Crusade

He built his own shelter above the oaks and pines, just beneath the top of the mountain, where the chill and the winds of winter would remind him of England. He hunted, foraged and farmed just as he had done as a young man in England’s wildwood after he had been banished by King Edward at Winchester.

He said he never got lonely; he had so much to reflect on. And so many memories to keep him company, he added poignantly, with a tear in his eye and a kiss for Estrith.

‘And I had Torfida for company. She said she would always be with me. She has kept her promise and she still is.’

I suddenly remembered the giant blond Varangian on the prow of the Byzantine ship at the Battle of Mazara, whom Ibn Hamed had said was the Captain of the Guard.

Adela had remembered too and got the question out before me.

‘Surely it cannot have been you leading the attack on Mazara in Sicily? It was in the autumn of the year 1084, I think… but we believed the Captain had been killed?’

‘Were you there?’

‘Yes, we were in the service of Roger of Sicily.’

Hereward looked at Estrith. ‘And you?’

‘No, I was building churches in Normandy at the time.’

‘Like mother, like daughter. Well, fate would have dealt me a strange blow if it had been me at Mazara — killed in battle against my old friend, Count Roger, with my own family serving in his army. Fortunately for me, the Emperor did not send me on the campaigns against the Normans in Italy and the Balkans because of my previous service with the Guiscards and my close bond with Roger. The man who was killed that day was my deputy, another Englishman, John of Worcester, a fine man and a great soldier. He took an arrow which pierced his armour, broke his ribs and ruptured his heart. He was dead in moments.’

Sweyn then continued the reminiscing.

‘There are so many stories about you and Ely! You must have been tempted to come back to England, especially after you retired from the army and William died.’

‘I was very tempted — but William kept his side of the bargain, and I kept mine. I paid a high price, but not as high as the one paid by the rest of the Brotherhood.’

Adela then spoke.

‘So, you have become like the Old Man of the Wildwood?’

‘I certainly live like him, but without his knowledge and wisdom. I am no seer, just an ancient soldier.’

‘Did you never find a woman to spend your retirement with?’

‘No woman would be mad enough to spend her days with an old man in a thatched lean-to at the top of a mountain.’

Then Hereward got to his feet. Suddenly, it was as if we were back in 1069; he had that fiery look in his eye.

‘I go the coast three or four times a year and enjoy the hospitality of the local governor at Messene. I’ve been following the Emperor’s plans with great interest. With the northern border secure, his dilemma now is the world of Islam, especially the Seljuk Turks, who pose an even more formidable threat than the Pechenegs.’

Sweyn was spurred on by Hereward’s enthusiasm.

‘I always knew you were alive. And I often thought about the Varangians, because I knew that many of King Harold’s housecarls came here to enlist.’

‘All those Englishmen are gone now, either perished in battle or retired to live out their days in peace. When Alexius called for help from the Latin Princes, I thought it might lead to one last adventure in my life — during which there was even the vague possibility of hearing a little of what became of all of you.’

Adela sprang to her feet.

‘Does that mean you are coming with us?’

‘Of course, let me repeat what the Emperor’s messenger read out when he appeared with his escort through the mist of my mountain home early one morning: “A brethren of Latins, led by a Norman duke named Robert and an English prince named Edgar, is at the court of His Majesty, the Emperor Alexius. One of the brethren, the Abbess of Fecamp, is called Estrith of Melfi. They have asked about an amulet called the Talisman of Truth.” He then looked at me and said that the Emperor thought I would like to return to Constantinople immediately and that they would escort me to a ship waiting in the harbour at Messene. As you might imagine, I was gathering my things before the messenger had finished speaking. It was the longest journey of my life, but now I’m here.’

Estrith brought us all together in a circle, while Hereward took the oath of the Brethren of the Blood. She then spoke for all of us.

‘Now we are seven and united as a family at last. Let us pray for those no longer with us: Torfida, who met her end in the wildwood from whence she came; Martin, Einar and Alphonso in the heroic struggle at Ely; Gunnhild in the terrible pain she bore so bravely; and, in the tragedy of the putrid fever, our beloved sisters, Emma and Edgiva, Gwyneth and Wulfhild, Maria and Ingigerd. Let us also pray that Cristina is alive and well in Oviedo and enjoying a long retirement.’

Hereward said ‘Amen’ with the rest of us before adding his own reflections.