by Unknown
Arne Four Toes was always wary of the Norns and his reminder made my men hold their horse token and say a prayer to the spirits. It did not do to be so overconfident.
Dusk descended. We were just walking our horses now. We knew that we were following weary men who walked. There was no need to exhaust our horses. And we knew we were catching them for we found discarded helmets, weapons and shields. The levy wanted no more to do with them. They only stayed with the main body for mutual protection. When they reached home, I doubted if any would stir again. We rested, briefly, at a deserted village. There was a well and an empty trough. We filled the trough and watered the horses. My men went into the huts and found grain which we fed to our mounts. We ate whatever food we could find. We did not sleep but we made water and unsaddled our horses. We would catch the Leudes; of that I was certain. When we did I wanted my small band of men to be fit to fight.
Dawn had broken when we found them. They too had had to rest but they had travelled further than we had. The Leudes showed his inexperience by halting in the open. They had passed farms and small villages but ignored them. As the sun began to appear I saw that there were still over a hundred men before us. I saw the banner of the Leudes and that of Hugo of Ċiriċeburh.
Alain of Auxerre said, “There are less than forty horsemen left, lord. There are fifty or sixty of the levy with them.” We had managed to break up the large army which had been brought to quash us. We had not killed them all but we had damaged them and broken their spirit.
The sight of my men approaching stirred them to action. This time, however, they did not flee. As my men prepared to fight once more I saw a debate. The result was that Hugo of Ċiriċeburh and most of the horse formed a line. I saw the banner of the Leudes and a knot of horsemen gallop off. The levy began to disperse.
I looked at Alain and he nodded, “It seems, Captain, that your old master has been tasked with buying the Leudes time to reach his home.”
“Aye lord. We will not catch him now. He will reach Caen easily.”
“Then let us end this here. We ride boot to boot. Alain, you and your men ride with Gilles and Bertrand in the front rank. Rurik and Arne have the others form two ranks behind us.”
“I beg a favour lord, let me be the one to fight Hugo of Ċiriċeburh. I owe it to my dead comrades.”
“You have earned the right.” I raised my sword. “Forward!”
As soon as we started to move down the gentle slope the Franks formed a single line and began to gallop up the hill. I did not worry that they would overlap us. I had my warriors behind and they would deal with those who tried to outflank us. Alain still had his spear and he couched it beneath his arm. I saw that the majority of the men we faced wore leather armour with overlapping metal plates. It would be the tip of the sword which would do the most damage. The Frankish lord shouted encouragement to his men as he led the twenty-three of them up the hill. I think it was to encourage himself more than anything. He had fought us before and been bested both times.
I saw that he was coming for me and so I prepared my shield. I held it before me. Hugo of Ċiriċeburh swung his sword at head height. He whirled it to gain momentum. Alain did not give him the chance to strike me. Alain stood in his stiraps and punched hard with the spear. It hit the top of the Frank’s shield and his chest took the force of the blow. His swing had made him unbalanced and he tumbled over the back of his horse. I had no time to see what happened to him as the next Frank hacked his sword at me. I flicked my shield to the left and deflected it with a punch. My shield smacked into his and he raised it slightly to help him regain his balance. As he passed me I lunged across my saddle and my sword slid between two metal plates. Bagsecg had not only sharpened the edge he had made the tip sharp too. It penetrated his leather armour, his gambeson and then struck his ribs. I twisted as it grated along bone and then pushed. I must have pierced his heart for the life went from his eyes and blood erupted from the wound when I withdrew my blade.
I reined Dream Strider in. The Franks were finished. Five of them had baulked at charging us and joined the levy who were streaming south. I saw Alain raise his spear and ram it into the middle of Hugo of Ċiriċeburh who lay on the ground, stunned. He twisted it and pulled. He brought with it a snake of guts and entrails. The young Frank twitched and then lay still. It was over.
“Do we pursue them, lord?”
“No Gilles. Ride, with Bertrand to the sea. It should be over that rise. Light a fire and signal for Sven to close with us.”
I dismounted and took off my helmet. “Arne, have the men strip the dead. Alain, collect the horses. We will rest here and then you can head back to the Haugr.”
Rurik asked, “Will you not be with us?”
“No, I have a mind to speak with this Leudes. I will sail to Caen in the knarr.”
Alain said, “You know what you are doing, lord?”
“Aye, I want him and his men to see how relentless we can be. I want him to see me as a dog with a bone and fear us.”
The knarr did not arrive until evening. My men chose to camp by the beach. They ate the horse which had been killed in the attack. I waded out to the knarr and was helped on board. The hold was filled with the weapons we had taken from the Franks we had fought. My men would take the rest back on the captured horses.
“Where do we go, jarl? Back to the Haugr?”
“No Sven. Take me to Caen.”
“There may be Franks there.”
I laughed, “I am counting on that but I do not think any will bother us.”
We reached the mouth of the river after dark. Folki had told us that there were no obstacles between the mouth and Caen and we sailed, slowly, down the river. The wind was against us and we had to tack back and forth. The crew must have been cursing me for my request. I rested while we sailed. Sven’s crew could keep a good watch. They woke me before dawn, “Jarl we are here.”
I washed and drank some ale. There was some two-day old bread and ham which I ate. The river, close to the castle, was quite wide. Sven turned the drekar around so that we faced downstream. If we had to leave in a hurry, then we could do so easily and we would have both the current and the wind with us. I did not wear my helmet and so I combed my hair. The Leudes already thought that I was a barbarian. I did not want my appearance to confirm it. We were invisible in the river until the first rays of light picked us out. I heard a shout from the fighting platform of the stronghold.
“Take us closer, Sven.”
“They may have war machines.”
“I doubt it but we will take the risk. We should not appear afraid.”
We drifted to within a hundred paces of the walls. I shouted, in their language, “I wish to speak with Philippe of Rouen!”
There was no reply but I was patient and we waited. More warriors appeared on the walls and they stared down at us as though we had come from a different world. I noticed that, on the mast head, Siggi Far Sighted had a bow and an arrow already in his hand. Sven was taking no chances. Any crossbowman who wished to try his luck would have to be faster than Siggi.
Eventually I saw the Leudes. He had a bandage around his head. Alain had not spoken yet of the battle he had fought. My men had done better than I might have hoped.
“I am Philippe of Rouen. What is it that you wish to say? Hurry for I am impatient!”
I nodded, “I can see that. I come here to confirm what I said when you attacked my people. I did not begin this war. You did. Now that it is begun I give you fair warning. Ċiriċeburh and Valauna will soon be part of my land. Your lord of Ċiriċeburh lies dead along with his warriors. Charles Filjean is no general. His town will fall to us. I will be happy with those two towns. However, should you or your king try to attack us again then you will feel my wrath. Not only that I might decide to conquer all of this land.”
“You dare to threaten the Emperor of the Franks?”
“From what I hear he is clinging on to power by his fingertips.”
“Your
brethren tried to take my city! What we did was an act of revenge!”
“Those men were not from my settlement. If the Bretons attacked me I would punish the Bretons and not you.” I shrugged, and made the gesture large enough for him to see, “Perhaps I am less of a barbarian than you are. You had already slaughtered the ones who did attack you. What you did to my land was unnecessary and you have paid for it.”
He was silent for a moment. “You will not attack my people?”
“I will not promise that for I do not break my word. I promised that I would not attack you once and yet it had no effect. I will say that if you do not attack us then it is unlikely that we will attack you.”
“That is hardly comforting.”
“I am not a Frank. I care not for your comfort. There are those who were once Franks but they were ill served by your king. They now follow my banner. I welcome any Frank who comes in peace. If you visit with me then you are welcome so long as your hand stays away from your sword.”
“Then there will be no war. Now farewell.”
He disappeared and we were dismissed.
“Let us go home, Sven.”
As we sailed away both Harold and Sven shook their heads. “I am pleased I never gamble against you, jarl. You have nerves of iron! What if he had declined your offer?”
“Then we would have fought them again. I saw nothing in our battle to make me fear them. We are few but we are strong. We will survive. When my son becomes jarl, he may even rule the land you see before you.”
“Then you will fight him?”
“We have bought time that is all. He will not relish another defeat and when King Louis has ended his civil war then he will send another general to defeat us. By then we will be stronger. Besides this war is not yet over. We have Ċiriċeburh to take and there is another Frank who wanted vengeance for his father’s death, Charles Filjean, and I have to settle this. I cannot have an enemy so close to Rurik’s farm. I want Valauna to be our stronghold. We have more fighting yet before us.”
It took a whole day to sail north. There were watchers on the beach and on the island as we headed north. It seemed that they were worried. As we drew close the Haugr seemed to disgorge every man, woman and child. By the time I stepped ashore I had to contend with their cheers and their warm greeting. Gilles was grinning, “What is this about, Gilles?”
“They feared that the Leudes would capture or kill you.”
“No and I fear that this celebration is premature.” I was a little annoyed. I wanted my men ready to fight. I could not leave Valauna as a threat. I had travelled the land and knew that if we held Valauna then we would have a safe southern border.
Mary smiled when I told her my thoughts. “They mean well, husband. You have succeeded where none thought that you would. Arne Four Toes told me that he thought the clan would have a glorious but final end when you led the last charge. You have dragged them from the brink of disaster.”
“I never thought that we would be defeated!”
She laughed and touched my hand, “I know! Do not forget, Hrolf, that I know you better than any. When we lived together on the island and there were just the horses and Gilles I came to know and understand you. To the others, you were just a warrior with strange ideas about the future of the clan. I saw the mind and the leader. They are like children. Treat them as such.”
The next day I summoned my warriors. Many had returned to their farms but the ones who remained gathered before my hall. I told them what I had told the Leudes. “Today we ride to Ċiriċeburh. If they resist us, then they will be attacked. I will give them two choices. Leave and return to Caen or join us.”
Alain said, “Join us? They are our enemy!”
“How soon you forget. Pepin and yourself were all on the opposite side. Can we not give them the chance to make the same decision that you did?”
He had the good grace to look embarrassed, “Forgive me, lord. I have not yet learned to be a true captain.”
“We ride now. For once we ride for war but hope for peace.”
The gates were closed as we approached but the handful of men who came to the walls did not appear as a threat. “I am Hrolf the Horsemen. We slew your lord and I have told Philippe of Rouen that this stronghold will now be mine. You have three choices. Fight me and die. Leave with your arms and go to Caen or join my army. Those are your three choices. I swear that what I say is true. I give you until the sun is at its zenith to decide.”
It took less than that time for the gates to open. An older warrior came out. I saw that he had a sling on his arm. “I am Charles of Honfleur. I command here. Some wish to go to Caen.” He pointed to eight men. “The rest would like to stay here. We have families. I am too old to start again. I know that you have Franks who chose you over King Louis. We were ill served by our former lord.”
I dismounted and clasped his good arm. “Then stay Charles, now lord of Charlesburh, you shall be my seneschal here. What say you?”
“I say aye.”
The eight men began to troop out, “Ride to Caen. If my men see you at Valauna or on my land then your lives will be forfeit!”
Alain shook his head as they left. “I would not have believed it if I had not seen it. But tell me lord, why did you rename it as you did?”
“Two reasons: I found it hard to say the other name and if this old warrior was happy to speak for the others then renaming it after him would seem to be a prudent thing to do. It costs us nothing and if it buys the loyalty of these men then so much the better.”
“Each day I learn something new. But tell me, lord, how do you know this?”
“I served Jarl Dragonheart of the Land of the Wolf. He was a great teacher.”
As we headed back to my home I wondered if my visit to Valauna would go as well. We went with more warriors. Charles Filjean had fled with most of his men. He would not accept my offer. I did not relish the prospect of reducing the stronghold but I would if I had to. Finni and Rurik rode at the fore with me and Gilles. They, more than anyone, had a real interest in what happened at Valauna. Both were keen to fight for the safety of their home. I suspected that some of the Franks who had left the previous day had defied my command and ridden to Valauna. All of the nearby farms had been evacuated and the walls were heavily manned.
Arne Four Toes said, “It looks like we unsheathe our weapons this time.”
“Perhaps. We will be a little warier. They may have crossbows.” I had my shield held to my chest as I rode forward, flanked by Gilles and Bertrand. A crossbow bolt suddenly blossomed from my shield and I stopped.
I shouted, “I have a message for the people of Valauna. It is the same one I made at the burh of Ċiriċeburh. Fight me and die. Leave if you wish or join my people. They are your three choices. The exception is the Seneschal. Before he can leave he must fight me.”
There was one word shouted in answer, “Never!” The voice was that of Charles Filjean.
We withdrew out of range before any more bolts could come our way. The fact that only one had been released made me think they had just one of the weapons.
I rejoined my men. “There are four gates. Arne take a quarter of our men and guard one. Captain, take all of your men and guard the second. Folki and Gudrun take your men and guard the third. I will stay here with the rest. Make camp and use your archers to make life on the fighting platform unbearable.”
“Aye jarl.”
I turned to Gilles and Bertrand, “Return to the Haugr and fetch a wagon with food and a second with ale. I want the garrison to see us enjoying ourselves.”
After they had gone Rurik asked, “How long will we need to be here? Soon we will have crops to harvest.”
I smiled, “Not long. When the Franks returned here it was in a rush. They entered the walls and secured themselves. Do you think that they will have laid in supplies? I do not. I also believe that the Franks who disobeyed me have actually helped. They will tell the tale, no doubt of how Charles of Honfleur basely surren
dered and joined me. They will exaggerate to ingratiate themselves with their new master. They will tell of their former sergeant’s elevation. While they might not approve, there will be others who will and there will be dissension.”
Rurik nodded, “But we will have to sleep out under the stars.”
“You are getting old and comfortable Rurik. Think of the times we slept on a pitching deck and were soaked by sea water.”
Our camps were in the shade of the trees and were a hundred paces from the walls. The crossbow occasionally sent a bolt towards us but as the crossbowman had to expose himself to do so we had plenty of warning and his bolts were wasted. We were vigilant but we ate well and we drank well. The Franks did not try to leave. Our archers managed to hit at least six Franks. I was not certain if the men were killed or not but the fact that they could not walk their walls was a victory in itself.
I was woken, early on the third morning by Siggi. “Jarl, the gate is opening. People are trying to sneak out.”
I drew my sword, “Then let us welcome them.”
I saw the ten shadows move towards the woods. I had men waiting there too. They allowed them to enter the woods and then I heard a cry. We hurried to them. I found Erik Long Hair with his sword at a Frank’s throat. “I nearly killed him, jarl” He pointed. “Half of these are women and children.”
I gestured to the white beard, “You risked your families?”
“We wished to join those at Ċiriċeburh but the seneschal forbade us. This was the only way.”
“Are there others who wish to do so?”
“There are many but they are afraid.”
“Tomorrow my men will escort you north but first I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything lord.”
“Were you warriors?”
“We fought in the levy lord but we are all craftsmen. I make jewellery, Alfred here is a butcher and Gaston is a carpenter.”
The next day I went with three of the men to within fifty paces of the walls. I shouted, “Last night these men and others came to my camp. They are unharmed. They wish to go to my new settlement. I will take them there later on. If anyone else wishes to join us, then come forth. I swear I will keep my word.”
