by Griff Hosker
“Where is Bagsecg?”
“He and his men are ahead of the Franks. So far the men of Paris have not tried to do anything about the horsemen.”
“That is because they are waiting for me. I am the prize! They go slowly to draw me to them.” I had left men raiding north of the river. Perhaps they thought I was with them and that was why they were moving so slowly. Unwittingly I had tricked them. The Norns had spun a complicated web. As my men came we allocated them a position. Our horses were tethered. We would just use Bagsecg’s horses as a screen. By the time evening had fallen all but thirty of my men had arrived. With Bjorn’s men we had one hundred and eighty to face the enemy. Bagsecg’s sixty horsemen and Sven and Bergil’s one hundred and twenty meant we had enough to face the Franks. Petr and his archers had been further south. They would not reach us until after Sven and his men but the fifty archers would be crucial to our defence.
The next morning, I mounted Gilles and rode with Egil and some of Bagsecg’s horsemen. They had reported that the Franks were camped ten miles away. It would take time for them to break camp. Bagsecg and I gathered his men across the road five miles from Evreux. We chose a place where the enemy could see us from a long way off and where they could array for battle. There was an inviting wood just a mile behind us and I wanted them to think that we had planned an ambush. Egil unfurled my banner and let it flutter over my head. The Count’s scouts spied us. Turning tail, they raced back to the main column. The Franks did not move as quickly as we did. When the ponderous steel snake arrived, they arrayed for battle. They faced our lightly armoured men with mailed horsemen. There were one hundred of them. Behind them I saw another hundred armed like Bagsecg’s men; lightly armoured with javelins. It seemed to take an age for them all to deploy. Then the men on foot arrived and were marshalled into lines. The first were mailed. The second had helmets and the rest were the burghers of Paris. They waited. Eventually, after the Bishop had blessed them, a horn sounded and the whole line moved towards us. I waited until they were less than two hundred paces from us and about to charge and then shouted, “Fall back!” Our men were all waiting for the command and we wheeled and rode away as one.
The Franks dug their heels in and they galloped after us. We kept a steady pace. They would close the gap with us but that did not matter. They would not catch us. As we neared the woods I turned and saw them slowing. They expected an ambush. When we entered the woods, they stopped. We slowed too and rode back to Evreux at a steady pace. Bjorn had cleared a killing ground before the town. Trees had been cut down and barricades built. The stumps had been left to slow down the enemy horse. The log barricades would afford protection from both men on horse and those on foot. By late afternoon Sven and Bergil had brought their men and we were almost complete.
“How many are there, lord?”
“Enough for us to eat well on horsemeat and to reap a rich reward in mail and weapons. They outnumber us but this Count is no Count Odo. They have helped my plan for this will be a second army we have hurt.”
William had waited with Godwin at Evreux. We had not risked him. He showed he was becoming a warrior by asking pertinent questions, “How can you be certain that you will hurt them? Ragnar and Ubba were both defeated.”
“They allowed themselves to be tricked by the enemy just as we have tricked the Franks. I did to them what they did to my men. They feigned flight. The Franks are too clever for their own good. Bagsecg and his men know exactly where the enemy are gathered. We know their numbers and we know their composition. When they attack there are ditches and stumps to negotiate. There are traps. There are wooden barricades behind which we can shelter and we have archers to thin their ranks. Even if we did not have the best warriors gathered here we could hold them off.”
The Franks camped just two miles from Evreux. Normally we would have disturbed their sleep and kept them off balance but I wanted them confident. That way they would commit to the attack. We kept a good watch and we lit plenty of fires but they did not come in the night. Few warriors take on a Viking at night. They might not attack us at night but they would try to rid the land of us at dawn. Most of our men had had a day to rest. Only Petr’s archers had just had half a night’s sleep and that would not impair their rate of arrows. We were in position even as we heard the Franks stirring and preparing their horses. We still had Evreux’s bread ovens and our men had eaten well. I stood behind the barrier in the centre of the road. We had left the road open until Bagsecg and I had returned. The horsemen were to the north and south of the road. They were there to deter the enemy from outflanking us. We waited.
The sun had been up for an hour by the time they approached us. The tree stumps warned them that we had prepared our defence and the Count wisely decided to dismount his mailed men. The log barriers came up to the chest of a man. It would take a mighty horse to leap such a barrier. The Bishop and his priests blessed the host. I saw the Count of Paris kiss the cross the Bishop proffered. They held their shields before them and they began to march towards us. The second rank held their shields above them. They were wary of our archers.
I turned to Petr. He and the archers were behind our second rank of warriors. “Do not waste your arrows on the front ranks. Save them for the ones behind.”
“Aye lord.”
I smiled as I saw the approaching Franks prepare to be struck by arrows which never came. When they were just eight paces from us they lowered their spears. All that they could see of us was the top of our helmets. I, of course, was the exception. They saw my chest and my head. They saw my standard fluttering. They began to move faster and then they found the ditch filled with the traps. It was the signal for Petr to unleash his arrows for he knew that the ones without mail were now in range. As mailed men stepped on dung covered stakes they fell and disrupted the line. Men without mail fell to my archers but still the Franks came on. They were propelled by the mass of men behind them. Bjorn and his men had had time to split some of the logs and make a fighting step. None of us had stood upon it yet. As the ragged line approached to within three paces of the barrier I shouted, “Now!”
I drew my sword as I stepped on to the step. The first eager Franks had run towards the barrier. It was roughly made and could be scaled but it meant that they were unbalanced. My first sweep hit two and knocked a third from his feet. The spears of my oathsworn jabbed and stabbed at the faces. All the time the archers were taking their toll of those behind. Still the nobles and their retinues came on. They had had enough of the barbarian who made their lives less comfortable than they had been. As bodies fell so the Franks found that they had their own fighting platform. It was one made of their dead. Warriors traded blows. Spears were thrust at me. My mail took most of those that reached me but one scored a deep cut on my cheek. Even as the Frank triumphantly shouted I brought Long Sword down upon his head and smote his helmet in two. The Franks were paying a heavier price than we were but my men were still being killed and wounded. Until we could whittle down those with mail it would be an evenly fought battle.
I was aware that I had killed and wounded so many men that Long Sword was not as sharp as it had been. I battered it against the head of a Frank who fell to the ground and sheathed it. I swung my shield around and took out Hrólfr’s Vengeance. It was sharp enough to shave with and had a tapered point. Although I did not have the length of Long Sword my long arms helped me. I lunged at a noble with a yellow plume in his helmet. The sword plunged into his neck. Tearing it out sideways showered those around him with his blood. I know not if he was a leader of some kind but when he fell the heart went from the Franks. They did not rout nor even retreat, it was just that they did not prosecute the attack as vigorously. When Gandálfr slew a second noble with a yellow plume the Franks began to withdraw. They did so in good order but they fell back.
Sometimes you plan a battle and it all works out as it did in your head. This one had gone well and we had achieved all that we needed but I decided to take more. I turned to G
odwin, who had the cow horn, “Sound the attack!” The signal would not just be for those behind the barricade it would signal the horsemen on our flanks.
I sprang over the barricade and my fall was broken by the bloody bodies of the Franks. As I began to run the ordered retreat became a rout. None wished to face the giant who seem to run in boots which could leap chasms. In their haste to flee they knocked each other over and men fell to the ground. I sliced, stabbed and slashed at those who stumbled before me. Egil had planted the banner at the barricade and he ran with me. The rest of my oathsworn kept as close as they could. Haraldr, Leif and Gandálfr all led their own bands. Panic swept through the Frankish ranks. When I heard the thunder of hooves from Bagsecg and his men then I knew that the battle was over. Ahead of me I saw the Count of Paris, his bodyguards and the priests mount horses and flee east. Those who could reach their horses did so and the rest just hurtled through the woods as they headed towards Paris.
They had fled so quickly that they had left their chests. The religious artefacts which so inspired the Franks were now ours. Their capture was a victory in itself. Leaving the horsemen to pursue the survivors we plundered their camp. We had won. It had been a hard-fought battle but the sudden end surprised even me. My men began banging their shields as we headed back to Evreux.
“Göngu-Hrólfr! Göngu-Hrólfr! Göngu-Hrólfr!”
William, my son, sat on his horse. He wanted what I had. He would be a warrior and he would lead. He had seen his father do it and he would do the same. Wounds on both sides had been similar but they had lost more men. Even more important was the fact that they had yielded the ground to us. My campaign had succeeded. When we had recovered from the battle then we could begin to win the war.
Chapter 19
The victory bought us more than a year of peace and prosperity. It brought great riches and it brought more men to our banner. Those who had raided upstream had found little opposition. The Franks had been badly hurt. I wondered if they would come again. I wondered if they would sue for peace. Were they yet ready to pay my price and give me that which I wanted?
It became obvious as the weeks turned to months that they were not yet ready to meet my terms and so I sent more men to raid along the Seine. I met with my lords six months after the battle of Evreux. The measure of our success could be seen in their horses and mail. All had new mail byrnies. Polished helmets and finely decorated scabbards replaced the more functional ones we had previously used. Their cloaks were made of high quality material and dyed. When I looked in their eyes then I knew that they had not changed within. They had used their coin to buy the trappings of nobility. Inside they were still Viking warriors.
“At Harpa we take every man we can and we attack Chartres and Paris. We will have men raiding the lands around those two cities until they plead for peace. Last time they offered us coin. We want coin and a land. We want a land given to us to keep.”
Ubba now had a wooden leg. He would not be fighting but it was right that he came to the meeting, “What about the Bretons?”
“Have they begun to cause us trouble again?” I looked at Ragnar for he was Lord of the Cotentin.
“Not yet, lord, but they have begun to fortify their border towns.”
“Then leave half of your men there. Ubba you command in Ragnar’s absence.”
“Do you trust me not to repeat my mistake?”
“Of course.” I pointed to his wooden leg. “Each time you see that leg you know of your mistake. You will not do so again.” He nodded. “Sven does that leave you enough men to take Chartres?”
“Chartres is not as strong as Paris. We can cause trouble and make them hurt. I am not sure that we could prosecute a siege to a successful conclusion.”
“All that you need to do is to hold your nerve longer than the Franks. For the last eight years and before that, since the other siege, we have bested them at every turn. We have won all of the battles. It is they who doubt that they can win and not us.” I saw Ubba look at Ragnar, “Forget the Bretons. It is the Franks we fight. Does any in this hall doubt that we can defeat them?” They shook their heads. “Then on the first day of Harpa we being our attack. Tell no one our ultimate objective. As far as our men are concerned we do as we did when we first raided. We are heading east for plunder. I will have Bagsecg and his horsemen for we can make the land east of Paris ours too.”
We did not feast or drink as much this time for everyone in my hall knew that this would either succeed or, like the last time, we would be paid off and return home with the threat of Christian backlash hanging in the air.
William had now broadened out. He had always been tall but the last few years had seen him fill out. He was ready for a byrnie. Godwin had convinced me that he was ready to fight. He even had two servants who would act as bodyguards too. Although still young Harold Strong arm’s boys, Haaken and Hrolfr, could use a sling and ride. William would not fight but he was preparing to be a warrior and a leader.
Godwin came to me just before we left, “Lord, I have protected William and I have helped him to become a warrior.”
“Aye you have.”
“When we return from this war I would be released from my vow.” I nodded. Thanks to my talks with Padraig I had been expecting this. “I have met a girl and she is not terrified of my red eyes. We would be wed and I would become a father. Watching William and Gerloc grow has made me yearn to have a family of my own.”
“I release you and you may marry her as soon as you like.”
“I will do so when we return from this war. I would have a clean break.”
I knew that Egil would also be seeking such a release. Like Godwin he had met a girl. This battle would change my world even if we lost.
I had spent an increasing amount of time with Padraig. He was growing old and he was not a well man. We spoke of our heavens and of our different worlds. It was his condition which made him tell me of Godwin and Egil. “They deserve a life, lord. I have had little life save the one I chose. I have served you. I hoped that I would see you become a Christian. I failed.”
“Of all men you were the one who could have done that. Your version of the White Christ is more palatable than the priest who shall not be named! I can see some virtues in your religion. I just cannot cope with turning the other cheek.”
“We believe in one supreme being as you do, lord. We both agree that they are probably the same god. We have just given him different names.”
“It is just that you forgive too readily.”
He laughed, “The King of the West Franks is Christian as is the Bishop of Paris. I see no forgiveness in them.”
“Are they not Christians then?”
“Let us say that they are pragmatic. A good Christian is one who has a heart which is good. It is one who cares for his people and his land. You have all of that.”
“Yet I am not a Christian.”
“No, lord, you would need to be baptised for that!”
Padraig had asked to come with us on this raid. It was not to see bloodshed but because he knew his time on this earth was drawing to an end. He had spent much of his life with me and he wished to see how it would end. I agreed for I was fond of him. We had had our differences but he had never let me down and my land was stronger because of him.
The fleet which sailed up the Seine was a fraction of the fleet we had taken all those many years earlier. We took barely forty ships and we had fewer men. But I was confident that we had more chance of success. Bagsecg and Bjorn the Brave were marching across country to meet us at the bridge across the Seine to the island. We would be there first but they would secure the southern bank for us. This time there was no barricade of ships to slow us down and the whole fleet arrived at the western end of the islands. Our approach had not been secretive and the two bridges to the island were still crowded with folk fleeing even as we approached.
Haraldr Greybeard had proved himself a good leader and he led half of the fleet to moor on the north bank clo
se by Saint Germain le Auxerrois while the rest of us anchored off Saint Germain des Pres. Both churches were empty when we arrived and we used those as warrior halls. We would make ourselves comfortable. I had the easier task for two hundred men were marching to join us. Haraldr would have to fight enemies from the north. Siggi Olafsson was with Haraldr and between them I knew they would be able to defend the ships.
I think we surprised the Parisians. We saw, on their walls, the Count of Paris and the Bishop. The Bishop was mailed and ready for war. He was obviously not in a forgiving mood. We quickly captured the southern end of the bridge. The battle we fought was with those who remained in their homes. Some, especially the rich merchants, had men who fought for their valuables. They were either killed or fled. After we had taken everything of value we set fire to the buildings. We were safe from the flames for the wind was from the west. When the bridge caught fire, I had my men douse it. I was pleased that the southern end was charred for it told those in Paris that we could burn it any time we chose. Haraldr and Siggi did the same to the north. Like us they left the bridge intact.
Instead of building siege engines I sent out more than half of my men to raid the lands around Paris. The horsemen ranged as far east as they could go. The men on foot spread out for ten miles south of the river. Everything that could be eaten or was valuable was brought to the church. The people were chased away. The men were killed. This time they could not supply the island by boat for my horsemen controlled the river. I think that the occasional boat got through but none could bring enough food to feed the starving populace. A month passed and still we had not attacked. Sven Blue Cheek had Chartres surrounded and they were starving too. I refused all requests to speak with the Count or the Bishop. It would be King Charles or no one. We sent our drekar back to Rouen regularly with the treasure we had taken. Four months after we had begun the siege Bagsecg brought us the news I had been expecting.
