498: Betrayal in Thetford

If you are referring to the incedent in Thetford I can assure you that me and my companions were barely involved.

- Sir Brandegoris speaking to Duke Julien of Caercolun before being asked to vacate the duchy.

Sir Edar here...



Never before in my life have I been ashamed to be a Briton. Sir Gweir and I encountered the self proclaimed Saxon King of Lindsey on the road to Norwich. He and his men were leading the treasure train to pay our ransom. We agreed to travel with them, being unable to find an acceptable way to turn them down. I would imagine that the Saxons rarely received as warm a welcome as they did when they were introduced by us.

In Thetford we met up with Sir Padern, and heard from a relation of Sir Brandegoris that our prisoner had been handed over to Duke Ulfius by Duke Julian. We were outraged, and had to inform the saxons of our betrayal. The Count of Thetford was challenged on what he knew and he denied everything. As dinner ended, we could tell that noone in the castle would sleep well.

Later that night I was interrupted in my evening prayers by the sounds of armed men. The count had a group of guards join him in his room. This looked suspicious to me, so I altered Padern, Gweir, and Brandegoris. We warned the saxons and decided that it was time to leave Thetford. As we were leaving, we were approached by the Count's men! We told the saxons that we would cover their exit and that they should leave the city immediately. It looked like things were not going to go well.

It was then that the unthinkable happened. It disgusts me even to recount it here. The Count's men were given the order to attack! Without warning, the count betrayed his offer of hospitality to attack the King of Sorestan. While there are few men with a greater reason to hate the saxons in general, and the King of Sorestan in particular than we we Candle Bees, we did not set aside our civilized nature by attacking our guests or our hosts. A guest is welcome and safe be he Pagan or Christian, Briton or Saxon. Without this basic belief, how can we meet to speak as civilized men?

I confess that I was nearly overcome with despair at this turn, and when the guards attacked, I know that I was uninjured because the Divine chose to protect those who would keep his laws. We fought our way past the guards and through the count's own knights. Their captain saw that his lord had betrayed his oaths and when asked by Sir Brandegoris, he stepped aside and did not stop us from fighting, and seizing the count. Our only injury was sir Gweir, who was knocked to the ground by the count before he yeilded. We plegded not to turn the count over to the Saxons and to remove he and his household from Thetford. We collected mounts and left.

While we sought to take the count before his peers, we were slowed by the women and servants of the counts house. We left them in Cambridge to tend to Sir Gwier and took the count all the way to distant Sarum. Where ever we went the people were shocked to hear of the count's actions. Even the count repented, believing that Thetford was sacked because he betrayed his oaths of hospitality.

When we finally left Sarum, with the count a prisoner to be tried before being sent to an abbey, we travelled back to Cambridge. Sir Gwier seems to have recovered nicely under the tender ministrations of Countess Thetford. We presented ourselves to Duke Julian in Norwich and asked what had happened. The man denied nothing! When we spoke to this outrage we were directed to leave immediately. We returned home to Allington. Although I will not rest while the Saxon threat looms over my home and family, I say that if Caercolun produces men like Julian and Count Thetford, then Caercolun be damned! The Saxons can fight over who will control it, but I will not.

We are concerned that none have seen Sir Brastius. It has been a year since he and a dozen knights travelled to Ulfius, and from there left for his "secret base". While I had assumed he was speaking of Allington, none here have seen him. We cannot loose so many bold knights. When the spring comes, we will journey again to the forest Sauvage and find him.

Old Sir Padern here

I've gotten highly cynical after the death of Lady Freesia: betrayed by Duke Ulfius of Silchester, Duke Julian of Caer Colun and the Count of Thetford; treated honorably by the King of Sorestan and Cerdic of Wessex; and reduced to lifting loose belongings from our fellow Britons in order that we not fight in rags from the backs of nags, and I think oh well, that's just how the world is after St Albans.

And though he is a despicable man, I will say that Thetford kept a good stable. The money I got from those horses will keep my children fed and clothed for some time.