Tales Of Gallanol : Ch.4 Forest Of Liedein (Part 1)

Chapter 4 : Forest Of Liedein (Part1)

(Written November 1983)

    During the next day and night the fleet sailed non stop down the Great River. The sky was pregnant with snow and visibility was not good in the gloom. The day was short, the night long. The river had widened even more, and the flatlands on either side of it were wider. On the eastern side the wooded scarps were a few miles away and the flatlands were cultivated. They passed Elladeini farms on the east bank now. They had passed at some point, which might only be obvious to the immediate locals, into the Kingdom of Elladein, where King Lew and his court refused to accept the authority of the new and rightful High King. There would be small chance of the local farmers sending messengers to Caerella before the southern army had penetrated through the Forest of Liedein and into Ellavale and Caerella. King Lew had not the resources and men to withstand this largest Gallanolian army ever recorded, even if he was forewarned of the route the army would take.

    At dawn, on the morning after the night, the army began to disembark with fair speed onto the largely wooded western shore of the Great River. Eleven barges came close to the shore in turns, and the men on them disembarked with horses, carts of food supplies and tent equipment. Most of these barges would stay there ready to respond to orders to move downriver, to back up thearmy or to return southwards to fetch more supplies or men. Two fortress barges, fitted with rams, defensive tools and full military crews, continued downriver to prevent any Elladeini barges from slipping past to send messages or to outflank the southern army.

    During the morning Emywid labourers began to fell trees in the forest to build a temporary quay, so that small boats did not have to ferry between the shore and the barges. The army formed itself into a column. In the vanguard went the Emywid White Guard cavalry. Some of them went even further ahead to scout into the Forest of Liedein. It was not expected that they would meet Elladeini troops until they passed through the Forest, which was virtually uninhabited, although potentially very fertile.

   The White Guard Cavalry wore light helmets, breastplates and legplates of Lanardein iron, which was very silvery in appearance, over the top of their Baerwysian white and furs. They blended in with the snow covered forest. Behind the cavalry marched Prince Llewellyn’s blue and green leather clad Lanardeini Professionals, swordsmen who had seen much service in recent years in the woods and meadows north of the Senl valley against Martainian robber barons. Behind these came a large body of Lanardeini Archers, most of whom were lately volunteers. Archery was a particularly popular sport in Lanardein. Most of them wore no particular uniform, although Lanardeini blue dyed woollen cloth and leather garments were frequently noticeable and most wore helmets.

    Behind the Lanardeini came a much smaller contingent of Falwentine archers, who had been outfitted with brown beaver fur hats and green cloaks. Behind the archers came white haired Anarawd in a grey Prydeini sealskin coat on a large grey horse, accompanied by Eric Cadwallon who was wearing the modern chain mail acquired from Ossland or Falland, and a helmet with a visor which reminded Deneldinhew of Martainian Knights. After only a couple of hours Deneldinhew and his companions, who were riding just behind, were amused to see him take it off and give it to one of the wagonmasters behind. The wagons contained food provisions and weapons, breastplates, helmets and shields, for when the fighting began in earnest. They were escorted by another contingent of Emywid White Guard Cavalry.

(written 20/5/84)

   For two days the army marched through the snow covered Forest of Liedein, towards Ellavale and Caerella. Camp was made each night and scouts were sent out and relieved at intervals. On the third morning they were poised to leave the Forest and enter the rich and populous farmlands of Ellavale. They were perhaps only a day’s hard march from Caerella. The army marched now in cold sunlight, along cart tracks, through snow covered fields past farmlands, which they did not disturb. They could not afford to stop to gather food until they were outside Caerella, whether or not they would have to lay siege to it. The element of surprise was theirs. Obviously the enemy had not been expecting them to come this way, or they would have been ambushed in the Forest. Perhaps the Elladeini had not been able to gather a large enough army to attempt to attack them. Perhaps they had intended simply to remain within their walls, knowing that any other method of defence was doomed to failure.

   Whatever, by now speedy messengers must have been despatched to Caerella, and soon they would find out whether King Lew wished to fight outside his walls, to retreat inside them or to surrender. Deneldinhew now hoped very much for the latter. Warfare was a costly and bloody business. The sooner King Lew was dethroned, the sooner he could return south to meet Lewden of Paldein. The less blood was shed the sooner the wounds would be healed with his people in Elladein and Paldein. Gallanol would then be able to unite in the face of the growing Martainian strength. Strength must be met by strength. Weak willed politicians like Macbeth lived in the past. Gallanol must survive the new kingdoms’ rise and continue to take its place as the centre of the world. For this reason it was imperative that the Elladeini be not unduly disturbed by the southern army. King Lew was popular in Elladein, but Deneldinhew must be seen to be a benevolent leader whom the Elladeini could trust in place of Lew.

   Jovian, riding with the small Galdelleini contingent near the rear, was immersed in his own thoughts. He felt horribly alone on this expedition. The Galdelleini commanders were lesser men, not active in the military counsels of Alentin. Alentin’s concern lay with the struggle against Paldein, not with Elladein. The deployment of a certain section of his troops to the north was a political rather than a tactical decision. The commanders were capable men, but they were not important men. The military commander was a tall, black haired man with a long nose and big ears, aged about forty, called Iain Cullough. Jovian liked him. He was a friendly, jovial sort. Great wit was always passing his lips. His jokes and his down to earth view of life appealed to his men and made him a trusted and popular commander. But he was not the kind of person Jovian admired, or had much in common with. He was easy to talk to but he rarely spoke about matters which interested Jovian, apart from women, that is. The other commanders fell under Iain Cullough’s influence. They had a tendency to bawdy humour and wit which could last them hours, but which Jovian felt was tiresome and immature. Thus he stayed aloof from their company.

    The incident with Owen Gireald of Girithon had disturbed him deeply. He regretted it totally because it had cost him the approval of a man who had tremendous influence. Even the other two, Bleddyn and Idwal, seemed to dislike him. It made him wonder what the other High King’s Companions and the High King himself, were really like. At Alentin’s court adventures of the heart and sexual affairs were treated lightly on the whole. Yet the Emywid society seemed to be bathed in moral principles and obligations. Women were to be treated as goddesses until they were married to an upright man of sound principles. Jovian knew he had blundered, but in addition a great dislike of Owen Gireald had been aroused. The man was so pompous and self important in the way he spoke to people. He seemed to think he owned the whole world, including Deneldinhew! He was a famous man, treated as a hero all over Baerwys, Galdellyn and Lanardein. No doubt that was all justified. The man was a great fighter. He had slain dozens in combat on the Martainian border, while still a very young man. He was tactically competent. He had led a unit during the border wars and had proved a charismatic and successful leader. Jovian absolutely hated him! He also feared him.

     The army stopped late in the afternoon at sundown, to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s fighting, in a wooded area, on a ridge, from which they could see Caerella and the River Ella in the distance. The land was flat on most sides, and into the distance, dotted with woodland, but predominantly large soft fields, dotted with wealthy farmhouses and the occasional country house of merchants and professionals. Gallanolian farming was an efficient business. Farming families were usually fairly wealthy. The farming family would be an extended family, to include, perhaps, three brothers and their families, or perhaps a couple of unrelated farming partners and their families. They might have extra labourers hired for fairly high wages, because labour was generally expensive in Gallanol. The labourers would live in the main house, alongside the partners and their families. Farmhouses were large as a result and separated into family units. Sometimes they were separate houses. They were built with brick or stone, and tiled, depending on which part of Gallanol they were in. In this part of Elladein they were built of red brick, and the tiles were transported downriver from Morith and the Assurian Mountains. A lot of farming was also taken on by rich merchant houses, such as House Gireald, who owned estates and employed farmers to work it for them, and organised collection, transport, wholesaling and retailing themselves. It was generally thought better by farmers to have their own partnerships in farming, because the profit margins were generally higher. Sometimes partnerships were large organisations, involving, perhaps, twenty partners in eight or nine farmhouses, who shared the profits equally, owned the land communally. This arrangement spread the risks of bad harvests and so on, which were ever present, although banking credit was always available in the towns and cities. Often employed or included in the partnership might be a merchant, or two merchants, who specialised in transporting, wholesaling or sometimes retailing the produce This sort of agricultural system was roughly the same in all parts of Gallanol, whether in the plains of Paldein, or the mountains of Falwent. Each town or city had its own agricultural community, linked to it usually within two days of transport time. Beyond these bounds agriculture was very scarce until you came to the next town and its hinterland

      Despite this individual areas were not self-sufficient in everything. Regions specialised in the produce they could produce most efficiently, given market conditions. Thus there was a great deal of agricultural trade between regions. Some crops such as fruit could only be grown in the south. However, despite being in the north, Elladein was a very fertile region, so there was a lot of agriculture here. Prydein and Falwent were much more pastoral and tended to import large amounts of grain from the other Kingdoms.