Outlaw (Aelfraed) (19 page)

“Not a huge force then?”

“No. I just hope that Morcar has recruited.”

We spent a week at Coxold repairing armour and making arrows for the archers.
  Ralph Ralphson took over the making of his father’s knight killing arrows and Branton was happy again. When we finally reached Jorvik we were disappointed.  Morcar had done little but celebrate that the new Earl had died!  He thanked me but kept giving me strange looks. I disliked the politics and the verbal dancing he engaged in and I bluntly asked him.  “Earl Morcar, speak plainly with me. You know something.  If you do, then spit it out.”

He sighed, “It is hard to tell you, especially with the news of the Queen and, Gytha. “

So the news of my wife and Calum had leaked out.  It was inevitable. “They are minor issues compared with the rule of the tyrant.”

“Well here it is then.
  You and Lord Ridley have been declared outlaws for the murder of Copsi and Guy of Evreux.”

“But Lord Ridley was not there! That was Branton.”

“You were identified by someone who saw you in Ripon and the description of the man with you fitted Lord Ridley. “ He shrugged, “Your lands are forfeit.  They have been given to Lord William of Perci.”

“I can swear that it was not Ridley.”

“But I am no longer Earl.  I sit in this city under false pretences.”

“While you sit here then you make the law.
  Make a proclamation telling all that Ridley is innocent.”

“I will do so but it is meaningless.”

“It is only meaningless if you make it so.  We have nothing to lose now Morcar let us rise against William.  Send a message to your brother and ask him to rise.  You owe it to your sister!”

I think that what decided Morcar was my statement that he had nothing to lose.
  That day saw a change in him as he began to behave as an Earl and for the next few months we had a chance.

By early winter Edwin had risen and we had raised an army.
  It was not huge but it was big enough to frighten William of Perci.  He had based his army at Doncaster and we marched down to meet him.  Earl Morcar had mounted men of his own and we left the fyrd at home. It meant that we had fifteen hundred warriors, all of whom were armoured.  Even with his reinforcements from Ripon he still only had two thousand men.  We knew that we had the advantage of our earlier victory and when we arrayed our forces before the new motte and bailey at Doncaster, we were in high spirits.  The cold morning and the harsh wind blowing from the east did not hurt us.  This was our land.  I unfurled my banner in the centre of the line and made sure that my men at arms showed their shields with my motif.  I wanted William to know that I was coming for him. 

He had just over a hundred knights; they were lined up to the right of their line.
  In the middle were their foot soldiers and I could see that he had given them all spears so that they looked like an armoured hedgehog.  He had fewer light horse and they were to the left.  Thinly spread out, in a long line, before the whole army were sixty crossbowmen. That was his biggest mistake for he could not concentrate their fire on any one part of our line and I knew that he would fight a defensive battle.

“Branton, take your archers get rid of the crossbowmen in the middle.
  Osbert give your brother ten men at arms.  They can protect them with their shields. Earl Morcar, send your horse to face the enemy light horse.  If they attack, then charge them.”

This was my chess game now and I would use my pawns in the middle while threatening his left. I was inviting him to charge us with his knights. “Ridley, form a shield wall, William of Perci will be along shortly.”

Ridley never questioned, he just carried out orders calmly and efficiently.  I hoped that Morcar would do the same. Branton’s fifty archers poured arrow after arrow into the sky.  There were so many that it looked as though a rain cloud had appeared overhead.  The bolts were ineffective because of my men at arms and soon there were only a handful of crossbowmen left on each side.

The light horse made a perfunctory effort to charge the retreating archers but a quick charge from Morcar’s horse made them run for the safety of their foot. “The line will advance.”

Banging their shields we headed towards the Normans.  Just as I had expected William of Perci saw his chance and his pennant dipped three times. The light horse charged towards our cavalry and his knights, riding knee to knee charged our left flank.

”Branton! Knight killers!”

Branton and his men did not have many of these deadly arrows left and they chose their targets well.  The knights seemed better prepared this time, no doubt remembering the effect of the weapons at Osmotherly.  They held their shields tightly and protected their bodies well.  It did, however unsight them a little and that gave my men an edge. The men on the left braced themselves as the knights struck them.  Their wall of spears found a few horses and the line halted.  Soon I could hear the melee from my left as both sets of armoured men tried to find a weakness. 

In the centre I prepared to meet the foot.
  We were heavier and I counted on our two lines to punch a hole in their defence.  We struck with a clash of iron on wood.  My well trained men were soon stabbing and jabbing at the less well protected Normans.  Suddenly I heard a shout from Osbert, “My lord, the cavalry!”

I looked to my right and saw, to my horror, Earl Morcar and his horsemen riding north.
  They had broken. “Osbert, back right.”

Osbert’s part of the line began to edge around to form another side to our line. I roared, “Halt!” We were winning in the middle but if we advanced we would be surrounded. I turned to look for a way out of this trap for Morcar’s desertion had given Perci the advantage of numbers. Our only chance was to defeat the knights and hope that William retreated. I turned to Edwin of Malton next to me; he would be the next sergeant, if we survived this disaster. “Edwin, hold the line whilst I aid Lord Ridley.
  Listen for my command and do not advance!”

He grinned as he hacked a foot soldier with his short axe, “Aye my lord.”

I extracted myself from the line and trotted to the left where the knights were still heavily engaged.  I saw Branton.  “Make me a hole in the middle of their line on my command and then be prepared to cover our retreat!” He nodded and I stood in the second line, men made a gap for me and I found myself just behind Ridley. It was a stalemate. “Branton! Now!”

Suddenly eight arrows flew dangerously close to our heads, striking the four knights at the front of their line. There was a gap and I pushed myself to Ridley’s left. “Wedge!” Stabbing forwards with Boar Splitter I felt the blade slide into the horse’s throat and beyond it to embed itself in the knight’s gut.
  Horse and rider fell to one side and there was an even bigger gap.  I slid my shield around and held Death Bringer.  As I began to swing I felt Ridley, to my right do the same and soon the swinging blades were carving a path through horses and knights who had no answer to the scything blades of death.  Their lances lay shattered and they could not reach us with their swords. It was with some relief that I heard the Norman voices shout and the remaining knights fell back. I quickly looked to the right. The attack there was being held.

“Topcliffe! Fall back! Branton, harry them.”

We had lost many men and as we closed our lines to retreat I saw that we would do well to survive the retreat. We were now heavily outnumbered.  It was Fulford all over again and we had been betrayed by one of our leaders. I took Boar Splitter from the dead horse and held my shield before me for the danger now would be the crossbowmen and the light horse. I heard a horse behind me and Branton’s voice.  “My lord, there is a small wood half a mile north.”

Without turning I shouted, “Good! Keep the crossbows and horse away from us; we can deal with their foot easily enough.” Their foot soldiers were
reluctanttoclose with the scything axes and swords. They were mercenaries, they were not fighting for their country; we were!

Even though we were retreating we killed more of them as we slowly trudged backwards.
  When we could, we rotated our men so that fresher men were in the front and it was heartbreaking to leave our dead littering the field but we had no option. Our work was mechanical as we swung and parried, blocked and stabbed.  Osbert’s training paid off on that day as men fought beyond pain and beyond sense.  Just performing the actions drilled into them at Topcliffe. Branton’s archers did a magnificent job, riding to attack any who threatened our flanks and their horse became wary of them. By the time the sun was setting we had reached the safety of the woods and it was with some relief that I saw Perci’s pennant dip and his men retreated. The last fifty men at arms sank to their knees in exhaustion.  We had tasted defeat and retreat and, I for one did not like the taste.

When Branton returned he had many empty saddles. “You have done well, Branton, and saved us this day.
  I will not forget it.” He nodded.  “See how many horses you can find and, if you are able bring any of our wounded from the field.”

We knew there were wounded for we could hear their pitiful cries as they lay amongst the carnage.
  I did not know if the Normans would bother with their own dead but we had so few men left now that every man, even the wounded, was worth double the dead and dying Normans. Osbert spat on the ground as he bound a wound on Edwin’s arm.  “With respect my lord, Earl Morcar is a prick and if I see him again…”

“Do not worry, Osbert, we have fought alongside that coward for the last time.”

“With whom will we fight then, Aelfraed, for we have few men left?” Ridley’s voice of reason chilled me to the bone.

“I do not know.
  What is the alternative?  Submit?” I looked at Ridley and suddenly realised that he had a future.  “You could take your men back to Coxold and continue as Thegn.”

He smiled sadly.
  “Aelfraed, it has always been the same, my world and yours are tied together with a bond which has been determined by
wyrd
. Where you go, there go I.”

“But Ridley, I am outlaw. You know what that means?”

“Aye my lord, it means that every man’s hand is turned against you.  You have no home and you will be shunned by all.”

“And you choose that?”

“I choose that.”

I turned to the circle of warriors who watched us and listened to the conversation. “And all of you, do you choose that; for I will give coin to any who wish to go home.
  It is only Aelfraed of Topcliffe who is outlaw.”

In answer they all banged their shields and roared, “Aelfraed.” None left me and we were all outlaws from that moment on. The sign of the Red Horse became the symbol for rebellion and resistance to all invaders.

When Branton returned he had managed to acquire thirty mounts, some of them Norman.  He also found eight warriors who were wounded.  Two of them would not see out the night but, at least they would die amongst comrades.”My lord, we cannot stay here.  We must move.”

“I know, Osbert, place the wounded on the horses, Branton lead us out and have four men as scouts to watch our rear. We trudged north all night, eventually collapsing at Knottingley where we begged some shelter and food from those in the small village. I felt honour bound to tell them who were and that we were outlaws. Cnut, the headman nodded.
  “That is as maybe my lord but I stood with you at Stamford and to us you will never be outlaw.  You are welcome to stay as long as you wish.”

“Thank you Cnut but we will leave on the morrow for I would not wish harm to come to you and your people.”

When we finally reached Jorvik three men had died of their wounds and we had buried them with weapons and honour.  Ridley took the majority of our men to Coxold where Ralph Ralphson could repair the damaged armour. We knew that every day was precious.  Soon William would come north for all resistance lay with my depleted band of warriors and we needed to find somewhere to winter.  Our lives would change irrevocably. I went with Osbert, Branton and six men to Jorvik. I needed money from Reuben but more importantly I needed to speak with Morcar, if only to tell him how I felt.

The sentries on the gates looked shamefaced as we approached the Mickelgate.
  They looked at each other and then crossed their spears, barring us from entry.

“I am sorry, my lord but you have been declared outlaw and cannot enter.”

I felt my men reach for their weapons and I held up my hand.  I did not want to spill Northumbrian blood. “You know who I am?”

“Yes my lord, Lord Aelfraed of Topcliffe.”

“No I am Aelfraed Godwinson, son of the last legitimate King of England, Harold Godwinson.  I do not recognise a Norman declaration.” They looked at each other, confused.  “Who commands here?”

“Earl Morcar!”

“Then we will see him.” I looked at them both sadly, “I do not wish to end your lives for you are merely doing your duty but at my command these warriors behind me will slay you in the blink of an eye.  Do you want that?”

I could not see the expressions on Osbert and the others behind me but it must have terrified the two sentries who stood aside, “Very well, my lord.”