The King Is Dead

by Griff Hosker

  The Earl and his four knights were trapped in the castle on the ramparts. I ran to the tower which was now burning. The fire was on the outside and it was green wood. I sheathed my sword and slipped my shield around to my back. Burning bodies writhed in their death throes by the entrance and I had to step over a dead knight at the ladder. The ladders, miraculously, had survived but it was like stepping into an oven. I knew I had moments to reach the Earl or I would be burned to death. I felt the heat from the burning tower scorch my cheeks and I could smell my surcoat as it was singed. Flecks of fire clung to it. The second ladder was beginning to burn and if I had not worn my mail mittens my hands would have been badly burned. As it was I barely made the top of the ladder. Here it was an inferno and I did not even pause. I took a blind leap of faith through the smoke and flames.

  I landed on the wall, singed but alive. Even as I landed I whipped my shield around and, as I was drawing my sword saw that I was behind a ring of defenders who had surrounded the four survivors. They had not seen me. They were in the gate tower and where I was, on the walkway, it was narrow. I charged and hit the two men before me with my shoulder. One plunged into the bailey while the other pitched screaming down to the ram. My back was safe for the tower's smoke was billowing across into the castle while the flames had caught hold of the wooden walkway on which I had landed.

  Pulling my sword I stabbed a defender through the side as he turned to face the new threat. My arrival must have given the Earl and his men heart for they swung their swords to clear a space before them. The tower was little bigger than the siege tower we had used and the men at arms who defended it were taken aback by my unexpected arrival. Our five blades cleared it.

  Sir John of Tewkesbury stood in the door which faced the other side, "My lord, they are upon us!"

  I shouted, "The gate is almost broken. A sudden charge might take them by surprise."

  "Aye. With me, Cleveland. Tewkesbury, stand back and then follow us! Ready?"

  I stood on the Earl's right. It was his exposed side. My shield would protect him. I grinned, "Always, my lord!"

  "Charge!"

  We burst through the gate like bulls released from a pen. Although we charged I was keenly aware of the drop to the ground on my right. I held my sword to the side and when the first two defenders ran at us with spears I brought it round in a wide sweep. The defender had no shield and leather armour only. My sharpened sword bit deeply into his side. The spears of the two men hit our shields. The Earl brought his sword over to split the skull of the second man. Both fell, one to the ditch and one to the bailey. A flurry of arrows flew over the wall and these defenders who were racing to get at us were struck so that the next ten paces were cleared.

  I saw steps ahead which led down to the bailey. If we could descend then we could get to the gatehouse where the men of Blois would be almost through. "There, my lord! The stairs!"

  We moved quickly along the cleared walkway. More men, knights this time, ascended the stairs to meet us. We hurried and, as they stepped on to the walkway, the Earl and I struck them together. The knight whose head I took was below me and he knew nothing as my sword scythed through the side of his neck. His head flew and fell amongst those waiting to ascend. His body was thrown down the stairs and when the Earl ran through the one who had made the top we had control.

  The hard part would be the descent. They could hack at our legs as we went down. I had quick hands. This would be a test of how nimble were my feet. The stairs were big enough for one man only. The castle wall was to my right. I held my shield to cover my left side as I led the Earl and his men down. I could only swing over my head. The wall stopped me sweeping while those ascending would use that blow. I gambled that was what they would do. I took two steps and as the first man at arms brought his sword back I jumped. The blade hit air and then clanged and sparked off the wall. As I landed I brought back my foot and kicked hard before he could swing a second time. I heard a crack and a crunch as my foot connected with his head and his jaw broke. He pitched backwards taking the next two men with him.

  I used the opportunity to race down the next three steps. The ground was just a pace and a half to my left. I jumped. I flexed my knees as I landed. I had taken them by surprise. The men waiting to ascend turned to face me and I ran at them. The hiatus allowed the Earl to reach the bottom and the two of us charged recklessly into the men at arms who tried to stop us. I felt hits and shields striking me but with my shoulder behind my shield we thundered through them. I saw a face on the floor beneath me and I stamped down hard on it. The defenders were swept aside by two powerful knights in full mail. And then the two of us were beyond the huddle of fallen men.

  The Earl's men were slaying those who had fallen and the Earl pointed to the gate where men were trying to shore it up with timbers. The joy of battle was in his eyes. "What say you Alfraed? Shall we clear the gate for my cousin, Stephen?"

  "Aye my lord. There are but twenty of them!"

  The fires had spread down to the lower parts of the buildings close by the wall; thick smoke billowed and eddied. There was confusion in the castle. We had slain many knights already and there appeared to be no one in command. Those at the gate were so engrossed in their task of bracing timbers against the cracked and broken gate that they did not notice the two wraiths which emerged through the smoke bringing slaughter and death.

  Their hands held timbers to hold the gate and our swords carved a path through them. It was harder to miss a body than hit one. As we ploughed through so the timbers bracing the gate fell and more planks were smashed from the gate by the axes of Blois. The ones who survived grabbed weapons but it was in vain. The last three household knights of the Earl had joined us and we were merciless. The confined gate houses became a charnel house. The last defender had just fallen when the gates burst open and Stephen of Blois led his men in. He saw us and shouted, "England and King Henry!"

  The Earl shouted, "We have the castle! On!"

  A wave of warriors flooded through. I saw the standard of Anjou and then my own standard as Wulfric followed Count Geoffrey into the maelstrom of the fallen castle. No matter what happened now it would fall. We had superior numbers but more importantly we had broken their hearts. When the tower had flared and flamed the defenders would have thought they had defeated us but the tables were turned. I saw the knights of Normandy eager for revenge for their dead peers who had been incinerated. There would be no mercy and I doubted that anyone would pause for ransom.

  If the defenders had had any sense they would have surrendered there and then but their leaders were like chickens without heads. They ran hither and thither to be slain by vengeful knights. They could have retreated to the keep but they were too slow. The Count of Blois led the vanguard up the slope to the keep. Had someone had the courage they would have slammed shut the doors and left outside the ones who tried to enter but they did not and Stephen of Blois led his men through the half open door into the keep. We worked our way up the undefended stairs. Wulfric fought next to me. His axe hacked the legs from those before us. Any door which looked as though it might be closed was smashed asunder. The ones who fled us were not knights and did not realise that a single man could have held the stairs while the doors above were slammed shut. None had that knowledge and no knight the courage. It took us an hour but we worked our way to the topmost floor where thirty rebels huddled together. Most were the families of the rebels but there were five knights amongst them. Sir Louis de Vendôme was not one of them.

  I could see blood lust in the eyes of many of the knights whose bloody blade and fierce faces had the women and the children sobbing in fear. I turned to the Earl, "My lord, enough killing. Cry hold I beg of you."

  He nodded and shouted, "Surrender to the King's justice!"

  One of the rebel knights raised his sword and I shouted, "Fool do you wish everyone to die! Drop your weapons! Now!"

  The clatter of weapons told us that we had won. We had regained the castle and manor
of Vendôme. I turned and saw John and William behind me. The standard was still there.

  I held out my arm for Wulfric. "Thank you!"

  "My lord, why do you risk so much? I thought I would find a blackened corpse when you raced into that inferno. Did you have a desire to see hell so soon?"

  I shook my head, "I confess I did not think. I saw the Earl and his men in danger. "

  "Well next time, think and wait for me, my lord, although I confess I would have baulked at racing into the flames." He ran his finger down my helmet and it came away black. "Perhaps we should name you the Black Knight now?"

  Chapter 12

  The cost of the victory was clear as we escorted the captives down to the bailey. The defenders had been slaughtered. Leaving the men of Blois to guard them I went back through the gates. There I saw the charred corpses of the knights of the Earl and the men of Blois who had paid for our entry to the castle with their lives. The King was approaching. His eyes widened when he saw me. "You have been to hell and back." I nodded, "And my son?"

  "He lives. He is with the ones who surrendered. There are not many."

  "I will honour you for your deed. I have never seen such reckless courage." He nodded towards my son, "If you are half the knight your father is then we will have the two greatest knights in Christendom fighting for England and Normandy."

  He and his entourage entered and we wandered down to the camp. I needed to bathe. I was not certain if I had been wounded but I had felt many blows. This would be a true test of the skills of Alf my armourer.

  Dick and the archers, along with the rest of my men at arms joined me. Dick shook his head, "I am sorry, my lord. They may have stolen the idea of fire from my arrows."

  "And their use was my decision. Thank you for clearing the walls. You saved us."

  "We should have brought all of our archers my lord." He came closer. "Some of these others are piss poor bow men. Give me English archers every time." Dick was forthright in his views as was Wulfric.

  "Then when we return to England we will hire as many as there are willing to follow us for today it was your action which gained us entry."

  Wulfric shook his head, "With due respect, my lord, if you had not gone into the fires of hell we would still be bleeding through the gate. I saw the timbers they had ready. It would have been a bloodbath for the men of Blois. There were murder holes which they did not use because you and the Earl slew them." He shook his head, "Madness, my lord, madness! But it bought us the victory."

  It was only when I took off my surcoat and mail that I saw the perilous state I had been in. Many parts of my surcoat were burned through and everything was covered by a thick layer of soot. The mail would take much cleaning.

  Wulfric laughed, "You look like a blackamoor, my lord!"

  "Then I will wash it off." I went to the river and, having stripped off, jumped in. It was icy. The days were now getting shorter and the air was damp. However the water was refreshing. When I emerged William and John helped to towel me dry with a horse blanket. I could see the bruises already forming and there were cuts all over my chest. It was not the edges of the weapons which had caused them but the force of the blow driving mail through the gaps in my gambeson.

  "Father, your shoulders and your back are also marked."

  "I am alive and there are others who are not." I pointed to the charred bodies being reverently removed by the knights of the Earl. "They would wish for such wounds. It would mean they were alive."

  I sat with Rolf and Karl. We spoke of Godfrey and his deeds. It was what warriors did. "My brothers I would ask of you a great favour. I intend to return to England before Christmas. There is much I need to do there. Leofric will be a lord of the manor one day but, at the moment he needs help and advice. When time allows would you visit with him and listen to him?"

  "We would be honoured and besides we like your squires."

  Karl spat into the fire. "And it will get us out of Angers."

  "There is something else too. I believe that one of those close to the Count is giving him poor advice perhaps even treacherous advice. Keep your eyes and ears open eh? The Empress' safety may depend upon this. Relations with the King are strained. I would not have them break for I would have to choose whom I followed. I am a Knight of the Empress but I am also King Henry's Champion. I would have to break one oath and I am loath to do that."

  They clasped my arm, "We swear!"

  "Then I am happy."

  We did not see the King again until the following day. We tended our wounds; we cleaned and repaired our armour as best we could. The King was busy administering justice and arranging for a new and loyal lord of the manor. The two counts and the Earl of Gloucester were kept equally busy. The three of them came to see me on noon of the next day.

  "We came to see how you were." I could see the concern on the Count of Anjou's face. "I did not say yesterday but when you leapt from the burning tower I thought you were afire. It was courageous beyond belief."

  I shrugged; there was little else I could say.

  Stephen of Blois said, "I am pleased that we fought together. We achieved more than I could possibly have imagined. To take this fine castle so quickly is nothing short of a miracle."

  I pointed to the ditch which ran around the castle. "My castle has better defences, my lord. The ditch is not deep enough and the walls need better towers. It needs archers."

  "If you had said such things before the battle I would have doubted you but the French were held by your archers and my men saved by them also. I would have your men train mine."

  "I am sorry, my lord, but we need even more ourselves. Dick and the others will be returning to England soon to train more for me. My castellan at La Flèche has a fine archer. If you sent men there then he might be able to train them, for a fee of course."

  The Count of Blois smiled, "That would be amenable. The King has given this castle to Blois. We will be better able to defend it."

  I saw the look on the face of the Count of Anjou. It was not a happy expression. Now I knew why they had spent so long apart. Geoffrey of Anjou would see this as a slap in the face. The King would not give any castles to him but he did to Stephen of Blois. I admired him for keeping his temper. Time had been he would have lost it.

  I nodded, "Then can we return to Anjou. I know not about the Count but I have much to do at La Flèche."

  The Earl nodded, "The King will be disappointed but it is understandable and it is the least we owe you for your actions. We will send your ransom to La Flèche as soon as it arrives." He smiled, "You can trust me."

  I smiled, "We came through death together; if I cannot trust you then whom can I trust?"

  Stephen of Blois clasped my arm. "And I am forever in your debt too."

  "As you said yesterday, my lord, we are on the same side are we not and seek the same ends; a safe England and Normandy with a ruler we can follow"

  "That we do."

  Stephen of Blois and the Earl of Gloucester left for the castle. Geoffrey of Anjou said, "Now you see why the Empress and I feel so vulnerable. The King favours Blois and not us."

  "Think about it, my lord, would you be happy defending this castle so far from your home? This does make some sort of sense although, like you, I am still suspicious of Stephen of Blois."

  "Perhaps you are right but it does not sit well. It shows that he thinks more of Blois than Anjou. We will ride together, for part of the journey at least. The King will visit his daughter when he has concluded the peace treaty with the French."

  "He seeks damages?"

  "Aye he does. Having trounced the French army he is now in a position to dictate terms and he will do so."

  "I hoped that does not rebound upon him. King Louis hates him enough already."

  "What else can he do? Have the King killed?"

  He left to organise his men. The journey back would be quicker. We would not have to bring back the wood we had used for the war machines. "Wulfric, time to return to La Flèch
e."

  "Aye, my lord." He pointed to the new horse he had acquired, "What do you think, my lord? I have called him Roger."

  "He looks a fine horse. He is even bigger than Badger."

  "Aye sir, well I am a big man!"

  Dick was standing close by and he patted Wulfric's gut. "And getting bigger each day!"

  "It is all muscle, my friend!"

  It took time to pack up. Our servants helped but Wulfric and my squires would not trust weapons and armour to them. While they packed Count Geoffrey came over. "What of the ransom for those who were captured in the castle? We should all share in that."

  "I know not. Ask the Earl. For myself we have enough from the ones we captured."

  "It was a hard lesson to learn but my men have now done so. I will see the Earl."

  The King and two of his household knights came over as the Count sought Robert of Gloucester. He dismounted and led me by the river. "I would like to thank you again for your efforts here. But I pray you, what of my daughter and her husband? Have you made inroads?"

  "I believe he is being influenced by some of those around him. He is young and listens to older heads. He came here and fought for you did he not, your majesty? His men fought well and did not hang back. He is loyal. That is a beginning."