Crusade

‘My Lord, as you know, my father and his followers took a pledge at Ely — the Oath of the Brotherhood of St Etheldreda. Edwin, Sweyn, Adela and I all took the oath; Edgar lent his support from his exile in Scotland. Although it was taken in the context of our resistance to your father, the vow was a cry for liberty and justice for all men everywhere. Its words were fashioned by my father and were very clear and precise: “On the holy remains of the martyr, St Etheldreda, and in the sight of God, I swear to assert the rights of all Englishmen to live in peace and justice. By wearing this amulet of the ancients, I attest to my belief in truth and wisdom. By this salute, I enter the Brotherhood of St Etheldreda and do solemnly commit my life to it and its noble cause. So help me God.”

‘In the light of what is happening throughout Europe, and the threat of wanton killing on a scale never seen before, we have decided to form a new brotherhood and to take a new oath.’

‘Is it an oath for knights and princes? Or may a duke bow his head to a principle?’

Not deterred by Robert’s sarcasm, Estrith responded pithily. ‘Everyone who takes an oath in the eyes of God takes it as an equal.’

‘Well said, Estrith. Tell me the words of the oath, so that I might practise.’

‘Sire, do you mean you would like to join our brotherhood?’

‘Indeed! I am sure it is a very worthy cause.’

‘We want to go back to Ely to swear the oath on the tomb of its patron saint, St Etheldreda, where the original oath was sworn. We have chosen a name. My father’s amulet, the Talisman of Truth, disappeared after Ely. It could have been lost in the mayhem, or it could still be around his neck — either a living neck, or one at peace in his grave. The Talisman is claimed by many people to have mystical powers; some say it’s a pagan charm, others say it’s a Christian relic which symbolizes Christ delivering us from evil. It contains an image of the Devil and his familiars, trapped by a splash of the blood of Christ.’

‘I have heard many stories about the amulet; I would like to see it one day.’

‘Perhaps you will. Sweyn and Adela are certain my father is still alive and still carries the Talisman with him.’

‘How old would he be now?’

‘He would be in his sixtieth year, my Lord.’

‘Then it is possible.’

‘Sire, because this Crusade is in Christ’s name, we will call ourselves the Brethren of the Blood of the Talisman, but our name, our oath and our bond as brethren will be known only to us.’

‘And the words of the oath?’

‘Sire, ours is a brotherhood of equals and the words are our secret.’

‘So, am I permitted to enter your brotherhood, or not?’

I intervened to help make our position clear.

‘What Estrith means is that, as members of the Brethren of the Blood, we carry no titles and all are equal. We will be honoured to count you among our number, but we will no longer be in your service and we will not owe you fealty as our lord.’

Estrith then recited the words she had devised for the oath:

‘In the presence of God and his disciple, the blessed martyr, St Etheldreda, I swear to uphold the vows of the Brotherhood of St Etheldreda at Ely and give unwavering service to the Brethren of the Blood of the Talisman.

I will adhere to the moral code of the Mos Militum and fight for justice and freedom wherever they are denied.

I will give service to the cause of righteousness in the image of those who went before: Hereward and Torfida, Martin, Einar and Alphonso, and all the members of the Brotherhood who gave their lives in pursuit of liberty.’

We were all moved by the simplicity and power of the words.

I reminded Robert of the seriousness of our undertaking. ‘Our covenant and identities will be known only to us, and no one will be admitted to the Brethren without the unanimous approval of all members.’

‘So, what does this mean for the Pope’s Crusade?’

Sweyn gave our answer.

‘For several reasons, we have decided to join the Crusade. First, we can find out the truth behind the stories being woven for the Christians of Europe. More importantly, we want to try to prevent bloodshed by appealing to reason and the tenets of the Mos Militum, a code shared by Muslim and Christian knights alike. Finally, we are all aware that, should the Crusade happen in the way it is being planned, it will be the most important event in our lives since Senlac Ridge and your father’s conquest of England. And we all want to be part of it.’

Robert was clearly inspired by all he had heard.

‘Good, then let’s begin. I will get myself organized to leave for Ely immediately, so that I can join you in swearing the oath. I will travel in secret; I don’t want Rufus to know our plans. Then, when we return to Normandy, we will start to build an army to travel to Constantinople.’

I was heartened by Robert’s enthusiasm, but I knew that it was a very long way to the Holy Land. It was going to cost him several Danegelds to get his army there and — God willing — back again.

24. Brethren of the Blood