Housecarl (20 page)

When he stormed out I waited,
still hidden and watched as my uncle limped out, his face suffused
with anger.  It was the first time I heard him have cross
words with anyone and the first time that I saw rage upon his
face.  It would be some years before I found the reason. In
the end it was a moot point for the next day a rider came in from
Gruffydd Ap Cynan.  He had a small escort of riders and held
in his hands a bag. He waited patiently outside the gates of
Rhuddlan and Earl Harold, my uncle, Sweyn and Ulf rode out to meet
them.  They were all armoured and armed but the meeting was
peaceful.  After a long discussion the bag was handed over and
the two parties split up.  Sweyn carried the bag into the fort
and called over one of the Housecarls. “Fetch me a spear!”

The man went to the armoury and
found a Welsh spear. When he returned Sweyn took from the bag the
head of Gruffyd Ap Llewellyn, the first and the only, King of
Wales. He stuck it on the spear head and then climbed the ramparts
to place it there for all to see. My uncle exchanged a look with
Earl Harold and then he dismounted and led his horse to the
stables.  I was desperate to know what had happened and I
raced after him.

He removed his saddle and,
turning, saw me behind him. ”You think that you know a man when you
have fought with him but you do not.  I grow weary.”

“What happened to the king?”

“The Earl’s decision meant that
his men decided that he was too dangerous to be allowed to live and
they killed him.  The new King of Powys is Gruffydd Ap Cynan,
the uncle of Cynan Ap Iago. I think we will be travelling back to
Winchester.”

We did indeed return to
Winchester but not before Earl Harold married Ealdgyth and
strengthened his claim to the English throne. The Housecarls did
not know what to make of it for we were all fond of Lady Edith but
Earl Harold was our liege lord and we obeyed him in all things. We
all liked Ealdgyth and could understand his lust but this had an
unseemly feel to it.

When we did leave it was without
Earl Harold. The army left Rhuddlan after first destroying its
defences.  We might have agreed peace but we were not leaving
the Welsh anything which might harm us in the future. T he Earl and
Sweyn and a number of lords left with the fleet. Aethelward told me
later that the Earl intended to scout out the French coast and
ascertain for himself the feasibility of a Norman invasion.  I
think he would have wanted my uncle to go with him but since their
argument relations between them had been cold.  It is
interesting however that he chose my uncle to be his wife’s
protector.

For my own part I quite enjoyed
the journey south.  The towns and villages we passed through
feted us as heroes for removing the threat of the Welsh.  My
uncle also assigned the four of us to guard the wagon containing
the Earl’s new wife and I found her a pleasant woman to talk
with.  She was lonely and Nest was a silent child so she
enjoyed talking to us and I must admit flirting with me.  I do
not think that she found me attractive but of the four of us I was
the one with whom she liked to converse.  I actually found
myself feeling sorry for her.  It was obvious that her father
had married her to the Welsh king for political reasons and she did
appear to be genuinely in love with Harold but she was also a woman
who seemed to like the company of men.  My main concern was
quite selfish, Lady Edith looked after Gytha and I did not want my
chances with her being jeopardised.

When we reached Winchester we
expected a storm but Lady Edith was still in London.  The
whole of England knew that they were married but not in the eyes of
the Church, it was called in the Danish manner which meant they had
chosen to be a couple.  His desertion of her was no crime
although many of us felt unhappy about it for we liked Edith
Swanneck. The storm we did get was not one we expected for we
discovered a few days after our return that Earl Harold had been
shipwrecked in Normandy and was now a prisoner of Duke
William.  To the country it was bad news but to the Housecarls
it was devastating as we had not been there to protect our lord and
, at the back of our minds, all of us wondered at the oath he had
taken at the monastery . Perhaps God was punishing him for his
actions with the Queen . The breaking of an oath was the most
serious offence a warrior could commit and Harold had violated that
by lying with the Queen and making his heirs.

We all turned to the two leaders
who remained amongst us, Aethelward and Ulf.  “What do we do?
Take ship and rescue our lord?”

Aethelward shook his head. 
“No , for he will not be harmed.   It will cost the Earl
something, some land, gold, I know not what and then he will be
retuned to us , until that day we protect his lady and his land
.”

As we dispersed to the warrior
hall we discussed my uncle’s words. We had not thought that
Ealdgyth was in danger but Aethelward was wise and the Lady Edith
was known not to be pleased. Killers were cheap and there were many
potions and poisons to be had from strange women who lived in the
forests. There were many enemies of Earl Harold who would use his
absence to their advantage .  It was not the work to which we
aspired but if protecting the lady was our only task t hen we would
perform it to the best of our ability.

When King Edward arrived we all
breathed a collective sigh of relief that the Lady Edith was not
with them. For myself, I was disappointed as Gytha remained in
London with the Lady.  The King brought with him the Norman
Archbishop of Canterbury Robert of Jumièges. The Archbishop was the
most martial looking churchman I had ever seen.  Were it not
for the fact that he was introduced as such I would have taken him
for a knight.  Instead of a sword he carried a mace.  He
was a cru el looking man and his arrogant face showed the low
esteem in which he held us. King Edward was looking frail for he
was not a well man and I wondered then at the capture of
Harold.  Had he been betrayed to keep him from England ? 
None of us could work out how he had come to be shipwrecked in
Normandy. I was in no doubt that if the King died whilst Harold was
in Normandy then this Archbishop would do all in his power to
secure the throne for his sponsor, Duke William.

King Edward had obviously come
to find out about the Welsh campaign and Harold’s marriage. Ridley
and I were chosen to be the guards as Aethelward, Ulf, the King and
the Archbishop held conference. It meant that we could overhear
most of what was said.  I took it to be an honour for us to be
chosen, it meant that my uncle trusted us to keep the confidences
we shared.

“Firstly Lord Aethelward is
Wales secure? That is the most pressing matter.”

“It is your majesty.  With
the death of Gruffyd , the kingdom has split into smaller
factions.  The Earl of Mercia is a good leader and he can keep
them in check.”

We could not see the faces of
the men inside and heard only the words. When Robert of Jumièges
spoke we could recognise his voice because of his accent.  “It
is a pity that the Earl’s brother Tostig has not had the same
success with the Scots for we hear that Northumbria is an unhappy
place.”

I knew that to be true and
wondered if my brothers had yet been reconciled with the
Earl.  I still wondered about the visit my father had made to
Scotland but that puzzle was too difficult to solve.

“The Scots we will deal with
later.  Now Lord Aethelward what of the marriage the Earl
made.  Was it well done?”

There was a silence and I could
almost picture my uncle trying to speak the truth without harming
his friend’s reputation. “They were married sire, at the monastery
of Saint Asaph and the marriage was consummated before the Earl
left on his ill fated voyage.”

The heavily accented voice of
the churchman broke in, “Not ill fated , my lord , for Duke William
is protecting your Earl and he will return to England,
eventually.”

The word ‘ eventually ’ had a
chilling ring to it and I wondered how much Robert of Jumièges knew
about the whole incident.

“We will remain in Winchester
for a while I intend to give a feast in honour of the victory over
the Welsh.”

The feast was a double edged
sword for whilst it would honour us it was my uncle and Ulf who
would have to do the work and prepare for the feast. Once again
Ridley and myself found ourselves at the forefront of the work and
we did not see much of Osgar and Wolf over the next few days. Many
lords began to arrive at the city for the feast which was becoming
grander by the day.  Every house and hall was occupied by
armed and armoured men. On the day of the feast I had been sent to
Lady Ealdgyth to escort her to the hall.  I took Ridley, Osgar
and Wolf with me .  I had learned in the battles we had fought
that life is easier with men around you whom you trust. The walk
was not far but the streets were thronged with people.  Many
chancers , charlatans and ne’er do wells had descended upon the
town to make money from the visit of the king.  The four of us
formed a solid phalanx around Ealdgyth who clung on to my arm. I
felt my body swell with pride that my Earl’s lady trusted me so. As
we crossed the main road my eye was suddenly drawn to two men , on
horses , who were just entering the gate.  They were the men
who I had last seen with my father.  I said quietly to Osgar,
“Aren’t those the men we met the day we returned from hunting?”

Osgar glanced across quickly and
nodded, “Aye it looks like them.”

I could not leave the lady but I
determined to seek out my uncle as soon as I could and give him the
information.  By the time we had reached the hall and safely
delivered the lady some time had elapsed.  It took me some
time to find Aethelward but when I did he took my words
seriously.

“You are sure that the men were
the same ones who were with your father?”

“Yes uncle and Osgar and the
others confirmed it for they saw them too.”

“It may be harmless but I
believe you when you say that they acted furtively.  It is to
much of a coincidence that the king is here and the Earl is not and
these men choose this moment to visit. Where are the others?”

“They guard the lady still.”

“I will see them relieved then
you take them and scour the town for these men.  When you find
them bring them to me for questioning.”

“And if they will not come?”

“Then that will confirm that
they are here for nefarious purposes. Be on your guard! ”

We searched every part of the
town of Winchester from the lowliest and flea ridden ale house to
the houses of the rich and well to do.  The only clue we had
to their whereabouts was their two horses which we found tied to a
rail outside a notorious whorehouse.  Osgar went in as a
potential customer but when he returned half and hour later he
returned empty handed. “There are four whores in there and they
were all occupied but not with the two men we saw.” He grinned,
“They were Housecarls so I left them to it.”

Aethelward and Ulf were
disturbed by our news. Ulf scratched his beard thoughtfully. “You
lads are the only ones who know them so we need you to walk the
hall this night.  I will warn our men that there may be two
Scots in our midst and to keep watch.”

When he left to pass on his
instructions Aethelward had a troubled look upon his face.  “I
had hoped, Aelfraed, that you were wrong and these men were
innocent visitors but all you have told me leads me to believe that
they are here on a mission. Describe them to me.” He looked at the
others, “And if he omits anything then speak up and add it.”

“Well they were both red headed
and had beards.” That in itself was not unique amongst the Scots.
“They are both big men.”

Aethelward leaned forward, “How
big? Ridley or you?”

“As big as Ridley.”

“Well one of them was but the
other was a little shorter and thinner.”

When you saw them today did they
have weapons with them?”

I thought about it and then
looked at Osgar for help.  He looked into the distance and
then said.  “ I saw swords on their horses when they rode in
the streets but there were none on the mounts when we found
them.”

“No shields?”

We shook our heads. “Not that we
saw.”

“This could be for a meeting
with someone who wishes ill to England or it could be someone who
intends to harm someone.”

I looked up in alarm.  “The
King?”

“It could be .  He no
longer has bodyguards and relies upon his hosts and his Norman
friends. Or it could be that Ealdgyth is the target.” I looked at
my uncle with a shocked expression and he shrugged. “Just because
we treat women well does not mean that others do so.  She is
the Earl’s lady and to strike at her here in the heart of his land
would be a blow.” He peered at each of us in turn. “Arm yourselves
well tonight.  If they are killers then it will be knife
work.  Use swords and daggers. You will need to work out how
you will watch over the king and Lady Ealdgyth. Fortunately they
are now in the same building and our task will be easier. ”

I suddenly had a thought, “And
what of you uncle?  Everyone knows that you are the Earl’s
adviser, perhaps you are the target.”

I could see that the thought had
occurred to him too. He shrugged. “ That may be the case but I can
protect myself and besides I am expecting it.  The king and
the lady are not.  Their protection is in your hands. God be
with you. You will need all your wits about you tonight and
tomorrow we will scour the town thoroughly for these two visitors.
”

The watches we had kept on
campaign felt like child’s play compared with the stress and the
tension of watching for the two strangers. We worked as pairs with
Osgar and Wolf walking the outside of the hall whilst Ridley and I
watched the inside.  The kitchens were a nightmare with
cauldrons of boiling steaming liquids and servants taking in
platters of food. We began to see shadows where none existed and
sudden movements acquired sinister overtones. By the time the food
ha d all been served and the guests were all drinking we were
exhausted.  I watched my uncle and saw that he barely touched
his ale but his eyes flicked constantly around the room, diligently
scrutinising the guests for signs of the red haired warriors.