Stewart Binns - Conquest

He paused, while Hereward came to terms with a plea he could not ignore.

After telling the others about Torfida’s demise, Hereward spent the rest of the day comforting his two girls. The news had ended the awful, nagging mystery about their mother’s fate. Most importantly, it established that, although racked by pain and illness, she had been trying to return to them. The circumstances of her death were harrowing, but at least they could now be comforted by the knowledge that she had not abandoned them.

Hereward would reflect on Torfida’s message for the rest of his days. He hoped and prayed that it meant she had come to terms with what had happened on that fateful afternoon in the meadow. Perhaps she had forgiven him, or realized she had misunderstood what had been happening. Gradually, he drew more and more consolation from Torfida’s inscription, especially the crudely scratched heart, an image he would cherish in his mind’s eye for ever.

That evening the entire family were seated for dinner, while Edwin described England’s ordeal at the hands of William. As Hereward listened, his mind raced, but kept coming back to the same point: Torfida’s dying message meant that the love he thought had been lost when she discovered him with Edith, had endured. It would stay with him for the rest of his days. For the first time since Senlac Ridge, he began to feel whole again.

He stopped Edwin in mid-sentence and rose with a horn of wine in his hand. ‘I haven’t spoken Torfida’s name in many months. I doubted her, for which I am ashamed. A freak circumstance drove her away, in which I played a leading part; for that, I am truly repentant. Now, with the message Edwin has brought, I feel her spirit has returned.’ He paused to look around at everyone. ‘To Torfida, my abiding love.’

They all raised their goblets and repeated her name. Everyone looked relieved and proud: relieved because they too had doubted her; proud because she was a remarkable woman to have known.

‘Alphonso, do you think this man in Spain, Rodrigo Diaz of Bivar, who you are constantly telling me about on our hunting trips, might need some men-at-arms?’

‘I’m sure he would consider modest soldiers like us.’

Edwin found sufficient pluck to speak up for his cause. ‘Sir, I had hoped you would be going in the other direction. It is England that needs you.’

‘Patience, young man. From the stories I hear, Rodrigo Diaz is a remarkable soldier. I want to find out more. More importantly, I was badly wounded with Harold at Senlac and I am fat and out of condition. If I am to return to England to the role suggested by Edith Swan-Neck, I must be ready for the challenge.’ He turned to Martin and Einar. ‘Dear friends, please stay here and protect our family and our people. We will return in the spring, when we can decide whether there is still a cause worth fighting for in England.’

They both nodded in agreement. Hereward smiled and asked Edwin to continue with his account of the trials and tribulations of England under the Norman yoke.

At the end, he turned to Edwin and thanked him. ‘Stay for a couple of days to refresh yourself, then return to England with all speed. Tell Lady Edith that, all being well, we will be in England in the spring of next year. Before doing so, we will need a detailed analysis of William’s forces and their deployment, and an accurate listing of all those who will rally to the English cause. In particular, we will need to know the intentions of the earls Edwin and Morcar and the morale of their Mercian and Northumbrian housecarls. Also, we must gauge the likelihood of support from the Welsh and the Scots. Finally, we must ascertain what, if anything, can be done to entice the Danes to support our cause.

‘You must return to St Circ Lapopie at the beginning of March, and bring someone who is experienced in military affairs and can effectively relay this information. Alphonso and I will be here by then or, God willing, shortly afterwards.’

The others looked on with smiles of profound relief.

They had not seen Hereward exert such authority for over two years; not since the heady few days following the resounding victory at Stamford Bridge.

Two days later, Hereward and Alphonso made their way down the long winding track to the river shortly before midday.

Hereward’s two girls, identical in every respect, including their beguiling beauty and stoical resolve, had kissed him goodbye. They always reminded him of Torfida, and he hoped they had inherited a little of her wisdom so that they would understand why his quest was important. He had tried to explain his actions, just as Torfida would have done.

Einar, Martin and Alphonso had stayed up late into the night with Hereward, discussing their future. Einar said that he would be happy to fight for England again, but Martin had had enough of battle and said that, as a Welshman, it was hard for him to continue to attach himself to the English cause now that Harold was dead. Alphonso was undecided, but was prepared to go wherever Hereward went. They all agreed that Martin’s preference meant that he should stay at St Cirq Lapopie and protect their estate for the future of their women and their children. This would allow the others one final adventure together in England.

Hereward and Alphonso wanted to be in Spain quickly, so, even though winter was looming, they had decided to go over the Pyrenees. As they descended into the foothills of Aragon and into Urgel, Alphonso seemed to breathe more deeply with every mile. He had not seen his homeland in more years than he cared to remember, and he wanted to talk to all the people he met on the road. Although Spain had many languages and dialects, Alphonso could understand most of them – even a little of the strange tongues of the Basques and the Catalans. He could also speak Arabic, so the Moorish traders they met were a particularly valuable source of news regarding affairs in the lands of the Mediterranean.

After a few days, Alphonso asked Hereward a question that had been troubling him. ‘Why are we here, Hereward? I am delighted to be home again but, if England’s needs are so great, why waste all this time? I know you’re not at your strongest, but you could get that back in a few weeks.’

‘You make a good point, Alphonso. Every day, William gets stronger, I know that. But when we return to England, it will be a different kind of war. We will not be able to raise an army. We will have to work in small groups to pick away at the enemy like wolves stalking a bear – look for its weaknesses, prey on its nerves, weaken it, injure it and then strike. If we’re successful, we’ll attract more and more men. Our wolf pack will get larger and bolder and we can strike at bigger and bigger targets, until we confront the biggest bear of them all – the Duke.’

‘Yes, I understand. But you still haven’t explained this journey.’

‘You are a master of this kind of indirect warfare; I saw it in Sicily in our campaigns with the Normans. You told me it’s a tradition here because you had to live for hundreds of years with the Moors who conquered your lands. I have come here to learn and to listen and, if it’s true what they say about Rodrigo Diaz, we will have the perfect teacher.’ Hereward paused; he looked at Alphonso, a friend with whom he had shared many things. ‘Alphonso, as a comrade you will understand that I also need to renew myself. Much has happened since we met Harold in Rouen. Both he and Torfida are gone. England is defeated and, until Edwin brought me Torfida’s message, I was a spent force. Now I am being asked to be England’s saviour. I need this journey to find out whether I can rise to that challenge.’

Alphonso knew his friend well and understood the enormity of what was being asked of him. He did not need to say anything in reply; he merely nodded in acknowledgement, prodded his mount and moved on.