Chapter 18: Autumn/winter 876 AD

Scott's two thousand foot had already arrived in Fife and were camped to the north and east of Dùn Fearam Linn. There was something of a stir in the camp; an atmosphere and Scott called for his lieutenants to discover what was going on. It seemed that the men had been here for several nights and some had been drinking heavily. The night before one of the women with the host, one of those brought to serve in a field hospital, had been raped by two men.

Scott was furious. Perhaps the possibility that it could have been one of his wives raised his response to the rape, but whatever; he was in a towering rage. He confirmed that all knew who the two men were and ordered that they be taken and bound. Meanwhile he went in search of the poor woman who had been attacked. He found her in the care of Fiona and Eilean. Her face was bruised, her lips cut and she cowered as he approached her.

Fiona led him to the side and away from the woman, explaining that she was still suffering the aftershocks of the attack and any male presence was like to start her screaming. She explained that the woman's physical injuries were relatively light but the mental anguish she was suffering was severe. Fiona suggested that if this had happened only a few years ago the woman would probably have been able to bear it better, rape being not uncommon. The years of 'peace' within the settlements of Dalriada and Scott's encouragement of the liberalisation of women had perhaps softened them all a little.

With further food for thought as to the changes he was making, Scott called for the men to be brought before him.

"Does any here bear witness to what happened last night?" He asked those around him.

Several men stepped forward and described what they had seen.

"Do you deny that you raped this woman?" He asked the two men.

"My Lord, we were only having a little fun." Whined one of the men.

"Fun!" Thundered Scott. "As the commander of this host it is my duty to maintain discipline. These women have been brought with us to care for the injured and wounded and you thought you could use them to have some fun?"

All round men lowered their eyes from his gaze, the anger blazing there.

"Take them away and hang them from the tallest tree you can find. Hang them as an example of what happens when men think that women can be their playthings, particularly women whose only thought was to be here to comfort and care for all of you!"

The entire episode left Scott feeling black. He avoided Gabrain, Lachlan and his wives for the remainder of the day and didn't seek out Murdoch either. All in his camp sought to avoid him when he was in this kind of mood. He sat alone atop a hill, looking out over Fife and questioning the position. Had things not progressed to the point where the women of Dalriada had earned the right to better treatment? They had been performing the jobs of men for a number of years and their contribution to the development of the lordships was significant. Why then were they still regarded by some as objects for men's gratification? Was he wrong to have changed their role? Fiona had suggested the changes had somehow left them more vulnerable, more affected by such treatment. Was he at fault here? He shook himself mentally. Was it better to have more of a chance of being raped but not to be so badly affected by it, accepting it as normal? Or to have rape less common but women badly traumatised? He decided firmly that rape wasn't acceptable and he was in the right. Happier in himself, he descended the hill and tried to get back to organising his men to do what he had come for.

Murdoch rode into his camp the next morning and they clasped arms in a warm greeting. He brought Scott up to speed with the situation he faced.

"My scouts tell me there are perhaps five thousand Vikings to the north, based around the Tay but raiding south with growing frequency. The Saxons landed further down this coast, at a place called Limeford and they have perhaps as many as eight thousand moving slowly towards us."

"Your information is a little out of date my friend. There are now only a few hundred Norsemen on your northern borders. These brave men of Dalriada put more than four thousand to the sword less than a week ago on our way to join you." Scott told him.

"But I visited this camp two days ago and none knew of this." Murdoch replied.

"I let the foot come directly here Murdoch, I went north with one thousand cavalry and it was these that defeated the Vikings."

"So many with only one thousand? What are you Scott, some kind of magician? Norse-slayer they name you and with good reason it seems!"

Murdoch was delighted and not a little relieved that at least one of the threats facing him had been removed. The friends discussed tactics for dealing with the Saxons, Murdoch sending messengers to draw in some of the men he had stationed in the north of Fife to guard against Norse attacks. The fact that they could now concentrate on the Saxons meant that they had the overall advantage in numbers for a change, perhaps eleven thousand to the Saxons eight.

Despite that, Scott was keen that they bring matters to a head sooner rather than later, he would like to return to Dalriada in plenty of time for the harvest. He was also determined to strike a hammer blow that would make it clear to the Saxons once and for all that Fife was not an option for their land grabbing tactics. He questioned Murdoch as to the lay of the land the Saxons would need to cross as they came further north, trying to find any further advantage he could.

It seemed the Saxons were following the coastline in their advance and Murdoch indicated that Dùn Fearam Linn was the most strategic point they would have to pass. He already had several thousand of his men holding this higher ground and the Saxons were testing his defences there. Scott told Murdoch that he had brought his balloon with him in one of his wagons and he explained what he had done with it in the Pass of Brander. Murdoch's face lit up at the prospect of this same ploy being used against the Saxons and he was also interested in Scott's description of the trebuchets, more of which were being built even as they spoke.

Murdoch had described the coastal lands as being somewhat boggy and Scott realised he would be unable to use his cavalry to any great effect with such footing. This was like to be a significant loss to him as his recent battle with the Vikings had proved. He thought hard about how he might still use his horses to positively sway the odds in their favour. Gabrain asked Murdoch whether there were any firmer areas along this coast and Murdoch informed them that there was a spit of higher ground around one of his camps - Inverkeithing. Scott clapped Gabrain on the back for his smart thinking and they mounted up to go and survey what they had to work with.

Scott moved his infantry forward to join Murdoch's on the hillside around Dùn Fearam Linn. There were now perhaps five thousand stationed here, with another four thousand of Murdoch's men hurrying south to join them. Murdoch exclaimed when he saw the tightly marshalled groups of one hundred and twenty Dalriada men in their schiltroms and Scott explained the reasoning behind the new formation.

They left the men and rode east before swinging south to prospect this Inverkeithing that Murdoch had mentioned. Inverkeithing was perched on quite a high rocky promontory that rose up right on the coast. They rode to the top and could see the hordes of Saxons only a few miles off their front turned towards Dùn Fearam Linn.

Scott believed he could make the land work for them here and explained how he intended to use his cavalry if the Saxons would only be so polite as to assist him! Gabrain and Murdoch smiled broadly at the plan Scott laid out, sure it would work.

Scott now urged Murdoch to press forward onto the attack, not waiting for his additional troops to arrive. Murdoch was more cautious but bowed to Scott's greater experience. With no other great preparations to be made, Scott sent his one thousand mounted men east and south to Inverkeithing and once more he and Gabrain jumped aboard the balloon and heated it so they rose up into the air.

He recognised fairly quickly that the wind on the ground had been misleading and up higher it was blowing off of the Forth Water and up the hill towards Dùn Fearam Linn. It was clear he wouldn't be able to drift over the Saxons and that meant he wouldn't be able to use his burning oil and flour trick after all. Nonetheless the view from several hundred yards up gave him some greater intelligence on the Saxon forces and how they were deployed which was useful in itself. Satisfied he had seen all there was to see, Scott signalled to have the balloon winched in.

Eight trebuchets were wheeled forward and they marked the start of the battle, firing concrete blocks and pots filled with oil and soap. The Saxons realised they couldn't just stand idly waiting for these machines to decimate their numbers and quickly began streaming forward, forced to take the battle to the Scots and having to do so uphill. Murdoch's men ran forward to meet them and Scott's schiltroms moved forward too but at a much slower, disciplined pace.

With the added momentum of running downhill, Murdoch's troops had the more marked effect, crashing into the Saxons with a mighty ringing of steel. The schiltroms were more ordered and gained less immediate ground, but what they lost in momentum they made up for in remaining tightly grouped and co-ordinated in their assault.

Scott's one thousand mounted men had hidden their horses behind the hill at Inverkeithing and now crept forward so that the longbow archers amongst them were within range of the rearmost ranks of the Saxons. They began to fire volley after volley of their arrows into the enemy, to great effect. The Saxon leadership recognised this new threat and detached a great company of their men, as many as two thousand, to plowter through the marshy ground towards the archers. The archers kept up their volleys at the main host until their attackers came within crossbow range. Then all one thousand began to fire their crossbows rapidly, the 'magazine' attachments dropping new bolts into the slots on their bows as fast as they could work the lever action.

The Saxons leadership recognised things were going badly for them, the fact that they had to attack uphill a significant disadvantage. Murdoch's men were involved in bloody hand to hand fighting, the Saxons having halted their forward charge and all on that right hand side of the battlefront was somewhat static.

Scott's schiltroms had practised their manoeuvres well, intended to make sure that they didn't become static, and the commanders in each square continually ordered their men to move forward, back or sideways as the situation determined. Each square was supporting the others immediately around them, the front ranks locking shields and protecting the square while those behind thrust their spears over their shoulders and heads to skewer the enemy. The tactics were working to an extent but progress was still slow given the numbers of Saxons they were matched against.