Sword Brothers (42 page)

"You will never be forgotten," Gunnar said. "Go now, and wait for me in the feasting hall."

He climbed down the stairs and let each of his brothers share a final word. At last Finn mounted the stairs, for he had considered Ulfrik as close as a father, and he set the standard over Ulfrik's body. Once he climbed down, Gunnar touched his torch to the oil-soaked wood. Fire rushed up and began to lick the hull of the ship. He stood back, feeling the heat on his face, and set his chin against the sorrow he felt. They all watched as fire climbed onto the ship, blazing bright in the night.

Once the heat became unbearable and the fire consumed everything, he threw his torch into the fire.

"Farewell, Ulfrik Ormsson," he shouted. "You shall live on in song and memory."

Hakon and Aren threw their torches into the blaze, and soon all others passed before the ship to toss their brands into the fire. It swallowed the torches, and the intense fire would burn both Ulfrik's body and the ship to nothing but ash come morning. They had decided to cremate him beside the Seine, which to Gunnar at least would always represent the road Ulfrik had followed to his destiny. It seemed fitting to send him off beside it.

He lingered while others filtered away into the dark of night. He stared at the fire and roiling smoke until it stung his eyes, only interrupted when Aren tugged at his sleeve.

Gunnar roused from his thoughts, and followed Aren's pointing finger across the Seine.

On the opposite shore were dozens of flaming torches, and in their light Gunnar saw a red and gold banner lifting in the gentle night breeze. A horn sounded, low and mournful, then all the glowing points of torchlight arced into the air and extinguished in the Seine.

The funeral ship groaned then crashed into the fire, sparks showering into the darkness.

Gunnar smiled and felt tears heavy in his eyes. His father had waited for one last friend to visit him, and now he was gone.

Author's Note

In the spring of 911, Hrolf the Strider led his thousands-strong army in an attack on the area surrounding Chartres and later assaulted the city. What began as a hopeful bid to bring a major Frankish city under his domination devolved into a siege. By July the defenders had managed to hold Hrolf at bay long enough for the Franks to mobilize aid. King Charles III of the Western Franks, also known as Charles the Simple for his straightforward manner, sent an army to break the siege. Hrolf's warriors put up a vicious defense, but legend has it that when the Bishop of Chartres revealed the Virgin Mary's Veil, the garrison sallied forth to join the relieving army and drive off Hrolf's forces.

Hrolf organized a fighting retreat to a nearby hill and set up camp. However, the Count of Poitiers encircled Hrolf and threatened to annihilate his army. A conventional attack on the Franks would only result in the circle tightening around them, therefore Hrolf needed another plan. He sent picked men into the Frankish camp and had them blow on their horns to create the illusion of a surprise attack deep in their ranks. The Franks responded with shock and panic, thrown into chaos. During the confusion, Hrolf slipped his army off the hill and into the night.

By the next morning the Franks pursued Hrolf along the Eure River, but later ran into barricades constructed from trees, bushes, even dead animals. Anything that could slow the Franks was thrown against them. Hrolf had made good his escape, though he lost his bid to expand power to Chartres. On the opposite side, the Franks were thrilled with their victory. King Charles decided to put his victory to good use and negotiate a peace with Hrolf.

King Charles and Hrolf met in a small town known as Saint Clair sur Epte. The king offered Hrolf control of Rouen and the coast of Neustria, which the Franks had no reasonable chance to recover in any case. He additionally expanded Hrolf's territory to include Evrecin, which gave him new land south of the Seine, and Vexin which pushed Hrolf's border farther east. The only condition was that Hrolf swear loyalty to King Charles and convert to Christianity. This was King Charles's attempt to create a buffer state between the heart of Frankia and other Viking incursions.

Hrolf accepted the terms. To ratify the treaty, the Franks insisted that Hrolf kiss King Charles's foot. He refused to do it himself, but all agreed he could delegate a representative to perform the act of fealty in his place. This unnamed man lifted the king's foot as if to kiss it, but then instead threw King Charles backward into the grass. Hrolf and his warriors roared with laughter. Of the Franks' reaction there is no record, but one imagines their indignation would be inflamed by such an act. So the province of Normandy was born in July 911.

This initial grant of territory would not be the final shape of Normandy. By 923, Frankia erupted into civil war that gave Hrolf a chance to expand his lands by grabbing what is now lower Normandy. Hrolf eventually broke his treaty outright and attacked other provinces, and again ceded more lands. By 925, he had grown too old to rule and passed control to his only son, Vilhjalmer Longsword. Vilhjalmer continued the expansion of Normandy, bringing the Contentin Peninsula into the fold. Vilhjalmer's bastard son, Richard, would also continue the expansion until Normandy reached its final shape.

No one knows the exact date of Hrolf's death, but he was already frail by the time he passed Normandy into his son's care. Scholars agree that he had died by 933 at the latest. Prior to his death he was believed to have gone mad. Feeling guilty for having abandoned the old gods, he ordered the execution of one hundred Christian priests. It was his final act of violence before his passing. His son, Vilhjalmer, never produced a proper heir by his legally married wife, but had a bastard son, Richard the Fearless. Vilhjalmer himself was murdered in a ruse by the Count of Flanders. He was tricked into attending a peace meeting to settle disputed territories when the count's men attacked him. His sudden death left Richard in a precarious position, but he had the support of King Louis IV to help him maintain his grip on Normandy.

After Richard the Fearless, the people were no longer Vikings but fully assimilated Franks identifying themselves as Normans. Hrolf's great-great-great-grandson was the famous William the Conqueror. While the Norse identity had long since been shed, Hrolf's noble blood still lived on in history. In fact, Britain's current-day royal family can trace relations to Hrolf himself. The bold Viking jarl left an indelible mark on Europe.

I have taken the history of Normandy far past the life of Ulfrik and his sons. Ulfrik's life traversed a vibrant period of Viking history. Over the course of these seven volumes he has witnessed the birth of a united Norway (a union that did not survive Harald Finehair's death at age eighty), the settlement of the Faeroe Islands, the great Siege of Paris, the Viking annexation of the western Seine, Norse migration to Iceland, and finally the birth of Normandy. That is an admirable breadth of history for one man.

Ulfrik lived a long life for a man of his day. At last, he had to pass on to Odin's feasting hall, Valhalla. Of course his sons and grandchildren will live on into the interesting times I outlined previously. Perhaps one day we will see what names they have made for themselves and what their contributions to history were as men of their time. However, this was Ulfrik Ormsson's story, and we have followed his life of setbacks and triumphs to its conclusion.

The joy I have taken in relating Ulfrik's story to you cannot be understated. I have enjoyed following him into uncertain seas, shadowy mead halls, and chaotic shield walls. I hope you have as well. As the Norsemen would say, Far vel vinr! Farewell, friend!

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