Rochester, Kingdom of Kent, 855 AD
Rochester, Kingdom of Kent, 855 ADBack at the tavern, Faruin delayed going upstairs in favour of taking in the local atmosphere. Finding a corner table, he studied the men playing dice for drinks. It surprised him that nobody spoke of Vikings—it was as if they knew nothing of their arrival or lived in a different world. Some chatted about their day’s work, others about the w****s who plied their trade in the riverside taverns. Faruin was glad that he had chosen a more respectable place for himself and his mother. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to stand on his chair to yell at them that the Danes were only a few leagues from Rochester, but for what purpose? He’d keep the message for the ealdorman. These simple, hard-working ceorls, swilling their ale, h
