men but from those on either side, “that you need have no doubt that you are all better warriors and remember this, they have never seen the men from the north fight. I have and believe me if you scare them half as much as you scare me they will run back to their dragon boats as soon as they can.” The men laughed and then cheered. I did not feel ashamed for having brought up my one victory, men needed to believe that the man who led them was a hero. I saw Edwin’s sour look- it mattered not for he had had his chance and spurned it. At least the men in the middle would stand. One effect of my speech, however I could not anticipate. While I had my back to the hill Hadrada and Tostig had appeared. The cheers and shouts from the middle meant that they saw that as the stronger part of the line, It saved us from the first assault, but helped us to lose the battle.
Hadrada was an impressive looking warrior. Aethelward had told me that he had made a fortune when serving the Emperor in Byzantium. He had virtually bought Norway and had almost captured Denmark. His armour was the finest that could be bought and gleamed as though gold. I knew it was not gold for steel was better but he looked imposing. Tostig lurked behind him looking as furtive as ever. I knew that he would not be in the first ranks who charged. I looked for my brothers and my father for I assumed they would be with their traitorous leader.
I saw the Norwegian King pointing ahead, even though I could not see them he was directing. Suddenly it seemed as though I would get my wish and they would fight piecemeal for the first band which rose over the hill headed steadfastly in a wedge formation and they were aimed directly at Morcar. I had thought that the king would have brought all his forces up first and attacked on the whole front. This suited us. As I watched the men approach I saw that they only had shields, helms and spears. They were not armoured! These were not his best warriors; these were the fastest. If this was his whole attack then Morcar would easily defeat it.