Knight of the Empress (14 page)

"Do not let them get too close! Use your lances and wait for the archers!"

I had too few men to risk losing them to wild men from the north.  The main warband was still ahead of us.  It was only my men at arms who had brought lances and spears. When the arrows and bolts fell amongst the survivors, they fled to the south. I waved the men at arms on.  "Pursue them!"

This time Sir Mark and Sir Richard's men could engage the wild men for they had their backs to them. Our horses had carried greater weight and we needed to rest them. 

"Dick, take the archers and crossbows.  Find the main band!"

We had not escaped unscathed.  I saw that at least one of my archers and a crossbowman had fallen. I knew that others would have wounds too. The two Scottish knights lay where they had fallen.  Their horses had remained by the bodies.  These were not destrier but palfreys.  They would come in handy. Three Scottish men at arms lay dead and eight of the half naked wild men. I dismounted to examine the bodies.  They were heavily tattooed and their hair was limed so that it formed a hard cap.  It did not replace armour but it made them look fearsome.

I saw the three squires talking.  "You squires did well.  Especially you, Tristan.  Next time aim for the body.  It is a bigger target and punch as you strike."

Sir Mark seemed more confident now that he had emerged unscathed. "They were easy enough to defeat."

I shook my head, "We surprised them and it was not the main band.  Wait until they are all despatched before you begin crowing.  Come we had better see to the people of the farmstead, if any remain alive."

We found three women and six children who emerged from the woods. Their men lay dead. I dismounted and went to the elder of the women. "I am sorry that we came too late mother."

I think my Saxon surprised her.  She fell to her knees, "Thank you for coming my lord. Sir Geoffrey offered us sanctuary but my husband was a stubborn man.  He has paid the price with his life."

"Will you stay?"

She adopted a defiant pose.  "A few barbarians will not stop us.  Thanks to you they did not have time to steal our animals.  We can begin again."

I nodded.  These were my father's people and they had iron for bones; especially the women. "My castle is at Stockton.  If you need aught then go there and ask for help.  King Henry has charged me with defending this valley and I take that seriously."

"I thought that the King cared little for us."

"He has many enemies but he cares.  Trust me."

My men at arms returned. I saw that we had four of our men who were wounded. "The wounded men stay here and help these people.  Collect the Scottish weapons and wait for us."

Conan the Irishman and William of Deal were among the wounded. "What will you do my lord?"

"We will follow them and finish them off.  Take command William until I return and help them to repair their defences."

Although our numbers were depleted by leaving such good men there I knew it was a risk to have them fighting in a weakened condition.

It was late afternoon when Dick found us again. "Aiden followed them and found them at Sir Geoffrey's castle. The Scots have learned that they cannot attack such a well defended castle.  They have moved west towards Gainford."

"Then we have a chance."

We hurried to the castle where Sir Geoffrey greeted us with a grin.  "We showed those Scottish bastards that we have a backbone. My men did well."

I pointed north.  "You lost two farms. We managed to save the women and children at the closer of the two but not the other."

He shook his head, "Richard of Headlam was like his father.  He was headstrong and believed he and his family could see off raiders."

"I left men with them.  The raiders have headed to Sir Guy's castle."

"That is not good for it is not as strong as mine. It is further from the river." He patted his gate.  "We have stone which the Romans left."

"Then we will rest now and leave well before dawn.  Leave your fyrd to watch your castle. We know where they are and we can surprise them at camp."

He nodded.  "I am sorry that my hall cannot accommodate all of your men at arms."

I laughed, "We are warriors. We will cope."

Sir Mark huddled with his own warriors.  He was still unhappy about having to serve with us.  The lack of any coins amongst the dead Scots had done nothing to make him any happier. Edward and I lay with our backs to the wall of the hall and talked with Sir Richard.

"It was good to see my son blooded today but I was fearful for him.  Those warriors were savage fighters. They went for the horses!"

"My father was one of Harold Godwinson's housecarls and he told me that they did the same thing.  The Danish axe is a fearsome weapon and can take the head from a horse.  It renders the rider vulnerable."

Sir Richard nodded, "And that is why you stood off from them."

Edward nodded in my direction, "You will learn, Sir Richard, that our leader is a careful warrior. We are never reckless but we survive and that is important.  There are too few of us to waste lives."

"But we have taken little in the way of horses and treasure."

"That will come.  We have some horses.  They are not the best but we have learned that a mounted conroi has more chance of success than one which is afoot."

"And tomorrow?  What will that bring?"

"I know not who commands this band of raiders but I would assume that they did not leave their best warriors to take that little farm.  Whoever we meet tomorrow will be stronger than they were but we are no longer alone. We have Sir Geoffrey's men and I hope that Sir Guy will have others to help us."

Suddenly Aiden and his dogs materialised from nowhere. Sir Richard actually jumped, "Is your scout a ghost that he can appear from nowhere?"

"He is good.  What have you found?"

"The Scots have camped at a farm a mile or so from the castle.  It was empty.  They have a band of twenty watching to see that no one comes to the aid of the castle or leaves."

"You think they are waiting for the morning?"

He nodded, "They have cut down a mighty oak and are hardening the end in a fire.  They will attempt to breach the walls at first light."

"How many are there?"

He shrugged, "I counted fires only for it was dark but there must be a hundred or more men.  They have eaten well this night.  They slaughtered one of the cattle they had collected and there were screams from the women."

He said no more but it became clear that we had to get there as early as we could.  I did not expect that we could surprise these. The ones who had escaped would have warned them of our presence.  This time they would be ready.

It was pitch black when we left.  The difference with our previous long march was this was less than a few miles and we had a better force. We had nine more archers and seven more men at arms.  Sir Geoffrey brought his squire and, like, Sir Richard it was his son. With five knights and four squires we were more of a force to be reckoned with. Before we left I gave them my instructions.  "This time we use four lines.  The first line will be the knights.  The squires, the second.  The men at arms the third and the archers will be the reserve. They can release their arrows over the heads of the knights."

Sir Mark pouted, "My crossbows cannot."

"And that is why we have archers. Your crossbowmen can guard the archers' horses." Sir Mark was getting a lesson in warfare. He should have known the limitations of crossbows.  They were best suited to defending walls and not being used on a battlefield.

The land was a patchwork of fields surrounded by ditches.  Here and there were woods which had yet to be felled. The motte and bailey castle was a hundred paces from the river on a small rise in the land. Around it I could see the burnt out houses of the small settlement which had surrounded it. The wooden walls of the castle were scorched and blackened where the Scots had attempted to fire it.  However the banner of Sir Guy still flew about the gatehouse. I did not know any of my knights well enough yet to know how they would react in a given situation.  I hoped that he would sally forth and attack the host which now faced us in the flank. For their leader had chosen a piece of land which rose gently and was free from trees on either flank.  The only places of concealment were the few folds and hollows. I would not be able to hide my archers. We drew up just above the road which led north.  There were two drainage ditches running alongside.  They would be an obstacle to the unwary.

Their leader had drawn his men up with his men at arms on one side and his knights on the other. The men at arms were closer to the castle. In the middle were a mass of the wild men as Edward had called them. There were ten knights and twenty men at arms.  The bulk of his men were the eighty Scots wielding a variety of weapons. I suddenly remembered my father's men talking about Hastings and how the Norman army had pretended to retreat making the fyrd charge after them.  That would have to be our ploy.

I turned.  "Dick, Wulfric I am going to entice the wild men on to you.  Dismount the men at arms and present a wall of spears.  Dick, have your archers behind the men at arms.  We will charge and then retreat as though we are fearful. Squires you will charge the left of the line; closest to the castle. You will come back around the archers and form an echeloned line behind them.  Knights you follow me. We charge and when we use our lances we stop and I will yell,
'fall back we are beaten!
'" I smiled, "I will not mean it." I had our spare lances and spears jammed into the ground on either side of the men at arms.

I formed the squires and knights into a solid line so that the men at arms could dismount unseen and have their horses led behind them. I heard the Scots banging their shields and shouting to us.  I guessed that they were insulting us in some way, shape or form. As we lined up I said, "Keep your formation and when you retreat, gallop as though the devil himself was after you."

I spurred Scout and we began to move forward.  We held our lances aloft. It was easier that way. "Trot!" As we moved towards them I saw the knights ahead in conference.  They were wondering what we were doing.  Were we going to be so foolish as to attack a large warband with just a handful of knights? The mass of men before us were now banging their shields even harder and chanting something. I could not make out their words. ""Canter!" We were now a hundred paces from them and I lowered my lance as I yelled, "Charge!"

I could see that they were laughing at us.  There were nine of us charging at eighty warriors. I pulled back my arm and I saw my target.  He was a huge half naked warrior with a war hammer.  He was already whirling it over his head. I would have to time this right or Scout would be struck.  I pulled back my arm and, standing in my stirrups leaned forward as I punched my lance into the middle of the warrior. I twisted as I pulled it out and shouted, "Fall back.  We are beaten!"

The weight of our horses and the hole we had made with our nine lances allowed us to turn in two different directions. The knights might have seen what we were doing but the wild men just saw us running. We had killed or wounded a tenth of their men and I suppose those we had struck had been the leaders.  They yelled something and ran after us.  It was why I had told my men to gallop hard. We were in danger of being caught. The wild men saw knights running from them.  They had the blood lust coursing through their veins and they lost control.  They charged after us screaming their war cries.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the knights had yet to move.  That was a mistake on the part of the knights. Some of the less disciplined men at arms had followed their fellows. The enemy leader had had his force of horsemen split. The ones who charged came, not in a line, but in a disorganised mob. We turned and formed two lines on the flanks of our dismounted men at arms. Dick and his archers loosed flight after flight over the heads of the men at arms and their hedge of spears. Half of them had found a target. Having run the gauntlet of goose feathered death they ran into the twenty lances and spears of my dismounted men at arms.  Dick and the archers were able to release their arrows at point blank range.  They were so close that I saw one arrow enter a Scot's head and come out at the back.

Finally the knights and the men at arms who had remained behind charged. I worried about the squires but I had to concentrate on the line of knights charging us. We had all replaced our lances but our mounts were not as fresh as the Scots. We moved forward. I saw arrows being loosed over us as some of Dick's archers made life difficult for the knights. As I lowered my lance and aimed for the knight with the green and yellow shield I heard a cheer from my left.  I had no idea what it meant.  I kept my eyes on the knight.  I saw his lance wavering.  It told me that he was not using his own cantle for support and that he had not done this too often.  It gave me confidence. When we were twenty paces apart I stood up and then squatted down as I punched forward. His lance went into the fresh air above my head.  Mine ripped and tore into his stomach.  The lance was broken as he fell from his mount. As I drew my sword I risked a glance to the left. Sir Guy was leading his men at arms to aid the squires.

I turned back and it was just in time for a sword came down towards me. I barely parried the blow. The edge struck my hand.  If it were not for the mail gloves then I would have lost my hand and with it, my life. This was a powerful knight. I took him by surprise when I wheeled Scout around, presenting him my back. He had already started his turn and I saw that we were shield to shield.  I punched with my shield as I brought my sword overhand. He reeled.  As I readied myself for a second blow he jerked his horse around.  His surviving knights and his men at arms were fleeing north. They had baulked at the wall of spears and the rain of arrows. He spurred his horse and he joined them. We had the field.

My own men at arms were dismounted and there was no way that our weary horses could follow.  I had to content myself with holding the ground before Sir Guy's castle. Some of the men with axes and hammers had almost gone berserk.  We surrounded them with a wall of spears and my archers filled their bodies with arrows. When the last body stopped twitching my men gave a huge cheer. Against the odds we had won.

I took off my helmet and surveyed the field.  We had not escaped unscathed. I saw that, although Sir Guy's intervention had been timely, Alan lay dead, transfixed by a spear.  Tristan was nursing a wound and I saw blood pouring from Harold's head.  As I looked around I saw Sir Mark's horse dragging his dead body around the field, his foot still in the stirrup. There were four dead men at arms but the cost had been lower than we might have hoped.  Four of the knights who had tried to ravage my land lay dead, ten of their men at arms and fifty of their wild men would not return north.

"Dick, take the archers and follow them until they are beyond our land. Return to Sir Geoffrey's manor."

"Aye, my lord." He paused.  "This was a great victory.  Men will talk of this for many a year."

I pointed to Alan's body, "But not all." He nodded sadly.  "Wulfric, see to the wounded."

Sir Guy came over to me and clasped my arm, "I wondered what you intended when you fled.  That was masterly."

I shrugged, "Duke William did the same at Hastings. We were lucky.  Had the enemy been more disciplined we would have lost.  Thank you for your intervention."

"Your squires fought bravely.  I am sorry for your loss."

"Alan died a warrior." I nodded towards the enemy dead.  "Have your men strip the bodies of valuables and then burn them.  If we leave them then it will attract carrion." He nodded and strode off, "Edward, lay out our dead and we shall bury them with honour."

I summoned Ralph, one of the two remaining men at arms from Normanby. "Your lord is dead, would you take him home to bury or will you bury him here with the other dead?"

Ralph was as surly as his master had been.  "We will take him home."

I nodded.  I could understand that. "Has he children?"

He shook his head, "He was unmarried."

"Then I will write to the King and the Bishop and inform them of the loss of the lord of the manor of Normanby."

"His cousin is lord of Guisborough."

"He does not gain the manor by right. That is for the King to decide and not his cousin. I leave you to command his men until a new lord is appointed." The remaining men of Normanby trudged home with their dead.  They shared not in the spoils of war.

Sir Guy insisted that the nights and squires use his hall.  He was the eldest of us and I could not refuse.  In my heart I wished to share the open fields with my men but we had been saved by his prompt action. We divided the spoils of war although they all deferred to me expecting, no doubt, that I would have kept the lion's share. We each gained a horse from the fray.  One of the swords was given to Tristan for his bravery and a second to Harold.  His head wound had not been as serious as it had looked although Wulfric's stitches would leave a wicked looking scar down one cheek.

"I hope that this has dampened the enthusiasm of the Scots for their raids but it may not. We needs must be vigilant.  We cannot rely on Normanby any longer.  Until the King appoints new lords to Hartness and Normanby we will have to rely on our own resources for the defence of the valley."

Sir Guy looked at Sir Geoffrey, "I believe I will try to hire more men at arms. But your son fought well.  He could be a knight as could Tristan here."

Sir Richard said, "I would have my son become more experienced before he is knighted. Edward's squire, Alan, was a brave warrior and he fell. It will not harm my son to become more skilled."

"And I feel the same. My son has time to improve. It is a pity so many young knights took the cross. I would rather have a knight who brings his own men at arms. My people are becoming more prosperous. With more taxes we can employ more warriors; if they are there to be hired." He was right.  A good knight was more valuable than a pile of gold.

We left the next day.  Each day we kept the fyrd armed was a day less for them to work in their fields. News came to us, later on, that other parts of the border, including the castle at Barnard had suffered privations at the hands of Gospatric's men. We had suffered less than the others but it was still too much. Sir Richard and his men stayed an extra day at Stockton.  He wished to speak with Wulfstan about the best way to train his son.  "Your mason, William, would he work for me?"

I laughed, "He works for coin but aye he would work for you.  He is keen to work in the valley.  He likes it here and his family is settled in the town."

"It has grown much.  I was last here five years ago and it was barely a hamlet."

"Do not be a stranger.  We are close neighbours.  Your wife seems to have got on well with Faren and Adela in our absence."

"She is high born and she misses speaking with ladies of quality."

I glanced at Wulfstan's impassive face.  He was proud that Faren, who we had bought as a slave, had become a lady of quality. After they had gone I noticed that the castle seemed a little emptier. With men and horses to heal and armour to repair I was kept busy for the next few days. It was Wulfstan who took me to one side. "I think you need to speak with Edward.  He is brooding over Alan's death.  He thinks he did not train the youth well enough."

"That is nonsense.  I was to blame for putting him in such danger."

"No Alfraed, that is how a man becomes a warrior. Speak with him."

Wulfstan was right.  Edward was one of my knights and I owed it to him to watch over him just as he protected me.  I went to the town to visit with Alf.  My mail glove, which had saved my hand needed repair. He turned it over in his hand.  "I can have this ready in three days my lord."

"That quickly?"

He nodded, "Would that we could repair men as quickly eh, my lord?"

He was correct and I decided to do something about Edward.  Aiden had now come to live at my new castle.  He had his two boys whom he was training to look after the hawks and his other animals.  John son of Godwin and Leofric son of Tan were fine boys and they proved to be almost as skilled with animals as Aiden.  I decided to use the new hawks as an excuse to go with Edward and talk with him.  Harold was still recovering from his wound and it would seem natural.