Calming himself down, the Duke of Normandy knew that King Harold and his navy were still biding their time in the north after the battle with the Vikings. They were still recuperating in York. He had to seize the opportunity to expand his military achievements and vent the resentment he felt from being teased by Allen.
William, who had suffered a lot due to his plan to invade England, could finally enjoy the fruits of his labor.
The following journey of the Normans was smooth sailing, as though they had the help of God. His fleet hoisted the sails and quickly set sail. Seven hundred warships lined up neatly on the surface of the sea as they set sail towards the hot land in his heart. Without expending a single soldier, they were even closer to London than King Harold. Aside from the fact that the warhorses on the ships had excreted far more feces than they had imagined, causing the Normans on the ships to suffer greatly, everything else could be considered as smooth sailing …
A few hours later, the waves rolled and rolled. Layer after layer, the surging waves crashed against the rocky shore where the militia of Crowhurst had previously camped. William's massive fleet had smoothly arrived at the shore.
However, unlike the previous smooth sailing, William, who was following closely behind his guards, suddenly stepped on a rock and lost his balance. He fell to the ground like a dog eating mud. His face was bruised and his ears turned red. He raised his head and looked at the guards who were looking at him in a daze.
In the hearts of the guards who believed in God, this did not seem to be a good omen. They frowned and looked at their leader.
However, as a Duke who enjoyed a fierce reputation, William, who appeared to be better at politics than him, quickly grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground. He knelt on the beach and looked at his guards. "Thanks to the grace of the Lord, I have taken control of the land of my kingdom!"
Facing the sunlight, the slightly embarrassed William shouted excitedly with a face full of joy, "Now, England is in the palm of my hand!"
The guards, who had been worried a moment ago, nodded happily at their leader.
This was a classic moment in William's career as a politician. An omen that could have been an omen, a dog eating mud that could have been defeated, under William's quick-witted response, he turned it into a blessing from God for his long and peaceful reign.
However, to the Anglo-Saxons living in Britain, this was undoubtedly a curse.
One day later, in the village of Crowhurst in southern England.
A black goat with a long white scar on its face chewed the leaves it had bitten off from the tree with its eyes half-closed in satisfaction. The peasant women with white scarves on their heads picked the fruits that were still green and put them in their lapels. The whole village was bustling with activity.
Judith, Toffee's newlywed wife, with her long honey-coloured curls, laboured to reap the ripened corn. The young men of the village had gone to the militia.
She licked her chapped lips and looked around. She was looking forward to Tuofei's figure appearing at the entrance of the village. It was the busy farming season. Logically speaking, the king should have released them back to their hometown. Not only her, but all the village women were longing for the return of their husbands and sons.
She was very tired at this time. In the absence of men, if they didn't want to spend the next year in famine, these women could only work hard in the fields and do the work that should belong to men.
Unfortunately, the family they were looking forward to did not return. On the outskirts of the village, the vanguard of the Normans had already stared at the village that was about to be slaughtered like a lamb.
Merlin, a little boy in a white linen robe, was carrying a bucket of water. The advantage brought by his race allowed him to see through the gaps in the leaves and see the group of hungry wolf-like invaders. He let out an ear-piercing scream, which alarmed the farmers who were working hard on the farm. They looked in the direction of the scream in panic.
"Begin." Since their prey had already been alerted, the invaders no longer concealed themselves. Following the command of a knight with a black bowl cut, the leaves on the ground shook violently as the Normans charged into the small village.
Understanding what was happening, the peasant women screamed in panic and hurriedly fled back to the village.
A young child sat on the ground crying and was picked up by his mother. The people screamed and fled in all directions. Merlin, who had screamed to alert the villagers earlier, nimbly hid in the thatched cottage of his adoptive father, Judith's father, Ethel Wulf. With a terrified expression, he observed the situation outside through the gap in the wooden door.
The remaining men in the village were all too old. Even if a few of them tried to resist, they would be easily and cleanly killed by the Normans. The remaining men could only raise their hands and squat down to show that they would not resist, hoping for a chance to live.
The Norman soldiers who had broken into the village had already grabbed the peasant women from behind. Then, they carried them on their shoulders and threw them to the ground, throwing them into a pile.
"Don't kill them!" The red-haired knight who had been scolded by Duke William of Normandy when he was training to chop cabbage saw what was happening and quickly stopped the soldiers. "As long as they don't resist, don't kill them," he emphasized again.
However, the soldiers did not only want to kill them. One of the soldiers tore off the skirt of a peasant woman with a pretty face, revealing her smooth legs. The peasant woman screamed in panic and gritted her teeth to resist. The soldier impatiently knocked her down with a punch and wanted to continue his assault.
The red-haired knight noticed the situation and angrily ran forward to grab the soldier by the back of his shirt. Dragging him over, he threw a punch at the soldier, causing the dizzy soldier to fall to the ground.
The red-haired knight grabbed the soldier's collar and warned, "I said, try not to hurt them!"
The peasant woman who was so frightened that she did not even have the time to pick up her clothes. Instead, she rushed to the place where the captured women were gathered. There, her child and the other children of the village were thrown to the foot of the wall.
In front of the fully armed Norman soldiers, the men and women of the village were easily separated. The women had no choice but to curl up together.
The wooden door of Merlin's house was kicked open by the leading knight with a bowl cut and orange armour. He gave Merlin a sinister look and no longer paid any attention to him. Instead, he dragged the disheveled Eesselwoff out of the house and threw him to the ground. Then, he pulled out his gleaming longsword and pointed it at Eesselwoff.
Toffey's wife, Judith, looked helplessly at her father from where the women were gathered. Her hands were tightly gripping the front of her clothes. She could not help but cover her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from screaming and making the situation worse.
The knight with the bowl cut placed his sword on Eesselwoff's neck and stepped on Eesselwoff's shoulder. He looked like he would kill Eesselwoff if he exerted any force. He asked in Anglo-Saxon with an obvious Normandy accent, "Where are the men?"
Eesselwoff looked at him without saying a word. A few seconds later, he was kicked to the ground by the knight. The Norman soldiers who followed the knight laughed excitedly and cruelly. Merlin, who was hiding behind the door, saw the situation and could not help but shrink back. He hesitated whether he should rush out and fight the knight. However, as if telepathically, Eesselwoff waved his hands at Merlin to stop him from acting rashly.
Judith saw the situation and clenched her fists with her teeth. She forced herself not to cry out loud.
Eesselwoff did not say a word. His stubbornness made the knight with the bowl cut turn around and ask the red-haired knight, "Eesselwoff! Show them your red hair. Perhaps he will be willing to tell you. "
Eesselwoff was the descendant of the Muggle man from the Hufflepuff Tavern who went to Normandy to become a court poet.
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