Housecarl (14 page)

When we rode into Jorvik I was
excited.  I had only visited the place on a few occasions for
my brothers and father preferred to leave me at home with Nanna but
I knew that it was one of the most important cities in the land and
I was eager to show it off to my friends.  Ridley too was
excited but that was because the Earl had promised us that we could
visit Medelai once we had met his brother. I wondered at that for I
had assumed that we had been the escort of the Earl on the road for
his safety and that, once in Jorvik, then he would have been safe
with his brother. I did not speculate with the others for I had had
enough of Osgar’s scorn but it did make me keep my eyes and ears
open when I did view the meeting.

The people in Jorvik did not
look as prosperous as the inhabitants of Winchester. They all had
the lean and hungry look of an oppressed people and yet we
Northumbrians had freed them from the tyranny of the Danes; it
seemed strange to me. In contrast the Earl’s quarters were
magnificently furnished with fine tapestries and well made
furniture.  His guards and Thegns all looked to be well fed
and prosperous.  I kept looking for my brothers but I could
not see them.  Part of me was glad for I knew they would mock
me in some way but in another I was disappointed for I wished them
to see the warrior I had become.

Earl Tostig still looked sly
except now he was a more corpulent figure.  I was relieved
that he was pleased to see his brother and they embraced.  He
gave a curt nod to Aethelward and Ulf and I gathered that there was
little love lost between them. He glanced at us. “Is this all the
guard you brought?  I would have expected your retinue.”

“Why brother do I need the
protection of my retinue in your court?”

Earl Tostig rapidly shook his
head, always the mark of a liar.  “No brother it is just that
the road twixt here and Winchester is fraught with danger.”

“I came not from Winchester but
Wales and I needed no more than these for these are the warriors
who helped me to defeat Gruffyd of Wales.”

Tostig’s eyes filled with greed
and excitement. “You have defeated him.  He is captured? 
Dead perhaps?” It is said of Earl Tostig that the main difference
between him and his half brother was their attitude towards gold,
for Tostig loved it; for my part I disagree.  There was naught
that was similar in the two half brothers.

“No for he escaped but we have
his court and we have his crown.  He left rather rapidly.”

Tostig nodded and greedily
licked his lips as though his half brother had actually given him
the crown. He gestured to us.  “Come warriors drink with me
and I will celebrate your success.” He poured us goblets of wine
and I noticed that the goblets were made of fine metal. He looked
at me with a curious look.  “Don’t I know you?”

Aethelward spoke for the first
time. “It is Aelfraed, the son of Aethelgifu, my nephew.”

I caught the sharp look he threw
at Harold and wondered why he never said the son of Edwin of
Medelai, for he never did. “Ah I remember.  Your brothers are
my warriors now.  They will be returning soon from a campaign
against the Scots.”

“Malcolm Canmore still being
ungrateful brother?”

“He is. Since the proposed
marriage to Margaret broke down he has forgotten the refuge he had
with King Edward and last year raided Lindisfarne.  My
warriors have been ejecting him from the north. Now you will need
quarters.”

“Four of my warriors wish to
visit Medelai, we will only require rooms for three of us and then
we can discuss my plans.”

“Ah! Ever the thinker eh Harold
and will it be profitable?”

Harold wrinkled his nose as
though the thought was distasteful but, as the largest landowner in
England, he could hardly be surprised. “I think you may well profit
from it.”

I felt relieved to be heading
north with my three friends. Aethelward had pulled me to one side.
“Be careful what you say and do when you are at Medelai.”

“Why uncle what could I say that
would cause a problem?”

“Aelfraed have you not yet
learned to listen more than you speak.  You have a tongue
which runs away with itself and you are privy to more knowledge
than others, just think on that.”

As I had left him I knew that he
was angry but I could not, at the time work out why. It was
pleasant, however, to be riding through the Vale of Jorvik on that
fine autumn day.  We had left the spare horse in the stables
and carried only our swords and shields. The last thing we wished
was for people to think we were raiders. The farm looked small as
we trotted into the courtyard.  Ridley’s father, as Steward
came to greet us. I think he was genuinely touched by the change in
his son for he began to weep as he hugged him. He bowed slightly to
me, “Welcome Master Aelfraed.”

Uncle Aethelward was always
annoyed at the lack of respect shown to me by the Steward but, as I
had told him, he got that from the way I was treated by my father
and brothers. Now however I was no longer a boy, I was a man grown
and a warrior. “Thank you Oswin.  We are staying in Jorvik for
a while with Earl Tostig but Earl Harold has given us four days off
to visit here.” I scrutinised his face.  “That will not be a
problem will it?”

“Oh no, “he quickly answered,
your brothers are serving the earl and your father is… well he is
away on business.”

I had learned since I had been
away to recognise deception and obfuscation and I heard both in
Oswin’s words but I decided to ignore it for the while.

“Where is mother?”

Oswin’s voice darkened at his
son’s words. “She died last winter of a fever.”

Ridley looked as though someone
had struck him with an axe haft.  He almost fell and Osgar put
what Oswin should have done, a paternal arm around his shoulder.
“Why did you not tell your son?”

“He was not here to tell.” Oswin
almost spat the words out and I could feel the source of his
annoyance.  I had taken his son away and not left him to carry
on his father’s work.  The fact that Ridley had been ignored
as a child and was a born warrior appeared irrelevant.

“You could have written.”

“He does not read.”

“No but I do. “ I went closer to
Oswin and lowered my voice.  “This was badly done
Steward.  Where is she buried?”

He looked shaken for I had
deliberately towered over him and he was afraid.  “In the
churchyard. “

“We will visit the grave. 
When we return, I will expect food and for our quarters to be made
ready.  See to the horses.”

“Yes my lord.”

I turned and dismissed him with
my back. Wolf looked at me as though anew. “I did not know you were
a lord, Aelfraed.”

“I am not a lord, Wolf.  I
am a Housecarl.  I am one of you.”

After we had visited the grave
Ridley felt better and actually smiled. “Well master, I do not know
about you but I have now finished with Medelai.  There is
nothing more for me here.”

The others were surprised for it
was the longest statement they had heard him make. It was one of
those moments in life where you feel as close to someone as it is
possible for I felt the same.  I had not known that Ridley had
suffered as I had because we did not conform to the expectations
placed upon us.  His mother had been like my grandmother, my
Nanna and she had been his only connection to our home.  I
suddenly realised that I had no connection with it either. Once we
left this time we would never return. When we entered the hall
Oswin had ensured that we could not find fault with anything. I
think he resented having to defer to his son but I was in no mood
for any signs of irritation. We ate and drank well.

The next morning I decided that
we would go hunting and then return to Jorvik the following
day.  It had been made quite clear by Oswin that we were not
particularly welcome but I would not make life easy for him by
leaving prematurely. The forests near my home were teeming with
deer and wild boar and the four of us were excited. We rode to the
forest to the west and hobbled our horses. I had mocked Ridley when
he had insisted upon taking a spare horse for the kills. He took it
in good part because that day was unlike any others; it was four
friends enjoying life.  The battle of Rhuddlan had shown us
all how close we were to death when we fought in the shield
wall. 

There was a stream which cut
through the forest and Ridley and I had often watched the animals
gather to drink.  The small waterfall also afforded cover and
gave us the best chance of success.  I took Dragon Tamer with
me, mainly because I was not a good shot with arrows but my
companions took their bows.  I do not think any of us were
bothered about success on that day; it just felt good to be out in
the woods enjoying banter and not worrying about anything.

Ridley’s sharp eyes picked out
the herd of deer which were moving down through the trees towards
the stream.  The wind drifted from the stream bringing the
sound of the waterfall and the musky scent of the herd. Wolf and
Osgar went to his left and right while I waited behind Ridley. I
always admired Ridley for he was a consummate hunter; he had far
more patience than I did. He moved agonizingly slowly towards the
deer and the others followed his lead.  I watched as he
carefully placed each foot on the ground before moving
forwards.  The arrow was already notched, enabling him to take
a snatch shot should they be spooked. He drew to within twenty
paces and then drew back the arrow.  He had chosen a
magnificent buck. I could not see the other’s targets but I
prepared Dragon Tamer in case he fled towards us. Ridley’s arrow
was followed in swift succession by the other two.  Osgar had
aimed at the buck while Wolf had chosen a small hind.  The
herd panicked and galloped off in all directions.  The stag
staggered for a few paces but Ridley’s arrow had struck it behind
the eye.  Wolf’s blundered off in the undergrowth and I heard
him cursing.

“Now we will have to wander
through the forest looking for your poor hind.”

“She moved, just at the last
moment.”

Ridley shook his head and
admonished Wolf.  “A good hunter allows for that.” They had
already removed the arrows and so I cut them a stout branch to help
them carry the enormous beast. They ran the sharpened wooden stake
through his body and hefted it on to their shoulders.  They
were both strong men but it took some lifting.  Wolf and I
then followed the blood trail to find his injured animal. It did
not do to leave an animal wounded. The trail moved erratically from
left to right suggesting that the deer still had enough energy to
avoid the hunters.  It meant we moved far from the
river.  Eventually we smelled the animal and Wolf found where
it had expired.  He went to cut down a branch and I turned to
call the others.

“Halloo! Halloo! We have found
it.”

I heard their voices in
distance.  “We are coming.”

Just then I heard a snorting and
saw the bushes closer to Wolf move. I saw immediately that it was a
wild boar and knew that it would go straight for Wolf.  He had
obviously disturbed it when cutting his sapling.  His bow was
next to the deer and he only had  a dagger with which to
protect himself. I roared a challenge and then raced towards the
snorting, angry beast. It turned remarkably quickly to face the new
threat and I saw its tusks and its teeth.  It was a male and
it was angry.  I took Dragon Tamer and regretted not fitting a
bar behind the head.  Other Housecarls had done so as it
prevented the spear from becoming stuck in a body.  In this
situation it stopped the boar from eating your spear. I had seen
enough hunts to know that it would try to eviscerate me with his
sharp tusks and I knew he would be quick.  I would have one
chance to spear him before he was upon me. As he neared me I
dropped to one knee and rammed the butt of my spear into the bole
of a nearby tree.  It tried to turn its head from the wicked
spear head and when it did so I plunged the spear into the side of
its neck. It squealed in pain but still turned its head to try to
reach me.  As it pushed the butt slid back to the bole of the
tree and it was stuck. Wolf had dragged his dagger out and he leapt
astride the stricken animal and slit its throat. As it lay, pumping
its life blood on to the ground I nodded to Wolf.  “Thank
you.  That was good timing.”

Wolf shook his head.  “No
thank you Aelfraed for I would have been dead but for your
intervention. That was bravely done to face a charging boar.”

The other two had heard the
commotion and dropped their deer. Racing towards us they had seen
the culmination of the struggle.  Osgar cocked his head to one
side. “I think the gods have a better name for your spear,
Aelfraed.  I think it is Boar Splitter.”

When Ridley and Wolf nodded
their assent I spoke. Dragon Tamer sounded grand but I had not
tamed a dragon.  The gods of the hunt and the gods of combat
were wiser than I. “Boar Splitter it is.” From that day forth Boar
Splitter never let me down.  The haft never broke, the head
never moved.  That day in the woods, above Medelai, made me
just that little bit better as a warrior.

Ridley giving me a knowing look
as we slung the boar and the stag on the spare horse and I nodded,
“Yes Ridley you were right and I was wrong, we did need a spare
mount.”

He turned to the others, “Make a
note of that. It is the first time that Master Aelfraed has
admitted to a mistake.  This is indeed a glorious moment.”

I could not get Ridley out of
the habit of calling me master but Wolf and Osgar did not seem to
notice.  Wolf slung his small hind over the neck of his mount
and we headed east. As we had more weight on the horses I took us
directly east to strike the old Roman road from the north. 
The legions, apparently, had marched north to tame the wild Scots
and that was the way Tostig’s Housecarls would have travelled after
the sacking of Lindisfarne.  It was a longer route but easier
to travel, especially for Wolf. As we crested the rise above the
road I saw three riders coming from the north and judged that they
would be abreast of us when we reached the road.  It would be
good to hear news from the borders for I had the feeling that at
some time we would have to fight Malcolm and his Scots. As we
closed I saw, to my surprise that the lead rider was my
father.  I wondered what business he had had in the north for
he did no business but loved the politics of power. I halted our
group to await him.