Free Saxon Fall by Griff Hosker

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    I slept but I did not remember any dreams.  I was not visited at all.  However I felt better the next day.  We gathered the villagers around us and I brought out Aedh and his wife.
    “These two have done you all a disservice.  They have sold your daughters into slavery and sent your sons to fight for King Edwin.” I pointed an accusing finger at Aedh’s confederates. “Others have aided them.  I will pass judgement before we leave but first I intend to stop these Northumbrians. You are all the people of Rheged and I am the Warlord.  Had you told me of Aedh and his tyranny, I would have dealt with him.  Keep silent no longer. How many Saxons come?” Before they could answer I pointed at one of the well dressed men. “You! How many?”
    “Sometimes twenty and sometimes forty.”
    The man we had spoken to the night before jabbed an accusing finger at him. “You lie.  There are never less than fifty!”
    The liar dropped to his knees. “I am sorry, Warlord.  I have a son and I do not wish to lose him.”
    I lifted him to his feet.  “Then be a man and make your son proud of you.  We will fight these Saxons even if there were a thousand of them.  You all have a choice; you fight or you die! We can end this Northumbrian tyranny.  So think and answer freedom or slavery? Which will it be?”
    Even those who had been Aedh’s confederates jumped up and shouted, ”We will fight!”
     

Chapter 6
    Aed and his scouts headed east.  The villagers had told us where the warband came from.  It was the old capital of Elmet, Loidis. I was fairly certain, after speaking with the villagers, that this was the work Oswald and Oswiu. They were playing a treacherous game with Edwin. They were being their own warlords. This was their land to rob and to rule.  I had helped them as had Cadwallon by attacking Edwin in the south.  They had built up their strength.  It did not need Myrddyn to tell me that I could stand back for they would eventually fight each other. I could not do that. There would be more villages like this one and more people being terrorised.  I would stop Oswald and Oswiu.  I would stop Edwin.  That was my purpose.
    We had ample warning of the arrival of the warband. There were sixty of them.  They came on foot although their chief rode.  From the description of my scouts it was neither Oswald nor Oswiu. That was a pity.  I would have liked to rid the world of one of them. They would be coming down the Roman Road.  Leaving our horses in the village with a third of my men and the villagers I took the rest to the rock strewn pass through which the Saxons would have to approach. The road ran along one side of the gorge like valley.  By hiding in the rocks to the south we would be able to fall upon them with only one exit for them; down the rocky filled valley to the stream below.
    I deliberately left our horses in the village.  This was partly to save them for the hardship which would come eventually but mainly to hide our identity from any of the Saxons who might escape. Daffydd ap Miach and his archers were at the eastern end of the pass.  The rest of us were spread out along the southern side. The archers would close the trap and then we would attack. All of my equites had a bow and many of the young squires still had their slings. A sudden onslaught would, hopefully, take the fight from them.
    They came as Aed had predicted. The horseman led.  I saw his shield had a design like four running legs painted in red. He had a long byrnie and a full faced helmet. In his hand he carried an axe.  His oathsworn came behind him.  There were ten of those in byrnies: some long and some to the waist. The other fifty had helmets and shields but no armour.
    We waited patiently for Daffydd to release his arrows.  Once he did so then we would all join in. The arrows soared high.  My captain of archers had cleverly waited until they had passed him.  The Northumbrians did not see the arrows and none