The Last Marigold

The Dogs of War

Two thousand men stood in formation on the ice-covered grass. Their chainmail glittering in the early morning wintry sun. Brightly colored shields stood side by side in tight formation.

His men had been trained to fight using the skjaldborg or as the English called it a shield wall. The men fought standing shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut. In this formation, the outside ranks formed a dense vertical shield wall, and inside ranks held shields over their heads, thus forming a tortoise-like defense, well-protected from airborne attacks. Each soldier benefited from the protection of his neighbors' shields as well as his own. It was tactic that suited such soldiers, as it did not require extraordinary skill, being essentially a shoving and fencing match with weapons. 

The first three ranks of the skjaldborg were made up of select warriors, húskarl, the household guard, and þegns, the soldiers. They carried heavier weapons and consistently wore armor. The vast majority of opponents in such battles were armed with spears. Short weapons, like the ubiquitous seax, were used in the tight quarters of the wall. The second row's purpose was to kill the soldiers of the first line of an enemy shield wall and thus break the line. All other rows were weight for the pushing match that always occurred when each side tried to break the other's wall. When a wall was broken, the battle turned into a single-combat melee in which the side whose wall collapsed had a serious disadvantage. 

Cnut's army was made of relatively lightly trained fyrdmen from Saxon lands who gained morale from being shoulder-to-shoulder with their comrades but often fled once the wall was compromised. It was what Wolfgard was counting on. He hoped that once Cnut's shield wall was breached, it could prove impossible to re-establish a defensive line, and panic would set in among the defenders. Cnut's men would turn tail and run. 

Wolfgard and Alrik were in the first line at the center of the skjaldborg. It was uncommon for a chieftain to be at the front in a conflict but Wolfgard would never ask the men to do anything he himself was not willing to do. Cnut's men came over the ridge just after sunrise. Wolfgard waited drawing them into the clearing. He would not give Cnut the strategic advantage of a slope nor would he win the day with superior numbers as they were equally matched. 

Wolfgard called the men to attention, "Danes, today we fight to defend our land and our king. Cnut, the traitorous scum, turned his back on us. He fights with Saxon soldiers under the banner of Saxon king," He turned to point at his enemies, "Look at them! Farmers, carpenters, and shepherds, the lot of them. But who are we? We are Danes! Our occupation is WAR!" 

The roar of cheers and hoots went out ratching up the morale of the men, preparing them for the battle ahead. "You may keep what you kill! The plunder of these cowards is ours for the taking!" Another round of cheering from the men went on a few minutes more. His father had taught him that men are not saints. They will fight for land and silver. The things that feed and nurture them. Kings and chieftains change but those things never do. 

Wolfgard moved the men into position when Cnut's men arrived. The two armies clashed on its center, pushing, cutting and hacking at each other through the openings in the shield wall. When the arms drew back to their respective corners, in a sort of stalemate, the ground between them was stained red with blood though losses to each were minimal. 

Cnut appeared on horseback between the lines riding hard down its center. He screamed loudly for Wolfgard calling his name again and again. "Wolfgard Sigvatsson, show yourself! I have something for you!" He called again laughing. 

"I am here," Wolfgard answered peering through an opening in the skjaldborg. 

"I have brought you a gift," He said throwing Wolfgard's armring at his shield. "I thank you for the one you have given me," He said cackling as he rubbed a lock of kinky hair against his face.