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William the Bastard
stormed out of the tent followed by his retainers and shouts of
war were in the air.
The men stormed past
Kilsa who remarked, why if it isn't Wee Willie. The warlord
flushed red, hollered a few more invectives at Harold and returned
to his encampment to prepare for the battle.
Harold was devastated.
No one could convince him to stir from his tent. Word spread
that the peace was over and the dinner that night came down a
considerable peg or two.
At length, Harold
decided to garb himself as a foot soldier and move about his host,
to see their mood and if necessary buoy their spirits. It
was an act immortalized later by Shakespeare in Henry V.
His wanderings takes him
to a fire with several MacThoy gathered. With careful
questions, the King learns the tale of William the Bastard and
Kilsa.
The pair had met before
and parted on less then amicable terms. Kilsa, being a bard,
created a verse called "Wee Willie" and included it in her
repertoire as she traveled. People were known to pay gold to
get her to quit singing, her voice being so untenable, but the
notable exception was the above mentioned piece which was so
mirthful, it was requested time and again, must to the
consternation of William the Bastard.
(Etymologists have found this ballad to be
the first time the word "willie"
was used in reference to male reproductive organ.--ed)
One of the MacThoys rose
to his feet this point and began a robin of
toasts --for which his
Clan was famous for-- about his cousin, Kilsa and the mood
lightened considerable. It was oft times said, that no
matter what any person thought of Kilsa voice, she always managed
to cheer the hearts of the company she kept.
The group called for
their guest to give a toast. He rose to his feet to have his
mug refilled. The man opening the bottle launched the cork
at the unsuspecting king and dropped him. It was a direct
hit to the eye.
The royal collapsed and
his hood fell back. All at the campfire knew they who they
dined with and who they had rendered unconscious.
They were trying to
determine if he was only dead drunk or truly dead when the horns
sounded of William's attack. The group assembled had been up
the entire night.
It was quickly decided
put the king on his horse and let fate sort things out. The
Clan quickly broke camp and made tracks for London where William
would eventually be crowned king.
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