WARRIORS OF THE NORTH

by H A CULLEY

  ~~~

  Oswald looked around the hall in Eoforwīc. He was pleased that the great majority of eorls and thegns from Bernicia, Elmet and Deira had answered his summons to the war council.

  ‘Thank you for coming. Those who have failed to answer the summons will be called upon to answer for their failure to appear, I can assure you. Now, as most of you know, Penda and his Mercians have overrun Middle Anglia and he had put his son, Peada, on the throne as sub-king.’

  Evidently most of them certainly didn’t know and uproar followed his announcement. Oswald waited for the hubbub to die down, then held up his hand for quiet.

  ‘What do we need to do to combat the menace of Mercian expansion?’ He waited in the tense silence for a moment or two before continuing. ‘I believe that Penda intends to invade Lindsey next which would give him access to the German Ocean. That means he can threaten our coastline from the River Humber all the way to the Firth of Forth. I intend to pre-empt him by occupying Lindsey first.’

  ‘What about King Caedbaed? Will you depose him and kill him and his family?’ One of the thegns asked.

  ‘No, provided he acknowledges me as his overlord, he can keep his throne as a sub-king. We will however leave one of my gesith as his hereræswa and be leaving a small garrison to train his young warriors to fight as we do, in armour and with sword and shield.’

  ‘Who will you take with you, Cyning?’ another asked.

  ‘I don’t need too large a force but it needs to be strong enough to dissuade Penda from trying to oppose us. I’ll take the warband from Elmet and Deira; seven hundred men should be enough for that.’

  Oswald crossed the Humber at Goole, near the border between Middle Anglia and Elmet. Once over the river he was in Lindsey and he advanced towards the king’s hall at Wrawby. This involved crossing another river – the Trent – and this time the far bank was occupied by Caedbaed’s warriors.

  ‘I have no intention of forcing a crossing, I would lose men needlessly and alienate the people I want on my side against the Mercians,’ he told Hrothga, Eorl of Eoforwīc and commander of the contingent from Deira, when he asked him how he intended to attack.

  ‘I want you to find me another crossing place, then we’ll send a few hundred men to take up a position behind them and cut off their retreat. When they realise they’re trapped I’ll give them a choice between dying and joining my army.’

  By noon the next day Oswald was across the Trent and marching on towards Wrawby, his ranks swelled by another two hundred. They stood out from the rest of the army though. Whereas Oswald’s men were armed with at least a sword and shield and wore body protection of some sort, the men of Lindsey wore just a tunic and in the main carried a spear or an axe. There were a few men armed with a hunting bow and some carried a shield, but they were all poorly equipped and ill-disciplined compared to Oswald’s warriors.

  King Caedbaed met him before he reached Wrawby. Dunstan, his horse marshal, had been scouting ahead with a small patrol when he saw a group of horsemen approaching along the Wrawby road.

  ‘Can you describe them to me?’

  ‘They were about twenty strong and led by an old man. Another man in his late twenties or early thirties rode by his side. Both were well dressed but weren’t equipped for war. The rest looked like those we encountered at the ford over the Trent, except they were all mounted. A few had helmets and all carried a spear and a small round shield. Oh, and they all wore blue tunics.’

  ‘I imagine that it is probably Caedbaed and his son, Bubba. The rest are presumably his gesith. We’ll wait for them here.’

  When the King of Lindsey and his party appeared, Oswald rode forward accompanied by Dunstan, Hrotha and Hengist, the new leader of his Gesith. Caedbaed halted his group and, calling for his son and two of his escort, he moved forward a little and then waited for Oswald to reach him.

  ‘Why are you invading my kingdom, Oswald?’ Caedbaed began without preamble.

  ‘I’m not here as an invader, Caedbaed. I’m here to protect you from Penda and his Mercians. You’ve presumably heard that they’ve invaded Middle Anglia and killed the king and his family. Penda’s son now sits on the throne. Do you want that to happen here?’

  ‘I told you that the rumours were right, father, but you wouldn’t listen,’ Bubba hissed in his ear.

  ‘Be quiet, Bubba. When I want you to speak I’ll let you know.’ He turned back to Oswald. ‘I can understand why Penda would want to invade Middle Anglia. It gives him a buffer between Mercia and both East Anglia and the East Saxons, but what would he want with my kingdom?’

  ‘Access to the German Ocean. From your coast he can raid all of Northumbria.’

  ‘Ah, so you’re protecting your own interests by trying to oust me.’

  ‘Of course, except I’m not seeking your throne. You are most welcome to carry on ruling Lindsey, but as my vassal.’

  ‘You expect me to pay you tribute? Never!’

  ‘I didn’t say that.’ Oswald had come to the conclusion that it might be easier to deal with the son, rather than the father.

  ‘Well, what are you proposing?’

  ‘That I become your overlord and you accept one of my men as your hereræswa. I’ll leave a few men to help train your warriors properly so that they have a chance against the Mercians if they invade and, if they do, I’ll come to your aid.’

  ‘Pah! There’s some trick behind this; why would you want to go to all this trouble just to help me against the Mercians? It doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘Not to you obviously. If you’re not happy with my proposal then perhaps it is time for you to go into a monastery to live out your days. I can tell from his reaction that Bubba sees the mutual benefits of what I’ve said.’

  The young man nodded and looked delighted at the suggestion that his father should spend the rest of his days on his knees praying whilst he took over.

  ‘I think you’ve got something there,’ Hrotha whispered in Oswald’s ear. ‘The son is itching for his father to die so that he can take over.’

  Oswald nodded. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that Bubba would make the better sub-king; and, because Oswald had put him on the throne, he’d be in his debt.

  The old king had said nothing; he just glared at Oswald.

  ‘Very well. I think we’re agreed. Caedbaed, I’ll escort you north to Lindisfarne where Bishop Aidan will be delighted to welcome a new monk. Bubba, I suggest you leave your father with us for now, then I can start to explain to him my mission to convert the North to Christianity. I’ll come to meet you outside the walls of Wrawby at noon tomorrow. You can swear fealty to me then, along with your leading nobles.’

  Caedbaed started to protest but Oswald gave him a warning look. He subsided, knowing that he was now dispensable. He was clever enough to know that, provided he went along with Oswald’s little game, he’d be allowed to live out his days as a monk. If he didn’t cooperate he’d conveniently die on the road north.

  ‘This is Hengist,’ Oswald was saying, ‘who’ll be staying behind to help you. I suggest that he goes with you now so that you can get acquainted. I’ll bring the men who’ll help you train your warband tomorrow, together with a cart full of armour and weapons.

  Bubba was no fool. He realised that Hengist was being sent with him to make sure he didn’t do anything foolish. Of course, he could kill the Northumbrian, but then Oswald would be sure to exact a terrible revenge. No, Oswald had made him king, albeit as a vassal, and he’d just have to make the best of it.

  ~~~

  ‘Oswald has made a mistake if he thinks that moving into Lindsey before I was ready to do so will prevent me from conquering it,’ Penda said furiously to his son.

  ‘What can we do, though? Northumbria grows more powerful by the day and they’re now allied to Wessex. You’re already in dispute with Cynegils over Hwicce. If you go to war with Oswald it’ll allow Wessex to take over Hwicce,’ Peada replied.

  ‘Why don’t you t
ell me something I don’t know? Do you think I’m a fool, boy?’

  ‘I think you’re letting your hatred of Oswald cloud your judgement,’ his son replied, not in the least perturbed by Penda’s irate response.

  Penda paced up and down the king’s hall in Stamford, biting his lip and trying to control his rage. Eventually he sat down again next to his son and sighed.

  ‘He’s becoming something of a problem, but you’re right. Now is not the time to tackle him. Sooner or later he and I are going to find out who’s the bretwalda of England though.’

  ‘Is that how you see yourself, as bretwalda?’

  Penda glared at his son before replying.

  ‘Yes, if I’m not acknowledged as the overlord by the other kings, then it will be that bloody man, Oswald. I’ll never accept that. Already he’s spreading his poisonous religion all over the north.’

  Peada, who was interested in Christianity himself, said nothing. His father was a pagan and hated the people he called the followers of the White Christ with a passion. Then he thought of something.

  ‘If you hate the Christians so much father, why did you ally yourself with Cadwallon of Gwynedd?’

  ‘Because it suited my purposes at the time. Don’t confuse principles with pragmatism. I still need the Welsh as allies otherwise we’d have to deal with constant raids into our kingdom.’

  ‘Yes, I can see that. Will the loss of Lindsey affect your long term aim to take over East Anglia as well?’

  Penda looked at his son sharply. ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘I heard you talking to Eowa.’

  ‘What I discuss with my brother is private and you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. When I want you to know something, I’ll tell you. Is that clear?’

  ‘Don’t you trust me?’

  ‘I don’t even trust my brother. You’ll find being a king is very lonely, boy. You need to keep your own counsel and think very carefully before you confide in anyone.’

  ‘What about mother? Don’t you trust her?’

  Penda snorted. ‘Trust Cynewise? You are naïve, aren’t you? She thinks a secret is nothing more than a good bit of gossip to be spread around. Don’t misunderstand me, I love your mother in my fashion and she’s provided me with six healthy children, but I’d never talk to her about anything important.’

  ‘You can trust me, father; I’d never betray you.’

  ‘I know that, but I’ve learned to keep my thoughts to myself. I only tell people what I think they need to know. Don’t forget I wasn’t born of royal blood, I had to fight and scheme my way to the Mercian throne. You might think me devious, but my position is precarious. There are others who think that they have a better right to rule than I do. I need to be seen by the Mercians as a successful leader or I could lose everything. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes, but I don’t regard you as devious, just very clever.’

  Penda scowled. ‘Don’t try and flatter me, boy. It won’t get you anywhere.’

  Peada didn’t reply. His father was a difficult man to get close to and he felt he would always fail to measure up to the man’s exacting standards. It depressed him and that made him resentful. He wondered if Eowa felt the same about his brother.

  CHAPTER EIGHT – THE BATTLE OF GLEN MAIRSON

  638 AD

  Just when Oswald thought that he had achieved peace, disaster struck. Although the Angles of Northumbria had reasserted their control over most of the Goddodin territory north of the Tweed, Oswiu had failed to capture the near impregnable fortress on the rock called Dùn Èideann. From there the Goddodin continued to control the surrounding countryside to the immediate south and to the west as far as the end of the forth, where it became a river. At this point three realms met: those of the Goddodin, the Picts and Strathclyde.

  ‘Owain has already pushed Domnall’s territory back as far as Glen Falloch, now he has allied himself with the Picts and the Goddodin to invade further into Dalriada,’ he told Jarlath, who had replaced Hengist as leader of his gesith. ‘I dare not take my eye off the Mercians but I need to support Domnall somehow.’

  Oswiu, who had been sitting quietly at the high table in the hall at Bebbanburg with the other two, looked at his brother, who nodded, before the former spoke.

  ‘I will return to Dùn Èideann, lay waste the country still held by the rebels, and besiege their stronghold once more. If nothing else, it will prevent them from getting involved in the coalition against Domnall Brecc.’

  ‘I need to move to Eoforwīc soon, now that winter is ending, so that I can react to whatever Penda is planning. However, I also want to send some support to help King Domnall. I owe him that much. So Rhieinmelth’s father has agreed to launch a few raids into Strathclyde from the south.’

  At that moment they heard the sound of voices at the door of the hall, presumably the sentry was telling someone that the king wasn’t to be disturbed, not that it made much difference. The door opened and a man entered shaking rain from his cloak.

  ‘Aidan, what brings you here, and in this foul weather?’

  ‘You haven’t heard then?’

  ‘Heard what?’

  ‘Ròidh has been taken prisoner and is being held hostage by the Goddodin.’

  ‘What? Where was this and when?’

  ‘A few days ago. He was visiting the vills to the west of Dùn Barra to baptise those who we’ve newly converted when a raiding party from Dùn Èideann attacked the settlement where he was staying. The thegn managed to beat them off but not before they’d killed five people, run off some of the livestock and captured several people including Brother Ròidh.’

  ‘Presumably they’ve taken him to their fortress on the rock?’

  ‘We aren’t certain but the messenger said that his thegn thinks it likely.’

  ‘What will they do with him,’ Oswiu wondered.

  ‘Either execute him as he’s a Christian, perhaps even sacrifice him to their pagan gods, or demand a ransom, I imagine.’

  ‘I think tales of human sacrifice by the druids are wild exaggerations, Aidan,’ Oswald chided him gently. ‘We have only ever found evidence of animal sacrifices.’

  ‘I suppose that’s something,’ the bishop conceded, ‘but what are we going to do to rescue him?’

  ‘Perhaps I need to bring forward my siege of Dùn Èideann? They won’t be expecting us to attack so early in the year. Now that the snows have melted it will still be difficult going through the mud, but we should be able to get there in two weeks if I call the muster now,’ Owsiu stated.

  ‘You don’t sound very certain, brother.’

  ‘I’m not, but we must do something to try and rescue him.’

  ‘Very well, but this needs to be co-ordinated with the raids into Strathclyde as well. I’ll send a message to King Royth at Caer Leul to let him know, and you’d better start planning as well, Jarlath.’

  ~~~

  Domangart was practicing the use of sword and shield with Sigbert when the two boys were told that Oswiu wanted to see them. When they got to the hall they found Raulf, Oswiu’s body slave there as well.

  ‘Ah, good. I’ve got a task for the three of you. You’re all light and agile. How good are you at climbing rocks?’

  The three boys looked at one another and Domangart, being the senior, replied.

  ‘I don’t know about Raulf, but Sigbert and I have climbed up the cliff on which this fortress is built a few times. Are we in trouble for it?’

  Oswiu laughed. ‘You probably should be, but no. The climb up to the base of the palisade around Bebbanburg is quite difficult but the one I want you to scale is much higher, and I want you to do it on a dark night. I suspect that the pitch is about the same though.’

  ‘So you want us to practice climbing up the Bebbanburg rock at night?’

  ‘Yes, start with a night where there is a moon and then wait for a cloudy night and do it again, and as many times as you can between now and two weeks’ time when we leave. Oh! And practice it with a t
hin rope around your waist. You will also have to learn how to sneak up on a man and cut his throat without him making a sound. I’ll send you someone to teach you how to do that.’

  ‘May I ask where this rock is you want us to climb?’

  ‘No, you may not. You’ll know when we get there.’

  ‘It’s Dùn Èideann, I’m sure of it,’ he told the other two.

  ‘How did you know? Never mind; sometimes I think you’re too clever for your own good.’

  ‘Lord, you didn’t ask me if I could climb a rock.’

  Oswiu turned to his body slave.

  ‘I know you can climb, Raulf. I’ve seen you after bird’s eggs.’

  ‘Oh, sorry, lord.’

  ‘Don’t be. Even Oswald and I went after the nests in the rock faces on Iona when we were boys.’

  ‘This is much harder when you can’t see what you’re doing,’ Sigbert muttered.

  ‘Shhh, use smaller steps than you do in daylight and move your foot up to where your hand is,’ Raulf whispered back.

  It had soon become evident that he was by far the most experienced climber and, despite Domangart’s status as a king’s son, Raulf had become their leader. It took them every moment of the time they had to practice and get it right. Several times one of them had nearly fallen and they soon learned not to attempt the climb when it was raining or even when the rock was still slippery after the rain had stopped. They climbed at night and slept during the day.

  Because Oswiu had told them not to say what they were doing, the other boys thought that they were just lazy sods and gave them a hard time. However, this just bonded them closer to each other. They became inseparable and, because Oswiu still needed his armour, weapons and horses looking after, the other two helped Raulf with his duties.

  Oswiu was making the most of the time he had left with his wife, not just at night, but they went hunting together during the daytime as well. However, just before he was due to leave, Rhieinmelth decided she shouldn’t go hunting again.