The Duke of Normandy is the next instalment in the Norman Genesis series. Rollo now had Rouen but he has enemies. The Bretons still resent his occupation of the Cotentin. There are other enemies who are hidden from him. As the new Lord of Rouen tries to fulfill the prophecy of the Viking witch and to honour his grandfather’s wishes, he has to fight enemies both domestic and foreign. Rollo has to become a warrior who can plot and conspire just like his enemies. For a Viking warrior that is hard. For Lord Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson it was almost impossible.
Rollo now has greater power than almost any other Viking save Guthrum and Guthrum is now a spent force. The Lord of Rouen finds himself surrounded by enemies. They are conspiring against him. Even worse, there are spies and enemies within his own court. He finds new friends and new foes. He has to face unpleasant truths. There are decisions he will have to make which challenge every belief he holds dear.
The title of Duke of Normandy is but one step to fulfilling the prophecy of the Skuld. Rollo’s descendants will rule half of the western world.
Excerpt
The thegn who led the men was not a complete fool. He halted just a hundred paces from us. If he thought we would turn our backs then he was a fool. It came to me that he was waiting for the fyrd to arrive. “On my command we walk backwards.” I banged my shield and began a chant to help us keep in step.
Clan of the Horseman
Warriors strong
Clan of the Horseman
Our reach is long
Clan of the Horseman
Fight as one
Clan of the Horseman
Death will come
As soon as the thegn saw what we were doing he dug his heels into his horse’s flanks and shouted, “Charge!”
“Halt! Wedge!”
We had practised this many times and Æbbi and Siggi stepped behind me while the next three moved back a little. The last five formed a rear rank. I had two spears. As the Saxons hurtled towards us I waited until they were five paces and then hurled my spear at the thegn. He held his shield up and deflected it. Sadly for the man next to him, the spear was deflected into his face. As he pulled his hand up he slipped from the saddle.
“Brace!”
I felt Siggi’s shield in my back. The Saxons showed their lack of experience. Some tried to throw their spears. Unless you had stiraps one of two things happened: you either fell from your horse or the throw had no power behind it. Two men fell from their horses and another four spears hit shields or glanced weakly from helmets and mail. The others like the thegn tried to stab down. To do so they had to close with us. Three spears stabbed at the thegn and his horse. My spear struck his leg and Siggi’s his horse. The horse reared and the thegn barely held on as his wounded animal galloped off away from the spears. I thrust upwards at the second Saxon as Æbbi rammed his spear into the chest of a third. My spear came up through his arm. As he pulled around the spear broke. Their attack was broken and the fyrd was coming closer. I drew my Long Sword and swung it in an arc. I caught the rump of one horse and the shield of a Saxon. They withdrew. One of the horsemen was tending to the thegn’s wound. I saw that the fyrd was less than half a mile away.
“Stig, how far to the drekar?”
“Four hundred paces.”
“On my command we run for the drekar.” I was counting on the fact that we could cover a hundred paces before the Saxons knew what we were doing and that Harold Strong Arm would have men with bows ready to repulse them. “Now!”
I let my men run first and I stood waiting. One of the younger riders saw his change and he galloped towards me. I slipped my shield around my back and held my sword two handed. Some of the other riders followed him. I was not being heroic. I knew what I could do with my sword. I let the tip rest on the ground and when he was twenty paces from me pulled it back and began to swing. It was all in the timing. The sword sliced the horse’s skull in two. The rider fell as the horse tumbled to the ground. The others who had been following stopped and stared in horror as the dying horse thrashed its hooves. I could not let the animal suffer and I strode up to it and in one blow took its head. The rider lay quivering on the ground. I said, “Today, you have been lucky! I give you your life!”
Sheathing my sword, I turned and began to walk back to my ship. I heard the sound of the fyrd as they ran along the road but they would not catch me. Even with my back to the horsemen I knew that I had broken their spirit.
As I neared my men they began to chant and bang their shields.
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson
Göngu-Hrólfr Rognvaldson
