<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">The Pennines; the hilly uplands of Northern England. 800 C.E. </span></span><br/><br/>The sun began to dance among the treetops on the west side of the Itouna river valley, having long since slipped past its zenith. The hours were fading fast and the hunt was drawing to a close.<br/><br/>Downwind, trotting along the west side of the river strode a great black horse and its rider. The huge animal, called<span style="font-style: italic">Sceade</span>, was more than seventeen hands high at the withers. The name of the powerful creature meant ‘shadow’ in the native tongue of its rider, the Saxon horseman known as Eadric of Anson. Eadric scanned the riverbank carefully with his sword resting on the shoulder of his well-kept chain armor, both of which glinted brilliantly in the fading sunlight, making his task harder. Regardless, he sensed his prey would be in need of water after a desperate flight through the woods.<br/><br/>The valley before him was wild and unspoiled – and in fact quite beautiful in Eadric’s eyes. The Pennines were a lightly settled hill country left to the original inhabitants of Britain following the migrations of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Today the rough uplands were not directly overseen by any Saxon lord, even though King Eardwulf of Northumbria claimed the region to be nominally part of his kingdom.<br/><br/>The twenty-six-year-old guided his horse expertly with the practiced ease of one who had spent much of his life in the saddle. He was part of a new class of professional cavalryman modeled on the<span style="font-style: italic">Chevaliers</span>of Charlemagne, sometimes referred to as<span style="font-style: italic">Cniht</span>or ‘servant’ in the Saxon tongue.  Eadric had been raised to this status and given his majestic steed for fighting on behalf of Eardwulf during the war to overthrow the former King Osbald of Northumbria. Since that time Eadric had come into the service of Bishop Eanberht of Hexham, a vassal of King Eardwulf.<br/><br/>Eadric had been chasing his quarry for hours with the stubbornness that came naturally to him. It was that same stubbornness which led him to hunt without donning his greathelm – equipment which he felt served to only block his vision. By not wearing it a passerby could easily make out his shoulder-length brown hair, chiseled features and crystal blue eyes; traits which were not uncommon among his people. He scratched the few days of stubble on his face as he scanned ahead, squinting as he held the reigns held tightly with his left hand. It shouldn’t be long now, he guessed.<br/><br/>As they continued the tall grass below Sceade undulated in alternating waves of green and blonde in the midsummer heat. Eventually the wind picked up as the sun settled which helped to mask the sound of the horse and rider. Suddenly, ahead of him, Eadric spotted his prey kneeling down for a drink from the river. He instantly raised his sword and brought his steed into a charge. While many of his cohorts were beginning to fight with spears from horseback, Eadric preferred the sword.<br/><br/>Partly this was because his quarry was not a deer or elk, though, but instead a man – a thief to be exact. The criminal, wearing only peasant garb and carrying a small knife for protection, eventually spotted the terrifying sight of the charging cavalryman and panicked. The man raced into the river and began wading across as quickly as a he could.<br/><br/>By the time Sceade had reached the bank the man was part way across and up to his chest in water, frantically watching the mounted soldier over his shoulder. Sceade, meanwhile, hesitated at the water’s edge. While the horse could swim as well as any, he sensed the weight of rider and gear would make it difficult. He neighed and bobbed his head in protest, doing his best to communicate concern. This concern went unheeded.<br/><br/>Through a series of shouts and kicks Eadric was able to coax the animal into the water. This was a more reckless move than even the animal could possibly understand, however, since unlike his steed Eadric could not swim. Putting aside all sensible concern for his own wellbeing, Eadric hoped to catch his prey where the water was still shallow enough for the horse to walk to the man.<br/><br/>Moments later the stiff current had caught all three of them by surprise, and simultaneously they were all pushed downstream. When the man’s feet flew up and broke the surface of the water Eadric knew they were in trouble. At that point he decided to abandon the chase and return to shore. Unfortunately, not knowing better, Eadric turned his horse with the current. Sceade let out a deafening scream as horse and rider were swept away.<br/><br/>Before Eadric could respond the creature was rolled onto its side – swamping Eadric and his gear. The current swiftly pulled the man from his stirrups and down into the murky brown depths. Frantically Eadric flapped his arms and legs but was unable to right himself, weighed down as he was from his armor and inability to swim. As a result he tumbled underwater over and over again helplessly. Just as Eadric began to panic his head smashed into a large river rock.<br/><br/>Stunned and in shock, Eadric inadvertently took a deep breath of river water and slowly blacked out as he futilely attempted to claw his way to the surface.