Prince
Alfred's
Army
Part Six
"The good times had to end sometime. Cnut died in '35. Godwine was first Earl, and he just took over. He could force his hand because there was no King inside England. Cnut's heir was in Denmark, and trapped there by a war. He couldn't get here. Things started to go badly under Godwine." Old Paul's face darkened. "He was a devil." Paul turned to Father Anthony. "Do you remember him, Father?"
Father Anthony did. "Yes, I do. I was six years old when Cnut died. Godwine did what he wanted for twenty years. He and his sons lorded it over poor King Edward, I know for a fact, for I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, for all their pride, God struck them down, and all England with them. Yes, brother Paul, I suppose you could say that old Godwine of Wessex was a devil. Certainly, no good ever came to us from all he ever did."
"That's exactly right, Father Anthony! He was a bloody devil. And that's why I started to thinking about old King Aethelraed and how he still had two sons, you see? Edward and Alfred. It seemed to me that one of them should be our King."
"You see, this is how it was with Cnut dead. Godwine was taking over, so the shipmen of London raised up their own private army. The Viking Harefoot had the regular army. Godwine had his private army, of course. Hardecnut was coming from Denmark one day with his army to take the crown. And old Queen Emma had her own plans. Total confusion. Emma arranged with her nephew, Duke Robert in Normandy, to help put her Edward on the throne. But Godwine was afraid of the Normans, and broke ranks with her. She needed help. That's where we came in. We just figured it was time to rally the English army around our own Prince Edward."
"It still stirs something in me just to speak of it... 'Prince Edward'. After all, he was the rightful King of England. If ever there was a time for a man to stand up it was then. Secure the crown for our own Prince Edward. So my mates and I, we put aside our business at home, and made ready all we could for Edward and Alfred to use."
Paul smiled, thinking about it. "It was so easy. Everybody supported us. Money poured in, and so did armed men, and Lords, too. The old King's thegns joined our cause. Well, some of the better men, anyway. Not Godwine's friends. They were rotten to the core. The reception they prepared for our Prince Alfred was born of the prince of darkness himself."
"What happened to Prince Alfred?" asked Jocko.
"I'll tell you. Edward and Alfred both arrived in England with their Norman supporters, and we English provided separate escorts, just in case. I was with Alfred's army. We were on the march up towards Guildford when Godwine managed to ambush us. We fought hard for an hour, but Godwine's elite Housecarl troops had us beat. We turned and tried to get away with Prince Alfred, but they'd surrounded us, and in the end we had to surrender. Those of us who survived the ambush were chained together in fetters, sorted out for different punishments. It didn't take long for the punishments to begin. Some were tortured by scalping them and cutting off their hands and feet, and at Guildford they killed six hundred of our men outright. And many of us were blinded. Many were sold into slavery in Denmark. That's when it happened. I was one of the ones they blinded."
"It's been fifty years." Paul stopped talking. He filled his cheeks with air, and made gentle venting noises while he saw it all over again in his mind's eye.
Father Anthony was moved by this story. He spoke up:
"You're one of King Edward the Confessor's Own Loyalists? I remember you guys, begging around the country when I was a kid. When Edward was King it wasn't right that he didn't take care of you, considering what you went through."
"Sure, but Godwine was always in control, remember. Edward ended up being Godwine's puppet. He never had any say."
"Of course."
"So that's why you still hate Godwine?" asked brother Anastasius.
"Actually, brothers, I have long since forgiven Godwine for what he did to me. My life has been blessed in many ways, since I have learned that God himself takes care of my needs by sending good people my way. I met all of my best friends in my blindness. Being a healthy fighting man has its own curse, you know. Blindness brought peace into my life. But I do hate Godwine, I'm sorry to say. He treated us cruelly, but it was what he did next that makes me hate him still."
Paul paused to scratch his cheek.
"You see, Godwine got us to surrender by swearing allegiance to Prince Alfred himself. He claimed that it was his duty to crush the rebellion, but that he himself was loyal to the Prince. But after we were put in chains, Prince Alfred was bound up with ropes and loaded into a boat. They took him to the island in the swamp of Ely. As soon as the ship touched land, still on board ship, Alfred's eyes were torn out and he was run through with swords... they took him into the monastery to die... When we heard about it, it broke our hearts. We weren't sure if Edward had escaped, so we figured he was a goner, too. No doubt, if he'd been caught at that time, he'd have been killed."
"That was it. It was over for me. But after a while, I was glad not to be involved any more. As a beggar, I was not so badly off. God has looked after me, and, because I was no threat to anyone, I was a free man."
"But a blind one."
"Yes." Paul held out his cup. "Any more beer?"
Godwine swears false allegiance to Prince Alfred
Part Six
"The good times had to end sometime. Cnut died in '35. Godwine was first Earl, and he just took over. He could force his hand because there was no King inside England. Cnut's heir was in Denmark, and trapped there by a war. He couldn't get here. Things started to go badly under Godwine." Old Paul's face darkened. "He was a devil." Paul turned to Father Anthony. "Do you remember him, Father?"
Father Anthony did. "Yes, I do. I was six years old when Cnut died. Godwine did what he wanted for twenty years. He and his sons lorded it over poor King Edward, I know for a fact, for I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, for all their pride, God struck them down, and all England with them. Yes, brother Paul, I suppose you could say that old Godwine of Wessex was a devil. Certainly, no good ever came to us from all he ever did."
"That's exactly right, Father Anthony! He was a bloody devil. And that's why I started to thinking about old King Aethelraed and how he still had two sons, you see? Edward and Alfred. It seemed to me that one of them should be our King."
"You see, this is how it was with Cnut dead. Godwine was taking over, so the shipmen of London raised up their own private army. The Viking Harefoot had the regular army. Godwine had his private army, of course. Hardecnut was coming from Denmark one day with his army to take the crown. And old Queen Emma had her own plans. Total confusion. Emma arranged with her nephew, Duke Robert in Normandy, to help put her Edward on the throne. But Godwine was afraid of the Normans, and broke ranks with her. She needed help. That's where we came in. We just figured it was time to rally the English army around our own Prince Edward."
"It still stirs something in me just to speak of it... 'Prince Edward'. After all, he was the rightful King of England. If ever there was a time for a man to stand up it was then. Secure the crown for our own Prince Edward. So my mates and I, we put aside our business at home, and made ready all we could for Edward and Alfred to use."
Paul smiled, thinking about it. "It was so easy. Everybody supported us. Money poured in, and so did armed men, and Lords, too. The old King's thegns joined our cause. Well, some of the better men, anyway. Not Godwine's friends. They were rotten to the core. The reception they prepared for our Prince Alfred was born of the prince of darkness himself."
"What happened to Prince Alfred?" asked Jocko.
"I'll tell you. Edward and Alfred both arrived in England with their Norman supporters, and we English provided separate escorts, just in case. I was with Alfred's army. We were on the march up towards Guildford when Godwine managed to ambush us. We fought hard for an hour, but Godwine's elite Housecarl troops had us beat. We turned and tried to get away with Prince Alfred, but they'd surrounded us, and in the end we had to surrender. Those of us who survived the ambush were chained together in fetters, sorted out for different punishments. It didn't take long for the punishments to begin. Some were tortured by scalping them and cutting off their hands and feet, and at Guildford they killed six hundred of our men outright. And many of us were blinded. Many were sold into slavery in Denmark. That's when it happened. I was one of the ones they blinded."
"It's been fifty years." Paul stopped talking. He filled his cheeks with air, and made gentle venting noises while he saw it all over again in his mind's eye.
Father Anthony was moved by this story. He spoke up:
"You're one of King Edward the Confessor's Own Loyalists? I remember you guys, begging around the country when I was a kid. When Edward was King it wasn't right that he didn't take care of you, considering what you went through."
"Sure, but Godwine was always in control, remember. Edward ended up being Godwine's puppet. He never had any say."
"Of course."
"So that's why you still hate Godwine?" asked brother Anastasius.
"Actually, brothers, I have long since forgiven Godwine for what he did to me. My life has been blessed in many ways, since I have learned that God himself takes care of my needs by sending good people my way. I met all of my best friends in my blindness. Being a healthy fighting man has its own curse, you know. Blindness brought peace into my life. But I do hate Godwine, I'm sorry to say. He treated us cruelly, but it was what he did next that makes me hate him still."
Paul paused to scratch his cheek.
"You see, Godwine got us to surrender by swearing allegiance to Prince Alfred himself. He claimed that it was his duty to crush the rebellion, but that he himself was loyal to the Prince. But after we were put in chains, Prince Alfred was bound up with ropes and loaded into a boat. They took him to the island in the swamp of Ely. As soon as the ship touched land, still on board ship, Alfred's eyes were torn out and he was run through with swords... they took him into the monastery to die... When we heard about it, it broke our hearts. We weren't sure if Edward had escaped, so we figured he was a goner, too. No doubt, if he'd been caught at that time, he'd have been killed."
"That was it. It was over for me. But after a while, I was glad not to be involved any more. As a beggar, I was not so badly off. God has looked after me, and, because I was no threat to anyone, I was a free man."
"But a blind one."
"Yes." Paul held out his cup. "Any more beer?"
Godwine swears false allegiance to Prince Alfred
Father Anthony did. "Yes, I do. I was six years old when Cnut died. Godwine did what he wanted for twenty years. He and his sons lorded it over poor King Edward, I know for a fact, for I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, for all their pride, God struck them down, and all England with them. Yes, brother Paul, I suppose you could say that old Godwine of Wessex was a devil. Certainly, no good ever came to us from all he ever did."
"That's exactly right, Father Anthony! He was a bloody devil. And that's why I started to thinking about old King Aethelraed and how he still had two sons, you see? Edward and Alfred. It seemed to me that one of them should be our King."
"You see, this is how it was with Cnut dead. Godwine was taking over, so the shipmen of London raised up their own private army. The Viking Harefoot had the regular army. Godwine had his private army, of course. Hardecnut was coming from Denmark one day with his army to take the crown. And old Queen Emma had her own plans. Total confusion. Emma arranged with her nephew, Duke Robert in Normandy, to help put her Edward on the throne. But Godwine was afraid of the Normans, and broke ranks with her. She needed help. That's where we came in. We just figured it was time to rally the English army around our own Prince Edward."
"It still stirs something in me just to speak of it... 'Prince Edward'. After all, he was the rightful King of England. If ever there was a time for a man to stand up it was then. Secure the crown for our own Prince Edward. So my mates and I, we put aside our business at home, and made ready all we could for Edward and Alfred to use."
Paul smiled, thinking about it. "It was so easy. Everybody supported us. Money poured in, and so did armed men, and Lords, too. The old King's thegns joined our cause. Well, some of the better men, anyway. Not Godwine's friends. They were rotten to the core. The reception they prepared for our Prince Alfred was born of the prince of darkness himself."
"What happened to Prince Alfred?" asked Jocko.
"I'll tell you. Edward and Alfred both arrived in England with their Norman supporters, and we English provided separate escorts, just in case. I was with Alfred's army. We were on the march up towards Guildford when Godwine managed to ambush us. We fought hard for an hour, but Godwine's elite Housecarl troops had us beat. We turned and tried to get away with Prince Alfred, but they'd surrounded us, and in the end we had to surrender. Those of us who survived the ambush were chained together in fetters, sorted out for different punishments. It didn't take long for the punishments to begin. Some were tortured by scalping them and cutting off their hands and feet, and at Guildford they killed six hundred of our men outright. And many of us were blinded. Many were sold into slavery in Denmark. That's when it happened. I was one of the ones they blinded."
"It's been fifty years." Paul stopped talking. He filled his cheeks with air, and made gentle venting noises while he saw it all over again in his mind's eye.
Father Anthony was moved by this story. He spoke up:
"You're one of King Edward the Confessor's Own Loyalists? I remember you guys, begging around the country when I was a kid. When Edward was King it wasn't right that he didn't take care of you, considering what you went through."
"Sure, but Godwine was always in control, remember. Edward ended up being Godwine's puppet. He never had any say."
"Of course."
"So that's why you still hate Godwine?" asked brother Anastasius.
"Actually, brothers, I have long since forgiven Godwine for what he did to me. My life has been blessed in many ways, since I have learned that God himself takes care of my needs by sending good people my way. I met all of my best friends in my blindness. Being a healthy fighting man has its own curse, you know. Blindness brought peace into my life. But I do hate Godwine, I'm sorry to say. He treated us cruelly, but it was what he did next that makes me hate him still."
Paul paused to scratch his cheek.
"You see, Godwine got us to surrender by swearing allegiance to Prince Alfred himself. He claimed that it was his duty to crush the rebellion, but that he himself was loyal to the Prince. But after we were put in chains, Prince Alfred was bound up with ropes and loaded into a boat. They took him to the island in the swamp of Ely. As soon as the ship touched land, still on board ship, Alfred's eyes were torn out and he was run through with swords... they took him into the monastery to die... When we heard about it, it broke our hearts. We weren't sure if Edward had escaped, so we figured he was a goner, too. No doubt, if he'd been caught at that time, he'd have been killed."
"That was it. It was over for me. But after a while, I was glad not to be involved any more. As a beggar, I was not so badly off. God has looked after me, and, because I was no threat to anyone, I was a free man."
"But a blind one."
"Yes." Paul held out his cup. "Any more beer?"
Godwine swears false allegiance to Prince Alfred