XXXV
When the king came to Pearmol, he came in the company of fifteen big and burly men, each armed and armoured with their very best. Amfredha let them through the gate, and they all went into the hall together. Not until they had waited patiently for a little while did Karvalo come to meet them. He took his seat, and then stood once more to welcome his guests.
‘Who are you,’ he said, ‘and why have you come to my hall?’
‘Are your old man’s eyes failing you?’ said the king.
‘Not at all. The problem lies rather with your old man’s face.’
The king scoffed and told Karvalo why he had come. He said the earls were unhappy, that he had met two of them at Syorbak and denied their demands, and that they had cruelly slaughtered the larger portion of his reeves in Norlonn.
‘A woeful tale,’ said Karvalo, ‘but what has this to do with me?’
‘The earls will not be placated,’ said the king. ‘Instead, they must be met with all the force I can bring to bear. I am, therefore, mustering an army to take northwards, where my kingly glory—and that of my kingly father—awaits. As my ally and my peer, I bid you support me in this expedition.’
‘No.’
‘Answer not so swiftly, Lord of Pearmol. As a member of my rede, it is your duty to support your king.’
‘Perhaps it would be so, had you put the matter before us, but you did not. As it stands, I have no such obligation to fight your war for you.’
‘Understand, the matter is quite urgent. They must be quashed forthwith.’
‘Such urgency for a rabble of northerners? If you deem such measly folk a threat, then you are clearly not fit to rule them.’
The king said, ‘Quite right. That is why I will make it irrefutably clear that I am. I will show them that they cannot treat their king with such dishonour, that I will not tolerate their disloyalty.’
‘Your words are quite commendable, king, but I yet fail to see why I should bother myself with this.’
‘And you yet flaunt your short-sightedness. You are involved in this matter already, whether you would wish to be or not.’
With his gaze fixed unmoving upon the king, Karvalo said, ‘How so?’
‘When I met the earls at Syorbak last winter, they were not alone. Among them stood a woman named Meola, widow to Gaylodho the Earl. She is the one in the middle of all this, the one who brings the earls together. They chose her alone to come into my hall—they respect her above all else, above even each other. And why does she incite them? Why does she make herself the foe of all good folk? Because you denied her the justice she sought. Your man murdered hers, and instead of doing what was right, you turned her away. Now, look what trouble has come of it.’
‘If you think one man’s murder caused all this, you are quite the dullard. Surrendering my thane will do nothing to allay this. And even if it would, let us not forget that you and your high-reeve are no different. Enlovo went and murdered an earl himself—and while she was sitting, no less—and still you shield him. The earls’ grievances are not with me and my thanes, but with you and yours.’
‘Come, we both know Enlovo is no cunning killer.’
‘Indeed. There was nothing remotely cunning about his crime.’
‘I will have you know, I have it on good authority that the murderer was none other than the Meola woman. She had means and motive both. I am told Beyla snubbed her, and so she contested the earldom, lost, and dealt out violent retribution. This would not have happened had you let your little swordsman face the proper justice. That being said, you can make things right between us and also keep your man. You need only provide a troop for my army. Do that, and I will consider this disagreement resolved.’
Without a moment’s thought, Karvalo said, ‘No. You will get nothing from me but the comfort of a bed, the warmth of a fire, and the right to leave in peace. No friend of mine shall set foot in that wretched land, lest they be my friend no longer.’
The king shook his head, stuck out his nose, and went out of the hall. He nonetheless accepted Karvalo’s hospitality, and he and three of his thanes were put up in the hall, while the rest were in booths in the yard. He hoped, having been granted some time to stay, he might be able to change Karvalo’s mind, or else find some other support.
Meanwhile, Karvalo ensured his message was spread to every member of his retinue: no one was to go with the king.
On the following day, the king summoned two of his burliest boys to his side and went hunting for one man in particular. After some searching, they found Thalo out of Pearmol, washing some clothes in the river. The burly men seized him from the water, dragged him onto the bank, and threw him before the king.
‘Why are you jostling me like this?’ said Thalo.
‘I am your king,’ said the king. ‘I can have jostled whomever I wish to be jostled, and the pleasure today is yours.’
‘I have more important things to be doing.’
‘I am your king. If I wish to speak with you, I shall speak with you. There is certainly nothing more important for you to be doing.’ The king sat down, and he continued, ‘But I will not hold your disrespect against you, Thalo man, for I understand you are a worthy fellow. Tell me, do you know why I am here?’
Thalo nodded. He did not know everything, but he knew enough.
‘Then you will surely understand why I am sitting before you now. I want you to come with me. Your lord has refused to send anyone, but you are your own man, and so I wish to appeal to you directly.’
Thalo only shook his head.
The king said, ‘You should know that the war I wage is a war of your own making. I trust you know a woman named Meola?’
Thalo said nothing, nor did he need to—his wince alone said quite enough.
‘Yes,’ said the king. ‘She is the one behind the earls’ fury. You murdered her husband, and denied any recompense at all, she has moved her countrymen to war. You caused this, Thalo man, but you can likewise end it.’
‘Tell me,’ said Thalo, ‘If I refuse, will you nonetheless seize me and hand me off to die by Meola’s blade, but in your bonds? That is the sense I get.’
‘Fear not. I do not intend to appease the earls. They must learn that I am their king, and I will not be ruled. They are not to make demands of me. No, I have come to you for one reason alone. It would be a great honour to count the man they call Thennelo among my warriors—I am sure that we together could quickly quell these upstart warmongers. I bid you ride with me. Free yourself of this stagnant hall, come north with me, and the glory of Thennelo will rise to even greater heights.’
Thalo considered the king’s plea, his thoughts dwelling upon Asfoa’s dying words. The orphan son of an orphan mother, his glory could only be that which he won for himself. But just the same, he had no family but that which he chose for himself.
‘My lord has forbidden it,’ he said. ‘I am a man of Pearmol, my husband just the same. I will not forsake him.’
The king only sighed. He arose, and the two burly men picked Thalo up and hurled him back into the river.
That evening, Thalo told Awldano about his meeting with the king.
‘He bade me join him,’ he said.
Awldano said, ‘And you refused him, I hope?’
‘I did, but if it were not for you, Awldano, I would have agreed to go.’
‘Then let us both be glad for me.’
Thereafter they hugged and went to bed, but the day’s trials were not yet done. That night, Thalo was beset by another queer dream. There he was, sat at a table in the woods, and about it sat the same host of silver-sheened foxes, the same glittering platter in the middle of the table. Upon this platter lay threefold corpses. The bottommost was Gaylodho, and above him was Gaymono, and Broyndea was on the top.
‘How for!’ said the old fox, for the old fox had now appeared. ‘How for!’
Then all the foxes in the hall—the table was now inside—set upon their meal. And how delightful it was! To see his dead foes devoured, Thalo was moved to a joy unlike any he had known before.
‘Good riddance!’ he said, and he danced a merry jig. The old fox threw him a cup, and he put back a merry swig, only to bring it all sputtering back up.
‘Blood,’ he said, ‘and surely a pig’s.’
‘How for!’ said the old fox again, and that was that.
Thalo awoke in the night, Awldano snoring beside him. He lay back and closed his eyes, but sleep did not reclaim him.
The king remained at Pearmol for a few days more. Thalo did all he could to avoid him, for he feared he had not the strength of will to refuse him twice. To his relief, that strength was never tested. The king left Pearmol with nothing to show for his stay.
On the same day, Karvalo sent a messenger to Bane at Bealnew. Once the messenger had relayed Karvalo’s instructions word-for-word, Bane said, ‘My task is clear. Begone man, lest your dawdling be your doom!’
Then the messenger rode home, and Bane made their way out of Bealnew to await the king’s coming.