Agnes Smith THE ROAD TO LONDON 857 A.D. St. Alban's, Wessex .......... Antonella returns with you to your room at the inn across the river. "Should we have given the monk our names?" she asks. "If King Ęthelbald does send men looking for us, they will probably stop at the monastary." You both settle down for the night on the cold floor, with straw mats as mattresses. In the middle of the night you wake up, groggy, heart-pounding with alarm while you try to shake off the sleep and orient yourself. There are men in your room! Hands paw at you, trying to find a secure grip in the dark, and a hand grabs your face momentarily before he lets go and snatches your upper arm instead. Someone steps on your leg and almost trips. Antonella squeals in surprise and outrage, and then begins screaming, and you hear thrashing and a startled grunt of pain. <><><><><> [Agnes] She had thought about the names, but also discounted the threat. Now that they were being attacked in their room, she realises that the king may well have put a price on their recapture and return. She fights like a devil. She head buts, punches and gouges her way free of the man's grip, shouting, "robbers! brigands! Help! Help! We are being attacked!" for all she is worth. She knows what she really wants it to get her hands upon her sword or dagger. But she also wants to make sure that Antonella isn't bundled off. "Are you alright?" she queries after the exclamation of pain. <><><><><> <> "NO!" Antonella yells. You hear a dull crack and a male voice exclaims in pain. Someone falls down, and from the commotion it sounds like Antonella is putting up a vicious fight herself. The men are not expecting such strong resistance, and your punching and clawing gets you enough space to reach a weapon. Someone kicks you in the side when you start screaming, and another man tries to press an arm over your mouth. Someone mutters "Shut her up!" You can't tell how many men are in the room, but there are at least two assaulting each of you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She is somewhat more content to know that Antonella is not unconscious. She tries to inflict damage on the arm that is attempting to stop her from shouting, although she feels that probably enough shouting has been done, and she ought to concentrate her efforts in fighting off the men. She tries to grab the arm with one hand and drive the dagger into it with the other. She hopes that that will distract him enough that she will b able to deal with her other assailant. <><><><><> <> You seize the arm, aren't quite so successful in sticking the dagger into it, but the man tries grabbing you instead of pulling his arm away. He is trying to get your other arm, while the one who just kicked you falls on your legs -- apparently the two of them have in mind seizing your arms and legs. This makes it easier to plant the dagger in the first man's arm -- from the way he screams and shakes you off, he obviously didn't realize you'd gotten your hands on a weapon. The scuffling continues on Antonella's side of the room. You can't tell how she's faring. The man you just stabbed swings his foot at your head instead. You hear it thud against the mattress next to you. The darkness is as much a hindrance to them as you, and they don't seem to be attacking you in a particularly skilled manner, but you know from past experience that being outnumbered can count for a lot more than skill... <><><><><> [Agnes] She tries hitting the newly arrived leg in the vicinity of her head with her dagger too, and then tries to stab the man who is on her legs. She isn't fussy where the blow lands any more. Inflicting pain and making them get off her is all that the aspires for at the moment. <><><><><> <> You gouge the leg, and he howls and retracts it. The dagger sinks into the man at your feet when you sit up and stab at him, and he also lets go and rolls away from you. One of them utters a Saxon curse, and something swishes through the air and connects with your shoulder, hard enough to dislocate it. If the club had hit you in the head, it would have cracked your skull open. Either they aren't particularly concerned about taking you alive, or they've abandoned that goal. At least one man seems to be staggering towards the open door, from whence you can see the only light, a dim grey rectangle across the dark room. <><><><><> [Agnes] She tries to gauge where the clubwielder is. She might only have one working arm, but that will be enough to stab him. She tries to get close enough to him to stop him wielding the club, and also close enough to hit him. <><><><><> <> The club wielder is about a club's-length away. When you half-crawl, half-roll towards him, he swings his club again, but since you got inside the range of his swing, only his arm hits your shoulder, jarring you but not injuring you further. That puts you in a good position to stab him. You feel nothing but soft tissue when you plunge the dagger in. He makes an "oof!" sound, and stops swinging the club. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Antonela! Are you alright?" she shouts as she tries to get to her feet, listenening for a response and for the sounds of more attackers. <><><><><> <> Antonella is still beset by at least two attackers, and this time her only reply is a suppressed squeal, you can't tell whether it is of outrage or panic or pain. But she's still putting up enough of a fight that only one man can turn towards you -- only one man that you can see, anyway. You see him only as a shadow suddenly interposing himself between you and the doorway. And there are sounds coming from the man you just stabbed, which could be him sagging to the floor, crawling towards the doorway, or standing up to hit you in the back of the head with his club. Fighting in the dark is not fun. <><><><><> [Agnes] She decides to ignore the man behind her, and launches an attack at the man between her and the door, thrusting at him with her knife, and then moving to the side, around him in case the man behind really is in a state to attack her. <><><><><> <> Your thrust in the dark misses, but if he counterattacks, it misses also. One of the men still in the room, you think one of the ones you stabbed, runs out the door. Then someone else collides with you and almost knocks you down -- you can't tell if he tackled you deliberately or ran into you while also maneuvering blindly in the dark. "Get her!" someone snarls, and you don't know if he means you or Antonella. Then there is the sound of a body hitting the wall or the floor, following by another solid impact. The man who ran into you gropes you, trying to steady himself and/or throw you to the ground. <><><><><> [Agnes] She stabs at the man who is groping her, deciding that he has to be taken out of the fight. <><><><><> <> He screams in surprise and pain when you stab him, though it didn't feel like you stabbed him very deeply. He pushes you away, and you don't succeed in stabbing him a second time. He follows his companion out the door. From the others there is the sound of general consternation and frantic scuffling, and movement towards the door. "F*** this!" one stutters. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Antonella!!!" she yells. "Are you alright?" She starts to move in the direction of the place where she thought the girl was last, being careful not to stab her by mistake, but being willing to encourage the others to leave. <><><><><> <> The other men are clearly retreating -- common footpads aren't usually interested in fighting armed victims, even women. If they stayed, they'd probably overwhelm you, but whatever they hoped to gain by assaulting two women in their room isn't worth a knife in the gut. Still, it is bothersome that no one seems to be answering your cries for help. Antonella groans when you reach her, and you feel sticky blood when you touch her head. <><><><><> [Agnes] She is relieved that Antonela hasn't been kidnapped, and leaved her where she is to recover, whilst making for her own equipment to gather a sword, and the check her own arm. <><><><><> <> You get your sword, while listening to the men rush outside. Your shoulder might have been badly injured or even broken, but it is just a little sore now, and still healing. <><><><><> [Agnes] She shuts the door and bars it again, and then goes in search of the lantern, planning to light it before tending Antonella's wound, and washing the blood from her hair. Waiting around for travelling companions now seems more dangerous than not waiting for them. <><><><><> <> Antonella was hit across the face, slamming her skull into the floor and probably cracking it. Though her face is bloody and her hair is soaked, there is no more open wound by the time you kneel next to her with your lantern, and she's beginning to stir. Her immediate reaction when you start inspecting her injuries is to lash out -- you just barely duck her fist, and only because you're still tense after the skirmish. Then her eyes snap open and she looks at you and gasps. "Oh! I'm sorry Agnes!" She begins turning her head this way and that. "Where are they? Where's my sword?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "They have run off. Something to do with me stabbing a few." "Where was your sword? If they have run off with it, we'll have to hurry if we are to have any chance of following them. A lantern might help us, especially with regards to following the trail of blood that I hope we will find." "Can you stand yet?" "Let me get the most of the blood off you first though. Otherwise people will look for the wound if they see you as you are." <><><><><> <> "I fought them as hard as I could, but I couldn't reach my sword," Antonella groans, turning over to look for her baggage. "It's gone! My bundle, my sword, everything that was lying next to me!" she cries out. Angrily, she leaps to her feet, then almost collapses, swaying dizzily for a moment, not yet fully recovered from her head blow. "Damn them!" she exclaims, and utters more curses in coarse street Latin that you didn't know she knew. "I'm sorry," she says, looking at you dejectedly. "I guess I'm useless in a fight. At least you managed to hurt them." <><><><><> [Agnes] She finishes getting the worst of the blood off her, and then asks, "Do you want to follow them into the night to see if we can catch them? It will probably be your last chance to recover the sword." <><><><><> <> Antonella looks angry, and uncertain. "Should we? Could we get it back? I don't even know how many of them there were." "Philip gave that sword to me -- I can't say it has a lot of sentimental value to me, but I do know swords are expensive. And besides, I'm just so *angry* they'd dare to come in here and...." You hear a groan. Antonella jumps. When you look back on your side of the room, you realize that the man you stabbed earlier is still lying there, curled up on the floor, and most likely bleeding to death. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I don't know how successful we'll be." "Let's go downstairs anyway, we need to let the innkeeper know that there is a man dying up here." She shrugs. I guess we could drop hints that we are willing to pay for the return of the sword, since he was probably aware of us being attacked in the first place. He may even have set us up." She buckles on her sword belt. "Let's give it a go. You rouse the innkeeper. I'll get a lantern and see if there are any signs of where the thieves went outside." She heads out into the corridor, knife still in her hand. <><><><><> <> When you and Antonella descend the stairs, you find the innkeeper is already up, and hovering timidly near the doorway. He looks at the two of you wide-eyed and stammers slightly. "I....I heard noises...." "Why didn't you call for help?" Antonella demands angrily. He looks at her, and then at you. "I...I saw the men running past when I emerged, I thought...." His voice trails off lamely. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Which direction did they go?" she demands. "Give me a lantern so that I can pursue them. You can sort out the man who is dying upstairs." <><><><><> <> The innkeep looks at you in amazement. He points, wordlessly. Then stammers "D..d..dying man?" "I'm coming with you!" Antonella says, then looks around empty-handed, as if hoping to find a weapon lying about. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Well, probably dying. That's what tends to happen when men attack us, some of them are liable to die." She looks at him questioningly. "Would you not try to defend yourself if half a dozen strangers burst into your room at night?" She draws her sword, and hands it to Antonella, saying, "Here, you take this." She takes the innkeepers light off him, saying, "I'll need to borrow this," and leads Antonella outside to see if there is any sort of trail. <><><><><> <> The innkeeper doesn't manage a response, just goggles at you when you hand Antonella a sword and then take his lantern. There is no one outside -- sensible people rarely venture outdoors at night. St. Alban's isn't even a walled community. You can head in the direction the innkeeper pointed, though it will be hard to tell if the various footprints on the ground are those of your assailants or others who were walking around during the day, and stopping to search the ground closely enough to find blood will give them ample time to make good their escape...to wherever they've fled to. Which can't be too far. "Do you have a weapon?" Antonella asks. Then, "I don't trust that innkeeper. I think you're right, he probably let those men in to rob us." Two women traveling alone -- and since you had to negotiate for a room, obviously you had no friends in the area. It would have made you seem like easy targets, indeed. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Yes, I still have my knife." As she stops to look at the ground, she realises that they have just sent the innkeeper to their room - where all their stuff still lies - that which has not been taken already. She looks to see if anything makes any obvious trail looking fresh ir bloody, saying to Antonella, "We ought to go back and see what has been stolen. And make sure the inn keeper doesn't steal what's left." She listens, to hear if there are any signs of running feet , banging doors, etc. "I am not hopeful at us getting back your sword." <><><><><> <> You can't hear anyone running. They had a head start of several minutes. They could be in any of the huts scattered around the center of town, or lurking in the woods, or still running. Antonella sighs. "It doesn't matter. I can buy a new sword. My jewelry should be worth at least that much, shouldn't it?" She looks back at the inn. "But it's obviously not safe for us to sleep there. Where can we go now? It's not safe to start walking to London in the middle of the night either." <><><><><> [Agnes] "Let's go and get our stuff from our room. We can try the monastery for the rest of the night. In the morning, we can see what we have lost, and take stock." She stands up again and turns back towards the inside of the inn. "I really am not doing very well by us, am I?" As she starts back inside, she stops and looks back. "Actually. We would probably be better just leaving tonight. The inn-keeper might concoct all sorts of stories, and we have a dead body to explain away." <><><><><> <> "It's not your fault," Antonella says reassuringly. She puts an arm around your shoulders. "You looked after me in Rome and in Tunisia, and we certainly survived worse there." "Beside, if I knew how to fight better, they might not have gotten my pack and sword." "I think we should wring that little ferret's neck if he was responsible for this!" she says of the innkeeper. "But you're probably right....it would be our word against his. We should be safe at the monastary, though, shouldn't we? They won't deny us sanctuary." <><><><><> [Agnes] She sighs. "The monastery would, but that doesn't mean that we would be able to leave it. We might end up trapped there by vigilantes, whilst word eventually reached the king." "No, let's just go and get our stuff and leave. After all, we want to be able to come back to collect the monks' letters once we've been to London. Maybe when we pass through again, we can question the innkeeper then." <><><><><> <> Antonella nods. "All right," she says reluctantly, clearly not enthused about walking out into the woods at night. Back at the inn, some more men have arrived, either having heard the commotion, or been summoned by the innkeeper. Not armsmen, just shopkeepers and assistants, though most are carrying cudgels or sharp metal tools...the sort of makeshift weapons everyone keeps close at hand in their homes at night. They watch you and Antonella with a mixture of curiousity and suspicion. The sword in Antonella's hand provokes muttering. Up in your room, the innkeeper is talking to another man. They both fall silent when you enter. At their feet lies the man you stabbed in the belly. He appears to be dead. "You killed him!" the innkeeper blurts out. <><><><><> {Agnes] "He attacked us!" she retorts. She continues accusingly, "He and several others intent on robbing us as we stayed in your establishment. I would have assumed that you would actually have been more concerned about the welfare of your paying guests than about members of gangs of common criminals that are intent on robbing your guests." <><><><><> <> The innkeeper looks nervous, backing away from you. "I can't help it if brigands break into my inn!" he says. "What are two women doing traveling by themselves anyway? You...you're inviting trouble!" Antonella looks indignant. "You little rodent, I'll wring your neck! How dare you!" She steps towards the smaller man, and he backs away still further. "I want you both out of here!" he shouts. "I don't need this kind of trouble here!" "The reeve will be here soon," the man next to him says ominously. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Inviting trouble, eh? By availing ourself of your establishment, we are /inviting trouble/?" she asks 'the rodent'. I must say that that is a new way for an innkeeper to look at the world. Normally they offer - at a price mind - sanctuary against trouble." "You mentioned the brigands /breaking-in/ to your inn," she continues. "Have you any evidence of the break-in, or were the doors, /accidentally/ left unbarred?" She turns to Antonela. "Antonella? How much would it cost to replace your things - especially the fine sword from Athens? If the good inn- keeper is so keen to turn us out into the night, perhaps he would be willing to recompense you for the loss you have suffered under his roof." <><><><><> <> The innkeeper flushes deeply, and seems to have something caught in his eye, so rapidly is he blinking. "I certainly will not!" he declares. Antonella, pausing in her advance, says "A sword, a roll of fine linen, several carved wooden boxes, and some good leather pouches with food and kindling and such... I lost a considerable amount, I'd say. At least I kept my jewelry under me!" That makes the other man blink. Antonella may have learned a few things over the years, but not that it's unwise to advertise that one is carrying jewelry after one has already been made a target of theft. The innkeeper says "I'm not replacing all your goods! That's absurd! If you want protection for your goods and your persons, you should hire some!" He stammers, then adds "I'll give you back the coins you paid for the rooms if you just get out of here now!" <><><><><> [Agnes] "I think the least we can do is await the reeve." She smiles at the innkeeper. "I am in no particular hurry to be turned out into the night by an unsympathetic innkeeper, so I might as well wait and tell what happened. It can do no harm, since you seem to be offering us no recompense to induce us to leave sooner." <><><><><> <> "Fine, I will tell the reeve that you killed a man in my inn!" the innkeeper shouts. "And you a strange woman traveling only with another....woman. We'll just see if I'm going to pay you any money!" He stomps and paces nervously. His companion just eyes you and Antonella speculatively. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers, glaring at the innkeeper. The outcome, you realize, will depend a great deal on how well you can enlist the sympathy of the reeve -- and that may depend on just who it is you killed and whether or not he had friends here in St. Alban's. The innkeeper could have been in on it. Surely it's difficult to believe that a gang of brigands would randomly choose your room to break into, and his presence immediately afterwards was convenient and suspicious. On the other hand, he stands to lose a great deal if his inn gets a reputation for being unsafe. Could he have been banking on a share of whatever they might have stolen from you being worth whatever trouble a pair of women with no one to speak for them might cause? And brigands *do* sweep into towns on hit-and-run raids, picking whatever targets look most vulnerable. If one of them was watching you earlier, they could have decided you were easy prey. Too many uncertainties -- all you know for sure is that Antonella is getting an early lesson in the perils of travel. But she doesn't look that distressed....mostly angry. She managed to get from Greece to Britain by herself, and you have to remind yourself that in many ways, she's had a lot more seasoning than you did when Peter first took you under his wing. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Come, Antonella, we might as well go upstairs and gather what remains of our belongings whilst we wait. "She continues, pointedly, "No doubt the innkeeper will want to accompany us to remove the body." As they make their way back up the stairs, she comments, "Maybe waiting at the monastery will be a lot more welcoming than waiting here." <><><><><> <> "That's a good idea," the innkeeper says, following you up the stairs. "The reeve won't be here for a while." Clearly, he wants to get rid of you. The reeve, no doubt, will take his time getting dressed and riding from the house he probably occupies somewhere at the edge of town. Your victim is still lying on the floor, in a slowly spreading pool of blood. "That will probably drip through the floor!" the innkeeper observes, indignantly. He goes to the man and grabs his feet, and begins dragging him towards the door. <><><><><> [Agnes] She packs her belongings, checking to see what, if anything is missing, and then checks that Antonella is ready too. "Right. Let's go to the monestary. " She glances at the inn-keeper. i don't fancy staying here any longer." <><><><><> <> Most of the monks will be asleep now, but there is always someone awake at a monastary, doing chores day and night. It takes a while for someone to answer your knock at the door, but eventually, a different monk than the one you met earlier opens up the small window inside the door to look out at you. "Eh? What's this, then?" he demands. You are probably only barely visible in the twilight gloom. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I'm sorry to disturb you at this late hour brother," she replies. "We were staying in the inn over there, but we were attacked in the night, and we no longer feel safe remaining there. May we spend the rest of the night at the monastery?" <><><><><> <> "Attacked?" the monk asks, surprised. "Attacked by who?" He slams the window shut. A moment later, you hear him unbarring the door, and he opens it cautiously. He looks at you and Antonella. "Both of you are women," he says. "Are you by yourselves?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "Yes, we are on our own," she replies stepping towards the door. "We were attacked as we slept in the inn." "May the Lord be thanked, we were able to fight them off. But no-one from the inn came to help, despite our cries, and we are too worried by that to remain there for the rest of the night. We decided to seek sanctuary in the monestary." <><><><><> <> "That's awful," says the monk, sounding more confused than horrified, and a little sleepy. He allows you to enter, and says "Of course you can stay here tonight. We should send someone to tell the Reeve." He finds a room where you and Antonella can sleep, cautioning you "Please don't wander around.... the other brothers won't be expecting to find women in the monastery!" <><><><><> [Agnes] She thanks the monk, and the two of them make best use of the remains of the night. It is after all still their first night under cover for some days. "Let's see this through, Antonella. I wouldn't want any more unwary travellers to fall victim here," she says in the morning. <><><><><> <> "All right," Antonella says. "But will it do any good? Maybe that little weasel did set us up, but we can't prove it. Will the Reeve believe a couple of traveling women, or a man who owns an inn in town? And if we make a fuss, we attract attention to ourselves." When you break fast in the common room, you see Brother Halfan. Another monk is standing next to him, and seems quite interested in you and Antonella. He is looking at the two of you, and seems to be asking questions. When Brother Halfan approaches your table, the other monk slips away. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon, sister," the friendly cleric says. "I understand you had some trouble last night. The Reeve sent one of his men to tell us he would be here at noonday." "Do we have to stay here until then?" Antonella groans. <><><><><> [Alex] "Brother Halfan, we were attacked in our room in the inn. We believe that the inn-keeper set us up, but of course we have no proof, and in the struggle a man was killed. Whilst my heart tells me that we should stay and see justice done, I fear that, as Antonella said, the inkkeeper has more power and standing than two women travelling alone, and his story, whatever it turns out to be, will be the one that is believed." She looks at him, "What do you suggest? Cloistered though you may be here, I am sure you know more about St Albans than we do." <><><><><> <> Brother Halfan sits down, and wrinkles his forehead. "The innkeeper...I can't remember his name. I haven't been to town in almost a year. I really don't get out of the monastery much." "I know many travelers pass through St. Alban's, and he surely couldn't stay in business if he made a practice of robbing people. The Reeve wouldn't put up with it...Cedric is honest enough, if a bit lazy." The monk sniffs. "But....as you say, you have no one to speak for you here in St. Alban's, so if it becomes your word against the innkeeper's, there will be little the Reeve can do." He looks at you and says "A man was killed, you say. Do you mean that *you* killed one of the robbers?" This seems to upset him. <><><><><> [Agnes] She looks embarrassed and stares at the table for a few moments. "Someone was swinging a club as if the meant to hurt whoever it contacted in the dark, so I struck out with my knife." She looks at the monk. "I didn't mean to kill enyone - just to hurt them to frighten them away." She sighs. "We'll just tell the Reeve what happened and leave." <><><><><> <> You and Antonella wait around the monastery for the next few hours. Antonella becomes increasingly impatient, and even mutters that it might be better to simply leave. You know this would probably make you less welcome when you return from London, though. You glimpse the monk who was questioning Brother Halfan earlier, several times. Shortly after noon, another monk approaches you and says that the Reeve is here and wants to talk to you. The Reeve is waiting in the common room, sitting on a bench and drinking from a mug that one of the other brothers brought him. Another man came with him; he's leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, and looks the more physically formidable of the two. He gives you and Antonella a frankly appraising look when you enter. The Reeve is older. His hair is blond, but starting to thin and turn white. He's tall, too, further evidence of Celtic blood. He nods at you and says gruffly, "Why'd you leave last night instead of waiting for me?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "The inn-keeper made it plain that he wanted rid of us. We'd already been attacked in our room once, and despite our cries no-one had come to our aid. There was nothing to say that if we stayed it wouldn't happen again. After all, how were we to know that whoever it was spoke the truth when he raid that you had been sent for. He might have been one of the more brazen attackers. So we sought sanctuary in the monastery, and awaited you here." <><><><><> <> "Umm. Yes. All right." The Reeve rubs his forehead. "Well, as you know I am the Reeve, appointed by His Majesty to keep peace in St. Alban's. We've had brigands on the roads outside of town before, but never anything like what you say happened." "What we say...?" Antonella says, sounding prepared to become indignant. The Reeve holds up a hand. "I am just trying to determine what happened from everyone's point of view. Now, just who are you two women, and for what purpose are you traveling alone to London? Where do you come from?" "Halfdan the innkeeper said that he woke up when the men came running out of your room. The dead robber you left behind is no one I recognized, nor has anyone else in town admitted to knowing him." "You didn't have any....visitors in your room earlier, did you?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She looks indignant. "We are not *that* sort of women!" she retorts. "We had no visitors, and were planning on a good night's sleep." "I am a widow, and this is my late husband's sister. We are on our way to see if a cousin of mine is still in London. If he is then I'll see what he suggests. If he isn't then We will probably travel back North to York, where I come from." <><><><><> <> "You didn't tell me your names." The Reeve looks at you wordlessly for a little bit. Then says finally, "The innkeeper suggested that perhaps you *were* those sorts of women..." "Do we *look* like those sorts of women?" Antonella demands, drawing herself up and looking down her nose at him. "Well, no," he admits slowly. He seems to be about to say more, then changes the subject. "Traveling by yourself is very dangerous. Robbers are common on the roads into London, and the king doesn't spare many men to patrol the roads. They'd likely take all your valuables and worse. You were lucky to get out of the inn alive." <><><><><> [Agnes] "My name is Agnes Smith," she replies. "We had hoped to travel with others going to London, but last night's experience has promted to set off today. Being attacked on the way seems no worse than being atacked whislt we sleep." <><><><><> <> "You're really going to set off for London by yourselves?" he asks, amazed. "Well, I am not going to stop you. No one has come forward to identify the dead man, so if his family isn't around, I'm not going to hold you. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do about the brigands since all the rest seem to have gotten away." He pauses, then says "I really think you should wait for a merchant or pilgrim party that's going in the right direction and join up with them." <><><><><> [Agnes] She considers, weighing up the risks of trechery from the fellow travellers and the problem of Antonella getting bored if they stay, and the threat of robbers if they go on alone. "Is the road to London really that dangerous? It is only a day's journey." "Perhaps we should wait." She looks at Antonella for her response to that suggestion. <><><><><> <> The Reeve shrugs. "There are a lot of vagabonds and ruffains who live in and around the city. Villages used to line the road from here to London, but since the great Viking invasion, most folks keep to the woods if they don't live in a town proper. So there's no telling who you'll meet on the road. You might walk to London and have no trouble, but you might meet one of the gangs that tries to extort a toll from travelers on the road--" he pauses, then finishes "and the toll they'd extort from you, you probably wouldn't like." Antonella looks frustrated, but worried. "So we can't do anything about that weasel of an innkeeper? And just how long will it be until a 'safe' party comes through on the way to London?" The Reeve shrugs. "What do you want me to do about him? You'd better have more than your word if you want to level an accusation at him." "Surely you wouldn't have to wait here that long. There's pilgrims and merchants coming through St. Alban's every week at least." Antonella pulls you aside and whispers in Latin "You traveled alone for years, didn't you? It can't be that dangerous. We got this far all right, and the only trouble we ran into was where we were supposedly safe! The Reeve probably just assumes two women can't take care of themselves." <><><><><> [Agnes] Never one for trusting Latin to unknown, and deciding that Arabic would be too alien-sounding, she replies in Greek, "We'll leave tonight after dark. I just don't want anyone to know it." "Thank you for your advice. We will wait a while longer before setting off for London. As you say, there may be others going our way." "I suppose we mut just put the inn incident down to experience." She switches to Greek. "We will have to get you a new sword at the earliest opportunity. We could use the rest of the afternoon here seeing if there is one in St Albans worth buying." <><><><><> <> "That would be wise," the Reeve says, pleased that you have accepted his advice. He rises and says "I will send word to the monastary if we should catch any more of the bandits." "So just like that, they abscond with our possessions, and the innkeeper is probably receiving his share of the goods even as we speak," Antonella mutters. The Reeve turns back and gives her a hard look. "Lady, you killed one man. What more would you have me do, hang the innkeeper for your suspicions?" He gestures at his man-at-arms, who winks at you and Antonella before moving away from the wall. "Come on, Lynn." The two men depart. Brother Halfdan, you see waiting a little distance away. Antonella looks peeved. "Yes, let's find a sword if one can be found." <><><><><> [Agnes] She waits for the Reeve and his men to go, and then approaches Brother Halfdan. "Well, at least the Reeve isn't holding us responsible for what happened, but I can't see him puting much effort into finding the rest of the robbers." She sighs. "Brother Halfdan, can you tell us wheer we might find a blacksmith in St Albans? We need to replace some items that were stolen." <><><><><> <> "He probably won't," Brother Halfdan agrees. "There are a couple of blacksmiths....they make a living off of travelers mostly, I think." Antonella nods. "Let's go, then," she says determinedly. Back down in the town, you find that the blacksmiths do service travelers, but not many warriors, obviously -- they have knives and a few axes and spearheads, but the first blacksmith just looks at you blankly when you ask for a sword, and asks how soon you want one. The other one laughs and says he hasn't made a sword in almost a year. "Too expensive," he says. "I've been making a lot of axes lately... people want to be able to defend themselves if the Vikings ever come. Swords, though.... Cedric and his men usually order swords from London. All I have right now are a couple I keep for my own use, to work from when making new blades, mostly." <><><><><> [Agnes] They set off for the blacksmith. There is no way she can allow Antonella to travel without a sword, and hopefully one that she is comfortable with. She wouldn't put it past some to challenge her and then give her a weapon that she can hardly use. She intends to cast her eye over the workmanship herself. A broken weapon in a duel is a frightening experience, and oneshe doesn't intend Antonella to have, if she can help it. "How much for one of the swords you use as a pattern?" she asks, knowing it is going to be expensive: very much a sellers' market. She knows that they would probably be as well waiting until London. Maybe she should buy an axe instead. It was years since she'd used one ... A shiver ran down her spine. She hadn't. Gerald had. Well, maybe an axe anyway <><><><><> <> The blacksmith looks at you skeptically. "What do you want with a sword anyway?" he asks. He seems to be appraising your ability to pay, more than your ability to use a sword, as he looks you and Antonella up and down, and says "Do you have silver or gold to pay with?" He walks to the back of his shop, and pulls out a wrapped bundle. Swords are expensive. Even a cheap one (like the one you have now) costs more than most peasants will see in their lifetime, and a good one, pattern-wielded, like the one Peter gave you, is the sort of blade only a lord or a wealthy merchant could afford. You know that if the blacksmith's sword is of average quality, it will cost virtually all of your wealth on hand, and it's highly unlikely you'll be able to barter for a really good weapon. He slides the cover off his sword and shows it to you. It has the markings of pattern-wielding, but you also know that some blacksmiths are good enough to fake those markings, but not good enough to actually use that technique in forging the blade... "The best sword I ever made," he says. He looks at you and smiles. "Really, if you need protection, wouldn't a knife or a small axe be more in your range? If you really need a sword badly, I could make one by tomorrow, not a fine blade, of course, but it will certainly cut what you swing it at." (At least a few times....a sword made in a day will be little more than a bar of metal filed to produce one sharp edge.) <><><><><> [Agnes] "I already have a knife, thank you," she replies to him. She looks at him skeptically when he offers to make a sword in a day, knowing what sort of sword it is likely to be - probably worse than one she could make herself given a little bit more time. "That is indeed a fine sword, sir. I fear that it would be beyond our means to pay for such a fine piece of workmanship. Perhaps an axe would be better in the circumstances." She decides that if the axe is not too expensive, and she can find one that she is comfortable with, then she'll buy it. That way they can leave that night. <><><><><> <> For an axe, he asks a much more reasonable price. But the first one he tries to sell you is a small woodcutter's axe, not suitable for fighting at all. Once you make it clear you actually want a fighting axe, he shows you a couple that will serve, watching you dubiously and with bemusement as you heft it. "I want a sword," Antonella protests in a whisper. "And armor." If the blacksmith has such sparse pickings in weaponry, he surely won't have much in the way of armor, and the chances he'd have anything that would fit a tall woman must be nil. "I am starting to make more arms," he says helpfully. "Everyone worried about the Vikings and all. If you come back in a week or two..." As you and Antonella return to the monastary, she says "I'm sorry, I know I don't even have money to pay for things. I do still have a few rings and a necklace that the robbers didn't take. I can sell them when we get to London. But I don't know any other way to make money." <><><><><> [Agnes] She thanks the blacksmith for his time, and says that if they are passing this way in a few weeks, perhaps they will call and see if he has anything. As they walk back from the blacksmith's she says to Antonella, kindly, "I know you want a sword Antonella. There is no way we can afford one here. Perhaps in London we might be able to manage something." She sighs. "I bought the axe so that you could borrow my sword. I may not be very good with it, but it is better that, than you having nothing at all." She takes Antonella's arm as they walk and pulls her close. With a smile she comments. "Things will work out all right. We'll get something going in London. We'll get you a sword and armour. And I'll show you how I make my money. Even if you might think it boring." <><><><><> <> Antonella looks surprised when you offer to lend her your sword. She lowers her head. "Thank you," she says. "But I.... I don't want you to risk your head for me." Back at the monastary, in the small room the monks gave you to share, she spends some time holding your sword, and practices a few stances like the ones you showed her years ago. She's very rusty -- it is clear she did not spend much time practicing swordsmanship with Philip. You know very little of the two years or so she stayed in Sparta. She learned some discipline, certainly -- she's still on the moody side, but she hasn't become sullen or petulant since you began traveling with her. That could just be the result of maturing a bit, of course. And you've noticed her physique when she gets undressed...she was definitely exercising in Sparta, enough that even with six years of relative laxity in Winchester, she remains fairly well conditioned. She has had no trouble keeping up with your pace. But now, she is clearly eager to learn to defend herself. Sitting down with you, and packing your things for your imminent night journey, she says "I haven't thanked you, ever.... for everything." She keeps her eyes downcast, and speaks with a low voice. "For a little while, right after Philip took me, I was angry at you. And at Kemal, but mostly at you, because I _expected_ Kemal to make decisions about me without asking..." She laughs shortly, and cuts it off. "All those years that you knew I was an immortal, and didn't tell me. It upset me....but I know you protected me, and you were teaching me even before we left Tunisia. And I know I was horrible when I was younger. I'm surprised you or Kemal didn't take my head then." She makes that little curt laugh again, but you see tears glistening on her cheeks. "Anyway, I don't think I can ever repay you. But thank you. I'll do anything you tell me to do, but please, let me stay with you, as long as you can put up with me. I....I know now, what you meant back in Tunisia when you told me about loneliness, and I've been immortal so much less time than you." She wipes her eyes and sniffles, and tries to regain her composure. "Do you think it's that way for Kemal and Techo too, and other men? Or is just we women? There aren't very many immortal women, are there?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "Don't worry. I'll want it back if I get myself into a duel, she quips with a disarming smile. Agnes herself has a practice with her axe whilst Antonella uses the sword, reminding herself just what an awkward weapon it was to use. Afterwards, as they pack, Agnes feels remorse at the way she treaded Antonella. "I'm sorry Antonella. I did what I thought I had to do. I didn't want to take upon myself the role of God. I was willing to let things take their course. I was willing to kill you to protect you from the sheik, but then he was using his knowledge of your immortality against Kemal. And I didn't want you to be killed so young that you would be an immortal that no-one took seriously. As it is, we are both a bit on the young side to get much other than leering looks, but at least we look like young adults." She sighs. "I don't know how Kemal would have handled it. I didn't ask him." "I have no idea about how men take it. I suppose they might get lonely. They certainly seem to make a point of meeting each other - or at least all apart from the hunters. But I don't know about whether we feel the loneliness more. I guess we do. There are certainly fewer of us. Apart from you, the only other immortal woman I met was in Spain, and I had to kill her. Kemal had killed her husband." She looks at all the stuff, packed as it is into the two backpacks. " Let's get some sleep, and we'll leave after the end of the midnight service." <><><><><> <> "It's all right, I forgave you before I ever set off again for Britain." Antonella smiles at you softly. "And Kemal, whom I miss also." Then she looks down, remembering that you are still pained by your separation from Kemal, after his change. "Kemal killed an immortal woman's husband? Was he an immortal also?" She is curious in spite of herself. "The only other immortal woman I've met was in Athens. She helped me get to Britain." She leans back and counts off on her fingers. "I know you, and Kemal and Techo, and there was the Sheykh and the Qaid, and Philip. A couple of other immortals came to Sparta to see Philip while I was there. And there was Penelope. That's all I've met. Does anyone know how many of us there are, or who the oldest is?" Philip, you realize, must not have told her very much at all. Perhaps she was just afraid to ask him questions. As she begins to adjust to life on the road, traveling with you again, her curiousity is beginning to resurface. More slowly than you would have expected, actually -- she is still much more diffident than you remember. The bells of the monastary toll, waking you for midnight mass. You and Antonella go to pray with the monks, and then return to your room, take your bags, and quietly sneak out of the monastary. It is a clear night, as you walk downhill and begin hiking south, on the road to London. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Yes, he was immortal too, so she said. And Kemal confirmed it later." Noticing Antonella's discomfort she adds, "It's alright to talk of Kemal. I'm sure he will be better when I return to him. I just need to give him some time." "Techo is the oldest that I know. I suppose I ought to have questioned him more closely about our kind." She shrugs. "Maybe next time. Or maybe Ęthelbad will know." "I suppose I might have asked Peter, but that was a long time ago, and I was still a bit too overwhelmed by it all for it to have registered if I did." As they walk down the hill in the clear night, Agnes wonders about the chances of a trouble free night. "We should walk quickly, but quietly," she councils. "We don't want to alert brigands to our approach." She considers leaving the road and travelling through the woods, but she is assailed by a clawing panic about what creatures of the night might lie in wait for them there, and she wouldn't have her sword to fend them off, nor the assistance of an armoured companion. She says nothing about the option that she knows is not an option, and continues down the road in the direction of London. <><><><><> <> You walk all night without encountering anyone else. You wouldn't encounter other travelers at night, so perhaps the bandits retire for the night also. As dawn breaks, you still have many miles ahead of you, and you are both becoming fatigued. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Well, Antonella," comments Agnes as the dawn starts to break. "We aren't going to make it in one night, it would appear. I suppose we had best find somewhere to rest up for the day, somewhere a little off the road, and take turns at sleeping." In the growing light of dawn, Agnes starts to look off to the sides of the road as they walk, trying to see anywhere suitable for them to rest. <><><><><> <> The woods are thick along the road -- if bandits can hide there, so can you. Antonella surprises you by volunteering to stand watch first. "I won't fall asleep," she promises. "How far do you think we are from London? If we set off again at sunset, we'll probably reach the city at night, and we won't be let inside the walls until daybreak." She chews her lip. "Won't lingering outside the city walls be even more dangerous than staying in the woods?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "If we set off again before it gets dark, we ought to see how far it is from a milestone somewhere." She ponders. "It was maybe 20 miles. We walked all night from midnight, so we must be more than halfway there." "Let me have a couple of hours rest, and then you can have some too. We'll see how we feel at midday. Maybe we could make it all the way in daylight if we set off then. Of course, we might see some other travellers that we might join or follow." <><><><><> <> "All right," Antonella agrees. She lets you sleep, but you wake up after what feels like too short a time. You don't feel the Quickening. As you stir and begin looking around, you feel it suddenly, something that becomes familiar enough to sleep through when you spend a lot of time with other immortals, but it's disturbing when it comes and goes. It goes again. Off in the woods, you can hear someone tromping around. And then you feel it again. Antonella seems to be trying to ascertain the radius of the Quickening sense. At least she's learned to turn her mind to useful activities when she's bored, but it's not helping you sleep. <><><><><> [Agnes] She ponders and listens, trying to determine whether it is Antonella that is crashing around, and that she can have more sleep, or whether something more sinister is going on. She looks around to make sure that she isn't being snuck up on by something less noticeable, as Antonella possibly chases shadows. <><><><><> <> You see Antonella through the trees. There doesn't seem to be anyone else around. Antonella is trying to move as quietly as possible, but she'll never succeed in sneaking up on anyone, catching her skirts on every passing branch. Having made a semi-circle around you, she seems satisfied by the line of demarcation she's established, and is now coming back to your little camp. <><><><><> [Agnes] She puts her head down for some more shut-eye, satisfied that Antonella is trying her best. <><><><><> <> When Antonella wakes you, it is almost midday already. "It's all right," she says. "I can stay awake until we reach London. I've gone longer without sleep." She does look fatigued, but still alert. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Good. Let's see if we can get there without trouble." They set off at a gentle pace, mainly so that Agnes can watch ahead for signs of trouble. "I'll treat you to a nice bed once we get to London, Antonella." <><><><><> <> "That sounds nice," Antonella replies. You were closer to London than you thought -- another half hour brings you within sight of the port. And also within sight of a group of huntsmen, with recently killed game slung across their shoulders. They seem to have set foot upon the road, exiting from the woods ahead of you, and there are eight of them, carrying bows and axes. When they see you and Antonella, they pause and talk amongst themselves, and slow down to allow the two of you to catch up. You cannot tell at this distance whether their disposition seems hostile or friendly. <><><><><> [Agnes] SHe slows her pace too, so that they will not gain on them so quickly, and then stops to say to Antonella. "I don't mind staying in sight of them, but I don't particularly want to catch them up and fid out that they are 'over-friendly' before we get withing shouting distance of the city." She glances at the group to see how they have reacted to the two of them stopping, before starting again, walking as slow as before. <><><><><> <> Antonella nods. She looks a little bit nervous, but says "Well, if they become overly friendly, we use our weapons, right? Surely a bunch of peasants won't stand up to a pair of women who actually know how to fight?" The men have begun walking again, slowly. They glance back frequently at the two of you, and their slowing their pace has forced you to slow your pace. Finally one of them calls out "Why don't you ladies join us? We don't bite!" There is laughter from the men, then -- it sounds more or less good natured. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Antonella, given that there are so many of them, it wouldn't be easy, even if they were peasants. However, I suspect that woodsmen actually know how to use those weapons. It wouldn't matter how well you were doing against two, if a third was feathering you with arrows." After the men's shouts to them, she says with a sigh, "We might as well join them, I suppose, and keep things sociable. "We are getting no- where at this pace." The two of them step out to gain on the men and join them. <><><><><> <> "But wouldn't using their weapons on us, or feathering us with arrows, defeat their purpose? I mean..." Her voice trails off as the man calls out his invitation, and she realizes she doesn't particularly care to pursue that line of thought anyway. She nods when you indicate that you will join them, and the two of you catch up to the huntsmen. They are all typical Saxon men, ranging in age from 40 or so to one boy who looks to be just barely entering manhood. There's a family resemblance among a few of them. "So, how come two women to be traveling the road to London by themselves?" the man who called out says amiably as you join them. The other men are all giving you both appraising looks, but they'd probably give any pair of strangers they met on the road similar looks. <><><><><> [Agnes] "We decided that we didn't care to remain in St Albans and wait for fellow travellers. So we set off on our own," she replies. "We hadn't heard of any Norsemen being about, so we thought we'd be safe enough." She adds with a smile, "After all, there ought to be enough law-abiding huntsmen about to keep the road clear of brigands." <><><><><> <> "You left St. Alban's on your own rather than wait for a merchant or a pilgrammage to join?" The huntsman seems incredulous, and shakes his head in amazement. "You must be in a great hurry to reach London." "Aye, there 'aven't been any Vikings around for years," says one of the older men, superstitiously making a sign of supplication. "But I 'eard they hit the Anglian earlier this year, though." "No Vikings up the Thames since the great raid back when I was a lad," the first man agrees. "But brigands and roadside beggars who'd as soon slit your throat as your purse, there's plenty of them. They wouldn't bother the lot of us, but a pair of pretty ladies, now that's another matter." He smiles at you. "My name's Anfeald, that's my brother Dreng, this is my son Averill. The rest of them ain't important." The other five men snort at him and make rude gestures. <><><><><> [Agnes] She nods at them as they are introduced. "I'm Agnes. And this is my sister-in-law, Antonella." "We are off to see if we can find my cousin Ęthelbad in London." She keeps herself wary, conscious that there are a lot of them, and that some will inevitably be behind her. She knows that she wouldn't be anything like this jumpy if Kemal was there, but she quickly pushes that thought away. She wouldn't be here, if she was with Kemal. "So are you all woodsmen?" she asks conversationally. <><><><><> <> "Sister-in-law? So you're married then? Both of you, or just fair Antonella?" He's nosy, and you can see Antonella beginning to look annoyed at his impertinence. But she may not realize that familial relationships are not merely a source of social status among Saxons. As recent events made clear, being without kin means you have no standing, and no protection. Your accent marks you as not being a local, and there simply aren't any laws to prevent the rape or murder of two women who don't have a family that would demand vengeance or compensation. Which doesn't mean that's what these men have in mind -- they seem friendly enough so far, and most peasants are basically decent people who tend to be suspicious of strangers, but don't go around assaulting anyone they can get away with. Certainly no one in your village of Marham would have preyed on a pair of travelers that happened to be passing through -- at least, there is no one in your fond pre-immortal memories that you think would have done such a thing. "Woodsmen, aye." He nods, and says "When hunting's good, we take any extra game to London to sell. Sometimes firewood too, in the winter." <><><><><> [Agnes] Her mind clocks through possibilities and opportunities, and she quickly decides that being married and having family would be safest. "Antonella is my husband's sister," she replies. "We've just been visiting my family in York, and now we are going to stay with my cousin and see if there is news of my husband's ship." She thinks about asking them if there are any trolls in the woods, the ones she had convinced herself were there the night before, but decides that they will probably say yes whether there are or not, just to enhance their bravery. <><><><><> <> "Your husband does not take good care of you, to let you make such a dangerous trip by yourselves!" Anfeald says. You walk a little further, and he says "Your husband must be a foreigner, then. What sort of a name is Antonella?" "It's a perfectly good Roman name!" Antonella says haughtily. The intrusive woodsman was probably just being curious, but he provoked Antonella's indignation. Her tone and accent has an effect on them, though. Anfeald raises an eyebrow, and the group all exchanges glances almost nervously. "Beggin' your pardon, Lady, but your brother must not know that Essex is not as safe as Rome," Dreng says. Antonella, rather than taking advantage of the situation, grabs the hilt of her (your) sword. "We've travelled plenty, and taken care of ourselves!" she declares. That silences them for a moment. Then Anfeald says "I'll bet your brother is having a lot of trouble finding a husband for you!" Antonella's mouth drops open, while the eight men all burst out laughing. <><><><><> [Agnes] Agnes bursts out laughing too, only to quickly stifle it. "I'm sorry, Antonella," she says in Latin, "I didn't mean to laugh. But you really must try not to continue to act the Roman noblewoman when we are walking through the wilds. Some people might bear a grudge against nobility and we are hardly in a good position to argue." Switching to Anglo-Saxon, she says with a smile, "Indeed he is. He did send a letter though, indicating that there were possibilities in Rome. You never know, we might get to London to find that she has been as good as married off." <><><><><> <> Antonella looks as if she's trying to remain outraged, but settles into a pout instead. "Why would anyone have a grudge against nobility?" she asks. Anfeald listens to the two of you talking and then asks "You speak Roman?", sounding impressed. "It's called Latin!" Antonella snaps. "You should recognize it -- don't you go to Mass?" Anfeald coughs and looks embarrassed. "Of course I do," he mutters. "I just didn't think anyone but priests really spoke it." In fairness, the everyday Latin you and Antonella are speaking is much more slangy and informal than Church Latin, which can sometimes be difficult to understand even if you know the language in the first place. (Especially since many priests in Britain are merely reciting words whose meanings they don't truly understand, and thus corrupting the pronounciations even more.) You are now nearing the river, and the ferrymen which one must pay to cross it. It would be nice if there were bridges across the Thames as there are across the Tiber in Rome, but London is nowhere near wealthy enough for its merchants to find bridges worthwhile, and the king isn't likely to finance such construction when the revenues he collects are more likely going towards fortifications against Vikings and his neighbors.