Hrothgar Meets the King of the Danes

In Chapmanshafn I gave Wihtburg 6 marks and she returned with 2 bolts of cloth, one slightly finer than the other, some hides, an assortment of needles and threads and a set of shears. She started running up clothes for the crew. She also gave me a trim and a shave ready to meet the King. Wihtburg also suggested that those who had byrnies should just shine them up, and spend their money on cloaks, cloak-pins or brooches and maybe hats. Nice belts and weapon-sheaths were also good ways of announcing your status she added. I spent 10 marks on clothing and 5 marks on jewelry.

I decided to leave Odard in charge of the ship and crew and take Ruric, Tohrwulf, Herewulf, Herefrith and Bumoth with me to meet the King. Herewulf and Tohrwulf, who are well-favoured men and both spent between 30 and 40 marks of silver on clothes and jewelry, looked impressive. Beside these two popinjays myself and in particular Herefrith looked a little on the shabby side. Bumoth had his byrnie, decent clothes and some jewelry. Ruric had decent clothing along with a large cloak with a hood of dark cloth.

I prepared my tale to tell the King, but Ruric overheard me practicing in the hall we were allocated and had some suggestions. Firstly, the tales were far too long. The King was a busy man would not let me take up his time unless I could seize his interest. He had plainly already heard accounts of the Eowan War and knew who Osgar is. His thyl would remind him of any detail he had forgotten. Secondly, the gift would be my opening gambit for his attention, not a reward for patient listening. Thirdly, his thyl would be seeking any weakness or inconsistency in my tale and would challenge it. The less I were to say, the less he would have to work with. If they are interested, they will probe with questioning all I have to tell – I should not force it on them unasked, he told me.

With Ruric’s advice I prepared to just give a brief introduction saying that I was Osgar’s herald and say that I had been sent to give his greeting and to give his gift. I would let them tease out any details. If it went well, I would beg his indulgence and then give him a gift on my own account. I thought the honey from the Summerlands might be suitable and Ruric agreed. He suggested I then leave space for their questions. He said that if I had skill in flygting his advice would be different. The gift from Osgar was a potion reputed to heal all ills, taken from the witch Anya. I practiced my short speech.

After we had been at Chapmanshafn for five days, two gesiths of the King arrived with six horses. Herewulf and Ruric could ride but the rest of us had no experience of this. Zosimus spent a little time looking at the at the horses and learning words in Geatish. He noticed that the horses feared me and I was expecting this – I had been warned that this was the downside of my Woden-gift. The gesiths seemed a little bemused by this. We all bundled up our finery, although Ruric still wore his cloak with his hood up, and set off.

On the way, my nervous horse bit the mount of Tohrwulf, I fell but I was unharmed. Herewulf’s horse was scared by a rabbit and bolted but he quickly regained control. After half a day, we topped a rise and see, below and to the North, a huge, quite complex firth, with a substantial settlement at the nearest point – one of the gesiths told us this was Rorskilde. More to the south was Hereot and we were led ever closer to a large, strongly fortified compound. We arrived without further mishap at a gate with a tower on each side. The gesiths stated business and the gates creaked open and we were admitted.

We were given a small hall to ourselves, where we changed and prepared for our audience with the King. Ruric advised those that armed themselves with more than just saexes that this would not be allowed, so equipped with just saexes we were led by a smartened gesith to the entrance of the largest and most magnificent mead hall we had ever seen. There were painted and decorated pillars outside. And above the doors were hung huge set of harts’ antlers, cunningly decorated with gold leaf, that glinted in the last rays of the sun.

At the entrance was a man who introduced himself as Hunfreth, the King’s doorman. He checked out our weapons and finding nothing more than saexes allowed us to enter.

Inside the hall was much more brightly lit than I expected. On a raised dais, sat on an ornate chair, was Hrothulf, the King of the Danes. He was dressed in a fine crimson tunic, with armrings and finger rings of gold and silver and I could see glimpses of a fine belt hidden amongst the folds of the rich cloth of his tunic. Behind him was a beautiful woman holding a jug of beaten silver, elegantly dressed in blue and white. Ruric whispered that this was Coenburg, the queen. There was also an ill-favoured hunchback sitting on the edge of the dais. There was the look of cunning in his eyes, and I had guessed before Ruric informed me, that this was Scrocmael, the thyl. There were number of armed and dangerous gesiths around. I waited nervously and then the thyl asked who we were.

I was “I am Hrothgar, the herald of Thegn Osgar, hero of the Eowan war, slayer of the Wose of Bardsey, scourge of Nicors and Wights.  He gives you greeting and bids me give you this all heal potion which he got when we slew the witch Anya in her hall in Ekethorpe during the recent war”, I announced. 

I was told that they had heard Osgar’s name with honour and was invited to approach and talk some more. The King turned to his wife and asked what she thought. She told him that there was a fine omen in my name – I was the namesake of his ancestor, a renowned King of the Danes. The thyl asked if I had Danish blood and mocked me when I replied, “not that I know of”. The King asked if she thought it was true enough and she nodded and said yes. She took her jug and poured a draft for each of us in the drinking horns we all carried. My companions gave the queen their names and she welcomed each in turn. She said that they had all heard of the war and Osgar’s name had often been mentioned. They knew that we had freed many of their folks and were grateful and after all who likes the Eowan she added. We were welcome here.

I handed over the all heal potion and was questioned by the thyl. He asked how we knew it was an all heal potion and I had to admit that this had been determined by one of the captive Eowan witches. I talked a little of our initial attack on the Eowan fleet and he questioned why Osgar had separated from the rest of the Kings force, I was also asked about the death of King Wiglaf. I was asked who Thegn Osgar’s preferred candidate for King of the Geats and confessed I didn’t know. I was then asked whether I was really privy to his opinions and replied that I didn’t know because when I last spoke to him, the Thegn had had no preferred candidate. There was a slackening of interest and individual conversations started up. The Queen interrupted the thyl and suggested he leave questioning me and I was given the opportunity to offer my own gift.

I told them that I had a flask of honey from the Summerlands and the hall suddenly quietened and the audience listened to my tale. As coached by Ruric I kept it very simple and allowed them to question me. I handed over the honey to thyl, but he was interrupted by the queen, telling him that he was not used to the taste of honey. She broke the seal and sniffed it. She then dipped her finger in and tasted it and her eyes widened. She said that she couldn’t be sure of the truth of the tale, but it was indeed very good honey. King Hrothulf whipped out his spoon and dipped the thin end and tasted it too. Perhaps it was wasted just being eaten he suggested. I also took the opportunity tell him of my Woden-gift of Helruning and explained that it was the downside of this gift that caused the horses to hear me as the gesiths could confirm.

The King informed me that I had brought an interesting tale and asked if we were all companions of Osgar and they agreed, but eyes lighted on Ruric. He told them that he had become the Thegn’s companion and owed him his freedom. He said that he had been a slave of the Eowan and then of the Geats. “Osgar took me and freed him me, Uncle”, he announced, and threw back his hood.

The King told Ruric that none had known what had happened to him. Ruric replied that he wouldn’t say none because his father’s brother had known, for he had arranged it. King Hrothulf stood forward and said that he wanted no word of this to leave the hall. If there were any gossiping then there would be consequences. He added that he did not wish his kingdom riven by feuds, particular in his own kin.

He beckoned Ruric forward. It was 5 years since he had been seen in the Kingdom. He looked closely at his kinsman and saw the slave brand marring his handsome features just above the beard line. “I can see you have had an interesting time; stay a while and we will speak of it”.

The moment was broken by the arrival of a wailing child, the first-born son of the King and Queen. From his size he seemed five or six years of age and too old to be carried, but he looked poorly and emaciated, and was clearly in pain.

The King nodded to the Queen. “If all heal can cure our first-born child you will have our great thanks”, said the Queen. Scrocmael asked if I still believed it was still all heal and I firmly confirmed that I did. His name is an omen said Queen Coenburg, but the thyl opined that the name could be made up. The Queen started to feed the child and myself and my companions waited with some trepidation – our lives almost certainly depended on the outcome.

After a few mouthfuls the child started choking and the rustle of weapons being grasped by the King’s gesiths was heard around the hall. The mother waited a little for the child to recover and then he continued to drink and finished the potion. Everyone looked at the child in expectation and I waited with bated breath. “It hasn’t killed him”, asserted Queen Coenburg, “perhaps it will take a little time”. “Take him away and put him to bed and we will check on him later”, she ordered. “In the meantime, perhaps you would like to take your places at the mead bench”, she told us. She gestured people to move up and we were given seats near the place of honour. My companions followed me in sitting down, apart from Ruric who was given a chair next to the King. Scrocmael was waved away by the King, as they held a private conversation. There was an enormous variety of food and wine, ale and mead were all available. We were still nervous of the outcome of the potion and kept to a moderate intake of food and drink.

After about an hour there was a cry from the darker part of hall behind the dais. A small boy tottered out of the shadows calling “Mummy!”, and grabbed the Queen around the legs. He still didn’t look in the peak of health, but some of the sickly pallor had gone and his mother was clearly delighted and I was summoned back to the dais.

Gifts were given. “Osgar has proved himself a friend to Danes and sent something required in hour of need”, announced the King. I was given a chest of 20 pounds of silver to do with as I wished. King Hrothulf also took an armring of two marks of gold from around his arm and gave it to me.

We were invited by the King to stay here for the winter. I mentioned that there were Danes I had been tasked to return home by the Thegn, but he told me that it would be easy to arrange their return from here, so I accepted his invitation. to stay here. He informed me that he had work for us and questioned me more concerning my Woden-gift. He thought that fate had guided us here to give succor for his child, for barely three hours since a subject had arrived begging his aid against a lich haunting the man’s island. He would ask us to go to the island of Samso and investigate on his behalf and bring relief – we would speak more on the morrow he added.