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  As I led my horsemen in their daily patrol I spoke of this to Alain. “When we have to fight, Alain of Auxerre, then you will have to lead my horsemen.”

  “But you are a good horseman, lord!”

  “There are too few of us to determine a battle. It will be the shield wall which decides if we win or lose.”

  “But there will be just ten of us! How can we make a difference?”

  “I have thought of that. There will be some of the younger warriors who can be trained to be horsemen. In time, they will be your warriors. They can dress as you do. However, for the moment, you are our only mounted force. Now that you wear a mail shirt then you can face the enemy Leudes and their oathsworn.”

  “They will outnumber us.”

  “Remember I told you of the Ulfheonar? They fight together. If the ten of you rode closely together as we do on foot, in a wedge, then you would have the protection of each other’s shields. You should practice riding boot to boot. You could punch your way through them. You said yourself that your lord, Hugo, fled when he was threatened. If the lord goes then his warriors follow.”

  He nodded, “Perhaps, lord but that would take much practice and we would not be able to ride as quickly.”

  “Arriving together is more important than speed and we have much time to practice. We will patrol in the mornings and you can practice in the afternoon.”

  “Will the two enemy lords give you time?”

  “Perhaps. We have a horn which we can use to summon my farmers to my walls but it is we who will look for signs of an enemy who is preparing to go to war. That is why we ride our borders. Our land is not so big that we cannot cover it all in less than half a day.” I pointed to the ground. “We know our own tracks. If there are the tracks of other horses, then our neighbours are scouting our defences.”

  For seven days we rode and saw nothing. Those seven days gave my men the opportunity to practice. Sometimes I joined in. At other times I was busy with my duties as jarl. We were a peaceful community but disputes inevitably arose and, even though I was young, they were brought to me. I was lucky in that the women were happy for Mary to arbitrate between them. Their rows and disagreements were, potentially more damaging. The Raven Wing Clan had been destroyed because of the arguments between women. The fact that Mary was with child and growing larger by the day seemed to help for it put the women’s arguments into perspective. Many of the women were with child. The long winter and the needs of my men had ensured that we would grow. But, each day as I rode, I wondered when that peace and time of growing would be shattered by Frankish horsemen.

  As Heyannir approached I began to worry more about our enemies. Would they wait until their own harvest was in before they struck at us or would they wait until they had their grain harvested too?

  Ragnvald had grown. Each time I had gone training I had returned to see a different child to the one I had left. He had long been able to both walk and talk. He was a quiet boy but thoughtful. His eyes stared and studied everything around him. When I took him, across my saddle, to visit Rurik, his mother looked as though she was going to object. Then, when a pain in her back made her want to sit down, she relented.

  “Come Gilles, we will visit Rurik.”

  “Do you wish us to come with you, lord?”

  “No, Alain. I wish you to continue to train the men to ride in close formation. Bertrand can help.” Bertrand had still not accepted the new men. I hoped that by leaving him there he might grow closer to them. I needed all of my men to be as one.

  It had been some time since I had ridden alone with Gilles. I missed those days on Raven Wing Island when we rode together without a care in the world. Now I had the clan to worry about. Ragnvald enjoyed riding with me. He giggled and laughed as we rode south. Gilles had something to say and he waited until we were some way from the walls before he said, “Jarl I have something to ask.”

  “Ask away, Gilles. You know me better than any save my wife. There are no secrets between us.”

  “How old is Bagsecg’s daughter?”

  “Baugheiðr?”

  “Yes, jarl.”

  “I think she has seen thirteen of fourteen summers. Why?”

  “I think she likes me.”

  “And?”

  “And I thought to take her to my wife.”

  “She is Bagsecg’s eldest child. He may not wish her to be wed. Some men like to hold on to their daughters.”

  “I spent a long time living among the Franks. I am not certain of all of the customs. What do I do if I wish to marry her? There have been few marriages to the girls of the clan.”

  “That is because most of them are too young yet for marriage. The custom is simple. You go to Bagsecg and ask him for his daughter’s hand. She likes you?”

  “I think so. We have spoken. She laughs when she is with me and she is gentle with the foals.”

  “Make sure it is not the horses which she likes. The winter nights are long. Make sure it is a woman who wishes to be with you.”

  He nodded, “I am sure. If that is all I have to do, then I will seek her father’s permission.”

  “He is a good man but he will want the best for Baugheiðr. Any father would and she is a hard-working girl. She worked, with her mother, at her father’s forge until the boys were old enough to help.” He nodded. I watched him as he put his mind to the words he would use. I smiled. I had not had to do that. I knew that this was a good thing. We had had warriors who had taken Frankish women but this would be the first time it was the other way around. It was wyrd.

  Rurik’s wife was busy with their screaming infant, Hrolf. Rurik laughed, “It is good that I only have one ear! I can always turn my deaf side to his screams but he has a fine set of lungs on him. He will let his enemies know he is on the battlefield.”

  While Gilles watered our horses, I walked with him to the farm of Finni Jarlson. He had been making stakes and he stopped his work to join us. “Has there been any sign of Franks?”

  “We have seen none.” Rurik pointed to the sea. “We have seen a couple of their ships. They were not carrying cargo alone for they had men with helmets aboard.”

  “That may be because of Fótr. If he is raiding the Orne, then they may be putting warriors aboard their ships.” I shook my head, “The trouble is that Charles Filjean and Hugo of Ċiriċeburh both present similar problems. They wish to harm us but I do not know if they have either the men or the skills to do so. This waiting is galling.”

  “We could attack one of them.”

  “That would be a waste of warriors. If we approached their walls they would hide behind them. We could take them but it would be at a cost. And if we did it might make the Leudes of Rouen take action.”

  “We have neighbours nearby who can help us.”

  “Perhaps. If this was a year hence then I might be happier but Fótr has taken much on. I hope his venture succeeds but we know the dangers this land present. For the present we will keep watch but I have a mind to visit with Fótr and see how he fares. From what he said he is not far away.”

  Rurik nodded, “That would make sense.”

  “However, if I did then you two would have a great responsibility upon your shoulders. You would have to be our eyes and ears here in the south.”

  Rurik laughed, “Then I can only do half the job. Do not worry, jarl. We will watch. We both have families. We have dogs who bark at the approach of any who is not of the clan. They are as belligerent as Nipper. But I beg you to be careful. Take men with you. The land between the Orne and here is Frankland!”

  I decided, as we rode back, to let the weather determine my decision. If the weather changed and became inclement then I would travel for that would make it unlikely that the Franks would attack. I did warn Mary that I might take the journey. “It is not a short journey husband. My father rode the land for many years. As I recall it is seventy Roman miles or more. Why not take a ship? It will be quicker.”

  “I have thought of that but Harold Fa
st Sailing and Sven had planned on taking the knarr to Dorestad. We need new canvas for both the drekar and the knarr. It is better to buy them now before we need them. I will ride. The journey will be two days there and two days back. If we stay one day, then it will just be a five-day absence.” I pointed to the clear blue skies. “Besides the weather is so fine that I cannot see me making the visit at all.”

  “You are all so superstitious!”

  “And you are not? You will not have thirteen around the table for that is unlucky!”

  She frowned, “Oh be away with you!”

  I had won but she had the last word. That was her way.

  Two days later we were woken by a storm so fierce that poor Mary and Ragnvald were terrified. There was thunder and there was lightning. I cuddled my son, “Fear not, it is Thor and he is making weapons at his forge. He will not hurt us for we are of his people.”

  Mary rolled her eyes. Her religion had no answer to the natural world. They just prayed that their god would protect them.

  Of course, it meant that we could travel south. I spoke with Alain before I left. “Keep up your patrols. I should be away for no more than five days.”

  “We could come with you, lord. You are traveling in dangerous lands.”

  “I will be safe and I need you to keep a good watch. I think that the roads will be too difficult for large numbers of men to travel them but we will be vigilant. I will return.”

  Chapter 9

  The road which headed south from Rurik’s farm was well-made but the rains made it less pleasant to travel. The surface was slick. The moss which had sprouted was slippery. I was happy that I had chosen Dream Strider as my horse. He bore the hardships of the road well. Although it was not raining, the skies were heavy with black clouds and there was an unnatural heat to the air. The storms would return. I had planned on making fifty miles a day. I would have to revise that target. I doubted that we would be able to get more than forty miles from my home before we needed to make camp.

  To keep up my two companion’s spirits I kept up a conversation. “Bertrand, have you travelled these roads before?”

  He shook his head. “When we pass Sébeville that will be as far south as I have been.”

  “And what is there?”

  “A couple of farms. I went there with my lord to pick up some horses. They used to breed them there.”

  “Used to?”

  “A lord from further west came and took the horses. He said the farmer owed him money. He did not but he took them anyway. If you have no horses to breed, then you cannot be a horse breeder. Now I do not know who we will find there.”

  We found no one. We found the buildings, now derelict and decayed, but we saw no sign of people. A few fowl had taken to the trees and were the only living reminder of a people who had once lived here. Even with the covering of mud and the lack of life I saw that this could be a fine place to raise horses. The sea was close by and the land was cleared for farming. We were just ten miles or so from Rurik’s farm. If families came looking for land, then this would be a good place to start. As we headed further away from my home I began to plan how we might make it safe. With no natural hills then we would have to make our own hills. Rurik has shown what could be done but it had needed many hands to make it work. Such a construction would mean hard work and much digging but my people did not shy away from such things.

  The rain started in the afternoon. There was no thunder with it but it was a relentless rain. When we spied the deserted, crudely built hut on the exposed cliff overlooking the sea we took shelter there. It lay in a small dell and there was a spring nearby. I wondered why on earth anyone would have chosen such a place. The hut looked barely big enough for one man. We discovered why it was so small when we entered. There was a body inside. It was long dead. The flesh had almost disappeared. I shuddered as I thought of the animals which have taken the flesh. There was a corona of hair. The body was slumped over a table as though death had come suddenly. There was a wooden drinking vessel nearby. He must have had a drink and then died. Gilles and Bertrand recoiled.

  “He is dead and he cannot hurt us for we did him no harm. We will bury him and then his spirit will thank us by guarding our sleep. Go and prepare a shallow grave. There are stones aplenty to cover him with.”

  I wanted them to have work to do in order to take their mind from the dead body. There were still small areas of flesh and a little hair on the body. From the garments and the hair line I could tell that it was a priest. It looked to be the kind the Christians called a monk. His habit was a rough brown material. Around his neck, he had a wooden cross. His belongings appeared to be a bowl for his food and a wooden spoon. There was no food to be seen and I wondered if he had starved to death. Mary had told me of such men. They lived alone just praying to their god. I could not see the point myself but then I did not understand their religion at all.

  Bertrand came back in. “We have scraped a grave. It is shallow for there is stone close to the surface.”

  “Give me a hand with him. Carry him by his clothes. It will be easier.”

  We took him out and laid him in the grave. Once his body was covered with the stones I saw relief on the faces of my two young warriors. We piled turf on the top for that was what we did to our dead. “Whoever you were, priest, I hope that your spirit finds sanctuary. Remember that we were the ones who cared for your body and watch over us this night. We mean you no harm.” I turned to the two of them. “Come, let us make ourselves comfortable.”

  “You would sleep here this night?”

  “It is dry and there will be rain. Aye I would. And it is big enough for the horses. Bring them in and I will get a fire going. It will be more cheerful with a fire. Gilles, break out the food and the ale. I am hungry.”

  The rain began to fall not long after we had buried the priest. My people would have said it was the heavens weeping. The rain battered on the roof. The fire we had made it cosy. We ate and we drank from our rations. A day’s hard riding made me sleepy and I would have rolled into my cloak immediately and slept but Bertrand asked, “What happened to him, do you think?”

  “There is little food here. His habit was old and thin. I am guessing he was old and that he either starved to death or death took him because it was his time.” I shrugged, “Few of our people ever get to that stage but I have heard of it happening.”

  “It must be hard to die alone.”

  “That is what I do not understand about these priests of the White Christ. They choose not to have women and a family. It means they will die alone.” I looked at Gilles, “Did you speak with Bagsecg?”

  He smiled, “I did. You were right he was not happy to let his daughter be married. He said if it was any other than me then he would have refused. He asked what you had said and when I told him that you approved then he said he would not go against your wishes. He told me that my dowry would be a fine sword so that I could protect his daughter.”

  “And no man has ever had a finer dowry. This is good. When will you be wed?”

  “Tvímánuður for that is when she will be fifteen summers old.”

  “And I will have Mary make you a fine suit of clothes so that you can do her honour.” As I turned over to sleep I heard the two of them talking about his new bride. I did not think it would be long before Bertrand took a similar leap of faith.

  The skies cleared briefly but more storm clouds lay to the north and west of us. I went to the cliff top and looked around. I could see why the priest had chosen this place. There was no access to the beach and the cliffs were steep. He would only have had sea birds for company. The ground meant it could not be farmed. I did not know the reason he had chosen to be alone but this had been as good a place as any to choose. I was happy to leave for it was a sad and lonely place. I preferred to be with my people. I already missed my wife and son. I could never be a priest.

  We kept to the road which passed between the sea and the land. It was sandier and therefore drier. We
made good time. As we approached the Orne I saw the wooden walls which Fótr had built as we neared his new home. It looked like he had done a good job. He had chosen a piece of high ground above what looked like both the sea and the river. I could just make out the masts of his drekar beyond the walls. Perhaps he would make a success of this venture.

  We were spied as we approached. Although we did not have my banner my armour and helmet were distinctive; not to mention the horse I rode. Few Vikings rode such a magnificent horse. The gates were opened and Folki was there to greet us. His arm was in a sling. He grinned when we dismounted, “Good to see you, jarl. My brother will be back this evening. He has taken most of the men raiding the land to the south and east. The sheep need shearing.”

  As he led us to the hall I asked, “What happened to you?”

  “A Frank with a long spear managed to penetrate my defence. He paid for the wound with his life but it is slow to heal. That is why I stay here at home. What brings you here? Have you brought news of our swords?”

  “They will be ready by the end of Tvímánuður. As for why I came, it was to see how you fared. I feel responsible for your being here and I would not sleep if anything unpleasant happened to you.”

  “Do not worry about us. The Franks we have fought do not even possess mail. They ride horses but they cannot breach our shield wall. We have scoured the land close by of all the Franks. As far as you can see is the land of the fox. Already we have sent a drekar back to Dyflin. My brother wants more men. He plans on attacking Caen after the winter. Soon he will have the land which is now owned by the Leudes!”

  I forced myself to bite back on the words which threatened to spill out. I did not want to upset the young brothers but Fótr was over reaching himself. The trouble was that there was no one to question what he was doing. I had Mary. Always supportive, she made me question my own decisions. It was a good way to be. I smiled, “Good, then may I beg the hospitality of beds for the night. I am anxious to speak with your brother. I think our two clans can help each other.”