Conquest

As they dismounted, the King emerged from his hall. Macbeth was less than impressive: his eyes were sunken into his gaunt face; his skin was pale and lifeless; his dark-red hair and beard were lank and tangled; and he stooped as if his hulking bearskin cloak was too heavy for him. His men spoke to him in their Celtic language; he responded in English.

‘I hear you bring weapons to trade.’

Hereward spoke first. ‘My Lord King, our good friend Thorkeld will sell you his fine weapons. My companions and I have come to fight for your cause. We hear you are a rightful king and that your rival, Malcolm Canmore, has taken your throne by force of arms.’

‘Isn’t it more usual for men like you to fight for money and spoils, rather than a good cause?’

‘It is, sire. We would expect to be rewarded, of course, but our main purpose is to help your cause and to pursue our destinies, which have led us to you.’

‘Well, it is an unusual introduction. Perhaps you are a good omen.’

Torfida interrupted before Hereward could answer. To Macbeth’s astonishment, she spoke in North Gaelic, the language of the local people.

‘We are, my Lord King.’

‘Who are you?’

‘I am Torfida of Winchester, and I pursue the same destiny as these men. Hereward of Bourne is my betrothed.’ Torfida reverted to English, not wanting to stumble with her limited Gaelic. ‘He is a great warrior, as are his companions. They can help prepare your men for battle.’

Colour began to return to Macbeth’s face, but it was a flush of anger, not of ruddy good health. ‘Can they now? I think you are impudent, madam.’

‘I do not mean to be, sire. Hereward fought with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn at the Battle of Hereford and saved his life. Einar was Aelfgar of Northumbria’s Champion, and Martin Lightfoot was King Gruffydd’s swiftest messenger. They will testify to Hereward’s courage and strength. Hereward — ’

Realizing that the King was losing patience, Hereward interrupted. ‘Let us work with your Captain, under his command… but, rest assured, we can help you.’

‘I will summon my Captain. He will be the judge of that. If he doesn’t take to you, he will run you out of these mountains on the point of his sword.’ The King turned and disappeared into his hall.

Hereward turned to Torfida, clearly displeased. ‘Torfida, you spoke too soon and said too much.’

‘This King needs your help; there is no time to waste on niceties.’

‘I have no experience of leading armies.’

‘Well, now’s the time to learn. Talk to Einar and Martin. They’ve been in armies; they can help us work out how we can impress the King and his Captain with our military prowess.’

Hereward interrupted forcefully. ‘When you say “we”, you mean “me”. Don’t ever speak out again on my behalf, or on behalf of Martin and Einar, without talking to us first.’

Just as Hereward had finished speaking, a tall man, accompanied by his men-at-arms, loomed behind him. His Sergeant announced him.

‘This is Duncan, Earl of Ross, Captain of the King’s hearthtroop.’

‘My Lord Earl, I am Hereward of Bourne, the outlawed son of Leofric, Thegn of Bourne.’

‘You have strong nerves to walk into this camp and presume to speak to the King.’

Einar rarely spoke but, when he did, everyone listened. ‘My Lord, he can match any man here. I am Einar, Champion to Earl Aelfgar of Northumbria, the son of the late Earl Siward.’

‘Not a good recommendation my friend, coming from the Champion of a house that colludes with our enemies.’

‘I was the Earl’s Champion, my Lord; I didn’t decide his alliances. Test Hereward in combat. He will prove his worth against any of your men.’

‘I think I’ll just kill the upstart.’

The Earl drew his sword and threw back his cloak. He was a powerful, dark-haired man who carried the scars of many years of combat. Hereward stepped back, withdrew his sword and adopted a defensive posture.

The fight did not last long. The Earl struck out furiously, but Hereward was able to parry every attack with ease and without striking a single aggressive blow. The Earl was impressed and, breathing heavily and none too pleased with his inability to despatch Hereward, relented.

‘You fight well, Hereward of Bourne. Find a place in our camp for the night. I will speak to the King and we will discuss this again tomorrow.’

The Earl marched away, muttering to his men. Thorkeld, who had watched Hereward’s display of swordsmanship with astonishment, stepped forward to shake his hand.

‘I have never seen a man handle a sword so well. What can you do with other weapons?’

‘The axe is my favourite. My arms are strong, and I can use both my left and my right; necessity forced it upon me a few years ago.’

‘Are you strong enough to use this?’