While romance was blossoming in Castle Illwind, an impending battle was looming over Britain. No meaningful battle had been fought between King Octa's Saxons and the Pendragon's Cymric forces before winter had forced the armies to disband for the year, but in the thaw of 490, King Uther Pendragon sent out a call to arms throughout Logres. Meanwhile, word was that further ships were landing every day from the continent, constantly reinforcing King Octa's position. The eastern parts of Malahaut were all but lost now to the latest settlers from the mainland. Most disturbing of all was rumour that King Octa had procured an axe from the mainland that was said to be a match for Excalibur itself! Saxon raiders had slaughtered a tribe deep in the continent and stolen the Axe of Perun, the sacred weapon of their patron god. Not even the power of the Gods could save one from the Saxons, and King Octa intended to slay the Pendragon and claim Excalibur as a trinket for his half-giant brother Eosa.
The knights of Salisbury were amongst those who answered the call for war, travelling north with Earl Roderick and the greater part of his army to Lincoln, where the Pendragon had planted his war banner. Many of the greatest warriors of the kingdom were present - including, after the reconciliation of the previous year, Duke Gorlois of Cornwall! However, the atmosphere was sombre, for Octa and Eosa were marching their army south to meet them, and all knew that the Saxons outnumbered them significantly. Much blood would be spilt...
Prince Madoc was given command of an advance force and sent to secure control over a bridge fording a nearby river before the armies arrived, which would be a pivotal location in the upcoming battle. He selected a small but veteran force of knights to go with him, including Sir Aeronwy, Sir Albrecht, Sir Arnulf, Sir Cadfael, and Sir Percival. The bridge was old and wide, a stone Roman bridge - and already occupied by the Saxons' own advance guards!
Prince Madoc ordered his knights to charge, and battle was joined. Spears were lowered, shields were set, and the earth shook with the thunder of charging hooves. The veteran Saxon force readied their own spears to receive the charge, and a lucky blow caught Sir Percival. The brave knight's own momentum drove the spear deep into his body, and sent him falling heavily from his steed, critically wounded. Meanwhile, a cloaked archer emerged from a nearby copse of trees, seen by few - and Prince Madoc was brought low by a coward's arrow, falling into the river. Sir Cadfael charged his horse into the current, pulling Prince Madoc on to the back of the horse before he could drown in the river, while Sir Arnulf quitted the battle to attack the archer. It took short work for the bold knight to slay the archer, and then flipped back his hood to reveal... someone. No one that Sir Arnulf recognised, in any case (though he had a feeling that he should have recognised him!)
With Prince Madoc fallen, the forces of Logres found themselves momentarily leaderless. Sir Albrecht bellowed out exhortations to them, rallying the force and renewing their assault upon the Saxons. They drove the enemy back on to the bridge itself, where a raging Saxon berserker held the span, hewed down any who stood against him. It was Sir Aeronwy who challenged him, and her swift sword cleft the man asunder - although she knew full well that had the berserker not already been wounded, the brief duel would have ended very differently!
With the death of the berserker champion, the Saxons' resolve was broken, and the bridge belonged to Logres. Sir Arnulf provided first-aid to Prince Madoc, who was none too badly hurt and returned to consciousness to find the good knight giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Sir Percivcal's broken form was taken quickly to the doctors who accompanied the army, as his injuries were grave. Meanwhile, the assassin was identified as Praetor Syagrius of Soissons! He had secretly returned to Britain to seek revenge upon the man who had betrayed him two years earlier. With his death, the final tattered remnant of the Roman Empire in the west was no more.
King Uther and the main force soon reached the bridge, and were able to cross the river. On the other side, the wolf-banners of the Saxons came into view, stretching across the horizon. The army of Logres was sorely outnumbered, nearly two to one - impossible odds. Quickly the army organised for battle. King Uther took command of the centre of the line, while Duke Ulfius commanded the left and Duke Gorlois the right. The army of Salisbury joined the troops commanded by the Pendragon. Opposite them, they could see King Octa's banner, while the half-giant Eosa's forces lined up opposite Gorlois and an unknown Saxon commanded the troops against Duke Ulfius. Champions fought challenges before the battle, which the knights of Salisbury (remembering Sir Albrecht at the Battle of Mearcred Creek) decided not to take part in. Then horns sounded, the barbaric warchant of "Wotan! Wotan!" raised in pitch, and the two lines pushed against each other...
The battle raged for nine hours, well into the night. It was a huge and chaotic affair, and it did not take long for the four knights of Salisbury to become separated from one another. Sir Cadfael fought valiantly for the first half of the battle, but was wounded heavily. Thinking of his wife and children, he realised that he had no desire to perish this day, and withdrew from the field. Sir Aeronwy, meanwhile, saw the traitor Sir Eleri in the midst of the enemy line, surrounded by other turncoats of the Yeomen Wardens. She charged then, and slew one of the elite Yeomen Wardens before engaging Sir Eleri - and being struck down by her, grievously wounded and close to death.
Meanwhile, Sir Albrecht and Sir Arnulf stayed together (as much as possible) and Sir Arnulf distinguished himself - almost single-handedly breaking any enemy force put before him! As the battle raged on, they saw King Uther draw Excalibur, sending forth a golden blaze like the sun's light breaking through a bank of storm-clouds. All those around it gained heart, while the Saxons were thrown into dismay. They were similarly dismayed when the elderly Duke Gorlois challenged the half-giant Eosa and cast him down with a single mighty blow! Seeing the tides of battle changing, Sir Arnulf and Sir Albrecht attacked the hardened Heorthgeneat warriors defending King Octa's war banner. The banner fell, and their horses' hooves trampled it into the mud.
With the fall of Eosa and the war banner, the battle was effectively over. Octa was recaptured trying to flee, and he and Eosa returned to the Tower of London. King Uther also revealed Octa's axe to be no more than a fraud, and shattered it with Excalibur into a thousand pieces. In the healing tents, Merlin himself (disguised as a common doctor) tended to the wounds of Sir Aeronwy and Sir Percival. He managed to save Sir Aeronwy's life, but Sir Percival's wounds were too severe and the brave knight perished.
As the knights returned home, Sir Cadfael found himself in trouble! Now that King Cadwy of Somerset had agreed to end his raiding, he and Earl Roderick had made a pact of friendship, to be sealed with a marriage of a noblewoman of Somerset to an important knight of Salisbury - Sir Cadfael! Earl Roderick did not know about Sir Cadfael's secret marriage to Violette of Illwind. Sir Cadfael thought about the best way out of his predicament, but in the end decided to flatly deny his lord in this matter, refusing to offer a reason. Earl Roderick was not impressed!
Meanwhile, Sir Albrecht received disturbing news about the new Wotanic movement. In a small village called Malksham in Salisbury, which belonged to Amesbury Abbey, a small cult of Wotanists had been murdered by Christian fanatics. Famous for his vengeful nature, Sir Albrecht took action - leading armed men to Malksham. There, they looted and pillaged the entire village. Sir Albrecht found the leader of the Christians present, the infamous Lady Elaine. After Elaine had left Sir Aeronwy, she had gone to Amesbury and become obsessed with Saint Gwiona. However, the Abbess realised how unsuitable Elaine was, and sent her to act as steward of Malksham, mostly to remove her from the abbey. There, Elaine had led the attacks on the Wotanic followers - and so now Sir Albrecht struck her down as part of his revenge. His work done, Sir Albrecht burnt down Malksham, before returning to his estates for the winter to celebrate his victory - heedless of the consequences...
RIP Sir Percival, 462 - 490. Slain by a Saxon warrior before the Battle of Lindsey.
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