by Griff Hosker
It was not until the next day when Leif arrived back. They had with them the broken body of a Flemish sea captain. Leif threw the man to the floor in my Great Hall. Egil had not left my side all day. “You were right Duke. We caught them at Le Trait. We made a raft of fishing boats. They fought hard but they died. Einar fought like a wild animal. Only the captain was saved. I lost six men. I trust the rest.” It was a statement which brooked no argument and I nodded.
Egil asked, “And has he talked?”
“He has. He boasted how Count Arnulf and the King of the Franks were coming for your land. Your death was to provoke a rising similar to the one which cost so many of our men their lives.”
I walked over to the man. I was about to lean over and grab him by the scruff of the neck when I thought better. I had thought him half dead but he was not. He lay with his arms close to his boots. A small bodkin appeared in his right hand and he lunged up at me. It was my height which saved me. He could not reach me. Leif’s sword took his head.
“I am not fit for this task, lord. How did he get a weapon past us?
I picked up the bodkin, “Simple, this is a sailmaker’s bodkin. You did not search his boots or it may have been in his belt. Short of stripping him naked you would never have found it. The news you have discovered is timely. Send to Bagsecg. We need his men. Send a rider to Sámr. We need his ships to go to Djupr.”
Father and son looked confused, “But why lord?”
“You told me his words. Now I know I was right not to let his ship escape. The Count of Flanders will already be marching into our land. He thinks me dead! He will count on confusion around Rouen. With half of our army in the south then he would be able to capture the north again. We need to get to Mauger and end this threat.”
“You cannot lead, lord. You are wounded and you are still unwell.”
“Then this will be the battle where I die with a sword in my hand. Far better than to die frozen to the spot and unable to move. At least this way I die like a warrior. We ride now!”
Chapter 16
I took Long Sword down from the wall. I donned my mail and I mounted Blue. When I had returned from Soissons, I had thought my days of fighting were over. I was wrong. Father Harold and Father Thomas tried to dissuade me from leaving, “Lord, you have a wound and you are not a well man! Your son has a large army. Let him come to meet this threat.”
“And while we wait our enemies strike. I will go. I leave Egil and Leif with the garrison. You will be safe.”
“It is you we think of, lord.”
“I am unimportant. Watch my home for me.”
When I reached the gates the men I would lead, all two hundred of them, were waiting. Egil and Leif were also there. Egil shook his head, “We have let you down lord. I do not wonder that you cannot trust us to accompany you.”
“Then you do not know me. I trust both of you and no blame is attached to either of you but I need Rouen protecting. Your men are all that stand between my town and our enemies. I will return but, if I do not then do not think badly of yourselves. I do not. I chose two good men and they have not let me down.”
Robert had brought his men and he joined me halfway to Djupr. There were forty men with him. Half were mounted. I nodded to them, “That must have cost you money, Robert.”
“My father died because his men were ill-equipped. I eat from wooden platters and beakers. We drink beer but I have men who ride to war and are well protected.”
As we rode, I told him the size of the problem. He was clever and had learned much, riding with me. “We just need to hold them, lord. Your son will come and we have Djupr to fall back upon. The days of easy raids over the border are long gone.”
“I hope you are right.”
Hope rose as we neared Djupr. Lords joined me and our numbers were swollen until there were five hundred of us. Bagsecg and his two hundred horsemen would already be at Djupr and Mauger would be scouting out the enemy. I just feared that we were late. I was exhausted when we reached Djupr. My wound had wept and I felt dizzy. My head grew hot. I did not need an attack of my ailment here. I was reassured by the presence of Bagsecg and Mauger. Both appeared calm and in command of the situation.
“We have scouted, lord. The Franks and the Flemish have Eu besieged. My horsemen have begun to raid their supply lines. Our border strongholds have held and they are having to send supplies from Flanders.”
Mauger nodded, “I have three hundred men ready to march, lord.”
“And how many men do we face?”
“Two thousand.”
“Then we do not move until Sámr arrives with the rest of our army. When we fight, we have to win the battle. At Soissons, we won but the army lost. We need to send them back across the border and to be licking their wounds.”
“Aye, lord.” Mauger looked concerned, “Are you well?” I smiled and he added, quickly, “You should not have rid yourself of your hearth weru!”
“I am flattered that Count Arnulf holds me in such high esteem. He must really fear me!”
They both laughed. Mauger said, “Of that, there is no doubt.”
Bagsecg asked, “And your son, will he come?”
“I sent him word but he is in Aquitaine. We will assume that if he does come then he will be late. When Sámr brings his ships, we will hold a council of war.”
Mauger said, “We could sit behind our walls until your son comes.”
“And what of Gilles son of Faramir? Eu is not as strong a town as this. Do we allow our shield brothers to be sacrificed so that we will not?”
Bagsecg shook his head, “What Mauger means is you should sit behind your walls. We can face Arnulf and King Rudolf. He has now been elected as King.”
“I thank you but I do not need to have nursemaids. This battle, Bagsecg, will be determined by a shield wall. You and your horsemen will continue to do as you have done. You will attack any of the men who are not in camp. You will cut them off from Flanders. We will starve them into submission. I have no intention of wasting the lives of any of our young men. We need Sámr and his men to swell our numbers. His ships will give the illusion of numbers. When they sail along the coast Count Arnulf will think we have double the numbers we actually do.”
Even as we spoke nature was taking a hand in the battle. It began to rain. The roads in this part of the land were not the best. Water was the way they travelled. The enemy camp would become a more unpleasant place. Our men, the ones who camped outside Djupr’s walls, also suffered but not as much for they were well fed. The low cloud also aided us when Sámr arrived. His fleet of ten ships was almost invisible as it edged into the harbour beneath a veil of cloud.
“I brought all the ships and men I had, Caen is safe enough from attack.”
“Good. Then you have five hundred men?”
“Five hundred and twenty. I could have brought more but we did not have enough ships.”
“That will do. Have your men brought ashore. We hold a council of war.”
This would be my battle. I did not think I would fight. I was certain my men would not allow it but I would direct the fight and it would be my plan. I explained what we would do and how we would do it. My aim was not to defeat them. That would take a miracle. It was to deter them until William could arrive and make the border secure. I planned on sending the drekar, under sail and with shields along their sides to moor north of Eu. We would then march to Eu and face them ready for battle. While Bagsecg and his men intensified their attacks on the enemy’s outposts we would advance on them. The damp and the rain meant we could not use our archers. They would have to attack as slingers. It would not be as effective but if we could not use archers then they could not use crossbows. It would become a straight battle between their men on foot and ours.
“Sámr, you will lead the attack. We do not use multiple wedges we use a boar’s head with just two tusks. You lead one and Mauger the other. The battle horn will be with you. It will be your decision to fall back.”
&
nbsp; “And where will you be, lord?”
“I will be with my standard behind the wedge. I will find a place with height so that I can view the battlefield.”
Mauger said, “There are few such places. Better we take a wagon. I will have four of my hearth weru guard you.” He smiled, “You seem to have rid yourself of those sworn to protect you.”
I shook my head and my voice was filled with sadness, “Most, I fear, are in the Otherworld.” I nodded, “If that is all then we leave before dawn. I would travel the fifteen miles and reach them before the sun is up; if it rises at all. This blanket of cloud and rain looks set for some time.”
As we ate that night, I was aware that I was fighting with a very small number of lords. I knew my son was making the south secure and putting a barrier of Vikings between our enemies and us but the north was where the real danger lay. Before I handed him the crown of Normandy, I would have to ensure that he lived in Rouen. Sámr had news of my son. “He has done well, lord. Hagrold is aggressive and has already taken large parts of the land around Limousin.”
“Limousin? That is over a hundred miles south of the Loire.”
“I told you he is aggressive. Your son protects his supply lines to his ships. Other Vikings arrived to follow the banner of Hagrold. I do not say he will make a land like Normandy but he will take some shifting. The lords of that land are unused to the way we fight.”
Sámr saw my son’s action as commendable. I did not. He was not losing men but he was just securing land for another clan. His place was here!
I did not mind being up early. Sleep was no longer a welcome occurrence. I went to bed each night, sword in hand, and I feared I might never wake up. I was the first awake. I was not even certain that I had slept. I roused Sámr, Robert, Mauger and the other lords who slept in the walls of the stronghold. I had fires lit and hot food prepared. I donned my mail. The stable master at Djupr had saddled Blue so that it was I led the army north through the drizzle and across the mud. The four hearth weru drove the wagon. It was filled with stones for the slings, darts and javelins. If the day went badly then it would become a fortress where we would make our last stand. The fact that an old and patently sick man led the army encouraged them to hurry and keep up with me. Sámr and my other leaders were also mounted and they were around me like a protective cloak. Bagsecg himself scouted the road ahead.
Blue plodded along easily. I was able to keep watch to the east. The sun took some time to rise and we were nearing the river and the enemy lines when it did so. Bagsecg rode back. “The enemy camp is just a mile ahead.”
“Good. Thank you Bagsecg, now you can do what you do best, you can make the enemy fear your vaunted horsemen.”
He nodded, “Aye, lord but stay safe eh? If anything happened to you while I was supposed to be protecting you then the spirits of my father and grandfather would never let me rest!”
My men were Christians but the pagan in them lurked just below the surface.
Sámr and my lords dismounted and began to array their men. The enemy camp would be blissfully unaware of our presence. As soon as Sámr marshalled the men into their lines then we would be heard but until then they would be rising and preparing fires. They would make water. They would prepare to attack Eu and its walls again. Bagsecg’s scouts told us that Gilles, son of Faramir, had repelled six attacks. The enemy would think that the seventh might be the one to succeed.
As the wagon lumbered up, I heard horns in the enemy camp. Either we had been seen or this was the call to rise. Most of the darts, javelins and stones were distributed. We left a quarter in the wagon as a reserve. Sámr and Mauger began to form their wedges. The horses were tethered to a line between two trees and ten boys were set to watch the beasts. Once we saw the last rank form, my men manhandled the wagon to a place just behind them. We placed it on the road and chocked the front wheels. I clambered aboard with Mauger’s four warriors. I could see the enemy camp for the sky was lighter. We had been seen. The horns had been a call to arms. From my elevated position, I could see the stronghold. The charred walls told me that the attackers had tried to use fire. The rains had put an end to that. Then I saw the sails of the drekar as they sailed north. Count Arnulf would wonder if they would disgorge men to attack his rear. Bagsecg’s horsemen had already threatened his retreat.
I turned to the warrior next to me, “Unfurl the banner. Let them see who commands here.” What little breeze there was came from the west and the flag fluttered behind me. Count Arnulf would know that I commanded. I was the bait that would, hopefully, draw them away from Eu. Sámr would judge his moment and we would begin a fighting retreat to Djupr.
As I had hoped the enemy did not wait for us to attack. King Rudolf had witnessed the effect of our men charging an enemy. The whole enemy line lumbered towards us. They had risen and we had been upon them. They had not eaten. Some would not have made water. They had armed in a hurry. There is a ritual to battle. Each piece of armour, the coif, the arming cap, the helmet, the sword, all play a part and there is an order to the donning of them. The men who attacked us would be wondering if all the straps were secure. Had they remembered all the weapons they liked to use? Doubt is a deadly enemy.
Sámr began a chant. It was to let the enemy know who commanded.
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with the Longsword
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with his Longsword
And with that sword, he took the hand
That killed his father and his land
With no sword, the snake was doomed
To rot with Hel in dark entombed
When the head was struck and the brother died
The battle ended and the clan all cried
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with the Longsword
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with his Longsword
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with the Longsword
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson with his Longsword
As my men chanted, they banged their shields. Perhaps it was my imagination but I was sure the enemy line faltered when the chant began. Sámr’s spear started our boar’s head to march. The two lines would clash and Sámr wanted the weight of our mailed warriors and the two points to drive into the enemy lines. The archers and slingers raced around the sides and hurled their stones at the enemy. If only a quarter of their stones found a target they would be weakened. It sounded like hailstones as the specially chosen stones from Djupr’s beach hit wood, helmets, mail and flesh. The cries, shouts and screams told me that they had hit. I saw some men fall and others reeled. The archers and slingers were reckless and waited until the last moment to run behind the safety of our boar’s head.
The lines collided. Mauger and Sámr led their wedges to drive deep into the enemy lines. This was the first time I had been able to observe the effect. Sámr and Mauger were each protected by two warriors who were the best that we had. I saw Flemish warriors slain. Their bodies remained upright and the two wedges drove deep into the enemy lines. It was like the splitting of a log. The split became wider and I saw the enemy line buckle. The slingers and the archers ran around to the sides. The slingers hurled their stones and the archers threw darts and javelins. The enemy could only use their shields to protect from one side and men on the flanks began to die. The enemy line rippled.
The battle was going well but the rippled line meant that we had points of weakness and some Swabian warriors in the colours of King Rudolf suddenly broke through and came directly for me. It was a bold move for if the standard fell then the heart would go from my men. Although the breach was sealed ten men who had broken through raced towards me and my five guards. I grabbed a javelin and hurled it at the eager Swabian who closed with us. He was knocked back as the steelhead drove deep into his chest. I threw a second which hit one in the shoulder and then I drew Long Sword. My four guards had also thrown darts and javelins. Six men reached the wagon. I swung my sword in an arc. The Swabian whose sword swept towards me died before his sword was halfway to my le
gs. My sword split his head and half of his spine, One of Mauger’s men was not so lucky and a long sword hacked through one of his legs. Even so, his dying fall was courageous. He threw his body onto his killer. The wagon proved to be a wise choice. My long arms and Long Sword, allied to the doughty defence slew the remaining Swabians. As I looked up, I saw that the battle was at a crucial stage. There were more of the enemy than remained to me. Just then a horn sounded from Eu and was answered by a horn from the east. Gilles, son of Faramir led his men from their stronghold and Bagsecg disobeyed my orders and brought his horsemen to charge the enemy. It was a decisive moment. Horns sounded and the enemy broke. They began to fall back. This was not a rout. It was a retreat. We had won and we had saved Eu.
Chapter 17
Leaving the wounded and a third of our men to repair Eu the rest of my paltry army followed the enemy host as it headed north. The rain slowed both of us but we found wounded and dying warriors who had been abandoned. They were given a warrior’s death. We stopped at the river which marked the border. I saw Count Arnulf and King Rudolf; both looked the worse for the journey. We were four hundred paces apart but I saw the fist of the King of the Franks raised at me. He was just another in a long line of enemies. “Now, let us return home. Sámr, if you take charge of the bulk of the army, I will ride with Bagsecg and the men of Rouen. I am getting too old for this.”
Mauger shook his head sadly, “And yet you still accounted for more men than my hearth weru. The world will not see the likes of you again, Duke Robert.”
It was a long three days to reach Rouen. All of us, men and beasts were weary. Bagsecg spent the night with us in Rouen. He had a long journey ahead of him. My priest clerks, Leif and Egil looked anxiously at me as I entered my hall.
“The enemy is defeated and our land is safe. Any word from my son?”
“He is ten days away. He brings his family and he is travelling at their speed.”