The Journey to Rochester

After the win at Stamford Bridge, I was confident our militia was strong enough to take on the Duke of Normandy. Yet, here I lay in the wake of the Battle of Hastings, with regret, defeat, and anger in my heart. The battlefield drenched with the blood of 10,000 Anglo-Saxon and Norman men, King Godwinson among them. For a moment, I allow my mind to sink into darkness. Perhaps I should join my countrymen in death; perhaps it’s all my fault; perhaps William really is a conqueror. Soon after, my salvation arrives—a boy dressed in anxiety, clenching a piece of paper. With a soft voice, he asks if I'm Lieutenant Edmond. Reluctantly, I reply, “Yes,” and he hands me the letter.

To Lieutenant Edmond, or highest surviving rank:

I am quite devastated to hear of Harold Godwinson's death and the significant loss our country suffered in the Battle of Hastings. Despite the barbaric nature of both recent Norman and Viking attacks, London remains steadfast in its desire to keep our land and preserve our Anglo-Saxon ways. I write with great urgency and surety: if you hold off the Normans for just a few days, we will have enough men to beat them in London.

Sincerely,

Edgar Atheling.

The despair coursing through my veins has an antidote, and it's this letter—my only chance to press on. This is how I avenge my king. I will gather the Huscarl, round up the Fyrd, and call on the archers. I can do this. I can stop the Duke of Normandy from laying waste to London. Right away, I write a letter addressing the surviving Huscarl from Stamford Bridge stationed in London and send it with the messenger boy. It should take him less than a day to arrive and another day for them to meet us in Rochester—two days total.

From here, I start my own journey to Rochester. The streets are covered with ice, mud, and guts, but my mind's eye focuses on my divine goal. Every Fyrd, archer, and Huscarl I encounter along the way heed my cries of vengeance against the Norman invasion. I take this time during the journey to hatch my plan.

Duke William of Normandy has more men than we do—trained warriors, heavy cavalry, and many archers. I’m prepared to die, and the men are prepared to die, but pure bravery won't be enough. Holding off an army driven by envy and lust for power, with far superior numbers, will require every advantage exploited. Thankfully, I have a pretty good one. I know the countryside of Rochester like the back of my hand. I grew up there. Right now, the Normans march ahead of us toward London, so we will need to travel hastily to catch up with them. On their route, they march along a road passing by the River Medway in Rochester. At the most shallow point, there is a valley on each side of the river. The Normans will be marching atop the hill, and we, creeping up behind them, will travel undetected in the tree lines. In my letter to the Huscarl, I instructed them to wait for us on the other side of the river, in the valley, completely visible to William and his army.

My strategy is to drive the Normans into the valley and, with luck, into the river, but that’s going to take a level of trickery. Any good infantryman knows it's best to have the upper ground, and if we can establish our position, it will give us a great advantage. The men I march with will remain hidden in the tree lines on each side of the Normans. At this point, we are split into three groups: the men behind the tree line farthest from the river, the men behind the tree line closest to the river, and the Huscarl who traveled from London across the river. Archers will shoot from the tree lines closest to the river, thinning their herd and drawing the Normans into the valley after them. It’s not enough for the Normans to win battles; they must destroy us at any opportunity. Every chance to pursue us is a way for them to get a foothold in England. Some of our Huscarl and Fyrd will fight hard and at a disadvantage, sacrificing their lives to move the Normans down the hill and into the valley. As our troops become visible across the shallow river, William will be tricked into thinking that’s the whole of us. Meanwhile, the majority of those who marched with me are still hidden on the other side of the tree line, farthest from the river.

Once the bulk of their troops is moved down the hill, the rest of our archers will shoot their arrows from the top of the hill, as we gain the upper ground. When there are no more arrows left to shoot, the rest of the Fyrd, great in numbers, will emerge from the tree line. They’ll run the Normans down the hill and force many into the river crossing. When they cross the river, our Huscarl will be waiting to chop them down with swift swords. I believe we can hold this position for a significant amount of time, long enough for London to organize. Eventually, of course, the Normans will regain their wits and kill the vast majority of us, but this is a sacrifice we are all willing to make for the betterment of England and the preservation of Anglo-Saxon control.

As we reached Canterbury, I spread the message of our plan to the captains, and they relayed it to the men. These men are brave, but most of them have just lost a battle, are weak, and know they have a short time left to live. If we are to fight with the vigor needed to catch, trick, and hold the Normans, we’ll need to feel a greater passion than ever before. Men may hold a belief in their minds but cannot feel it in their hearts. They may know this is the only way but feel it’s not worth it. So I looked upon my men, and with a loud cry, I attempted to awaken their hearts.

“It was our kin who established the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: Mercia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Northumbria, East Anglia, and Wessex. It’s been us who have held these lands for six centuries and many more to come. One king and one battle lost doesn't forfeit our right to our home, our history, and our land. One bastard with boats isn’t enough to steal it all away from us. William is a man cloaked with envy and sin, jealous of a kingship that he never had a right to. Like a child, he throws a fit and marches on foreign land to steal a foreign crown. This is why Anglo-Saxons must stay in power and why we appointed an Anglo-Saxon king. The Vikings and Normans have established time and time again that their unsophisticated and dishonorable ways are unfit to rule our kingdom. So tonight we fight; we lay down our lives if we have to; we act as the stopgap for London. Because this is our land, our home, and our kingdom, and when history looks upon us, they will remember the great and honorable men who fought in the Medway Valley and halted the Norman invasion of England.”

I can only hope the men were stirred by my speech. With my own end drawing near, I can only hope I meant what I said. It’s just a few more miles to Rochester.