Owerd the Briton by Gault James

Author:Gault, James [Gault, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-07-24T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Owerd mistakenly thought that Abbot Aethelwig and his party were travelling to Winchester. It was thus with some surprise to him that the party continued easterly after Reading along the old Roman road toward London. His role in the group was limited. Though notionally in charge of the small guard force, they had their own procedures well practised and their sergeant seemed entirely capable. Owerd occasionally rode ahead to scout out a suspicious-looking area ahead, but mostly rode with the monks or alongside the abbot. Approaching London, the effects of warfare were stark and the land around looked to have been devastated and settlements burned. The forecast of Owerd’s brother about the likelihood of famine and hardship came to mind forcefully.

Not having been to London previously, Owerd was struck by the majesty of the Abbey and Palace called Westminster and felt even more to be the rustic of his upbringing. The magnificence of the buildings, though, was spoiled by the surrounding crowding and pungent smell from the adjacent river. The Abbot seemed unfazed by all this and rode erect and boldly to the palace gates where he was admitted immediately that his clerk announced him. Owerd, feeling lost and unsure what to do with himself, stuck closely to the abbot like a lamb to its mother. They entered the Great Hall almost together, but Owerd was diverted momentarily by guards who expressed the need for him to dispose of his weaponry.

The king, who reminded Owerd much of a younger version of King Edward in appearance, sat surrounded by nobles, advisers and the occasional clerk. There was a short queue of petitioners in front of them but the abbot moved steadily forward and Owerd, lacking knowledge of anything else to do, stayed with him. Once announced, Abbot Aethelwig knelt and was almost immediately told to rise.

‘If it please your majesty, I come from the abbey of Evesham in the shire of Worcester to the north-west of here. I come as a servant also of the great Saint Benedict to offer my allegiance and any counsel you may seek on matters either clerical or spiritual’.

‘I accept your allegiance abbot; the abbey and its administration shall remain in your hands. But who is this Dane you have beside you?’

‘Your majesty, may I introduce Sir Owerd, a knight and lord of the manor of Birdlip, a small village near Gloucester. He is actually a Briton, your majesty, despite his appearance, and volunteered to lead my escort here’.

Owerd felt himself being closely scrutinized. ‘I have met few Britons’, said the king, ‘so tell me why a knight from a small village would volunteer to escort an abbot far from home. Do you seek preference of some sort?’

‘I seek no preference, your majesty, my only wish is to care for the wellbeing of my land and my tenants. I came here to aid the journey of an honourable man. As I am also a warrior, your highness, my journey here was a rare opportunity to see a great warrior king’.

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