their saddles. The danger lay in the hooves of the horses. They were the killers.
As I expected the horsemen did not charge our wall of shields but tried to get around the rear of our lines. The spearmen ran at us with their weapons held before them like a hedgehog. The secret was to watch the spear and use a sword to break the shaft. It was then a useless piece of wood. The ones who made the mistake of attacking the Ulfheonar paid a heavy price. I watched Haaken contemptuously smash the ash shaft of the spear before bringing his sword around to take the warrior's head. I knocked a spear head up with my shield and then eviscerated the warrior with my sword. Inevitably the combat broke into small groups. I led my Ulfheonar forward. The gates were open and the Saxons before us fled.
"Come we can take this burgh!"
We began to run up the hill. Suddenly I heard, "Jarl Dragonheart! Beware!"
I turned in time to see two of the horsemen who had survived galloping towards me. I braced myself. Rolf Eriksson, who had shouted the warning raced over to attack the horsemen. He had the long Danish axe given to him by Olaf. He swung it at the leading horse and it bit deep into the beast's chest. The rider was flung over the dying animal's head and landed at my feet. As the second horsemen tried to swerve out of the way Rolf raised his axe high over his head and brought it down on the horseman. It chopped through his thigh and into the horse. The rider fell screaming to the ground and took the horse with him. As I slew the Mercian at my feet Rolf took the head of the other rider and then ended the horse's suffering by taking its head.
He stood panting, the lust of battle in his eyes. Olaf laughed, "I can see you were made for that weapon. You are Rolf Eriksson no more from this day forth you are Rolf Horse Killer!"
It was just the spur my men needed, "On!"
We raced to the gates which the last men inside were trying to close. We hurled ourselves at the gates and they sprang open. Haaken and Ulf slew the two men who had tried to close them. We were inside their fort and they had no chance. We were killers and we had the roar of battle coursing through our veins. We fell upon the sheep within the fold and every warrior was slaughtered.
The captives were subdued and kept in the church which lay within the fort. We stripped it of all its riches. The monks were cowed. There were no women at all. I guessed that the garrison were the warriors who had captured the fort from the men of Gwynedd. We had a fine collection of mail and swords. There were Holy Books, linens and tapestries. We ate well. Rollo's kill had provided the meat. We ate horse. With our ships sheltered beneath the walls we brought Wolf Killer's crew into the fort. I doubted that there were any Saxon warriors close by but it did not do to take chances.
Aiden explored the church and found some Roman writings and other parchments from the time of the Warlord. He sat poring over them while Haaken began composing his song about Rolf Horse Killer. The young warrior now had the mail shirt from the warrior he had killed as well as his sword. He was a rich man. More than that, however, he now had a reputation and he would be immortalised in a saga.. I saw Hrolf looking enviously at him. He was a hero and Hrolf was a friend of the hero. Such things are important.
"Tomorrow, my son, I want you to take a war band and scour the valley. See what else we can find. Sigtrygg you will go with Snorri and Beorn to the coast I would know where the nearest Saxons are. I cannot believe these are the only warriors left."
"Do we not return home?"
"Not yet, Asbjorn. There is still much to be harvested. We will leave this land a wasteland before we return to Cyninges-tūn. This will be our last raid of the year. We might as well make it a fruitful one. There are many farms and they will have both animals and grain."
Aiden came to speak with me
As I expected the horsemen did not charge our wall of shields but tried to get around the rear of our lines. The spearmen ran at us with their weapons held before them like a hedgehog. The secret was to watch the spear and use a sword to break the shaft. It was then a useless piece of wood. The ones who made the mistake of attacking the Ulfheonar paid a heavy price. I watched Haaken contemptuously smash the ash shaft of the spear before bringing his sword around to take the warrior's head. I knocked a spear head up with my shield and then eviscerated the warrior with my sword. Inevitably the combat broke into small groups. I led my Ulfheonar forward. The gates were open and the Saxons before us fled.
"Come we can take this burgh!"
We began to run up the hill. Suddenly I heard, "Jarl Dragonheart! Beware!"
I turned in time to see two of the horsemen who had survived galloping towards me. I braced myself. Rolf Eriksson, who had shouted the warning raced over to attack the horsemen. He had the long Danish axe given to him by Olaf. He swung it at the leading horse and it bit deep into the beast's chest. The rider was flung over the dying animal's head and landed at my feet. As the second horsemen tried to swerve out of the way Rolf raised his axe high over his head and brought it down on the horseman. It chopped through his thigh and into the horse. The rider fell screaming to the ground and took the horse with him. As I slew the Mercian at my feet Rolf took the head of the other rider and then ended the horse's suffering by taking its head.
He stood panting, the lust of battle in his eyes. Olaf laughed, "I can see you were made for that weapon. You are Rolf Eriksson no more from this day forth you are Rolf Horse Killer!"
It was just the spur my men needed, "On!"
We raced to the gates which the last men inside were trying to close. We hurled ourselves at the gates and they sprang open. Haaken and Ulf slew the two men who had tried to close them. We were inside their fort and they had no chance. We were killers and we had the roar of battle coursing through our veins. We fell upon the sheep within the fold and every warrior was slaughtered.
The captives were subdued and kept in the church which lay within the fort. We stripped it of all its riches. The monks were cowed. There were no women at all. I guessed that the garrison were the warriors who had captured the fort from the men of Gwynedd. We had a fine collection of mail and swords. There were Holy Books, linens and tapestries. We ate well. Rollo's kill had provided the meat. We ate horse. With our ships sheltered beneath the walls we brought Wolf Killer's crew into the fort. I doubted that there were any Saxon warriors close by but it did not do to take chances.
Aiden explored the church and found some Roman writings and other parchments from the time of the Warlord. He sat poring over them while Haaken began composing his song about Rolf Horse Killer. The young warrior now had the mail shirt from the warrior he had killed as well as his sword. He was a rich man. More than that, however, he now had a reputation and he would be immortalised in a saga.. I saw Hrolf looking enviously at him. He was a hero and Hrolf was a friend of the hero. Such things are important.
"Tomorrow, my son, I want you to take a war band and scour the valley. See what else we can find. Sigtrygg you will go with Snorri and Beorn to the coast I would know where the nearest Saxons are. I cannot believe these are the only warriors left."
"Do we not return home?"
"Not yet, Asbjorn. There is still much to be harvested. We will leave this land a wasteland before we return to Cyninges-tūn. This will be our last raid of the year. We might as well make it a fruitful one. There are many farms and they will have both animals and grain."
Aiden came to speak with me
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