Sword for Hire

by Griff Hosker

  I remembered Reimar. He had struck me as an ambitious knight. I was not so certain that it was a mistake. He was now second in command to Hermann. Hermann’s motives were honourable. I wondered if this Reimar von Tork saw the gift of estates which were not his as a way of gaining control of the order.

  I had been silent for a few moments. “Do you think we will reach Riga?” Her voice seemed somewhat shaky. Perhaps the enormity of her task was coming home to her. She might have to fight for her husband’s lands. She had just had to fight for her life.

  I felt sorry for her. I noticed she was shaking. I put my arm and my cloak around her, “I believe that we will.”

  She put her head on my shoulder and began to sob. I let her do so. I saw some of my men looking at me strangely. Edward smiled. “That is what she needs lord. My mother was a wise woman and she told us that a good cry helped a woman. She will be stronger for it.”

  When she stopped sobbing I waited for her to speak. Then I heard her breathing deeply. She was asleep. I did not have the heart to leave her alone and so I sat up with her all night. Her steady breathing was comforting.

  “And now the sleep will finish the job. Nature is a wondrous thing, lord, wondrous.” Edward was wise.

  It was almost dawn when she awoke. She appeared startled, “Why did you not lay me down? I am not a child!”

  I said, softly, “I did not want you to wake. Edward said it would help you to heal.”

  She smiled, “Forgive my waspish tongue, lord. I was startled that was all. I dreamed I was at home and, as I woke I remembered the nightmare through which we live.”

  “With luck, the ordeal will be over by nightfall. We are not far from Riga, it is just that we are the wrong side of the river.”

  The two women carped and moaned as they were woken. Lady Margaret and I joined my squires by the unconscious Johann. He appeared to be breathing easier. My squires and Edward had given him water during the night. “What was he to the baron?”

  “He was the son of a knight who died in the Holy Land. I think he was going to train him as a squire. He was my companion. He was made of sterner stuff than the two flowers I inherited from my mother.”

  I smiled. The sleep had helped her regain her resilience.

  She stroked his hair and, amazingly, his eyes opened. He recognised her. He spoke English but it was heavily accented, “My lady! You are alive! When that savage struck me, I thought I was dead like poor John.”

  John of Derby had been making water. He had just returned to hear Johann’s words. He smiled, “No, young master, poor John is alive, thanks to Sir Thomas and his men. We have a chance of life.”

  He tried to stand and he winced with the pain. Edward shook his head, “I am afraid that they have hurt you, master. The ride will be painful but at least we will not have to tie you on the horse.”

  “Are we not safe yet?”

  Lady Margaret shook her head, “No, but we are in good hands. These warriors will protect us. They are my countrymen.”

  It took time to get Johann to the horse. My men and John of Derby were as gentle as they could be but he was badly hurt. The rest of us mounted and left before dawn. I had Mordaf and Gruffyd to our rear and David of Wales led the scouts.

  As we rode lady Margaret looked at my surcoat and then at me, “My lord, if you do not mind my impertinence, may I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” I was not looking at her. My eyes scanned the horizon for danger.

  “Are you the Sir Thomas of Stockton who murdered the Bishop of Durham?”

  I had known that I would be called a murderer despite the fact that it had been an execution. I answered anyway. “Bluntly put but yes, I killed him for hurts he had done my family.”

  “I heard you were a savage monster.”

  “Don’t tell me, you heard I drank baby’s blood and consorted with the devil.”

  She laughed, “Something like that.”

  “Well now you can judge for yourself.”

  As the river broadened to our right I began to hope that we would soon reach Riga and safety. My hopes were dashed when first Mordaf and then David galloped towards us, “Lord there are riders ahead. They are Slavs.”

  David pointed behind, “And more men come from that direction.”

  “Then they appear to have us.” I looked around. The only hope I spied was a sandspit in the river. It meant that they could not gallop at us. The shallow water would slow them down. If we had not had the women and an injured man with us I might have risked fording the river but that was out of the question. “To the sandspit!”

  I waited with Sir William and the two squires as my men led the women and Johann to the island. My archers dismounted and prepared their bows. I heard Robert of La Fiche shout, “Bury the spears in the river. Let them try to get through that!”

  It was a clever idea. We all had three spears. By using the spares and burying them haft down we would have a hedgehog of steel. I turned to Fótr, “Fetch us a spear each. We will try to discourage them!” I saw that the two groups had moved closer to us. I estimated there to be about forty or so horsemen. The Slavs used mounted archers. I hoped these had none or that could be a quick end to what I had in mind. I put on my helmet and readied my spear. “What we do is to charge together. Stay close. We hit their leading riders. They will be bravest and the best. If you cannot hit the men then hit their horses. Turn and ride for the river as soon as you have struck flesh. Slip your shield around your back and trust to God!”

  The three raised their spears and shouted, “Aye lord!”

  The nearest Slavs were eighty paces from us and wondering what we were doing. I spurred Skuld and she leapt forward. I knew that I was risking Harald and Fótr but I had little choice. They had the best mail and the best helmets. I saw that the leading Slav had mail. They all wore helmets and they all had the small round shield which they held in their fist. Most had spears but they were shorter than ours. More importantly they rode in a loose formation. Most barbarians did.

  I lowered my spear and they copied me. Holding my shield tight and at an angle I leaned forward whilst holding my spear behind me. I rammed my spear forward and it struck the Slav’s shield. Skuld was a bigger horse than the Slav’s and I wore mail and was heavier. The spear head skidded off the shield and hit his shoulder. He fell into the path of the man who was following. My three companions had faced men without mail. They had all been clever enough to strike at flesh rather than the shield and all three men that they had hit were wounded. Sir William’s fell from the saddle holding the spear which had killed him.

  “Back!” As I turned Skuld I threw the spear at the Slav who launched himself at me. I hit him in the shoulder and he too fell from the horse. Five men were down and the men and the horses made the others swerve to avoid them. Edward and Robert had left a gap through which we were able to ride. David and the archers sent a volley of arrows into the air as we splashed through the water to reach the sandspit. As soon as we turned Henry Youngblood plugged the gap with spears.

  Although the spears faced the shore we could still attempt to cross the river. I was reluctant to do so for it would probably mean the deaths of those we had rescued. It was a last resort. Maddeningly we were just six miles from Riga. Had we been on the other shore we would have been almost able to see the cross on the tower of the church.

  I drew my sword and dismounted. As I did so I saw that David of Wales had made sure that the five we had rescued were safe behind horses. It did not guarantee that they would survive but they would be the last to die!

  The Slavs did have horse archers. There were eight of them. The leader of the second band was more cautious than the man I had slain. He had his men rein in while his archers began sending arrows towards us. We held up our shields and arrows rattled and rained into them. Then David and his men began to target the archers. As the rain of arrows slowed I risked a look. There were just two of their archers left alive. I heard the screams of one of our horses whic
h had been injured. The screams ended when one of my men slit its throat.

  Suddenly the Slavs galloped at us. We had hurt almost a quarter of their men. I had hoped that by making them bleed they would reconsider and let us go. Then I heard Robert of La Flèche, “Lord there are more barbarians coming down the river bank. They are on foot and there are forty of them.”

  “How far away are they?”

  “I would say a mile.”

  I turned to Sir William. “Then that is why these are charging! They wish to hold us here.”

  The river slowed them up, as I knew it would, David and his archers had hit more of them. The Slavs hurled spears at us. Their horses were struggling to keep their footing in the river. It was not deep but it was muddy.

  “Men at arms! At them!”

  I slipped between the spears and ran into the shallows. The Slavs thought I had gone mad. I was leaving the safety of the sandspit to get close to them. I had no intention of fighting a horseman on equal terms. I was a knight and I knew that the greatest danger lay in losing your horse. I ducked beneath the spear and plunged my sword into the throat of the nearest horse. In its death throes, it reared and threw the rider into the river. The next horse trampled him. Edward swung his sword and hacked through the leg of a Slav and then into his horse. Ridley the Giant and Godwin of Battle had slung their shields over their backs and swung two mighty axes into the heads of two horses. The survivors had had enough and they turned to head to the safety of the advancing men on foot. As they turned David and his archers sent arrows into their backs.

  We waded back to the sandspit. David of Wales said, “Lord, we are down to our last ten flights each. After that we will be joining you to fight with sword and shield.”

  I nodded, “Is anyone hurt?”

  “Henry Youngblood is wounded; John of Derby and Lady Margaret are tending to him.”

  “Clear the dead horse, put it into the river. Use it as a barrier to the enemy.”

  I watched the next warband as they approached. Robert had been wrong. There were nearer seventy of them. They would be able to move through our spears. We had beaten their horsemen. We could not expect to beat so many men on foot. My grandfather had always told me that a man never gave up until someone took his sword from his dead hand. I shouted, “Lock shields. We will make a shield wall.”

  We faced west and the thirteen men at arms, knights and squires who remained prepared to fight to the last. Our ten archers stood behind us. I could hear the two women weeping and wailing. Will son of Harold said, “I wish they were more like Lady Margaret lord. Can we not give them to the Slavs?”

  It was a tempting thought. “I think not.”

  The enemy had formed up and they had shields held before them. David and his archers selected targets. They did so judiciously. They aimed at the most dangerous enemies. They sent arrows into the open helmets of the warriors with mail. They targeted the men carrying the standards. Barbarians fell but they still came on. When they reached the water David and his archers slew another four when they clambered over the dead horses. They lost cohesion as they came through the spears. I lunged at them and took one in the neck. Then an order was shouted and the Slavs grabbed the spears and turned them on us. I had doomed us by my attempt to stop horses.

  Holding my shield before me I stepped on to my right leg and swung my sword horizontally. A spear hit my helmet and made my head ring. Another struck my mail and went into my side. I felt my sword connect. I swung again.

  Sir William shouted, “Back, Sir Thomas.” As I stepped back I saw, through my two eye holes that three Slavs lay dead.

  David of Wales said, “Four arrows each lord.”

  “We fight to the end! We are the men of Stockton!”

  Stockton men are big and brave

  Send a Scot to an early grave

  Stockton men fear no foe

  Fight us and to hell you go

  Stockton

  Stockton

  Stockton men fear no one

  Stockton men are big and brave

  Send a Scot to an early grave

  Stockton men fear no foe

  Fight us and to hell you go

  Stockton

  Stockton

  Stockton men fear no one

  It made the enemy hesitate and then I heard John of Derby shout, “Lord, there are men coming up the river. They wear your livery!”

  I heard a horn. It was The Jarl Birger Brosa! I did not turn. I watched the Slavs. They turned and they fled. Forty men and horses splashed through the water and, in a ragged line, began to hunt down and spear the Slavs. Had they arrived any later then we would have been dead for we would have died upon our own spears.

  We crossed back to the bank. Henry Youngblood was not badly wounded but he would not be fighting for some time. By the time our friends returned we were mounted and ready to return to Riga.

  I clasped Jarl Birger Persson’s arm, “How did you know to find us?”

  “A river captain said that he spied men wearing the gryphon on the wrong side of the river some days since. It had to be you. We left as soon as he told us.” He pointed downstream. “There are two boats moored downstream. It is how we crossed. We will ferry you.”

  I pointed to the women, “We would have risked crossing the river but, as you can see, we have guests.”

  The Jarl Birger Brosa laughed, “Another fine tale awaits us!”

  Chapter 19

  It was dark when we reached Riga. We went directly to Bishop Albert. We told him the tale of lady Margaret. He was sympathetic. “You shall stay with me until Reimar von Tork returns. He is with the Master. They are dealing with a band of Estonians who tried to attack Ādaži. It should only take them a couple of days.”

  Sir William and I bade farewell to Lady Margaret and the others. She looked unhappy, “Will you leave us so quickly, Sir Thomas? I have much to say to you. We owe you our lives!”

  “I will be back tomorrow, fear not but your husband’s kinsman will look after you now. I return to Stock Holm at the end of the month. I have done my duty and I am pleased that all five of you survived. I did not think that we would. God was with us.”

  She shook her head, “It was God who watched but it was you and your men who acted.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed me. “I will speak with you again when you are less tired.”

  I did not understand what she meant. But she was right, I was tired. I had had two nights without sleep. As we headed back to our hall Sir William said, “Lord, I know I am young and know little.”

  “You are learning.”

  “Aye lord but you are not!”

  “What?”

  “Could you not see that the lady is smitten by you? She did not wish to be parted from you.”

  “But she is a widow and…”

  “And therefore, free and available or do you find her unattractive lord?”

  We had reached our hall and Jarl Birger Persson had heard his words, “Who, lady Margaret?”

  Sir William said, “I cannot talk sense to him, perhaps you can. The lady kissed him and all but begged for him to stay and speak with her.”

  “She is attractive, Thomas, and I confess that she only had eyes for you when we returned.”

  “It cannot be, Birger.” I told him her story and explained her situation. “So you see. It would be dishonourable to woo her. I would be seen as someone after her fortune. If I had land and a future then I might consider it for I am not made of stone and she did stir me.”

  I talked with the two jarls and William for a little while about the Slavs and the attack. Then I felt myself falling asleep while I spoke and, leaving the other three to talk, I retired. My dreams were filled with Lady Margaret. She would be the love I lost for she could never be mine.

  The next day, when I went to see Lady Margaret and Bishop Albert I found myself being praised on all sides. All seemed taken with my actions. I was embarrassed. I did not like the attention. Bishop Albert presented me with a silver cr
own encrusted with jewels. I was flattered. Later I discovered that he had not had it made but it had come into his possession. The fact that he did it so publicly with his priests and the two brothers there meant he did it to enhance his reputation as a generous lord.

  When we were dismissed I walked with Lady Margaret. We walked by the river. It was a pleasant late summer’s day and I enjoyed walking and talking with someone from England. We spoke of English weather and food. We talked of rain in summer and sun in winter. We touched on King John and then she began to ask me about my family. It was logical for she knew that my family, in the shape of my great grandfather, had been responsible for King John’s father gaining the throne.

  “It seems ungrateful! And your father died saving his brother!”

  “I do not think he liked his brother. I believe that King Henry was ill served by his children.” I laughed, “However, as I am no parent, I cannot judge, can I? I have no brothers or sisters what do I know of families?”

  “And I am without brothers or sisters. It was lonely growing up alone. The two weeping ladies were the only companions I had.”

  I laughed, “Then you have my sympathy!”

  “You have your men. I know, from speaking with them, that they think more of you than any man alive. That is something of which you can be proud.”

  “And I am!”

  It was easy talking to her and, for the next three days we spent every moment we could in each other’s company. I was actually disappointed when I heard of the return of the Brothers of the Sword. I had known it would have to come to an end but I had prayed it would not. We were at the quay when we heard the trumpets and horns announce the arrival of the victorious warriors.

  “You had best go. Your kinsman will wish to speak with you.”

  “I beg you to come with me. I know him not. You have met him. Please.”

  “Of course. I would do anything for you.”

  “You have already done more than enough, lord.”

  By the time we reached Bishop Albert I could see that the news had already been given to the second in command of the order. Hermann Balk smiled and came over to clasp my arm, “You are the true embodiment of knighthood. I wish you were a Brother of the Sword.”