by Griff Hosker
I felt safer on the other side. “We will head to Leith and find the Jew Reuben told us of and then we will say goodbye.” As we rode along the coastal road, with the sun setting at our backs I could feel the sadness in the brothers. Having taken the decision to stay, they were now thinking of life without Aelfraed and Ridley. I know that for I was thinking the same about them. We had endured much together. All of us had almost touched death and yet we, alone of all our company had survived. We did not break our thoughts with useless words but enjoyed the memories of times past.
Leith was a busy port and I could see many ships at the wharf. I left Ridley and the others with the horses while I went to the commercial quarter of the port. I asked where the Jews lived and the answers showed me that they were held in disdain here too. I shook my head; without their usury then businesses would not prosper. I saw the sign of a money lender and went in. “I seek Isaac.”
The hooded eyes gave nothing away but I could see suspicion lurking in them. “Why?”
“Reuben of Jorvik told me I could redeem this promissory note.”
I handed it over and he pulled a candle over to read it carefully. Suddenly his eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face. “I am Aaron, Isaac’s brother. He is away on business but I can help you.” He went to the rear of the building and said something in his own language. A gaggle of faces appeared. They all smiled at me and he said “I have just told them that you are the warrior who saved Reuben of Jorvik and that you were the only Christian warrior to stand up for our people.”
They all wanted to touch me as though I was special. It felt strange. Aaron allowed it for a while and then shooed them all away. “I will get your money now, my lord.” As he counted it out he asked, “You are leaving?”
“I am leaving Aaron.”
“That is wise. We have heard that the King William has put a high price on your head and that of your Hooded Men.” He shook his head. “He is so afraid of you he has ordered your name to be struck from every document. You and your men are now the Hooded Men.” He rolled his eyes. “Aelfraed and Ridley no longer exist, as though that wipes you from our memory.” He leaned forwards. “There are men coming north, for it is known that your wife, forgive me, lives close by.” His eyes looked sad and pleading. “I would take the first boat you can my lord.” He smiled as he handed over the money in two bags. “Reuben has spread your name throughout our people. Wherever you travel you can use your note to get funds. “He scribbled something on the note and handed it back to me. “I am honoured to have met you.”
I slipped quickly back to the port where I found the others. “It seems that William is a little bitter about us.” I handed one of the bags to Osbert. “Here you may need this.”
He tried to refuse it. “No my lord, it is your money.”
“It is our money and I would not have this were it not for you two and the men who died for us. Take it for them. You may be wiser to travel on a ship with us for the Normans are coming here.”
Branton laughed. “Without you two my lord, no-one will know us. We will head west and then south. It is Aelfraed and Ridley who are the named outlaws. We are just the Hooded Men.”
I nodded and embraced each of them in turn. “Take the horses; we will not need them and Godspeed.” We looked at each other as men who have faced death but never spoken of it. “Where will you go?”
Osbert looked south. “The land south of Jorvik, towards Sheffield, has many forests. We will go there and try to continue to annoy the Normans.”
“I wish you both all the luck in the world.”
“And you, my lord.”
Ridley took his farewell and then Osbert and Branton saluted us both and rode off west. We never saw either of them again but I hope they had good lives for they were honourable men and they deserved it.
“Well Ridley, this is it. We leave this land. Did you find out the destinations of any of the ships?”
As we hefted our bags containing our gear he said, “Aye and there are none for Constantinople. Most go to Jorvik or London and one goes to the land of the Danes.”
“Then that is the one for us.”
He looked appalled. “That liar? You would go to his land?”
“The Jew told me to take the first boat. It happens to go to Denmark. Wyrd! Besides, he said once that he owed you and me for saving his men at Jorvik. Let us see. Anyway, old friend, the world is filled with people who want to kill us. And Denmark is the shortest sea crossing. Let us find a berth on that ship. We sail to Denmark.”
Striding along the quayside I felt my heart lighten as my old friend and I set off to conquer the world or at least see a greater part of it.
The End
Historical note
The events around Edwin, Morcar and Edgar are largely true. They did submit and then rebel. Edgar did ally with King Sweyn of Denmark and invade Northumbria, attacking Jorvik. Edith and Ealdgyth both disappeared from history after Harold died. I have merely speculated. After he had won at Hastings William did spend a long time back in Normandy and eventually returned in 1067. He appointed Copsi as Earl even though he had fought with Tostig. The motivations of both men are interesting. The battles of Hastings and Stamford Bridge took out the leadership of the English which is why William was able to conquer the rest of the country with so few men.
There is a deserted medieval village called Griff close to Helmsley. I did not make it up. It was deserted some time after the invasion. William of Perci was given Topcliffe and huge estates in North Yorkshire. He was nicknamed Aux Gemons because of his long moustaches.
Edgar did invite Sweyn of Denmark to invade England; they captured York and then ravaged the countryside. When William came north he bought off Sweyn with the money he had raised through taxes and then punished the people of the north by slaughtering them! Edgar fled to Scotland where his sister had married King Malcolm and then William completely emptied the land north of York; killing every man woman and child. William (who was known as the Bastard) tried to wipe Anglo-Saxon England from the map. His genocide did not work and the language of England still has many Anglo-Saxon words. For a good book on this try Melvyn Bragg’s “The Adventure of English”. The reason why English did not die out is because the Norman women used Anglo-Saxon wet nurses for their children and they spoke English to the Norman children. Within a hundred or so years the nobility were using English again.
Ealdgyth, Ulf and Harold all disappeared from history following the Battle of Hastings. This is my version of their lives. They were treacherous and dangerous times. The Varangian Guard was originally filled with men from the Rus, (Russian Vikings and Swedes) but following Hastings the numbers were swelled with Anglo-Saxon warriors fleeing the Norman tyranny.
Edgar the Aetheling did flee to Scotland where he stayed with his sister, the wife of Malcolm Canmore. Morcar and Edwin both died in captivity. William, wisely, never trusted them again!
The next and last book in the series will be Varangian and it should be out in Spring 2013 when Ridley and Aelfraed journey to Constantinople.
Characters and places in the novel
Fictional characters are in italics.
Name
Explanation
aelfe
Saxon Elf
Aelfraed
Descendant of Alfred the Great’s son
Aethelward
Aelfraed’s uncle
Alfred
King of Wessex
Branton
Osbert’s brother, an archer
byrnie
Armoured coat
Catherick
Catherick North Yorkshire
conroi
Knights who follow a leader
Danegeld
Bribe paid to Danes by English kings in the 8th -10th centuries
Dunelm
Durham
Ealdgyth
Wife of King Harold
Eidyn Dun
Edinburgh
gammer
&nbs
p; Old woman or mother
Guy of Evreux
Norman knight
Gytha
Relative of the Earl of Hereford and wife of Aelfraed
Hetaireia
Imperial bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor
King Sweyn
King of the Danes
leat
An open stretch of water close to a river
Legacaestir
Chester
Maeresea
River Mersey
Malcolm Canmore
King of Scotland
Mara
Delamere forest Cheshire
Medelai
Middleham North Yorkshire
Othenesberg
Roseberry Topping, Cleveland
Osbert
Sergeant at arms of Aelfraed
Oswald
Priest at Topcliffe
Persebrig
Piercebridge
Reuben
Jewish money lender
Ridley
Housecarl of the Earl
strategos
A Byzantine general
thrall
slave
Thingman
Housecarls of the English Royal family until 1051
Ulf
Housecarl killed at Senlac Hill
villein
peasant
Wight
Spirit
Witenagemot
The council of England wh ich chose the king
wyrd
fate
him.
126
The End
Other books by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11 Roman Treachery
They are all available in the Kindle format.
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
These are available in the Kindle format.
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Book 4 Saxon Blood
Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost
Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.
Travel
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
The Lucky Jack Civil War series
Book 1 The Rebel Raider
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
All the books are now published by Sword Books Ltd.
Historical note
Griff Hosker June 2013
Other books by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11 Roman Treachery
They are all available in the Kindle format.
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
These are available in the Kindle format.
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost
Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.
Travel
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
Coming in Autumn 2013
The Irishman in the grey - a trilogy set in the American Civil War
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Historical note
Characters and places in the novel
Other books by Griff Hosker
