As the armies prepared to march, young Robert came to see Sir Helbur. Robert was the rightful Earl of Salisbury, though as yet still a squire and, at twenty years of age, not yet ready to become a knight. However, he begged a boon from his subject. "It is contrary to my honour to sit at home while other men reclaim my birthright for me! Please, Sir Helbur, make me a knight so that I may do my part!" Sir Helbur was hesitant. Sir Edwin took the young man aside and challenged him to a bout, to test his mettle. Young Robert eagerly accepted, and was then shown how inexperienced he was. While he had some skill, and his reflexes and strength were both good, he was still green, and his brash nature made him easy for Sir Edwin to defeat. But this did not dampen Robert's enthusiasm, and so in that courtyard, Sir Helbur invested the young man as Knight and Earl of Salisbury.
The new Earl had a first request. King Nanteleod needed a vanguard to seize Sarum from the Saxons, to serve as a staging point for the main invasion of Hampshire. Earl Robert wanted the battered army of Salisbury to volunteer to lead the vanguard. He did not want Salisbury to be given back to him from the efforts of other men! The knights of Salisbury readily agreed to lead the advance force. The Earl also recognised that the others had more experience than him. While he led in name, he promised that he would consult them, and that Sir Helbur would actually be in command of the army. Sir Helbur, in turn, relied upon Sir Bleddyn and Sir Edwin, who knew more of battle leadership and of siegecraft, to advise him.
Sir Helbur directed his men in a forced march towards Sarum. He wished to catch the defenders unawares. Meanwhile Sir Cuthbert rode with all haste to Amesbury Abbey, to visit Abbess Esther. She could be a valuable source of information about the present state of Salisbury. Esther told Sir Cuthbert that the Saxons still held Sarum and Du Plain Castle (which guarded the road between Sarum and Cerdic's capital of Winchester). She also said that there was a Saxon force at Berwick, Sir Albrecht's former estate. It had become something of a holy site for the followers of Wotan. Abbess Esther urged that the cult of this bloody god be suppressed, and told Sir Cuthbert to destroy it.
The army of Salisbury arrived late at night outside the walls of Sarum. They were joined there by Sir Cuthbert. A war council was called that night. The Saxons inside had begun to prepare their defences, though the walls were still damaged in several places, thanks to the dragon Hob-Nob. A messenger had been dispatched to Du Plain, to bring reinforcements. If Sarum was reinforced, then the battle would go much harder for the Cymry. It was decided that Sir Cuthbert would ride on his mighty steed Aescalaxing to catch the messenger and slay him upon the road. Should he fail to catch him, then Sir Bleddyn volunteered to lead a small force to attack the Saxons upon the road. Meanwhile Earl Robert, Sir Helbur and Sir Edwin would lead the assault upon Sarum. Various strategies were considered, but in the end the knights settled upon a frontal assault upon a weak point in the wall. It would lead to the swiftest victory, and a speedy victory would be essential.
Sir Cuthbert departed immediately, riding throughout the night. His horse was very swift, and the Saxon messenger was a poor rider. As the sun rose, Sir Cuthbert caught the man shortly before Du Plain Castle. Weapons were drawn, and the desperate gave Sir Cuthbert a mighty blow upon his skull that knocked him insensate, and left him to die in the road as he reached Du Plain. When Sir Cuthbert did not return, Sir Bleddyn knew that his mission had failed. He took control of a small cavalry force and headed to the village of Pitton. The Saxons would pass close to there upon the road; the Cymric force could attack them from there.
As Sir Bleddyn set off, Sir Helbur ordered the rest of the army to attack. The fighting was thick and fierce at the wall, but Earl Robert led his men into a breach in the defences. His assault was reckless - perhaps too reckless, for he was struck down. Sir Helbur saw his Earl fall and flung himself forward to strike down the Saxons swarming around him, saving his life. Meanwhile, Sir Edwin caught sight of the Saxon commander and challenged him to a fight. He hurt his foe grievously, but was wounded himself and forced to fall back. His efforts were not in vain: the Saxon warrior was soon cut down by a nameless warrior, and the Saxon forces found themselves driven back into the city. Sir Helbur led the army of Salisbury into the streets of Sarum, and the violence intensified...
Meanwhile, near Pitton, the reinforcements from Du Plain were sighted upon the road. Sir Bleddyn realised again how very outnumbered his force would be - but if his sword arm and his leadership were true, then victory was possible. He ordered his knights to charge. The Saxons reacted - too quickly - moving into a defensive formation. The two armies collided, and the bloody work of battle began. Though outnumbered three to one, Sir Bleddyn struck down all who stood before him. However, his personal prowess was not enough to sway the result - about him, his force was being crushed. He ordered the retreat. He had hurt the Saxons, but not badly enough, and at the cost of half of his small force. The knights began riding back towards Sarum.
He reached it at evening. The Saxon reinforcements, he knew, would arrive the next day. The fighting had now died down. Sir Helbur was in control of the city, save for the central castle. The Saxon defenders were still holed up there. If they were to sally out when the column from Du Plain arrived, the battered Cymric army could be caught between them and destroyed. Fortunately, Sir Edwin had recovered somewhat after some time in the first aid tent. (Svenhilde was working there. She was nearly tireless, providing care and cheer for the wounded, and working until she eventually collapsed from exhaustion in the early hours of the morning.) Sir Edwin had ordered the army's engineers to create siege weaponry. With a small force and the use of these siege weapons, he thought that he could keep the Saxon garrison contained. Meanwhile, Sir Helbur and Sir Bleddyn would lead the main part of the army to man the walls of Sarum against the Saxons from Du Plain. All three knights were badly wounded now, and knew that if any one of them failed, then the entire battle could go very wrong.
The next morning, Sir Edwin began his assault upon the central keep, while Sir Helbur mustered as many of the inhabitants of Salisbury as he could. There were very few who remained - many had fled from the Saxons or the dragon, or were hiding until the battle was over. However, to those who came, the Marshal gave a stirring speech inspiring them to fight for their rightful lord against the Saxons. Some were inspired to join in the battle. With their numbers thus reinforced, the men and women of Salisbury awaited the onset of the Saxons. They arrived in the mid-morning, and began their assault. Fortunately, Sir Edwin had done his work well, and so the defenders of the keep remained contained. For hours, Sir Helbur and Sir Bleddyn fought against the Saxons, and finally the enemy withdrew from the field, defeated. But not without cost - for Sir Bleddyn was found, his body cleft by many wounds. He would surely have died had Sir Edwin not used an ancient healing potion, an heirloom of his family, and this brought him back from the brink of death.
It was time to turn their attention to the Saxons in the Earl's castle. Both armies were heavily damaged at this point, and any remaining fight would be extremely bloody, as neither side would back down. The Saxons proposed that their champion, a shield-maiden called Sigrun Eriksdottr, would fight a champion of Salisbury to the death. The winner would hold Sarum; the other side would withdraw. The knights nominated Sir Jaradan , a veteran knight, to be their champion. When blades were crossed, it soon became apparent that Sigrun was outmatched. With one blow, Sir Jaradan knocked Sigrun reeling; with the second, he smote her head from her shoulders. The Saxons agreed to depart. Treacherous to the last, however, they used the opportunity for a final attack. It would not avail them. Sir Helbur and Sir Edwin had predicted their reaction, and their own forces were waiting. In one final blood-drenched hour, the Saxons were slain to a man. Sarum had been reclaimed!
The knights immediately set about repairing the fortifications of Sarum. King Cerdic might choose to send further forces against them. He did not, instead preparing his own defences. Soon, the main army of King Nanteleod arrived at Sarum, before continuing east into Wessex. Sir Jaradan took a token force from Salisbury to aid him, but the King permitted the majority of the survivors to remain at Sarum. They would need to spend the rest of the year re-establishing control over the rest of Salisbury. Troops were sent to re-occupy the land around Sarum and Amesbury, and let them know that their rightful lord had returned. Before very long, these lands had been reclaimed. Also at Amesbury, the knights found Sir Cuthbert healing. Aescalaxing had borne his unconscious master there, to be healed by the hand of Abbess Esther. Many accredited his salvation as a miracle wrought by the martyred Saint Gwiona.
After a month had passed, Earl Robert had recovered sufficiently to hold the official ceremony that invested him as Earl of Salisbury. He held a great feast, at which Svenhilde gained recognition for her singing. During the feast, the young Earl rewarded his men who had served him well. Earl Robert praised Sir Helbur's leadership and gave to him Vagon Castle, the traditional home of the Marshall of Salisbury. Although Sir Jaradan was not present, the Earl also rewarded him. The city of Tilshead was known to be held by a brigand knight, Sir Orlin, but Earl Robert promised that once Sir Orlin had been dealt with, he would give it to Sir Jaradan. Only a few present realised how Earl Robert had just upset his sister, the Lady Jenna. For years, she had governed Tilshead while her menfolk were away; she had made no secret of the fact that she wished to return there, now that she was no longer the regent of Salisbury. Now that city had been taken from her, and she was expected to serve as the Marshal's wife - even though she and Sir Helbur were no longer on speaking terms.
Shortly afterwards, Earl Robert held a council to plan the next steps in reclaiming Salisbury. Jenna was not invited - a further snub. The most politically astute members of the court began to wonder what action Jenna would take now. Sir Bleddyn, who always knew all the rumours at court, tried to assess where Sir Edwin's loyalties lay, but Sir Edwin was cagey and refused to be led. Meanwhile, Svenhilde talked to Sir Helbur. She was concerned about the rift between husband and wife, and felt that Jenna was jealous of her. Svenhilde offered to step down as Sir Helbur's squire, but the Marshal refused. However, he agreed with her that the argument had gone on for too long, and went to talk to his wife.
Sir Helbur laid his soul bare. He still loved Lady Jenna; she still loved him. So many things had happened to hurt each other. Thinking of his companions, he was able to make some progress, and it seemed as if she might give in and forgive him. But in the end it was not enough. Lady Jenna has lived her life without feeling that anyone truly respected her - her father married her to an older man who ignored her, just to spite his enemy; Helbur took her to the Forest Sauvage just to find a stork for her mother, and did not sympathise with her ambitions; her brother had thoughtlessly stripped her of her power. When Sir Helbur began to chastise her for her pride, she slapped him and stormed out in tears. On her way out, she caught Sir Cuthbert eavesdropping. The young knight tried to cheer her, but it was not successful.
The group was gloomy when it set off to reclaim Vagon Castle. Sir Helbur's black mood infected the others. The found the castle empty, long since abandoned by Saxons, and untouched by pillagers. Svenhilde prepared chambers for the night, while the others searched for some explanation but found nothing. At night, Sir Edwin continued to search, and saw a spectral form patrolling the grounds! He ran back to tell the others, who went to investigate. Their hearts were full of fear, but they steeled themselves to approach. It was the ghost of Sir Elad!
He approached Sir Helbur and laid an icy hand upon him. When Sir Elad had died, he felt that he had failed Salisbury, and so his ghost remained - but now a worthy Marshal had arrived to take his place, he was able to rest easily, and his spirit moved on. The knights were supernaturally aged by their encounter with the spirit, but Vagon Castle had been lifted from its curse and reclaimed for Salisbury.
There was ill news awaiting them when they returned to Sarum. Lady Jenna's body had been found floating in the river. In a fit of despair, she had taken her life. Furthermore, as a suicide, she was forbidden a Christian burial. Sir Helbur petitioned Earl Robert to turn the ruins of Countess Ellen's zoo into a memorial garden for Lady Jenna, and was given permission. Abbess Esther and a nun came to consecrate the ground, and the nun stayed to tend the area.
Shortly thereafter, Sir Jaradan and the forces of Salisbury returned from the campaign with King Nanteleod. The Saxons of Anglia and Essex had launched another invasion into Logres, and so the King abandoned his attack on Wessex to oppose them. However, the forty days of feudal service had ended, and so many knights from his army had chosen to come home. With these knights, Sir Helbur led an attack the last Saxons in Du Plain Castle, and reclaim the eastern border from the Saxons. The fighting was short and easy - but his heart was not really in it. Reflecting upon his life, he realised how his idol Sir Arnulf had inadvertently created this situation. Sir Helbur had finally emerged from his mentor's shadow to become his own man, and had truly proven himself to be the rightful Marshal of Salisbury this year - but in doing so, he had lost his love forever.
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