The Marquis (36 page)

He looked around. ‘I…I…I… had realized that I needed to get to Kashgar in a hurry – and Godrys was busying entertaining you so I thought that I would not disturb him and just get on my way…’

Conn nodded his head. ‘If that is the only reason why you were leaving so quickly then this haligdom is just a necklace and would have a value of a silver Ryal.’ Conn fished out a gold Ryal and tossed it to Adbert who let it fall to the floor. ‘I will pay you twenty times its value’.

He then let the necklace fall to the floor and raised his boot as if to crush the gem. Adbert’s eyes followed it to the ground

‘WAIT, Feorrancund, WAIT a moment. I will admit that my cousin the Healdend has asked that I inform him of anything of interest – and I did think that your arrival was worthy of leaving quickly.’

‘The Eaorl knows that. And that information is not that urgent – before he can do anything I will be long gone. Who else want to know about me?’

The Eaorl interrupted. ‘You called him Aebeling… he is not an Aebeling of Pontia.’

‘No; he is an Aebeling of Axum. Only scions of the Bretwalda’s family carry these gems.’ Conn had picked up the black stone to let it swing in the air. Conn looked back at the very uncomfortable Adbert. ‘You were saying…’

‘All right! The Folctoga of the Ancuman fyrd. He send me especially to keep an eye on the border. They knew you were in Larsa and then in Meria so wanted to know if you would cross into Pontia. Now give me back my necklace.’

Conn tossed it to him, and he put it straight back on. It was a very weak link and although powerful to Adbert, Ashtoreth did not see Conn through Adbert’s eyes; even though Conn had felt it the minute he had arrived in the roundhouse.

Albert found some courage, and he turned to the Eaorl.

‘Godrys, I will have you know that you are provide hospitality to an enemy of Pontia and your actions will be seen as treason. You and yours will be executed if you don’t redeem yourself by taking him into captivity and delivering him to Pontiak.’

Godrys laughed out loud. ‘You are even a bigger fool than I’d thought. Because of your beloved Healdend I simply do not have enough wiga to take the Marquis of Kerch into captivity even if I wanted to try. Also since when has the Marquis of Kerch been an enemy of Pontia? History tells us that the Casere and his son the first Marquis were our friends. Are you not the traitor, Adbert? Since when are Ancuman objectives the same as OUR objectives? If I stand condemned, so be it.’

He was about to respond but the Eaorl waved him down. ‘Enough. You have nothing to say. You can spend the night in the dungeon.’

Yelling and complaining, Adbert was dragged from the hall. The Eaorl stood and declared the feast over and that he would meet with the visitors again in the morning.

‘This has been a very confronting afternoon and I need time to think.’

~oo0oo~

The next morning Conn returned with his entourage to meet with the Eaorl and his son. The Eaorl was still mulling through his predicament. He complained to Conn that he was in a bind.

‘Unfortunately I can’t execute Adbert – spying is not a capital offense. I can keep him imprisoned until the wergild is paid, but I doubt the Healdend will pay it.’

Conn agreed. ‘I agree that you should let him go. I have a suggestion to help you with any possible repercussions there might be.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘I propose to leave some of my Pontian and Merians wiga here in Kucha; perhaps four hundred in total?’

The Eaorl was surprised but instantly cautious. ‘Certainly my son is very impressed with your fyrd, and their presence would be to our advantage. But it is an unusual arrangement – not one that we would generally be comfortable with. There is a question of loyalty.’

‘I agree. There is a way that we can fix that – I suggest that we exchange bedda. I believe that there is much to be gained politically if I were to give Keowyn il Kapisi to your son as bedda. In exchange I would ask that you allow me to assume the responsibility of this demesne, Patria, as Marquis, and your daughter Reilda as bedda.’

The room went silent. Conn had discussed it with Keowyn the previous night and she was in agreement. She tried hard not to be too excited by the proposal. At this moment, it was certainly a surprise to Reilda, though she didn’t run screaming from the room.

Godrys looked towards his son. Although surprised, Eadhart soon nodded his agreement. ‘A close tie between us and the Wolf Clan is long overdue. If Keowyn is in agreement, I have no objection. I do not understand what Keowyn would have to gain – I have sons already to claim this demesne.’

‘Agreed.’ Conn had discussed that with her as well. ‘If she were to have a child – a son – then that son would be the Eaorl of Kapisi. If I am successful in my endeavours, I will claim the demesne of Kapisi from the Ancuman who now control it. He would take one of my daughters – the granddaughter of the Healdend of Sytha as bedda.’

‘But if you are Eaorl, what of the Healdend?’

Conn smiled. ‘The outcome there is simple. Just like eight hundred years ago, the Ancuman will be expelled from Sytha, and I see no reason why the Bear clan is not returned to its position as Healdend of Pontia.’

That caused some commotion and discussion before Godrys returned to the other half of his request. ‘I have no problem in granting you this demesne – in fact I am happy to give you something that the Healdend has taken from me – he can try and recover it from you. As for my daughter?’ He looked at her. ‘Reilda, what say you? I never have asked you to do what you don’t want.’

The young woman stood and paused contemplatively. She looked at her father and then Conn. ‘What would my child inherit if not Kapisi or Pontia.’ She was forthright as well as beautiful.

‘This demesne and other demesne confiscated from the Ancuman. Your children will not be left in want.’

‘What dowry will you pay? I might be older than most going to become bedda for the first time but I still have a few good childbearing years in me if the field is ploughed and the seed is planted.’

Conn turned and looked at Keowyn.  She stood and came to him and whispered into his ear. He nodded and turned back to Reilda.

‘Forty thousand Ryals.’

She laughed. ‘Forty thousand? That is too generous. I will accept no more than thirty. My brother cannot have that much value placed on Keowyn as it will be unsettling to his other bedda.’ She then turned and looked at his hird of women and the several children they held. ‘You have many seeking your affection – many more than is customary in Pontia. I can accept that but would my needs be neglected? I would not wish to be a silver tankard on a shelf that isn’t polished.’

Conn turned to Cynilda and the others, and with a straight face, asked. ‘Any unpolished tankards in this room?’

They all agreed that there was more than enough polishing happening and the only one who was smiling was Derryth until Hallvi suggested that she wasn’t as shiny as she could be – but that wasn’t the Marquis’s fault, looking pointedly at Derryth. He was then suddenly very silent.

Reilda then turned back to her father and smiled. ‘That being the understanding, I accept the Marquis’ offer.’

The Eaorl stood and called Conn forward and took out his sword. As if to knight him, he laid the sword on his neck; the blade inches from his neck. He waited before continuing ‘Marquis of Kerch, I welcome you to the Bear clan; I acknowledge you to be the Marquis of Patria in Pontia.’

He then called Reilda forward and had then cross their right hands together. He touched that also with the sword. ‘I also declare that Reilda is bedda to the Marquis of Patria and mother to the heirs of Patria. Be fruitful.’

He then called Keowyn and Eadhart forward and performed a similar ceremony. He added an extra ceremony where Conn relinquished Keowyn and set her free.

He then smiled broadly. ‘How I would love to see the Healdend’s face when he finds out about all of this. Now we need to have a feast to celebrate. This has been another very confronting day.’

The feast continued long into the night and at its conclusion Reilda escorted Conn to the roundhouse that had been set aside for her first night with Conn.  Inside servants had prepared candles and lamps to ensure that the room was well lit and had prepared piles of blankets for their comfort. With the door closed, she started to take off her clothes. She then suddenly stopped and turned and looked at Conn. She was confused.

‘Marquis, you are not expecting some bashful maiden who will tremble in fear at the sight of a manhood are you? In Pontia, it is common for women to experiment with men who seek them as bedda – so that they will not be disappointed later.’

Conn continued to undress. ‘Not at all. I have a high respect for all customs and just try to fit in.’

‘That is good. I had long suspected that Adbert was not genuine in his approaches because he would not experiment with me. I found it strange at first because it is said that I am attractive,’ Conn agreed as she was now almost totally naked, ‘but I discovered from studying his nocturnal habits that I did not possess the body parts that Adbert most desired.’ She stopped to look at Conn who was now naked in the candle light. ‘Gyden! I think I spoke too soon about not trembling.’

‘You spied on him?’

‘Of course. I am unused to rejection.’

She walked over to the blankets and sat down and watched as Conn sat down beside her. She reached over and summarily grasped his manhood. ‘From my observations, if you were to brandish this weapon towards Adbert he would willingly tell you everything you wanted to know. Or pay you as much as you want. He paid many for their services.’

‘Well, I don’t need the Ryals and I only have a few questions for you…’

~oo0oo~

After a couple of days finalizing arrangements for the management of Patria and trade agreements for his Comprador to manage on his arrival in the harbour, Conn prepared to leave. Of the five hundred Merian wiga, he finally decided to leave three hundred behind to support the fifty Pontians led by Brandur. Godhart and the remaining three squads of Pontians were to accompany him to Sytha.

He paraded them in front of the Eaorl and his son. ‘These three hundred and fifty will be enough to ensure your safety until next summer.’

They agreed. ‘The Healdend would be a fool to attack us with men of this quality. His losses would be too great to maintain the support of the Eaorls. He will of course be determined to punish us for our insubordination.’

‘I know – there is little time before he has another thousand men from Kishdah so everything has to be done soon. In the spring you will have equipment arriving by ship so that your wiga have the same equipment as mine. Then in the summer, wiga from Sytha will join your fyrd to give you enough strength to push back as well as stand.’

Godrys was not convinced. ‘How many wiga will arrive from Sytha to be enough to make a difference?’

‘A thousand – five hundred Meshechians and five hundred Sythans.’

‘Five hundred Sythans – there is a danger that the presence of so many Sythans will inflame our neighbours – even those that are not enamoured with the Healdend.’

Conn shook his head. ‘They won’t be riding as Sythans – they will be riding under the device of the Marquis of Patria.’ Conn had negotiated a standard for the demesne – combining his sun and the bear device of the Kucha clan. ‘There will be nothing but a wall of Bear shields. Also, they will all be under Eadhart’s command.’

Eadhart was suddenly overawed by the situation. ‘I do not have the skill or experience to manage a fyrd of over a thousand wiga. I will lead them to their annihilation.’

‘I have no such concerns. You have two well-trained officers here already. They will help you prepare your men. I will send for Sir Rab from my demesne of Rasadi to join you in the spring. He has experience in the wars in Meshech and all you need to do is take his guidance. Now, of your neighbours, who will fight with the Healdend?’

‘There are four Eaorls between us and Pontiak – Kashi, Kotan, Kyme and Kashgar. Of those, only Kashi would change sides if given an alternative. The Eaorl’s daughter died as a bedda to the Healdend, and not in childbirth. I fear that the other three will support the Healdend to the death.’

‘Very well, I will have to make enough noise in Kapisi to distract them. I will not let you be killed.’

Godrys and Eadhart looked at each other and shrugged. ‘We signed our death sentences when we sent Adbert away so we will do as you suggest. It is certainly better than any plan we have.’

~oo0oo~

A few days later Conn followed Eadhart, dressed in a new uniform as a Colonel and on a new grey horse, as he led them over the final rise and on to the highlands.

‘Marquis, this is where we part. The ancient roads to Sytha are easy enough to follow. I bid you farewell.’

‘Thank you, Eadhart. I will see you again next summer. Prepare yourself to be Healdend of Pontia.’

‘What you say provides me with much to concern myself about, but I will do what I can.’ He bowed and turned away; joining his squad as they quickly disappeared over the rise and down the mountain.

Hallvi rode up beside Conn and Derryth as they watched the Folctoga disappear,

‘Feorhhyrde, is that what you always do – destabilise people and make them doubt their own destiny?’