Knight of the Empress (17 page)

Wulfstan and Harold dismounted to take their place amongst the other others who would attack once the gate was breached.  Earl Robert led these men. I nudged Scout forward so that I could speak with Dick.  "Keep our men safe, Dick.  I would not lose any."

"And we will not, my lord.  We heard of the attempt on your life.  That was a cowardly thing to do.  They will pay."

This time the defenders were more reckless and showed themselves more.  The ones who had died in the attack on the first gate were joined by another eight as Edward and Sir Richard hacked at the second gate.  My archers moved forward ready to pick off any who tried to halt the efforts of their comrades.

A number of things happened all at once.  As the walls were scaled, the gate was thrown open and five riders galloped out.  My knights were hurled to the ground but not before they had dragged one from his horse and butchered him.  Wulfstan and the Earl ran with the assault party to intercept them.  Two were halted and attacked but two came directly for the gate and all that stood in their way were Aiden and I.  I drew my sword and galloped towards the two of them.  Aiden would not die so long as I lived. I pulled back my sword and held it at chest height out from my body. My shield was gripped against my aching side. If I had the chance I would thrust into the chest of one of the men at least. The two knights must have thought that they had an easy victory but they reckoned without the skill of Aiden and my archers. One was thrown from his saddle as Aiden's arrow struck him in the chest and as I swung my sword in an arc the other knight was hit in the back by four arrows. He rode directly into my sword and his head was removed.

I reined in Scout before I fell from him.  Aiden ran to me.  "My lord, are you hurt?"

I was aching and I was not sure if I had opened up my wound but I was safe.  Had my archers not reacted so quickly then I am not sure if I would have survived another combat.  God must have been watching over me that day. "No, Aiden but I shall be pleased to get back to Stockton!"

The castle fell a few moments later.  The last defenders fell back to the hall.  They were offered surrender but they refused. They were overwhelmed and slaughtered. I waited for my knights to emerge.  Sir Guy and Sir Geoffrey led twenty captives from the burning castle.  They had found some of those who were taken. Every knight and man at arms who emerged brought out some treasure or weapon taken from within.  The last two to come out were the Earl of Gloucester and Wulfstan.  They both threw a burning brand into the keep and it flared up as a bonfire pyre for the treacherous knights who had fallen.  As all had died we would never find out the true perfidy of the Gospatric family but it had served as a warning that they raided my valley at their peril. With cattle, captured horses and captives to slow us down we made our weary way south to the New Castle. We could go home.

We took six days to return to Stockton. Before we left the Earl spent a day closeted with William of Morpeth.  He spoke in private but left him under no illusions about the future. Any further incursions from the north would be dealt with severely. The slaves we had recovered had not been able to identify their abductors but the Earl had told the son of Gospatric that he knew of his role.

By the time we reached the river I could stay in the saddle without too much pain. The Earl stayed but one night for they were going to sell their share of the cattle at Northallerton. I had to admit that I would not have wanted to drive them further south. Those who herded cattle for a living had my admiration. My three knights stayed a day longer. I suspect they wanted to show their appreciation for what we had achieved together.   All of them had become rich men overnight.  Each one would be able to pay for better armour, weapons and men but more importantly, they would have cattle with which to feed their people in the coming winter.  In the event that proved to be the crucial result of our travail north. 

We arranged that they would visit with us again at Christmas when they would bring their families.  I was satisfied with the way events had turned out.  These three fitted in well with Wulfstan and Edward.  Together we felt like my father's oathsworn.  When they left I felt slightly saddened and my castle was emptier.

Adela was more than concerned that I had been wounded.  I glared at Wulfstan for I was certain he had told her of the seriousness of the wound. "You must take greater care, my lord.  It is not just I who am dependent upon you.  If you were not here then this town would shrivel and die. Like your father before you, you are the heartbeat of this town."

"I think you exaggerate Adela."

Faren backed her up.  The two were close and more like sisters. "She is right, my lord.  I have spoken with those like Alf and Ethelred who lived here before you arrived.  They tell me that it was a handful of crude huts and they could barely make a living. Now new people arrive each day.  Prosperity oozes all along the river. Why last year Ethelred has hired a tanner for the cattle you captured from the Welsh. Now we have provide fine hides and we can profit from them."

"They are right Alfraed, you are a natural lord of the manor, as was your father.  I know not if you know what you do but sharing out the majority of the cattle amongst your people endears you to them." Adela gently touched my arm as she spoke.

John, son of Leofric, was sitting at the table scribing the numbers of animals we had taken.  "It is also good business, my lord, for it makes more taxes.  By doling out the cattle then the people become liable for more taxes and everyone benefits. You please the people and you make money.  It is inspired business."

I shook my head, "It is just the right thing to do."

Wulfstan laughed, "And as I have said before that, in itself, is a mystery, for you were never taught those skills."

"You are wrong Wulfstan for I watched my father.  I just do what he would have done."

I took a turn around the town the next day, with Adela and John son of Leofric. I was interested to see these incomers. Everyone seemed delighted to see both myself and Adela.  Many of the women giggled as we passed them.  I found it disconcerting. They also asked after my health.  Word had spread of my wound. I found the new tannery.  It was to the east of the town and I could see why.  The smell was acrid for they used urine to tan the hides. The prevailing winds took the smell over the river or towards Hartness. Ralph the tanner seemed a happy fellow. "I hear, my lord, that you have brought more cattle.  We'll soon make hides out of them.  This is a good place to live now.  Not as crowded as York."

"You came from there?"

"Yes, my lord.  We heard that Stockton was a growing town.  York is shrinking. Many knights have either gone to Normandy or to the Holy Land."

As we made our way back towards the smith's I saw that the town was, indeed. burgeoning.  The land was flat until the shallow valley between us and the Hart Burn. People had room to build and yet were close enough to the castle for protection.  Norton, in contrast, was a little more cramped.  The swamps, which offered protection on three sides, restricted the land which could be used for homes.  Here it was the opposite.

John had a wax tablet and he made marks upon it as we toured.  "What are you doing, John?"

"I keep a record of who lives where and when I return to the castle I transcribe them into my ledger.  I do it once a week and it is an accurate record of who lives in the manor. When they leave, or die, then I scratch out their name."

Adela asked, "What of those who live just beyond the town. Like Tom and his son at the Hart Burn?"

John was an assured young man but Adela, who was as bright as they come, had spotted a flaw in his plan. He frowned.  "I had not thought of that."

"Ask Aiden to take you to visit them.  Once you have done it once then you will know your way around."

"There is, however, one thing missing, my lord."

"And what is that, my lady?"

"There is no church."

"We have Father Peter in Norton.  Why need we a church?"

"When the weather is clement such as now then we do not need another one but when winter comes then those few miles can seem interminable. We need one."

"I will give thought to that." We had reached Alf's.  "John, escort Lady Adela to the castle. I needs must have words with Alf."

He nodded and Adela said, "Thank you for this morning, my lord.  It is the most pleasant morning I have spent in a long time."

She looked at me with her deep blue eyes so intensely that John looked away in embarrassment.  "And I too, my lady.  We shall make this a weekly event.  What say you to that?"

She curtsied, "I thank you, my lord."

When I entered Alf stopped work.  "Sir Edward told me that you were wounded, my lord."

"I was Alf.  My fine armour let me down.  I would have you make me a suit of mail.  I want it as strong as my lamellar armour but can you make it as light?"

"No, my lord.  I can make it lighter and stronger than most mail.  But it will be expensive.  I would make it from rings which were tempered longer and I would rivet them so that they would be hard to shear."

I nodded.  I had resigned myself to making my body stronger over the winter to carry the extra weight. "And I would have the coif an integral part of the mail, not separate as it is now."

"I can do that my lord and I could strengthen the front by fitting a band of metal which would support your helmet. It would mean you would not need a full face helmet. I will make a new helmet too." I had seen, in Normandy knights whose coif fitted closely around the head with strengthened bands around the forehead. It would provide more protection for me.

"And the leggings."

"Of course. If you let me measure you now, my lord I can begin work." He hesitated, "I can start as soon as…"

I laughed and took out a bag of coins.  "Here is a deposit to enable you to start. If I like this then I may have a set made for my squire, Harold."

He rubbed his hands together, "If we go on like this, Baron, then Stockton shall soon be larger than York!"

I was kept busy for the rest of the day by John, my clerk, who had many decisions for me to make.  "And I must see Leofric, your father.  The gold we received from William of Morpeth can be made into our own coins and I will use some of it to buy copper and silver.  Those coins will be more useful."

By the time evening came I was exhausted.  Wulfstan came to see me. "I have good news my lord.  Faren is with child. I am to be a father again."

I clapped him on the back.  "Then I am happy for you." I noticed his serious face, "And yet you look not happy."

"Alfraed, when your father asked me to watch over you he said I should do this until you were a man who could stand on his own two feet.  I believe I have done that.  You are ready to stand alone."

I was crestfallen.  "You would leave my service?"

He laughed, "No, Alfraed, never. It is just that I wish my own hall. I am wealthy now, thanks, in no small part to you. I can have my own retainers and servants. I wish to be with my family."  He waved his arm around the castle.  "Here I am dependent upon you.  It is your coin which buys my food and we are, well we are crowded here.  Faren and I wish to have quiet times sometimes. I want to enjoy my children."

I breathed a sigh of relief.  He was not deserting me.  "Then choose your plot of land."

"I have done, my lord.  I have spoken with Young and Old Tom.  I would live close to the Hart Burn.  It is a sweet valley and yet close to the castle.  I would like my hall to be there."

"Then go with my blessing and be my Lord of Hartburn."

Those months, after we returned from the north, were peaceful and settled.  We were able to make the manor more comfortable.  William the Mason was much in demand from my fellow knights. My warriors toiled building Wulfstan a house which was both stout and comfortable. We were helped by the weather which proved to be perfect for the harvesting of crops and animals. Father Peter, at the celebration of harvest, was able to speak of a bounty given by God for the good works we had all done.  That was a rarity, had we had any poor in the manor then we would have been able to provide food for them for the winter. In that, we were lucky. Widows did not stay widows for long.  There were many landless men who sought land and work. We were blessed.

When my men were not building Wulfstan's homes I had them finishing the walls before winter.  William, the mason's son, was able to help us with the gatehouse and it was in stonework where we had the most frenetic activity.  As soon as the frosts came then all building in stone ceased.  That time could come any day. William and his son would have to spend all of their time indoors carving intricate pieces for the spring. Such was our cycle of life.

I made sure that both Norton and Stockton each had a large building, within the walls, to store our surplus food. The one enemy we found it hard to fight was the rat army which seemed to grow no matter how many dogs were used to catch them.  This was where we brought our knowledge of the east and we built buildings which were easier to protect from rats.  They had a gap between the floor of the store and the ground.  The small terriers Aiden used to hunt rats were able to scour any vermin from beneath our granaries.  We still lost a little but not as much as we had.  What we had gathered I intended to keep!

The time of the bone fire was always a difficult one for me.  In Byzantium we had not had to cull our animals.  Winters did not cover the grazing in a white sheet of snow and ice.  I rode with Aidan around our lands and visited our farmers ten days before All Hallows Eve.  He had an eye for the land which I did not possess. He was, in many ways, a throwback to the time before we had become so civilised. He understood Nature. We rode a circuit which took us towards the Hart Burn so that I could see the progress being made by Wulfstan and then we would swing around to see the many tiny farms tilled by the villeins.  As we crossed the beck which marked one edge of the land watched over by Wulfstan we saw many women and children harvesting the last of the blackberries, damsons, sloes and other wild fruits. It was a bounty which would not last long. We stopped and spoke with them.  It was the best way to gauge the mood of the people.

As we left Aiden pointed to the banks which ran down to the beck. "The rabbits your people introduced when the Conqueror came now run riot over yonder land, sir.  They should be hunted. At the moment they just breed.  We need their numbers to be thinned."

"Good.  The meat will augment what we have and the fur can be made into cloaks and mittens for the winter."

"I will set traps.  It is easier than wasting an arrow and the beasts are not intelligent!"

Wulfstan's Hall now had a roof and walls. He would be cosy within. I spoke to him of the rabbits.  I was gratified by an approving nod.  "We brought many cattle back.  Is there no alternative to slaughtering them?"

Wulfstan stroked his beard. He pointed to his hall. "I am keeping my cellar for animals but I can only keep a few there."

Aiden was walking through the long grass which still surrounded the hall.  Eventually the ground would be cleared and made into a plot for vegetables. He ran his hands through it. "We could cut this grass down, my lord.  It would dry and provide feed during the winter."

"A good idea Aiden but we would run out eventually."

"Yes, Baron Alfraed, but it would keep the animals alive longer and when we had to kill them then the meat would be fresher. It would save us salting." He was right for sometimes salted meat spoiled and was good for nothing save burning.

Faren had come out with a jug of ale and heard the last part. After she had poured us a beaker each she pointed to the barn where Wulfstan's workers were separating the grain from the husks on the barley, rye and oats. "All that we do with the husks is throw them away.  If we store them and then mix them with water and the dried grass they might feed the cattle over winter. They would not deteriorate. It would save waste too."

Faren had more common sense than anyone I knew.  Wulfstan nodded. "It means we must build a stockade to keep the animals close.  When I have used my scythes to clear the grass I will build a wooden wall and bring my cattle and sheep here.  I must gather them from the fields anyway to cull them."