but watch them and listen for my command.” I nodded to show I had understood. “Come ahead then, we will watch for you.”
Slowly eighteen men limped, crawled and staggered from the reeds. I could see that some had been wounded and others carried injuries. When they reached the side, I looked up at Gunnar, who nodded. “Come on lads; let’s help the poor buggers aboard.”
As they scrambled aboard we began to see to their hurts. Some had broken limbs and others sword cuts and arrow wounds. Eric and I took the stoic warrior who had an arrow sticking from his back. Despite that he still clutched his sword and shield; this was a warrior. “Eric, fetch some clean water.” Much to the amusement of the crew I had had Eric boil water when we could and fill water skins with it. The murky brown water of the river did not look healthy and I needed to dress the wound with good water. “I am Thegn Aelfraed and what is your name?”
“Snorri Bjornson. Thank you for stopping.” More to keep his mind off what I was doing with my dagger than anything I asked him what had happened. “We stopped for the night. We put out the torches and set the guards.”
“Were you the two ships who left the day before we did?”
He shrugged, “We were two ships. They swam to the other ship and slit the throats of the guards. They would have done the same for us but Benni, our leader saw them. He died giving us the warning. There were too many of them and, when we saw the bodies being thrown from the other ship then we knew we were lost. The captain led us into the reeds and they left with the vessels.”
“This is the part which will hurt.” I gave him his dagger. “Bite on the handle. Eric, hold his arms.”I put my knife, which I had heated in the burning torch, into the wound to loosen the arrow. His leather armour had prevented it entering too deeply. He barely flinched, even though I knew that it must have been excruciating agony for him. The strength from rowing enabled me to pull the arrow from the wound with a satisfying plop and I was pleased to see that the blood which erupted was healthy. “Eric, hold a cloth to the wound while I heat up the knife.” A glance at Eric told me that he was close to breaking, the sight of the blood and the operation had been too much. “Just hang on Eric. Snorri has survived. Your job is to help him.”
As I heated the blade I heard the warrior talking to Eric. “First time you have seen a wound?”
“Yes. How did you stand the pain?”
I heard a deep laugh, “The pain would be there whether I wanted it or not. What good would it have done me to cry out? I knew that it would pass, or I would die.”
I returned, smiling, Snorri was like every warrior who had stood beside me in the shield wall. “Hold his arms again Eric.” The hiss of the blade and the smell of burning hairs and flesh were too much for Eric who passed out at Snorri’s feet. In spite of his pain the gentle Snorri lowered the boy to the ground. “It is his first voyage.”
“He did well and he is a kind boy. Did you say that you were Aelfraed the Saxon?” I nodded as I bandaged his shoulder. “Harald Godwinson’s bastard?”
“Aye for my sins.”
“I have heard of you. They say you defeated a Welsh champion, a Scots’ champion and killed Hadrada.”
“My men killed Hadrada and the rest is true.”
“If you would have me, my lord, I would serve you for I believe the Norns intended me to be here.”
“How so?”
“When they were hiring I had a bad feeling about the ships and a voice in my head told me to wait but I ignored it.”
“How does that relate to me?”
“Benni told how he fought at Jorvik for King Sweyn and there were two mighty warriors who saved many Danes lives, Benni was one, and how he wished to go to England one day and serve you.”
“Aah, well the other warrior, the berserker? He is over there, Thegn Ridley. I will gladly have you in my
Slowly eighteen men limped, crawled and staggered from the reeds. I could see that some had been wounded and others carried injuries. When they reached the side, I looked up at Gunnar, who nodded. “Come on lads; let’s help the poor buggers aboard.”
As they scrambled aboard we began to see to their hurts. Some had broken limbs and others sword cuts and arrow wounds. Eric and I took the stoic warrior who had an arrow sticking from his back. Despite that he still clutched his sword and shield; this was a warrior. “Eric, fetch some clean water.” Much to the amusement of the crew I had had Eric boil water when we could and fill water skins with it. The murky brown water of the river did not look healthy and I needed to dress the wound with good water. “I am Thegn Aelfraed and what is your name?”
“Snorri Bjornson. Thank you for stopping.” More to keep his mind off what I was doing with my dagger than anything I asked him what had happened. “We stopped for the night. We put out the torches and set the guards.”
“Were you the two ships who left the day before we did?”
He shrugged, “We were two ships. They swam to the other ship and slit the throats of the guards. They would have done the same for us but Benni, our leader saw them. He died giving us the warning. There were too many of them and, when we saw the bodies being thrown from the other ship then we knew we were lost. The captain led us into the reeds and they left with the vessels.”
“This is the part which will hurt.” I gave him his dagger. “Bite on the handle. Eric, hold his arms.”I put my knife, which I had heated in the burning torch, into the wound to loosen the arrow. His leather armour had prevented it entering too deeply. He barely flinched, even though I knew that it must have been excruciating agony for him. The strength from rowing enabled me to pull the arrow from the wound with a satisfying plop and I was pleased to see that the blood which erupted was healthy. “Eric, hold a cloth to the wound while I heat up the knife.” A glance at Eric told me that he was close to breaking, the sight of the blood and the operation had been too much. “Just hang on Eric. Snorri has survived. Your job is to help him.”
As I heated the blade I heard the warrior talking to Eric. “First time you have seen a wound?”
“Yes. How did you stand the pain?”
I heard a deep laugh, “The pain would be there whether I wanted it or not. What good would it have done me to cry out? I knew that it would pass, or I would die.”
I returned, smiling, Snorri was like every warrior who had stood beside me in the shield wall. “Hold his arms again Eric.” The hiss of the blade and the smell of burning hairs and flesh were too much for Eric who passed out at Snorri’s feet. In spite of his pain the gentle Snorri lowered the boy to the ground. “It is his first voyage.”
“He did well and he is a kind boy. Did you say that you were Aelfraed the Saxon?” I nodded as I bandaged his shoulder. “Harald Godwinson’s bastard?”
“Aye for my sins.”
“I have heard of you. They say you defeated a Welsh champion, a Scots’ champion and killed Hadrada.”
“My men killed Hadrada and the rest is true.”
“If you would have me, my lord, I would serve you for I believe the Norns intended me to be here.”
“How so?”
“When they were hiring I had a bad feeling about the ships and a voice in my head told me to wait but I ignored it.”
“How does that relate to me?”
“Benni told how he fought at Jorvik for King Sweyn and there were two mighty warriors who saved many Danes lives, Benni was one, and how he wished to go to England one day and serve you.”
“Aah, well the other warrior, the berserker? He is over there, Thegn Ridley. I will gladly have you in my
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