Outlaw (Aelfraed) (26 page)

I risked a glance to my left and saw Ridley, Osbert and the rest of my men despatching the last of the column.
  As Branton and his men trooped in we took stock.  Two of our men lay dead but the rest of us still stood. It seemed remarkably quiet although we could hear the noise from the Mickelgate. “Branton cover our flanks.  Osbert detail four men to guard the gates.  The rest of you, wedge!”

We had a choice, I could either take the men to aid the Danes over the Monkgate or help Sweyn at the Mickelgate. I was the decoy and I could do as I wished.
  The thought of brave warriors dying at the bridge decided me. There were twenty of us in the wedge and we filled the narrow streets with the six men at the rear.  The rest of the men followed on behind. I felt elated as we trotted through the stone streets built a thousand years earlier by warriors who fought as we did. The Normans could not use their horses here! We did meet men as we ran through the five hundred paces of streets but they were all individuals who died with shocked expressions as the mailed warriors with the red horse shield appeared like wraiths from the grave. One warrior saw us and ran back to the gate which was close. I almost laughed as I heard him scream, “The ghost of Harold comes! Flee!”

The renegade Englishmen helped us more than had he fought with us for the defenders of the gate were already terrified before my wedge appeared suddenly from the side street.
  Relying on Branton to protect my flanks I roared, “Charge!” and ran straight at the centre of the gate.  The Normans and Saxons there had never faced a charging wedge and they stood no chance as the combined weight and weapons of twenty one warriors hit them and hit them hard.  Even if we had not been striking them with our swords they could not have stood for the sheer weight of us all bowled them over and they died beneath our feet as we ruthlessly despatched them.  The rest of my men formed a defensive circle behind us as Osbert and I opened the first gate.  The second one showed that it had been damaged and when we opened it the Danes outside gave a huge roar and rushed in.  Osbert and I stood aside to let them get their revenge on the defenders who had killed many of their comrades. I could see the bodies around the huge ram and others, wounded, lying next to the Mickelgate Bridge.

Sweyn strode up to me and clapped me on the back.
  “Once again I am indebted to you Aelfraed Godwinson.  You truly are a mighty warrior and your father, in Valhalla will be proud of you.”

We let the press of Danes rush into the fray.
  My men had done their part and I wished to have no more losses.  Once the majority had entered I formed my men up. “Branton take your archers to the walls, kill any guards and then harry the rest.” I turned to look for my old friend. “Ridley!”

“He has gone my lord.
  He followed Sweyn.  He has not yet satiated his appetite for blood.“ Osbert looked sad and I could understand why.  Ridley had turned from being a good warrior with a kind heart to a revenge filled killing machine.  I pitied any Norman he met.

“The rest of you, form up behind Osbert and me.
  Our task is to protect the people.” I headed for the Jewish quarter.  I owed Rueben that much at least. Groups of Danes were busy fighting handfuls of Normans and renegades. They did not need our help and I pressed on. The bodies thinned out and I began to hope that the fighting had passed Reuben by but when I turned the corner I saw a crowd of Jorvik inhabitants with torches and home made weapons.  They were beating on Reuben’s door.

“Come out you old Jew!”

“There’s no one to look after you now.  The Normans have gone!”

“Christ killer!”

I was suddenly angry.  I had saved these people and they were turning on a harmless old man.  I roared forward and smashed my shield into the three men I could reach. “Put your weapons down!”

One loutish looking man shouted, “Why?
  Who the fuck do you think you are?”

His head came off in one blow. “I am Aelfraed Godwinson.
  I am the leader of the hooded men and I am the one who has helped free you from the Normans!” There was rage in my voice, in my face and in my actions.  They shrank back, weapons and torches falling to the floor. “You would not fight the Normans yourselves, you let brave men die to do that and now you try to kill an old man who has only ever helped you.  You all deserve to die!” I took one step forwards and they ran screaming in terror from the bloody apparition who stood before them. The street was empty.

“Well I don’t think they will be cheering you any time soon my lord!”

“If they are the sort of people who we are dying for then we might as well leave for Byzantium now.”

Osbert shook his head sadly.
  “But they are not.  They are the people of the towns, the ones who look out for themselves only.  We fight for those who lie at Coxold and Topcliffe.”

Osbert truly understood me and I clapped my arm around him.
  “You are right and I urge you to remind me of that should I ever become enraged again.”

“I am going to be a busy boy then eh?”

Reuben appeared and he was shaking, “Thank you my lord! I thought my end had come.”

“You are safe now, they will not return.”

“No, my lord, I will never be safe here now.  I have seen their true feelings.  I will leave for London on the morrow but I am in your debt.” I knew then that Reuben meant more than he said; for a Jew a debt was something honourable my action had given me a sanctuary for life.

Leaving four men to guard Reuben while he prepared to leave we headed through the city to help Sweyn and Edgar with the scouring of the city.
  As we ran through the half empty streets I realised that I had not see the Aetheling and wondered if he had been at the Monkgate. Dawn broke over the eastern walls and the trail of the fleeing Normans could be measured by their dead.  As I passed the bodies I noticed that there were few knights or Norman men at arms.  The ones who had died had been like Tadgh who we had left guarding the horses and being guarded, in turn, by one of my men.  The men who had died had been the Saxon warriors who sought a new master and they too had been deserted.

“Osbert, we will go to the Gillygate.”

He looked at me shrewdly.  “You know something my lord?”

“We have seen few Normans yet and the only gate they could have used is the one we did not attack, the Gillygate.” As soon as we neared the Gillygate we could see that there were no bodies and the gates were wide open.
  They had decided to abandon the city once we had entered.  William of Perci was careful with his Norman lives. “Leave the men here to watch the gate and to get some food from the gate tower.  Edward you are in charge.  Branton and Osbert come with me.”

We trudged west towards the Monkgate.
  “I wonder where Lord Ridley is, my lord.”

“My thoughts too, Branton.
  I prefer him standing to my right not off on his own on some sort of wild berserker death quest.” Ridley had never loved a woman and the love he had had he had given to his land and his people.  What the Normans had done was akin to the treatment of Ealdgyth.  Osbert had said they had watched me, had I been as reckless?  I suppose that going into the nest of Normans and killing their leaders was reckless but at the time I had not thought so.  Perhaps Ridley felt the same.

The scene close to the Monkgate was one of carnage.
  We could see bodies, both Dane and Norman littering the streets.  Here they had fought hard.  I spied Sweyn and Edgar standing with a group of warriors.  We headed over.  When we closed I could see that his face had none of the elation I expected but was grave. He walked towards me.  “Your friend, Ridley.  He is wounded.” A chill ran through me.  It was what I had feared. ”He is a brave man.  He came alone and fought with four Norman knights.  Three of them lie slain but he was given a fearful wound by the last one.” He paused.  “It was Perci.”

I saw Ridley.
  He had been badly wounded.  His face bore the scar of a sword along the cheek.  It looked bad but it was the most minor of his wounds. Osbert knelt to bind the wound on his thigh where a sword thrust had gone through.  Fortunately the relatively small amount of blood told me that it was not mortal but I could see red seeping though his byrnie and there were damaged links.  “Branton let us take off his byrnie.”

His eyes were closed but a half smile played upon his lips. “Be careful you don’t damage it old friend it was my first.”

“As if I would.” We continued to strip his body and I saw him wince at each movement. “And when you are well again I will be having words about the oath brother who leaves the shield wall in battle.”

The old Ridley suddenly looked not pained but upset, “I am sorry my lord.
  The blood was in my head.”

I took his helmet off and he opened his eyes.
  “I know my friend.  I have been there and I should have had one of my men protect you.  Next time eh?”

He coughed and blood oozed from his lips.
  “Will there be a next time?”

“There had better be.
  Who else will watch my right otherwise?”

When the mail shirt came off I could see that the sword had gone through his side. I touched, as gently as possible, the wound and Ridley bore it well, gritting his teeth. The ribs were broken but I could not tell what damage had been done inside. The important thing was to staunch the bleeding. “Branton, send a man for fire and then you go to Reuben, tell him what has happened and ask does he know of any medicines in the city.” I looked around the ground as Branton ran off and ripped the bottom half of
a dead Norman’s tunic.  I pushed it hard against the wound.  “Sorry this will hurt.” I was speaking to no-one for he had, mercifully passed out. “Osbert, bring the men from the Gillygate.” I looked up at Sweyn. “The Normans have fled, King Sweyn, and the city is yours.”

“And we owe much to you and your gallant band for it was your attack that prompted our victory.
  You were the stone which began the rock fall and I am, once again indebted to you.”

“As am I, brother. The men who reached us told us of the valour of you and your men. I watched Lord Ridley and I have never seen such a fearless warrior.”

“Aye and it is a lesson to be learned for this is the result of recklessness.  Had he waited for us we would still have killed the Normans but he would not be close to death.”

“If he is to die, it is a noble death that men will speak of for generations to come.
  And I think that he learned this from you Lord Aelfraed.”

I shook my head, “I would rather the Normans lived and Ridley was whole for this is not over yet and we will need brave warriors like Ridley.
  William will come, Edgar, and we will have to face him.  We have bloodied his nose and we have yet to rip out his heart.”

The venom in my voice made Edgar start back. “You are a fierce enemy.”

“Aye remember that Edgar.”I had not meant the threat but the actions of Edwin and Morcar had shown me that men’s lust for power sometimes overrode their intentions. Branton arrived back first.  “He gave me this balm sir.  He said that it will clean out the wound.”

The pot he opened contained a small amount of a fragrant smelling paste.
  I removed the pad and blood still oozed. Ignoring the blood I opened the wound and I smeared the lotion deep into the wound and prayed that Reuben had saved Ridley’s life. “And he gave me this powder. You mix a small amount with water and give it to him twice a day. It will ease the pan and make him sleep.  He has given enough for four days.” I nodded and he went to the nearest house.  He had to kick in the door but he quickly returned and mixed the powder with the water he had found.  I held up Ridley’s head and forced open his mouth. Branton looked at me and I nodded.  He poured it into the open mouth. It remained there.  Branton pinched his nose and with an involuntary cough he consumed the medicine. Osbert arrived with the men at the same time as the warrior with the pot of fire.

“Osbert make a litter.
  Edward make the fire red hot.”  I took out my dagger and gave it to him. “I want this blade white hot.”

Sweyn and Edgar had left us in the street which resembled a butcher’s yard. The only ones who remained were my men.
  Counting the ones left at the gate there were forty of us now.  We had done well but brave men who could not be replaced had still died. “Here you are my lord.”

Edward held out the knife which smoked. “Hold his arms.” I removed the pad and placed the flat of the blade on to the wound.
  There was a hissing sound and the smell of burning hairs and flesh but when I removed it there was no bleeding. “Put it back in the fire.” I took the pad from his thigh and smeared more of the paste on that wound. When Edward handed me the blade I repeated the cauterisation. He no longer bled but his life was now in the hands of the almighty. I put the last tiny portion of paste on the wounds on his face.

“Osbert, Branton we need a roof and a kitchen.
  Find one.”

Later, as we ate and drank, Branton told us of his meeting with Reuben.
  “He said the paste is an old remedy from his homeland but the powder comes from the Turks and was given to him by Aethelward. He was insistent that we only use it for a few days.  He said no more.”

I nodded.
  “If Ridley shows no sign of recovery in a few days then we will not need it any way.”