And so it came to pass that in the Year of Our Lord 547, in the month of March, the Saxons for the first time darkened the shores of the province of Ynys Medcaut. Passing close by the Holy Island itself, they headed for the mainland in their dark boats and made landfall close to a farmstead. Known locally as Twin Fords, after the two river crossings nearby, the farm buildings must have appeared a tempting target for pillage.
However, as they fled from the raiders, the doughty farmer
and his family evidently contrived to conceal their worldly goods most
effectively. Moreover, they were surely
assisted by Our Lord and His holy angels, for when the hordes of the Saxons
fell upon the farm buildings they could find no loot within.
When the Tribune Aurelius,
known as Magnificus (the Magnificent), having been on patrol nearby with his forces,
heard the alarm raised, he at once hastened to the scene with his elite Commanipulares. Furthermore he relayed orders to the
remainder of his men to make haste in his wake.
As an exile from the Lost Lands of Ceint, the noble Aurelius was all too
well acquainted with the depredations of the ravening hordes of the Saxon, and
knew he must act decisively and with rapidity.
Observing the approach of Aurelius, the Saxon Lord responded by sending a group of spearmen to contest the western river crossing. He also despatched two groups to protect the eastern ford from Tutgal’s Milites. Forming his troops into a shieldwall, the latter bided his time, knowing that Aurelius had instructed him not to attempt to cross the river, but rather to prevent the Saxons from so doing.
With a mighty shout
the Commanipulares, led by Aurelius and his Champion, Gwalchafed, rushed across
the western ford and struck the shields of the Saxon group with their own,
thrusting their spears deep into the mass of mail-clad men to devastating
effect. But these Saxons were themselves
clearly battle-hardened and selected by their Lord for their warlike character,
for although falling back they had acquitted themselves honourably and
formidably, causing no little concern to the brave sons of Britain.
Then a frenzied cry
arose from the ranks of the Saxons, and fresh spearmen poured into the fray,
throwing a flurry of short spears and other missiles as they came, which sorely
discomfited the Commanipulares. And so
the clash of shield, spear and sword raged on until the river ran red with the
blood of brave men. In the confusion a
giant Saxon burst through the line of shields and made as if to strike down
Aurelius – and moreover would have succeeded had it not been for gallant
Gwalchafed, who stepped in front of his Lord and took the brunt of the blow
intended for him. Though sorely wounded
on his sword arm, Gwalchafed continued to fight alongside his Lord.
As the battle raged on and even the strongest of men tired, more and more gaps appeared in the lines on both sides, allowing swords to be thrust past shields with deadly effect. Again the giant Saxon attempted to take the life of brave Aurelius, and although Gwalchafed struck him with a mighty blow that all but killed him, again he was wounded by the Saxon’s sword, this time mortally.
Aurelius in his turn avenged his loyal servant with a telling sword thrust that despatched the Saxon, who by the evidence of the angry cries from his countrymen that greeted his demise, appeared himself to be the Champion of the Saxon Lord.
Meanwhile, at the Eastern ford, Tutgal’s shieldwall had been assailed by two groups of Saxon warriors surging across the river. Though sorely pressed, Tutgal’s men held firm, and one of these brave Britons managed to strike a blow on the enemy nobleman who led the attack, wounding him and drawing fierce curses from him and his men.
Eventually the
soldiers of Aurelius and Tutgal prevailed in their separate struggles. While Tutgal obediently stood his ground as
the Saxons fell back across the river, Aurelius seized the initiative and
approached the farm, where ever more despondent Saxons were bemoaning the
dearth of treasure to be found. However,
on seeing him approach, the Saxon Lord ordered his men to call off their search
and instead launch a fearsome attack on the battle-ravaged Commanipulares.
Rallying his weary men, who were supported in their task by one group of the Numeri who had also crossed the river to stand alongside them, Aurelius fought tenaciously but was eventually forced to withdraw from the battle line. Donault Beata then led another Numerus into the gap vacated by the battle-worn heroes, and though sorely pressed they succeeded in forcing the Saxons into retreat.
Aurelius, aware that his men had been grievously tested and wearied by a long day’s fighting, allowed the Saxon withdrawal to proceed uncontested, giving his band of heroes some respite to bury their dead, tend their wounded and plunder the corpses of the fallen Saxons. Then the body of Gwalchafed was carried from the field, borne on his shield by four of his closest comrades, and taken back to Ynys Medcaut for a hero’s burial.
In the aftermath of the fray, a few youths who had accompanied Aurelius told tall tales of slaying with their slings many Saxon archers and spearmen at the eastern end of the field, near the great wood, but this idle boasting of the common rabble was not heeded by Aurelius or any of his spearmen. For in truth it is said that Victory has many fathers, each claiming the credit rightfully due only to the noble, courageous and pious. The people of Bernaccia will undoubtedly, and rightly, acclaim Aurelius Magnificus for his brave and triumphant despatching of the Saxons from our shores.
As Aurelius himself is doubtless aware, however, it is undeniably true that these Saxons, or some of their brethren, will return one day. Let us all pray that that day is far off.
Verbosus Prolix,
by God’s grace Bishop of Ynys Medcaut and loyal subject of
King Morgan Bulc of Bernaccia.
Report and photo of Aurelius by Jeremy Dowd; other photos by Colin Campbell
Report and photo of Aurelius by Jeremy Dowd; other photos by Colin Campbell
Hi Jeremy, I saw the link to this on the Virtual Lard Discord server. Nice write up! Are you still playing Dux Britanniarum?
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned you enjoyed TaTMs Linnius Campaign. So you may be interested in following our Dux Campaign which My brother and I are narrating from opposite sides of the conflict. I think we have a way to go to compete with Mikes prose but hopefully its entertaining all the same. May I present The Rhegin Campaign...
https://leadinglead.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Rhegin%20Campaign
Feel free to post a reciprocal link on my blog as I am sure my readers would enjoy your article!