Warrior Princess

"Cedric?" I gasped in shock.

The prince came forward and grasped my hands in his.

"Cedric?" I repeated.

"I was Cedric," the young man began, "or Cedric was me. But now it is time for you to know me truly - for I am Alfred, son of Aethelwulf, Prince of Wessex."

"Prince Alfred?" I asked in amazement.

"The very same."

"But your hair?!" I pointed to his blond locks.

"It was dyed," the prince explained, running a hand through his golden curls. "They tell me the blacking has all gone," he peered closely at his fingers. "But I am not convinced."

He smiled, but I felt numb and confused - even a little angry. How could I have fallen for his deception? And not just me - my father too?

"Will you sit with me?" he asked, lightly taking my arm and guiding us to a pair of chairs at one side of the tent.

"I feel such a fool - why did I not realise?" I said, half to myself, as I sat beside him.

Thoughts and emotions ran screaming through my brain.

"Believe me Elspeth - you are no fool - this past week has taught me that too well. You must allow me to explain."

"You mean this time you will tell me the truth about what happened on Chertsey Bridge?" I asked pointedly.

Alfred gave a nervous laugh - he looked a little uncomfortable.

"My father has watched Surrey for a long time," he began. "When my brother gained the throne of Kent, we knew the Vikings would switch their attacks. And that would bring them closer to our lands."

I nodded. King Aethelstan had won a great sea battle against the raiders - no longer could they plunder the coast of Kent; they had been forced to seek out other targets along the Great River - and that meant Surrey had become their focus.

"Your family has ruled wisely for many generations," Alfred continued. "They have built alliances and kept the peace between Mercia and Wessex. Your sons and daughters have married well.

"The Vikings had a different game. They wanted only gold, and silver, and blood. Night after night they would raid these islands' shores - they would burn what they could not take. They were not to be reasoned with - no land or marriage would buy them off. They would rape and pillage then disappear."

"But now they crave conquest. They would settle here - they would steal the lands of our peoples. At first they tried with Kent, but my brother repelled them. Surrey was next - we were sure. If they gained a foothold, they would dig in, push ever deeper - Wessex, Sussex, Mercia - they could defeat each one in turn until these islands lie completely under their control."

"And your father sent you to Chertsey," I asked, "to watch our kingdom?"

"To learn the stories the ambassadors would not tell," Alfred replied. "To hear the tales of heartache and loss from real men... Where else would you post your most trusted lieutenant, but at the town on the Great River where a longship would enter Wessex?"

"Where else would you send your insubordinate, teenage son to learn a little humility?" I snapped back, a little churlishly.

Alfred smiled and stroked his chin between his forefinger and thumb. He looked a little embarrassed.

"You do me a disservice, my lady," he said quietly. "In my youth I was never rebellious."

"I know you were not alone in Chertsey," I said accusingly. "Was Wilfred with you?"

"There were a dozen or so," the prince admitted. "My father did not trust me on my own. They lodged in the town; I lived at the abbey."

"And on the bridge - the others got away, but you were captured?"

"I sent them away before I lit the fireboats," he said with a sigh. "I was too busy being the hero - I did not watch my back. Sigbehrt discovered me."

"And the rest that you told me is true?" I gave him a piercing look.

"It is," he nodded.

"And when you heard Sigweard talk of you accompanying them to my father's castle?" I prompted.

"It was a strange decision. But if they had left me in Chertsey Jail, my men would have rescued me easily - we had men on the inside in our pay. Of course, my father would have demanded I return to Wessex - had he found out," he chuckled.

"But you signalled to them to hold off and to shadow you to Morden Castle?"

Alfred nodded.

"We knew of Sigweard - we had our suspicions. Our spies had been following him for a long time - checking on who he was meeting, the messages he was sending."

I looked at him in surprise.

"Our network runs deep - not just in Surrey," he said. "But you must be careful of informants - sometimes they tell you what you want to hear and not how the land truly lies."

"And when did you realise they were in league with the Vikings? Sigweard and Sigbehrt, I mean."

Alfred frowned, as if thinking hard.

"We did not know for sure - we thought they might be working for King Beohred - but he is too foolish to conceive such intrigue. Sigweard covered his tracks well - Sigbehrt was a little looser in his talk."

"So that night, when we spoke on the castle walls and you warned me - you did not know what would happen?"

Alfred shook his head.

"I did not know for certain until someone tried to lock me in my room that night. But long before that it did not feel right - the prisoners were too well treated by the Chertsey guards - they were fed better rations than the soldiers."

"And did you know that Sigbehrt was still alive when we left my bedchamber?" I could hear the seriousness in voice.

The prince hesitated.

"My lord, do not lie to me," I warned.

"It is true - I knew he was alive," Alfred admitted. "I thought he might reveal the conspiracy if he survived."

"Then why did you not tell me?" I snapped, my anger rising. "You could have revealed yourself as soon as we left Bonham Castle. You put my life in danger!"

"I am sorry, Elspeth," he said, his voice now a little strained. "But I wanted to... I wanted to know you more as Cedric. I knew that you would change if you found out who I truly was."

"Is this a game to you?" I shouted, exploding with rage. "You're playing your silly dress-up pantomime while my father fights for his kingdom! Laughing at my family while you put our lives in danger?!"

"Elspeth, I do not mock you," he said sharply. "This is a time of utmost seriousness - these islands are in grave peril. That is why my brother has marched west from Kent - he has recaptured Morden Castle - the Vikings cannot now escape towards the north. My father, King Aethelwulf, brings his army from Wessex. My family fights side-by-side with yours."

"My family?" I spat. "And what have you done with my mother?" I demanded. "Where is she?"

Alfred gave a wry smile.

"She is lodged in a swineherd's cottage in Abinger, with the worst cook in the Wessex army for company. No one will find her. The pigs smell, the beds are hard, the food is inedible - she complains all day - she could not be happier."

"So we are both your prisoners," I said flatly, shooting him a look of utmost contempt.

"Prisoners?"

"You keep us from my father, so he will do your bidding?"

"Elspeth - you are not my prisoner," Alfred forced a laugh.

"Then I demand you call your man and have him escort me to my father's camp!" I barked.

"My lady, it is late. Would it not be better to go to your father in the morning?" he protested.

"Call your man now!" I commanded.

Alfred said nothing, but rose and walked across to the table in the centre of the tent. He picked up a small bell, but before he rang it, he turned and looked back at me.

"Tell me Elspeth," he said slowly. "What will your father do when you arrive at his camp?"

I felt my stomach turn over - I had a very clear idea of what my father would do.

"He will send you immediately to your mother. And that will hardly be a joyous reunion," Alfred smiled mischievously.

He was right - I was trapped. Remaining here was the lesser of two evils.

I hesitated, unwilling to concede.

"So you wish me to stay here - to do what - to attend to the injured in the infirmary?" I asked.

Alfred turned round to face me fully, a look of surprise on his face.

"If that is your wish," he said slowly.

He paused.

"You see, I am a careless prince," he said quietly, raising his hand to his forehead. "I could have sworn this morning that when I went to visit you, I was carrying a quiver of arrows and a bow. And now I cannot find them anywhere - I must have left them under your bed."

He gave me a meaningful look.

"Perhaps you found our archery range - on the west side of the camp? It is quietest early in the morning, while the men are at their breakfast. But maybe..." Alfred's voice trailed off.

"You wish me to fight?" I asked, amazed.

"Do you?"

-

I slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning - furious at Alfred's deception and livid at my failure to see through his disguise. But no matter how hard I berated myself, I felt a grudging admiration for him - luck was always on his side.

My thoughts were still churning in my brain as the dawn light began to creep under the canvas. I stared at the bow and quiver of arrows which he had left for me. There was no point trying to sleep any longer and, if I really was to fight for my country, I would need to put in some practice.

There were a few soldiers moving around as I made my way stealthily to the archery range. I passed the fire in the centre of the camp, where the cooks were beginning to prepare breakfast. The range was at the west side, just as Alfred had described it - eight targets set side-by-side at the end of a long shooting alley. I set the quiver on the ground and stared down the painted circles - they seemed a very long way away. Doubts began to creep into my mind - I was very glad I was on my own - no one was watching me - I had visions of my arrows falling short.

I took my stance, lining my shoulders up with one of the targets. I fitted a bolt and lifted the bow, taking aim. I took a deep breath and loosed the shaft. It flew forwards, unwaveringly straight and, to my surprise, it stuck fast at the base of the target.

I fired another and another - each time my aim improving, until the final arrow buried itself in the very centre of the circle.

"So, they were right," said a voice behind me. "You are the finest archer in Surrey."

I spun round - it was the prince, leaning against the side wall of the range.

"My lord," I gave a low curtsey and lowered my eyes.

"Elspeth," he insisted, "my name is Alfred. And no Princess of Surrey should ever bend her knee before me."

He looked beyond me to the target.

"Your aim is good," he said.

"The bow is strong, and the arrows are true," I replied, my cheeks reddening a little.

I turned back and took aim again. The shaft flew straight and landed beside the others at the centre of the circle.

I looked over my shoulder. Alfred looked impressed.

"Have you come to watch or are you going to shoot?" I snapped.

Alfred laughed.

"I fear I will embarrass myself against a great marksman such as yourself," he replied.

"I insist," I said, standing my ground and pointing to the mark next to mine.

The prince gave a gentle shake of his head, but lifted the bow from his shoulder and set an arrow against it. He held the string taut and loosed the bolt towards his target. It flew away from him and landed just outside the edge of the circle. He shook his head.

I smiled in triumph as a wave of euphoria surged through me; but at the back of my mind, a voice was screaming. Wasn't it obvious? He had deliberately missed.

"I am not as skilled as you, Elspeth," he said feigning embarrassment. "I could not practise in Chertsey."

"Have another go," I said, encouragingly. "You have time now to improve your aim."

Alfred shook his head.

"We must walk," he said quietly. "I have something to show you. Will you come with me?"

I slung my bow over my shoulder and followed him out through the main camp gate. We walked down the hill a little way until the woodland opened out to let us view the panorama below.

The two of us sat down on a fallen tree trunk.

"That is where you were," Alfred said, pointing to a small group of burnt-out buildings at the edge of the plain below us.

"That is Aclea?" I asked, surveying the ruins of the village.

"It was. There is not much left of it now."

"What happened to them all?" I asked. "The traitors, I mean."

"Most we killed," he replied, "but a few escaped."

"And Sigbehrt?"

Alfred shook his head. "He was not there."

"He left to join the Vikings at Bonham Castle," I replied. "He may still be there."

"Or perhaps he has gone south." Alfred pointed to the far edge of the plain. "In yonder forest the Earls of Lewes and Portslade are assembling an army. They mean to join with the Vikings against your father."

"Portslade?" I asked. He was the most powerful of the Sussex earls and his harbour was the largest in the kingdom.

"Yes," Alfred nodded. "He wants to trade with the Vikings, not to fight them."

"And Lewes? Surely he is no great supporter of this alliance?"

Alfred gave a wry smile. "The Vikings have stolen his livestock. They have burnt his crops and raped his women. There are many on the Sussex side who hate the raiders - Lewes especially."

"So can you turn them? Persuade them to switch sides and fight with you."

Alfred shook his head slowly.

"King Oslac of Sussex rides north," he replied. "A group of Surrey traitors have attended his court; he has heard their treacherous scheme. He will lead his army into battle against us. Lewes will not turn against him. And Portslade is no friend of Wessex - he eyes our harbour at Portsmouth with jealously."

"What happens if they defeat my father?" I asked slowly. "I mean obviously the Viking raids on Sussex will stop, but who will take the Surrey throne?"

Alfred laughed.

"That is the question! Sigbehrt thinks it will be him - that he will rule as regent. He plans to make the kingdom independent once more - he thinks he can beat the Vikings and King Oslac each in turn."

"But he cannot," I said quietly.

"He thinks that Southwark, Kingston and Chertsey will be enough to satisfy the Vikings - but it will only whet their appetites."

"And if the King of Sussex sees the invaders moving south, he will be forced to strike again."

"King Oslac will take your father's throne himself - he will not give it to Sigbehrt. There will be no reward for the traitor."

"And Oslac," I asked slowly. "Does he know you are here? Does he know that the Wessex army marches to join my father?"

Alfred gave an exaggerated shrug.

"If I know where he is, then he knows where I am," he answered. "The spies are everywhere - most have a foot in both camps - they serve the ones who pay the most."

"So there will be a battle," I said quietly. "Four armies will fight for the future of this land."

He nodded. "Blood will be spilt, men will die, but perhaps in the long run, it will bring us peace."

"And your father's army? When will it arrive?"

"This afternoon. They camped last night at Shalford. My father will not force the pace, but it is a march of four hours at most."

"And you wish me to join the company of archers?" I asked, still staring out over the plain.

Alfred took a deep breath.

"Our archers are young," he explained. "They are hardly men - fourteen or fifteen years mostly. They have the strength for the bow and their eyesight is keen..." he hesitated. "But they have never fought before. Perhaps they lack a little courage."

I turned to look at him. "You wish me to mother them?" I asked, feeling perhaps a little insulted.

The prince shook his head. "I wish you to lead them. You will inspire them. You will inspire their confidence and give them faith that we will prevail."

"You wish me to lead them?" I echoed quietly.

He nodded. "I would not ask you if I felt you could not."

"Then I shall do what you ask, Alfred," I said simply.

"You must promise me one thing."

I nodded.

"You must not leave your post - no matter what unfolds on the field of battle. You must stay at your position unless all is lost, in which case you must lead your men to safety."

"Then I shall," I replied boldly. "I shall lead the archers of Wessex, to defend my father's kingdom!"

-

We were in our places by the time the dawn began to break, watching from the undergrowth as the first rays of the sun's light began to illuminate the plain and the burnt-out village below us. Beneath us, at the foot of the Green Mountain, Alfred waited with his half of the Wessex army - his ambush set. King Aethelwulf had gone north, with my father's forces, ready to attack the Vikings at Bonham, to raze the castle to the ground and to force the invaders to flee towards us.

This was the waiting - the worst part - I'd heard old warriors talk of it before - you'd be alert for hours on end, never knowing when the enemy would appear. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my thumping heartbeat - I had to be confident, to hide my fear - the young archers stretched along the hillside were looking to me.

I raised my head to the horizon, peering into the far distance. The Sussex army was hiding there, waiting for the moment to surge north to join their new allies - the Viking aggressors and the Surrey traitors. But our trap was set - we were ready for them - where the Plain of Aclea narrows to squeeze between the brooding forest of the Holmwood and the steep slopes of the Green Mountain - that was where we watched and waited.

The two kings would be starting their attack now - it had to work - they had to drive the Vikings out of Bonham Castle. Aethelstan of Kent had blocked the way northwards - the invaders would have to flee towards us - we would pick them out with our arrows.

I glanced at the young lad crouching next to me. His knuckles were white where he gripped his bow tightly.

"You are fearful?" I asked cautiously.

He shook his head vigorously.

"No, my lady," he replied emphatically. "I trust Prince Alfred - he will lead us to victory."

"He will," I smiled back - I trusted him too. "He will!"

A shout sounded - over to my left, at the far end of the rows of archers. I looked up. Entering the plain at its northernmost point was a group of forty or fifty riders. They were too far away for me to see their faces, but I knew who they were - these were the Surrey traitors, the coterie of minor lords who'd thrown in their lot with Sigbehrt the night that Morden Castle fell.

Instinctively I rose to my feet and fitted an arrow to my bow. Either side of me my company of archers stood also. This was the moment we had been waiting for - it was up to me to fire the first shot.

"Take aim!" I called - a few seconds longer and they would be in range - our timing had to be perfect.

"Fire!" I shouted.

A shower of arrows flew as one towards the traitors. The horses panicked, taken by surprise, some throwing their riders as they broke their formation. We loosed another volley, then another, and another. Screams of confusion reached our ears.

A long loud blast of a trumpet resounded around the hillside.

"Cease!" I called, holding up my hand - although my company well knew what the order meant.

Now, breaking cover beneath us was another group on horseback, the first detachment of Alfred's men charging towards the Surrey rebels. In a flash they were upon them, hacking away as the traitors wailed for mercy.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three riders escape the confusion, heading south away from the ambush, fleeing towards the Sussex border. Instinctively I raised my bow and let fly a single bolt. It flew, straight and true, burying itself in the rump of the rearmost horse. The animal reared, sending its rider flying backwards with a cry of terror. I fitted a second arrow and aimed for the two remaining fugitives - but it was hopeless - they were too far away. I watched them flee southwards, gritting my teeth in frustration - without doubt they'd reach King Oslac.