"To Britain's Shores" - Interlude (Godric)

Map cropped from Dux Britanniarum rulebook,
© Too Fat Lardies 2012

There are, it has to be said, worse places to hole up and recuperate than Wulfhere the Red's steading here in what the British call Petvaria. It's a chunk of the north shore of the river Humbre, and we're actually living in a place that used to belong to the Romans.

Been a strange couple of months, mind. Aelfric's sent a boat across the river a couple of times, him and some of Wulfhere's riders who know the lands south of the river, just to scout out the lay of the land and see where we can strike next. The Britons have been quiet - I wonder if they're hoping that we're gone for good. 

No such luck.

Me? I've been swapping stories with some of Wulfhere's men, trying to keep Leofric from getting too drunk, and keeping one eye on Ecgwine when Theobald isn't. Not that the lad seems to need it: he's actually, somehow, managed to keep himself out of trouble, and land himself a girl whose father doesn't want to kill him. I guess this is made kind of easier by the fact that she's a Briton, and a serving lass in Wulfhere's halls. If you like 'em dark-haired and dark-eyed, she's a pleasant enough armful, is Lavinia, and Ecgwine does seem genuinely taken by her. She's smart, quick-witted, and not afraid of us, which I guess is a good thing. Not sure what his father would say, but then, I don't see that his father needs to know right now. 

Wulfhere and his men have plenty of tales to tell. They came over the sea to here, maybe twenty years ago, in the pay of the Britons, supposedly defending the shores from... well, the likes of us. And then the Britons decided they were too dangerous to have around, and stopped paying them, and the rest, as they say, was inevitable. Wulfhere had found himself a woman, and the lads were all happy here, so they basically said 'too bad, we're staying', and variously chased off and killed the British men and captured their women and children. If I were Ecgwine, I might be a little careful that Lavinia doesn't try to slip something between my ribs one night. To be fair to the lass, though, she seems almost as taken with him. Even if she is a follower of this strange Christ-god of theirs.

Aelfric should be back shortly from another scouting trip. Leofric's stopped being a miserable drunk and started being a loud and boisterous one again, which means he's pretty much healed. The rest of  the lads are recovered too, and everyone's starting to get a little restless. A few of Wulfhere's men want to come with us this time, so as soon as the Thane's back with a plan, we'll be off. 

I think I might spend the rest of today getting my gear in order.