The Betrothed Sister (41 page)

‘If it is safe to travel; I trust Edmund to make that decision with you. The Cumans never come to our estate and farms. Besides, the route north to Pereiaslavl may not be safe for travel. Only leave if there is a serious threat of attack.'

When he docked his ships at Pereiaslavl on a blistering August morning, Padar heard about the battles gathering force in the north around Chernigov. Princess Anya and her children were in the fortress. He wondered why she was there and not in Kiev. Gudrun and his daughters! They were on the estate with the princess. They must not remain there. None of them should, though Chernigov was up the river north of Kiev. He would seek an audience with the princess.

Princess Anya greeted him in the hall she called her blue chamber, named so because the great reception room possessed walls of blue tiles and colourful floor mosaics and opened into a courtyard edged with palm trees and fountains. She invited Padar to walk with her in the courtyard and sent for Steward Michael whom, she explained, had recently come from Chernigov to her court in Pereiaslavl and knew more than she. He came bustling along the pathways moments later. Tugging at his moustaches, he said thoughtfully, ‘The tribes are fighting again. You cannot sail up river north of Kiev. The Chernigov region is unsafe. The tribes have been called out by the Sviatoslavichi. They are intent on destroying us all and seizing power for themselves. There is an army of Cuman tribesmen out to the north-east of us here too.'

‘My wife and children, are they safe? Where is Princess Thea?'

Princess Anya laid a hand reassuringly on his arm, ‘They are all at the estate south-west of here but now they are coming north to the fortress. They are in no immediate danger but if the Cumans move south-west as surely they will they must be safely inside the fortress. You have arrived in time to see your wife because only yesterday we sent a guard south to bring them to us. We expect them to arrive soon. Edmund is with them.'

‘I must ride out to meet them.'

Suddenly a parrot, perched on a palm branch above, shrieked. Taken unawares, Padar almost leapt out of his loose gown.

Princess Anya laughed and shook her head. ‘That was Signor Tomas protesting. He can talk too, you know.' She looked at Padar thoughtfully. ‘There is no real danger south of Pereiaslavl yet. It is best to be safe so we summoned the princess and her ladies here. Allow them a few days to close up the estate palace and to leave it under guard and they will ride in soon.' She reached out and touched Padar's arm. ‘Store your goods in our warehouses. And, Padar,' she added brightly, clearly not wanting to distress him, though he did feel distress, ‘there are quarters here which you may have for your family and servants. There is no need for Gudrun to stay with us in my terem now that you are here. You can have a courtyard dwelling. There is one for guests, like a pavilion. It has a garden. Michael will take you to it. The Cuman army is just sitting out there on the plain. They have not moved and we think they will not reach us for some days yet. We're making preparations here. We can sustain a siege until my husband brings his army south to destroy them. Messengers are already riding north to him.'

‘And Princess Thea, is she well?' Padar asked, trying to contain his concern, trying to sound relaxed about threats he could not help fearing, as he sensed Princess Anya was more concerned than she revealed.

‘Is she well? Is she well?' The parrot mimicked Padar's northern accent.

‘Be quiet, Signor Tomas,' Princess Anya ordered the bird, who responded by fluffing up his feathers in a small rebellion. She led them along the path away from the parrot. The bird remained chained to his perch. ‘She is with child,' she said quietly.

Padar began thinking about when he and Gudrun were last together. It had been before she set out for Pereiaslavl. It was unlikely that Gudrun was with child too. At five months, or was it six? Anya would have known. ‘I hope they are all safe,' was all he said.

Steward Michael, who followed behind them as they walked, said, ‘We will secure our bridges north and south of the river. No tribesmen will be allowed to cross over. We have enough provisions to see us through many months should a siege threaten.'

‘I really ought to ride out and meet the princess and my wife.'

‘If they are not here within three days then ride forth by all means. They will come. Go now, Padar, secure your vessels, store your goods and look forward to a few days rest here with your wife. All will be well,' Anya said optimistically, clearly summoning up all her courage, clearly determined to remain calm and in control.

‘I hope you are right,' Padar muttered, thinking how they would not be resting if a siege threatened. He bowed before taking leave of the princess. He remembered something, ‘The merchant Dimitri is sailing north from the Southern Sea. He has a large cargo.'

‘Let's hope he reaches us before the river is completely closed. He has only a few days to do so.'

She reached out and touched Padar's arm. ‘God go with you and may He be with us all.'

32

Pereiaslavl Fortress

Thea rode on her ambling mare, Asha, at the head of a long cavalcade of wagons and carts. She thought to herself how dangerous it was that they must travel across open country, and into the beech woods, taking her whole household into the safety of the river fort, leaving only a skeleton guard to defend their estate should it be attacked.

She had heard rumours from country folk. The Cuman army were sweeping south and west. On hearing these, some of her people had hurried back to their farms and villages. Others joined her retinue, following her with oxen-drawn carts, on donkeys and on foot carrying their bundles and their children, swelling her number, needing to be fed. She prayed to her saint that the fortress could shelter them all. Katya said her father should be back from trading down the Dnieper soon. He might even have reached the fortress. Gudrun remarked that maybe Padar was returning from the spring trading and may have pulled in at Pereiaslavl. He had said that he would come to the estate for her before Michaelmas.

The fort at Pereiaslavl was heavily guarded by warriors. Pereiaslavl was a naval city. Pushing the thought of immediate danger into the recesses of her mind, she allowed herself to think instead of seeing Princess Anya and her children. She managed to convince herself that it was as if they were simply making a summer social visit. They would enjoy their children. There was seven-year-old Rostislav, already an arrogant though endearing boy, eight-year-old Eupraxia, a strong-willed little girl, and two engaging little girls, Catherine and Maria, who were five and three years old. Rostislav would be a companion for Harold, who this summer was fast growing out of his babyhood.

Harold had fallen asleep, leaning against his nurse, exhausted by the journey. He had persistently begged to ride his pony, Urchin, and his determination to ride had slowed them down. In the end, despite his protests Thea insisted that he rode in the wagon. They should arrive before darkness fell if they could keep a faster pace. Every now and then she would catch sight of the river snaking through the Steppe far to their right, glinting in the sunshine, like a beacon guiding them to safety. By sunset they should be riding through Pereiaslavl's great eastern gate.

Edmund led a group of scouts forward to make sure that the road was kept clear for their long train of riders, carts and wagons. Shortly after noon he galloped back from the direction of the Dnieper. Thea raised her hand to stop her cavalcade. A moment later, Edmund drew up sharply in front of her.

She listened as he breathlessly told her, ‘There are no boats on the river, save Pereiaslavl vessels. Far to the east, across the river … smoke from cooking fires curling into the skies …' Edmund paused for breath. He had confirmed her worst fears. ‘Sister, there is an army out there. I have the same uneasy feeling I had in Wessex when a Norman patrol was approaching. We must get inside the city gates as fast as we can.'

She remembered another time ten years before when she was almost caught by a Norman army. She had been approaching Exeter with Alfred, the sword forger, seated precariously on his fast-moving wagon. They managed to enter the city's western gate just in time but were besieged inside for several weeks. Now her first thought was for her children. ‘Edmund, then we must get the children inside the fortress quickly.' She hesitated. ‘But wait, could you actually see warriors? Do you think it is an army on the move? Could they just be a caravan camping on the Steppes, grazing their herds?' she asked, holding a desperate hope in her heart that this was the case.

He shook his head. ‘It will be the army that Princess Anya's messenger spoke about when she ordered us into Pereiaslavl. You know as well as I how terrible that will be for the fortress and, indeed, all of us, unless we are sent an army from Kiev to break a siege. Why would so many soldiers guard the bridges over the river into the city if those smoking fires were innocent?' Edmund glanced up at the sun which was slowly crawling down the sky. He looked back at her. ‘If we hurry we can be safely in the fortress by sunset.'

His speech was interrupted by a complaint from the first wagon. Harold had woken up and was demanding to ride his pony.

Edmund dismounted and walked his stallion to the wagon. ‘No, not now, lad,' he said firmly. ‘You will stay in there with your nurses and your brother. Urchin will slow us up. Your step-grandmother is expecting you before nightfall.'

The dark look on Edmund's face clearly frightened young Harold. He buried his face in his nurse's mantle. Katya peered out from the cover's shade where she was seated inside with little Iziaslav and Gudrun and her girls. Edmund began to explain that there was an army out on the Steppes. ‘They are far to the east and the river between us and them is a half-mile wide. We are safe, Katya, for today.'

As he tried to reassure her, Katya gave the toddler over to his nurse and scrambled forwards. She squeezed in on the wagon's broad bench beside the driver, a frightened-looking, sharp-faced man who kept a tight hold on the horse's reins. Peering towards the river, screwing up her eyes, she looked quizzically at Edmund. ‘I can see nothing.'

‘They are too far away, for now. Do not fear, Katya.' He frowned at the driver. ‘Don't look so terrified, man. The enemy are across the river. They are not coming for you.'

The driver muttered something incomprehensible but remained worried.

That driver is a sack of grain, Thea thought to herself. He can drive at the back of my line of wagons next time. If there is a next time.

Edmund remounted his horse, ‘We need to get going again. If the children need to eat, they can eat and drink as we move. No more stops between here and Pereiaslavl.'

Thea shouted at the frightened driver to move on. She flicked her whip impatiently and led the long line of wagons, horses and guards forward. Edmund sent scouts out again but this time he stayed with his sister. For the rest of the afternoon the riders came galloping back to Edmund reporting that all was as it had been at noon. They reported that they had met a messenger from the city who said that Padar the skald was returned from trading and awaited his wife in Pereiaslavl.

‘Where is this messenger?' Thea said, looking beyond them.

‘We sent him back to the fortress to say that you were on your way, Princess. They will keep the gates open past dusk if necessary.'

‘You did well. Go and tell Gudrun now. She will be overjoyed.'

I wish that Vladimir was there too, Thea thought, as the rider went back to tell Gudrun this unexpected news.

As they came closer to the city Thea felt an uneasy sense of impending doom. The river was unusually quiet, though they passed others approaching the city on horses, with carts filled with sacks of grain and families on foot carrying bundles, leading children even though the Cumans were too distant to be an immediate threat. If she looked hard she could see that all the bridges north and south of Pereiaslavl were guarded and secure. This included the small bridge they must cross at the river's southern bend which took them over a tributary of the Dnieper so that they entered the city through a water gate.

Thea breathed her relief. This tributary exited through a similar channel cut into the city's north-western walls. The small river divided the city into two sections connected by humped bridges. It also ensured Pereiaslavl's water supply. The city possessed many deep wells. Peasants with carts filled with turnips and barrels of apples pulled their wagons to the side and, bowing their heads, silently waited for Thea's armed and protected cavalcade to pass through the water gate. One cart carried cages with small birds. Their chirruping eerily reached out into the late afternoon shadows. It was clear to them all that Pereiaslavl was preparing for a siege.

Their horses clattered over the bridge on the river's bend just as church bells began ringing for evening Vespers. The city stockades rose high, one behind the other to protect those fortunate enough to escape inside the fortress before the Cumans attacked their villages. Thea glanced up. Warriors in chain mail had positioned themselves on the palisade walkways. The city's two great towers appeared impenetrable. They called the tall outer tower the Wolf Tower because a wolf pennant always flew from its battlements. The further one, even taller, the Oak Bear Tower, dipped its wooden feet into the great Dnieper where it swung close to the far outer northern stockade. The names appealed to Thea's imagination.

The fortress city slanted like one of Aristotle's parallelograms towards the west. Two small square towers stood on the south-western corner and at the north-western turn of the battlements. She saw lookouts and guards up on all of the fortress towers visible from the southern route into the city.

Once they had passed over the water gate, they entered the city through the first strong gate of three set into the outer stockade. Thea glanced back. Across the wide Dnieper, on the eastern horizon, smoke curled up into the sky from encampments. Shuddering, she knew in her bones that the enemy would not be retreating for some time. They could be besieged in Pereiaslavl for weeks.