The King Is Dead

by Griff Hosker

  “You believe that he had our best interest at heart?”

  “I give you my word and you know I am never foresworn.”

  “Then I will speak with my husband. I pray you do not speak of this to others.”

  “I will not.”

  The next week was a nightmare for me. I had no idea if the Empress had spoken to her husband. He seemed to spend long hours each day with his lords. I was invited to help them improve their skills. The Count did not try to speak to me of anything other than tactics and armour. It appeared that he was building up his army. I was impressed with the quality of knights and warriors. When Rolf and the Swabians arrived it would be even more formidable. At the end of the week I used the excuse that I needed to return to La Flèche to visit with Leofric. The ride north gave me the opportunity to question my squires, Wulfric and Dick.

  “The Count has a fine army, my lord, and they are ready for action.”

  “Aye Wulfric but the question is, against whom?”

  “His men at arms care not so long as they fight and fight soon. They yearn for the rewards that battle brings. These men know how to fight now, my lord and they see you as a good luck charm, so to be speak. They wonder when we will all fight together again.”

  We made good time on the journey to La Flèche but I was dismayed to see the royal standard flying from the keep. The King had arrived. What did that portend? As soon as we saw it we spurred our mounts and hurried to the castle. I saw that it was full. The King had brought his army. Was he here to suppress all signs of rebellion?

  The Earl was with him and I saw that they were dressed for war. This was not a social visit. The King was scowling as he approached and I wondered if I had done anything wrong. “Earl, I am pleased you have returned. There are rebels.” He saw that my men at arms and squires were close by me. “Come we must speak alone.”

  I followed him and the Earl into Leofric’s hall. I saw that Leofric looked uncomfortable. I turned to John. “Find out what has happened. Speak with Leofric.”

  The Earl closed the door behind us. The King turned and said, “What have you learned from the Count?”

  “Nothing new, my liege. The Angevin are worried that your Norman lords will not allow the Empress to inherit your lands.”

  “They have sworn an oath.” I said nothing and the King nodded, “I know what you think, that they will go back on their word once I am gone.” I nodded. “Then it will be up to you and my son to see that does not happen. Stay close to the Count and continue to use your influence on him.” That did not help me in the least. It merely delayed the problem. “I need to know, will he and his men fight?”

  “They are well trained and they are ready for war. Is war looming, my lord?”

  “Vendôme has gone over to Louis.”

  The manor of Vendôme was on the border with France. I did not know the Lord of the Manor but I knew that it was a vital castle as it was strategically placed between Blois and Normandy.

  The Earl of Gloucester said, “So you see why we are here. We have not a large army and the castle is well defended. We need the Angevin. My father would not risk refusal.”

  “They would not dare to refuse to help me!” Looking at the King I could see that he had already hardened his heart to his daughter and son in law. This did not bode well. “We will ride with you to Angers.”

  I did not point out that we had just arrived from there. One did not question a king. “I will just speak with my castellan.”

  The King said, “He seems a little young for such a position.”

  “I trust him and his judgement, my liege. You did say that I could appoint my own man.”

  “Aye. I pray that he is the right man. It is on your head! Follow as soon as you can.”

  The King and his knights noisily mounted and clattered across the bridge and headed south. The Count was in for a surprise. I saw Leofric and my squires coming towards me. "I am sorry, my lord, when the King arrived I did not know what to do. I fear I have let you down. He seemed angry that I was the castellan."

  "No Leofric. He is angry with others and you were just the one who bore the brunt of that anger. I intended to stay a few days but it seems we are to go to war. How goes the manor?"

  He smiled, "We have the new men half trained already and I am content. I have been into the town and made myself known. They appear happy to have a new lord of the manor."

  "Good then I shall leave you once more. If you need anything urgently then send to Angers. If I am not there then Rolf and his Swabians will help."

  Satisfied that all was well we hurtled down the road to catch up with the King.

  Chapter 9

  Both the King and the Count were angry. It was etched on both their faces and their behaviour. There was no sign of any civility from either of them. The household knights on both sides appeared ready to come to blows. Only the arrival of the Empress and young Henry calmed the situation. The appearance of the heir to the throne made both the father and grandfather smile.

  The King knelt down to play with his grandson. An informal truce was called. The Earl of Gloucester took the opportunity to broach the subject of the visit. "My lord, we are here to beg you and your knights to come and punish the rebels in Vendôme. "

  The Count frowned, "Vendôme? But that is eighty miles from here. It poses no threat to us."

  I could see the King rising and reddening. I hastily stepped in and smiling said, "But, Count Geoffrey, I thought you and your men were eager to test your new skills. There will be much glory and even more booty and ransom. It would be a good test for your knights."

  My words were working but the King, of course, could not leave it there. He spoke directly to his daughter. "When you inherit the Dukedom and the Kingdom you will need safe borders. I would have thought it in Anjou's interest to make the border safe."

  "I would have thought that it was in the interests of Blois to protect the border. It is even closer to Vendôme than we are."

  I saw the King, finally, smile, "And the Count of Blois is our next call. Vendôme is supported by France. It will take all three of us to bring the rebels to heel." He let that sink in. The King was not used to asking; he told and he took charge once more. "When can you be ready to ride for Blois? We leave within the hour."

  "It will take two days to gather my forces."

  That was a lie and I knew it. He had his men ready to hand but the King seemed satisfied with the answer. "Then we will see you in Blois three days from now." He nodded to me. "Cleveland you had best come with the Count."

  "Aye your majesty."

  When they had gone the Count said, "Am I a dog to be brought to heal each time your father snaps his fingers?"

  Matilda shook her head, "You were both angry and obstinate. You want the same things. We all want the same things. Alfraed was right, you and your men are keen to go to war."

  "I know but..."

  "But some of your men would be happier to war with my father? Is that it?"

  Geoffrey, Count of Anjou looked at me rather than his wife, "You need not stay, Alfraed and hear my wife and I have words. You can, I hope, help to organise my men. You are experienced in this sort of thing."

  "Of course, my lord." In truth I was pleased to be away from the two of them. I had thought that the second child would have brought them closer together but it was not meant to be. The Empress had been forced into marriage and would never accept it in her heart. That was already occupied. Count Geoffrey was an intruder. She was also her father's daughter. Rebellion did not sit well with her.

  It was almost dusk by the time I had finished working with the Count's household knights. I had not seen any war machines with the King. I knew that we would need them. We could build them on site but it was always easier to prepare them and just erect them at the castle to be besieged. I had his men at arms gather all the materials we would need to build them. I had learned to my cost that trying to find all that you needed when you were close to the enemy was not a
lways successful. There was the sound of sawing as the various pieces of timber were cut to size. I turned as I heard the clatter of hooves on the bridge. I turned and saw my three brother knights, Rolf, Karl and Godfrey. For the first time in days I smiled. The Swabians were here and I was not alone.

  Rolf leapt from his horse and picked me up. "Now we will see some action for when Alfraed is close then there is war!" He seemed to noticed what we were doing. "We fight soon then?"

  Karl and Godfrey dismounted and gave me their affectionate slaps on the back. It was a good job my shoulder wound had healed. "We leave in two days to join the King. We fight rebels in Vendôme. But will you not be guarding the Empress?"

  "She is safe enough here and we grow tired of sitting by while others fight." He pointed to the ten soldiers who were also dismounting. "We were told to find men at arms to fight under our banner. We will be going to war with you and it will give us the chance to see if we chose wisely." I nodded, "Is Edward with you?"

  "No I left him in England. Leofric is now castellan at La Flèche. I just have Wulfric, Dick and my two squires."

  "If you have Wulfric then we have your best."

  I leaned in, "I would speak with you all later."

  Rolf had one of the quickest minds and he said, "Aye, I thought you might. We will see you after we have dined. If we are to go to fight then we had best find our squires and have our armour oiled. It has been some time since we went to war."

  I reported to the Count that all was ready and that the Swabians were back. "You wonder that they no longer protect the Empress?"

  "No, my lord. The times she needed bodyguards are in the past. This castle has strong walls and she should be safe here. Besides Rolf and his men are powerful weapons. With their new men at arms you have warriors who will never retreat."

  "I know. I could not have you and your men and they seemed the next best thing." The Count had asked me to join him. It had been tempting; I would have been close to the Empress and young Henry but my destiny lay in the north of England.

  Rolf and his brothers were candid and open when they spoke with me. They had heard the disquiet but they too could not determine whence the poison had begun. They were too far from the knights closest to the Count. They were outsiders. I was perplexed. It had to have started somewhere but I could not just come out and ask the Count it would rebuild the barriers which had once existed. Perhaps the campaign might counter the effect of the traitor's poison.

  Two days later we headed east towards Blois. The journey was however pleasant despite the rains. Rolf had always been good company and both Wulfric and Dick were happy that they had joined us. William was in awe of them. They were more like Wulfric than my other knights. They were like armoured bears. Even their squires were not youths; they were men grown and had all the traits of their masters. When we fought there would be at least thirty men that the King and the Count could rely upon.

  Blois was surrounded by a sprawl of tents. I had tried to hurry the Count along but he was determined to arrive exactly when he had said. They were like two stags rutting. Neither would back down. We left the men to erect the tents and he and I went inside the mighty fortress to speak with the King. My day was spoiled when I saw that not only Theobald was with King Henry but Stephen of Blois. We did not get on. We would, however, play the game and smile for the benefit of the King. Thankfully the King had been drinking and, more importantly, had feasted on his favourite food, lampreys. He was in a pleasant humour.

  "Now we are ready and tomorrow we go to war with high hopes and expectation that we shall triumph."

  "Do we know, your majesty, the numbers who we will be facing?"

  "The numbers matter not Cleveland! We shall trounce them no matter how many are gathered!"

  That attitude might work well when rousing troops but it was of little use to those planning the attack. The Earl of Gloucester, however, had prepared; he knew the numbers. "There are over two hundred in the castle and a large French army is camped close by."

  "They have declared a state of war?"

  The King's smile disappeared, "Louis claims Vendôme for his own. He does not need to declare war."

  "And how large is that army, my lord?"

  The Earl said, "Four hundred of which sixty are knights."

  I might dislike Stephen of Blois but he had a mind for strategy. "Then we need to defeat the French first."

  The Earl nodded, "Those were my thoughts too. It will dishearten the rebels."

  The Count had been silent while we had been speaking. He was the youngest by a long way and he knew he was amongst keen military minds. "And how many can we bring to the field?"

  The Earl said, "We have over two hundred and twenty men of Normandy and Blois. How many does Anjou bring?"

  "Counting Cleveland's men and the Swabians, a hundred and fifty." I handed the tally on a piece of parchment and gave it to the Earl. He glanced at it and showed it to the King and Stephen of Blois.

  The King smiled, "So we are outnumbered."

  "My liege we have almost seventy knights. If the French have but sixty then we have the advantage. It is just a pity that we only have twenty five archers."

  Stephen of Blois said, "But we have seventy cross bows."

  Count Geoffrey said, "And our twenty five archers will do more damage. I have seen what Cleveland's men can do."

  I nodded my thanks and saw the irritated look on the face of Stephen of Blois.

  The King nodded to the servant who poured us all a goblet of wine. "Here is to this enterprise. Let us confuse and confound the French and punish the rebels. This is an alliance upon which we can build our future. Normandy, England, Anjou and Blois. No one shall stand against us."

  As a speech it was rousing but the reality was that he was gambling that our knights were better than theirs. I believed we were but the proof would come on the field of Vendôme. He was also counting on unity. Someone was poisoning the mind of Count Geoffrey and I suspected that Stephen of Blois wished the throne for himself.

  The castle was protected on two sides by the river, Le Loir. It was nowhere near as wide or powerful as the Loire or the Seine but it was an obstacle. The French camp was half a mile to the north. I saw that they had men guarding the bridge which was closest to their camp. We rode to within three hundred paces of the bridge. The Earl of Gloucester pointed at the twenty men guarding the bridge. They had crossbows and were commanded by a man at arms. The French camp was half a mile further east. "That is our first target."

  The Count of Anjou said, "I could charge it with my knights."

  The Earl shook his head, "And they would be slaughtered. The bridge is narrow and the crossbows would make it a killing ground." He turned to me. "What about your archers? Could they clear the ground?"

  "If they were backed up by men at arms then I believe they would." I looked at the sun. "We would need to attack soon or we will lose the light. I have no doubt that the French will rouse themselves soon and come closer to the bridge. If we have too many men it might make them fear a full scale attack and we do not want that do we?"

  "Then organise it. We will camp here." The King had let us debate it but the ultimate decision was, as always, his.

  I rode back to Wulfric and Dick. "Dick, gather every archer. You are to clear the bridge of crossbows. Wulfric, take Rolf's Swabians and our men at arms. They will support Dick and capture the bridge once the enemy has fled. You will need to hold the far side until we can bring the knights over." Rolf nodded his agreement and Dick and Wulfric went to organise them. "I think, my old friend that we will be close by in case Wulfric needs help."

  He laughed, "I doubt that he will but it will be good to ride into battle alongside you."

  "William, today you are my standard bearer and John let us see if you can fight at my side."

  They were both happy for the honour.

  Our small numbers did not worry the French. However they had eight crossbows across the bridge in case we were foolish e
nough to attack. Of course our archers could release over their comrades. That was the advantage which would win the bridge for us. The fifteen men at arms formed a human shield before the archers. The crossbows began to send their bolts towards the men at arms but their locked shields were an effective barrier.

  Dick and the archers loosed at the same time and they sent seventy five arrows high in the air while the crossbows were reloading. Rolf and I were two hundred paces from the bridge but the slaughter was apparent even at that range. They plunged vertically and tore into their bodies. Their leather armour was little protection from the arrows. The southern end of the bridge was soon cleared and the other crossbows raced to get across. "Rolf, we ride now. Dick will soon clear those men and that leaves the knight and two men at arms."

  We spurred our horses. I saw Dick's arrows clear the bridge of all crossbows. At the French camp I heard the sound of trumpets. Like us they had seen that something was going on. The archers and men at arms parted to let us through. There were just nine of us but that would be enough. Even as we passed them Wulfric and the men at arms were mounting and preparing to follow us.

  The knight had mounted his horse. I think the Frenchman felt his honour was at stake for he foolishly tried to charge us with his two men at arms. We had momentum. Even though bodies littered the bridge we were able to keep up our speed. Hunter barrelled into the palfrey ridden by one man at arms and the rider was plunged into the river. Standing in my stirrups I swung my sword sideways at the knight. His sword rose to meet mine. His arm was not strong enough and my blade smashed into his and continued on. It smacked into his helmet. He fell sideways and I heard a crunch as it struck the parapet of the bridge. And then we were across. After fifty paces I reined Hunter in and we waited for Wulfric and the others to join us.

  The French had hurriedly mounted and were racing to get at us. Wulfric and the men at arms formed up on the sides of us so that we presented a solid front. Behind us I saw the archers as they knocked arrows. I hoped that the Earl would bring the rest of the army to discourage the French.