Sunday 14 June 2009

As Olaf bids goodnight and makes his way towards his hut, a dark shape appears on the river.Unbeknown to him The crew of the White ship have returned to rescue their leader. Their plan is complex, perhaps too much so, for tis a cloudy moonlight night.

The left wing, with instructions to reach the far end of the fortlet, silence the sentries, and release the captives, before escaping the way they came, set off whilst cloud covers the moon.

Their passage is slow, but noise would be fatal to their plans.

Leaving a strong boat guard the central reserve moves forward until they can just make out the outline of the fort, and takes up position. They should be out of sight even if the moon comes out, but within easy reach to assist their fellows.



The Right wing, tasked with preventing the Huscarls in the seperate small fort from interfering, and with launching a diversionary attack, move quietly forward.


Olaf meanwhile, thwarted from picking the lock on the prison hut, by a group of villagers chatting in the street,a Baby cannot sleep.moves round the side to assess the possibility of breaking through the wattle wall. It will take him some time, but as he begins, a sentry appears on the battlements behind him.

He freezes back into the shadows and waits, heart thumping for the challenge.


The left wing of the raiding party is nearly discovered by a herdsman, sleeping outside the fort who, disturbed by his animals, rises to investigate.

He is silenced without a sound escaping. and the party continue towards their objective.
As they approach the sentry on the rampart stops, turns full circle trying to see what has disturbed him. The raiders freeze, not a moment too soon as the moon comes out from behind a cloud.

Luckily he fails to spot them, and a lone viking climbs the embankment to silence him whilst his back is turned.

The other sentry, still suspicious, spots Olaf , and yells out a challenge.
Olaf, abandons his cover and racing to the door kicks it in with one mighty blow.
The alarm is raised and the other sentry turns just in time to avert a blow to his head and strikes out as the vikings swarm over the wall behind him.
The first sentry races down the bank as the captives burst from their cell.
Leave him to me" shouts Hagar
But the first of the Saxons are pouring from their sleeping quarters, will the captives escape?

Hagar, without armour and armed only with a sharpened stick, strkes out at the sentry, but his blows are turned aside by helmet and shield.
The sentry manages only one blow.
But it tells and Hagar falls.


Olaf, and the remaining captive, back towards the wall, the entire village is alive with saxons and they have to fight every inch of the way, as one saxon falls another takes his place.
The Huscarls are out, and only feet away from cutting off the escape route.
The right flank of the vikings takes up position to hold them off, unaware of exactly what is happening.
On the ramparts the vikings inside the fort, race along the walkway felling saxons like ninepins. They can hear fighting, but are unable to see who is fighting who.
Only Olaf remains on his feet. The captives have both fallen and he needs to make his escape quickly. But he is facing three men now, one falls to his sword, but the others strike him down.


The first rays of dawn fall on the scene, the vikings inside the fort, see that their leaders are down and not moving, Saxons swarm everywhere, it is time to go.




The horn is sounded and they begin their withdrawal, the saxons, with many men down are only to pleased to let them go, only the huscarls pursue to ensure their departure.










Sunday 7 June 2009

Moonlight



Midnight, on a cloudy moonlit night.


Olaf bids goodnight to the sentry at the main gate of the camp of Beornwulfs brother, and heads towards his bed.



The countryside seems quiet. only the owls are stirring.

But what of the river?