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  Sigtrygg was holding his side, “Where are you hurt?”

  “The bastard punched me with the shield. The point went into my shoulder!”

  “Get back to the ship. Karl the Singer, strip these bodies and take their mail, helmets and armour to the ship.”

  Sigtrygg added, “Aye and their shields!”

  I hurried down the trail. The Moors had fought harder and better than the men of Constrasta. My decision not to raid their town was becoming better by the moment. “Get the donkeys to the knarr. Let us see if we can get them aboard.”

  Rurik said, “And if we cannot?”

  “Then kill them and we will have donkey meat to go with the boar!”

  I saw that the Franks were on their knees. No doubt they expected to be slain too. I surprised them, “And get these Franks aboard our ship. Take off their chains when they are aboard.”

  Chapter 7

  “I am Alain of Auxerre, lord. I would thank you for saving us from a life of slavery on a galley but I do not know what you intend. Your words suggest you are a Frank but your ship that you are a Viking. Which is it?”

  Bertrand snapped, “Having been rescued it behoves you to be a little less demanding in your questions!”

  Alain of Auxerre smiled, “Now you are a Frank! From your accent, I would say from the Cotentin! This is a curious mix. To answer you I would say that I have already worked out that you either mean to spare us or sell us in the Dyflin slave market. Can I say that both are preferable to what the Moors intended and so I am happy that I live?”

  “Peace Bertrand. You are right, Alain of Auxerre. Before I give you my judgment I would have you tell me your story. We have some time before we reach the sea and then you may have to row.” I smiled, “Not as a galley slave but to preserve all of our lives.”

  He nodded and smiled. “You are the most civilised Viking I have ever met. However, as the rest were trying to either kill me or take my manhood you did not have much to beat. We served Hugo of Lyons. He hired us to be his mounted horsemen. He seemed affable and he said the right things. We followed the Count of Orleans.” He shrugged, “We should have left them before we even reached the border. None of them knew that they were doing. Had the Moors had men waiting we would have been slaughtered as we crossed the border. Our lords and masters kept a poor watch on the camp and it was only by luck that we reached the Caliphate intact. Then it became worse. They did not advance and allowed the Moors to bring a great army to meet us.”

  “But surely you had Frankish horsemen! They could beat the Moors.” Bertrand thought his former people were being criticised.

  “You would think so but the Moors used archers both mounted and on foot. They made the sky dark. Lord Hugo decided, after half a day of enduring arrows, that he would redeem the honour of the Imperial army. He led us and his oathsworn in a charge towards the heart of the enemy.”

  “He was, at least, brave then?”

  Alain of Auxerre and his men laughed. “We wore no mail and so he sent us first saying that we would draw the sting and would travel faster because we had no mail to slow us down. He and those that wore mail would form the second wave.”

  I shook my head, “Surely he did not believe that?”

  “I doubt it. He saw this as a way to get closer to the enemy. We were expendable. He had hired thirty of us. The ones you see here are the only survivors. We were lucky. The Moors hit our horses and took us prisoner.” His face darkened. “I watched my young brother as he was gutted like a fish. He lay helpless on the ground. I could not save him. The Moors are butchers. I am glad you slaughtered them but my own people are worse. They withdrew to their camp and then slunk off home. It was as though we did not exist.”

  I saw my men looking in disbelief at the Frank’s words. Leaders did not abandon their men. The silence was broken by Siggi Far Sighted, “Captain, I see the sea!”

  “Take to your oars.”

  I nodded to the Franks. “If you would take an oar. We do not have far to sail. There is a beach north of here and we will feed you well. We will speak, Alain of Auxerre. I have heard your words.”

  The sea was strong enough to force us to row. I saw ‘Kara’ as she struggled to keep up with us. I hung a lighted brand soaked in seal oil from the steerboard rail to help Harold Fast Sailing stay in touch with us. It was almost dark as we anchored off the beach we had used just two nights earlier. Gunnar Stone Face was keen to cook the boar and the two donkeys we had been forced to slaughter. Although we had no wine left we still had two barrels of beer we had not broached. We opened them.

  Alain and his Franks busied themselves gathering wood from the beach. I decided that if they ran off I would not pursue them. I felt sorry for them. I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew who their lord was but I said nothing. The food was tasty and all the more welcome for the time we had gone without food. After the beer, we lay on the beach; we were replete.

  Alain of Auxerre was speaking with his men. He strode over to me, “Well, lord. Have you made up your mind yet? We have enjoyed your food and your ale but now we wish to know our fate. We are resigned to whatever you decide.”

  I nodded. I looked around at my men’s faces. I had served with them long enough to know their thoughts. They reflected mine. There was only Bertrand who appeared to be a mystery. “No, Alain of Auxerre, we will not be selling you into slavery.”

  My men erupted and banged dagger handles on stones.

  I shook my head. “You are brave men and have been ill served by your leaders. That should not happen. I give you two choices. “We are sailing to the Cotentin and I can land you at Ċiriċeburh if you wish. There is a new lord there. However, if you wish I can offer you a place in my warrior hall at our home, Haugr. We have horses and we would welcome Franks who have your courage. It is your choice. If you choose Ċiriċeburh I will not be offended. Many men would choose their own people.”

  “That is a kind offer, lord, and I am surprised. We would speak amongst ourselves for we are of one company.”

  “Of course.”

  Bertrand came over to me and said, quietly, “Do we need these mercenaries, lord?”

  I took him to one side. “Have they offended you, Bertrand? Their story spoke of honour.”

  “I know not but…” he shook his head, “I know not.”

  “They will not replace you, Bertrand. You were the first Frank to join our band and that can never be undone.”

  He nodded and bowed his head. I think I had shown him why he thought as he did.

  Alain stood, “We have spoken, lord. We would join you. However, my men have never fought for a Viking before. Do you pay us as hired swords?”

  My men laughed and Rurik One Ear said, “You can swear an oath to the jarl if you wish but we all share in what we can take. If the clan is successful, then we all benefit.”

  I nodded, “I would make you captain of my horsemen.”

  “Then we are happy! What is the name of the clan?”

  “We are the clan of the horsemen. You join a unique band of warriors.”

  Now that they were part of us my men treated them differently. They came over to speak with them and to discover more about them. We had taken others into our clan before, Bertrand was one example as were Brigid, Mary and the others. The difference was that these were men grown, and warriors. There was a difference.

  Alain came to speak with me. Bertrand and Gilles made to move away. Mindful of Bertrand’s attitude I said, “You two stay. You are as close as hearth-weru to me. I would have you listen.”

  “Do we call you lord or jarl?”

  I shrugged, “It matters not to me. Gilles and Bertrand call me lord but my men, jarl. It means the same and there is respect in the title which does me honour.”

  He nodded, “We are Christians.” He said it as a statement. “But I suspect you know that. I do not think that you are Christians.”

  “Bertrand is and many of our women are. We have a church at home. However, you are the fir
st warriors who are Christians and I would ask you, to get a clear answer, does your religion make you poorer warriors?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Your White Christ tells you to love your fellow man and to turn the other cheek. We are Vikings and if you strike us then you had better have somewhere safe to hide for we will find you and kill you.”

  He laughed, “I like you, lord! You are honest and I have not met that quality in the lords I have served before. When I fight, I aim to win. If you order me to take prisoners, then I will. If not, then they will die. The men we fight will be trying to kill me. I will not let that happen.”

  I was relieved. I had often wondered at the resolve of Christian warriors. In my experience, they became weaker when they followed the cross. “And your men are the same?”

  “More so since we lost so many of our friends.”

  The next day I had Arne Four Toes rearrange the oars. We spread out the new men to permanent positions. We also taught them a chant. It helped make us one crew. Karl the Singer chose the one about me. We had not used it for some time. Siggi White Hair’s death had made his death song our chant of choice. Now he began the one which told my story. It had changed a little since it had first been written. As with all songs and sagas it grew as time went on.

  The horseman came through darkest night

  He rode towards the dawning light

  With fiery steed and thrusting spear

  Hrolf the Horseman brought great fear

  Slaughtering all he breached their line

  Of warriors slain there were nine

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  With mighty axe Black Teeth stood

  Angry and filled with hot blood

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  Ice cold Hrolf with Heart of Ice

  Swung his arm and made it slice

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  In two strokes the Jarl was felled

  Hrolf's sword nobly held

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  The clan all cheered the horseman’s skill

  Black Teeth was a jarl whom Hrolf did kill

  His place in the clan was now assured

  Him, his horse and his powerful sword

  Hrolf the Horseman with Heart of Ice

  Hrolf the Horseman with Heart of Ice

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  Hrolf the Horseman with Heart of Ice

  Hrolf the Horseman with Heart of Ice

  Hrolf the Horseman with gleaming blade

  Hrolf the Horseman all enemies slayed

  When Sven gave the order to cease rowing I saw the new warriors asking my older crew about the events which had prompted the saga. My actions spoke more than the words of the chant. They told of our resolve. Odds meant nothing to us. It took another day and a night to beat up the coast to our home. The knarr held us up but I knew that it would be worth it for she was heavily laden with many goods. As we passed Ċiriċeburh I stood with Alain at the steerboard side. I pointed to that recently rebuilt stronghold. “You have not yet sworn an oath to me. If you and your men choose not to, then that is the nearest Frank town to us. If you choose not to follow me then I will have my men take you there.”

  He smiled, “I know not what you think of us yet, lord, but I can tell you now that once we give our word we do not break it. We are warriors and not fickle Frankish lords who seek power and land.” I nodded, “We come to you, however, without weapons and without armour.”

  “I know. We have mail we took from the Moors. We have been successful and our blacksmith, Bagsecg Bagsecgson, has the helmets and mail we took from our enemies. You are welcome to that.” I drew my sword. “This is Heart of Ice and was made by Bagsecg’s father. Bagsecg is his father’s equal. If the weapon you have is not good enough for you then, for a price, he will make you another.”

  I handed the blade to the Frank. “This is a good weapon. It is well balanced and the blade looks well made.”

  “It will not bend and it keeps its edge longer than most. I know not the secret of the steel but our smith does.”

  Arne Four Toes had joined us. “Jarl I have been thinking of these new warriors. Will they fight in the shield wall?”

  It was a good question. “I suspect they will have to. That will be your task, Arne, to teach them and they can teach you and the others how to be horsemen and fight from the back of a horse as I do.”

  “You fight from the back of horses?” Alain of Auxerre’s voice was filled with surprise.

  “Were you not listening to the chant? Why do you think I am called Hrolf the Horseman? We have surprised your countrymen many times when we have done so. We are a new kind of Viking. Your coming was wyrd.”

  “Wyrd?”

  “It was meant to be. The spirits have decided this.”

  “Like fate.”

  I shrugged, “It may be but wyrd is the word we use. You will have to learn of our customs and our beliefs. You do not need to believe them but you need to understand them for they make us what we are.”

  We had just turned south and Rurik had joined us. He had heard the last part of the conversation, “I cannot wait for them to meet Jarl Dragonheart and his Ulfheonar.”

  “Ulfheonar?”

  “Wolf warriors. Many men believe they are men who change into wolves. I fought alongside them and I can tell you that they are men but not normal men. These are the finest warriors I have ever met.”

  Rurik nodded, “Aye they can appear and disappear in the night. They are the deadliest of killers. If they fight an enemy, they can fight many times their number. Aye, Alain of Auxerre, if you meet Ulfheonar I hope that they are on your side. If not, then you will be a dead man walking.”

  I was not certain if Alain believed Rurik’s words but over the next months he and his men heard the story so many times that I think the truth of it sank in.

  There was great rejoicing at our return. The booty we brought was most welcome. My men gave the pots, linens, combs, needles, bowls and other such gifts to women who rewarded them with smiles, hugs and kisses. It was only when the knarr and the drekar were emptied that we realised what we had. The donkeys had been carrying the greatest prizes. They contained much treasure taken from the Franks after the battles. We found coins with King Louis and his father, Charlemagne, upon them. We also found spices too. They were more valuable than the gold and we would not trade them. They were shared out amongst all the families. The donkeys which had survived were kept for use in the Haugr and to carry goods from the jetty to the halls of my stronghold.

  As soon as we had eaten I gathered the new warriors around me. The rest of the clan formed a circle around them. “Today we have eight new warriors who will be joining us. They are going to swear an oath. This will not be the blood oath of a hearth-weru. It will be an oath to defend me and the clan. When they tire of us,” I smiled, “then they can ask to be released from that oath. We hold no prisoners here in the Haugr.” I took out my sword. “This sword has the cross of your White Christ within it. I ask you to swear on this sword. It is a symbol of our people.”

  They each came in turn, knelt, held the sword by the blade and swore their oath. Alain of Auxerre and Theobald the Fair held it so tightly that it cut their palms. That pleased my warriors. The gods had made it a blood oath. Even the two Franks recognised the significance of the blood. It was a warm night and they celebrated by drinking at Brigid’s ale house and then sleeping under the stars. I paid for the ale. We had profited greatly from our raid.

  That evening as I sat with Mary and my son I could see that she was pleased. “When you said that you were going raiding again, my husband, I thought it unnecessary. T
his day has proved me wrong. I have never seen the women so happy. The men all returned home and the wounds they suffered will heal. The new men are Christians and that is good. It was a Christian thing you did. I am proud of you my husband.”

  “You mean Vikings cannot be kind? I thought you, of all people, would have seen the kindness of Vikings.”

  She smiled, “I will not argue with you husband and spoil the moment. I will say that the clan are happy. When you were away I took it upon myself to visit with the families and to speak with the matriarch in each home. They approve of all that you have done. I know not how you manage to do so for you were low born. Perhaps it is in your nature.”

  I laughed, “No, I am not insulted, my love. I know you mean no offence.” I kissed her. “Tomorrow I will take new men to show them our land.”

  “Where will they live?”

  “They can build their own home. Our slaves will help.”

  “Good.”

  The first thing I did was to take my new men and let them choose their own horses. They looked enviously at my three favourites, Dream Strider, Copper and Night Star. They were the only ones I would not let them have. They chose the three we had taken from Jean of Caen’s son and the next largest horses. They each picked a helmet with a nasal from those which Bagsecg had not melted down and they wore the mail shirts. Although they picked a sword each they asked Bagsecg the price of a newly made one.

  He smiled as he told them the price. “Do not worry about the price. When you raid with the jarl you will make more than enough coin.” He swept a hand around the stronghold. “Look at what the warriors wear. They have golden horses about their necks. Their swords are well made and few of the older warriors wear second hand armour. They pay me for mail such as the jarl wears. Be patient.”