Heart of Alban

by G L Roberts

  Laid out on the rocks were her clean clothes and all her amulets and armbands. She was dressing to meet a rival. One she had seen before, resplendent on the back of a dragon. Hansa pulled on her under-gown and reached for her overdress. She belted the over-dress with a belt woven for her by her aunt. She pulled on the long pants she wore under the dress to keep the cold out. Brooches at the shoulders were replicas of the leaf of the aspen tree; forged and pounded out of the same metal as her sword. Polished by the many hands which held and cherished the heirlooms. The brooches came to Hansa because she was the only daughter of Heardred and his long-dead wife, Haldafel. They would have gone to the wife of Heardred’s firstborn, had he lived to marry. But he was long gone now—at the hands of the Albans.

  Hansa pulled on her boots and sat down on one of the rocks. She braided her hair in two plaits, then twisted them together, the single braid dropping down her back as she stood up. Her image in the water caught her eye. “I hope the elders know what they ask of me.”

  Rowan and Conri waited at the longboat. As Hansa approached, they bowed their heads. Hansa stopped and bowed her head to them before she turned away from the druids and boarded the longboat. Conri boarded behind her and took his station as navigator. The king’s daughter glanced back once at the crowd gathered to say goodbye to husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. Hansa looked for her father in the faces of those at the shore. But he was not there. She stared up at the top of the cliff where the king’s house stood. But Heardred was not there either. Hansa turned away from her people and looked toward the open sea. It would be a long voyage as the weather was cold and bleak. The longboats would be battling the open ocean for at least six weeks. Hansa then glanced up at the gray sky. “Odin,” she whispered. “Turn your eyes to my father and leave me to find my own way.”

  King Heardred had seen his daughter look for him. He was cloaked and hidden among the other men and women loading the longboats and watched Hansa board the lead boat. “She will be the first to step on the sand of Alban and the first to die,” he muttered. He moved away from the landing and waited. Several boats remained at the dock, each filled with stores and ready to leave at a moment's notice. King Heardred nodded at one of the men standing at the bow of one those boats. The man leapt off the boat and ran toward the cliff trail.

  Hansa glanced back at the seven longboats following her. Five hundred and sixty men and women strong, she thought. Will it be enough to put on a show of strength? She turned to those on her boat.

  “I no longer ask Odin for his blessing,” she said. “Whatever may come, it will not be at the hand of Odin. It will be at the hand of the House of Heardred.”

  The navigator raised his arm. “The Heir of the House of Heardred!”

  The men and women of the longboats repeated the call. “The Heir of the House of Heardred!”

  Hansa stood a little taller and gave the command. “West to Glory!”

  “Glory,” King Heardred repeated under his breath. “The glory will be mine, you span of Rán. You and your boats will draw attention to the eastern shore. My boats will attack from the West, and when we meet again, your head will know my axe. No female will rule my House. I will see you dead first.”

  As the seven longboats turned west toward the open ocean and away from the fjord, King Heardred motioned to the man on the cliff. The sound of horses came in the distance. The horses descended the trail from the cliff down to the landing. Men from all over Götaland had come in response to King Heardred’s call. As King Heardred watched the last of the seven longboats go around the jagged cliffs at the entrance to the fjord, the horses came down to the landing.

  King Heardred moved the hood of his cloak back to his shoulders and exposed the crown with its bone adornments. The forged iron dark against the highly polished reindeer bone.

  “We leave at dawn,” King Heardred called. “We will sail north around the crown of Alban to the Western shore between Alban and Erui. From there we will take both islands, and you will have lands to raze and rule.”

  Hansa had seen the man hiding among the other boats at the landing. She had recognized him from her trips with her brothers to the tribes of northern Götaland. He was a brigand and a man without scruples. Just the type of man with whom her father would contract. The king has other plans, she guessed. I will be the sacrifice on the Eastern shore before the shieldmaiden while my father plots his attack. “This will not happen while I live,” she said. “There must be a reason why the druids of Götaland waited until now to look for the jewel. I will know the reason before I lay a hand on any of the Albans.”

  “Then we chose the right person for the job,” Conri said from behind Hansa. “Yes, your father follows, but he will turn north. At this time of the year, his passage will take longer. Not by much, mind you, one, two days at the most.”

  “That is still enough time to warn the Albans.”

  “They would not be able to mount a defense of the West in so little time,” Conri said.

  “And what if they could? You forget, navigator, they have the jewel.” Hansa turned back to face the ocean. Her tribe’s future lay before her. Fight and live the same lives again and again? Or find a truce where both lands could benefit one from the other.

  “Fury and foam,” she mused. “And a fate unknown.”

  ❦

  Bendor and Jend stood on the hill overlooking the encampment. Banners from all over Alban flapped in the breeze below them, while the kings of the southern realms sat under canopies protected from the driving rain.

  “Nearly thirty-thousand stand on the field below,” Jend said. “Will so many be needed from an enemy who comes in boats? There aren’t enough boats in the world to hold so many.”

  “One boat filled with axe wielding madmen is more than enough to justify our numbers,” Bendor replied. “We have spent too many years with our backs turned away from our kin in the East.”

  “Agreed. The South has been under a veil of peace. So far removed from the enemy, we grew complacent. Once the Lady Athebryn lifted the veil, we could stand idle no longer. ”

  “And I am glad for it,” Bryn said as she came up to join the two captains. She motioned to the troops below them. “They seem to be working well together, clanns with kingdoms, clanns with clanns. Would you not agree?”

  “They are, Lady Athebryn. Is it still your wish to form several smaller armies?”

  “It is. I truly believe Heardred will have planned to send boats to all accessible areas of Alban’s coasts. I intend to send a defense to each of those areas. Some will be joined by the clanns of the immediate area, those who were left to protect their own realms.”

  “They will be ready, Lady Athebryn,” Bendor said. “Have you decided on the captains for these troops?”

  “The council has decided. We meet with the captains at the midday meal,” Bryn replied. “You will be relieved by others to join us.”

  The two captains raised their fists to their chests. Bryn stepped back, and Meydra dropped down to stand beside her. Bryn got on Meydra’s neck, and they lifted above the hill.

  “Alban grows strong,” Meydra said.

  “Yes, and my heart sings at the way the clanns have come together.”

  “The vík ingr will be here soon, and they will see the face of many.”

  “And the vík ingr will see another face of Alban. A strong, brave, and united face.”

  “Will you treat with them?”

  Bryn patted Meydra’s head. “I intend to see if they wish to treat with me.”

  “Ah.”

  The council gathered, and each was dressed in the colors and regalia of their original clanns and kingdoms. Bryn looked them over with a gentle smile. She approached Thalynder and hugged her. “Are they here?” she whispered.

  “They are, and they look magnificent,” Thalynder said. “It is a brilliant idea.”

  “Thank you. Now, please join the others,” Bryn said to Thalynder’s ear.

  Thalynder walked ove
r to the others and stood quiet and still.

  “Such a splendid show of the many realms of Alban. Even the Ulaiden of Erui and the Epidii of Dal Riata are represented here,” Bryn said. “Representatives of many great kingdoms and clanns gather beside us.”

  Arryn looked around at the council and suddenly understood what Bryn was trying to say. He reached up and untied the shoulder of his over-tunic. He removed the tunic and dropped it on the ground.

  “I fight for all of Alban, Lady Athebryn,” Arryn said. “I fight for all the clanns and all the kingdoms. I will strip naked and fight if it will convince Heardred’s hordes I fight for a united Alban.”

  “Rightly spoken,” Malcolm said. He removed his outer tunic with the crest of Wessex embroidered on the front. He let it fall to the ground.

  The others of the council did the same. They removed the outer trappings of their personal clanns and kingdoms and dropped them to the floor. They all stood now in simple garb. Ready to fight the Norsemen as equals.

  “As equals you stand,” Bryn said. “You are a shining example to the soldiers standing and waiting in the field. We, the Council of Alban, must be united under one banner if the vík ingr are to take us seriously. A disparate group would only strengthen the resolve of the Norsemen.”

  “Under one banner is what we hope, but how do we do this with so large a force as we have here?” Malcolm asked.

  “With these,” Bryn said. Thalynder walked behind Bryn and pulled out a large chest from behind the tent’s wall. Bryn helped her pull the chest to the center of the canvas. Bryn opened the chest. She removed an item from the chest.

  She held a tunic the color of the dark earth of Skerrabrae with the Tree of Life embroidered in the silver color of moonlight, on the front. The right shoulder held twin stars shooting above the tree, at the hem, the symbols of all the known clanns and kingdoms of the island.

  “I hope I have not forgotten any clann or kingdom,” Bryn said. “If I have, the tunics will be amended. For now, we will show the same face to the Norsemen. Outside the tent, there are twelve more chests. They hold banners for the heads of each force to bear before them. The soldiers will retain their personal emblems but will march under the same banner.”

  “We have chosen our captains,” Arryn said. “Let them be the first to know of the change.”

  “Telen,” Bryn called. A woman came into the tent.

  “Lady Athebryn,” the woman said.

  “Call in the Captains.”

  Telen raised her fist to her chest and walked out of the tent.

  “There are enough tunics here for the captains,” Thalynder said. “The tunics and the banners will be at the forefront when we meet the enemy.”

  “You will keep your personal emblems. Ours is a united Alban under one banner, but we are a people of many rights and rituals. No one person, clann or kingdom rules absolutely. Hold onto those items which best represent your home and kin.”

  Leus glanced at what he wore. His clothing was more elegant than anyone else in the tent. Removing all the fine over-things and letting them fall to the floor, Leus took up the new tunic and slipped it over his head. He noticed the jewel above his wrist had changed. “The jewel has changed,” he said.

  Bryn smiled. “You have accepted the responsibility and privilege of serving Alban.”

  “Let me see,” Rythale said. She held Leus’ hand and ran her hands over the jewel. “It has spread like a fine thread to weave around your armband. It circles the band now.”

  Leus smiled. “Thank you, Lady Athebryn. I feel more at home in this company than ever I felt in the Umbriel Forest.” The jewel dimmed and disappeared.

  “When the need is great, the jewel will reveal itself to each of you. Now, let us get these tunics and banners to our captains. We have until dawn tomorrow to get our captains to their troops and send them on their way.”

  King Heli stood with Kind Edmond and watched as Princess Thalynder said goodbye to her father. He looked out at the troops under his command and the banner before them, his own tunic covered over by the tunic of Alban, as Lady Athebryn called it. It was a good thing to be united during a battle, he thought. But one thing still troubled him.

  “Lady Athebryn, why do we send captains to untrained troops?”

  Bryn turned to King Heli. “The troops are not untrained, King Heli. You see before you clanns men and women who have fought for their right to live for many hundreds of years.”

  “But they are untrained with these captains,” King Edmond said.

  “Did you send me untrained captains?”

  King Heli chuckled. “No, they have trained with their own troops, but they do not know the men and women they now command.”

  Bryn touched King Heli’s arm. “Do you believe the troops they now command will not follow the new captain’s lead?”

  “As soldiers, they should follow the lead of any captain,” King Heli replied. “But you send Bridei troops to the North with a captain from the South. You send Picts to the South with a Bridei captain and the troops from The Realm That Touches Two Seas to the West with a captain from Queen Betony.”

  “Yes, this is true.”

  “It is an untested army,” King Edmond said.

  “It is an army united by need,” Bryn said. “So long as Alban is under siege by outsiders, this army will fight as one.”

  “And when this war is over?” King Heli asked.

  “They will have been united under a common deed, and will no longer be scattered like seeds in the wind. They will no longer consider each other as strangers. They will be one country, united under one banner.”

  “I hope you are right, Lady Athebryn,” King Edmond said. “I go now to captain my troops. I fly the banner before us, and with your guidance, I will stay the hand of the Norsemen from the necks of the Bridei.”

  “Good hunting,” King Heli said. “I am off to the wild north and the bitter north winds.”

  Bryn took the arm of each king and walked with them to their horses. “Ride swiftly, the longboats will be at our shores soon enough to test these troops.”

  ❦

  Conri took a small box from the bag at his feet and placed it on his lap. With a delicate touch, he opened the box and removed the contents. He gently uncoiled a piece of braided sinew—the length of his forearm—and brushed off the dark portion of iron hanging at the end. Conri set the box down on the bag before he stood up. He walked to the side of the boat and looked down at the water, glancing at the vessel’s one mast and sail. The wind came directly off the stern and filled the sail. Conri took the piece of sinew and let the iron end fall toward the sea. He held the cord still and allowed the iron to swing for a moment. When the iron stopped turning and came to rest, Conri looked at the metal and the bow of the boat.

  “Why do you hold the iron over the water?” Hansa said as she joined Conri.

  “The iron helps me keep a straight course,” Conri replied. “When I cannot see the stars, I rely upon this.” Conri lifted the sinew and handed it to Hansa.

  Hansa saw the iron was shaped liked an arrow. “How does this help you navigate?”

  “Watch.” Conri held the sinew out over the water. The iron arrow spun quickly at first. As it slowed, the point moved back and forth until it stopped. The arrow pointed to the bow of the boat.

  “It has only stopped moving. I still do not understand.”

  Conri spun the sinew again. The arrow moved quickly at first then began to slow. It swayed from side to side and after a moment, stopped. It pointed at the bow of the boat once again.

  “The tip of the arrow is a little heavier than the shaft. I cannot explain fully why, but the tip always points north.”

  “How do you know it points north and not some other direction?” Hansa asked.

  “Tonight, when the stars fill the sky, I will show you how I know this thing. I will show you the never moving star we navigators use to find north. When the iron arrow points at this star, it is pointing north.�
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  “Sounds like a druid spell to me.”

  Conri chuckled. “It is actually an instrument also used by other cultures. The druids of the hidden lands were given this knowledge many years ago.”

  “Historical nonsense.”

  “Historical fact,” Conri said. “We will continue on this course heading for the rest of the day and into the night. Come back when the stars shine and I will show you the star and the arrow working together.”

  Hansa did not respond but watched as Conri put the arrow and sinew back into the little box. The top of the box had two designs etched on it. Hansa leaned over and studied the lid.

  “A druid symbol.”

  “Yes.”

  “And the other?”

  Conri ran his hand over the design. “It is called a compass rose.”

  “Why is it called a rose?”

  “It resembles a flower with its many petals and points,” Conri replied.

  “And why, compass?”

  “Because it points to the four faces of the wind; north, south, east, and west. The term compass is used by navigators.”

  “Compass Rose,” Hansa repeated. “It does suit the design.”

  Conri placed the box back into the bag at his feet. “We will soon reach the point of no return. That place just over the horizon as seen from Alban. We will be there by midday tomorrow. Do you still intend to put in where your father has always landed?”

  “Yes, it is where I first saw the shieldmaiden. It seems the best place to start.”

  “They will expect the boats to return there. Our arrival will not be secret,” Conri said.

  Hansa looked forward toward the horizon. She inhaled deeply. “I do not wish to be secret. I wish to provoke the Albans to send their leaders to me. I will see for myself the ram my father says commands the sheep.”

  Conri also looked out toward the far horizon. “Be careful what you wish for, Hansa.”