by Griff Hosker
When we were all ready we sat around our fires and sang songs of heroes past or spoke of brave deeds we had witnessed. Those who had fallen well, like Alf the Silent and Gunnar Stone Face, were remembered. We knew that some of us would die and that at some future battle we would be spoken of. We would be in Valhalla but we would have immortality on earth so long as the clan lived. I felt sorry for those like Erik Long Hair who had followed the Jarl's brothers. They had sad memories. It would take many battles to clear them.
When the Jarl had returned he had spoken with his hearth-weru and Siggi White Hair. Now, as we sat around the fire Siggi brought the news of our formation. "Tomorrow Jarl Gunnstein fights in a boar's snout. We will be one tusk and the oathsworn of Jarl Gunnstein the other." He went on to tell us the formation for the whole of our army. The rest of the Viking warriors would be led by Thorgeir Sigurdsson. His men would link the two wedges . Our allies would form the flanks of the snout. When he had finished he stood up and smacked one hand into the other as he punctuated his words with actions."We want the enemy to break his back on our spears and shields. When their hearts are broken then we will give them the sword and use our position on the hill to drive them from the field."
It sounded a good plan but like all plans there were many things which could go wrong. Some men tried to sleep. I could not and I sat with Rurik, Ulf and Arne Four Toes. "What do you think, Ulf Big Nose?"
"I think the wild men of this land will see the other wild men and they will charge and attack them. They will be slaughtered and we will have to fight alone."
We had not fought in as many battles as Ulf but we agreed with his assessment. Rurik asked, as Siggi returned having spoken to the rest of the band, "Where do we fight?"
"The Jarl will be the snout with the five hearth-weru behind him. Ulf and I will be on the right in the third rank then Hrolf and you, Rurik, will be on the left. Beorn and Arne will anchor the right of the fourth rank and the jarl will have two of his brothers crew protected by Gunnstein Gunnarson. He wants Erik Long Hair to have the chance, along with Olaf the Bear, to gain some honour and glory."
I asked, "Do they use horses?"
Ulf laughed, "You will be on foot so what does it matter?"
"I am interested in such things."
Siggi nodded, "It is a good question. They have ponies but they ride them bare backed. They do not have your stiraps."
"And if they are ponies then they are easier to kill. Their neck is at the right height for a blow." I was a horseman but if someone was trying to kill me I knew how to defeat someone who rode bareback. I recognised the weaknesses of horses as well as their strengths.
We did eventually fall to sleep but we were awakened while it was still dark and we made our way to the hill and our positions. The Jarl clasped our arms. We were his oathsworn and it might be the last time we saw each other in this life. We did not say much to each other apart from, 'may Odin watch over you' or something similar. His banner was planted behind Erik Long Hair. It would flap above the Jarl but if it fell then it meant our best warriors were all dead and the banner would mean nothing then.
As dawn broke behind us we saw the enemy form up. Sometimes the kings or leaders would meet in the middle and decide on the rules of the battle. Here there was no need. Whoever stood, at the end of the battle had won. If it was the High King then the days of the Norse in Dyflin would be over. Our brief stay would have ended. If it was us who won then the High King would need to watch his back as the families of those he had defeated plotted his downfall. These were treacherous times and you sought a throne at your peril.
The wild men who were fighting alongside us had been drinking most of the night and they were ready for a fight. They hurled insults at their enemies and taunted them. Four hundred paces away the men of the High King did the same. Some of the enemy had a helmet but it was perhaps only one in ten. One in five had a shield; they were small but I saw few, including the nobles, with mail. Their leaders were riding their ponies up and down before their men exhorting them, I have no doubt, to slaughter us. They seemed to have many leaders. The ponies were so small that some of the rides' feet almost touched the ground.
Ulf and I had brought our bows and Ulf said, "Let us string our bows, Hrolf. We can do some damage as they approach."
I rammed my spear into the ground and strung my bow. I chose my best arrow and I waited to draw. The hill and my powerful bow meant I could send one four hundred paces. If I chose to release when they were in range I could hit one of their front rank. I waited.
Jarl Gunnar said, "Could you two hit one of their leaders?"
Ulf snorted, "We could hit two if we chose."
"Then while they prance around on their little ponies see what you can do."
It was a long way away and with the slight breeze I did not wish to risk a miss. I chose a chief who was not riding up and down but speaking to his men. He was among the others who were also mounted and looked to be chiefs too. There were four of them together and I guessed they were exhorting their men to valorous acts. I was not risking as much for there were four targets. I drew back my bow as far as I could and released. Ulf's arrow left his bow a heartbeat later. Normally I would have sent another straight after but I wished to see the effect. The arrow struck him in the neck and threw him from his pony. Ulf's was an even better strike for he hit one who was riding and the arrow knocked him onto his men. The other two chiefs leapt from their mounts and went to see to the two fallen warriors. Taking heart from my strike I sent another and this one hit a leader in the top of his leg. I must have penetrated through to his pony for it reared and threw him before galloping through the massed ranks. The barbarians scattered before the panicked pony. When Ulf killed a chief standing in front of the High King it prompted a charge towards us. I have never seen men on foot move as fast. We had made them charge before the High King was ready. I wondered if that was an advantage or not.
Siggi said, "That is one way to start a battle!"
I could see that they would not take long to reach us. I released eight arrows into the mass of men who charged us and then dropped my bow. I would have to use my spear. The Jarl shouted, "Shield wall! Up!"
I thrust my spear above Rolf Arneson's shoulder through the gap in the shields. I brought my shield over my head to touch Rolf's shield. The sky became dark. The enemy did not use arrows but they had slingers. Another tactic to break a shield wall was for warriors to hurl themselves over the top and to balance on the shields while thrusting down with their javelins and spears. We were, in effect, making a mobile stronghold.
"Brace!" We locked our left legs forward and leaned into the warrior in front of us making a huge, immoveable block of men.
Through the gap I could see the white painted faces of the wild warriors as they raced towards us. They held axes, spears and curved swords. They came so quickly it took my breath away and then it went dark as they hurled themselves at the shields. Had we not been braced then they might have broken it for many of them jumped upon the top.
"Spears!"
We all punched with our spears. Those behind thrust up in the gaps at the warriors who were there. We did so blindly but I felt my spear strike something and I pushed harder and twisted. As we withdrew our spears the weight lessened as men were felled. I heard swords battering at the front of the shield wall and the cries and screams of the dying. It seemed to go on forever but, of course, it did not . The battering began to diminish and the pressure on our shields lessened. When the sound of swords stopped there was silence punctuated by moans.
"Down shields!"
The light was almost blinding when we lowered our shields. I could see a gap and as Einar stepped into the gap vacated by Erik who had been wounded and was crawling away, Erik Long Hair stepped forward to stand with the hearth-weru. Beorn Fast Feet stepped next to me. We had to fill the ranks of the wounded. I could see, beyond the helmets of the men before me, the Irish streaming down the slope. Their first attack had been beate
n back. We had held. I looked to the right and saw that those who had been beaten by us had caused those attacking Thorgeir and Jarl Gunnstein to fall back too. They would gather at the foot of the slope and regroup.
Suddenly and to our horror, Connor Mac Loinsig led his men in a headlong charge after the enemy. We had no one left to defend our left flank. I heard Vermund snap, "Fools! Another attack from them and the enemy would have broken." Someone at his feet must have stirred for he raised his spear and stabbed down. There was a scream. "A man should know when he is dead!"
It was hard to see the battle below us unfold but the sudden charge by our allies appeared to have a great initial success. Their speed and momentum carried them deep into the enemy. They carved a path through the disorganized warriors but the High King had not committed all of his men and we heard the crack and crash as the reserves hit Connor Mac Loinsig and his men. All I could see for a while was the rise and fall of weapons but I could hear the cries.
Then Einar, who had a clear view shouted, "That is it. They are broken!"
The Jarl shouted, "This time we give them a wall. They will have to negotiate the bodies before us and they are slippery. Those on the right, beware!"
We all knew what he meant. The warriors on the right of the wedge had no shield to protect them. Our two wedges stuck out from our line and they were exposed. Thorgeir Sigurdsson, who lead Jarl Gunnstein's men, had a great responsibility. If our right side looked in danger then he would have to advance. I looked along the line to Siggi White Hair. He was on the right with no one protecting his sword side. He did not seem concerned with his exposed position.
This time their chiefs were able to extol their men to great deeds for they were not harassed by our arrows. I had no doubt that we had slain many of the leaders but they seemed to have an inordinate number of them. Eventually they came. This time I could see that the main body was moving more slowly although the High King must have sent unused and fresh men for a line of warriors raced ahead of the main body.
"Spears!"
This time I held my spear overhand and rested it on Rolf and Vermund's shoulder. The haft of a spear and a spear head appeared over my shoulder as we became a hedgehog of spear heads. I noticed that many ofthe spear heads of our rank and the ones before us were bloody. The Jarl's had gone and he had his sword held before him. The fresh warriors ran at us, their faces contorted and wild as they sought to gain honour by slaying the vaunted men of the north. None of those who ran at us had a shield. Most of them had long curved swords without a point. They appeared to be a giant seax. One, faster than the others out ran the rest and he ran directly for the Jarl. He swung his long sword in a mighty sweep. The Jarl's shield came up to block the blow and his sword darted out. I saw the tip come out of the warrior's back and yet he lived still until Vermund's spear punched a hole in his head and he fell.
The rest of the line reached us. It was their own dead who were our allies. Some of the barbarians slipped on the gore and the blood for they fought barefoot. Spears darted out and struck them. Others made our line and slashed with their swords but well made shields held and our blades ended their lives but they had numbers and they began to make inroads along our exposed right. Ulf brought his own spear around to stab over Siggi's head. His spear plunged into the throat of a warrior with white and red paint upon his face. Even though we were killing more of them, numbers began to tell. With no allies on our left we were being surrounded. I heard a sword crash against Beorn Fast Feet's shield and I punched my spear into the chest of the warrior.
Ulf and I were now defending the sides ahead of me. Rolf Arneson was having to stab left and right as more of the enemy filled the gaps of the fallen. Rolf was stabbing to the right as two warriors hacked Erik Long Hair's head from his body. As Beorn Fast Feet stepped into the gap. Gunnstein Gunnarson quickly and seamlessly joined me. However we had lost three men already and our band was shrinking as more of the enemy pressed against us.
A horn sounded from behind us and I heard Thorgeir Sigurdsson shout, "Forward!"
Jarl Gunnar said, "On my command advance!"
"Aye Jarl!" We all roared as one and we took the enemy by surprise at the shout. The warrior who was about to hack at Beorn Fast Feet hesitated and I rammed my spear into his side. The head crunched against ribs and I twisted as I pulled out. These wild men must have taken some potion so that they did not feel pain for the man turned and roared at me. I punched again with my spear into his open mouth and he fell backwards.
As Thorgeir Sigurdsson and his men advanced so the pressure on our right lessened. The Jarl timed it well and he shouted, "Advance!"
We all stepped forward on our right legs stabbing with our spears as we did so. The timing was impeccable. Every spear struck at the same time. Those enemies who were striking us hit shields but all of us found flesh. Gunnstein and I hit the same warrior. He was a huge man with a massive war hammer. When our spears came out I saw pieces of the man's heart clinging to them. He was dead. The potion could not keep him alive! We marched, we punched, we blocked. Jarl Gunnstein Berserk Killer must have planned this with his leaders for the Jarl and Thorgeir Sigurdsson both shouted , "Halt! " at the same place.
This time our boar's snout was not as prominent. Thorgeir's men were now just behind Siggi. The enemy had fled down the hill. I looked to my right and saw that the other snout had also shrunk a little but still held. The two jarls and the front rank were the ones who stuck from our line. Had our allies not fled we could have ended the battle there and then but, despite the body littered field, there were still plenty of the enemy.
Siggi began to sing and we all joined in.
Raven Wing Goes to war
Hear our voices hear them roar
A song of death to all its foes
The power of the raven grows and grows.
The power of the raven grows and grows.
The power of the raven grows and grows.
We sang it two or three times and then banged our shields to show that we were not afraid of the enemy and we were unbeaten. I shaded my eyes and looked into the sky. By my reckoning we had been fighting for a couple of hours. We were all thirsty but the enemy would be feeling it just as badly. Now was not the time to lose your nerve.
I noticed a huddle of nobles on horses. They gathered around the standard of the High King. There appeared to be a heated discussion. Then two detached themselves and approached our lines. Arne Four Toes said, "Perhaps they wish to surrender!"
Siggi White Hair shouted, "I hope not. I am just getting warmed up."
They stopped about a hundred paces from us. They rode directly to Raven Wing Clan. Bearing in mind that we had shown that at least two of us could use bows it was a brave or perhaps foolhardy thing to do. One, the elder of the two, began to shout; he pointed at our banner. We did not understand a word but one or two hurled insults back for we thought it would be insults he was shouting.
Thorgeir Sigurdsson came over to our wedge. "They are talking to you. They say that the two archers who killed their father and badly wounded their uncle are cowards. If they be men they should stand forward now and do battle with these two."
Everyone knew who had loosed the arrows. We had been challenged and we could not ignore it. Ulf Big Nose snorted. "If they want my head they can try to take it." He stepped from the wedge. "Tell them that I will face them."
I began to move and Siggi held a hand out to restrain me. He said, "You need not. They look to be experienced warriors, Hrolf. You are still learning how to fight."
I smiled, "Do you have so little confidence in me Siggi White Hair? It was you who taught me how to use a sword. Besides the honour of the clan is at stake. I will go." I turned to Thorgeir Sigurdsson. "Tell them I will fight too."
All my comrades cheered and banged their shields. It made me feel better about my decision. As I stepped forward the two men on the ponies burst out laughing. One said something and Thorgeir Sigurdsson said, "He insults you, Hrolf the Horseman.
He says you barely have a beard and there will be little honour in killing a woman."
"Tell him that is the only way he could get a woman to lie with him for she would have to be dead to bear his ugly face."
The clan all laughed and cheered. When Thorgeir Sigurdsson translated the one who had insulted me pointed at me."
My friends all laughed. I had said the right thing and showed that I was not intimidated.
They dismounted and put their cloaks over their ponies' backs. They spoke again and Thorgeir said, "They wish to fight Ulf first. They say they will enjoy watching the beardless one wet himself."
I did not bother with an insult. I checked the straps on my shield and slipped my seax into my left hand. Ulf had walked forward. I would watch and see what tricks these Hibernians used. They were both naked to the waist. I ignored their appearance and looked at their weapons. Their shields were half the size of ours and their swords slightly shorter. They looked to be poorly made. They both had a long pointed dagger in their belts. If their men were anything to go by they would be fast and if they had taken a potion too, hard to kill..
Ulf and the elder of the two circled each other. The barbarian suddenly flicked his sword out and Ulf barely had time to bring his shield across to block it. Sparks flew as it clipped the metal edge. The half naked warrior suddenly spun around and brought his sword across Ulf's back. He broke some of the mail links. Ulf was not hurt and he did not look worried but I could see the noble drawing blood soon. As the Hibernian turned Ulf brought his sword down. The barbarian had quick reactions and his shield took the blow but I saw a splinter of wood come from it. I stored that information. There was no metal on the shields. They could be broken.
He was using his speed to mesmerize Ulf. I had seen Ulf hunting and he had quicker reactions than most men. The barbarian came at him with a flurry of blows. He had quick hands. Ulf took most of the strikes on his shield but a couple struck his mail. There was a danger it might start to weaken. Ulf's mail was making him slower than the Hibernian. Ulf then attacked with his own sword. He was going for the head and body of the noble but the barbarian deflected every blow. It was, however, at a cost. His shield began to show signs of deterioration. There was the first sign of doubt on the barbarian's face. He backed off and then did something I had never seen before. He dived forward and did a roll so that his sword came up under Ulf's shield. Ulf was fast and flicked his shield to the side but the sword bit deeply along Ulf's knee. Blood spurted. It was a deep wound. The edge of the barbarian's sword must have been sharp. I could see that Ulf was hurting and the barbarian sensed victory.
