Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (21 page)

             
Emma glanced up at him again, she had to admit he was a treat to the eyes, as beautiful as Luke but different, more earthy, masculine, with dark brown curly hair and startling green eyes.  He was dressed all in black and gold, black leather braeis, black sleeveless jerkin, gold breastplate and a black cloak, thrown back over immense shoulders.  In spite of her dislike for this arrogant Norseman who was standing in her room as if he owned it, she felt a squirm of desire “continue with your story, woman!” he snapped.

             
“F-forgive me lord, I was woolgathering” she stammered.  “I escaped and met up with the fyrd in the forest.  Luke, Alodie’s betrothed, told me that she had arrived in
Winchester
the morning after you invaded, along with my mother, Lady Godgyth” the door opened and Guthrum and Amund walked in, Herger held up his hand for silence.

             
“Continue, lady” he said.

             
Emma glanced nervously at the two newcomers; Guthrum tall and barrel chested with long blond plaits and moustaches and Amund tall and thin in full chain mail with long flowing white hair.  They made a terrifying trio.  She swallowed and backed up to the wall.  Herger snapped his fingers at her. “I advise you to continue with your tale” he said quietly and sat down, gesturing to Amund and Guthrum to do the same.  Emma nodded nervously and looked down at the floor.

             
“She - she overpowered two of your men who waylaid her in the forest, stole a horse and fled to Winchester with my mother unconscious over the saddle, there she raised the alarm and told the king how she was forced into marriage with you and for that reason would not marry Luke.”  Here Emma looked up at the three men in what she hoped was an innocent and guileless manner. “She would consider it a sin to lie with Luke whilst she was married to another man, even if not in the eyes of our God.  I must warn you King Herger that Luke Edmundson has sworn to kill you, he has to you see because Alodie will not marry him otherwise”

             
Herger nodded, scratched his chin and getting up from his seat walked to the window and opened the shutters.  Something about this woman was out of joint, did not ring true.  He turned to her.  “Why come and tell me all this?  Why risk your life to come here when you were safe with your fyrd?”

             
She looked up at him and her eyes flashed sparks of hatred. “Because I loathe Alodie and because Luke must not kill you!”

             
“Why do you hate her and why are you so concerned about Herger’s hide?” interjected Amund.

             
Emma, more confident now, walked over to the seat Herger had recently vacated and sat down.  “I hate her because she is brave and beautiful as the sun and because everything she does is right.  Because she has usurped my place here and everyone loves her - my stepfather, the servants, the churls, even my own mother but chiefly because she has the adoration of the only man I could ever love”

             
“Luke?” asked Herger.

             
“Luke, yes” replied Emma “and she will not marry Luke whilst she is married to you.  May I go now?”

             
“One moment” called Amund “how many men are encamped around Bredond?” she glanced at him.

             
“Over six thousand”

             
“Led by?”

             
“My stepfather, Thegn Oswy”

             
“not the king”

             
“No” she replied without hesitation.  “He is expected tomorrow”

             
Herger walked to the door and opening it, called for Thorkil, who strolled in wiping his hand across the back of his mouth.  Herger gestured to Emma and snapped in Saxon “Thorkil, take this jealous treacherous bitch out of my sight - do what you want with her” Thorkil’s face brightened and he grabbed Emma’s arm.

             
“Come with me, my pretty” he replied in the same language and pulled her to the door.  She screamed and grabbed Herger’s cloak. 

             
“I thought I was to be returned to my people!” she gasped.

             
“You were, Emma, but now no longer.  Until two minutes ago I thought you were just a jealous bitch, I now know you to be a treacherous one too.  You betrayed your countrymen without a second’s hesitation” he disengaged her fingers from his cloak “if any Norse woman had betrayed her people the way you have just betrayed yours she would be whipped and thrown to the men and after they had finished with her what was left would be fed to the dogs.  I am only giving you to Thorkil - now get out of my sight”

             
The warrior dragged her out of the door, but she clung to the banister at the top of the stairs. “May you have luck of your Lady Alodie, you two are well suited” she hissed “a witch and a bastard, may you both burn in hell!” with that she spat at Herger.  The spittle clung to his breastplate, he walked over to her and wiped it off with a corner of her headrail, then returning to the room walked through the door and kicked it shut.  Silence reigned as Emma’s screams and cries  grew fainter.

             
After a few seconds Herger spoke. “You are the leader of this campaign Guthrum but there is a
weregild
between us” Guthrum took a swig of ale.

             
“So you keep saying” he replied.

             
“Be silent and listen unless you wish to pay it now!” snapped Herger.  “When you go out under the flag of truce tomorrow to treat with the fyrd I want you to take with you as one of the negotiators and hostage your brother Rorik”

             
Guthrum coughed, spraying ale down the front of his tunic. “Are you mad Herger?  Rorik is in
Denmark
, a mewling bed wetting simpleton of seventeen summers who drools constantly.  He could not negotiate his way into
Valhalla
even with Odin’s backing and Baldur’s sword in his hand!  He is moonkissed!”

             
Herger nodded and helped himself to a piece of bread and cheese “True, Guthrum but how many Saxons know that?”

             
“You will be Rorik I take it, lad?” cut in Amund

             
“Aye”

             
“And you will be going back to
Winchester
with them?” he continued.

             
Herger chewed and swallowed “You need someone there to make sure the gold is being collected” he replied.

             
“Alodie is in
Winchester
I hear” said Guthrum.

             
“Aye” said Herger again, taking another bite of cheese.

             
Guthrum gave a laugh which owed as much to relief as mirth and clapped Herger on the back. “Well lad, you don’t get a hard on very often but when you do you move mountains to slake it don’t you?”

             
Herger smiled and handed Guthrum a cup of mead “Brother, drink this and shut up!”

***********************

             
King Guthrum, King Herger and King Amund rode out, with their hyrd, under a white flag of truce at cockcrow two days later.

             
King Herger was clad, as usual, from head to foot in black with a huge winged war helmet on his head which completely covered his features.  In reality it was Thorkil who, thanks to his portion of Alodie’s price, was now a rich jarl with his own ship.

             
King Alfred had arrived the day before and spent the last afternoon and evening closeted with his witan.

             
At length they summoned the three kings and their retinues.  The haggling had gone on all morning with Thegns Oswy and Aelfric and some of the younger men wanting to wipe out the heathen then and there but the older and greyer heads amongst them advising caution.  The other half of the great army was in
Northumbria
under the command of Halfdan and if any harm should come to Guthrum, Herger or Amund the fyrd would have this army to fight as well as the one which was already
in situ.

             
Not many of the Saxons present had ever met a Viking face to face and they were astounded by their size.  Luke was one of the tallest of the Saxons at six feet and he was only of average height compared to the Vikings. There were twelve year old boys in their retinue who were taller than Alfred the Great with the result that he refused to stand up when any of the Vikings were present.  It was not encouraging.

             
Eventually, after much heart searching and argument, the Saxons agreed to pay Danegeld.  The Vikings asked for sixty thousand in gold and silver, the Saxons offered thirty thousand and they eventually agreed on forty thousand.

             
Oswy, Luke, Aelfric, Edric and other like minded thegns looked on in disgust as Alfred leaned over and took Guthrum’s hand.  “On whose bones do you want us to swear?” Guthrum asked, brightly.

             
Alfred smiled “no saints’ bones for you this time Guthrum.  You must swear on the Holy Ring”.  There was an almost palpable silence in the tent, the Vikings stared at Alfred in astonishment.

             
The Holy Ring was one of the mainstays of the Viking faith.  It was a normal ring reddened with the blood of sacrificial animals.   It was unheard of for a Norseman to break an oath sworn on it but it was also very secret and none of the Vikings knew that Alfred had even heard of its existence.

             
Guthrum swallowed, convulsively, and turned first to his men then back to Alfred - he was at a loss.  At length he shrugged.  “That, Alfred” he said “is something we have never had to do before any nation”

             
“and always Guthrum.....” said Alfred, placing his hands on the table “...........and always you have betrayed your oaths.  T’is the Holy Ring and Danegeld or we fight, choose”

             
Guthrum smiled “You are a sly fox, Alfred” he said at last.  “Aye, the Holy Ring it is”

             
Alfred nodded.  “And, whilst we are gathering the loot, I want a hostage - a good one, at least a relation of yours or one of the other kings,  oh and the return of the Lady Emma”

             
Guthrum laughed “the lady who?”

             
“Emma, she was seen heading toward Bredond the night before last, she is the daughter of Oswy, eolderman of
Wessex
and thegn of this village”

             
Guthrum cleared his throat and spat the gleanings onto the floor “Oh, her, surely.  If you want the treacherous bitch back you can have her, although were she any kin of mine I would have her put to death”

             
Oswy leaped to his feet and drew his sword “That is my daughter you speak of, heathen dog!” he snarled.

             
Guthrum tutted “Peace, old war-horse, you have problems enough I see without adding to them by taking my steel.  The lady told us several things, including the fact that you were her stepfather, not her real father and that she had spent the last week or so in the bed of an outlaw called Asher.  She also informed us, in passing, that instead of the nine thousand men we had assumed were encamped round here there were only six thousand or so, a fine woman to call daughter!”

             
Oswy clenched his teeth and gripped his sword “The information was probably wrung out of her!” he snarled.

             
“Oh surely” laughed Guthrum “that is why she came to our encampment voluntarily in the first place.  She is free to leave at any time and knows it but she is very happily snugged down with one of Herger’s men.  You should have married her off years ago greybeard and not left her a maiden and so pent for a man that she will walk into a war camp and sell her own kith and kin to get one - Bjarnie go get the Lady Emma”

             
An embarrassed silence fell on the assembly.  Luke’s heart went out to Oswy, he did not doubt Guthrum’s words for a moment, Emma had been far too plump for a woman who had only lived on nuts and berries for over a week.  However if Emma had informed the Vikings about the number of men who were camped round the village she would almost certainly have informed them of the whereabouts of Alodie.

             
Luke glared at the huge figure of Herger but now was not the time to challenge him.  God he was big - at least an inch taller than he was himself although far stockier, but both he and Herger paled into insignificance beside the specimen who was brought forward as a hostage.

             
He was 6’6” of solid muscle and the most handsome man in the face Luke had ever seen.  His shoulders, chest and arms were tremendous but in proportion.  Dressed in dark brown braeis cross gartered to the knee, a leather jerkin over his shirtless chest, a huge sword in a scabbard at his waist and a colossal war axe strapped to his other side he looked like the epitome of a fantasy warrior, which, of course, he was.