Fortress of Fury is the seventh instalment of Bernicia Chronicles by Matthew Harffy. It’s unbelievable that I got this far reading the series. Such a milestone! I am truly enthralled with everything Bernicia Chronicles, enjoying every word and feeling the pain and loss of every death of its characters.
Returning from Rodomo, Beobrand’s household grew larger with the addition of Ardith, her mother, and Brinin, now Ardith’s husband. Halinard, an ex-guard of Lord Vulmar, also followed Beobrand back to Albion and joined as his gesitha.
Based on the official excerpt, I believe that the primary theme of Fortress of Fury centres around the historical event of the siege of Bebbanburg by the Mercians. It would be fascinating to see how Beobrand’s involvement is interwoven with this event.
I have several suspicions since the last book, and I hope to find some clarity or answers in Fortress of Fury.
Fortress of Fury: Storyline
Before jumping deeper into this seventh instalment of Bernicia Chronicles, I want to address that Beobrand broke Hrunting, the sword from Book 1, during his fight to save Ardith. But as quickly, a new sword chose him, and it was the Nægling.
Fortress of Fury starts with Beobrand strolling along the dark alleys of York on the way to meet his secret lover. But instead of enjoying some quality time with the lady, Beobrand was attacked by unknown assailants near the Minster. Of course, it wasn’t called that yet at that time. I’m wildly assuming that it’s the only church-like building in York since the 600s and is the forerunner of today’s York Minster.
Beobrand’s journey in Fortress of Fury takes an expected turn, at least to me. His secret lover is no longer a secret. I got the answer I searched for. I’ve sensed a subtle chemistry between these two since the last book. But I never anticipated it would blossom into an affair, especially considering her marriage to Oswiu. I thought it would have been merely stealing glances peppered with longing and yearning for each other. But yet, in Fortress of Fury, it’s now official that Beobrand is involved with the Queen of Bernicia. Now, if that’s not asking for trouble, I don’t know what is.
Another potential problem for Beobrand was the unknown assailants, who apparently were men ordered by Lord Vulmar of Rodomo to assassinate Beobrand. Halinard, one of Beo’s gesithas, saw the sword of these men. He knew instantly that they were sent from across the channel. I guess Beobrand’s troublemaking day has gone internationally now. Progress!
The Siege of Bebbanburg
The year was 647, and the Mercians were back. Now, with the support of the kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd. Their armies started scouting the western bound of Bernicia and already destroyed the hall of Leofwing, one of Oswiu’s thegns.
The upper echelons of Bernicia were worried about the impending war. But Beobrand’s mind anticipated future attacks from the Frankish assassins or the looming fury if the King discovered that Beo had been bedding the Queen. Don’t you love it when politics and romance are mixed? Zessssty…
Finding out that Penda had split his army in two, Beobrand and some other thegns realised that he was marching towards Bebbanburg and creating a diversion by wreaking havoc at the southern border of Bernicia.
The Mercian siege upon Bebbanburg failed, though not miserably. They managed to destroy one of the gates and nearly make entry to the castle. The days of the siege were coloured by definite emotional tensions between Eanflaed and Beobrand. Luckily, they continued to remain professional and successfully managed to organise the castle during the Mercian attack.
A reference to Bede’s writing, Book III Chapter 16, was included in this part of Fortress of Fury. It mentions the story of Penda’s effort to burn Bebbanburg, which failed because Bishop Aidan said something about the wind. (1968: 167).
Oswiu was not at the castle during the siege because he was patrolling on the southern side of the territory. Or was he visiting his Hibernian wife? I can’t remember, sorry. Cynan went to fetch him, and he showed up in Chapter 29, seemingly at the right time to pin the Mercians in the middle of the battlefield until they retreated from Bebbanburg.
The Aftermath
After all the hard work his subjects had done to protect the castle, Oswiu was unhappy because Oswine of Deira did not show up to help. Even after a Deiran messenger told him how they were ambushed by Penda’s Waelisc army on the way to Bebbanburg, Oswiu would have none of it.
He now considers Oswine to be an enemy. He also believes that Oswine sent men to kill him during the truce, even though it was clear that those were Vulmar’s men aiming to kill Beobrand.
Don’t think that Beobrand didn’t try to explain who these assailants were. Oswiu couldn’t think clearly and somehow refused to be upstaged by Beobrand’s personal problem with Lord Vulmar of Rodomo.
Oswiu was dead set that those men were sent by Oswine to kill him, and therefore, he should return the favour. For this, Oswiu sent Beobrand and his warband to kill Lord Wulfstan, Oswine’s thegn. In Oswiu’s mind, Wulfstan’s death would mean the same to Oswine as Fordraed’s death to him.
Chapters 39 onwards of Fortress of Fury were not a pleasant read as Beobrand had to inform his Deiran friends that he had been sent to kill their king by Oswiu. Adding to the awkwardness, Heremod and the rest of Fordraed’s men were sent to assist Beobrand in carrying out the task.
What an ending.
Characters in Fortress of Fury
Cynan, a Waelisc who’s now a member of Beobrand’s gesitha, had grown to be very protective of Beobrand. Especially after Lord Vulmar put a price on Beobrand’s head. Cynan began to show his leadership ability and gained his own following after the Battle of Hefenfelth.
Strong hints in Fortress of Fury led me to believe that Matthew Harffy is getting ready for Cynan to take Beobrand’s place as the major character. Of course, these are just my interpretations. The future plots remain unknown, and I can only wait and see how they unfold.
When Lord Vulmar’s assassins attacked Beobrand in York, a new figure named Lord Wulfstan came to his aid. Lord Wulfstan was one of King Oswine’s retainers but became good friends with Beobrand, who currently serves under Oswiu.
Lord Fordraed still has beef with Beobrand and tries to blame the destruction of Bebbanburg’s gate on Beobrand. He’s married to Edlyn of Ubbanford now, and he is depicted as an abusive man. His hatred for Beobrand grew even more because Oswiu thought he didn’t do enough during the Mercian attack. I have the Franks assassins to thank for ending the fate of Lord Fordraed. At least no one is beating up Lady Edlyn anymore.
Heremod, one of Lord Fordraed’s retainers, gained a bit of importance in Fortress of Fury because he stumbled upon Beobrand’s secret tryst with the Queen. Of course, Heremod shared Lord Fordraed’s feelings about Beobrand and would prefer to see Beobrand’s fall. Now, he has one secret that could undoubtedly cause Beobrand to lose his head.
There were some scenes involving Octa, Beobrand’s son. He grew up in the court of Oswiu and seemed to have a distant relationship with Beobrand. I feel bad for Beobrand because he got separated from Octa and didn’t get the chance to shape Octa the way he wanted. I wonder if Octa would be one of the sources of Beobrand’s future problems. I hope not; he’s Sunniva’s son, and I loved Sunniva’s character.
Oh, King Oswiu… Oswiu is portrayed as very reckless and disagreeable here, to which I’m inclined to believe. I mean, he probably was. I tried to read accompanying books to find out how he was described, and I found a reference to Oswiu’s character described in Barbara Yorke’s book:
“Oswiu is the one ruler from Bede’s gallery of early Northumbrian kings who displays clearly those qualities of ruthlessness which must have been an essential prerequisite of early medieval kingship. A cousin, nephew, and son all seem to have suffered at Oswiu’s hands when they threatened to thwart his power or his ambitions, and Oswiu was prepared to risk the life of a second son in his battle for dominance with the Mercian kings.” – Yorke, 1990: 79.
See!!!?
The way Oswiu was portrayed in Fortress of Fury is what we, Indonesians, call kepala batu. I’ll keep going back to the moments when he super insisted that the assassins were sent to murder him because to him Beobrand was just a low-life thegn. Butuh botolnya Teh Sosro untuk bikin ni orang nyadar akan kegeerannya. Even though he helped Beobrand facing the returning Frankish assassins in Chapter 38, I still find it difficult to soften towards Oswiu. I’m not complaining, it’s just how he is—was.
Afterthoughts
Verdict
Overall, Fortress of Fury’s ending was anti-climactic but also somehow conclusive. I enjoyed how Matthew Harffy incorporated the characters into the siege of Bebbanburg and took details based on Bede’s writing.
I’ll keep an eye on Cynan, though, because I genuinely feel his wyrd is written to replace Beobrand.
I enjoyed how Matthew Harffy incorporated the characters into the siege of Bebbanburg and took details based on Bede’s writing. The event was written seamlessly, including Eanflæd and Beobrand’s effort to remain focused on the tasks at hand.
But notice how I did not focus on Eanflæd and her personal turmoil about Beobrand? I mean, this happens every time in every type of story. Their relationship, while not the central focus of the story, adds depth and complexity to the narrative. I hope she will sort it out soon. Or take the ghosting way like people do today; it’s easier. She’s an actual historical figure and was recorded as an abbess in Whitby. So, there’s your other possible solution, Miss.
By Chapter Five, I was struck by the organic diversity of Beobrand’s gesithas. It was a natural progression, mirroring the story’s development and historical elements, without feeling forced upon me as a reader. I will emphasise again that this is a rare occurrence in today’s novels.
I slowly begin to understand the works of these thegns and their army when they’re prepping for war. While gathering forces before a battle, it seems like they also functioned as patrols to warn farmers, villagers, and ceorls alike. This action was done so they had ample time to save themselves, though it often meant they had to leave their homesteads.
Overall, Fortress of Fury’s ending was anti-climactic but also somehow conclusive. I’m happy Beobrand did what he did. I think that’s the best he can do to appease the increasingly unlikeable Oswiu. I was quite surprised by one tiny detail mentioned in the last chapters that left me wondering if this would be another source of a problem later.
I’m glad I had the chance to read the seventh book of the Bernicia Chronicles. I feel like I’m growing old with Beobrand as I’m reading his adventures. In Fortress of Fury, I learned more about loyalty as portrayed by the Black Shields towards Beobrand.
I’ll keep an eye on Cynan, though, because I genuinely feel his wyrd is written to replace Beobrand. Cynan’s presence differs from Acennan’s, who clearly was created to fight alongside Beobrand. We’ll see, we’ll see.
Speculations
There’s still 200 years span until Northumbria falls into the hands of the Vikings. I’m highly curious if the chronicles will end with Beobrand’s demise or will it continue with new generations of Bernicians.
I imagine, if Harffy was to highlight the history of Northumbria until the Battle of Winwæd, then there’d be at least three more books he should write. Perhaps, the death of Penda in the Battle of Winwæd would be a nice closing chapters as well because Beobrand would be of retirement age as a warrior by then. He wouldn’t live to be 100, that’s for sure.
For the time being, I think it’s proper to continue reading Book 8, For Lord and Land.
References
- Bede. 1968. A History of the English Church and People. Translated by Leo Sherley-Price. Penguin Classics. Cox & Wyman Ltd.: London.
- Yorke, Barbara. 1990. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge: London.