Unlike the joy of the wedding, it was as if darkness was about to engulf this little village. The women and a few villagers who were fortunate enough to live to old age surrounded the fence as they watched their loved ones gather on the empty ground. Allen took out a bag of gemstones from the other side of the village and began to process them. He ordered one of his Shadow Three-Eyed Ravens to follow the militia from afar and catch up with them to the King's encampment. The other two Shadow Three-Eyed Ravens were sent to the north to Yorkshire.
As one of the captains of Harold's bodyguards, Odegar, who was also the conscription officer, held a wooden wine glass filled with ale. His helmet was already taken off, revealing his weathered face. "My friends, I follow your teachings and orders, and I swear before everyone …" He raised his wine glass high. All the militia who were gathered also held a spear in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Following the etiquette of this era, they swore with the oath made before the war – the Oath of Mead. "I am willing to fight for the King until my last breath. If the King or Baron dies in battle, I will follow their example and continue to fight. If anyone sees that I am greedy for life and afraid of death and run away, he shall use the oath I made in front of my people to warn me. "
After saying that, everyone drank the wine in their glass.
"It's time." Odega issued an order before raising his shield and leading the way. Even though the militia were unwilling to leave their homes and loved ones, they still obediently picked up their round shields from the ground and followed Odega into the army.
"Oh, my love, come back safely!" The women choked as they called out.
A curly-haired mixed-blood boy stood alone in front of a small wooden house. His eyes were filled with fear. His unusual behavior attracted Odegar who was monitoring the march. He ordered his troops to continue moving forward. Meanwhile, he walked over and squatted down. He asked gently, "Merlin, what's wrong? What did you see? "
The little boy Merlin pursed his lips, his small chest rapidly rising and falling. He looked at Odegar with a serious gaze. "The King of the Warriors crossed the sea to the west, and England was covered with corpses. Carrion Blackbirds followed closely behind, and death descended." (Author's Note: According to JK Rowling's setting, Merlin in Harry Potter's World is the wizard on the Chocolate Frog card. According to the welcome letter of Slytherin Academy on the official website of Potter More, Merlin studied at Hogwarts, and the Academy was Slytherin. The green ribbon of Merlin's First Class Medal commemorates Merlin's graduation. Hogwarts was founded a few hundred years later than the era of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Merlin is also a prophet in historical legends. The prophecy here coincides with an ominous doomsday rumor in England in the same era as our plot. I'll add a little more words for the last Author's Note, so it's free outside of a thousand words.)
"I've told you not to mention this to anyone, child. It's just a dream of yours." Odega stopped the boy's words. He didn't want the boy to be treated as a wizard or a heretic by others because he was different from other children. Odegar looked around, as if he wanted to find the boy's adoptive father, Ethel Wulf. Unfortunately, Ethel Wulf didn't come to see him off because of his son-in-law's omen. Odegar had no choice but to look at the boy again. "Remember, don't tell anyone about this dream. Otherwise, it will cause trouble for your father and sister."
Odegar's expression became serious, and he stood up with a heart full of worries. Ever since the new King Harold ascended to the throne, there had been all kinds of ominous doomsday rumors in England. However, they all pointed to the king's enemy crossing the sea to invade and seize the throne of England. The boy named Merlin had been having the dream he just described repeatedly since he was very young.
The guard captain felt a little helpless. He was afraid that this trip boded ill rather than well. How many of the militia from his hometown could survive this time? But the moment he turned around, he suppressed all his emotions and turned into a cold leader. He roared at the farmers who had slowed down and curiously looked at him, "Let's go! Keep up!"
The afternoon sun shone through the gaps in the forest. The militia who had been walking hurriedly for half a day didn't dare to look directly at the dizzying sunlight. They all walked silently with their heads down. Enlisting a number of armed farmers to join the militia was a custom of this era. However, the end of this year's summer was unusual. The king's guard captain plowed every inch of the forest, enlisting every farmer, every herdsman, and every beekeeper.
The Vikings swarmed out from the various bays of Norway. They set off from Solon Island on the western coast of Norway. Five hundred Viking warships and thirty thousand Viking warriors, under the leadership of their king, Harald Hadrada, took advantage of the northern winds that lasted longer than usual. They successfully crossed the three hundred miles of coast and arrived in Scotland in a little over two days. After a short rest, they continued to sail south along the eastern coast of Scotland to England, where they met up with the former Earl of Northumbria, Tosti, who had just been driven north by King Harold of England.
Knowing that this might be his last conquest, Harald III decided to leave his son in Norway as regent. He wanted to use this battle to make the whole of England tremble. This also meant that regardless of whether he won or lost, he didn't expect to return to Norway.
Needless to say, if he lost, he would definitely die on the battlefield. And if his Viking subordinates who were skilled in pack tactics and navigation wanted to escape, as long as the safety of the warships was ensured, the English wouldn't be able to stop them. And if he won, he would follow his ancestors' example and rebuild the Viking kingdom on the soil of England.
The core of Harald's forces this time was made up of his personal guards. They were all his personal attendants, professional soldiers and killing machines. They had been on the battlefield for a long time, and some of them were even veterans who had been beaten for 16 years.
Harald also brought along a special unit that didn't seem large. These warriors were much taller and stronger than the average Viking. They were clad in bear skins and wielded heavy weapons such as greataxes. Combined with the potion made from fairy seeds by the local witches, these ointments would cause the Viking warriors who had almost reached the limit of human strength to enter a state of frenzy. They would feel no pain, fear of death and would not be restrained by the horrors of the battlefield. Even if they were pierced by a spear, they would continue to attack the enemy as long as they could.
These berserkers would display superhuman physical strength and continue to fight tirelessly until the end of the battle or until they were killed. Of course, after the berserkers' rage subsided, they would immediately fall into a state of exhaustion due to the side effects of the potion.
By the time Odegar and his party had set out southward from the village of Crowhurst, the deposed Earl and the King of Norway were already sailing along the Ouse towards the mouth of the Humber in the middle of England, from whence they planned to enter the heart of England and proceed towards Yorkshire.
"I kill like weeds, never forgetting a single person. Slaying thirteen enemies with my bare hands, I walk quietly in the forest. Alone and unpraised, there is no need for others to know, I will eventually be heard far and wide." At the bow of the Viking warship, Harald recited a poem that he had polished on the ship a few days ago as a poet. Then, as the King, he turned around and looked at his subordinates and his ally Tosti who were ready to attack at any time. "Saint Olaf's grace shines upon me, I will leave this world as the Lord of Norway and England. Soon we will fill England's graveyard and feed her people's rotting corpses to the crows!"
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