About ten minutes later, Eric accompanied Robert outside the castle.
A dense crowd of people packed the area outside the castle. Besides the stench of sweat and excrement, there was an even heavier smell of blood.
Eric saw people in the crowd holding up bloody limbs. Amid the clamor, he could hear screams of agony, likely from a stampede.
A bloody conflict had erupted. The violence had broken out so suddenly that many of the nobles, likely not expecting these "troublemakers" to actually dare to fight, had fled into Robert's castle. The guards had shut the small castle gate behind them.
Even so, the commoners were still thrusting clubs through the bars of the gate, trying to jab the nobles inside.
Strangely, Eric couldn't see Count Odo, who had just been vowing revenge moments before.
As Eric walked to the gate, several guards moved to block him, but he snatched a long spear from one of their hands.
