Housecarl (10 page)

We did so and I felt the man in
front start to move backwards onto me. I gritted my teeth and
pushed down with my doughty ash staff and flexed my legs to take
the pressure.  I felt sure that we would be pushed back and
wondered what punishment that would entail and then I felt Ridley’s
shield move forwards and I pushed a little harder too. 
Suddenly Wolf was pushing with me and I heard Osgar shout, ”That’s
it keep going! We have them!” Soon we were walking forwards again
and then just as suddenly we were running for we had broken
them.”

It must have been a momentous
event for there was much backslapping, especially of the three new
ones. “Why are they so happy?”

“Sweyn had the best warriors
against us.  That is the first time he has lost.”

Ridley looked terrified, “We
won’t be punished will we?”

In answer Sweyn strode up to us.
“Well done! Perhaps I should make all my warriors run the
gauntlet.  Do that in battle and you will soon be in the front
rank.”

As we walked back to the hall
every bruise and cut was forgotten as the three of us relived every
push and shove of the afternoon and, more importantly, we listened
to our new comrades striding alongside us as fellow warriors. The
trip, the fall and the gauntlet were forgotten for we had shown
them that we could be warriors.

The next morning Harold took
most of the Housecarls with him to visit the King in London. As
uncle was not with him I assumed it was to tell the king of his
impending attack on the Welsh for the Earl could not act without
the king’s permission and we all knew that King Edward did not like
war of any kind.  Harold was the most charismatic and charming
of men and if anyone could bring off that feat then it would be
him. The newer members of the Housecarls were left with Ulf to
continue their training and Aethelward came to watch. When we were
told to bring our axes I was excited. Ever since I had acquired my
weapon I had been desperate to use it.

There were just six of us who
were new but I only knew Wolf and Ridley. As I looked down the line
I felt a sense of pride for my axe was the most beautiful one on
show.  The others looked to be useful and functional but mine
had delicate filigree etchings along the blade and the haft had
runes carved upon it. Ulf had told me that the weapon had come from
a Dane and the tunes were pagan symbols.  I did not care about
the pagan runes for it was a most beautiful weapon.

“You may have handled an axe
before.” He looked mockingly at Ridley, “Probably cut down the odd
tree or two.” Everyone laughed, Ridley included; he took Ulf’s
mocking as he knew that the warrior had his best interests at
heart.  Ridley now modelled himself on the older warrior
emulating the way he walked, sat and even drank. A tiny part of me
was resentful that I was no longer the object of Ridley’s attention
but I knew that we were now part of a whole. “The thing about a
tree is it doesn’t move and it does try to kill you.  When you
cut down a tree you are alone and have room to swing. You will be
in a shield wall and there will be men all around you.  The
enemy will be doing their best to kill you. Sling your shield
around your back and take you axe in your right hand and hold it to
the side.” We found we had to move to avoid touching the man next
to us. “For this particular part of the training we will ignore the
shield wall until you have perfected the technique.” When he was
satisfied with our positioning he faced us and took his axe in two
hands.  One hand was half way along the axe whilst the other
held the end. He began to swing and spoke as he did so. “You need
to build up a rhythm and swing the axe in loops before your
face.  Just begin to swing to get the feeling of the axe. As
you swing slide your hand until they are both at the end and use
the full extent of your arms.”,

He came to look down the line
and we continued to swing. It felt remarkably easy and I waited for
him to tell us to stop. He didn’t and I began to feel my arms tire.
Ridley and I knew Ulf and his looks.  We both recognised the
sardonic smile which was Ulf’s cruel side.  He would not tell
us to stop; he would wait until we tired and then make some
disparaging comment. As the muscles in my arms burned I shut my
mind to the pain and continued to swing.  I sensed, rather
than saw, the others lower their weapons until only two us were
left swinging our weapons. The astounding thing was we were both in
time and the blades hummed along together, sweeping the air before
us.  Even with the pain I could see that it would take a brave
man to advance towards me.  At the same time my mind saw the
weakness, if I had my spear which I had named Dragon Tamer in
honour of the Welsh dragon, I could have stabbed through the swing
and killed the axe man.  I stored that information away for
some future battle.

Eventually Ulf smiled, nodded to
us and said, “Halt!” He came to pat the two of us on our
shoulders.  “Four of you would now be dead and these two would
be the sole survivors of the shield wall. You stop swinging when
your enemies are dead or fled.”

Wolf gasped, “But my arms
ached!”

Aethelward’s laugh came from
behind us.  “Then you need to build up your muscles so that
they ache less and fight through the pain.” He stood next to me.
“Did you arms burn?”

“Like dragon’s fire.”

“And yet you continued. 
Why?”

“We had not been told to stop.”
He shrugged and walked away.

Ulf faced us again. “Notice that
Aelfraed and Ridley swung their axes together.  That is our
next exercise.” The others groaned but Ridley and I gritted our
teeth.  We wanted to be Housecarls and if that mean some pain
then so be it.  We would not let our mentors down.

By the time night fell we were
exhausted but we could stand in line, shoulder to shoulder and
swing our axes in perfect unison.  I did wonder about the
differences we would have in the real shield wall for although Wolf
and Ridley stood next to me they had others next to them who were
different heights with weapons of different lengths.

That evening after we had
cleaned and polished our weapons and armour, we sat in the empty
hall with Ulf and Aethelward asking them questions of the battles
they had fought and the role of the shield wall. I asked about the
wedge formation. “That is the one you have trained for the most. It
is the one we use when we go for a victory. If it is the whole army
then you would be in the seventh rank and behind you would be the
other warriors, the ones who are not Housecarls. When we fight like
that we normally face another wedge and it is a killing ground.
Most of the time you will be in two ranks for defence.  You
six are newer warriors and you will be in the second rank. 
When the others return we will have to practise that tactic.”

One of the other recruits
snorted, “That sounds much easier just standing behind a man.”

Ulf shook his head, “I said we
would fight in two ranks but you, in the second rank, use your
shield to protect you and the man in the front rank for when we are
in two ranks the enemy will use his arrows and javelins.  Your
shield has to protect two of you. When we are in two ranks the
enemy may use a wedge.  Suppose you are in the second rank
when the point of the wedge comes to you.  Sixty men trying to
get beyond you and into the fyrd.  What then?” The fyrd were
the peasants who would be armed with whatever they could get their
hands on. They would be useful when clearing a field but we knew
that it was we the warriors who would win or lose the day.

There was a silence as we drank
our ale and watched the flames of the fire dance red and blue. When
uncle spoke, even though his voice was quiet we jumped.  “And
then there is the boar’s snout.”

I had never heard this before.
“Boar’s snout.”

“Aye Aelfraed.  It is a
Danish tactic.  They have two wedges together so that they
look like the snout of a boar. They wrap around a shield
wall.  The middle gets sucked in and before you know it you
are surrounded and cut to pieces.  The shield wall only works
when it is solid.  If it is breached or not continuous then it
breaks.  It is the contact of the warriors and their shields
and continuity of the line which sees us through. You may have to
fight and stand although wounded.  I have seen dead men
supported in a shield wall, doing their duty beyond death.”

With that sobering thought in
our heads we found our beds but my night was filled with
dreams.  Since Saint Asaph I had dreamt each night.  I
did not understand the dreams but knew that they had a meaning.
That night I dreamt we were in a shield wall and a dragon attacked
us.  His flames destroyed the rank in front of me and it was
left to Wolf, Ridley and me to fight it.  I awoke just before
I was consumed by his fiery teeth. I wondered if I should speak of
this to Aethelward but I did not want to feel foolish.  Since
our arrival in Winchester I had seen how important he was and my
strange dreams were not.

By the time the Earl arrived
with the rest of the Housecarls the six new recruits felt a bond
and strength through having worked together so ardently.  We
looked forwards to the return of our comrades for we were keen to
impress.  However training ceased when the Earl returned for
we had news from Northumbria. King Malcolm had begun raiding the
border lands near the Tweed and there was much debate about the
action we ought to take.  It was then that I saw the wisdom of
Harold for many of the Thegns urged him to join his brother and
fight Malcolm who had been supported by King Edward when he was in
exile.  The Housecarls felt that the Scottish king had shown
treachery to bite the hand which had protected him. Harold had let
them shout their arguments and counter arguments and then
stood.  He was afforded total silence.

“If we march north, through the
winter and join our brother then that will lay open all of our
heartlands to the avaricious and treacherous Welsh.  We know
that Aedgar of Mercia supports Gruffyd and we could defeat the
Scots only to find our land in the south has been taken from
us.  I have confidence in my brother Tostig and the doughty
Northumbrians.” He looked at me and nodded and I felt like a giant.
This was also the first time that the Housecarls had a real
intimation of the campaign in the spring.  I knew the details
of course but the rest now wondered when we would go north and the
debate now began about Aedgar of Mercia and his treachery.

Harold came over to join
Aethelward, Sweyn, Ulf and myself.  I did not wonder then why
I was included and allowed to be with such important men. I would
discover that much later. Ridley and Wolf were with some of the
other younger warriors engaged in drinking and arm wrestling
contests.  Not for them debate and discussion, they yearned
for action.

“The King will be here for
Christmas and he has told me then if he will support our
campaign.”

“The longer we debate the more
likelihood there is that Gruffyd will learn of our plan and
forestall us with a premature attack.”

“That is why I have decided to
send you two with half my Housecarls north to the crossing of the
Severn to watch for him.  You can also keep an eye on
Aedgar.”

I could barely contain my
excitement.  I was to be in the vanguard of the army. My uncle
poured cold water on that excitement.”With thirty warriors we can
do little but hold them up for a short time.  It would be a
waste of fine Housecarls.”

“You will not only have merely
Housecarls.  I am giving you fifty horsemen and fifty
archers.  You will have a formidable force.”

Aethelward considered this. “And
who will command?”

“Why you of course!”

“Aethelward the lame eh?”

“Do not put yourself down old
friend.  You are not there as a warrior but a general and
there is no one better suited is that not right Ulf?”

Sweyn answered for him.
“Aethelward I would follow you as would any of the
Housecarls.  Your reputation speaks for you.”

He shook his head and looked at
me.  “This is how flattery works nephew.  They send you
to freeze your arse off in the borderlands and make you think they
have done you a favour!” The others laughed at this and slapped him
on the back; he had, of course, accepted the role.

I could not, of course, tell the
others what I knew.  I was in a privileged position and I did
not wish to put that in jeopardy but I was bursting to tell them.
What I did do was to use my first pay as a Housecarl to buy things
which I knew I would need. I went to the markets and bought some
oil, it was expensive but I knew that in the damp borderland my
armour would need protection from rust. I also bought a wolf skin
which, again, cost me much money but which would protect me from
the cold. I also spent money buying pieces of leather of varying
sizes for I knew that there would be no farrier to repair any
damage to my gear. I was desperate to ask Aethelward more but he
was busy for the next few days with Harold planning and meeting
with his leaders.

All preparations ceased when the
King and his retinue arrived. We had been told to present ourselves
fully armed for his arrival and I could not wait.  My armour
and helmet gleamed.  My shield shone and with my spear and my
axe I felt like Beowulf himself. We were line up in two ranks
before the cathedral with Earl Harold and Sweyn at our head. 
Aethelward was not there and I wondered at his omission. The King
was disappointing.  He wore neither armour nor crown.  He
looked more like Brother Aidan than Gruffyd.  I was, however,
impressed by his retinue for they were ten Norman knights. 
Each one had mail covering their whole body, including their
legs.  They each had a kite shield and a pointed helmet with a
nasal. The effect was chilling as no human features could be
discerned. There was no flesh to be seen; it was as though they had
been made by some blacksmith.  Lastly their lances seemed much
longer than the spears we had and I wondered how one would fight
them.  When Ap Iago had chased us they had neither spear nor
lance and were easily despatched.  These warriors would need a
different approach.  I determined to ask Aethelward what his
thoughts were but at that moment I stood proudly with my peers
hoping that we were making the same impression on the Normans as
they had made on me.