The Paladins of Edwin the Great

  CHAPTER II

  ALCA

  Alca was the most beautiful girl that her countrymen had ever beheld;and even then, at the early age of sixteen years, as she tripped outinto the crowded court, she appeared to the beholders to be a perfectdream of loveliness, lithe and active, yet with the graceful dignityof a long-descended princess. Her hair was golden, her eyes a deepsapphire blue, with that calm depth of meaning which was then believedto be one attribute of an elf-maiden. Alca, from a young child, hadbeen remarkable for the universality of her love, which was extendedto all the gods had made. Her wisdom and knowledge were far beyond heryears, and seemed to those around her to be miraculous. She saw thetrue meanings of beliefs and customs. She alone was able to extract thehidden truth from the mysteries of nature, and could understand thoselongings and aspirations which her companions could only dimly shadowforth by their creeds and their superstitions. All loved the Princess,but they looked upon her as one nearer to gods than to men; and onlychildren dared to love her without awe, and as a being higher andwiser, but still one of themselves. For the rest of the world Alca wasan elf-maiden endowed with special gifts by the gods.

  The Princess had accompanied her uncle to Stillingfleet to see hercousins and other young friends, and to visit the Lady Volisia, to whomshe was warmly attached. On that summer morning she was to go with herfriend to the shrine of a goddess of her people on the other side ofthe Ouse, attended by the children and by several servants. When theyreached the bank it was high tide. A large flat-bottomed boat was runinto the water, and the party was pulled across by the boys to an oldRoman fort on the opposite side, called Acaster. It consisted of twotowers, like those on the column of Trajan, surrounded by a ditch. Itwas on the verge of a dense forest, in which some clearings had beenmade. The whole tract forming the angle between the Ouse and Wharfe wasforest-clad, except where clearings had been made for planting appleand other fruit trees, and where the _ings_ or swampy meadows formed afringe between the forest and the river banks. The pilgrims made theirway through the thickets by a very narrow path without stopping, forthe promised visit to the orchards was to be on their return, aftertheir devotions had been duly paid to the goddess.

  Nehalennia, to whose worship the wife of Seomel had remained faithful,was a Celtic goddess, who presided over fertility, and especiallyover fruit trees, and who was also the goddess of chalk pits and thepatroness of chalk workers. The temple or _haruc_ (_Hoergr_), as theEnglish called it, was unbuilt by human hands. The deity dwelt in ashady spot, embowered and shut in by self-grown trees, veiling her formin the rustling foliage of the overhanging boughs. Here, just withinthe forest, but bordering on the bright expanse of _ings_, stood alarge slab of limestone, on which was carved in relief an image ofNehalennia, with long flowing hair, and baskets full of apples by herside. Masses of elecampane (_Inula Helenium_) and of other medicinalplants grew round the base of the carved stone, and a solemn silencereigned around. A few rays of the mid-day sun found their way throughthe overhanging branches, and lighted up the bas-relief, carved by somewell-trained Roman hand. The Lady Volisia, the Princess Alca, and thechildren made their offerings to the shrine, and continued kneeling indevotion for some time. It was the very spot on which the Cisterciannunnery of Appleton was erected 600 years afterwards.

  The party made their way through the dense forest from the shrine ofNehalennia to the orchards of Appleton, which supplied Stillingfleetand all the homesteads round York. Here they rested under the appletrees, eating the rosy fruit, while Alca talked to the children. Porlorhad asked her why Nehalennia was not also a goddess of the English,and she answered in the way which would make the essence of suchmysteries most clear to her companions. "The names only are different,"she said, "the deity is the same. Your mother and her people pray forfertility to Nehalennia, and you and Coelred and your sisters shoulddo likewise, because invocation of the same name is one more tie oflove between mother and children. Your father's people invoke Freyr tosend them rain and sunshine, and to give them the fruits of the earthin due season. But it is the same thing. Both are names to denote thebeneficent goodness of the 'All-father,' he whom the English callWoden. Remember that whatever god we invoke, we are always praying,through one of his attributes, to the 'All-father.'

  "Woden has many names," she exclaimed in a voice which awed hercompanions, and with a rapt look, as if gazing through space and seeingwhat was not visible to them. "He is the God and Father of victory, theGiver of gifts, the Almighty and All-knowing, but always the Fatherand Creator of gods and men. Sitting on his throne _hlidskialf_ he cansurvey the whole world, and can hear all that goes on among men. Hisspear _gunguir_ is in his hand; his ravens, _Huginn_ and _Muninn_, areon his shoulders; his wolves, _Geri_ and _Freki_, are at his feet; hishorse _Sleipnir_ by his side. He too is the Father of the slain, andthe Rewarder of the brave and good when this life is ended." After apause her eyes lost that far-away look, and were full of love as sheturned to the children, and promised to tell them the meaning of allthese things as soon as they were old enough to understand. Coelred,who had been eagerly listening to all the Princess had said, nowanxiously inquired about the slain, and about the fatherhood of Wodenin regard to them. "In three years," he said, "I shall be girded witha sword, and shall take my place in battle by the side of my fatherSeomel. How soon after that will Woden choose me to be one of theslain: are the bravest taken first, or the youngest, or those who areof least service? Can the Princess tell me?" Alca replied, as theywended their way home--"Of that hour it is given to none to tell.Woden sends his wish-maidens, called Valkyrie, who fly through theair to choose the heroes that are to fall. Often the best and bravestare taken, sometimes the very young, sometimes a warrior waits longand fights in many battles before his turn comes. No good warriorfears the Valkyrie. They are to be loved, not feared. They hover overthe conflicting armies, mingle in the ranks, take the slain in theirembraces, and ride with them on their heavenly horses to Valhalla,where they attend at the feasts, and hand the drinking-horn to gods andheroes. But touching the hour of death nothing can be known, becausethe selection is made on the spot by the Valkyrie. The time we cannotknow." Then she turned with a sweet smile, and, looking from one to theother, she said to the two boys, "Yet this I do know, for it is givento me to know. When the fulness of time arrives, Coelred and Porlorwill fall in battle, fighting bravely in a righteous cause."

  The boys were deeply impressed. Their hearts were too full for words,and there was silence until they reached the old Roman tower at Acasterand had crossed the river. It was broken by Porlor, who asked if theValkyrie could be seen. "No," replied Alca, "they are unseen in battle;for, like Woden and the Valhalla, they are a mystery, which it is givento few to understand." "But," persisted Porlor, "cannot they put onthe _alptahamir_ (swan shifts), and take the form of birds of augury?Our friend Oswith, the son of Guthlaf, told us that he saw three swansalight on Derwent bank, put their white swan shifts in the grass, andturn into beautiful maidens. They bathed in the river, resumed theirshifts, and flew away again as swans; and Oswith never lies. Were theyValkyrie?" Alca answered that "it was given to some to behold thesemysteries, and to understand the truth that lies concealed in them,but to others it was not given." They were now approaching the gateof Stillingfleet as the sun set, the faithful dog Shuprak bounded outto meet them, and the conversation turned to trivial subjects as theyentered the court.

  Some days afterwards the three boys, Hereric, Coelred, and Porlor,with their dog Shuprak, set out for the burg of the Hemingas, to jointheir friend Oswith, the son of Guthlaf, on a hunting expedition. Theywore cross-gartered hose, and belts with metal buckles, from which longhunting-knives were suspended; bows and arrows were slung on theirbacks, and the little fellows also carried short iron-headed spears.For several miles they made their way through the dense forest, untilthey emerged on Skipwith Common, where the ruins of an abandoned townof the Parisi, consisting of circular huts, still showed many traces.It was a weird and desolate place even
in bright sunshine, and Porlorwhispered to his companions tales of grey old wood-folk clothed inmoss, of dwarfs and giants, and of the lubber fiend, as they hurriedacross the moor, and again plunged into the forest. They went swiftlyover the ground, and soon reached the clearings and the fortifiedburg of the Hemingas, at the junction of the rivers Ouse and Derwent.Here there was a ruined fort built by the Romans, which had beenrepaired with timber, and was the home of Guthlaf, the chief of theHemingas. His son Oswith was the same age as Coelred, straight as adart, broad-chested and lean-flanked--a splendid specimen of a youngEnglishman. He was a fast friend of the sons of Seomel, and, afterwarm words of welcome, their first act was to challenge each other tofight. A wrestling-match at once commenced on the green, and the litheand sinewy figures of Coelred and Oswith were soon entwined, as theystrove, with every muscle at extreme tension, to throw each other tothe ground. Each boy won a bout, which made them quite happy, and thefour lads, after a merry meal, set out on their search for forest game,working northwards again towards the home of Seomel.

  "Nature was an open book to these lads of the far-distant past. Theylived in nearer communion than we can do with the world around them.Their frames, not yet clogged and vitiated by the habits of an advancedcivilisation, were more alive than ours to the external effects ofnatural causes. The birds spoke to them, the forest whispered to them,the wind wantoned with their curly locks, they stood before the greatspirit of nature face to face, and knew him as he revealed himself inevery one of his divine forms." Loaded with as much game as they couldcarry, after a very successful and very happy day, they were walking insingle file through the tangled underwood, when Oswith, their leader,saw the eyes of a huge wild-cat glaring at him through the densefoliage. It sprang up a tree, and in an instant he had thrown down hisburden and was after it, with his long knife in his mouth. When, ata considerable height, he was swinging himself forward to attack hisantagonist, which was at bay, the bough broke and he fell heavily tothe ground. His comrades found him suffering intense pain, unable tostand, and with a very badly sprained ankle. Abandoning the spoils ofthe chase, Coelred and Porlor began to carry him, but they were stillseveral miles from Stillingfleet. Hereric ran forward for help, andwhen it came the sturdy little fellows had already carried their friendupwards of three miles. Oswith was soon lying on a heap of fresh strawin Seomel's hall. His hose and shoes were removed, and it was foundthat the ankle was much swollen, so that there was every prospect ofdays and even weeks elapsing before he would be able to walk.

  As soon as Coelred had seen that everything that was possible hadbeen done for his friend, he sought his mother's bower, and throwinghimself at the feet of Alca, he besought her to show favour to the sonof Guthlaf. "Indeed," replied the Princess, "I will do what I can formy young friend Oswith." She went into the hall, patted the boy's head,and spoke cheering words to him, with her eyes fixed on his until shethought her spell would work. Then she removed the bandage, placed herhand very gently on the swelling, and uttered it, as follows:--

  _Ben zi Bena, Bluot zi Bluode, Lid zi Geliden, Sose gelimida sin. Thu biguolen Wodin, So he wola coude, Sose ben-renki, Sose bluot-renki, Sose lidere-renki._

  Volisia stood by her side, ready to administer a sleeping-draught,and next morning Oswith was quite healed, and able to walk and run aswell as ever. As soon as she saw that the spell was working, Alca wentout to the ash tree in the courtyard and prayed to the AEsir on herknees, several groups of people watching her with awe. When she roseand looked round, Coifi came forward with a low obeisance. The gleemanwas an adept in the Teutonic religious beliefs, and was versed in allthe tales and traditions of the mythology of his people. But he lookedupon them solely from a practical point of view. He received everysupernatural story literally. To him Woden and Thor were the woodenimages preserved at Godmundham, and he sought for no further light.Alca, even in extreme youth, was visionary in her religious views.The All-father, as she understood him, was everywhere and pervadedeverything. The gods and goddesses were his attributes, or representedhis intentions and designs, as she had explained to the children on theday of the pilgrimage to Nehalennia's shrine.

  "The spell will not work, I fear, O daughter of the King," said Coifi,who was then a man between thirty and forty, and known in every burgand hall as the best gleeman in Deira. "The spell will work, Coifi,"replied Alca in a gentle voice. After a pause the gleeman said almostin a whisper, "I know the spell of Balder's horse that you used foryoung Oswith. I think I know every spell, but they will not work forme. I pray and sacrifice to the gods, but they help me not. Let themgive me power and I can believe them. I believe when I see." Alcalooked at him and said, "I am too young to teach so learned a man asCoifi. But I can say why the spell will work. The boy loved me andbelieved. I love the gods and have faith, so the spell will work."Coifi replied, "But I cannot believe until I see the spell work. Ifthe spell works I believe." "That is the wrong way, Coifi," said thePrincess. "Believe and the spell works; for it works by faith. Waituntil the spell works before you can believe, and it will never work."Puzzled and angry, Coifi declared that he would serve the gods andpray to them for his lifetime, and they must answer him and give himpower; but that to believe before they showed him their mighty workswas impossible. Alca shook her head. She said no more, but she saw thatinsight was not given to Coifi.

  As she stood by the side of the gleeman, with Coelred and Porlorwatching her from the hall entrance, and with many people in thecourtyard, her aspect suddenly changed. She assumed a listeningattitude and then looked upwards. "The Valkyrie pass through the air,"she cried. "I neither see nor hear," said Coifi; "it cannot be." Allgazed in amazement for several minutes. "A great battle is joined.The heroes fall," was the next exclamation of the Princess. She stoodlike one inspired. "Coelred! Coelred! run to my eame the Atheling andto your father; tell them to arm and to assemble all their forces,for the enemy approaches. Coifi, go thou to alarm the people. Bidthem to assemble armed and ready to march." Coelred was off like anarrow from a bow. Coifi also obeyed. The alarm-horns were heard inthe valley. In half an hour the Stillingas were drawn up fully armedoutside the hedge. Elfric and Seomel, also fully armed, had entered theenclosure and asked eagerly for the cause of the alarm. Alca was stillstanding under the ash tree. All eyes were turned on her. The settingsun threw a glow of light over her form. "I hear the rapid feet ofthe messenger," she said, raising one arm. "You will hear him and actquickly. He comes--make way for him." A lane was formed, and betweenthe two lines of warriors a little boy ran breathless into the court,and sank exhausted on the ground. "It is Forthere, the son of Brand ofUlfskelf," exclaimed Seomel. "Speak, boy! speak quickly--what are yourtidings."

  The gallant little fellow had swum across the river. As soon as herecovered breath he delivered his message. The settlement at Bilbroughhad been suddenly attacked and taken by an overwhelming force ofBritons from Elmet, led by their king Certicus. After a short fight theslaughter began. Vidfinn, the chief of the Billingas, was slain, andmost of his people were massacred. Neither age nor sex was spared. Ayoung woman with little Sivel, the child of Vidfinn, brought the newsto Ulfskelf. But there was scarcely breathing-time before the enemyappeared, their numbers vastly increased; Ulfskelf was surrounded, andBrand resolved to defend it to the last gasp. A desperate fight tookplace outside, but the overwhelming numbers of the enemy soon obligedhim to retreat behind his palisades. Forthere had escaped by creepingalong the margin of the Wharfe. He then swam across the Ouse, and sobrought the tidings to Stillingfleet.

  Elfric and his leading men assembled under the ash tree and issuedorders. It was a bright moonlight night. A party had already been sentoff to prepare the boats for crossing the Ouse. Mounted messengers weredespatched to Cuthred, chief of the Poclingas beyond the Derwent, toSigfrid of the Elfingas, to Guthlaf of the Hemingas, to Ingeld of theHeslingas, calling upon them to march with all despatch and meet El
fricthe Atheling at Acaster. The first object was to save Ulfskelf, ifBrand could hold out so long. Elfric was despatching another messengerto the King, who was at Aldby, with a similar request. But Alca spokeonce more. She advised that King Ella should be asked to cross theOuse with his fighting men, above York, advance along the high land bythe hill of Severus and the ridge of Askham, and so take the enemy inflank; while Elfric with his levies, raised between Ouse and Derwent,opposed their further advance.

  Stillingfleet was no longer safe. It was arranged that next morningthe Princess Alca and the Lady Volisia, escorted by Coifi and the boys,with a few attendants, should take refuge at Aldby. Meanwhile Elfricand Seomel, with the Stillingas and the Atheling's own followers,crossed the Ouse and began to entrench themselves at Acaster in theearly hours of the night. When the reinforcements arrived next day,they would boldly advance to the relief of Ulfskelf.