Read Online Amber Treasure, The by Richard Denning - Free Book Online

that? Inspect? Yes,
that seems fair. It’s what I am here for. Check the army and make sure it is
ready,” he intoned, as if he was repeating orders from the King.
    To be fair by him, he made a good
job of this bit. He did not seem much of a leader, but he was friendly and
cheerful and would stop at a man and ask him where he came from and soon they
would be deep in conversation about planting beans and what the apples would be
like this year.
    I wondered if Cuthwine was wrong
and whether he did know how to plough a field. In fact, once I had thought it,
the image of Aethelric as a cheerful ruddy-faced farmer stuck in my head: a man
who was born in the wrong place and just trying to do his best.
    With him stopping and chatting to
every third man, it took a good hour to inspect us and my legs and arms were
aching from standing and holding a spear for so long. Eventually though, he
returned to the front and looked expectantly at Wallace.
    Wallace had arranged for a small
grandstand to be built in one of our fields and he, Father and the Prince,
along with his party and my family took seats there. The company competed in
tournaments for the next couple of hours. Cuthbert shocked everyone, apart from
Eduard and me, by winning the archery competition. There was no surprise,
however, when Eduard defeated all comers in the wrestling.
    The finale was to be a grand
melee with sword and shield. Only then did I discover that the prize was to be
the magnificent blade crafted by Grothir of Wicstun: the very one I had long
coveted. The blacksmith handed it to Prince Aethelric, who held it aloft so all
could see. A barely audible sigh emerged from the company as every man in its
ranks observed it, wanted it and longed for it, each man having the same
thought: just win today and it will be mine.
    We were paired up and fought with
mock swords and wicker shields. The winner was to be the first to achieve a hit
with his wooden blade on the torso of the other. Cuthbert and I were paired first
and it was no surprise when a few moments later, I landed him a nasty smack on
his ribs. He went off glaring at me and rubbing his side. As each pair’s fight
was decided, the vanquished withdrew and new pairs were created. The bouts went
on for over an hour but, slowly, we were whittled down to a handful.
    I started to think that I might
manage to reach the final pair, perhaps even to win. Glancing around, I saw
there were now only four pairs left.
    Cuthwine was fighting a lad from
Little Compton, who was about my age. The young boy was outclassed and Cuthwine
stepped to one side as he attacked, deflected the lad’s sword and then brought
his blade back to deliver a blow in the poor fellow’s stomach. I grimaced as I
heard the air rush out of the lad and then, with a groan, he collapsed to the
ground. Cuthwine helped him back to his feet, smiled at him, added a quick “Well
done, good try,” and looked for his next challenger.
    Meanwhile, I had taken on a huge
blond-haired brute from a farm near Wicstun. He was a terror to all the local
lads when we were younger, relying on fear and intimidation to get his way. He
roared at me, but when I stood my ground and did not flinch, he seemed to have
exhausted his options, so when I moved inside his blade and lightly tapped him
on the chest, he just looked at me stupidly and stomped off the field.
    Eduard was still in the fight,
but met his match in Grettir who, despite his age, had a lifetime’s experience.
Eduard was big and strong and relied on that to batter down a foe’s defences
and then, when the enemy was staggering, would look to land the killer blow.
    Grettir just absorbed the blows
on his shield looking, frankly, a bit bored. Then, when Eduard paused to catch
his breath he suddenly struck, thrusting the sword forward with a vicious
stabbing motion that caught my friend by total surprise. Grettir nodded at him
as he stomped off and the look seemed to say, ‘Not bad, but you can do