The Return to the Isle of the Weather Geats
After negotiations with the Eowan the fleet sails back to the Isles of the Weather Geats, where ale, mead and silver flows freely, for the Geatgeld paid by the Eowan is large indeed and Beornfrith generous in disbursing it. There are great feasts and sacrifices, attended by the brimwisas and other worthies of the fleet, in Beornfrith’s hall in Nordhafn. For the most part the less notable amongst the fleet hang around at Wisby, for it is larger and there is more accommodation for the large number of the Freed, who pay good silver to sleep in its taverns, warehouses and barns. Long after all the Weather Geats have dispersed to their homes, the East Geats have found friendly traders to take them home and the brimwisas have taken their pick of warriors to replace those lost in the War, there remains a goodly population of the Freed left in Wisby, seeking employment or a ship that might take them home.
Thegn Osgar Bids Farewell
Amongst the first to leave the celebrations is Thegn Osgar, who determines to sail north to bring the news of the victory in Eowland and the death of King Wiglaf to King Eadgils of the Sweons in Uppsala. He takes with him both the Black Pig and the Bealdur, built on the beaches at Ossby from the carcasses of many other ships, but accounted now a fine enough longship. His decks are crammed with Sweons to whom he offers free passage homewards. Surprisingly, Stithwulf, sister son to the late Eorl Sighere, and no friend to Osgar, begs passage back to Sighereston with the Thegn. When this is granted, he then has the effrontery to demand an oath from Osgar that no harm shall befall him in his care. Osgar simply laughs and gives him the assurance he seeks.
Thegn Osgar sails to the Sweon coast from whence he obtains horses and guides to conduct him to Uppsala. The Black Pig and Bealdur are dispatched back to Nordhafn, where await more Sweons and those of the Freed that Osgar has recruited to settle the land and work farms in Gefndene. Meanwhile, wherever Osgar goes in Sweonland he is greeted as a hero until he comes at last to Uppsala. There he is warmly welcomed by the King and exchanges gifts and oaths of friendship. When Osgar leaves, Stithwulf stays in Uppsala. It is said that this was in no way pleasing to Stithwulf, but Osgar shrugs and says he has come to no harm in his care, but that now he is in the care of another.
When Osgar returns to Gefndene there is great rejoicing, tinged though it is with sadness for the missing faces amongst those who rode out with him before midsummer. It is into Haligmonath and the trees are beginning to change their colour. Nothgyth’s belly is full and she is close to her time. She frowns and purses her lips when first she sees Osgar, telling him he is late, but she cannot keep the joy from her face for long. A bare fortnight later, at the time when day and night are in balance, she bears him twin children – a girl and a boy. All three are well and strong and healthy and Osgar gives sacrifice in thanks to both Thunor and Gefion. They live happily and prosperously and Thegn Osgar-Lytelman is no longer part of this tale.
The Spearhafoc
Before he left for Sweonland, Eoppa of the Osprey and Beorthulf of the Bluefish came to Osgar and offered him their shares in the Spearhafoc, for by his leadership they had both become wealthy men and had increased their standing in the eyes of men. Osgar accepted gracefully and called to him his gesith Hrothgar and bade him take command of the Spearhafoc as Brimwisa. He had in mind that the Spearhafoc might take word and a gift to King Hrothulf of the Danes of what had occurred in Eowland and perhaps take a few Danes to their homeland. With this in mind, he asked Ruric the Dane if he would be Steorsman, at least till they came to Hroarskilde where Hrothulf’s Hall stood. Ruric, who felt himself deeply in Osgar’s debt willingly agreed.
So it was that the two found themselves in Wisby seeking crew, for the crew of the Spearhafoc had been drawn from the Blue Fish and the Osprey and in any case had taken severe casualties in the Battle of the Gorge. Hrothgar found that his old friends from Gefndene, Tohrwulf, Herewulf and Herefrith still had appetite for adventure. He and Tohrwulf begged the Wade-Priest Bumoth to join them and they found the Smalland scout, Puttoc, keen for passage off the Isle of the Weather Geats. They also asked the Roman merchant Priscus who was keen on any voyage generally heading south and west. He suggested a fellow outlander, Florus, who suggested another called Zosimus, said to be an exceptional bowman. Ruric brought fellow Danes: Sperling, Odard, Ecglaf and Horsa, along with a tall waelcyrige named Saehild with a forbidding mien.
Seeking a few more crewmen Herewulf and Puttoc bethought themselves of their fellow scout Chidi, the Afric, who had sailed on the Spearhafoc before. Though no shipman, he could hold an oar and was a good man in a fight. Strangely – for he was a notable figure, being the size of a small hall and black as jet – they could not find him until they came upon an old comrade who pointed them to a tavern where they had seen him dead drunk a couple of nights before. Herewulf, Hrothgar and Tohrwulf went to enquire.
Searching for Chidi
The tavern was a dimly lit, evil-smelling place run by a fellow by the name of Alfgar. He and his serving wench both swore that they had never seen an Afric in their tavern. The three were unconvinced but there seemed little to be done about it and they took their suspicions away with them. Later that day, Herewulf chanced to spot a couple of familiar faces in a batch of slaves for sale in the market. They were a couple of kitchen drabs who were freed from Ossby – one of them extremely young. They sent Priscus the following day to pose as a merchant and go barter for the girls so that they might hear their tale. The merchant selling the girls was a Wend called Sambor.
It seems that they had been kidnapped by a gang operating out of Alfgar’s tavern and held for a while in a pen, some way out of town, with several others of the Freed including Chidi. They described the place and Puttoc went to investigate, returning with a description of a palisaded steading that was guarded by somewhere around a score of guards, with frequent traffic in covered wagons.
The Slave Pen
That night half the crew, led by Hrothgar, laid plans to assault the pen and free the slaves, while Ruric, most of the Danes and Bumoth moved the ship to the end of the strand nearest the pen, so that they could make a fast getaway if necessary.
Herewulf quietly climbed the palisade, shot a guard in the watchtower and opened the gate to Hrothgar and his warriors. The fighting was swift and one sided, for the slavers were woken from sleep and unarmoured. Eight were slain and a dozen captured – a mix of Weather Geats and Wends. Hrothgar’s crew took no serious injuries and Saehild in particular showed herself a skilled and ruthless warrior. In the pen they found Chidi and half a dozen other captives, all Freed of the army. Three of them were clearly under the influence of Eowan Seith-Brew.
One of the captives, a Wend called Savo offered to reveal Sambor’s silver in return for his life. This proved to be a heavy chest. There was then a spirited discussion about the fate of the rest of the prisoners. Eventually, to the evident discomfort of Tohrwulf in particular, who spoke against it, Hrothgar gave the order to slay them all. Saehild who had urged him to do so in the first place was enthusiastic in complying with the order and was joined by Herewulf and Chidi, who clearly felt it was their just dessert, along with a Frisian waelcyrige with a bruised face from amongst the rescued who plainly had a score to settle. Most of the rest of the crew joined Tohrwulf in standing aside from the slaughter.
The grim business done the Spearhafoc crew snatched up such equipment as they could carry and made Savo carry the chest for them and hurried their their way down to the strand where waited the Spearhafoc.
They find the Spearhafoc drawn up on a strand that marks the southern extent of Wisby’s harbour area. And scramble aboard. The ship is crammed with people – 25 including your prisoner. As the Spearhafoc pushes out to see the war party gasp out their tale. When they describe their throat-cutting exploits there are more groans than cheers – though some of both. Ruric has harsh words for Saehild in his Danish brogue and she for him – none of the other Danes speak up for her. Bumoth looks grave.
Bumoth’s Words
“Wisby is the biggest settlement on the Isle of the Weather Geats, and the largest trading port in the White Sea. The Ealdorman is Godric Hardword – the most powerful man amongst the Weather Geats. He knows that peace is essential to trade and is known to be ruthless in keeping it. If you had but freed the prisoners and slain only those who tried to stop you I doubt much would have been made of this – a just rescue or at worst a falling out of foreigners. The Wend would have had to seek his own justice and could not have done so without confessing his own crimes. But by slaying the prisoners – some of whom you say were Geats – you have broken Godric’s peace. Worse than that, by slaying all but one witness and taking him prisoner, you have made it into secret murder – for which there is no wergeld. Death or outlawry is the usual penalty.
“I am a Weather Geat, and unless you take measures to mend this, I will not sail with you, for I will never be able to return to my home. By rights, you should turn the craft around and sail into Wisby to declare your action, and throw yourself upon the judgement of Godric. However, I think that is like to go ill with us all now. Your best course of action is to sail to Nordhafn and beg Beornfrith to intercede on your behalf. I think he feels himself sufficiently in the debt of Thegn Osgar to give you a fair hearing and do what he can for you. At worst I believe he will let us go on our way if things go badly.
“If you do not do this thing, I will leave right now.” He unbuckles his weapon belt and hands it to Tohrwulf, balancing on the bulwark, and throws his sealskin cape over his shoulders. “But understand that if do not do as I say, you will certainly be outlawed. Godric’s reach is long, so do not think that it is only Wisby or the Isle of the Weather Geats where you may never return. Consider also effect on the honour of Thegn Osgar, for you sail this ship in his name.
“Decide, now.”
All eyes fall upon Hrothgar who nods curtly and bids Ruric bring the helm around and they row for the north. As they go one of the rescued prisoners, a striking woman from the lands of the Cantwara in Britain, called Wihtburg tells what she had gleaned of Sambor’s operation.
Wihtburg’s Tale
It seems there was a Wend amongst the Freedmen of the Fleet, called Cazmir (some recalled him). Cazmir seemed to have plenty of silver and would befriend ex-comrades and lead them into Alfgar’s tavern, getting them drunk (perhaps Seith-Brew – of which large quantities doubtless came back from the war – was involved). Alfgar’s heavies would take them to Sambor’s depot and Sambor would either sell them at the market or by private sale to the merchant ships that came and went from Wisby. It is unsurprising there were no Geats amongst those you rescued. Cazmir, clearly selected vulnerable targets – foreigners with few friends or countrymen to protect them. They were not the first or only ones to have been kidnapped by Sambor – upwards of a dozen others passed through the pen while Wihtburg had been there. It seems they were looking for a special price for her, she says with no hint of false modesty.
Saehild observes bitterly that all the Brimwisas from the war cherry-picked the warriors they wanted and fucked off home. Beornfrith invited few of the Freed up to Nordhafn. The Geats had friends and kin to call upon. There were enough Sweons, Danes, aye and Wends to band together for protection. However, the hundreds of foreigners left on the beach at Wisby with a handful of silver, no kin, no countrymen and no protector, were always going become victims. What did anyone think was going to happen? She’d be amazed if this was the only such operation. She’d spent the last two weeks fending off the attentions from all manner of land-sharks. She’d also be staggered if this Ealdorman Godric was not up to his neck in it, too. He would certainly profit from the trade and it solved a problem for him.
Beornfrith’s Counsel
The reception in Nordhafn is courteous but turns bleak when the reason for the Spearhafoc’s return is made plain. Beornfrith listens in grim silence as Hrothgar tells his tale. When he finishes he gives a deep sigh. “I, too, have played my part in this, for I gave little thought to what would happen to the Freed once they came to this island. Had you simply rescued your comrades and killed a few Wends in the process there would have been little said. However, the killing of prisoners, including Geats, makes it look like a secret murder and a challenge to Godric’s peace. He must take action or look weak. It also reflects badly upon Thegn Osgar as it has been ordered by his gesith.
“I do not know what you were thinking of. I can only imagine that the war still rages in your heart. But the war is over and the Weather Geats are your kin. This is your homeland.
“For Osgar’s sake – for I and all here owe him a great debt – I will do what I can to smooth things over. But know that Godric and I are more rivals than friends and it will cost me dear. Leave the chest you took from the slave pen, there will be wergelds to pay. Do not expect change. Leave here immediately and do not return until you hear from me. I will send word to King Hrothulf’s hall regarding this matter and how it turns out, as soon as I may.”
To Danemark
Hrothgar bows and leaves Beornfrith’s hall on the instant. He gathers his crew and they make all haste out of the firth upon which Norhdhafn sits. At Ruric’s suggestion they set course to sail down the Eastern coast of the Isle of the Weather Geats, avaoid passing Wisby once more. As they leave the firth to the east they see a longship round the point to the west, heading towards Nordhafn, but it is soon out of sight.
They sail uneventfully for a few days until they make land at the most easterly point of Danemark – the island of Bornholm, where they are made welcome while the harbour master sends news of their coming westwards. From thence they sail to Threlburgh on the coast of Scania where they are met by two longships who bring them greetings from the King of the Danes and conduct them to Chapmanshafn.
At Chapmanshafn they are hosted most generously by Coenhelm, the King’s Eastern Chapman, given a hall, fine provisions and servants to make them comfortable as they await a formal invitation to a feast at the King’s Hall at Hroarskilde.