woman, and my Uncle Wallia, who is my favorite uncle. They thought of me as their own son, during my father’s absence. When my parents didn’t return, they took care of me. Uncle Wallia taught me how to use a sword, and taught me the ways of war. My aunt took care of me when I was injured. I had a talent for falling out of trees. That almost ended my life once. I had broken bones all over, and spent a great deal of time in her care. I promised never to climb a tree again,” he declared.
“So, have you stayed out of trees since then?” I asked with a smirk.
“Yes, I have. I stay as far away from them as possible, whenever I hear thunder. That’s how I became startled and fell out of a tree. There was thunder . . . a flash of lightening that set a tree close by on fire. So I jumped and almost broke my neck!” he said. I was amazed that Gerulf had survived that experience.
After a long two hours, we felt more comfortable revealing things about ourselves to each other. It was so easy to like Gerulf. His eyes were sincere and kind. I liked the way his eyes smiled, as well as his mouth. We had no problem thinking of topics to speak about. I felt this would be a long relationship—I hoped it would be.
Saskia and Anselm were also deep in conversation and laughing together. The long afternoon riding in the hot sun, seemed effortless, with such good company along. We each agreed to spend our time riding together over the next few days.
“I can’t believe it’s time to camp for the night,” I said. “I am starving!”
“Have you seen any animals to hunt for the evening meal?” Anselm asked Saskia after we stopped our horses.
“Ne, but if we are quiet, we might find a rabbit or deer in those woods. Let’s hunt something delicious!”
“I suppose we could help you hunt for something to eat. If we found a deer or two, we would be able to share it with the others,” I said.
We spread out, stealthily watching for animals to hunt, with our scent downwind. We held our weapons ready to throw. Gerulf signaled for me to go around a boulder to the right and to chase anything out toward him. Saskia pointed to a dark figure in the trees, and Anselm worked his way closer to see what it was. Gerulf and I crouched low in the brush; Saskia and Anselm carefully aimed their weapons at the dark figure. We crept closer, until we were only fifteen paces away. Someone’s foot made a slight cracking sound—a branch splitting; we froze, looking at a deer. It was a healthy-looking buck. A doe stepped out from behind a shrub, into the light. Soon two more deer presented themselves in partial light.
Anselm signaled that we each should aim for a different deer, to strike four deer, possibly five, if another one appeared. If someone felt they could manage with both their weapons, we could have enough meat for the tribe. Of course, I knew that it wouldn’t be me. I could defend myself, but hunting was another matter. Saskia was eager to throw her spear and her ax, so I thought it would be her day to impress us all. Anselm and Saskia were to throw their spears at the exact time that we threw ours . . . “THWACK, THWACK, THWACK, THWACK . . . THWACK!” Only, Saskia threw her spear, and then, her mighty ax. We wounded five deer. Several other deer ran away, as we saw some escape through the clearing in the distance. We crept closer to make sure that the males were unable to rise up and possibly gore one of us. A few of the deer struggled to move their legs; their bodies twitched, but none lifted themselves off the ground. We thanked the gods for providing this meat for our people.
“Wonderful!”I said.“That was simply wonderful! Saskia, you are a fine hunter.” Saskia noted that my aim with the spear was perfect. Gerulf and Anselm had never seen two women who could aim so well. Saskia was praised for her ability to throw both her spear and her ax so precisely.
“Whew! I really should get to know you better, Saskia! That was perfect aim!” Anselm said emphatically.
“Well . . . let’s get some help moving these deer where we can clean and roast them,” Gerulf said. “There will be a feast tonight—better make several large fires!”
Men and women slaves came to assist with the tasks of butchering the deer. I was relieved that I didn’t have to clean the carcasses by myself. The women prepared the meat on skewers over a fire and others sought some vegetables from their provisions in the wagons. It would be late before we ate, but luckily, the skies stayed light in the nighttime, due to the recent summer solstice.
Again, there was singing and dancing by the campfires. Children listened to the age old stories of their heroes and their famous deeds. These people were our kin now. We were connected with them through our gods and our sharing.
The next day, as we approached a region where we knew there might be other tribes, our eyes and ears were alert to slight movements and sudden noises. There were scouts in front of the procession of wagons and horses, who would warn us of any great danger. Little did we know what was about to happen, until it was too late.
A sudden shower of arrows and spears rained down upon us from every direction, as we passed through a canyon, causing our tribe to either leap for cover under the wagons, behind shrubs, or in gaps between rocks. There was nothing we could do, except wait. Some of the men, with swords and shields, rode ahead, to search for our attackers. Several people had been struck with arrows or rocks, and were lying beside each other, groaning. A few people were dead. Luckily, most of the children were under the wagons, or inside them. One or two children were struck and fell into the arms of their mothers, who were screaming. It was pitiful to see such a horrible sight.
In the distance, we heard shouts and grunts. Fighting had broken out between the men of our tribe and our attackers. We rushed out from under cover to join the battle. Saskia and I borrowed two shields to protect ourselves. Gerulf and Anselm told us to stay back, but we had to go see what was happening.
Ahead, we saw the bloody skirmish, with Gepids and enemy fighting each other on foot. Men on horses, skirted the circumference of the battle, looking for an enemy to wound. We heard yelling and the growling of men with bared teeth, forcing their opponents to their knees, and finally to their deaths.
After a short time, there was no one left to fight, as our enemies lay on the ground, heaped on top of each other, blood spilling from their wounds. Gerulf and Anselm, along with some other men, with whom they were familiar, returned to us, where we were wedged out of sight, in a cleft between two boulders.
“So there you hide safely. You should not have risked your lives to be so close to the fighting! Next time, you might not fare so well!” Gerulf warned.
“Ja, the enemy would have seen two beautiful women to capture for themselves.” Anselm added.
“If they dared to come near us, we had our shields and spears ready. We had protection here,” we boasted.
“Who are these warriors that challenge us?” I asked.
“We don’t know them, but perhaps one of the captured men will reveal their identity,” Gerulf explained, “when we ‘play’ with them a little . . . they will talk.”
“I have the feeling they won’t like the game we play with them,” Anselm added.
“You won’t have much to say to them, except, tell us who you are, or you die!” Saskia remarked, Gerulf and Anselm noting her comment.
“Perhaps, you should interrogate them, Saskia! Just threaten them with your ax, and they’ll wet themselves,” I laughed. We laughed heartily on our ride back to the wagons, where we knew we would find sadness and tears among those who lost someone dear to them.
People
