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  Ariel reached into the bodice of her gown and pulled out the ring, the one she always wore around her neck. She didn’t know why she kept it, but once she found herself with child she couldn’t give it up. It was all she had that held a clue to the knight’s identity.

  Swein released Ariel’s hand and reached for the ring. The ruby eye of the unicorn flashed as he moved it for a closer look. Ariel knew the emblem would be unknown to him. “He didn’t tell you his name?”

  “Nay. The ring is all he left as to who he is. I didn’t give him my name either.”

  Swein dropped the ring so it hung from Ariel’s neck once more. “You want to find him again, don’t you?”

  “Aye. At some point I do, but there is something I want to do first.” Slipping off of the bench, Ariel knelt before her father. Placing her hands on his knees, she looked up at him beseechingly. “I want to go with the fryd when it’s called to assemble.”

  He had to have been expecting this. He had to have known why she had requested armor. The armor was almost finished, waiting only for Ariel to return to her lessons.

  “If you must, you must. I’ll not stop you. Osbern says you have a talent for it. But I need to know one thing. What will become of Colwyn when you leave?”

  “I’ll only be gone two months. He can stay here with you. We can find him a wet nurse. I’ll nurse him until I have to leave.”

  “You will not be able to continue to nurse after you come back. Your milk will have dried up.”

  “I know. That’s one drawback. The other will be leaving you and Colwyn behind.”

  “Can I assume you will be leading our men?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  Swein shook his head and chuckled. “Nay, but there is one condition. Osbern will go with you and fight by your side. I will not lose you now that we are close again. With your mother gone, you and Colwyn are all I have.”

  Ariel stood up and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. “I love you, father. I’ll do as you wish.” Looking down at Colwyn who was still cradled in Swein’s arms, she found him asleep. “I see someone decided it was his bedtime. Maybe I should retire for the night as well. I start training again tomorrow. Osbern wants me to start very early.”

  Swein stood and gently placed Colwyn into his mother’s arms. “You’ll need your rest. I’ve told Osbern to train you as if you were a boy. It’ll be a lot harder than what you have been doing in the past. I have arranged for one of the villager’s daughters to come and help you with Colwyn. So I will bid you goodnight, daughter.”

  * * * *

  Broc watched the carpenters work at the River Dives where Duke William had ordered his fleet to be built. It had taken much argument for even this to be brought about. To say the barons had not been agreeable was an understatement. The first meeting William had with his barons took place in February and had been an utter failure.

  Robert Count of Mortain, Odo Bishop of Bayeux, Roger of Beaumont, Walter Gifford, Hugh of Montfort, Roger of Montgomery, William of Warren, and William FitzOsbern had all been present at the first meeting. All had thought William had a legitimate claim to England’s throne. So a second meeting with the barons was suggested. It had gone a little better than the first, but not by much.

  In the second meeting the duke presented his many complaints against Harold, mainly his right to his kingship. He stressed that Harold had usurped his throne. He had taken a kingdom that rightly belonged to William. But all the barons had cared about was the profit to be made in this venture. Most didn’t think the profits would be worth the risk.

  The main complaint of the barons was that their feudal duty did not include fighting overseas. Most thought the crossing would be too dangerous because it had never been done before. They thought England would be too strong to defeat, and the attempt to do so would ruin them all.

  Broc chuckled to himself as he recalled what William FitzOsbern had told him how he had tricked the barons into supporting the duke. FitzOsbern had tricked them into making him their spokesman to the duke. Instead of supporting their complaints, FitzOsbern had addressed William in terms of servile loyalty. He had said he would provide the duke with sixty ships full of fighting men and the barons would not only cross the sea, but bring twice the number of men duty demanded. The barons of course had shouted their disagreement so uproariously the meeting had to be ended.

  William then summoned the barons one by one to him, speaking to each alone. Without the support of the others, each could not win the battle of wills with the duke. In the end they each promised William a certain number of knights and foot soldiers. Most declined the offer to go with the duke, but they would be sending a son or some other relation to lead their men. One of the other promises he had wrung out of them had been to build enough ships for the crossing, which was now being built.

  William had sent Broc to see how they were progressing. From the look of things, the fleet would be ready for the summer crossing. The ships themselves were based on the Normans’ ancestors, the Vikings, designs, double ended with high curved sterns and sternposts. Most were decorated with dragon’s heads and tails. Each had a mast and a sail since none were to be rowed. To sail them across the channel to England, a south wind needed to blow or the fleet would not move.

  Chapter 5

  Sweat trickled between her breasts. Ariel had not realized how hot armor could be. She had not even started her lesson yet and already she sweated.

  Osbern checked her straps and the fit of her helmet before donning his armor. “Are you sure you want this, my lady?”

  “Positive. I won’t back out now.”

  With a shrug, Osbern walked to the center of the field and motioned for Ariel to follow. When she reached him, she placed her shield on her arm and raised her sword. Osbern took the first strike. Ariel moved to block it with her shield. She felt the impact all the way up her arm. Lifting her sword, she struck back at Osbern.

  As the sword play continued, Ariel realized her father had been right. Wearing the armor and using the shield made it much harder. Obviously Osbern had been taking it easy on her in the past. Now his strokes came fast and furiously. With each strike Ariel could feel it vibrate through her body. Osbern was putting his full strength behind each hit.

  Ariel felt her body getting more battered with each stroke of Osbern’s sword. She had to do something other than just ward off his attack or he would pound her into the ground. Watching Osbern closely, she realized he may have the strength and bulk she could never match, but she had one advantage. She was smaller and could move faster than he could.

  When the hit came that would take Osbern longer to recover from, Ariel knew her chance had come. Lifting her shield up high so Osbern’s sword arm was slightly raised, Ariel moved to block him and with a twist of her sword she disarmed the bigger man.

  Both watched as the sword landed with a thud at their feet. Ariel couldn’t hide the triumph she felt. Osbern’s mouth hung open in shock. His eyes seemed glued to the sword lying on the ground.

  The look on Osbern’s face showed surprise that someone of her size could disarm him in one stroke. “How did you do that? I never taught you that move.”

  “I don’t really know. It just seemed like the most logical course of action to take. I’m not going to let you batter me to a pulp just so you can teach me sword play.”

  Osbern threw back his head and let out a roar of laughter. “Whatever you say, my lady. Just as long as you can do it again, that is what really matters. Shall we test out your new found skill?” At Ariel’s nod, Osbern picked up his sword and signaled for her to come at him. The practice continued for another hour with Ariel able to disarm Osbern twice more.

  * * * *

  Swein came to the field halfway through the practice and could not believe his eyes. Osbern had said before Ariel’s confinement that she had a talent for sword play, but what he was seeing now led him to only one conclusion, Ariel was a natural. Watching Ariel disarm Osbern was a ph
enomenal sight and she would only get better over time.

  Ariel had always been strong for a woman, which was only natural considering the work she had done in the fields partnered with the earlier arms lessons. Now, having full training available to her, she would only get stronger.

  Swein approached Ariel as she leaned on her sword panting for breath. She had just disarmed Osbern once more. “Well daughter, I think you should give poor Osbern a rest. You don’t want to wear the man out. He may not be able to continue the practice sessions if you beat him too much.”

  Ariel looked up and smiled at her father. “Did I measure up?”

  “Without question, but there is one thing. A very young man is in the hall making his displeasure known to everyone. I think you’re what he wants.”

  Ariel saluted her father with her sword, let out a whoop, then raced toward the hall. Swein just shook his head.

  “Well Osbern, do you think she will be ready?”

  “Aye, my lord. She is better than any boy her age.”

  “I hope so. The talk going around suggests the fryd will be called this summer. If it does, I can guarantee Ariel will not be put off.”

  “Don’t worry, my lord. I will protect the Lady Ariel until death if necessary.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t have to fulfill that promise.”

  * * * *

  To say Ariel was sore was putting it mildly. Every muscle in her body ached. Even some she had not known she had.

  Osbern, who sat at her father’s left, leaned forward slightly to peer at her. It was now the evening meal and Ariel could barely lift her arm to eat.

  The older man laughed as Ariel grimaced in pain. “You think you are sore now, my lady? Wait until tomorrow morning. It’s always worse the next day.”

  “I have a hard enough time holding my baby without pain. How will I ever be able to lift a sword in the morning?”

  “You will have to push past the pain. That is the way of a warrior. Besides, the exercise tomorrow will loosen and stretch your muscles. You’ll feel a little better after the practice.”

  The conversation died off when the hall door swung open. The same messenger who had come once before from the Earl of Essex stepped through the door. It could only mean something important had happened.

  Reaching the table where Swein sat eating, the messenger bowed slightly. “I have a message from the Earl of Essex to Swein of Elmstead.”

  “What does he send?”

  “The fryd has been called to assemble by order of King Harold. As your overlord, the earl commands you to assemble all your able bodied men of your village.”

  “Where are we to meet?”

  “Your men are to join the rest of the fryd at Bosham, near the Isle of Wight. Whoever leads your men must have them there by June.”

  “You may tell the earl it will be done.”

  The messenger once more bowed and sat down at one of the tables further down the hall.

  Swein motioned to one of the serfs to provide the man with a bread trencher so he could have his meal. Ariel looked over at Swein and focused on his face, “I want to lead the men to Bosham.”

  “You know our men will follow you. But the earl may not like the idea of me sending my daughter in my stead.”

  “That’s no problem. Tell him you are sending your son.”

  A look of wariness crossed Swein’s face. “You mean to pass yourself off as a boy?”

  “Aye. Every time you have had to meet with the earl you have gone to him. He has never been here before. You said so yourself, he has no interest in your family. He only cares about the rents being collected on time. I can cut my hair and bind my chest. I could pass myself off as a boy that way. I’ll assume a different name and have the men use it.”

  Swein stared at her. Ariel hoped her father would not think her plan foolhardy. The earl was not an easy man to deal with by her father’s accounts. She knew if her secret came out the earl could make her pay for her deception, but that in no way made her want to change her mind.

  “If I decide to allow you to do this, I must have some promises from you first.”

  Ariel quickly wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll do anything.”

  “Osbern will go with you. You will listen to him. He has seen battle before, whereas you haven’t. I want you to only see the Earl of Essex when it can’t be avoided. He will not be pleased to find out you are a woman.”

  “I promise, father. I’ll do as you ask.”

  “I’m not finished yet. Do not take any undo risks with your life. You have a son. I would not like to see him grow up without his mother.”

  “There is no need to worry, father. Colwyn is my life. I would not like to see that happen either.”

  Almost as if he knew they talked about him, Colwyn let out a wail. The village girl, who had been looking after him in Ariel’s chamber, came to the table.

  “I think the little lord is hungry, my lady. Will you feed him now or shall I try and settle him until you’re done your meal?”

  “Nay, I will feed him now, Lily.” Ariel stood up and took Colwyn from the girl’s arms.

  Lily was the girl her father had chosen to help her with the baby. She was the typical village girl. Not beautiful, but pleasant looking, friendly and eager to please.

  Ariel had taken an instant liking to Lily. Even though they had been together for only one day, Ariel felt a kinship with her. The girl hadn’t even batted an eye when Swein had told her what Ariel would be doing.

  Entering her chamber, Ariel settled on her bed and began to nurse Colwyn. She looked up and found Lily had followed her. “You could have stayed in the hall, Lily. Did you have anything to eat yet?”

  “Aye, my lady.”

  “Lily, if we are going to be together a lot I want you to call me by my given name. I would rather have you as a friend, not just as a servant.”

  “I would like that, Ariel. If there is anything else you would like me to do, I would gladly be about it.”

  “Nay. Why don’t go home for the night? I’ll be able to handle things until tomorrow.” Lily gave her a quick bob then opened the chamber door and left.

  She would have to work on Lily. Ariel wanted the girl to be more relaxed around her. Their stations in life should not matter. They were the same age, nine and ten. They were going to be spending a lot of time together so they should think of themselves as equals.

  Looking down, Ariel watched her son nurse. His little hand lay on her breast. He looked more and more like his father with each day that passed. She would miss Colwyn when she went with the rest of the village men to fight with the fryd, but she had to do this.

  Ariel had worked it all out. If the Normans attacked this summer, she wanted to be there. It was the only way she could think of seeing the knight again. Even if it came down to sneaking into the Norman camp, she would confront him.

  She wanted to see his face when she raised her sword to strike. Ariel didn’t want to kill him. No, she wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt her. Now it looked as if she would be getting her wish. It was the only thing that had kept her going for the last ten months. If nothing else it would give her peace of mind.

  Chapter 6

  When the south wind finally started to blow, the beach became a flurry of activity. Broc could not believe the wind had at last changed for them. The fleet had been ready since mid summer. It was now September and they were ready to embark on their quest.

  Broc stood beside William and watched the ships being loaded. There were three hundred and fifty in total. Three hundred would be used as transport ships, carrying horses and thirty men. The last fifty ships wouldn’t carry any cargo, but would be filled with men.

  “Do you think we will make the tide, Broc?”

  “Aye, my lord. All seems to be moving apace.” Broc saw the men hectically preparing to launch the ships. Some of the men busily loaded the supply ships, while others tried to get the skittish h
orses onboard still others.

  “We must launch when it’s high water or we will miss our chance. Maybe if I walk among them it will encourage them to work faster. Broc, will you discreetly make sure the troops are ready to board when we begin the launch?”

  “Aye, my lord. They will be on the ships at the appropriate time. Have no fear.”

  “I know I can count on you. I will see you onboard the ship then.”

  The duke descended the small hill above the beach where they had been standing. As he had predicted, the men began to move faster as the duke’s presence on the beach became known. Looking across the beach and away from the ships, Broc saw the troops. They were gathered together waiting for the order to board.

  Broc followed the same path William had taken down the hill and headed toward the troops. He understood the duke’s concerns regarding these men. Mixed in with the promised men from the barons were volunteers looking for booty. To put it bluntly, they were mercenaries. Some came from Flanders and Aquitaine, but most came from Brittany. Two thirds of the duke’s army was made up of these foreign mercenaries who could be hard to control.

  When the time came to board the ships, Broc discreetly moved among the troops. He didn’t do much. The men seemed anxious to start the journey. Assuming everything would remain going smoothly, Broc moved further down the beach to where the duke’s ship waited. Once onboard, he checked to make sure his armor was properly stowed and went to find William.

  The duke stood at the rail of the ship watching the loading. Broc stopped to take a closer look at the man. The duke wore a look of determination on his face, the one he always wore when he thought of England. Broc had never met a man like William before. That he was intelligent, there was no doubt. He also had strength of will most men could not match, and that strength would give William the throne of England. In a way, Broc felt sorry for Harold. But the man had brought this on himself when he had been crowned king.