It was late October of 1071, and Heraward was out with a column of his rebel fighters,

foraging and pillaging Norman allied settlements for supplies.

There were other columns of active rebels in the fence, including one currently marching

towards the turncoat community at Soem, but it wasn't enough.

The Norman siege had taken an enormous toll on the rebels.

Starvation was setting in among the ranks, and if they were going to be able to withstand

whatever William had planned, they needed food.

And Heraward wasn't the kind of leader to stay in the back during a crisis.

So he was out on the march, along with his trusted companions moving carefully through

little-known paths, seeking to gather, steal, or loot anything edible they could find.

In the midst of this, a familiar face appeared in the wild.

It was Edwinna, son of Ordgar, a monk from Ely.

He was a faithful comrade, and he had accompanied Heraward on missions in the past.

It was good to see a friendly face, and so they waved him over.

But as he got closer, the look on his face told them that something was wrong.

And once he joined them, they were overcome with dread, as Edwinna told them everything.

Under Abbott Thurstan, the monks had met in secret with William, and struck a bargain

to save the monastery.

In exchange for peace, they revealed the defenses of Ely, and gave him details on how to

defeat the rebellion.

And right now, in Heraward's absence, the monks were back on the island, convincing the

army to surrender to William.

...