Chapter 27: Peace

Scott took the next three weeks to travel round Scotland with his wives, a leisurely honeymoon meeting the remaining earls and their people while taking in the beauty and splendour of Scotland in all her autumnal glory. The weather was extremely kind and they were able to ride and visit some of the many sandy beaches, swimming and diving to try and catch flounders, a flat fish that lay on the sandy bottom of the sea.

The girls had yet to really come down from their high of the wedding and almost seemed to be floating on air for the majority of the trip.

Once back at Inveraray, Scott was all business once more. The teams of men to help train the Saxons and Vikings had been chosen and were now assembled. One group was leaving from Fife and that would sail down the East Coast to land and help the English. The second team assembled at Inveraray and was intended to help the Vikings if a peace treaty could be agreed.

Gavin MacCann was flying the bi-plane south and Scott was taking drums of fuel with him aboard ship. The plan was that Gavin would allow them ten days to sail south and find a suitable landing strip. Scott indicated that this would be close to the coast so that Gavin could fly south and follow the coastline to find them. Scott indicated that he would use burning torches to help guide Gavin in. He planned to meet up with Mac and use his sabre teams to secure the temporary 'airport'.

Scott bade his wives farewell, Fiona and Eilean were particularly concerned about this trip as he was taking David and Crinan with him. He waved as the ships sailed down Loch Fyne on their way south.

Mac MacKelvie had made his way south with his sabre teams. They had encountered little trouble along the way and their automatic weapons ensured what enmity they did meet up with was quickly brushed aside.

It had taken them three weeks to reach Reading, which sat on the River Thames, and here he found Alfred and a host of Saxons, perhaps eight thousand strong. Mac's scouts confirmed that fighting between the Saxons and the Danes was still fierce with a battle having taken place only days before on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain.

Alfred was in good cheer as his forces had had the better of this latest exchange between himself and the Vikings and he welcomed Mac and a small party of Scots like long lost friends. After a night of feasting and drinking, Mac asked to have a private discussion with Alfred and his most senior lords and advisors.

He set out the plans Scott had devised in Inveraray, emphasising the many positives for Alfred and his Saxons. He talked about the possibility of peace and an end to the bloodshed. He explained how the Scots were willing to help improve the land and teach them better farming methods so Alfred would have access to significantly increased food reserves. Mac emphasised the potential for trade between the Saxons, the Danes and the Scots as one way of maintaining peace between them and he made the offer of advice and help from the Scots to get other improvements such as education and health underway.

Alfred was a canny negotiator, but even he was surprised at the extent of what the Scots were offering while apparently getting nothing back in return. Mac indicated that trade and peace were what Scotland was most interested in and if these could be achieved then the Scots objectives would be met.

Mac had to remain at Reading for four days while Alfred discussed the proposals with his senior people. Although Scott had surmised that Alfred would be a fool to reject these terms and subject his people to continued war with the Danes, the English King was in no rush to agree, perhaps looking for some trick or device in what was being offered.

At last Mac was summoned and he met with Alfred once more.

"Greetings mighty Earl of Northumbria! I have considered the proposals you have brought from the Norse-slayer and have decided that we can agree to them. Already I have the Danes almost brought to heel, but something that brings an end to the conflict that much sooner is to be desired. Guthrum the Old, the Danish leader, converted to Christianity as a sign of good faith and for a while there was peace between us.

"It is only recently that there has been an influx of younger and more warlike Danes, eager for lands. It may be that you will be able to persuade Guthrum to return to peaceful ways with these promises you have brought to me, particularly the promise of a better supply of food.

"If Guthrum agrees to these terms then I am willing to sign a treaty with the Danes if they return to, and remain within, the Danelaw (the lands in the south of England that the Vikings had been settled in for some time)."

"Noble words indeed your majesty. I will seek out the Ard Righ and we will look to meet with Guthrum the Old to put these same terms to him." Said Mac.

He wasted no more time, but set out from Reading in search of Scott and his forces at once. Mac travelled ever more cautiously as he made his way southwest across Salisbury Plain, meeting small bands of Vikings, but nothing he couldn't deal with. His force had to skirt Yeovil as there was a larger concentration of Danes here, and he eventually reached the coast on the east side of Lyme Bay.

Mac dispersed his troops to secure the area they were in from Viking assault, essentially securing it so that the bi-plane would have a safe landing area. Five days later, Scott's ships were sighted in the bay and a signal fire was lit to guide them to the spot that Mac had chosen.

Scott, Gabrain and Lachlan left the ships and waded ashore to meet Mac on the beach.

"Well met Mac, it's good to see you safe and well. I'm guessing by the satisfied look on your face that things went well with Alfred?" Asked Scott.

"Indeed your Grace, eventually. These English don't believe in doing anything quickly and I admit to some frustration at the delays and constant pressing for more from us. But, he has agreed to a treaty if we can convince the Danes too."

"Excellent, I knew I could rely on you my friend. Now, what about the Danes? Did you identify who it is we need to deal with?"

"Yes your Grace. The Viking leader is called Guthrum the Old and my scouts have already discovered that he is based at Exeter."

"Then yourself and Gabrain should make your way there to see this Guthrum and put our terms to him. Once Gavin arrives I have thought up a little gimmick that will hopefully impress the Danes and lend some weight to your negotiations."

Scott didn't go into details of what he had planned at this point, but instead he enquired how many days it would take Mac to make his way to Exeter. Mac indicated that three days hard marching would probably cover the trip and Scott nodded. He could have used his ships, but thought this might be a little too inflammatory with the Vikings. Their memories of what the Scots ships had done at Exeter in past years would still be fresh.

They only had to wait two days before Gavin MacCann and the bi-plane arrived, Gavin setting the plane down in the field they had identified for him.

Mac and Gabrain immediately set out for Exeter now that the plane was here, Scott still not having told them how he planned to use it to help their negotiations. They took half of Mac's troops with them as a guard force and struck out westwards around Lyme Bay itself.

Three days later Mac's scouts advised him that they had located the Danish camp, on the banks of the River Exe. The Danes appeared to be in a sorry state, perhaps still licking their wounds from the recent defeat by Alfred. Mac hoped this might put them in a better frame of mind to agree a treaty.

Four men were sent forward under a flag of truce to advise Guthrum that they wished to negotiate with him and Gabrain and Mac settled down for the night. They were awoken several times during the night by gunfire, but Mac's men advised them there was nothing to be alarmed about, just some Danes probing their defences to try and identify how many Scots were in the area perhaps.

The next day their men returned to confirm that Guthrum had agreed to meet with them. The men advised that the Danes were very hostile towards them and they advised Mac to keep all fifty of his troops with them at all times. Mac thought that sounded like good advice and they set out for the Viking camp with rifles at the ready.

As they neared the camp Mac could see what his scouts meant. The tents were tattered and everywhere men looked tired and beaten. It was clear that this was a force that had been through a prolonged period of hard fighting and hard living. Tired they may have been, but the Vikings clearly bristled as the Scots approached, the losses that they had suffered in previous years making them immediately hostile.

They were taken to meet Guthrum, who proved to be not that old at all, perhaps in his mid forties. This time it was Gabrain who made the opening overtures as to why they had come. Guthrum was immediately suspicious and, like Alfred before him, didn't respond in a wildly positive way. Gabrain and Mac were surprised that neither of these 'great' leaders was able to immediately see the significant benefits for their people that were on offer. Guthrum was obviously more interested in the rifles that the Scots carried, no doubt realising it had been these that had been used on the men he had sent to the camp during the night. Despite what Scott had said back in Inveraray, the rifles seemed to have more of an effect on the Danes than the offer of help and trade.

After a day of discussions and pointed questioning, little headway had been made with the Danes. At least they had received agreement that they could return the next day to continue, so all was not lost.