by Griff Hosker
“Does that not seem strange Branton? That a servant girl should be privy to such information and then pass it on to you?”
He grinned. “Oh there was a reason, my lord. She was telling me because she said that when the Danes invaded I could run north and set up house with her.”
I rode in silence as I weighed up that piece of information. It sounded true and I could not see what the girl could gain from a lie. What was more worrying was that the Thegn of Fife had not told me that information. It called into question our friendship. Why had he offered to look after the Queen and Gytha? Was he a gaoler? His role seemed somewhat ambiguous because, unlike the other lords, he did accompany the King on his journeys through his land. It was a Gordian knot and it would need both Aethelward and me to untangle it. The rest of the journey was a pure horror of snow, ice and driving wind which ripped sleet and snow through every miniscule gap in our clothes. Even the hardy horses struggled to make it through some of the snow drifts and we were glad to see the familiar walls of home loom large in the distance.
Thomas banked the fire up and had the servants bring us ale heated with a red hot poker. It felt good to have warm veins once more. Branton left to see to the horses and I sat with Aethelward and Osbert to tell them of our news. Aethelward agreed with me that the girl had had no reason to lie to Branton. “But my lord, where would that put us? Would we fight for the King’s son and this Dane? It does not sit right with me.”
We all stared into the fire for I had had the same dilemma. Aethelward looked over at me and then nodded to Osbert. “There is one solution to this, Osbert. We support the eldest son of Harold.”
Osbert looked puzzled, “You mean support the Danes and Edgar?”
“No Osbert, I mean throw our weight behind Harold’s eldest son, Aelfraed.”
A huge grin erupted across the sergeant’s face. “Now that I could do.”
“Tell me nephew do you know what was in the Queen’s letter?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say no but I do know what is between her legs but thought better of it. “No uncle but it is addressed to Morcar and not Edwin.”
“You see if we could persuade Morcar to support you as regent for Harold and Ulf then that might unite everyone.”
“Everyone apart form Edgar and the Danes, my lord.”
Aethelward waved the argument away as he would a summer bluebottle. “If he is talking with Edgar’s representative now then we will not see him before the end of summer; if we have not struck by late spring then nothing will come of this.”
“It is a risk. Perhaps William will turn out to be a generous leader, someone we can follow.”
“Submit?” He looked puzzled. “That does not seem like you Aelfraed. Did anything untoward occur in Fife?”
Hurriedly I added, “No uncle it is just that we have not even met William yet and we are making judgements about him.”
Aethelward relaxed a little. “Ah I can see wisdom has crept into you over the winter. You are right in that we should avoid making judgements but so far we have seen a vindictive winner who took the land from all whom he fought, including their wives and children. We have seen him place guards around the Earls to control them. So I would not get my hopes up about him being another Confessor.”
“I will ride tomorrow to Jorvik and deliver the letter and perhaps try to have a talk with Morcar.”
“I will come with you but come what may we might as well prepare for war. If we do not fight the Normans we will certainly have to fight the Danes for remember, both of you, the Danes regard Northumbria as their land which we stole from them. If Edgar is plotting then it will be for a joint action against us. Osbert, get Ralph to begin weapon making again and then train the fyrd. We need to have as many armed men as we can if we are to fight off either of these invaders. Tell Branton I need a small escort of archers.”
As we rode through the melting snow the next day I was desperate to tell Aethelward of my dilemma but it was not the sort of thing you discussed with your uncle. The only person I could have spoken with was Ridley but he had no experience, at all, with women and I knew that he would have hated to be put in that position. No, this was one problem I would have to wrestle alone. “How are Gytha and Harold?”
I jerked my head around. Was Aethelward reading my mind? Did he know something? I was relieved when I saw that he was gazing to the south and rubbing his leg.”Gytha is fine and Harold is growing so much. He learned to walk when I was there.”
“I suppose that is my one regret Aelfraed. That I had no son.” He smiled at me. “I know I regard you as the nearest thing I have to a son but I did not see you toddle, nor hear you cry as a child nor hear your first words. Ah well, it is too late now. At least I can play at being a grandfather.”
The only sound, for a while, was the sound of hooves in slushy snow. “Did you never have a woman?” I hurriedly added, “I know you have not talked of such things and if you do not wish to….”
He held his hand to silence me. “Do not worry Aelfraed, your words do not embarrass me and I felt remiss for I should have spoken of such things when you were growing up for that is what fathers, “ he smiled wryly, “even pretend fathers do. They pass on their experience. Yes I have had women; many women.” He looked earnestly at me, “That is where you are lucky; you found Gytha when you were both young and you did not make the mistakes I did.”
“Mistakes?”
“Aye. When you are a famous warrior then women want to bed you to brag to their friends or to carry a child with your power. I read, in Constantinople, of high born ladies who would lie with gladiators in the time of the Roman Emperors. It may seem strange to you but when that happened to me, I felt used. In Constantinople there were many such women.” He shrugged and spread his hands. “They were generous with their gifts. But none of them, as far as I know resulted in a child. I think they were too careful for that.”
The rest of the ride was conducted in silence. I think my uncle was remembering his youth and I was thinking of the Queen. Had I been used? I thought back to the events leading up to that liaison. It was not the drink, I believe that was the excuse, and she had been building up to it. I suddenly thought back to the accidental touching of hands the quiet, intimate conversations, the looks beneath hooded eyes. No I was not a trophy and there had been tenderness as well as a fiery passion that was missing in Gytha. It was like the difference between a training combat and a fight to the death. Neither Ealdgyth nor myself had held back and I still bore the scratch marks down my back to prove it. Then why? Perhaps she was lonely but then the Lord of Fife was a fine looking and available suitor. It came back to me, she was attracted to me and the insidious thought crept into my mind. I was attracted to her; I wanted her again.
Chapter 5
“So you saw my sister?”
Morcar became quite animated when I handed him the letter. “I have my lord.”
“And where is she? The rumour is that she resides with Malcolm in Scotland. Is it true?”
I shook my head. “If the Queen chooses to tell you where she resides then so be it otherwise I could not in all honour betray the trust of my Queen whom I serve still.” I caught the slight flick of my uncle’s head which indicated his approval.
“I am sorry Aelfraed. I do not mean you to betray her.” He looked a little shamefaced. “In truth I feel I have let her down but Edwin told me that we had to distance ourselves.” It was always the case with Morcar, when he thought for himself then he was the finest friend a man could have and a sound leader but when he listened to his self serving brother, the man who had betrayed their father then he made poor decisions and became a shadow of his former self. Whatever Ealdgyth had asked of him would only come to fruition if Edwin approved. I knew the Queen well, and cunning and subtle planning were two of her strengths, perhaps she too was playing games.
He read the letter in silence. “She is in Scotland then but she says not where.” So she did not trust her brother; wise w
oman. He looked at me curiously. “I know my sister is fond of you; did she divulge to you the contents of this missive?”
Fond! It was a little stronger than that but I kept my face impassive. “No, my lord.” Perhaps she did not trust me either but then I quickly dismissed the thought; the Queen knew me well. My face was as a book for men to read and she knew that I would have had to lie and I did that so badly.
“It seems that King Malcolm has heard that William’s daughter, the one who should have married my brother, will, instead be marrying someone from Burgundy. Edwin will not be pleased.”
I glanced at Aethelward who raised his eyebrows. Like me he wondered about all this sudden intelligence from north of the border. We maintained our silence for there was little we could say. He carefully folded the letter and put it in his tunic. He walked to the window which looked out on the cathedral. “I think she wants us to fight the Normans.”
My face showed my joy but when I glanced at Aethelward he angrily shook his head and my face, once more became like the gargoyles on the church, made of stone. “And you my lord. What would you have?”
His face was almost tearful as he looked around. “Aethelward you do not know the half of it, King William keeps his men constantly around me, watching my every move, and he trusts me not. You are just fortunate that his men are out hunting today or this would not have been a private interview. I know I can trust you but who else is there?”
“Earl Morcar, there are many men in the north who would fight for you. Remember that Harold’s mother is leading a fight in Exeter and the men of Hereford are fighting too.”
“I am not sure. My brother….”
“Invite your brother up here and show him the letter. Let him make that decision with you.” I could see that Aethelward had given Morcar a solution. It would not be his decision to go to war, but his brothers. Ealdgyth was clever.
“That is a fine idea. Thank you. You two have always been my best advisers and I will not forget it.” He looked around as though someone might be listening. “Did she tell you of Edgar and King Sweyn?”
“No my lord.” I knew that he had been at a meeting but it had been Branton who had told me not the Queen.
“That may decide my brother for the last thing I need, that is we need, is a Danish army close to Jorvik again.”
“Come we will eat. You have given me an appetite.”
We too had an appetite, an appetite which was taken away when the Normans swaggered into the eating hall. The first two were big burly men I did not recognise but the taller one I did, it was Guy of Evreux; an arrogant Norman knight whose horse I had once struck knocking him to the ground. It had been some years ago when King Edward still ruled but I knew that he would remember for he had wanted to fight me that day. As soon as he entered he recognised me. His eyes narrowed and his hand went to his sword. Aethelward put his hand on mine to restrain me.
“So you Saxon cur. I have found you at last!”
Aethelward affected a puzzled look and glanced around the table. “You will have to be a little more specific young knight of Normandy for, as you can plainly see, there are many Saxons around the table and whilst we would not call ourselves dogs, there are many qualities of the dog which are to be admired.” I almost laughed aloud for Guy of Evreux had a confused look on his face and my uncle took advantage of it and stood. “They are loyal, faithful, they will defend their master to the death and they only make a noise when an enemy is near. As you can see, we are silent which means these dogs do not recognise an enemy. To which of us do you refer?”
Just then another Norman entered and him too I recognised, William of Perci. He took in the situation and strode quickly to Guy, pushing his sword back into the scabbard. “This is no place for swords Guy. What is the problem?”
I could see that Guy felt foolish, just as he had in Winchester all those years ago. His bluster was gone. If I ever had to fight him all that I would need would be patience for he would rush in and leave himself wide open for a counter attack. “It is him, this Aelfraed. He hit my horse.” The words sounded petulant and petty.
At this point even the Norman knights laughed and they sat at the table, the situation defused. William tried to help out his young friend. “He hit your horse?”
“Yes I was galloping in Winchester’s streets and he punched my horse and knocked it over.”
Rather than getting the others on his side it made them look at me with new respect. Even William knew when a cause was lost and he put his arm round Guy and led him to the far end of the table. “I think we steer clear of any warrior who can knock a horse to the ground with his fist alone. Gentlemen, my apologies for the outburst and enjoy your meal.”
I had to spend the next few minutes telling the story to the Saxons around me. I was amazed when I observed a couple of the Normans listening. Aethelward, however, was worried. “If is not your fault that he is here but this complicates things. He will try to get revenge.”
Morcar had heard our conversation and leaned over. “He is a headstrong youth. Apparently he killed a thrall in their service who did not groom his horse well enough.”
Aethelward looked over, “Perhaps he is like Caligula and loves his horse just a little too much!” Our end of the table laughed at the lewd comment and I saw Guy redden. My uncle was not doing anything to help me.
“If he tries to fight me my lord, what should I do?”
Although I said it quietly, the other Thegns heard it and became silent. Morcar looked at me and said quietly. “Defend yourself. It is the only honourable thing to do.”
Aethelward asked, “Who is the leader of the conroi?”
“The one who took him to one side, William of Perci. He is a powerful friend of William. I have been told that he is to be given lands in the north.”
The only estates I knew of, which had no Thegns, were Skipton and Scarborough and I did not think either would suit him. I remembered the rumour which Reuben had heard; it was beginning to become clear to me that Perci had been given my demesnes.“The sooner you send for your brother, the better.”
I did not fear a meeting with the arrogant Norman, in fact I relished it but Aethelward took me to one side and warned me of the dangers of such a confrontation. “At the moment Duke William,” he still could not name him king, “is far from here but an incident between one of the most notorious Saxon lords and one of his knights might make him decide to pay a visit and, until Morcar has spoken with Edwin, we need the Norman’s interest to be elsewhere. It would be better if we remained in the hall tonight and travel back tomorrow in daylight. It would avoid a regrettable incident.”
“I am not afraid of this Guy of Evreux but, as always, uncle, I listen to and take your advice.”
We remained in the hall and I envied my men staying in one of the lively taverns in the city. I preferred the company of Branton and his archers to that of other lords, for many of the ones in the hall had not stood in the shield wall at Stamford and had cowered behind the walls. That still made me angry.
As soon as we left the hall, the next day, and met with Branton I knew that there was trouble. My sergeant of archers normally had a smiling and open disposition but his face was dark and angry when he met us at the stables. “What is amiss Branton?”
“It is Edward, my lord.” Edward was one of my young archers, a cheerful young man and a good archer. “He has been killed.”
Aethelward took us both to one side. “Tell us quickly and quietly Branton.”
“Last night we were at The Saddle enjoying a beaker of ale and some Norman lords came in. They were looking for trouble but I warned the men to bite their tongues and take their insults. After they had knocked over a few beakers they left. Later Edward went to take a piss and did not return. We went to look for him and found him run through,” he paused, “with a sword.”
A sword meant a knight or a Housecarl. “Where is the body?”
“We have wrapped him in a cloak and placed him on his horse
. His mother will wish to bury him.”
His poor mother! He was an only child, the others having died young and her husband had fallen in the fyrd at Fulford. My hand, involuntarily, went to my sword. Aethelward restrained me. “You go with your men and I will tell Earl Morcar. We need the law to deal with this.”
I did not care what my uncle said; I would have revenge on this Norman for I knew who it was. A short conversation with Branton confirmed it. “Did I do right, my lord?”
“You did, Branton, and this is my fault for I should have stayed with you and this might not have happened. The man who committed this crime has no nobility and if the other Normans are like him then England is in dire straits.”
When Aethelward joined us he seemed satisfied. “Morcar has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Normans. He will ask them to explain themselves.”
“That will not bring Edward back.”
“Nothing will bring Edward back. You are no longer a boy. You are a man and more than that, a Thegn with responsibilities.”
“Yes to my men.”
“Your men serve you and would give their lives for you. Is that not true Branton?”
Branton was just behind us and within earshot. “Yes my lord, it goes without saying.”
I was angry and, for once, would not accept my uncle’s advice without thought. “Uncle I respect you and admire you but know this, the next time I see that arrogant Norman, he dies.”
We rode in silence and I knew that Aethelward was angry. He seemed to struggle to regain control of himself and when he spoke his voice was cold and commanding. “Your father would have been proud of all you have done up to this point in your life Aelfraed but this he would not understand. You would throw away England’s only chance of freedom from a tyrant to avenge one archer?”
