by M J Porter
Leofric had been quiet until now, thinking as he ate and listening to the conversation around him.
“Would it not be better if Edmund and Eadric allied against Cnut?”
“Why?” Leofwine asked, not with any rancour but with genuine interest.
“If the two are forced to become allies, then they’ll act for the good of the people of England, and while Cnut might think it a declaration of war, provided the king lives the two men will be doing what needs to be done, in the name of the king.”
“I don’t think it would work,” Northman and Leofwine said at the same time, and then they both laughed a little at each other. Leofric grinned too, even though both his father and his brother had just shot down his idea.
“Or,” Leofric continued, “would it not be even better if Cnut attacked. That way Eadric and Edmund would have to unite or risk losing what they both want, England.”
Northman glanced at his brother and winked at him with admiration.
“That idea I like more, and so too will Eadric. Eventually.”
Leofwine looked between his two sons as though he wasn’t sure he’d heard what they said.
“You think that we should let Cnut, who’s currently peacefully occupying Sandwich, attack England in the hope that Edmund and Eadric, two sides of the king’s coin, will unite as one while we wait for Æthelred to recover?”
“Yes,” Northman spoke at the same time as his brother, and this time it was those two who laughed while Leofwine shook his head in disbelief.
“The plan has the advantage that Eadric or even Cnut might be killed as well,” Oscetel added a little sourly, and Leofwine guffawed with laughter at hearing the words of his good friend and commander of his men.
“We can but hope,” Leofwine offered, and Northman watched him now. He was contemplating whether the idea might well work.
“How would we get him to attack? We can’t very well go and bloody ask him to.”
“Well you could,” Leofric added a little cheekily, and Leofwine swatted him on his arm with an admonition.
“We could start a rumour that Ælfgifu of Northampton is in trouble,” Northman offered, not feeling that it would work but wanting to add something all the same.
“No, I don’t think he’d come for her. We need something else that he wants.”
“He only wants the crown,” Leofric reasoned, and all around the fire nodded as they thought and hoped for some inspiration.
“Can we not just say that Cnut is a threat? He doesn’t have to attack anyone. Surely just knowing that he plans to when Æthelred is dead is enough to keep out the fyrd and have Edmund and Eadric as its commanders.” Northman thought the idea was a good one, but his father looked a little unsure.
“Don’t you think they’ll realise by the time they get here?”
“Yes, but that’s if they do get here at all. I think the two will be hard-pushed to agree to work together. Neither will want to yield to the other, and that leaves the possibility that the king will have time to recover while Cnut will feel threatened, and Eadric and Edmund may have a chance to work out their differences or decide that they never can be.”
“It seems risky to me, but I don’t think there’s another choice. Northman, you return to Eadric, tell him that Cnut has peacefully laid claim to Sandwich. That will infuriate him. Add that Godwine is with him.”
“Godwine? Who’s he?” Leofric asked, but Northman was already nodding.
“He’s the son of the man his brother broke the grand fleet up over. Eadric detests him because of that. Was he there?”
“Yes, Cnut has a handful of Englishmen already, and I’m sure that more will join him. Another messenger will go to Edmund and tell him that Cnut is at Sandwich as well and that he must come and command the fyrd. On his father’s orders. I’ll return to Cosham and appraise the king of the situation and get his approval for it, or if not, I’ll get archbishop Wulfstan to agree to it, and from there we can inform the other ealdormen.”
“Should we go now?” Northman asked, not relishing the idea of a night in the saddle even though he’d promised Eadric he’d return as soon as he could.
“No, the morning will be soon enough.”
“Will you tell Cnut what we have planned?”
“Absolutely not. He’ll just use it as a given that he can attack the lands, after all, if the fyrd is coming then, he may as well. As you say, though, I don’t think the two sides will meet.”
“What of Godric? Is he not bringing the fyrd anyway?”
“Yes he is, but I’ll speak with him as well. Inform him that Cnut has said there will be no attacks as long as we don’t attack him. Godric is a staid man. He’ll be happy to sit and wait and see what happens. He’s not exactly rushed to be here, has he?”
With a plan of action in place, the men around the fire broke off into smaller conversations, but Northman stayed staring into the fire, and his father came to sit beside him.
“Stay son; there’s no need for you to go back to Eadric. One of the other men will take the messages. It doesn’t have to be you.”
“I know father, I know. But, for all that I agree with what we’ve just discussed something doesn’t feel right. I need to watch Eadric.”
“Are you sure? I’d rather have an end to this now. I can’t help thinking that the farce has gone on for long enough.”
“Yes father, I’m sure. But my thanks for your words. I needed to hear them all the same.”
Reaching out to stroke Cyneweard’s intelligent snout, Northman took the time to make sure he’d said what he honestly felt. He couldn’t deny that like his father he thought they’d taken their plan as far as it would go.
But no, he was right, he felt a niggle of doubt, and he needed to make sure that Eadric didn’t play them all for fools again.
Chapter 30
September AD1015
Northman
Middle of Mercia
Eadric was in a foul mood when Northman found him. Although he’d said he wouldn’t move further through Mercia, he’d lied, and for half of that day, Northman had done nothing but try to find his missing Lord. His mood was as dark as Eadric’s when they finally met, and his ill humour only served to add more tension to the conversation they needed to have.
“Where’ve you bloody been?” Eadric demanded without preamble, and for once not caring what Eadric thought Northman spat.
“Playing errand boy for you, and I’ve much to tell you if you’ll shut up and listen.”
“Events have been moving apace without you here. That arse Edmund has taken the wife of Sigeforth and married her himself, taking all her land and that of Morcar’s as well. I can’t imagine that you’ve encountered anything quite that bad.” Eadric ranted, his face purpling with rage.
“No, my Lord, because obviously having Cnut sitting at Sandwich as though he’d already the bloody king is something to be laughed about.”
“At Sandwich? Not raiding?”
“No he’s made himself nice and snug inside the local Lord’s hall, and he’s got Godwine with him as well. Godwine is from that area. He knows the land well. He’ll know where to tell Cnut to attack.”
Eadric turned his glowing eyes on Northman when he used the name Godwine, and Northman knew that he had his attention now.
“Does the king know?”
“Yes, and he wants you and Edmund to meet up with your forces and block Cnut’s access to England.”
“Well he would, wouldn’t he? Nothing too difficult to accomplish. It’s got the king’s name all over that.” And then he changed his tact.
“The king still lives then?”
“Yes he does, I encountered the fyrd under Godric while I was there and he assured me that two days ago the king still lived and showed some signs of recovery.”
“Damn the stubborn bastard,” Eadric swore as Northman glanced around to make sure their conversation wasn’t being overheard. “If he’s going to live, I’ll have to do what he asks.”
“Surely you need to do what he asks anyway,” Northman asked just to see what sort of response he’d get. He wasn’t disappointed.
“I’ll do whatever I can to honour the king’s wishes, obviously, but I’ll not put myself in danger for him. No chance.” His tone was dripping with condescension and Northman was more than half tempted to punch him smartly in the face. He’d have gained a lot of satisfaction from that.
“So you’ll command the men to journey south then?”
“When I know that Edmund is doing the same, yes I will, but until then, I’ll keep going north.”
“Why, what do you hope to accomplish? Edmund, if what you’ve been told is correct, has the woman and the land now. There’s nothing there for you. The king will need to deal with him when he’s well again.”
Eadric laughed a harsh bitter sound.
“The king won’t be fully recovering from whatever ails him. He’s too old and too weak now. It’ll fall to me to deal with Edmund, and it’d be better to do so as far from the king as possible. That way it’ll be far easier to cover up any … unpleasantness.”
Northman felt sick at whatever Eadric was plotting for the king’s son. He was no man of honour and worse, he’d been right to stay with him. He needed to make sure that Edmund didn’t become another victim to Eadric’s greed.
“You need to go south my Lord. You need to trust me on this.”
“I don’t need to believe you on anything Northman. Now go. I’ve much to think about, and I don’t want to be looking at you while I do it.”
Relieved to be away from him, Northman left Eadric’s tent and went to find where his tent was now being pitched. Olaf was there before him, his face grim in the moonlight.
“I take it that went well.”
“The bloody idiot still wants to go north. He wants to confront Edmund. I think he wants to kill him,” he added in an undertone.
“Wish I had Eadric’s morals. I’d do for him now,” Olaf commented sourly, as he worked on removing his boots.
“It would make life a lot easier,” Northman responded just as sourly.
“Pity everyone would know it was us really,” Olaf continued, and Northman nodded, casting dark looks back the way he’d just walked.
Olaf was right, and he wondered why Eadric hadn’t met some unfortunate accident earlier in his career. England and the king would have been far happier without them.
Chapter 31
September AD1015
Leofwine
Cosham
Messengers came and went with dizzying speed. The king was still weak and couldn’t be moved, but he was able to speak to people, and he was more than aware of what was happening. Now that Leofwine had apprised him of as much of the current situation as he could. He fluctuated between anger and amusement at the antics of his son and his favourite ealdorman, but in the last half day, the anger had begun to win out. Anger at Eadric, not at his son.
“Explain to me once more what’s happening,” Æthelred lisped a little weakly at Leofwine and Leofwine moved his stool closer to the king’s bed. The smell in the small grand hall was far more pleasant than it had been when he’d first visited the king, and Æthelred was even beginning to eat a little and drink more than a thin pottage.
“Cnut is in Sandwich.”
“I know that,” the king said with some ferocity. “Tell me of Eadric and my son.”
“Eadric went to claim the land of the disgraced thegns, Morcar and Sigeforth on your orders.”
The king’s forehead furrowed at that. It was evident he didn’t remember giving that order.
“Only Edmund heard about it and decided that he’d protect the families by marrying Sigeforth’s widow.”
“So my son is married then?”
“It would appear so my Lord, yes.”
Leofwine was surprised to see a smile of joy on the king’s face, but he didn’t comment on it. Was it possible that after all these years he was finally able to gain some joy from the sons from his first marriage?
“And Eadric wasn’t happy about it and so continued to travel north?”
“As I understand it yes, despite the messengers we sent in your name asking him to come south and face Cnut at Sandwich.”
“And my son is coming south?”
“Yes, he’s been asked to meet with Eadric.”
“Where are they to meet?”
“On the way to Sandwich.”
“But they haven’t?”
“No, as far as we know Eadric appears to have disappeared.”
“Do you think he’s run away to Shropshire?” The king almost laughed at the idea of that, but Leofwine had a darker view of what Eadric might be up to.
“No, my Lord. I fear he failed to meet with Edmund on purpose and has split the force. The only advantage is that Cnut is still in Sandwich and hasn’t tried to attack yet.”
“Because I live?”
“Because he hopes, you’ll die, and he won’t need to attack.”
“Hum,” the king said, ‘I can’t deny that seems like a good way to keep his men alive. So what do you think Eadric has done?”
“It pains me to say so my Lord, but I fear that Eadric may have been angrier at Edmund than we gave him credit for. I think he may have allied himself with Cnut.”
The king’s face flushed angrily at that, and he fell back on his pillows and lapsed into silence. The same thing had been happening all morning; whenever Leofwine tried to explain what he thought was going on. At his side, archbishop Wulfstan groaned in dismay that the king had once more failed to heed the news and he gestured for Leofwine to come away.
“The king simply won’t hear it.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make it less likely.”
“Has your son not returned yet?”
“No Leofric and half of my men were racing towards Sandwich, but they’ve not made it back yet. When they do, we’ll know for sure.”
“I think we probably know for sure anyway,” Wulfstan muttered unhappily.
And Wulfstan proved correct in his assessment of Eadric. Increasingly frustrated messengers had arrived from Edmund asking for details of where Eadric was and where they should be meeting, and finally, Edmund came himself, his face flushed and angry and a little sheepish all at the same time. Not that he had anything to fear from his father. No, as the king tried to recover from his illness he finally turned to Edmund as his likely heir, congratulating him on his marriage and apologising for his actions, in private of course.
When Leofric finally arrived, three days later than expected and full of apologies, he had the news that the king was too weak to hear. Eadric had turned to Cnut, and he’d taken the part of the king’s ship army that had been sheltering near London, forty ships in total, depleting the king’s force by a full third.
The news that Thorkell had also allied himself with Cnut was nothing compared to the ultimate betrayal by Eadric, and the king’s health suffered once more. He lapsed into long periods of silence and Leofwine felt as though he ruled the kingdom with the aid of Edmund, archbishop Wulfstan and Ealdorman Godric. Uhtred and Ulfcytel had been told to stay at home, to guard their lands and be on their highest level of alert.
Leofwine had no news of Northman but once more pitied his son. He’d put himself at Eadric’s command, and yet Eadric didn’t give him the respect he deserved, so much so that Eadric felt he could change his allegiance just like that, with no thought and without any warning that Northman had been able to send to his father. He cursed his son’s honour, and he prayed for his safety, but as he raced to make arrangements to ensure Cnut was paid to stay where he was during the hard winter months, he could think of only one thing. Northman.
He must speak to Northman and get him to come home. With that thought uppermost in his mind, and with the knowledge that Æthelred was well enough to be moved to his royal palace at Oxford, Leofwine put himself forward to negotiate with Cnut. There was no choice with the king still being unwell. In
conversations with Edmund, Leofwine developed a renewed trust in the young man and saw that contrary to popular thought; he didn’t crave his father’s death. Far from it, he only wanted to be acknowledged as a possible heir, and the most likely one at the moment.
It was a dark overcast day when Leofwine had his wish and returned to Sandwich. Unlike his last journey to Cnut, he encountered riders and lookouts nearly half a day’s journey from Sandwich, yet they were just as happy to take him to Cnut, as they had been last time. This time, Leofwine was more circumspect, and he took ten of his best warriors with him, including Oscetel and Leofric. They’d discussed what they would do if they found Northman but none knew what they’d say to him. Cnut might well let him come back with Leofwine if he knew the truth, but Leofwine doubted that Northman would be happy to let it be common knowledge. The boy had as much pride as he did.
The clouds were touching the sea when they came upon Sandwich, but enough light remained that Leofwine could take in the huge size of Cnut’s ship army. It had been swelled by far more than just Eadric and Thorkell, and Leofwine knew that whatever happened here, on this day, in a matter of months England would be assaulted by the combined force of all these men. He swallowed thickly, and his action was noted by one of Cnut’s warriors.
“It is a stunning sight, no?” he asked admiringly as Leofwine nodded a little numbly. He saw the end of England as he knew it, and he didn’t know how he felt about it.
“How many men are you now?”
“Who knows, too many, enough, too few. Cnut is happy with his warriors and his commanders. Even your Englishman, Eadric, although I think Godwine is not as pleased.”
Leofwine doubted that Godwine would be enjoying Eadric’s presence at all. But he was welcome to him for now. Far better for Cnut to have to deal with the conniving bastard than the poor English king.
Cnut was sheltering within his acquired hall, surrounded by so many men along the top table that Leofwine barely had time to register all the faces. Some he recognised, Thorkell, Eadric, Erik and Godwine, some he thought he might remember and yet others he didn’t know at all.
