Baron of the North (15 page)

I could not believe this.  I had done as I had been asked and I was to be publicly punished for it. "Yes, your majesty. I am your liege man and I obey you in all things."

"Good man I knew I could rely on your discretion! Now the Archbishop is not only here to speak with Father Michael he has conceived a plan which will see you punished but also allow you to perform another service for your King." I was not excited by that prospect either for it seemed that I was being used as some kind of pawn in the King's machinations and following the King's orders was not as straightforward as it might have been.

The Archbishop spoke. "You will abase yourself in Durham before the tomb of St Cuthbert and  beg forgiveness for the sacking of the Scottish castles you attacked. "

"That is not so bad, is it Baron?"

"I suppose not."

"And then you will endure a short banishment."

"Banishment!"

"It will not be a real banishment but it will be something which King David will believe and our alliance will be strengthened.  You will travel to Constantinople. I will take your family back to London where I can protect them." I was not fooled, they would be hostages to my good behaviour. "Your knights will continue to protect the valley and you will leave a garrison at your fine castle. All of that is for public consumption. However privately you will deliver to the Emperor John Komnenos certain letters and treaties from me. I wish to ally myself with him.  Now that my daughter is no longer Empress of the Holy Roman Empire I need a powerful ally and the Pope is not particularly friendly towards us at the moment."

My shoulders slumped. "But my family!"

"I swear before the Archbishop here that your family will be safe.  We will tell King David that you have been sent to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to absolve you from sins."

The Archbishop tutted, "I could not countenance such a lie."

"It is I who will do the lying. A King will do all that he can to protect his kingdom.  And when you return with the treaty signed then I will reward your with an Earldom." I was silent. "This is important and I am relying on you.  I know it will blacken your name but you are the only man who can do this task for me.  You speak Greek and you know the Empire. Who else could I trust but one of the Knights of the Empress?"

He was using my devotion to the Empress as a bargaining chip. But I knew when I was beaten.  I had no option.  I had to obey. "I will do as you command sire."

"Excellent and I will confirm the titles and manors of your knights for they have served me well. We will stay but one night at Durham.  The other ship which waits at your home is the one which will take you east."

"I leave tomorrow?"

"You leave as soon as we return from Durham.  You will have little time for goodbyes and for that I am sorry. I have made many sacrifices for England and Normandy and you shall do the same. We are nobles and we have responsibilities."

I wondered if my father would have returned to his home in England had he envisaged this would result from such action.

The sentries at the castle were as surprised and shocked as mine had been when we rode through the gates. Tristan seemed particularly flustered but King Henry showed me his human side.  "Sir Tristan, the Baron here has told me of your efforts on our behalf and you will be rewarded but your tenure is now ended.  Sir Gilbert de Bois will take over and you shall return to your home in the south on the morrow."

The Archbishop said, "Dean, come with us to the Cathedral for the Baron has a duty to perform." He led the three of us across the green to the cathedral.

As we did so I asked, "What do I say Archbishop?"

He spoke quietly so that Dean Michael who followed us would not hear, "Just ask God and St. Cuthbert to forgive you for disobeying your King and attacking the Scots."

"Is that not a lie?"

"You did attack the Scots did you not?"

"But I was obeying the King's command!"

"The King commanded you to protect his lands so this is not a lie.  Perhaps you did not completely understand your orders eh, Baron?"

I could not win and I resigned myself to the humiliation. I knelt before the altar and bowed my head.  I was keenly aware of the priests who were watching me.  Even as I said the words I was thinking how clever King Henry had been. The priests would report my words; perhaps one of them was a spy.  The presence of the King and the Archbishop would add credence to the story and King David would be convinced of the truth.

"I beg Almighty God and St Cuthbert for forgiveness for the sin of disobeying my King and attacking the Scots."

As we left the cathedral and headed back to the gate the Archbishop said, quietly, "We have heard that the Dean and the other murderous priest have gone to Rome. They are beyond our grasp.  Perhaps that is all for the best eh?"

I knew it was not.  The Dean still knew who was behind the plots.  One day I would bring him to justice. It was through him that Wulfstan had died.  I did not forget and I certainly did not forgive.

As we rode back the next day with the King and the Archbishop protected by my men I rode at the rear with Tristan. He was as confused as my men were.  The tale had spread of my confession.  "But Baron you did not disobey orders,.  You were commanded to do as you did."

I shook my head, "I must have been mistaken and perhaps I was over zealous.  It matters not." I smiled, "And you are to be Lord of Elton.  You have served me well and I reward those who do so."

"It is a bitter taste, my lord.  I would that you had not been punished."

"You will learn, Tristan that we are not always in command of our own destinies.  Sometimes Kings play for higher stakes and the search for a safe throne is important." I changed the subject. "John, my steward tells me that the clay of the river is perfect for making tiles.  He is seeking a tiler to come to Elton and begin making them. It will not only be a good source of revenue for you it will make our homes better."

"Thank you my lord.  And, may I ask, can I build my manor anywhere I choose, in Elton?"

"Of course."

"Then I will site it closer to Hartburn.  I would not have the memories of the dead coming to haunt me."

We reached Stockton by noon and I had the heartbreaking duty to tell Adela that she, my family and her ladies would be travelling with the King to London.  I could not tell her the real reason for I dreaded her revealing it to King David should he visit.  I had to carry out the lie and tell her what the Archbishop had concocted. I was to go on pilgrimage. Nor could I take a large retinue with me.  I was able to take just my squires, Wulfric, Roger of Lincoln, Dick, Griff of Gwent and Ralph of Wales. When we were aboard the ship then I could tell them a little more.

Harold, thankfully, and Edward were at my castle.  While Adela gathered her goods and my squires gathered my luggage I had time to speak with them briefly. "I am to go to the east." I held up my hand, "There is no time for questions.  I leave you two to watch my castle.  My lady and my family will be guests of the King."

"Hostages you mean!"

"Peace Edward.  When I can explain then I shall until then trust me as I now trust you.  Harold, build your manor and Edward you shall be Sheriff while I am abroad. Tristan will build a hall at Elton. The Kings thinks that six months should suffice. I will return and, in the fullness of time then all will be revealed. Look for me at harvest time." Edward's face was a mask of both confusion and anger.  We were interrupted and all discussion ceased.

"Baron! Your ship and the tide await!"

I turned and saw the King impatiently pointing to the ship,
'Sign of the Cross'
. I clasped their hands, "Farewell!"

Adela was tearful as was my son. Thankfully my daughter was too young to understand. "William, you must look after your mother until I return." He nodded and I saw him fighting the tears. "You will be staying in the finest castle in England." I kissed Adela and then whispered in her ear, "The King swears you will be safe but trust no-one and keep a knife close to you."

"I will, my husband, and I know that when you return I shall understand this." She smiled, "We will treat this as an adventure; won't we children."

"Baron! I have said I will watch over your family and the tide is turning.  We must all leave now!"

I kissed her again and then went to the tiny ship where my men were waiting. I had no sooner stepped aboard than we cast off.  My men stood on the ramparts beneath my fluttering banner and I wondered when I would see my home again. Wulfric, Roger, the squires and myself had left our hauberks at home. There was little advantage in them at sea but we took our helmets and shields for who knew when they would come in handy.

The captain of the cog was a little Welshman called Dai.  I had not known that when I had chosen Griff of Gwent and Ralph of Wales to accompany me but it proved to be a clever move.  He could not do enough for us.  That was just as well for the ship had limited accommodation. The cog was a simple ship developed from the Viking knarr. There was no deck.  There was a small wooden tower at the bow and the stern which could be used for defence but both were too small for us to use as chambers.  Instead we slept in the bottom of the ship on the planks which normally held the cargo. We ended up using a spare sail to make a shelter between the bow castle and the mainmast. The sides of the ship were high and that made life a little easier for us for it would take a mighty wave to wet us and we would be sailing close to the coast.  The captain did complain that we had no cargo and he would not make much profit from the journey but I suspected he had been well paid by the King. Being flat bottomed the cog had to hug the coast. That was not a problem sailing around the Empire and Normandy but once we crossed into the Mediterranean then we would have to watch out for Barbary pirates.

Dai was happy to have the archers aboard and spent many evenings explaining to my three archers what they should do if we were attacked. Of course John and Leofric were also fair archers and five men each armed with a war bow would give us an edge in battle.

That first evening, as we hugged the east coast of England I explained to my men what I could of our mission.  "We are not going to Jerusalem as you may have heard.  Instead we are going to Constantinople, Miklagård. It was my home and I know it well.  You will enjoy life there. Once there it will be my responsibility to speak with… well let us just say I will be in the palace and then it will be up to you, Wulfric, to take charge of the men." He nodded.  They would be well cared for.

"If you have coins then there will be a chance for you to become rich men.  They have fine spices in the city and they do not cost as much as in England and Normandy.  If you use your coins well then you could sell them in England and make a small fortune." I saw that they brightened at that.  "However it will take a long time to reach the fabled city. We will only eat hot food when we find a port and that will only happen rarely after the pillars of Hercules.  You will become bored.  Believe me I know, I did the reverse of this journey. To alleviate the boredom and to stop us becoming soft we will practise each day with wooden swords and we will wrestle.  If needs be we will help the crew.  The sooner we get there then the sooner we get back.  I promised Edward we would be back by harvest time but that depends upon the wind and how hard we work."

They did not let me down.  Wulfric had them up at dawn practising before he allowed them to eat.  After the stale bread and cheese Dai showed them the oars we would use if becalmed. There were slots in the side through which they would be pushed. Although we had a fair wind we made the men practise with them.  It was better to practise when there was no urgency than wait until we were under attack. And so we developed a routine.  Practise, eat, row, eat, practise, sleep. It made the days fly by. 

By the time we crossed through the Channel and passed Normandy the weather had improved a little and the winds had picked up.  It meant we could no long practise rowing and we wrestled instead. It took a week for us to reach the Loire.  We had stopped three times.  Dai replenished the water and the beer barrels and we took the opportunity of having hot food. It tasted better just because it was hot.

Once we were south of the Loire then we were in unknown lands.  We passed Aquitaine where we were regarded with suspicion before we entered the waters of the Moor: Lusitania and al-Andalus. The Moors had been driven from the northern Christian Kingdoms but we dared not risk an encounter with them. This land had been Christian but the Arab and the Moor had come and reached the pass of Roncesvalles before Roland and his horn had thrown them back. Had we been taken then the documents I carried would have meant we would have been treated as spies and forced to row in their ships as slaves.

Frustratingly the winds died when we were half down the Iberian Peninsula. We rowed. In the end it proved a blessing for it kept us all occupied and built up our strength.  When the voyage was over I had more strength in both of my arms and the rowing put weight and muscle  on John and helped him become a giant of a man. He had been steadily growing but in that first month he grew a hand span in height and became bigger even than Wulfric. Wulfric found it amusing, "You will need much gold, Little John, if you are to be able to have a hauberk to fit you!"

I had laughed too. "They make finer, lighter armour in the east, Wulfric, so you may all decide to use your coins to buy better hauberks."

I noticed a real change in Dai once we entered the calmer waters of the Mediterranean Sea. I stood next to the steering oar as he peered nervously to the south. "Barbary pirates?"

"Aye Baron.  This is their home and they are fast as well as having so many men on board that your archers do not have enough arrows to slay them all."

"Then we have to trust to God."

He held up a crucifix. "I kiss this each day and pray to the Almighty to watch this Welshman who is far from his home.  You should pray too, Baron."

As soon as we passed in what the Romans had called
Our Sea
we noticed a pronounced rise in the temperature. It became almost unbearably hot and yet it was not even high summer.  I was the only one who was in any way accustomed to the searing heat and the relentless glare of the sun. Soon the sail awning became the place where my men huddled to get some relief from the sun and a little breeze from over the strakes. However the proximity of Africa meant we had to keep a better watch and with the crew having to work harder to catch whatever breeze there was that task fell to my men.  Over the next days their fair skins changed to red and eventually a nutty brown. The sailors showed them how to make a square of cloth become a sort of hat to protect their heads.

John and Leofric were the youngest of my men and they were fascinated by the smells which drifted towards us whenever we neared land.  Fortunately the calmer waters meant we could sail further from land but whenever we did near land I was assailed by questions. When they glimpsed their first palm tree it resulted in another round of interrogation. In truth I did not mind. When my son was older I would bring him back to the place of my birth and he would ask the same questions.  I had always taken the smells and the vegetation for granted.  Having being in England for some years I could now understand their curiosity.

We pulled in at the port of Syracuse on the island of Sicily.  We were desperately short of water and there was no beer left. The King had provided some funds for such emergencies but Dai was worried as we neared the port. "This is a Norman Dukedom now.  Roger Hauteville is now Duke of Apulia. They say he wishes to be King. We should tread warily here, Baron and I would not let your men ashore. It may be dangerous."

It rankled to be told what to do by this diminutive Welshman but it made sense to heed his advice. "We will just let the men put their feet on the stone jetty, captain.  How will that do?"

He smiled, "That will suffice but I have to warn you, Baron, your men will get no beer here. It is Sicilian it is wine only."

I was used to that.  "Fear not, Captain, we will water it down and it will be a good substitute."

The Moorish buildings we saw were also a shock to my men as was the dress of both the men and the women.  There were many in flowing robes and the dark skins of the Arabs and Moors came as something of a shock too.

"Baron, do we go ashore?"

"No John.  Wulfric, the men can walk on the jetty next to the ship but I do not want them out of sight of the ship."

"Aye Baron." He turned, "And I will fetch a clout to any who is further from me than I can spit! And with no beer for days that is not far."

I smiled at the men as they stepped ashore for the first time in many days.  I had experienced this before.  The ground felt as though it was moving and they stared at each other as though they had been enchanted. They felt drunk and had drunk naught. Although none of us wore mail my men looked markedly different from the locals, even the Normans we saw. The flowing garments which I had once worn were far more comfortable in the heat of this land. Dai and his First Mate scurried off to buy more supplies. I cast my eye over the defences.  As in the Byzantine Empire this was a land which had been built by Romans and that was still in evidence.  The Moors had added to the defences and now the Normans had left their mark.  It made my small castle look pathetically inadequate in comparison. Then I reflected that they needed more protection here.  It was not only the Moors and Arabs who were enemies, the Empire and the Normans were also implacable foes.

Suddenly a glint of light caught my eye as a column of men at arms came towards me.  I said hurriedly, "Wulfric, I will speak.  Get the men aboard as surreptitiously as you can."

"You want that I should arm them, Baron?"

"No but have Dick, the archers and my squires go to the bow castle. You guard the gangplank."

I waited for the men at arms to reach me. My men slipped aboard in ones and twos so that by the time the knight approached me I was alone. He was just a little older than me but I could see that he had lived most of his life here; he had the olive skin which marked a native of Sicily. "Who are you Norman? I do not recognise that livery."

"I am Baron Alfraed of Stockton and the captain of my ship is buying supplies here in your city.  Have we caused some offence?"

"I am John of Palermo and I rule this city on behalf of Duke Roger. We are suspicious of all such as you; Norman knights who land unannounced. Where do you voyage?"

"King Henry and the Archbishop of York have ordered me to go to Jerusalem to pray there. I am on Holy pilgrimage." The lie almost stuck in my throat. I noticed that Dai and his men were returning laden with barrels and boxes.  That was a relief. They began to load the ship and stored the goods at the steering board end of the cog.

For the first time the aggression was replaced by curiosity. "What was your crime?"

"Who said I committed a crime? Besides what passes between a King and his vassal lords is of no concern to anyone else."

This did not please John of Palermo. "You are a visitor here and I could impound your ship and imprison all of you."

"But we have committed no crime."

"This is neither England nor Normandy.  We bow the knee to no man and all who land here obey our rules and laws!"

I remembered now that Dai had told me that the Duke wished to be king. "And I bow the knee to no man save King Henry so we shall leave."

I had seen that the goods had been loaded but as I turned I heard the rasp of swords being drawn. "I think you are spies and I impound your ship in the name of the Duke!"

"I think not! Dick!" Suddenly my archers had their war bows aimed at the men at arms and Wulfric appeared at my side with his axe. "Those war bows are held by the finest archers in England, John of Palermo. If I give the command then you and four others will die.  Wulfric and I will despatch the rest. You will die for nothing because I am no spy.  Sheath your weapons and we will depart."

I saw him glowering and glaring at my archers but they were less than twenty paces from him. 

"Dick, give them a warning!"

An arrow thudded into the ground between the knight's feet. He was wise enough to realise that he and his ten men stood little chance. "I will remember this, Baron Alfraed, and your name will be recorded so that one day you and I will meet again and then you will die."

I nodded, "Many men have made that promise and yet I live still. Do not fret, John of Palermo, when we meet again I will give you satisfaction." Out of the corner of my eye I saw that there was just one rope holding us to the stone jetty and I backed up to the ship.  "Farewell!" The rope was thrown aboard and we began to edge away from the wharf.

Wulfric grunted as I stepped aboard.  "Another friend for us to avoid, Baron!"

I went to speak to Dai.  "You did not say they were so belligerent."

"That is why I warned you to stay aboard the ship."

I glared at Dai.  "My men were aboard the ship! I hope you have thought this time to buy enough supplies for the whole voyage?"

"I have."

I pointed to the empty hold, "It seems to me that you could have filled the hold with supplies for us and avoided having to call in here anyway!" I knew now that he had been parsimonious and was trying to save money.

"You are correct Baron and we will not need to land again."

"Good!"

Once we had passed the heel of Italy we were in Byzantine waters.  That did not make our lives much safer but at least, if we were approached, we could use our letter from the King to give us access to their ports. As it transpired we had a peaceful if rather hot journey. As we approached the city, whose walls seemed to rise almost to heaven, I took over the navigation.  "It will be better for us if we use the Langa harbour to the west of the city. It will save us sailing around to the Golden Horn and it is close to both the Forum Bovis and the Forum of Arcadius.  You and your men will be able to buy goods there to sell back in England."

He gave me a sharp look.