The months slipped by. Christ’s Mass festivities came and went so that goodwill to all men spread, even to Hywel. At last, Asculf noted with satisfaction, the Welshman had been accepted by the other guards, even by Egon, whose scarred upper arm testified to their former enmity. The slowest to unbend was Eadlac, whose role as chief of the bodyguards meant he showed no favour to anyone among them. In Asculf’s opinion, he used this as an excuse to avoid friendship with Hywel. There could be no other reason, since the Welshman was conscientious and never objected to additional duties. This generosity and his natural good humour and wit made him popular with the other guards. By the spring, like the winter soil, Eadlac thawed and began chatting with the former slave.
One morning, the ealdorman
