Sunday, November 06, 2005
497
Sir Mortimer speaks
We barely made it through the winter with our status intact. If we have another winter like that, we'll be reduced to riding pigs, I'm afraid.
The son of the King of Wessex fed off the hospitality of the Countess all winter long at Sarum. As the weather warmed up we sent him on his way, with the same answer we gave last year: NO tribute! Although we hear everyone else paid it. We rode to Duke Ulfius at Astalat looking for aid. When we arrived it was clear that not only was the Duke also paying tribute, he was actually collaborating with the Saxons! Incredible. I'm afraid I couldn't contain myself: I picked a fight with one of the Saxon nobles by the latrine. We dueled, which greatly displeased the Duke, but I had the satisfaction of killing the saxon. Then the Duke kicked us out.
To hell with Duke Ulfius! We'll kick the Saxons out on our own, at least from Salisbury. Sir Berwyn and his cohorts from Silchester offered us their aid, so we marched into Hampshire. First, we sacked and burned Camelot. Go Salisbury! Then on to Portsmouth: sack and burn. With each victory we sent a stream of freed peasants and loot back to Sarum. At the Battle of the Wharf we destroyed half of Wessex's ships! We couldn't finish the job, as he was on the Isle of Wight with the rest of his force, but we slowed him down for sure, and showed him what the men of Salisbury are made of!
Oh, no! My lovely lady Rose died in childbirth, though my son survived. With the blessings of the Countess I married Lady Alis of Winterbourne Stoke.
