Housecarl (3 page)

Just when it was becoming
interesting I felt my ear being tugged and Ridley and I were hauled
to our feet by Nanna. “No one hears anything good when they spy on
others.  Back to the yard and do not let me catch you
listening again.”

As we trudged back to the yard I
could see the pain on my grandmother’s face as she coughed blood
into a cloth.  I felt guilty for I knew that she should be
resting.  She was right, we had learned nothing from the
argument save that my father owed my uncle a debt and Egbert was
willing to fight Aethelward. Neither helped me although I secretly
wished that my bullying brother would try his blade against that of
my uncle for I was certain that he would lose, and he would die.
The pagan side of me relished the thought but the Christian side,
that of my Nanna, made me feel guilty that I was wishing death on
my brother.

That night as I lay in my bed I
was desperate to ask Aethelward about the debt but knew that, if I
did, he would know that I had disobeyed him and I did not want him
to think badly of me.  Instead I asked, “Tell me of
Constantinople and the Romans.”

He smiled, his eyes half closing
at the memory. “I was not much older than your brother Egbert and I
was full of myself.” His eyes opened and he looked seriously at
me.  “My first battle was a disaster and I think that it saved
my life. Remember young Aelfraed that mere belief in oneself will
not save you when you are badly led.” He pulled the covers up to my
ears and his sonorous voice told the tale and I suddenly thought
that it sounded like one of the sagas we heard at Yuletide and that
my uncle had more skills than merely those of a warrior. “The
Emperor was a young man, not unlike Egbert, who thought that he
merely had to turn up on a battlefield and he would win.  My
first battle, the battle of Azaz showed that he was wrong. We
marched into the desert to fight the Arabs and I felt
invincible.”

“Did you have fine armour?”

“Who is telling this tale young
Aelfraed, you or I?”

“Sorry.”

He ruffled my hair, “Never stop
the tale for it must be told to the end. Aye, we had fine armour; a
long mail shirt and greaves on our legs.  We each had a long
well balanced axe and our shields wore the sign of the Raven. Atop
our heads we each wore a sound helmet with a leather cap
beneath.  Oh we were well protected but as we headed into the
desert the heat was so much that men began to fall.  There was
little water and then men began to die from diseases.  When we
were all weakened then the men of the desert, the Arabs, attacked
and even though they were not as armoured as we, their attacks
killed those who were not as skilled nor as well protected as we
were.  When they came within range of our axes then they died
but they used arrows and spears and learned to keep away from the
edges of our weapons.  Were it not for the Hetaireia, the
Emperor’s own bodyguard, who sacrificed themselves then we would
not have escaped. It showed me than that men must fight for
something in which they believe or a man they can follow.  The
Emperor Romanos was not a man to follow.”

His voice fell silent. I used
the silence to venture a question. “But you served him still.”

“Aye you show wisdom beyond your
years young warrior, I did but he only lived a short while longer
and the ones who followed were neither as foolish nor as reckless
with their warrior’s lives.  Now sleep, like your
grandmother.”

I looked at Nanna and the
tendril of blood which dripped from the corner of her mouth. 
“Is she dying uncle?”

He looked at me sadly. 
“Warriors do not lie to other warriors, even when those warriors
are not yet grown. Aye, she is dying and will soon be with your
mother.  I think she only stayed alive long enough to see me
and to pass your protection onto my shoulders.”

I turned my face into the covers
so that my uncle would not see my tears. I might be training to be
a warrior but I was still the child who loved and adored this woman
who had always been there for me and protected me from all the
threats around me.  I knew then that she and my mother had
regarded me as special.  I knew not why but I determined I
would neither let them down, nor this mighty warrior who had fought
at the ends of the world.

Nanna died seven nights
later.  My uncle brought me to her.  Her eyes were closed
and I thought for a moment that she had died already as her skin
was grey and there appeared to be no movement.  I almost cried
out in relief when her rheumy eyes slowly opened and she smiled
that comforting smile which had kept me going through the darkest
of times. She reached an arthritic hand towards my hand and I felt
the cold of approaching death. For the first time in my young life
I was watching and feeling life depart.

“Aelfraed, you have greatness in
you.  You are descended from kings and you must never forget
it. My son has been charged to watch over you and guard you as long
as he lives but remember,” she paused as she coughed up some more
flecks of blood, “that your mother and I will watch over you for
eternity.” This disquieting message seemed at odds with the devout
Christianity of my Nanna but I could feel the passion in the grip
of her stiff fingertips. She saw the tears dripping from my
eyes.  “Do not weep for me. I have loved you since before you
were born and I will continue to do so long after I have passed on.
Kiss me and say goodbye.”

I dutifully leaned forward and
kissed her on the cheek as she kissed me on mine.  It seemed
for a moment that the rosy glow of her cheeks, which I had always
seen, rushed back for the briefest of moments and then she lay
back. “Goodbye Nanna.”

Aethelward nodded and gestured
for me to leave. He remained with her for a short time and when he
came out his face was dark. “Our mother has gone.”

Although the arrival of my uncle
had marked a serious change in my life the most momentous meeting
came almost ten years after Nanna’s death. The Earl of the land of
Northumbria for the last few years had been Tostig Godwinson. My
uncle did not like him and was disparaging about him when he spoke
with me.  I had noted, however, that whenever my father and
brothers were around Aethelward kept his own counsel.  We had
become close by then and I asked him about this, apparent,
hypocrisy.

He had looked at me carefully
and spoke quietly, “Some men like to use information to weaken a
warrior, and others can be trusted.  I know that you would
never betray one of my confidences.” I had recognised that there
was bad feeling between my uncle and my father but I had not
thought that it would be so deeply rooted and I became wary and
watched my words.

The training had continued over
the intervening years and Ridley and I now met with the approval of
Aethelward.  By approval I mean that he did not always shout
at us or call us useless clods.  Those were heady days
indeed.  Although we had both filled out and grown Ridley had
developed into a giant of a man.  He towered over all of us
and his father regretted allowing Aethelward to train him.  It
was an expensive luxury but whatever hold my uncle had over my
father it extended to the Steward and his son for Ridley trained
every day.  My uncle would vary our training diet by taking us
on long walks through the hills and moors to hunt and to exercise.
When I asked about horses he had snorted.  “There will come a
time when you can think about a horse but first let us master your
feet which still move too slowly.”

The day which changed my life
began with the arrival of two outriders.  They were mailed and
armoured with the most magnificent armour I have ever seen. 
It seemed to gleam as though silver.  When I asked Aethelward
about that he laughed and told me that good warriors burnish their
armour to stop it rusting.  I was envious for I only had an
old leather byrnie for armour. When I had first been given it I had
felt proud like a real warrior but now, having seen fine armour, it
paled.

The riders rode straight to my
father who had spent more time in the farm since the arrival of my
uncle. We were busy exercising but I could see that Aethelward’s
attention had been aroused. As the two riders left my father looked
towards us and then gestured for us to approach.  That in
itself was a matter of note for I had been avoided by my whole
family since Nanna’s death. Leaving Ridley to take the weapons away
we drew closer to my father and brothers.

“Make yourselves presentable,
Earl Tostig approaches and his brother Earl Harold.”

My uncle’s face lit up into a
smile when he heard the name of Earl Harold and as we went to clean
up he told me why. “I will be interested young Aelfraed in your
assessment of these two brothers for they are the most powerful men
in the whole land.”

“More powerful than the
King?”

“The King is more concerned with
matters of the soul and the Church for he is a holy man. Harold is
the next in line to be king, although the Witenagemot would have to
choose but Harold is the one they would choose.”

“You like him.” It was a
statement not a question for I had learned to listen to the way my
uncle spoke as well as the words.

“Aye.  He is a noble
warrior and a man you can trust. Your mother and I knew him when we
were children and I feel about him the way you feel about
Ridley.  I would trust him with my life and the life of my
family.” There was something he had not said but I could not
discern it. “Today is an important one for you Aelfraed. Watch your
tongue and watch others.  Do not attempt to flatter or
ingratiate yourself.  Others will do that and will become
lesser men for their falsehoods.”

As soon as I saw Earls Tostig
and Harold I could see that they were brothers but I could also see
that they were different.  Perhaps my uncle’s words coloured
my judgement but I disliked Earl Tostig the moment I saw him and
fell under the thrall of Harold.  They had a small but very
well armed retinue and I could see, at a glance that they were all
hardened warriors.  They were the elite, the Housecarls.

My father had tried his best to
belittle both Aethelward and myself by standing with my brothers on
the steps to the hall leaving me and Aethelward at a lower level.
It was a snub and meant to demean us.  I must have shown my
irritation for I felt a hand on my shoulder and a small, quiet
voice spoke in my ear. “It is not where you stand but how you
behave which marks you as a man and a warrior.”

As Tostig and Harold dismounted
his Housecarls watched all of us, their mailed and veiled faces
seeking any sign of treachery.  Knowing that Aethelward had
been one such a warrior raised him even higher in my estimation and
made me wonder again about the claim that I was descended from a
great warrior. In the years since I had heard the words I had
looked for a sign but Edwin of Medelai showed no attributes of a
great warrior, if anything he appeared less now than he had, more
of a greedy merchant than a fighter.

I saw my brothers fawn and fuss
over Tostig who appeared to enjoy the flattery.  Harold, by
contrast, appeared ill at ease and embarrassed by the whole thing.
He turned and caught sight of my uncle.

“Aethelward! I hoped that you
were still alive.” He and my uncle embraced like old friends. A
scowl appeared on the faces of Tostig and the rest of my family who
appeared unhappy that the attention had moved from them to someone
else.

“No  my lord, I survived, a
little punctured here and there but alive nonetheless.”

Harold laughed and turned to
Tostig. “Brother why did you not tell me that this mighty warrior
resided here?  I would have made this visit long ago.” 
Tostig shrugged as though it wasn’t important and my father
shepherded the Earl into the hall. Harold looked at me. “And who is
this?  Your son?”

Aethelward laughed.  “Not
my son my lord but my nephew.  This is Aethelgifu’s son,
Aelfraed.”

A strange look came over the
Earl’s face; he and my uncle exchanged a knowing look and he
unexpectedly embraced me. “Your mother was one of my oldest friends
and I was sorry to hear of her death.” He released me and held me
at arm’s length. “But I can see that she would be proud of
you.  You are powerfully tall. A warrior eh?”

I blushed and grinned, “I hope
to be.”

Aethelward snorted. “That is
some time off nephew.”

“This is wyrd, old friend, for I
have a task I need help with and I could not think who could
perform it.  Now I can see that this was not an
accident.  It was meant to be.”

Both of us were intrigued but
Harold shook his finger playfully and said, “After the feast we
will talk and there is another old friend with whom we shall
speak.”

All the way through the feast I
was reminded of Aethelward’s comments and felt sick at the sight of
my father and brothers ingratiating themselves into the favour of
the Earl. The final straw came when my three brothers were invited
to be Housecarls in the retinue of the Earl. I did not wish to
serve the Earl but I felt slighted that I had not been
included.  I was as big, now, as Edward and I knew that I was
a better warrior. It irked me that the three of them would be the
rich and well armed warriors guarding the Earl while I would have
to remain on the estate.  It did not seem fair but as I came
to discover as I grew older, life was not fair.

The announcement appeared to
have the same effect on my uncle and Earl Harold for they both
moved away from the noisy table to the door of the hall. I did not
know what to do and felt foolish sat alone; Harold was a few paces
away and he turned to me, “Come Aelfraed.  Join us.”

I think that was the proudest
moment in my life up to that point and I eagerly followed them.
When we were outside Harold walked towards the fire of the
Housecarls who were still guarding their Earl. Harold halted us and
then approached the group who all stood to attention.  Harold
waved them down and then said, “Ulf.” A huge bear of a man
disengaged himself from his fellows and came towards us.