Текст книги "The Road to Jerusalem"

Автор книги: Ян Гийу

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   When Arn was near despair at his own shyness and the betrayal of all he had promised to say to her as soon as he had a chance, he prayed silently to the Holy Mother of God to give him just a little of the power that Gunvor had received. And at once the words came to him as if Our Lady were showing him the way with a gentle smile. He slowed Shimal, glanced nervously back at the retainers who were still out of earshot, and recited the words to Cecilia with his gaze fixed on her eyes and jubilation in his heart:

You have taken my heart,

you my sister, my bride,

you have taken my heart

with a single glance

with a single link of the chain around your neck.

How beautiful is your love, you my sister, my bride!

Yes, sweeter than wine, and the scent

of your salves surpasses all spices.

Your lips drip with sweetness

my bride

your tongue hides honey and milk

and the scent of your clothing

is like the scent of Lebanon.

   When Cecilia heard the words of the Lord, which were also Arn's words to her, she reined in her horse and gave him a long look, speaking to him with her eyes, just as they had been forced to say everything until now. She sat quite still in the saddle but was breathing hard.

   "You can never understand, Arn Magnusson, how much I have longed for these words from you," she said at last without lowering her gaze. "Ever since our eyes met as our voices merged in our first song. I want to be yours more than I want anything else on this earth."

   "I am also yours, Cecilia Pålsdotter, more than anything else on earth and for all time," replied Arn, filled with a solemnity that made the words sound like a prayer. "It's true that you took my heart with a single glance, as the word of God says. From you I never want to part."

   They rode a bit in silence until they came to an ancient and half-dead oak leaning over a small stream. There they got down from their horses and sat on the ground, leaning against the oak tree. The retainers from Husaby hesitantly stopped a short dis tance away and seemed to disagree whether they should come closer. The sound from the stream meant that they couldn't hear anything unless they came very close. They chose to sit where they were so that they could see but not hear.

   Cecilia and Arn took each other's hands and looked at each other without saying a thing for a long time, since they both felt the miracle within them.

   Finally Arn said that now he had to ride back to Arnäs, no matter how hard it was to part, and explain to his father Magnus how things now stood. Perhaps, he said, they could hold the betrothal ale this summer.

   At first his words made her so happy that she clutched at her heart almost in pain, but then a cloud seemed to come over her face.

   "Perhaps we may need as much support from the Holy Virgin Mary as Gunvor and Gunnar did in that beautiful story you told," she said gravely. "For our love has difficult tests and great obstacles ahead, as you probably know, don't you?"

   "No, I know no such things," said Arn. "There are no great obstacles, not a mountain that is too high, not a forest that is too deep, or a sea that is too wide to sail across. With God's help nothing shall stand in our way."

   "We will have to pray mightily for God's help," she replied, with her eyes lowered. "For my father is Karl Sverkersson's man, and your father is Knut Eriksson's man; everyone knows that. My father fears for his life because of this, and as long as Karl is alive my father will probably not dare bind himself to the Folkungs. That's how it is, my dear beloved Arn. Oh, what a joy to say those words! Nevertheless, our love has more than a great sea to cross as long as Karl Sverkersson is king and my father is the king's man."

   But Arn refused to be cast down by this. Not only was his confidence great, but he believed that the Virgin Mary was on their side. And no matter how much he knew about Aristotle and Holy Saint Bernard de Clairvaux, about Plato's high and base worlds, and about the Cistercian rules for living—matters that people in Western Götaland knew nothing about—he still knew very little about the rules that applied in the struggle for power. And that is what people in Western Götaland knew everything about.

   He relied entirely on his belief that the greatest of all things was love.

Chapter 11

Magnus and Eskil were sitting by themselves in the accounting room in the tower, and the topic they were discussing was not an easy one. It suited them that Arn was busy these days. He spent most of his time a short distance out on Lake Vänern, where he sawed blocks of ice shaped the same as building stones for walls. The ice blocks were pulled on a sledge back to Arnäs and stored in his ice cellar between layers of shavings from the carpentry shops. He had firmly announced that it had to be done now before the ice was too thin. It was just as well that he had this urgent task to do; it would have been hard to have this conversation if he were with them.

   Both Magnus and Eskil knew from their own experience that young men, and apparently also young women according to what they'd heard, were struck by temptations that could be rather difficult. This was part of life, and there was not much to be done about it other than wait for it to pass, like a head cold in the spring. Magnus recalled such things from his early youth, and as he thought back he also turned sentimental and confessed to Eskil that the woman who had been the first mistress of Arnäs, and mother to Eskil and Arn, at first had meant no more to him than a pair of beautiful chestnut horses or other fine acquisitions for the estate. But over time Sigrid had become more dear to him than anyone else. What Arn called love could grow with prudence if a couple lived well and sensibly together. When Magnus thought about it more closely, he'd noticed that Erika Joarsdotter had recently become fairer and easier to deal with too, and sometimes downright pleasant. At least it had never been as easy to have her in the house as now. That's how things went with what Arn called love.

   But this was the wisdom of an elder, which could not be transmitted in words to the younger man. It was meaningless to try and talk sense in such situations, because sense was beside the point. It was the same as telling someone who had just lost a kinsman and laid him in the ground that time heals all wounds. It was true but meaningless at a time when grief was at its worst.

   So what should they do with Arn and his talk about wanting to rush off to Husaby tomorrow and celebrate his betrothal ale?

   Eskil thought that cooler heads ought to prevail, which would be much easier when Arn was not present, since he was like a red-hot iron. There were certain things that spoke for the betrothal and other things that spoke against it. These things and nothing else had to be weighed like silver to ascertain in the end which weighed the most.

   Against Arn's proposal, more than anything else, was the fact that right now no one knew who would hold the power of king during the next two years. Nevertheless, as long as Karl Sverkersson was king, Algot Pålsson would have to be wary of binding his clan to the king's enemies, at least if he was a wise man. And for their own part it was also ill advised to unite by marriage with a clan that was an enemy of Knut Eriksson, who might well become king.

   On the positive side, Forsvik on the shore of Lake Vättern belonged to Arnäs, and they controlled the entire northern part of Western Götaland—the section south of Tiveden Forest where the trade route between four countries would be established. The weakest part was the stretch near Kinnekulle, where Algot's land began. If Magnus could acquire Kinnekulle and the shore of Lake Vänern south of there, it would be worth a great deal. And if an opportunity arose to make such a deal, Algot would be hardpressed to say no and might even be persuaded to give these lands as dowry, though the value was twice as much as was customary.

   It was inconceivable that this could be accomplished as long as Karl Sverkersson was alive. But Algot would be all the more amenable to doing business if Karl Sverkersson left this earthly life as swiftly as Knut Eriksson intended.

   That was the situation. As long as King Karl Sverkersson sat safely in his castle in the middle of Lake Vättern, there was nothing to be done. But if he departed this life, an important deal for Arnäs could be concluded at once.

   Eskil could see only one weakness in his calculation. It was the question of whether Birger Brosa and the clan tingmight have other plans. That's what had happened when his own father Magnus had considered celebrating a wedding ale with either Cecilia or Katarina, for precisely the same reasons that they had just discussed. Instead, Erika Joarsdotter had been chosen, because the clan tingfound that marriage more beneficial.

   But Magnus said that he hadn't heard mention of any plans of that sort. As things now stood, they had formed a good alliance with the Erik clan through Erika Joarsdotter. Knut did have a sister, whose name was Margareta, but she was already married to King Sverre of Norway.

   Since Magnus's own brother Birger Brosa was married to Brigida, who was the daughter of King Harald Gille of Norway, the Norwegian bond was very strong. No, right now Magnus could see no marriage that would be considered more important for Arnäs or for the clan than with either Katarina or Cecilia, it didn't matter which.

   It remained to decide who would convey their decision to Arn. The message was simple. As long as King Karl was alive there would be no betrothal ale.

   But though the words might be easy to formulate, it would be no easy task to say them to a young son or brother living in the fever or madness called love.

   Magnus ought to tell him, since he was Arn's father and the power over all wedding ales was rightfully his. Or perhaps Eskil should do it instead, since he was Arn's brother but had no power; he could not be talked out of it, but merely explain. For a while they twisted and turned this matter, like a tender joint of meat, and then decided that Eskil would be the one to tell Arn how matters stood.

A week before St. Tiburtius's Day, April 14th, when the ice still covered the lake but was beginning to soften, Knut Eriksson arrived at Arnäs without announcing himself in advance. He had traveled fast, accompanied only by Geir Erlendsen, the bard Orm Rögnvaldsen, and Berse the Strong. They had traveled far and wide in Western Götaland, where the bard had a chance to justify the good wages he was paid, and they had just come from Skara, where Knut had many eyes and ears. There they had purchased particularly good information from a man who had just left Karl Sverkersson's service at his castle out on Visingö in the middle of Lake Vättern.

   Knut didn't reveal the purpose of his visit other than to say that he was looking for Arn, whom he found moping about among house thralls in the cookhouses, a place and a situation hardly worthy of a man like Arn, in Knut Eriksson's opinion.

   To Arn's perplexity Knut immediately wanted to challenge him to an archery contest, so a target was made of straw bound together and set up in the castle courtyard. Arn didn't want to refuse, but he found no joy in this exercise. They set the target at a distance of forty paces, which Arn thought seemed too difficult for Knut, but that was what he ordered. They selected the best and strongest bows, and everyone at the estate gathered to watch, for they all knew that this might be the country's next king who was about to shoot arrows with one of the sons of Arnäs. And no one wanted to say afterward that he had failed to witness the contest.

   When they stood next to each other with their bows ready, Arn still didn't seem to have any desire for the game. So Knut took him by the shoulders, embraced him, and said the following words, which he had thought out carefully:

   "Now, my dearest childhood friend, you shall shoot to win against your king and nothing less, as if everything depended on these arrows. Imagine that it's about Cecilia; yes, I know all about you and her. Imagine that I am your king and can give her to you but only if you defeat me. Look, now I'll shoot first. Don't answer me now, just shoot well."

   While Arn, shaken by these words, composed himself so he might do his best, Knut shot his ten arrows and aroused great admiration, for no one knew that he was such a good shot.

   Then Arn shot, with a cold expression and a great silence inside, as if everything really did depend on these arrows. Afterward all could see that there was a great difference between the two, and that Arn was the better archer.

   Now Knut grabbed Arn again and embraced him, saying that it might well be that Arn had just shot his way to making Cecilia Algotsdotter his wife. Then they left the courtyard and went alone to the tower. There Knut asked to have ale brought up to them.

   When they were alone, Knut did not wait for the ale before he began to explain the entire situation to Arn. The time had now arrived. For himself it was a matter of the crown, and for Arn it was Cecilia. Knut Eriksson had many informants around the country, which is how he knew everything that was important to know, and also some things that to many might seem less important, such as this matter with Arn and Cecilia.

   Arn replied morosely that he could well understand that many sorts of skills were required for someone who strove to win a king's crown, but he didn't understand the intention behind this game with bow and arrow that they had just played. Why stage this contest when a prospective king took a great risk of losing and thus being talked about as the loser?

   Just then the house thralls arrived with ale, and Knut smiled broadly at this interruption, because he seemed to understand Arn's impatience and puzzlement. They politely drank a skålto each other first, as custom demanded, and Knut saw in Arn's eyes the burning impatience that insisted on an immediate response. And yet he gave no answer, but began speaking of his father, Holy Saint Erik, who had been good to everyone, who had demanded nothing for himself, who had preferred his hair shirt and longs hours of prayer to courtly life, who had helped the weak and stood up to the strong, and who had died like a saint at the hands of an outlaw. Perhaps Arn had heard much of this story before, but there was one more thing to add.

   Erik Jedvardsson's father was Jedvard of Orkney, who had sailed with Sigurd Jorsalafar to the Holy Land and there performed great services for the Norwegian king. In gratitude for this Christian help, King Sigurd had granted Jedvard of Orkney two small splinters of the Holy Cross on which Our Savior was tortured and died. King Sigurd had been given a piece of the holy wood from King Baldwin of Outremer, or the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

   Here Knut paused in his story and asked Arn whether he had heard of Outremer, and Arn's happy laugh and eager nod made him quickly understand that he had.

   Well, these two splinters from the Holy Cross had been inherited by Knut's father, Erik Jedvardsson, and he'd had them cast inside a gold cross that he always wore around his neck. When Emund One-Hand chopped off his head, the holy relic fell to the ground and was conveyed by a wily man to the one who stood behind the murder, the man now called King Karl Sverkersson. So he was not only a king-killer but also an outlaw who had violated a holy relic of God. The gold cross containing the wooden splinters from Our Savior's Cross inside was now worn by Karl Sverkersson himself around his neck, and this had to be a constant abomination in God's eyes. Surely there could be no doubt about that.

   Arn at once agreed that this must be abominable in God's eyes, and he added that everything must be done to right this wrong.

   Then Knut Eriksson smiled at Arn and repeated quietly that now the hour was upon them. But to reach the place where God's holy relic might now be found, they would need a select few men who could tolerate cold and were able to sail well, who were skilled with a bow and could defend themselves better with a sword than any other men.

   That was why they had staged this contest, Knut went on. There were men who could shoot well in a contest but could not do the same in battle, when their heads were full of anger and fear. Such had been the case for Arn when asked to shoot and simultaneously think about Cecilia, but Arn had acquitted himself well.

   Now, not later, was when they must do what had to be done, Knut continued. Then a bit hesitantly and with an assurance that when he became king he would be the first to bless a wedding ale between Arn and Cecilia, Knut asked whether Arn wished to join this expedition as one of only eight men.

   This was the third time that someone had told Arn he would never have Cecilia as long as Karl Sverkersson was alive. If he had hesitated the first two times, he did not do so now.

When they arrived at Forsvik by the shore of Lake Vättern, they found that Eyvind Jonsson, Jon Mickelsen, and Egil Olafsen of Ulateig had built a small but elegant ship that was broad in the beam, had a shallow draft, and could be rowed with three pairs of oars. The Norwegian retainers apologized for not adorning the ship with the runes required to finish it completely, but seaworthiness had been foremost on their minds because the ice would soon begin to thaw. This small ship, which was built like a Norse longship, could be sailed faster than other ships of the day, especially in Western Götaland; it could be rowed faster than any other, especially with Norwegian oarsmen; and it could be dragged easily over ice. Knut was very pleased with what he saw and explained everything to Arn, who hadn't had as much to do with Norway as others in his clan.

   After three days of waiting it was time to set out. They first celebrated a mass, which Arn, to lend the words greater power, held in church language. After the mass Knut Eriksson spoke to them and spurred them on. Their strength lay in the fact that they were eight good men who would cross Lake Vättern when no one believed it was possible. Out there on the southern tip of the island of Visingö sat the king-killer Karl Sverkersson with his retainers, assuming he was safe. But God would not stand by the man who had murdered a saint for his own gain. When they had won what now had to be won, each and every one of them would be rewarded according to his merits.

   More was not said. The ship was pulled by horses up from the hole in the ice by the shore where it had lain so that the water would make the planking swell and grow tight. The horses were stabled, and then they finished loading the ship. Each of the men grabbed the end of a rope for the hard task of dragging the ship out to open water. But the broad-beamed vessel was easy to drag on the ice, and eight men were not too few.

   After half a day's toil they came to a channel leading toward the open water in the middle of Lake Vättern, and from there they could already see Visingö. The wind was westerly as usual at this time of year, and they were soon able to set sail. The farther south they sailed, the more the channel widened. In the dusk they saw that the southern tip of Visingö lay surrounded by open water, and they understood then that God was with them. Had they come a day earlier they would have been forced to leave their ship out on the ice, fully visible as soon as day broke. A day later and the ice on Lake Vättern would have dispersed, and a guard would have been posted on the walls of the royal fortress of Näs to watch for dangers approaching from the sea.

   They lowered their sail and rowed slowly toward Näs, reaching the shore only after it had long been dark. There they pulled in to wait in a little cove with dense alder thickets. They pulled the sail over their ship and lighted fires in two iron braziers, sending scouts ashore to make sure the fires weren't visible. For they did need heat, since the spring nights in the North were still bitterly cold.

   Knut was in a good mood, as if all the difficult things had already been accomplished. He sat close to Arn and said that this was either their last night together or their first on a long journey.

   Then he talked about the man who had murdered his own father, and who had tried to murder Arn's father with trickery and unfair single combat, but Arn interrupted him at once, saying that these words were unnecessary. He knew all this already and had given it much thought.

   And yet he felt doubt, he admitted to Knut. He had sworn a holy oath not to raise his sword in anger or for his own benefit, and now it seemed that he was on his way to doing just that. He would gain much from Karl Sverkersson's death. He said that he understood that it was not merely a question of taking back the holy relic that rightfully belonged to his good friend Knut, and which hung unjustly around Karl Sverkersson's neck. He understood that this neck should be severed when the cross was freed.

   Knut said nothing to release Arn from his anguish, because what Arn had said was entirely true. Instead Knut spoke in a low, warm tone about Cecilia and what a joy it would be as their king to bring them together in any church they liked, even before the archbishop in Östra Aros if they so desired. Arn then grew warm with tenderness despite the raw, damp late winter night, and replied that any church at all would be fine as far as he was concerned, as long as it was close by. And then they laughed together. As their laughter died away, Knut said that if he liked, Arn could borrow one of several good Norwegian swords that were not bound by a holy oath.

   Then Knut lowered his voice and explained what was going to happen. In Skara they had bought much information, but most importantly from a man who a short time ago had left Karl Sverkersson's service at Näs. They had found out that when there was no danger at Näs, such as now when the ice could neither bear nor break, Karl Sverkersson took a short walk down to the beach each morning, to be by himself. Why he did this no one quite knew, but he always followed the same route in the early morning, just at dawn, when the first light allowed him to see where he set his foot.

   For this important information, Karl Sverkersson's traitor had received the wages he so justly deserved.

   If God was now with them, all this would happen by the time the night was over. All that remained now was to pray and then try to get some sleep.

   A watch was set out. The ship was well hidden in the darkness behind the alders near the beach.

   Arn did not sleep much on that cold night, and perhaps the other men didn't either, even though they were Norsemen and did not seem frightened that the next day might be their last.

   But everything went as though God were standing by them. Arn stood ready with bow and arrow when it was still pitchdark. With the very first light he moved to a somewhat better position. Next to him stood Knut himself and Jon Mickelsen and Egil Olafsen of Ulateig, and they all were wearing thick wolfskins and double leggings against the cold. They stood so near the royal fortress that they could have easily reached the top of the wall with an arrow-shot. Arn wore a Norwegian sword at his side. They didn't say much to one another.

   When the heavy oak gate in the wall of Näs opened, however, it was as if all the cold in their limbs vanished, and they seemed to glow with excitement. They saw a man come out with two men by his side. They watched the three come walking toward the strand quite near to the place where they were standing. Arn made a move to draw his bow, but the other three stopped him at once.

   In the faint light of dawn it was hard to distinguish colors. But when the three men from the castle walked past at a distance of a couple of paces, it seemed that the one in front was wearing a red mantle and a golden cross that gleamed at his neck. Knut Eriksson held up his hand in warning so that no one would act before he did, although they all knew it was the king walking past.

   King Karl Sverkersson went all the way down to the shore of Lake Vättern. There he stopped and bent down to the water, cupping some it in his hand. He drank the water before he fell to his knees, and for the last time he offered a prayer of thanksgiving because this water had saved his life for another night.

   There was no frost on the ground, so Knut Eriksson was able to stride forward as soon as the three men by the water had knelt down, and they could not hear him coming. He chopped off the head of the king at once and then did the same to one of the retainers. But he did not kill the other man. Instead he held his sword to his throat and waved for Egil and Jon to come forward at once, which they did swiftly after whispering to Arn to stay where he was.

   Arn now saw how his dearest childhood friend leaned down to pick up the golden chain and rinsed it clean of blood in the water of Lake Vättern. He then walked quickly toward Arn after whispering something to his Norwegian retainers, and they dragged the survivor off with them, holding a hand over his mouth.

   They pulled the ship into the water and got on board. The Norsemen sat down at the oars and Knut stood at the tiller in the stern holding the captive with one hand and the golden chain with God's holy relic in the other. When they were ready to cast off he released his prisoner and spoke to him in a loud voice.

   "Now I say to you, captive, that you are free. You have been given your life, but you shall also know who, other than God, has given you life. I am Knut Eriksson and I am now your king. Go to the mass of St. Tiburtius tomorrow and thank God for your life, for just as He saved your life, it was He who led us here. But make haste so that no one thinks you were the one who killed Karl Sverkersson!"

   Then Knut signaled with his hand for the rowers to pull away, and with powerful strokes of the oars they moved swiftly out into clear water farther than an arrow-shot could reach. The captive, who had been released like a kitten into the water by King Knut Eriksson, now ran as fast as he could toward the halfopen oak gate in the walls of the royal fortress, the fortress that was built so securely that no one could ever have succeeded in killing the king inside.

   The oarsmen rested on their oars to await Karl Sverkersson's retainers, who came running down to the shore with crossbows and longbows in hand. They shot their arrows in vain, and King Knut held the holy relic of God over his head in triumph.

   Then they set a course for Forsvik, which lay against the wind. No pursuers in Western Götaland would be able to row against the wind like King Knut's Norwegian kinsmen.

The week after the martyrs Filippus and Jacob were remembered on the first of May, when all the livestock were let out to pasture and the inspection of the fences was complete, the late spring all at once changed to summer. The mild south wind continued for a long time, all the tender greenery appeared at once, and among the oaks on the slopes of Kinnekulle lay a thick white carpet of wood anemones. The cuckoo was heard first in the west.

   This time Arn came riding alone and at a leisurely pace toward Husaby. He seemed to want to draw out the sweet torment now that he knew that Cecilia would be his. He also had much to think about because recent days had been full of tasks in the service of Knut Eriksson. Much had happened, and he wasn't sure whether he understood Knut's intentions behind all of it.

   When they returned to Forsvik after their successful journey to Visingö, they were able to sail right into the harbor, such was the difference in the ice after only one day. Knut immediately dispatched a messenger relay to Arnäs and Magnus Folkesson, who would send word on to Joar Jedvardsson at Eriksberg. First their own kinsmen had to be informed about what had happened, for soon armies would be assembling for war.

   Arn had been prepared to ride with the news, thinking that it would arrive sooner that way. But Knut had said that there were important tasks that required Arn's assistance on behalf of his king; he could ride to Cecilia after everything that had to be done was done.

   First Knut and Arn had to sail across Vättern again with both horses and retainers, and then ride together to Bjälbo and let Birger Brosa know what had happened. There was not a single day to lose, for ignorance could be the same as death; all their kinsmen had to be rallied in time before the enemy attacked. Besides, it was only right that Birger Brosa be informed about what had happened by one of his own who had also been involved in the outlaw's demise on Visingö. Likewise it was important to meet with the next most important man, Archbishop Stéphan in Östra Aros. Knut had to win over both Birger Brosa and the archbishop to his cause, and both these men were close to Arn. Arn had nothing to say against this.

   When they came riding into Bjälbo, Birger Brosa had received them at first as if they were only young men arriving for a visit with kinsmen, and he apologized that he would have to leave the next day because he had important business in Linköping. But when they were left alone at Knut's request and Birger Brosa learned what had transpired, he no longer spoke of taking a business trip. No one from Bjälbo would set foot in Linköping for a long time, since it had been Karl Sverkersson's town and would now become Boleslav's or Kol's.

   Birger Brosa sat in dull silence, pondering, without revealing with the slightest expression what his thoughts might be. Suddenly he sprang up and said that there was only one choice. Now the entire Folkung clan must stand as one man behind Knut Eriksson in his effort to take back his father's crown. It was the only way. They had to stand united against the Sverker clan and their Danish hangers-on. They had to show strength and resolve, just as they had to make the most intelligent use of the advantage they now held in terms of time and knowledge.