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"Why run thus into danger, Wulfric my son?" said the king, speaking gently; "better have let me be the only victim." "That you shall not be, my king," I answered; "for if you must die, I will be with you. But I have come to try to ransom you." "There are two words concerning that," said Ingvar in his cold voice. "Maybe I will take no gold for Eadmund." "What shall we give you then?"
And some of these I saw Ingvar's men questioning, and very soon a knot of them gathered round one man, and there was some loud talking. Then I would have hastened back, but Ingvar saw me, and waved sternly to me to depart, and slowly enough I went on my way. But I could not forbear looking back when I reached the road to the house.
Then Ingvar turned slowly towards the shrine, and drawing his sword, lifted up the broad shining blade as if in salute, crying as he turned the point north and east and south and west: "Skoal, ye mighty Ones!"
Now, seeing that our talk was earnest, there rode up another Danish chief, and it was Guthrum, the man who had seemed to take my part at the idol feast. I was glad to see him come at this moment. "Here is Halfden's friend," said Ingvar to him, "and he, forsooth, would have us go in peace." And the Danish king laughed harshly.
When we were ready, Hubba and Guthrum, each with drawn swords, stood on either side of the spear-marked square, and signed to Ingvar to give the word. At once he did so. Then I strode forward five paces and waited, but Rorik edged round me, trying to gain some vantage of light, and I watched him closely.
"Faith," answered the Saxon, with a grim smile, "I cannot tell when the war began, for that was when the first Danes came to the English shores. But if you mean the trouble that is on hand now, it is easily told. Ten years has this host been in England coming first with Ingvar and Halfden and Hubba, the three sons of Lodbrok. Ingvar has gone away, and Guthrum takes his place.
And when I did so, the man grinned at me, saying: "Truly it is like old times to see you stand up thus to the jarl king, I mean. There is not a man in our host dare do it." And lo! it was my friend Raud the forester. His beard was gone, and he had a great half-healed scar across his jaw, so that I had not known him even had I noticed any but Ingvar.
For Halfden and Bagsac and the Sidracs are on one side of him, and Ingvar and Hubba the other, waiting for him to make peace. But there is like to be fighting. Alfred, the king's brother, has a brave heart and a hard hand." "Then all is quiet in London?" "Peaceful enough; and there Guthrum the King holds court, and I think men are well content with him." "Of what is Guthrum king?"
"But now I have come to offer ransom for the king, and you must tell Guthrum and the other chiefs that it would be paid very quickly if they will take it." At that Raud shook his head. "I will tell them, but it is of little use. There has been talk of it before, but when we came into East Anglia Ingvar claimed the king for himself, giving up all else." "Why?" I asked.
I asked, for I had not heard him called by that name before. The only other king of the host beside the three jarls was Bagsac. "Why, of East Anglia. He holds it for Ingvar, while he tries to add Wessex for his own to Mercia. Halfden will be king in Northumbria, maybe, and Hubba over another of the kingdoms." So they had already parted out the land among them beforehand!
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