At night, the sound of cheerful music emanates from the front of the town square, echoing through every street and alley of Alençon, filling the city with a cheerful and lively atmosphere.

In front of the square where the bonfire was lit, a touring troupe of bards, harpists, drummers and clowns invited by William was devoting themselves to their performances.

The clown in front of the campfire wears a yellow tight-fitting antics costume and dances with his hands and hands to attract everyone's attention by making a difficult tumbling motion.

At this time, the harpist sits on the stone steps and holds a small U-shaped harp, and plays ethereal and beautiful music with both hands.

In the accompaniment of the harpist, in the drummer beating the sonorous and indifferent little drum, wearing a loose robe, while playing the sleek and sophisticated little bass, he sang passionately:

"I present an ode to the king,

Pray that you will take this little poem

Sharp spears rained down

Slam the shield array

The king shot an arrow

Leap into the enemy's ranks;

On that beach

On the seashore where the waves crash on the shore,

Bloodstained

The fight is non-stop......

A halberd that moves forward violently

Terrible confrontation with the sparks in armor,

Flying arrows

Shoot into the heart of a warrior;

Cold steel knives

Tell me everything,

Weapons are like the wind

Fall down the backbone of the god Odin. ”

The soldiers and citizens listening to the square did not know what the song was about, but they felt that it was very exciting, and it made people's blood boil, and they couldn't help cheering.

The song is a redemption poem written by a Viking bard named Egil.

Legend has it that the brilliant and warlike Egill Skadergrimson was shipwrecked in the north of England. Unexpectedly, after going ashore, he fell into the hands of his old rival, the Blood Axe King Eric (-954).

He had offended the king in Norway in the early years. Now Eric has been driven out of Norway by his brother and has become king of the Vikings here. Egil was sentenced to death, and Eric, the King of the Blood Axe, gave him a night to prepare, as was customary.

Although he had no weapons, he was sure that words would be enough to save him. Because he was not only a valiant warrior, but also a brilliant poet. An extraordinary poem was written overnight.

The next day, when Egil was about to be executed before the king, he presented his poem.

The king was intrigued and decided to wait until he had finished reciting the poem. So a poem full of praise for the king's bravery and invincibility on the battlefield poured into the ears of the Bloodaxe King. It is full of dazzling metaphors, and the excitement of praising the king's proud heart is very high.

Egil's poem ends with a celebration of Eric's magnanimity. The poem has an incredible effect like magic. The king told him, "Spare your life as a reward."

Some say that Egil's success in saving his life is actually the result of a court advisor's intercession, but the role of this poem cannot be ignored. Since then, it has gained fame as Egil's "Ransom" poem.

Speaking of banquets, we have to talk about food and delicacies.

In front of the town square, at least a hundred bonfires were set up here and there, and dozens of people sat around one of them, who set up a few grills around the fire, and a few unprofessional part-time cooks constantly turned their hands on the roast forks of all kinds of meat—pork, beef, lamb, poultry, game.

They also prepare stews and soups in a large iron pot that is hung from hooks and chains, and under the pot is a fire, which can be pulled up or lowered to regulate the temperature.

An amateur chef stirs the broth with a long-handled, grooved spoon, until the broth is fragrant and the stew is cooked, and the boiled meat is lifted out of the pot by an iron hook, which is a fork with a forked wooden handle on the side.

Soldiers and citizens who were already hungry waited hungrily with large plates made of bread.

This slightly tawny bread is a whole wheat bread that contains nutritious bran and, of course, the sawdust and sand that were common in medieval bread, which were simply fermented in a ball and baked in the oven.

In front of the soup pot and grill, a few prestigious soldiers carried a large spoonful of delicious broth, a fist-sized piece of cooked meat, a few large slices of cut roast meat, a spoonful of peas, a few slices of onion and a few cloves of garlic, and, of course, a delicious baked apple.

By the time you finish eating the dish on top, the hard bread plate is completely permeated by the delicious broth, making the large plate-shaped bread soft and deliciously juicy.

Such abundant food was not available to ordinary soldiers and citizens, and some poor families could not eat bread, and could only eat some disgusting barley paste every day.

Those who served the food could also have a beer made of barley, wheat, oats, or all three, which were trophies that William had found, and which had been brewed from stored grain by barmaids hired by merchants, and tasted terrible to drink, and looked annoying, but it was not.

There was a wonderful taste of wine and meat, and there was also a pleasant music to help the fun, and everyone present felt that it was simply not too wonderful.

With the help of delicious food and wine, the relationship between the Williams soldiers and the citizens of Alençon, who had not looked at each other at each other, gradually became harmonious, drinking and singing together, and dancing all kinds of strange local dances.

The banquet hall on one side of the town hall was illuminated by five huge candle chandeliers and a long candle on both sides of the wall, and in the banquet hall, which was twenty-five meters long and eight meters wide, there was a long table that could only accommodate about five people at the front, and two rows of eighteen meters long tables were placed below.

William, Steward Osborne, Sir Hubert, and Uncle Adolphus sat in the top row, and the knights, officers, and officers sat according to their proximity and status, filling two long tables.

Seeing the crowd seated, William, who was seated at the top, clasped his hands on his breast, closed his eyes and prayed: "The poor will be fed and filled, and those who seek the Lord will praise him; Their hearts will have eternal life. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, from today to ever, and forever. Amen. ”

"The poor will be fed and fed ......"

Uncle Adolphus, Sir Hubert, Osborne, and everyone present prayed with William before the meal.

When the prayer was over, Osborne's butler shook the brass bell in his hand and motioned for the servants outside the door to serve the food.

As soon as the bell rang, the doors of the diner opened, and two rows of servants brought food, first the chief chef with white bread and butter, then a group of servants with all kinds of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, soups and stews, and finally the wine servants and their assistants, with wine and beer.

The long table is filled with a full amount of food, and the aroma is very enticing.