The next morning, you set out, just the four of you, your squires, and a couple of pack horses with supplies. The trip north is pleasant enough, with pleasant weather.
Malahaut is basically a 20-mile wide vale between the Central Pennine Mountains to the west and in the east, the North Moors and Wolds.
The Pennine Mountains are impassable on horseback, but the Dales are scenic and fertile. For the Northmen, they had never imagined a country could look so green.
The Ouse Vale is a wide and fertile land. The Ouse River runs down its center, and is fed by the many rivers that flow from the Dales and the North Moors. The lowest lands of the Vale are marshy this time of year, and your progress slows. You can see evidence of dams and drainage, but this early in the year the lowlands are all marsh.
The Cymric knights know that the North Moors are extremely rugged and hostile to men on horseback. Farms and a few manors can be found nestled among the hills and in the valleys. No significant settlements are present, but that country lies north of Malahaut.
At length, after a couple of days slogging through muddy roads and wet lowlands, you finally come within sight of Eburacum.
The city straddles the Ouse river. You see clearly new stonework on the south side of the city, and a new castle stands guard over the city in the south corner. From your vantage, you can see two gates into the southern side of the city, and numerous soldiers are visible on the walls and guarding the gate, wearing roman-style armour.
You look a sight, covered in two days worth of mud, but you have little choice as you ride forward and present yourselves at the gate. Arne and Valka are watched carefully, but the guards recognize Cymric nobles. A moment later, a knight emerges from the guard room to the side of the gate. He wears a roman breast plate, and has his hair cut in the roman fashion. A gladius hangs at his side, and he carries a spear as he approaches, and wears a Roman officer helmet.
He does not bow.
"State your names and purpose."
