Baron of the North (14 page)

Leofric appeared and held up his hands five times.  We were fifty paces from the castle. He took his place and we began to move through the eerily dark land.  Had there been no mist then the sun might have appeared sooner however the sky remained dark and dank until well after the sun had risen. My hauberk would need work from John; I could almost feel the damp creating rust. I heard voices and I slowed a little.  It was the sentries on the gate. I noticed that the land rose gently at first and then steeply the closer one came to the castle.  I heard the voices of the sentries above us but we were hidden in the mist. I could not understand their words but it sounded like typical sentries' conversation. The path became even steeper and then suddenly turned.  I saw the wooden bridge over the ditch. We were on the ramp.

We had been fortunate or perhaps my men had been well trained.  There had been no sound until that moment.  I heard a clang from behind as two swords accidentally touched. Above us I heard a shout of alarm. I lifted my shield above my head and led my men across the bridge to the wooden gate. It was a well made gate. Sir Hugh's shield was held by Edward and me as he took his axe and began to hack at the gap in the centre of the gate. In our own castles we had learned that a single bar was never enough to stop an attack.  The Scots were about to learn that lesson the hard way.

I felt a jar as stones were dropped onto our shields.  The fact that our three were interlocked gave us greater strength and we held. I heard shouts from within the castle and then cries. I could not see but I knew that Dick and his archers were loosing blindly into the heart of the castle. Any hits would be lucky but with the garrison racing to the walls inevitably some would be hit and confusion would reign. Men would have to run with shields held up and there would be collisions and crashes. An enormous rock was dropped which made both Edward and I sink a little.  I angled the shield and the rock slid into the ditch.

Behind me I heard Sir Roger moan, "Come on Sir Hugh!"

The mighty knight laughed, "Do not worry little man; it is almost through." It was as though the words gave added strength for he suddenly said, "Push and it will break!"

"One, two, three, heave!"

The weight of twelve knights and squires was enough and the door splintered open when the almost severed bar shattered. I barely had time to bring my shield down as a spear was thrust at me.  Sir Hugh hurled his axe to impale the spearman in the head.  He grabbed his shield from Edward and drew his sword. I took the blow from a war hammer on my shield; Alf would need to do some work on my shield when I returned from this campaign. A war hammer needs two hands and I slid my sword through the middle of the warrior who had no shield to protect him. The three of us had cleared enough space for Sir Richard and Sir Roger to join us at the front and with Sir Hugh in the middle we began to plough our way through the garrison.  The bailey sloped up towards the keep and I saw the Scottish knights gathering before the wooden tower ready to meet us man to man.

The men we cleared were the sentries who had been sent down to slow us down.  The knights and the men at arms had armed themselves and wore armour.  They would not be as easy to defeat.  We moved steadily through the bailey.  Our foes awaited us.  I did not recognise any of the shields save one.  Ahead of me I saw one of Gospatric's sons, Ralph.  I had met him once before. "Remember we need prisoners if we can get them."

We marched rather than ran towards them.  There was no hurry.  The walls had been cleared and I knew that Dick and his archers would be fording the river to add the weight of their arrows to our attack.  Behind us the men at arms were forming up for the second assault and I knew that our squires would have mounted the gate house to flaunt our flags before our foe. It would demoralise them.

A huge warrior with a mighty sword faced me.  It was a sword which would have needed two hands from many men. He swung it at me and I blocked it on my shield.  There was an ominous crack.  The stones and the blows I had suffered up to now had weakened it. He braced himself for a blow to his shield.  Instead I stabbed towards his legs.  His hauberk only came to his knees. I saw him wince as my sword sliced into his shin and along his calf muscle. I punched my damaged shield at him.  The shield cracked in two but the hand holding the sword was hurt. Dropping the ruined shield I now used my quick hands and feet to pivot around and I hacked, two handed, into the back of his knees.  He was already weakened and he crashed to the ground, dropping his sword. I put my blade to the back of his neck. "Yield or you die!"

"I yield!"

He had no choice and I picked up his sword and held it aloft. I heard the groan from the men before us.  I jabbed it into the ground and lunged forward at the man at arms who faced me. He had seen me defeat his leader and he half heartedly blocked the blow to his head. It glanced off his helmet and knocked him to the ground.  As he lay there I pierced his forearm.  He was not dead but he was out of the fight.

He shouted, "Quarter!"

Around me I heard the cries of knights surrendering and asking for quarter.  I wondered why for they still outnumbered us and then I looked behind me. The walls were lined with archers. It would have been a massacre had they released their deadly missiles.

"Gille, Leofric, search the keep and seek any priests."

I turned and walked back to the man at arms whose arm I had pierced.  He was tying a tourniquet about it. I stood above him, "I could have killed you."

He spoke Norman but he had a guttural Scottish accent to it, "Aye I know.  What do you expect, gratitude?"

"No, information."

"And if I do not give it to you?"

"Then I will take the fingers of your right hand.  You will live but you will lose your livelihood.  What will you do then?  Become a farmer?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Did two priests come through here in the last few days?"

"That is all you wish to know?"

"It is.  Tell me and you shall be freed."

"Aye, yesterday.  They were on their way to Dumfries.  It is lucky for you that they did for the Earl himself escorted them there with ten men.  You would have not breached the gates else."

I nodded, "Then perhaps God is on our side and not yours." I turned.  "This one may walk free."

"You are letting me go?"

"I gave you my word and I am never foresworn." He jumped to his feet and, grabbing his sword, ran gratefully from the castle. It suited me for he would go to Dumfries and tell the Earl and the Dean who had caused this disaster. I wanted them to fear me. I saw that Gospatric's son had been slain by one of my knights but we had four knights for ransom including the giant I had captured.

"Sir Hugh, we will take these for ransom. Disarm the men at arms.  Sir Edward find the horses and take the supplies from the castle.  Sir Richard make the walls and the keep ready for burning.  This is one castle they will not rebuild in a hurry." I turned to the giant, "What is your name?"

"William of Hawick."

"And your castle is there?"

"Aye. Tell me Baron why do you make war on us here?"

I poked the body of Gospatric's son with my foot.  "So long as you harbour traitors and rebels then I will make life difficult for all along this border."

"King David is becoming tired of this, you know. He will write to his brother in law, your King."

"And if my King tells me to cease then I will do so.  He is in Normandy and it will be a long winter for your folk. Where is your squire?"

He turned, "Angus." A smaller version of the giant strode up. "The Baron has a task for you."

I smiled at the bluntness of the knight.  He was an enemy but I liked him. He reminded me of my father's oathsworn. "The ransom for your father is fifty gold pieces." I glanced at him. He nodded. "Bring it to Sir Hugh's castle at Hexham." The squire hesitated, "He will be well cared for.  We have a priest who will see to his wounds.  They are not life threatening."

As the horses were led from the castle with their supplies so squires were sent back to their manors and their families for ransom.  Finally only the twenty or so men at arms and foot soldiers remained.  The two who were men at arms had had their armour and weapons taken.  They looked sorry for themselves. William of Hawick asked, when he was helped to the back of his horse, "What will happen to them?  Will you kill them?"

"I should but I will not.  They are free to go. I daresay they will find another lord."

He nodded, "Make for my castle in Hawick.  I will take you all to my household if you have a mind." Most brightened at that and I realised this knight was no rebel. He was a patriot fighting for his own country much as I fought for mine. He nodded to me.  "You are an honourable knight and when I capture you I will offer the same courtesy for you and your men."

I nodded.  I liked such honesty.

As we left the castle fires began to flicker around the fat soaked walls.  Hay had been strategically placed so that, by the time we had crossed the river and were heading east we saw the huge column of smoke rising into the skies.  The Earl of Dumfries would soon send men but by then we would be close to Hexham and safety.

I used our time at Hexham wisely as we waited for the ransom.  Dick and his archers patrolled the lands around the wall.  The Scots investigated the ruined castle but discretion prevailed and they returned to Dumfries. We had done well from the raid and many of the supplies were sent south to Durham where we would divide them up.  I went to Otterburn, Alnwick, Morpeth and Rothbury with my knights to show that we were once again ready for war. We took the perishable supplies we had captured and gave them to the four settlements along with some of the spare weapons.  It was little enough but it was gratefully received. I was letting the people know that someone cared.

Speaking to the captured nights I also discovered that Gospatric and his rebels were not popular amongst the Norman knights of Scotland. They were seen as a burden on a land which struggled to feed itself. The fact that they all had rich lands south of the border aggravated the situation. When I asked about the two priests I was told that they were only passing through the land and were heading for a port on the west coast.  That set me to wondering.  I knew that the King had had issues with the Pope as had the Empress; could this be a greater conspiracy?

The ransoms were paid by the first week in November. I said farewell to William of Hawick and, with a quiet frontier and a blanket of thin snow on the ground, we headed south to Durham. Our war horses and extra supplies had not been needed.  We divided the spoils of war at Durham and we left Tristan and Wulfric to winter alone. Wulfric would rather have been with us but he knew how to obey orders. The only news we had had was that Father Michael was the new Dean of Durham.  For the first time in many years we had a churchman whom I could trust and I would sleep easier.

The last four miles of our journey home were the hardest for a blizzard descended upon us. I called in at Norton if for no other reason than to speak with Osric. He was now my only link with the past. I sent my men home and kept just John with me. He looked more frail each time I saw him but the smile in his eyes showed me the man who lived within. Father Peter spent much of the day with him and it was Leofric the moneyer who acted as Steward.  Osric was held in great esteem by the people of Norton and along with Father Peter was the heart of the village.

I told Osric of our exploits.  He chuckled when I told him how we had breached the walls. "I should like to meet this Sir Hugh.  He sounds like he would have made a good Varangian.  It takes a powerful blow for an axe to break though a gate."

He frowned, however, when I told him of the treachery and treason.  I did not mention Stephen of Blois but I did tell him of Fitzwaller, Sir Hubert and the Dean.

"I told your father we should have killed that boy when we had the chance."

"It was the King who forbade it.  He wanted the ransom."

"That is the problem. Sometimes the ransom is more trouble than it is worth. Kill them all I say and there will be no blood feud." He shook his head, "Poor Wulfstan."

I looked at Father Peter who shook his head.  He had already told me that Osric's memory failed occasionally.  He spoke of Wulfstan as though he had just died.  He asked John of his exploits and then, inexplicably, fell asleep.

As we left I said, "Thank you for looking after him, Father."

"He deserves it.  He and the rest of your father's oathsworn gave their lives for Norton and its people.  We will always honour their memory.  They are remembered in our prayers each Sunday."

We rode in silence the last few miles home. That was something they would not have had if they had stayed in the east.  They would have been forgotten and had no purpose in their life.  Here they had been valuable and vital. They had shown that old did not mean useless.

My gate slamming behind me was a reassuring sound.  I could not help turning, as I led my horse through, to watch the two bars slide into place.  There was no gap here through which an axe could penetrate. Even so I knew I would need o make the gate a stronger feature.  We had gained access to the Scottish castle too easily.

Once back in the embrace of my family I enjoyed we few weeks of peace. Winter's icy grip tightened about the land but we had prepared well for it and were both comfortable and well supplied. Our cows and goats provided milk throughout the winter and the dried logs gave us heat. The long nights did not cause us hardship as I knew they would elsewhere. The frozen land would be as effective a guard as a hundred men at arms.  No one would risk the cold to raid.

Hartburn was still an empty manor.  A few farmers had settled the land but there was no lord to watch and to guard it. I had thought to give it to Tristan but he would be at Durham for a while. It was Adela who gave me the solution.  She was the most thoughtful of wives and she knew me better, I think, than I knew myself.

"There is an answer to this, my husband, which is as plain as the nose on your face. Harold should be the Lord of Hartburn. You know you want someone there who is close to you for it is the nearest manor. Elton is closer to Yarm and when Tristan returns he would, as Lord of Elton, be closer to his father. For him there would be no sad memories as there will for Harold.  Hartburn would be a new start. He could choose a different site for his hall."

I stood and kissed her. "You have given me all the answers I needed and more." To some men their wives were an adornment and a mother for their children; Adela was a partner in the manor.  I could not run it without her.

Harold still stayed with me and I took him out the next morning for a ride.  I was Baron of the North and I could command. I could order him to be lord of Hartburn. That was not my style. We would talk. The air was so cold as we rode our horses along the hardened ground, that it almost burned our faces and we spurred our mounts to make them sweat.  Their body heat soon warmed us up.  I rode to the ridge which rose to the west of Hartburn and divided Hartburn from Stockton. Wulfstan had built his manor to the east of the demesne.  I had always wondered why for I preferred this site. A small stream meandered down a shallow valley but the ridge commanded a fine view all around. The land fell away gently to the north and the west.  Most importantly it was closer to my castle. The only drawback that I could see was that it did not command the track which headed to Elton. From the ridge however, the green way was still in view.

We reined in and sat in silence.  The heat from our horses and our mouths appeared in the air before us. "What do you think of this place, Harold?"

He surveyed the land.  "It is a good place for a farm." He pointed to the stand of willows which lined the stream. "Old Tom had his farm on the other side of that stream and he used those willows for his arrows."

"Aye he did.  But what think you as a site for a manor house?"

"It is an excellent choice.  I often wondered why Wulfstan chose the land to the east."

"I think he liked the fact that it was flatter and he had an easier task to build his home."

"And that got him killed, Baron, for it was harder to defend. If I had been the lord of the manor then I would have chosen here. This side is protected by the stream and it would be easy to dig a deep ditch on the western and northern sides."

"Then you can do so, Harold, Lord of Hartburn."

His mouth opened and closed like a fish. "But, what of Elton?"

"In your heart, Harold, would you choose to go back there with all its dark memories?"

He shook his head, "No Baron, but what of my duty? What of the people who survive there. They need a lord."

"And they shall have one.  Tristan will be rewarded for his duty at Durham and he will make a good lord will he not?"

His face brightened. "He will be a good lord." He looked around the land with a keener eye now that the issue of Elton had been dealt with. "Truly it is mine?"

"It is, Harold.  When the days become warmer then you can bring your men and begin work." Harold had used his coin well and he had his own conroi.  It was small as yet but they were doughty men. The manor of Hartburn was a richer one than Elton had been for it was larger.  Only Norton and Stockton were bigger. He had learned lessons from the raid of Fitzwaller. He would build better and stronger. We rode back some time later and the smile on Harold's face warmed my castle once more.

It was as though, here in the far north of the kingdom, we were cocooned by the cold. No news came to us. In many ways it felt as though I had my own small kingdom. Although the grip of winter was still upon the land I still had judgements to make and disputes to arbitrate. Until there was a new Bishop of Durham I would be the one who made decisions.  I had no idea what was going on in York let alone London or Rouen. No missives came to give me orders and I began to enjoy my power.

All of that changed just before Easter when two ships sailed into my river at dawn.  The pennant flying from the masthead told me that it was King Henry himself. We had been warned that ships were coming by calls from the sentries in my tower. Adela quickly began to organise accommodation.  When word came that it was the King then all of her plans were thrown into disarray. "We have no room to house the King's retinue! We are a small castle!"

"Do not fear, my love. The King knows the size of my castle.  He can have our chamber and his man can camp." My confidence was surface deep.  King Henry normally warned his lords of a visit.  This smacked of something else and that normally meant trouble for me. I had my guards present themselves at the gate in two lines to greet the King.  Adela was still making my children presentable when King Henry stepped  ashore. Robert of Gloucester was not with him but I recognised the Archbishop of York.  There were just ten men at arms accompanying him.  It seemed a small retinue. Adela pushed the children next to me and she curtsied just in time.

"Welcome your majesty. My castle is your castle."

"Thank you Baron and your lovely Baroness. I realise I have come unannounced. Pray rise, Baroness, we will not tarry long here."

He began to walk into my castle followed by his retinue.

The Archbishop smiled at me, "This is the first time I have seen your castle, Baron.  It is one of the few made of stone north of the river is it not?"

"It is your Grace. I know it is not over large but it will do for a minor baron such as I."

King Henry stopped and laughed, "Do not do yourself a disservice Baron. You are as important to me here as my son in the Welsh marches.  Perhaps more so for the raiders in the north appear to be more dangerous."

My steward John had quickly organised some food and brought out some wine. When we reached my hall he had my servants and slaves ready to present our guests with both.  I noticed that, despite having just stepped from a ship the King and the Archbishop had very healthy appetites. One or two of the King's knights had entered the castle. I vaguely recognised their surcoats but they came from Normandy and I was not familiar with them. The rest remained in the bailey.

I was introduced to one, Sir Gilbert de Bois and his cousin Guillaume de Maine.  They were from Normandy. Both were a little older than I was. Their scars spoke of battles.

When he had finished eating the King stood and, taking Adela's hand, kissed it. "Thank you for your hospitality Baroness but I promised you I would not stay long.  Baron, I need you and ten of your men to accompany us to Durham.  You have spare horses?"

"Yes your majesty. How many will you require?"

"Just twelve."

I turned to Leofric, "Have horses saddled and tell Edgar to prepare his men to ride."

We had not ridden much further than Thorpe when the King waved back all of the men who accompanied us save for the Archbishop.

"I have need to speak with you privately.  The Archbishop knows my mind on this matter." I nodded, "We ride to Durham for Sir Gilbert de Bois is to take command of the castle until we can appoint a new Bishop.   The selection is proving more difficult than I imagined.  The Archbishop has confidence in his new Dean and Sir Gilbert is more than capable of ruling the palatinate for a short time. Who commands there now?"

"I left my young knight Sir Tristan of Yarm with my best men at arms. There has been no trouble."

"Good. You do seem to attract sound men." He hesitated and then sighed, "Firstly Baron I am more than pleased with your work protecting my borders and preventing raids on my people.  This has, I understand, been a quiet winter and there have been neither raids nor atrocities."

"I merely carried out your commands, my liege."

"And you have done it well." He paused, "Perhaps too well."

"Your majesty?"

"You know that King David of Scotland is the brother of my late wife." I nodded. "He is less than enamoured with your attack on his lands.  He was Prince of the Cumbrians before he became king and the castle you destroyed was on his land. He feels aggrieved at your actions."

"But I just did as I was commanded."

"I know and I am pleased that you carried out my instructions.  Some think you were overzealous and that I must be seen to punish you."

"But…"

He held up his hand, "You are from the East you should know how these things work.  Publicly I will punish you but it is all for show so that King David becomes my ally and I can deal with the rebels in Maine. The Scottish King visited me in London and he agreed that if you were punished he would guarantee that no one would raid our northern lands neither Scot nor rebel and he would send knights to fight for me in Maine."