Hoodsman: Hunting Kings

by Smith, Skye

  Hereward stood up to be heard. "Edwin, we have all heard Harold's stories about how the Norse conquered Normandy and made it their own. This slaughter of the armoured men, with none taken for ransom, means to me that William has the same plan for England. We should all be forewarned. "

  Some of the lords objected that they had not heard any of Harold's stories of Normandy, so Hereward explained. "Harold was shipwrecked and lived with William for some months. William and his cronies would drink too much, bonk the serving wenches, and endlessly toast the legal cunning of their Norse forefathers. The forefathers had legally secured title to all of the land of Normandy from the French nobles who they replaced. The conquest of Normandy was so quickly successful because of legal trickery and lots of fucking.

  They stole the lands of what is now Normandy by first killing all the ruling lords and all of their sons, and then making the ruling ladies bear new sons, their sons, whether or not they wed them. Within a generation the legal trickery of 'dead and bed' replaced the ruling class with Normans. The highest courts in Paris and in Rome approved the transfer of land titles to the new Norman lords. The courts could do nothing else, since all the blood heirs were Norse sons born to the French widows who held title."

  At this point some of the lords leaped to their feet and renounced Hereward’s words as outrageous slander. Hereward marked these men to his memory before continuing. "Did you not ever wonder why Harold moved heaven and earth so that neither Norse nor Norman would rule this kingdom."

  Edwin calmed everyone by raising his hands. "I suppose we shall soon see if it be slander. By killing everyone in armour, William has in one day emptied Kent and Wessex of nobility and land lords. If he now moves to take their land by betrothing their widows to Norman knights, then we will all be forewarned."

  He motioned Hereward to sit, but Hereward refused to sit and spoke once more, "Please Edwin, send some men to protect and to move your sister Queen Ealdgyth and all of Harold's children to safety. As Harold's widow, she will be thee prime target for William's scheming cocks. I fear for her womb and for the lives of all Godwinsons. Harold was the biggest land lord in the kingdom." Only then did he sit.

  Edwin was now the only man standing. "The messengers from Walter at Senlac tell me that William was hurt in the battle, and lost many knights. They tell me that he has withdrawn to the coast to lick his wounds. Walter speculates that he will wait there to rest and to be resupplied from Normandy."

  He paused while he let his words sink in. "Walter says that we should follow William to the coast and finish him now, before he is resupplied. Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to raise the fyrd here in the south, certainly not south of the River Thames, so the I will go no further south with this army until a new king is chosen by a Witenagemot."

  Hereward jumped up. "Again, please, Edwin, send for your sister. She is still queen. She can raise the southern fyrd. Certainly she can raise the Wessex fyrd."

  "Calm yourself, Hereward," Edwin said. "The Witenagemot will be meeting in London as we speak. Before my sister can raise the fyrd we will have a new king." He turned to Raynar. "Raynar, while the battle is still fresh in your mind, I would ask you to explain how Harold was beating the Norman Cavalry, so we can be prepare ourselves before we march to the coast." The lords quietened to listen.

  Raynar told them all of the things he saw while watching the English fight the cavalry. When he had finished his rambling accounts, Edwin summarized the points Raynar had made. "First I must admit that these strategies are all obvious once you have been told them, yet for William to have won so many battles means that many of his enemies must not have done this thinking."

  "He is called the conqueror in France for good reason," Hereward spoke out. "He does not leave survivors to pass on the knowledge of how to defeat him. Defeated nobles serve him, else their widows get fucked."

  Edwin began again, "We must train the fyrdmen. It takes teams to beat the horses, a pikeman and a shieldman, or a pikeman and an archer, or at least two pikemen with a poleaxe.

  They must always face the horse and must take down the horse first and then deal with the rider.

  We must choose a battlefield that is poor terrain for horses. The horses falter on marsh, in woods, and on steep slopes.

  We must prepare the battlefield with traps for horses. Ditches, pot holes, stakes, hurdles, fire, trip ropes, barricades."

  A lord broke in "caltrops" and then explained that they were clever spikes which lamed hoofs.

  "We must modify our weapons to be used against these monster horses. Stronger bows with heavier arrow heads, small throwing spears, longer shafts on pikes and spears, more poleaxes.

  Longer thinner un-barbed spear points that can reach to a horses heart and then be quickly pulled out again. Daggers with blades long enough and thin enough to pass through the eye holes of helmets.

  The shieldmen must also carry pikes. Pikes to fix in the ground beside them and angled towards the charging horses.

  We must train the shieldwall to kill the horse fast before it causes bedlam."

  Another lord interrupted. "The men won't like being told to kill the horses first. Captured horses are a worthy prize of battle. The sale of a captured courser will fatten a lot of purses."

  "As I was saying, kill the horse before it can do damage and then deal with the rider. The lad says that Harold's men piled the dead horses in front of the shieldwall to create an obstacle to cavalry charges, so the dead horses are still useful.

  Most important, the men must know never to be caught in the open by cavalry, and know not to run from them unless you can reach cover." Edwin concluded "Did I miss anything?" He looked around.

  Hereward spoke out, "Do not expect chivalry or mercy from a Norman knight." A few of the lords moaned.

  "Wait, he is right," Raynar yelled out to defend his friend from the jeers. "The English were taking many prisoners. Perhaps half of the riders of the horses that had been killed. When the battle turned and the English were pressed, those same prisoners rose up and helped to slaughter them. It didn't seem fair to me. After all, it would have been easier for the men of the shieldwall to kill them than to disarm them and save their lives."

  "You are sure of this, lad?" asked Edwin. "These prisoners would have sworn an oath to their guards that they would fight no more, in return for being spared. An oath on their lives, on their honor. They should have sat quietly and waited until the end, whatever the outcome, and then wait to be traded or ransomed. If they fought again, and from behind out lines, well that is monstrous. Against all chivalry."

  The lord who had been worried about his son spoke out. "If the Normans took no prisoners, and if our prisoners attacked us from the rear, then I agree with Hereward. Expect no chivalry or mercy from a Norman knight." This time there were no moans, just an empty silence as the deviltry of what they had just heard sank into their minds.

  There was an embarrassing silence, so Raynar spoke out again. "I watched them for hours and it came to me that the Norman's love of their horses, was not their strength, but their weakness. Harold must have been surprised by the number of battle horses, but he was still beating them. He lost because not enough of his fyrdmen were trained to fight cavalry, not because the horses were unbeatable. I watched two trained fyrdmen with poleaxes destroy a horse and it's rider in a moment, and they made it look easy."

  "Anything else?" asked Edwin.

  "The cavalrymen had a good view of the battle from high up on those monster horses. They could see what was going on, and then had the speed of the horse to react to it. If their enemy makes a mistake then they are quick to take advantage of it. If they make a mistake, they are quickly out of harms way to re-form."

  Raynar looked at Edwin, and then Hereward, for they were the two men who would be planning the attack on the Normans. "This means that there was no way that Harold's warriors could attack the cavalry. They had to be patient and wait for the cavalry to charge them, and meanwhile make sure th
at they were not outflanked."

  Edwin clapped his hands and told his lords, "Now get yee all back to your men. Turn this army about and let's find Morcar and join with the rest of it. There is nothing more we can do until a new king is chosen, and I will not tempt William with my closeness. The lad has made it very clear how quickly they can reposition themselves for an attack.

  Once we have joined with Morcar, we will train our men to butcher cavalry. It will be the best way of keeping the men busy while we wait for a new king to be chosen." He motioned everyone away, but as he did so he moved close to Hereward and Raynar and held them back.

  "Raynar, did you see William get injured. How badly was he hurt?" asked Edwin.

  "His horse was killed from under him with a heavy arrow. He fell hard, but got up and rode without helmet the rest of the day just so that his men could see he still lived, though he did no more fighting," replied Raynar.

  "Too bad he wasn't killed," grimaced Hereward.

  "My second arrow was blocked," Raynar apologized.

  Edwin’s eyes went wide. "Ha, please save that tale until Morcar can hear it too. Hereward, what do you think the duke's next move will be?"

  "If his losses were as great as the lad says, then he will stay near the coast until his ships bring more men and horses from Normandy. Since the Godwinsons are all dead, he will once more petition the Witenagemot to make him king. Hmmm. Let me think.

  If the Witenagemot delay their decision then he will make for Winchester and claim Wessex while the Witen ponder. If they offer him the throne, then he will asked to be crowned at Canterbury. If they don't he will attack London.

  Whatever happens, the folk of Kent are going to suffer. If we had horses to spare I would be sending my skirmishers across Kent to tell the folk to race to London Bridge for safety. Once over the Thames they would be safe enough."

  Edwin pondered Hereward's words, but noticed that the lad was fall-down tired. "Raynar, how much longer do I have you in my service?"

  "I suppose until you return the abbey's carts, sire." Raynar immediately wished he could retract those words. It gave this army yet another reason to hold on to the abbey's carts.

  "Until then, be wary of my lords and nobles," warned Edwin. "They do not like you. They do not like any peasant who does no know his place. They will not hesitate to teach you a lesson, if given half a chance."

  "I can attest to that, " said Hereward, "They hate me, but put up with me because I am the bastard of.."

  "Hold, enough said," Edwin stopped Hereward from naming his father.

  Hereward switched topics, "Sire, did you mark which lords stood in outrage at my dead and bed tale. Do not turn your back on those ones."

  "I will have them watched. William attacked yesterday because he knew exactly how close we were. Someone told him, someone who rides with us." Edwin looked down and kicked dirt into the fire, "Oh Tostig, what have you done to us all, for no reason other than spite for your brothers. Now all of Godwin's son are dead and the ravens are feeding on English flesh because of it."

  Edwin looked up, "Harold's plan was a good one, Hereward, but it failed both times, first at Fulford, and now at Hastings. And now look what it has cost us. Hmmm, well you had best leave me to my dispatches. I suppose I should ask the Witenagemot to send warnings out into Kent."

  "You should deliver that message personally, Edwin," said Hereward as he put a hand on his liege lord's shoulder, "and while you are there ask them for the crown. With you doing the planning, and Morcar and I leading the men, we could push the bastard Normans into the sea."

  * * * * *

  Hereward and Raynar left the Earl to write his dispatches. All the while that they were walking towards the skirmisher’s bivouac, Hereward was uttering flowery curses that would curdle the milk of any woman who heard them. "If I had been there with even thirty skirmishers, the battle would have ended badly for William."

  "It did end badly for William," Raynar pointed out, "his losses were enormous, but I know what you mean. It should have ended better for Harold. My one heavy arrow was almost enough. With thirty strong bows we could have dropped the leaders of every charge while they were coaxing their horses through the wall of horse flesh. Umm, what did Edwin mean about a plan that failed twice?"

  "Well, to understand Harold's plan you must forget what we found out about the Norse at Stanford, and the Normans at Senlac. When we were planning for their invasions, we were facing three fleets, not two. The Norse were expected to land along the Humber, the Normans were expected to land at Dover, and Tostig and his rebel Northumbrians were last seen off the Anglian coast and were expected to land near London.

  Harold created the Northern army, led by Earl Edwin and his northern nobles, and their huscarls, and their fyrdmen. They were on guard for the Norse. He created the Southern army, led by Harold's brother Earl Leofwine of Kent and the southern nobles, and their huscarls, and their fyrdmen. They were on guard for the Normans.

  Harold kept the kingdom's professional army with him near to London. They were the best of our warriors, and the best equipped and well mounted and very mobile. They were waiting for Tostig to threaten the city.

  It was a good plan. The Norman's were expected to land first, so Harold and his pro's could sweep down and join the Southern Army. When the Norse landed first, they rode north to join our Northern Army. Harold's orders to both Edwin and Leofwine were the same. Block the roads to York and London, and hold the enemy down until the professional army arrived."

  "But," Raynar pictured a map of the kingdom in his head, "but that was a brilliant plan. It should have worked."

  "Bah, the fates hate a good plan, and favour fools. Edwin followed orders and blocked the road to York at Fulford and sent a message to Harold in London. We had chosen our blockade carefully with a marsh on one side, and the deep River Ouse on the other, and a hill behind us to retreat to if necessary. We should have been able to hold the Norse there for the four days it would take for Harold to reach us.

  But the fates that delayed William's crossing with high winds, also blew Tostig's ships north. We had no idea that Tostig was with the Norse on that road to York, until Morcar discovered that his own Northumbrian huscarls were facing Tostig's Northumbrians along the marshes at Fulford. In the confusion, we lost a lot of good men and only slowed the Norse army by one day, and that was two days too little. If it hadn't been for the walls of York being so close, well, let's just say that it could have been a lot worse."

  "But the Southern army blocked the road to London, as ordered," Raynar said, all confused, "and Harold and his professionals made it to them in time. It was different."

  "Not really. We were not defeated by Williams horses, but by not having enough of our own. Without enough horses, the rest of us were too slow getting this far. Just as with Fulford, the plan failed because the reinforcements were too late."

  "But we slaughtered the Norse just five days after Fulford, because of the reinforcements." Raynar pointed out.

  "True, and we would be slaughtering Normans today, if we still had a King to lead us. No, our plan was fatally flawed, for it ignored the fates. The fates have played us for fools, and must be laughing at us as we speak."

  * * * * *

  * * * * *

  THE HOODSMAN - Hunting Kings by Skye Smith

  Chapter 5 - With Edwin's Army, Wallingford, Oxfordshire in October 1066

  Hereward spoke in a loud voice so all of his skirmishers could hear. There were over two hundred now under Hereward's command, which included the combined units from both Edwin and his brother Morcar plus those left behind in York by Harold when he raced south to meet the Normans.

  "We go north to the Thames, to the town of Wallingford where we crossed the river when we were moving south. We are to wait there until the call to the noblilty and bishops has brought them together to form a Witan, and they have chosen a new king."

  Young Raynar asked aloud, "Now that we have joined with Morcar, our army is as large
as Harold had at Senlac Ridge. Why don't we just push William into the sea while he is still weak from that battle."

  Hereward grimaced at the question. It was hard to argue against something he believed himself. "There is no longer an Earl of Wessex, an Earl of Kent, an Earl of Sussex, or a king. We may be able to beat William, but it will be risky without the help of the southern fyrds. As Earl of Mercia, Edwin has no right call up the fyrd in Kent or in Sussex.

  Indeed, it is unheard of to have so many northern fyrdmen this far from their homes. The purpose of the fyrd is to use local men to strengthen the core of the army as it moves close to the battlefield, not to have them travel with the army the length of the country as we have just done."

  "So send us home!" came a call from the back, followed by a lot of yays. These men all had crops to harvest.

  "Wallingford is on the way home. It is almost to Oxford."

  "So send us to Oxford. There are more women and more alehouses," another call, another round of yays.

  "Within two weeks we will have a new king and he will decide whether you go home, or push William into the sea. Meanwhile we will camp at Wallingford in case William moves north."

  "William will go to Winchester or London. Why would he go to Wallingford?" asked Raynar.

  "Louder!" another call and the question was relayed to the back.

  Hereward replied, "Duke William wants London. The Thames River protects the city and William's cavalry are no match for London Bridge. It is fortified and there are men enough to defend it. The Thames fords near to London are already deep with the first of the autumn rains, and therefore too easy to defend from the north side of the Thames."

  "Send us home before those rains ruin our crops," was the common answer to this.

  Hereward ignored the calls. "If William wants London, Wallingford is the closest place where he can cross the Thames with an army. We ourselves used it just days ago. Why do you think there is that old earthfort by the ford? Armies have crossed at Wallingford since before time."