by Griff Hosker
“Aye lord.” The look he gave me suggested that my words were unnecessary.
I saw that the castle had been made of wood but the keep was now built in stone. It looked substantial although the curtain walls were still made of wood as was the gatehouse. I saw that there were men wearing the baron’s livery. He had coin. There was a stable too and, when we dismounted, I saw that he had twenty horses at least. There were two war horses. This was not an impoverished knight.
Odo de Le Grais was a little older than I. His wife was a small shrew of a woman who greeted me and then disappeared. I never saw her again. The Baron clasped my arm. “I recognised your standard. I had to meet you. It is an honour to meet the hero of Arsuf! I look forward to hearing all about it!”
After we had washed up Fótr and I were taken to the Great Hall. It was not particularly large and the table looked barely big enough for ten people. As it was there were just four. The Baron’s squire, Gilles, joined us. The tale of Arsuf and the Baltic Crusade were payment for the accommodation and the food. I did not mind. I liked to tell the story of Arsuf if only to give the true version and not the legend which had grown up around the young squire defending the standard and his father’s body.
When I had finished the Baron topped up my goblet. “I can see why men follow you. That is quite a tale and I now understand you a little more. You have quite a reputation here in Normandy and Maine. You are the only man to defy the Duke of Normandy and live. That is quite remarkable.”
I said nothing but inclined my head and sipped the wine. It was not the best wine. Whatever he had paid for it had been too much. I did not know this man. For all I knew he was a spy for King John and he was attempting to make me say something injudicious. That would render the parchment I bore useless.
“Think you that the French will try to take our land once more?”
I nodded, “I can guarantee that. The Vexin remains in Norman hands and Phillip does not like that. His men are camped on the borders even as we speak.”
Odo nodded and, after sipping his wine, looked at his squire, “John Lackland is not the man to defeat Phillip.”
I had just spoken with King John. Odo’s words invited agreement. Perhaps I was right and this was a spy sent to entrap me. I would not put it past the King. “His victory at Mirebeau halted the French did it not?”
“Pah! They were Bretons he defeated! They were led by a boy!”
“Then you do not put your faith in Prince Arthur?”
“He knows not which way to jump. First it is with Phillip, then John, then Phillip. No, lord, I have no faith in him.”
“Then you must put your faith in King John of England. He is the rightful Duke of Normandy.”
The silence which followed was eloquent. He was not a spy. He was one of the barons who wished to make war on King John. I was about to retire when he said, “What if there was another who could be Duke of Normandy?”
“There is none. The only other who might have a claim is Queen Isabella of Castile.”
He smiled, “I did not say they had a blood claim but perhaps there are knights who could be Duke and a strong Duke. This land was founded on such men. Rollo, William Broadsword, William the Bastard, Henry; all were strong men. Perhaps we need another such one.”
I stood, “I should warn you, Odo, that you speak treason. I put it down to bad wine and I will forget what I have heard.”
He looked as though I had slapped his face, “But I thought that you of all people would support a revolt by barons!”
“You thought I would support a greedy baron who wished power? I may have no love for the Duke of Normandy but I would not give the title to one who was not of royal blood. Can I give you counsel?” He nodded, “Worry more about the French and less about the Duke!”
When we left, just after dawn Ridley reported that he, too, had heard treasonous talk in the warrior hall. He even had more information. “It seems, lord, that the land around Mayenne is where the treason emanates. Guy of Laval has made no secret of the fact that he wishes to be Duke of Normandy.”
I nodded, “Even though his lands are in Maine. Then we will avoid Laval on our way south. In fact, I think it better if we sleep beneath the trees from now on. It will be safer.” I closed my eyes to see the map I had in my hall. “We will head to Saint-Jean-sur-Evre. It is forty miles but there is no castle there. Griff, scout out the road ahead. We ride hard!”
The forest through which we rode was sparsely populated. We spied the fires of charcoal burners and the occasional forester but other than that we saw nothing. Our twenty-five horses made such a noise on the road that the men who lived close by the road fled and hid. Such a large number of horsemen did not bode well for those who lived in the forests. We had travelled ten miles when the heavens opened and it rained. We had good cloaks but I knew that Fótr would have his work cut out to clean my mail when we stopped. The storm lasted but two miles and then stopped. The sun came out and steam rose from our cloaks as they dried.
I decided that we would stop, while the sun shone. Riding in such wet clothes was not comfortable. Griff and Tom found a clearing where we stopped to water our horses at the small stream which passed nearby. We ate some of our rations. We were down to salted meat for we had not had the opportunity to buy food. I hoped that the ones who live in Saint-Jean-sur-Evre might have food for us to buy.
Dick One Arrow went into the forest to empty his bowels. When he returned he had a worried look on his face. Tom bantered, “I told you that woman in Falaise was not the cleanest of women!” My men laughed.
“Lord, I had seen tracks in the forest. They were in the mud. Someone passed this way after the rain. From the depth of the hoof prints there were men with mail.”
“And numbers?”
“Sorry lord, they rode in single file.”
That changed everything. My archers strung their bows. The blue skies suggested it would not rain; at least not for a while. Rain made bow strings less effective. The rest of us hung our shields from our cantles where we could reach them easily. We took our spears from our horses. We donned helmets. Our archers had the eyes and ears to listen for the ambush. I was in no doubt that we would be ambushed. All that I did not know was who would be the ambushers. Perhaps Baron Odo feared I would betray him and had sent men to silence us or King John might send killers so that he would not need to break his oath. It mattered not. We still had seventy miles to go and the journey would be fraught with danger.
My archers left us. They would leave the road and use the woods. That was where they were comfortable. I trusted both them and their judgement. The twelve of us and our three horses rode closely together. We had to make the ones waiting for us believe that we knew nothing of the ambush. We were the live bait. I was lucky in that all of the men I led were experienced. Some had been with me in the Baltic. They knew about ambush. It did not matter how many men we faced, I would back my men against any, including knights. All of my men had hauberks. Their helmets were full face ones and well made. They had mail mittens and their legs were protected by simple greaves. We would give a good account of ourselves.
I disliked wearing the helmet. It meant I had a restricted view and it was hot. That day my helmet saved my life. The cross-bow bolt struck my helmet and lodged in one of the holes of my visor. My arming cap stopped further penetration.
“Ambush!” Even as I shouted I pulled my shield up to protect my left side. The bolt had come from that side. I levelled my spear and I peered through my slits. I saw a figure some hundred or so paces from me. I spurred Skuld and my horse leapt off. Even as I charged at the figure I saw Godwin of Battle tumble from his horse. I could not afford to lose men. I hoped that my archers were close by. Another two bolts smacked into my shield. One had been released so close that the tip came through the leather cover and laminated wood. The man who stepped out of the wood with an axe swinging mistimed his swing. I jerked Skuld around and, as the axe struck fresh air I rammed the spear into his chest. His
dying hands tore it from my grip and I drew my sword.
I saw the crossbowman as he frantically wound back the cord. He wore no mail. I brought my sword back and hacked up through his chest and into his skin. Even as I did so I saw two horsemen ride at me. Neither were knights or, if they were then they were impoverished for they had leather jerkins studded with metal. They had swords. I rode at the two of them. Fótr would be close behind me and I trusted my squire. He knew how to fight in a mêlée. Skuld was flying. To fight from the back of a fast horse requires fast reactions. I had them. I pulled Skuld to the right. That meant only one horseman could get at me. Standing in my stirrups I brought my sword down. He tried to block it with his shield but the blow was so hard that it split his shield. I wheeled Skuld around to the left. I left the one with the broken shield and galloped after his companion who was trying to turn. I saw Fótr with his spear levelled as he charged the man with the broken shield.
The man I faced had an open helmet. The flecks of grey in his beard told me that he had experience. I gambled upon slower reactions. He was trying to turn when, instead of sweeping, I punched with my sword and lunged at his middle. His shield was slow to block the blow and my sword came away bloody. As he passed I punched with my shield and I saw him reel. Skuld almost anticipated my command and she pulled around so that I was facing his back. I rose and brought my sword down to split his back open to the spine. Fótr’s spear took the other man in the throat.
I turned and saw that there were just my men left. Eight were mounted. Godwin of Battle had fallen earlier on and Godfrey of Lancaster was being helped to his feet by Ridley. Godfrey’s horse lay dead. Griff and Tom ran up, “Sorry lord, we were slow. The rest of the ambushers are dead.”
“Search their bodies. I would know who sent them. See if any survive.”
Fótr said, “Lord, there is a bolt in your helmet.”
I took off my helmet and pulled it out. It was cooler without the helmet. “How are you Godfrey?”
“I had the wind knocked from me but the bastard killed Anna!” My men were all attached to their mounts.
“How is Godwin?” I could not see him. I spurred Skuld to the place I had seen him fall. His horse was nearby grazing and he lay still. I saw a bolt in his shoulder. “Ridley, Fótr! We have a wounded man!”
They galloped up. I took off Godwin’s helmet and put my ear close to his mouth. He was breathing. I saw blood by his arming cap. He had been knocked unconscious. Head wounds were always unpredictable. Ridley was good when it came to tending wounds. He took charge immediately. “Master Fótr, fetch the vinegar and honey from my saddle bags.” As my squire hurried off Ridley said, “It is good that he is unconscious. It will make this easier.” He handed me a piece of cloth. “Lord, when I take out the bolt press this to the wound.”
“Should we not take the mail from him?”
“Not with a bolt lord. We stanch the bleeding and then take off his hauberk. I fear we will not make Saint-Jean-sur-Evre this night. I dare not hurry this or we may lose him.”
“We can camp here.”
“Ready lord!” Ridley was a strong man and he easily pulled out the bolt. I jammed the cloth there and managed to stem the bleeding. Ridley nodded his approval. “Good.” Fótr arrived with the vinegar and honey. He laid them on the ground as Godfrey of Lancaster appeared. “Godfrey and Fótr, you two take his arms from the hauberk. Loosen the ties around the neck and see if you can get it over his head before he wakes. Lord, you must maintain the pressure.”
I had the easier task. Taking mail from an unconscious man is never easy. Trying to do so while his wound is being tended is almost impossible. The two of them managed to do as Ridley had asked. The hauberk was now pressing against my hand.
“Lord, we will take off the hauberk. Move the cloth and as soon as we have taken the hauberk apply the pressure.” I nodded and watched as the three of them held the hauberk. Ridley said, “Now lord!”
I took off the cloth. Blood seeped rather than spurted and I took that as a good sign. They managed to get the hauberk off and then Ridley tore the gambeson apart to reveal flesh. He nodded to me and I applied pressure. “We are lucky. The bolt did not strike a vein and is only as wide as the bolt. I will not need to stitch. Honey and vinegar will do it.”
It did not take long to clean the wound with vinegar and then to use honey to seal it. With a bandage applied he would heal.
“Now we see what damage there is to the head.” We carefully took off the helmet and the arming cap. There was a tendril of blood. “We wait to see when he wakes. If you wish to push on, lord, I can wait here with him.”
“No Ridley we all stay or we all leave.”
I stood and my men gathered around. We had captured three horses. Only Godfrey had lost his horse. Griff said, “There were twenty of them lord.” He shook his head, “They must have been desperate to take on twenty-two of us. Did they not know your reputation? One looked to have been a knight once. He had spurs and a faded tunic but he had fallen on hard times. His mail hauberk was rusted. He fell to Tom’s arrow.” He held a purse. It was full. “We collected the coins from the dead. They are fresh minted Norman coins. They bear the face of King John.”
I nodded, “Then we know who sent them. King John, it seems, regrets writing that decree. We will make camp here and wait until Godwin awakes before we ride. Lay traps around the camp.”
Will son of Robin said, “They had food and wine in their saddlebags, lord. I am guessing that they anticipated a long chase.”
As we ate I pondered the events. I nodded to Griff, “You were right Griff, they would not have ambushed us with so few men. Some escaped. This is not over. They will ride back to Falaise and report to whoever sent them.”
“King John.”
“I doubt it Fótr. He would have given the orders but one of his men would have been charged with the deed. We leave tomorrow before dawn. If Godwin is not yet awake then we tie him to the back of a horse.”
“That may kill him.”
“I know, Ridley, but if we wait until he awakes we may have more enemies and then he would surely die.”
Godwin was tough and he woke in the middle of the night. The men watching him came to fetch me. Godwin looked unhappy, “I am sorry to have inconvenienced you lord. I am ready to travel now.”
“No, eat and drink. You lost blood. We leave before dawn and you will ride with Godfrey. You were both wounded. Let others fight if we have to.”
I was glad when we managed to leave the forest. We did so in the third hour of the day. We were now in open country. They could stop us but they could not ambush us. My archers rode ahead but were within sight of us. We spied Saint-Jean-sur-Evre in the late afternoon. There was no hall and no castle. The villagers wisely kept in their homes. I walked up to the largest and banged upon it.
A frightened looking man peered out, “Yes lord?”
“We would buy bread and food from you. We have coins.”
He looked relieved, “We only have rye bread, lord and bean stew.”
“That will do.”
He hurried inside and then came back out to go to the other houses. The freshly minted coins ensured that we were able to buy plenty of food. The villagers were happy with the trade. If they went hungry they had money to spend. It was better for them. They even had rough cider for us to drink.
“Did you see any other men coming down the road?”
The head man, Hugh, looked around as though someone might overhear. “Yes lord. Last night horsemen galloped through the town. We had our doors barred but we heard them.”
“They headed south?”
“Aye lord but I have no idea of numbers.”
I gave him another coin. “Thank you.” I waved over Griff and Ridley. “There were more men. I am guessing that they had two ambushes. When the first one failed then the survivors went to fetch the others. They will attack us tomorrow.”
“But where? There are no more forests.”
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��No but there are woods. This is not a Roman Road. It is not straight. There are places they can attack.”
Griff nodded his head grimly, “This time, lord, we will not let you down. We will not be caught unawares!” With David of Wales guarding my home Griff commanded my archers. He understood the responsibility.
We had less than thirty miles to go. I could, if I had more men, have sent one for help. We would have to deal with the ambush with the men that I had with me. Hindsight is always perfect. As we rode, in a tight formation, I speculated where the attack might come. South of Louailles there was a wood. It was forty paces from the road but if they had crossbows then we could be hurt. Griff and my archers had taken great delight in destroying the ten crossbows amongst the dead men. The lack of quality of our attackers was shown in the poor nature of their weapons. Cheap crossbows are a poor investment.
I turned to Fótr, “Ride to Tom and ask him to send men to Louailles. I would have them scout out the woods. Tell Griff to slow down our approach to allow them to discover the danger.”
“What makes you think the attack will come there, lord?”
“If I was setting an ambush that is where I would choose. It is just five miles ahead. Tell them, if it is an ambush not to spring it. I would have us surprise them by being ready for it.”
He galloped off and Ridley rode next to me. “We should have brought more men, lord.”
It was not a criticism, just a comment. He was correct but I had just been asked to bring a handful of men to escort the Dowager Queen. Had I known what she intended then I might have done things differently. “You are right but it is too late now. The carrots are out of the ground. We deal with the problem ahead. How are you Godwin?” I shouted the comment over my shoulder.
“I have a headache and the next man with a crossbow that I see will be gutted. My left arm aches!”
“There may be an ambush. If there is then you and Godfrey stay with the horses.”
Godfrey shouted, “We can fight, lord!”