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Updated: June 13, 2025
At that moment a loud cry of dire alarm was heard, the trampling of an immense body of horse followed a rush into the hall already filled with smoke loud outcries and shrieks from without. "What is the matter?" cried Ragnar. "The Mercians are upon us! the Mercians are upon us!" Ragnar rushed to the gateway, and a sight met his startled eyes he was little prepared to behold.
Perhaps he was inspired to tell of Judith, by the deeds of King Alfred's daughter, Æthelflaed, known as the Lady of the Mercians, and sought to do honour to her as well as to the great Hebrew lady.
With a fresh yell the Mercians fell on us again, and I had three of them on me; and my hands were full, though they hampered one another. The old Wessex war cry which I had not heard for so long came back to me, and I shouted "Out! out!" and met them. There needed but a little time and Kynan would be on the causeway. His song rang close to us.
Once or twice I could hold my hand as he sat in the midst of our circle watching all that went on, and I saw many things in those few moments while sword Foe's Bane rested. The Mercians had not followed us for very shame, but they sat on the open hillside in the place where the Danish line had been. I think it was not Streone's fault that they were not fighting hand to hand with us.
But there was no sign of the king none but a stain of red on the cushions and on the floor, and on the blade of a sword which lay beside that terrible pool. And the sword was the king's own. Then said Sighard, and his voice came hoarse and broken: "Our king is slain! Hounds of Mercians, tell us who has wrought this!" One answered him from dry lips: "We cannot tell.
Why should a stranger be asked if he might be led to undertake one, when there are scores of faithful Mercians who would be only too glad to do aught to pleasure her? As it seems to me, they needed one who could be put away without being missed afterward, when his errand was finished." "No reason why Gymbert should have tried to end me now in that case." "The king's wine was potent last night.
Penda, son of Pybba, reigned ten years; he first separated the kingdom of Mercia from that of the North-men, and slew by treachery Anna, king of the East Anglians, and St. Oswald, king of the North Men. He fought the battle of Cocboy, in which fell Eawa, son of Pybba, his brother, king of the Mercians, and Oswald, king of the North-men, and he gained the victory by diabolical agency.
He was getting nearer, but the Mercians thronged between his men and us. Now there seemed to be a grim joy in the faces of the men before me, and the Briton at my right fell. There was none left to take his place, and there were but three of us in the gate. "Kynan! Kynan!" I cried, for in a moment he would find his retreat barred.
And we fought to reach the Lindsey and Borough men through the Danes, who had filled the gap that the flight of the Mercians had made and won to them. There was the greatest slaughter of the Danish host at that time. But we could not win to Ulfkytel, for the centre and left wing of the Danes lapped us round, and their right drove him back on the marshes, away from us.
The few remaining inhabitants of Cratendune soon abandoned their dwellings, and came to live near the rising buildings of the monastery. Upon the death of King Anna, who fell in battle against Penda, King of the Mercians, he was succeeded in turn by his brothers Adelbert and Ethelwold, and the kingdom then went to Adulphus, Anna's son and Etheldreda's brother.
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