To Murder a King

by Griff Hosker

  My guards were kept busy with people coming and going. It was hard to keep track of who had entered and who had left. In the end I put Peter and Henry at the gate with Richard of Norwich and they made it difficult for people to get in. I stayed with the King, Queen and the Chancellor. The King was in a bad place. He was promising to pay back all those who had crossed him. The Bishop of Durham, who was the Treasurer, counselled caution. The Chancellor just feared for his life. The Commons and the Lords wanted a scapegoat. They needed someone to punish and the Earl of Suffolk was the one most likely to be singled out for punishment.

  The King was back in good humour. He was convinced that Robert de Vere would arrive with an army and restore his power. “Chancellor, do not fear. We have William Strongstaff here.” He turned to me. “You will be my champion will you not?”

  I was confused, “Champion?”

  “Of course, champion! When my father made you swear to watch over me it was with this in mind.”

  “But who would I fight, sire?”

  Even Queen Anne looked confused. “You are not thinking straight husband.”

  “Whoever comes for me will be challenged by me and I will have them fight my champion, Will. Trial by combat will defeat our foes and I shall have my money and power will be restored to the monarchy!”

  The Queen looked at me and I gave the slightest shake of the head. This would not work. The days of trial by combat were long gone or so I thought. I did not argue with him. I just allowed him to rant for a while. When he had calmed a little I said, “My lords I will have the gates closed at dusk. No one enters or leaves in the hours of darkness. We cannot risk the King or any other lord coming to harm. There are desperate men out there.” I did not mention the assassins who still sought the King’s life. The King was already in a high state of anxiety.

  “Good, William, and we are secure within these walls.”

  I went to the lesser gates and ordered them closed and barred. The men I commanded were now a better force of fighting men. They had more discipline, self-respect and skills. Many, such as Tolly, had been disappointed in the regime run by Mavesyn. However, I had too few to defend the walls. If we were attacked then we would withdraw to the keep. I headed to the main gate. A group of men approached. There were nine of them. Their cloaks hid any weapons they might be carrying. They were dressed as though they were just folk from London but I saw that they had tanned skin. They had been in hot climes.

  Peter, Henry and the four men who stood guard had not seen me. I reached the gate just as they were arguing with Peter. “We have a petition to deliver to the King. He must see us.”

  Peter said, “I cannot allow any in without the permission of the Captain.”

  One of them growled, “Then get him, cripple.”

  When my voice roared it made everyone jump, “And you watch your mouth spawn of the gutter! I am the Captain and I tell you to begone.”

  I think that they had planned carefully what to do. I had played into their hands by identifying myself as the Captain. It was no secret that I was back and protecting the King. The nine of them suddenly threw off the cloaks and ran at us. Dick of Craven was at the gate and he had his sword out even before I did. Peter was also fast. The axe which came towards Tolly would have taken his head had Dick of Craven not brought his sword down to hack through the wrist of the first man. None of us had shields and I whipped out the rondel dagger from my boot. I knew that these men would be mailed.

  “On me!”

  Part of their training had been obeying commands and instinctively all formed a line. Henry was the slowest but even he was in line before the eight unwounded attackers could react. The seven of us filled the gateway. What I worried about was that there were more men waiting to enter. We needed these dispersing and the gate closing. With the bridge up we were safe. I brought my sword over my shoulder and aimed for the neck of the man ahead of me. He was an old soldier and his dagger came up to block it. Without shifting my eyes, I lunged at his head with the rondel dagger. He tried to block the blow with his sword but the narrow head of the dagger penetrated his hand and he dropped the sword. Even as I hacked again with my sword one of them tried to stab me. The tip of his sword was too wide and although he hurt my side my mail held. I sawed the sword back and blood spurted from the man with the punctured hand. I pulled back again and swung at the bearded man who had stabbed me. He blocked it with his sword and I stabbed with my dagger. He blocked it with his own.

  All down the line my men were engaged with the tanned warriors. I heard boots running across the cobbles inside the outer ward as Richard of Norwich brought reinforcements. I had the chance to study the man I was fighting. He had a long scar down his cheek and his sword was an old fashioned one. There was no fuller. It was broad almost to the end and it was very heavy. His dagger was almost like a short sword. Our swords and daggers were locked. He was strong but I was stronger. I pushed and his feet began to slip for there was a slight slope on the cobbles leading into the castle. He tried to spit at me. I moved my head but I smelled garlic. The man was French. I brought my knee up but he was wise to the move and he blocked it with his own. When Peter slew one of his men and Dick the other my opponent shouted, “Run!” Even though it was just one short word it was said with a French accent. Four men fled.

  I looked and saw that Ralph was dead or soon would be for he was bleeding from a stomach wound and Tolly had also been wounded. “Get everyone and the bodies inside. Close the gates!”

  Richard of Norwich and the four men he had brought fetched in the dead attackers and we slammed the gates shut. “Search them for clues as to their identity. Then take their heads and put them on pikes on the battlements. I would have all know the penalty for attacking us!”

  “Aye Captain.”

  I went to Tolly. He had been stabbed in the left arm, “How is it Tolly?”

  He smiled, “I might be wounded, Captain, but I feel like a warrior now! I will live and I will be better for it!”

  Later, as the bodies were thrown into the moat, I reflected that we were now under siege. The King was at war.

  Chapter 13

  It was dark by the time I reached the hall. We had discovered little from the clothes and coins of the men. They had Spanish and French coins but that was not a surprise. Most of us did. Unlike those we had discovered in Spain none were fresh minted. They had served abroad. Two had been in the Holy Land and the rest had been in Spain. We deduced that from some of the items of clothing they wore. Their weapons were the weapons of sergeants and not knights. To get close to Henry Bolingbroke they had used knights. They could use anyone in an attempt to kill the King for he did not surround himself with knights. Anyone we did not know and many that we did could be suspect.

  I gathered the three sergeants around me. “From now on we have two men guarding each entrance to rooms which the King and Queen occupy. If a killer thinks he cannot escape then he might be reluctant to risk his life.”

  Dick of Craven said, “You are forcing them to act at night when the castle is asleep.”

  I nodded, Dick was quick thinking. “And that is why we are all operating a two-hour shift. I want all of us alert. Until this problem with Parliament is solved we are stuck here and we do not have enough men. It appears that the King has few friends.”

  Peter of Lussac said, “But there are many people who support the King!”

  “Sadly, few of them are lords. We do not worry about that. Our task is to keep the King safe. While he eats we just need one watch on the walls and four men guarding the doors. Peter, Master Henry and I will be at the table. I do not think there will be an attempt there but we will be ready if there is. I will watch during the night too. For the time being I become the cat and take sleep where and when I can. Remember, the only ones we trust are our men. All else are suspect. Better to upset a suspicious looking priest than lose the King.”

  I sent Henry and Peter to rest and I joined the King and Queen in the Hall. The Chancell
or and churchmen sat together. They were deep in discussion. Everyone knew of the attack. They did not know it was an attack on me rather than the King. Pages and servants were kept busy serving wine and small bites of food. The Queen’s ladies in waiting all chattered like magpies and the King and Queen were seated alone before the fire. They looked lonely. How many people dreamed of being in their position and yet the present incumbents were not enjoying it at the moment.

  I walked over to them and the King said, “William, sit. The Queen has chastised me for my treatment of you. Forgive me.” He held out his hand. On it was a ring with a blue stone. “See she has given me this ring to remind me that you are a true warrior and I should trust you. You have ever served me true and yet I doubted you. What happened at the gate?”

  I decided to be honest with them both. They deserved that. “I believe it was an attempt on my life. Someone sent malefactors and hired swords to bring me forth and kill me. They failed.”

  The Queen looked shocked, “Why kill you?”

  I said, flatly, “For without me you would both be easy to kill.”

  “Surely not.”

  “Yes, King Richard. If I was a killer I could easily hide in this castle until dark. If you know what you are doing then you can hide almost in plain sight. Your guards are better than they were but they do not have the experience to sense when an enemy is close. Perhaps Captain Mavesyn was involved in this I know not. Certainly, his practices left the two of you vulnerable. I have changed all of them. If he is advising the killers then he will be in the dark about what we are doing. The sooner we can get to Windsor the better, lord. It is a stronger castle and there is a larger garrison.” I stood. “My men are watching you. I will go and wash. I have blood on me. We will sit at your table and when you retire this night then so will we.”

  I think they were shocked into silence at my dire predictions. I hoped they would not come true but Henry had sent me to warn the King because he believed there would be an attempt. I was now convinced of it.

  Henry was asleep when I entered the room. “You should sleep too, Peter.”

  “I am like you, Captain. I can live off short sleeps. The lad has done well. If I am to be truthful better than he should with grandparents who sheltered him for too long. I know they lost their son but every man deserves the chance to live his own life. He will make a good knight.”

  “Aye he will but we have a few more days of danger to endure.”

  “Days Captain?”

  “I believe this crisis will come to a head soon. This is not like a battle where a few brave men can determine the outcome. There will be a storm which we must ride out. Tonight, watch for any who behave differently. If you see a servant you do not recognise then challenge them. The Steward will know their names. Make sure that you and Henry wear your mail. It will be uncomfortable but had I not been wearing mine earlier then I would now be dead.” I took off my bloody surcoat and put on a clean one. “We had better have our surcoats washed tomorrow. If the Commons come here we will need to look like warriors and not vagabonds.”

  I washed and then combed and oiled my beard. It refreshed me as much as a sleep and then I descended. I left Peter gently waking Henry. It was almost a maternal gesture. The old lame warrior cared deeply for the youth.

  The table was not the normal one. Usually there were loud conversations. This time men and women ate and drank as though this was their last meal. As I walked in I noticed that the conversations were subdued. Heads were close together as though the words they spoke were not to be heard. When I walked in all heads turned. Only the Queen smiled, “Master William, we were waiting for you to begin. You and your men have worked hard this day. Come and celebrate that we are all alive!”

  I saw some shocked looks from the churchmen but the King smiled. “Yes William, you give us all hope. Sit.”

  Henry and Peter followed me. We tried to be jolly but it was hard. We had lost Ralph today. Peter and Henry had trained him. There was guilt that they had not done a good enough job. I told them that war was like that but it had hit them hard. Few others would have even known his name. He was a face beneath a helmet holding a sword. I was just pleased that the King had been dragged from his dark pit of despair by his wife. When Robert de Vere had arrived, it had taken away the better parts of the King. Anne of Bohemia had the opposite effect. I just felt sorry that the people of England had not taken to her. She was a good woman but had been portrayed as the cause of England’s woes by Richard’s enemies.

  The evening ended sooner than most. All wished to be in their chambers with a barred door. The three of us escorted the King and Queen upstairs. Peter of Lussac was waiting for us with James and Alfred. The Queen giggled, “Six men to see to my chamber and the seventh is my husband. I am a lucky lady to be guarded by seven such gallant gentlemen.” It was the perfect thing to say and I saw James and Alfred grow taller by a handspan.

  When they had gone inside I said, “All is quiet?”

  Peter of Lussac nodded, “I checked all the sentries and each of the gates. All are barred. I will go and ensure that the outer doors are all barred, Captain.” He smiled, “You can rest easy. I am not the laggard I was when first we met.”

  “I will watch when I can.” I smiled, “First I make water!” This was where I missed men like Peter the Priest and Red Ralph. One of them would have made a joke at my expense. I missed the banter. Here I was Captain. I was beneath the lords, ladies, kings and queens but above the men I led. It was a lonely life. I went to the garderobe and then headed to the main gate. One of the changes I had made was to have burning brands placed outside the castle. They helped the sentries see any who approached. All were alert. In a short time, the lax life encouraged by Captain Mavesyn had been replaced with order and purpose. I descended the stairs to examine the outer ward. All was quiet and I wearily climbed the ladder to the gate which led to the inner ward. Here all was quiet. On the main gate and the fighting platform around the outer ward there had been the noise of London which lay not far away. The higher walls seemed to hide the sound and I stopped. All was quiet. The servants’ quarters were silent. The fact that the feast had finished early gave them the unexpected pleasure of a little longer in bed. In a few hours they would rise and prepare food for the household. The bakers would have left their dough to rise. The baker’s assistant would be up within an hour to light the bread ovens. He would be woken by the Captain of the watch’s cry to change the watch. That was another change I had made. In Captain Mavesyn’s time some watches had lasted longer than others and it led to resentment. When the watch was to be changed it would be announced. That would not happen for two hours. I headed back to the royal quarters and my bed.

  Matthew was the sentry who walked the walls around the inner ward. His was a lonely watch. He saw no one and so I stopped to speak with him on the fighting platform. “Is it all quiet, Matthew?”

  “It is Captain. I think you deterred any who might do the King harm at the gate.”

  I nodded absent mindedly. That was the general opinion of all of the guards. Was it true? So far the attempts to kill both Henry and Richard had been purposeful and in numbers. It seemed that those who conspired to murder the king and the one who would be king did not rely on one means. In Galicia they had used de Ufford and Sir Jocelyn. Then it struck me. The attack on the gate had been a diversion. It was to distract me and my men. Sergeant Richard had brought the men from the inner ward to help us. When they had done so then the gate to the inner ward had been left unguarded. Now it was locked but had we locked a killer inside?

  “Matthew, leave your pike here. Come with me.”

  “Aye Captain.”

  I drew my sword. I raced into the royal quarters. The top floor was occupied by the royal guests and we quickly descended the stairs to the royal apartments. We hurried down the corridor which housed the Chancellor, the Bishop of Durham, and the royal squires. At the corner of the corridor I saw a pool of blood. Opening the door to the squire’
s chamber I hissed, “John, Robert, treachery! Fetch your weapons!” As I neared the King’s apartment I saw that it was Peter of Lussac’s blood. The quantity told me that he was dead. Even as I turned the corridor I saw Alfred die. A killer held his mouth and one of his two companions slit his throat. James lay dying next to them. “Awake! Awake! Treachery!”

  The three killers were all mailed. One pushed Alfred’s body towards me and then pushed open the door to the King’s chamber. The other two turned to face me. I had Matthew with me and he was mailed but John and Robert were not. It could not be helped. I ran at the two men who obliged me by rushing towards me. One lunged with his dagger. He had been the one who had killed Alfred. The ceiling was low and that prevented a blow from above and the two filled the corridor. Behind them I saw Peter and Henry emerge from our chamber and run towards us. I punched with the hilt of my sword even as I felt the blade strike and enter my mail. The man fell but I felt the prick of his dagger as he pierced my flesh. If the blade was poisoned then I had a short time to live and the lives of the King and Queen were in great danger.

  Steel clashed as Matthew, John and Robert hit the other killer. The two squires were brave but I feared for their lives. I burst into the room. The King had a dagger before him and he had placed his body between the killer and the Queen. Perhaps the would be killer had thought his companions would have delayed me more for he had yet to strike at the King. I did not hesitate and, as soon as I had cleared the door, I swung my blade. It was more in hope than expectation. The man was an experienced warrior. He blocked my sword with his but the movement turned him from the King. Outside I heard shouts and cries as the battle raged. I trusted that Peter, Henry and Matthew would be able to deal with the two killers.