Saxon Fall (14 page)

As we approached the gates I saw Myrddyn waiting for me and, as the sun peered out from behind a cloud it shone on the half shaven head of Aileen.
Wyrd
.

Even before I had bathed I went with Llenlleog to see to the safety of the new horses. Myrddyn and Aileen followed us.  I had just greeted them both with a smile. Neither seemed discomfited by my attitude and both smiled.  It was eerie. Myrddyn had anticipated the needs of the stallion and the mares.  There were two old warriors waiting in the stables.  They had both served as equites but wounds had meant they could no longer fight.  Both Griffith and Ban knew horses.  I would impress upon them the need for security and care.  They were guarding gold.

I went to the bath house and was joined by Pol.  Our time in Constantinopolis had taught us the benefits of a bath.  It was not just the cleansing of the body but the cleansing of the mind. Our kin across the waters used the Roman baths still and as we lay in the hot, steaming water of the caldarium I reflected on that kinship. How many others were there who were of our people? The Angles and the Saxons had succeeded because of their affinity.  Had Morcant Bulc not betrayed King Urien all those years ago in the last great alliance who knows what might have happened?

We lay in the tepidarium and I felt more relaxed. “So we fight on even though we know that we will lose Warlord?”

“Do you remember those philosophers in the libraries when we lived in the east?”

“Aye.”

“They spoke of the meaning of life.”

Pol laughed, “They seemed to just talk about life rather than living it.”

“You are right and we do live it. The woman in the cave has set me to thinking. My father could have died when the Saxons raided Stanwyck but he lived.  His mother died but she spoke to him and guided him. Through my father Gawan and I were born to carry on the fight. I think that is a kind of victory.  We ensure that our children live and through them we shall win.”

“But we have no children.”

I laughed, “Then let us make some!”

He looked at me and nodded, “You have chosen a woman?”

“I think she has been chosen for me. Think back to the cave; who did the woman remind you of?”

“Aileen.”

“Aileen.”

“And yet she hated you.”

“I know but I feel that she was chosen for me and so I must win her.”

“You could just take her.”

”Pol, you of all people should know I would never do that.”

“Others would.”

“Others were not chosen to be the Warlord. Come we will dress. I would speak with Lann Aelle and Aelle.  We have much to tell them.”

Osgar and the others had all been talking of the island and our voyage.  Poor Llenlleog was being inundated with questions as we entered the hall. There was silence as we walked in.  I saw Aengus with a crutch and he was seated already at the table. He tried to rise. “No, my friend.  You need not rise.  I am no king. It is good to see you walking.”

He laughed and shook his crutch, “Hobbling.”

“And there are many who are in the Otherworld who would dream of hobbling.  You have been spared and it is for a reason.”

“Your healer is a mighty man. He lowered his voice. “Did I hear aright that he took out some poison from inside Aileen’s head?”

“He took something but I know not what it was.  She is well and that is all that matters.”

The feast was a lively one.  As I had expected my men embellished the story of our descent into the underworld and our meeting with a spirit. Only Pol, Pelas and I knew the truth.  I would tell Myrddyn when time allowed.  For the present I was just pleased that we had succeeded completely for once. We had sought a stallion and brood mares and we had them. We now needed the time to bring on the horses which might delay the inevitable.

After we had eaten Myrddyn caught my eye and I followed him to my solar. He was seated as I walked in. “You have much to tell me, Warlord.”

I laughed, “And you know much already old man!”

He inclined his head to one side, “Perhaps but tell me anyway.  It will reveal much to me.”

I sighed and told him all from the first storms which had driven us south to the meeting with the woman in the cave.

“And you have chosen Aileen?”

“No, she was chosen for me and you know that.”

He laughed, “I can see you have been with the spirits, however briefly.  I told you that there was a connection between you and her.”

“And you knew that we would lose.”

“I have always known that.  Since before I first met your father, the spirits told me that.”

“And yet you still battle the Saxon.”

“As you do.“ I was not so certain.  He laughed, “If you were all alone and surrounded by your enemies, would you surrender?”

“No.”

“Even though you know you cannot win?”

I laughed, “You are right.”

He leaned forward, “But we can delay the inevitable.  Your unborn children need time to grow.  There are forces at work far across the sea and they will have an influence on what comes after us.  Your decision to breed horses was a wise one and that will get us time but I fear our days on Mona are drawing to an end.” Surprise must have shown on my face. “We both know that we cannot defend the island.  It is low lying and vulnerable.  We can defend the Narrows.”

“I cannot live there again.  The memories are too painful.”

“Then live somewhere else.  Build a new home.  There are many sites between Deva and the Narrows which are suitable.”

I went to the north facing window and peered out at Wyddfa. Myrddyn was silent as he allowed me to reach the conclusion he wished me to. I know not how long I stood there but there was a knock on the door and Aileen stood there.

“You wished to see me, Warlord?”

I turned to Myrddyn who shrugged. “Are you well now?” I was struggling to make conversation.  I was a man of war and flowery words did not come easily to me.

She touched her head, self-consciously, “I am, Warlord, and Myrddyn said you helped to save my life. Thank you.”

“I merely held your head.  But I am pleased you are well.”

“And what will become of me now?”

She was blunt enough. I had not expected such a direct question. “Why you shall live here amongst my people. I promised Aengus that I would watch over all the Hibernians.”

“I am the last of the women.  All the rest died.  Shall I fight with your men against those who killed my brother?”

“We do not use women to fight.”

“Then I should work in your kitchens, preparing your food?”

I noticed the wry smile on Myrddyn’s face.  He was enjoying my discomfort.  I wondered if he had primed her with these awkward questions. “Not if you do not wish to.”

“Shall I lie with your warriors then and please them!”

“No! What a thought! Who has suggested that?”

Her voice became all sweetness, “You did, Warlord.  I am a woman who is alone with neither father nor brother to watch over her.”

“I would be as a father and a brother.”

She paused and when she looked at me her green eyes bored into me.  “And I would not have you for either, Warlord.”

I looked at Myrddyn who shrugged, “I know what Aileen means Warlord and if you do not …. I shall leave you for I feel I am superfluous.” He touched Aileen’s shoulder as he left.  “He is a warrior.  He has no words but he has a heart as big as Wyddfa.”

She nodded, “I know, I have spoken with Lann Aelle and Lord Aelle. I shall persevere with him.  He has potential!”

We were married at Yule.  The ceremony was held on the shortest day of the year.  We stood on the edge of the cliff looking west and we were joined. I was happy. Aileen could read my mind just as Myrddyn had read my father’s.  Gawan approved for he too saw the seer in her. As we lay together, in my hall, I had told her what the woman in the cave has said and she did not seem surprised.

“I dreamed of the cave and I saw you there but I heard no words. The woman you spoke with looked like my mother. She died when I was but five summers old.  She had the sight and the power.  All the women in my family have.”

“And you know then that we will lose?”

She laughed, “You men talk of war and killing. What of birth and living? We will have children and we will watch over them.  We will teach them how to live and they will teach their children.  We will not lose so long as our blood runs through their veins.”

It was wyrd.  Those were the words of the witch and of Myrddyn.  I was just a play thing in the hands of the gods. I would do what I had always done and fight the enemies of my people.

Aileen was soon with child and it seemed propitious for the mares came into season at the same time and Wolf was put to work. Soon we had twenty mares which had been serviced by the stallion. We would have to wait eleven months to see the result. As soon as the other mares from our existing herds came into season Wolf was in demand. I took Myrddyn at his word and left with Pol and Lann Aelle to find a new home for my family. I decided that I would just improve the castle close to the monastery of St.Asaph. The land there was just as good for horses as the island and with the fort at the head of the Clwyd Valley and Deva protecting the Dee we would be as secure there as anywhere. It had been deserted since the time of Asaph.  We left the monastery untouched out of respect for the memory of our friend Bishop Asaph but there was little communication with the monks there.

I took my equites to the fort soon after the nights became a little shorter.  Aileen insisted upon coming with us.  I was learning that she was a strong minded woman.  Where her husband went so would she. I had discovered many things about the new woman in my life.  She was a fine archer and hunter.  She could handle a blade too.  As she told me, “If a Saxon tries to enslave me, then he will learn, the hard way, that I can fight for my own freedom.

There was a hall at the fort but the structure had fallen into disrepair since Gawan had moved to Deva. The walls were sound but the ditch needed deepening. While half of my men toiled there Pol and I began to build a much bigger hall.  We demolished the old one.  I remembered Castle Perilous and we used that as a model.  The ground floor was to be the stables.  The horses would be safe and it would provide heating for the living space above. Upstairs was where we had my eating hall and the bedrooms.  A second hall for my oathsworn was attached to one end of the building. 

All of my warriors joined in the building.  We cut the huge timbers from the forests; choosing the straightest beams that we could find.  The bark was stripped and they were each cut to the same length. Myrddyn oversaw the position of each wooden support as the hole was dug.  Cobbles and rocks were brought to secure the wood in place. More rocks were found and Roman concrete used to build a wall between the beams which would support the roof. The skeleton of the hall looked a strange structure but once we had filled in the gaps with hazel, ash and lath it looked more like a home. It would take some days for the walls to dry but they would keep out the wind and the cold when they did so. The roof would not have the straw of the old houses but slate.  Wyddfa had much slate and the gods had made it into usable pieces.  With a slate rood we would be drier and safer from fire.  We had learned lessons over the years. Finally the floors and internal walls were erected. They made it cosier and more like a home. Aileen supervised, along with Myrddyn and between their sharp eyes and tongues we produced a hall which satisfied them both.

When the hall was finished we built a new kitchen and smiths. The work took us until the first spring flowers risked the wrath of the weather.  All the time my wife grew and blossomed.  She kept working for she wanted a home.  The inside was her domain.  Gawan’s wife, Gwyneth, came to help and I was happier. The two women would be good for each other. Gwyneth never complained about living on the border under constant threat from the Saxons. We were close enough now for the two women to visit.

King Cadwallon and my sister Nanna visited us during the feast of Eostre. Nanna was with child again and the three women, Aileen, Gwyneth and my sister were happy talking of babies.  Gawan, Pol and myself took the king hunting. War would not be far off and we needed to begin to hone our skills again.  Hunting was the best way.

“We have attacked their burghs and made life uncomfortable for the Northumbrians on our borders.” I nodded.  King Cadwallon had not been idle. “Penda sent me a message that King Edwin is massing an army in the south of his lands.”

We had just managed to bring down a deer and Pol was skinning it. “That was inevitable once the threat to his northern borders disappeared. I am just pleased that he has not reinforced Manau yet.”

“You fear for Mona?”

“It is not easy to defend.”

“And that is why you have moved here to the Clwyd?”

“Partly and partly because I believe our horses will be of more use here than on Mona.”

We watched as Pol and Pelas finished the skinning. We threw the carcass on the pack horse and headed back to my new home.

“I have done as you asked and built up my horsemen.”

“Your archers can win any battle against King Edwin.  They are the best archers I have seen.  Pol and I saw many good archers in the east but they could not hold a candle against yours.”

“Thank you Warlord, I take that well coming from you.” We came over a rise and saw our horse herd.  There were ten guards dotted around.  The horses were our future and we would not let them be taken easily. “How long before the new horses will be ready for combat?”

“Llenlleog thinks that it will take two to three years.”

“He is a fine warrior.  Why did he return with you?  Was it to care for his horses?”

“He wished to see Wyddfa and meet Myrddyn. I believe that my brother and the wizard have promised that they will travel to the dream cave and take him with them.”

“The witch’s prophesy is still on your mind?”

“It is.  She had no reason to lie and everything else of which she spoke has come true.”

“You seem not to be worried about the end of your world.”

“Aileen has given me a future again. I am content.  I saw my grandmother’s face when I dreamed. She looked like Nanna. It seems I cannot dream in Wyddfa but the Scillonia Insula allows me to get a brief glimpse into the world of the spirits. We all live again but we do it through our children.  My descendant will drive the Saxon away.  I am content.”

“King Ceorl is unwilling to go to war with Edwin again although Penda is encouraging him.”

“We hold what we have.  Keep a close watch on the borderlands.  If Edwin comes we can respond with our horsemen. Our mounted archers and our equites will slow down any attack and our border forts are well defended.”

It was not until late summer that Edwin made his move. Perhaps we had hurt him more than we had thought. King Cadwallon’s scouts reported many warbands heading towards the eastern borders of his kingdom.  Penda brought his warband to help but King Ceorl did nothing.  We knew that we were largely alone. Penda’s men aided us by giving a warband who would stand and face one of King Edwin’s Northumbrians but it would be our archers and equites who would drive him hence. I wondered if Penda would take the throne of Mercia.  King Ceorl was old and weak.  Penda had the largest warband in Mercia. He could have usurped the old man had he chosen to do so.

King Cadwallon summoned his army and I gathered my equites and my archers.  Riders were sent to Mona to warn them of the attacks. We would not be able to help Aelle.  Being in the Clwyd helped for my men were just a few miles from the border. I had thirty spearmen who were left to guard my home. Gawan had more than three times that number at Deva. Although we had yet to reap the benefit of my stud, Wolf, we had horses which had rested well over the winter and enjoyed the lush grass of the Clwyd.  Fifteen squires had become equites and twenty squires had joined our ranks.  Sadly archers were harder to come by and Daffydd’s numbers had only been swollen by a mere ten.  This time, however, we would not be alone.  We would have King Cadwallon and his men with us.

Pelas had grown over the winter.  He had broadened out.  He and Llenlleog had grown quite close. They were of an age and enjoyed each other’s company.  My new equite proved to be a good swordsman as well as one of the best horsemen I had known. He improved Pelas’ skills as a swordsman. However he found it difficult to come to terms with the stirrups we used.  His people did not use them.  They leapt on to the backs of the horses.  Our enemies did not use them but they were one of the things Pol and I had brought back from the east. They enabled us to use the long spear.

Llenlleog acted as a sort of second squire for me. With Llewellyn holding my banner we were a knot of four warriors who would fight together. It allowed Pol the freedom to lead half of my equites should we need that option. In the months since he had arrived Llenlleog had grown on me. He was diligent and he was dedicated.  Tuanthal, who trained my new warriors still, commented on the fact that the young man was the first for training and the last to leave the stables.  Myrddyn had also commented on his propensity for knowledge and learning. He was, indeed, a perfect equite.  That he had chosen to come with me was
wyrd
.

As we gathered on the Clwyd, ready to ride east Tuanthal returned to Mona.  He would be there to train our new warriors. He had with him his two sons. As I saw him creak his way into his saddle I thought that it was right he should enjoy his old age.  Of all of my father’s warriors he was the one who had survived to become a greybeard and to father fine warriors.  He would be a rock on which my uncle could depend. Myrddyn too went to Wyddfa.  My father’s tomb was still his dream world and he went there to talk with the dead. “You will not need me this summer, Warlord.  Besides, last year, when you campaigned, you would have travelled faster without this old man to slow you down.”

As the two left us I wondered if Myrddyn was letting me go. I felt like a young child being taught to walk.  The father supports the first faltering steps and then releases the child to succeed or to learn from falling.  Would I learn from this first encounter with the Saxons without my old mentor behind me?

Ardal son of Bors commanded my fort at the head of the valley.  He only had thirty farmer warriors within his walls but that was all that he needed.  It stood close to a narrow col. His men were all fine archers.  Most had served my father in their youth.  Now they farmed the uplands of the valley and guarded it from attack. We waved to them as we trotted over the col and into the land of King Cadwallon. He had arranged for us to meet at Wrecsam. It had been the court of his father and King Cadwallon had lived there but a growing family meant he wished the protection of the mountain and it was now the frontier and the garrison fortress of the border.

For once my scouts, now swollen to six, were not needed.  Cadwallon had local riders who knew the land like the back of their hands. The Northumbrians had built burghs, crudely made but effective, along the edge of the ridge which marked the start of the high divide. They had learned from us. It would be foolish to assault them.  We had not the man power to waste but we had to watch them.  They would be the starting point for the king’s raids and attacks. King Cadwallon had ensured that the burghs did not encroach into the lands of Gwynedd.  They were well within the borders of Northumbria.

As we waited, in camps spreading out from Wrecsam, I felt a little guilty.  Had we not been so successful raiding last summer then perhaps King Edwin would not need to raid the rich heartland of King Cadwallon. I also felt annoyed that King Ceorl was not with us.  I could not see King Edwin leaving alone the lands of Mercia.  They had not only fine farmland but also rich iron workings. With King Edwin’s links to the East Angles then Mercia was a tasty morsel which might be devoured. I had come to respect King Edwin.  He was, as my father had been, a thoughtful leader who did nothing without thinking it through.

By the time our baby was born this campaign would be over one way or the other. The animals upon which the Cymri depended would all be born and grown by that time and we would be collecting in the harvests on Mona. King Edwin would strike before Midsummer.  Our job was to strike the moment that he did.  We waited.

It was an idle and indolent wait.  Each day one of my captains, Bors, Kay, Lann Aelle, Daffydd or Pol would lead out a patrol of ten equites and ten archers.  We would ride as close to the burghs as we dared. The Northumbrians hurled insults but they fell on deaf ears.  My men were counting heads. So long as the number on the ramparts remained the same then we knew that nothing had changed. We also kept a line of horsemen out each night patrolling the ground between us.  We had assaulted enough forts at night to be wary of someone doing the same to us.

Each day that newly born animals were brought down from the hills was another day when we had won. They were the future. King Cadwallon and I watched as another shepherd brought his small flock past us towards the markets of Wrecsam. “When will he come, Warlord?”

“You have fought him as long as I have, King Cadwallon, but if I were to guess then I would say soon. He has an army to feed and the uplands are less fruitful than these plains. He will come for the grain which is ripening and for the lambs and calves which have been born and for the salt.” To the north of us were the villages which produced such vast quantities of salt. It was how we preserved our food and was as valuable as gold. Little wonder that the Romans had given part of the payment to their legions in salt.

“Good, for my men become restless.”

The men in the King’s army were all warriors when they were needed.  My equites were full time warriors.  We had a smaller army than he did but they were a better army.

“Then why not give them a march along the front.  It will make King Edwin think we are ready to attack and provide activity for your restless men.  He might attack before he is ready.”

He nodded, “This is where I miss your father and Myrddyn.  I wish the old wizard was here for he could read the Saxon mind.”