El Campeador

by Griff Hosker

  He waved to our men, “There are quarters for your men but they will be escorted to them and from them.” He shrugged, “Barbastro.”

  Rodrigo nodded, “I understand but Will here will accompany me.”

  He smiled, “Of course, the Redbeard is welcome.”

  Thanks to Abu my Arabic was almost as good as Rodrigo’s and I understood everything which was said. That we were allowed to keep our swords was clear evidence that we were considered friends. I can think of no other Christian who would have been afforded such an honour but to the Muslims, Don Rodrigo was more than a Christian, he was the embodiment of the land of al-Andalus. While we walked to the chamber used by the Emir to greet guests, Muhammad ibn Hassan and Rodrigo spoke. I walked behind to give them space and also to allow me to look around. I learned much. I knew most of the bodyguards and senior leaders for I had met them at Graus. I saw other Moors, warriors, whom I did not know and, in contrast to the smiles from Zaragozans, I noticed scowls from the ones I did not recognise. I guessed that they were from Valencia, Toledo or Badajoz. When I saw him again, I would have Abu discover exactly which taifa had sent men here in numbers.

  As we entered the chamber, we saw it was full for this was where the Emir conducted his business. Muhammad ibn Hassan made the announcement of our arrival in a voice which could have been heard across a battlefield and I hid my smile. Muhammad ibn Hassan was a warrior!

  There was silence until the Emir spoke, “It is good to see Don Rodrigo de Vivar once more; the hero of Graus is always welcome here. It is a pity that you were not sent to help the poor people of Barbastro!”

  Rodrigo had the quickest mind of any man I knew and he had the most perfect of responses ready. It could, of course, have been that he had anticipated the Emir and his words and prepared it already. I knew Rodrigo but his mind still had doors and rooms to which I was not privy.

  “Emir, King Ferdinand has sent me to explain to you personally why he did not do so, and when you have time to grant me an audience then I will give you a full and explicit explanation.”

  The Emir could play the game too and he nodded, seriously, “I have time now, let us be alone so that I may consider the words of our former ally.”

  The Emir’s words were the public words intended to tell the world that the alliance was over. When the chamber was cleared, Muhammad ibn Hassan set the sentries and then retired outside the hall to guarantee privacy. There would be just the three of us. I later learned this was deliberate. No one else could hear and the Emir could deny everything.

  Rodrigo began, “Know, Emir, that had we known that the Pope intended what he did then King Ferdinand would have come to your aid. We might not have been able to stop the Normans and the French from attacking but we could certainly have prevented the massacres which took place.”

  “But you were in Badajoz, how could you have responded?”

  Was there criticism there or was he coming round to a more sympathetic view of our actions?

  “That campaign is over and I am here to tell you that we will come to your aid if another enemy, of whatever faith, attempts to attack you.”

  He smiled, “And, of course, the King still expects his tribute, his pariah.”

  I saw that Rodrigo was uncomfortable with this for he did not think that the Emir should pay, for it was we who had broken our word and not him. However, he was a loyal knight and he nodded, “I believe he does.”

  “And that will not be forthcoming. My people are angry and they would see it as a betrayal of the people of Barbastro,”

  “I understand.”

  “And there is something else.” He glanced at me and the look was a suspicious one.

  Rodrigo said, “Of all the men in the world there is none that I trust more than William here.”

  “I know he is a warrior, so I will speak openly. There are men at my court who wish to form an alliance against Castile. These men are from the other taifas. Zaragoza is the richest taifa and they wish to use our coin for a Holy War, a jihad against the Christians.”

  I had been right. There were men here who were not Zaragozan.

  “That would be a mistake and it would be costly for both sides.” The Emir nodded agreement at Rodrigo’s words, “And you would lose. There is an appetite amongst the kingdoms north of Spain to rid the land of Muslims. You do not want to invite a crusade, do you?”

  “But if the choice is to join with my Muslim brothers and keep my head or fight against them and lose all then I have little choice, do I?”

  He was asking for help.

  Rodrigo nodded, “Valencia and Toledo stand to gain the most.” The Emir nodded. “You have given me much to think on and to take back to my Prince and my King.”

  The Emir looked relieved, “I have a face I must present to my people, but you and I know each other’s hearts and minds. If we ever stop talking, then it will be a black day for Spain.” He stood, “And now it is time for prayers. I will see you at the feast this night and then I shall send you hence on the morrow.” He smiled, “It will be expected.”

  “And we shall go with our tails between our legs!”

  I had taught Rodrigo much but that had been in the gyrus and since he had been knighted there was little that I could teach him about war and I became his shadow. He understood diplomacy and strategy in a way few other men did. As his shadow I was in awe of him for when we dined, that night, at the Emir’s court I saw a mind that was like an animal trap for it was sharp and it was quick. There were knives out for him that night. The Emir had his Valencian and other honoured guests close by him. We were not accorded a place of honour but the Emir did, at least, seat us with those whom we knew like the commander of his guard. As barbed comments were sent in our direction Rodrigo used his tongue like a shield and deflected each comment. I caught the Emir smiling, albeit briefly, at one point as the Zaragozan leader admired Rodrigo’s skill with a language he was not born to speak. Rodrigo had briefed me before we went in and I was to watch for those who said little but studied hard. I had ceased to be Rodrigo’s teacher and I was now his pupil. I saw the Valencian who was in command of their embassy. I saw him lean in to whisper something to one of his men who would then make some comment to Rodrigo. They were trying to bait him and attempting to draw him into a combat. I had no doubt that in any such fight Rodrigo would win but the very fact that he fought would be a defeat for he had to be a man of peace in order to continue to work with the Emir, secretly.

  The Emir ended our ordeal by adopting a position of outrage that Rodrigo was arguing with his guests and he sent us from the hall to our chamber with orders to leave Zaragozan land. The joy on the Valencian delegations and those from Toledo and Badajoz was in direct contrast to the sadness from the courtiers from Zaragoza.

  As we made our way back to our chambers, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “That was as hard as the fight against Don Raoul. Their barbs were incessant.”

  “I know not how you managed for their comments came one upon the other.”

  He nodded, “And what did you learn?”

  “The jewelled warrior from Valencia who never spoke and whose name we did not learn was the one in command.”

  Rodrigo nodded, “The older man wearing green.”

  “Aye.”

  “Sayf al Dawla, he is Emir Abd al-Malik’s right-hand man. Some say he is the general who commands the army and is the real power in Valencia. He is the one who is pushing the Emir of Zaragoza towards war. Badajoz and Toledo can be ignored, for the time being, we will deal with them when time allows but King Ferdinand has to strike at Valencia.”

  “War?”

  He nodded, “If we are to allow the Emir to become our ally again then we must eliminate the threat from the east. Muhammed ibn Hassan is convinced that there is an army poised to invade Zaragoza should the Emir ally with Castile once more.”

  We reached our chambers which now had four armed guards outside. This did not intimidate me for I knew the four men and I had rid
den with them at Graus. They smiled and bowed to Rodrigo, “Don Rodrigo, you can sleep safely this night for we will watch!”

  To the Valencians, it would look as though we were prisoners being held in confinement but the truth was that the Emir was keeping us safe from a knife in the night.

  “Thank you. I am honoured.”

  Once inside I turned to Abu who rose as we entered, “Well?”

  “We should take a different road when we leave, lord. Some men left when we were returning from the stables. They looked to be mercenaries, Mamelukes. By my estimate, there were twelve of them and there were Christians with them as well as Muslims. I think at least one was a Mozarab. I have met these types of men before. I would not accord them the title of warrior for they are more like wolves who prey on any they see as weaker. Unless I miss my guess, they will be waiting to follow us and to ambush us.”

  Rodrigo smiled, “Then it matters not which road we take, does it, Abu? We will have to fight them and the question is where we can choose to make that fight take place.”

  “Make?”

  “The way we travel and our preparations can force them to attack us at a place of our choosing.” He shrugged, “I have not seen that place yet but when I do then I will precipitate an attack. The important thing is that all of you,” he swept a hand around the handful of men I had brought, “know exactly what to do and that you are prepared. Jorge, I am sorry that you are with us for you are young. When we are attacked then you must not think of us but yourself.”

  “I am sworn to fight for William Redbeard, Lord of Briviesca and I will fight like my brothers.”

  I nodded, “And William Redbeard orders you to do as El Campeador says!”

  His shoulders slumped in acceptance of my orders.

  Rodrigo continued, “Abu, do these killers use bows?”

  “They can but they do not normally.”

  “Good, then they will have to use swords, spears and hand weapons. I am guessing that they do not wear mail, either?”

  “The leader might. I recognised the warrior who commands. He is ibn Qasi and some say he was trained in the mountains of Persia where he learned skills to kill in the night.”

  “Then I will not worry about his night skills for my plan is to ride to Tudela in one day. It is forty-five miles but this is winter and our horses will not have to endure the heat of the day.” He smiled at me, “You were wise to buy such good horses for your men. You have used King Ferdinand’s gold well.” He continued, “If we are attacked then it will be in daylight and we will be travelling swiftly. There are two roads to Tudela. The main road is to the south and west of the Ebro. The other means we cross the bridge and ride the small road which lies to the north and east of the Ebro. We cross the bridge at Tudela.”

  I smiled for I saw the brilliance of the plan, “They will wait beyond the city to see which road we take and the bridge over the Ebro means that they will have to catch us up.”

  “Aye, Will, and they will have a longer journey. Abu, you and Jorge will lead for you know this land. Will and I will ride at the rear. That means that Geoffrey will ride close to Jorge and Juan and Pedro will be close enough to help Will and I should we need them. If we are attacked, Abu, then you will take Jorge and Geoffrey up the road until you can find somewhere to ambush them for we will follow and feign retreat so that you can fall upon them. You said twelve?” He nodded, “Then odds of three to one should encourage them. I am content. Now we pray and then sleep for we shall all need God’s help on the morrow.”

  What I could not know, for it was in the future, was that this crisscrossing of al-Andalus would give El Cid such a knowledge of the land that it almost became a secret weapon, for when he began his wanderings, we took paths which none could emulate. But I get ahead of myself. Rodrigo still served Prince Sancho who had yet to be betrayed.

  Chapter 4

  The Emir was, without doubt, a clever man and as we were sent from his capital, he used his guards to make a show of ejecting us. The fact that they were complicit in our escape was a vital factor. The forty men rode on either side of us as they forced their way through the crowded Zaragozan streets. Nor did they stop when we reached the gates. Stern faced and with drawn weapons they escorted us to the crossroads. The main road headed north and west and the other, smaller road, led to the bridge over the Ebro. It was a Roman bridge and ancient. The leader of our escort had spoken with Rodrigo and when we reached the crossroads, he went through a show for those who watched. He pointed his sword to the bridge, “The Emir forbids you to use the fine road he has built and demands that you take the shortest road to Pamplona and Navarre! We will stay here to ensure that you do not disobey his orders.”

  “And we will obey the Emir!” Rodrigo knew how to play the game.

  We headed towards the bridge knowing that, in all likelihood, the men who were waiting to fall upon us were on the main road and hoping that if they had divided their forces then we, possibly, outnumbered them. The presence of the Emir’s guards would give us a head start for they effectively blocked the road to the bridge. The road to Pamplona lay beyond Tudela. Of course, Rodrigo knew that the killers could head to Tudela on the main road and arrive there at the same time as us but the uncertainty lay in the fact that we could take any one of a dozen smaller roads which lay between Zaragoza and Tudela and disappear. They would either have to follow us closely or risk losing us. Abu had told us that these mercenaries were not cheap for they delivered results. Their reputation depended upon success.

  As we headed across the bridge we rode steadily. If the killers were waiting up the road, they would have had a longer journey to get ahead of us. They would have camped in the cold and while our horses had been grain-fed, they would have had poor winter grazing at best. Our horses were the best and this would be a test of horseflesh as much as it was of skill in war. Geoffrey knew his horses and riding behind Abu and Jorge he was able to advise them when to slow down and when to speed up. At the rear, Rodrigo and I refrained from looking behind us. We had prepared. Our shields hung over our backs and beneath our cloaks so that we had protection from arrows and spears in the back. We had no spears but we had our swords; not only did we have a sword hanging from our baldrics but we also had a second one in a saddle scabbard. Our helmets hung from our cantles and our coifs down our back which allowed us to use our ears. It was a cold day but not so cold that we needed our hooded cloaks about our ears.

  Rodrigo had a mind which never ceased and he spoke as we rode. His words were a way of formulating his thoughts and I appreciated that he spoke them aloud for it helped me to understand him. “At least we now know that Zaragoza is not our enemy, but Valencia is. This is good, Will, for I believe that the King must attack Valencia and this road would be the best route to take.”

  “But might not the Emir of Zaragoza see such an attack as a threat to his land?” I asked questions like this to improve my mind.

  He shook his head, “We have an understanding and I think he is wise enough to be patient. Of course, I need to have the ear of the King and Prince Sancho for there are others who seek to undermine him and make us war with Zaragoza and I have to persuade them that our best hope is an alliance with Zaragoza. The Emir wishes to have us as an ally. Both Valencia and Toledo wish to consume Zaragoza. No, our best strategy is to make the Valencians think that we wish to fight Zaragoza but to attack them instead. It is a bold move but a necessary one. I spoke with Muhammed ibn Hassan and learned much about the taifa of Valencia; Valencia City would be too hard to take but the ports along the coast are ripe for they have few defences and our mounted knights could win the day.”

  I nodded and gestured over my shoulder, “All we have to do is to escape the men who pursue us!”

  “And that is why I am glad that I have you and your men with us. It would have been better to have had Iago too but this will do. If we have to fight then leave ibn Qasi to me! He is the most dangerous of our enemies and if I can slay him then the others may wel
l lose heart.”

  We travelled for an incident-free fifteen miles and then stopped. It was a quiet road and there were few settlements. We did not need food and so we used the river which ran close to the road to water our horses. Jorge had the best eyes and it was he who spotted our pursuers. They looked to be two or three miles behind us and were riding hard. He looked worried when he told us, but Rodrigo smiled, “And that is good for they are thrashing their horses while ours are not yet lathered. Let us mount but we keep the same pace. Geoffrey, you have done well thus far. If I give the command then we move forward just a little quicker. Do not try to gallop.”

  “Aye, lord.”

  This time it was even harder not to turn around and we made another five miles before we heard the sound of their hooves. “Geoffrey!” As he spoke Rodrigo looked over his shoulder as did I. The mercenaries were half a mile behind us. The leader, ibn Qasi, was not at the fore for he was recognisable by his fine helmet and mail and we could see him at the back where he would avoid an ambush and be able to direct his men. From what we had learned from Abu he was obviously a cunning leader who would disregard the lives of his men. If they died, he would have less money to pay out. As we turned back, I saw that Geoffrey, Abu and Jorge were twenty paces ahead of us and Pedro and Juan were too. I was not worried as I knew what was in Rodrigo’s mind. Our two horses were the best that we had and we could catch up whenever we chose. To our pursuers, it would look as though we were panicking and our servants were leaving us. They would be eager to close with us.