The Throne

by Griff Hosker

  The Throne

  Book 3

  in the

  Struggle for a Crown Series

  By

  Griff Hosker

  Published by Sword Books Ltd 2019

  Copyright ©Griff Hosker First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  Cover by Design for Writers

  Historical Characters

  King Richard II of England and his wife Queen Anne of Bohemia

  Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Northampton, Earl of Derby, Duke of Hereford

  Henry of Monmouth-son of Henry Bolingbroke

  John of Gaunt, Henry’s father and uncle to the King: Pretender to the throne of Castile, Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Aquitaine

  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, the King’s uncle

  Edward, Earl of Rutland, son of Edmund Langley

  Henry Percy- Earl of Northumberland

  Sir Henry Percy- Harry Hotspur

  King Jogaila of Poland

  Thomas Mowbray- Earl of Nottingham, Duke of Norfolk

  Cathal mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair, King of Connaught

  Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, the King’s uncle

  King Charles VI of France (Charles the Mad)

  Maelsechlainn Ó Cellaigh, King of Uí Maine

  Part One

  The Baltic Crusade

  Chapter 1

  I was now Sir William of Stony Stratford. When first given the manor I had been a gentleman but now I had been knighted. I had been elevated so much that I could scarce believe it. I had been an urchin, the child of a camp follower and a drunken warrior, who followed the Free Companies and now I was a knight. I knew none who had made this journey. Henry Bolingbroke, the Earl of Northampton and Derby, had been the one to dub me and he had promised me another manor but, as yet, I had not been told where it was. I did not mind. I was happy with my tiny manor for my wife, Eleanor, was a good manager of the land and we lived well. For my own part, I was just pleased to be away from the struggle for power. I had had enough of living cheek by jowl with conspiracies and plots when I had lived at court. I had served both King Richard and his rival Henry Bolingbroke. I had never betrayed either man but I had trodden a difficult path to do so. I was just happy to have time with my children: Tom, Alice and Harry.

  For King Richard, the period after the Battle of Radcot Bridge was a humiliating time. Robert de Vere, the Duke of Oxford and a malignant influence on the King, had fled England and his close friend Sir Simon Burley had been executed. De La Pole, who had been his Chancellor and hated by all, had also fled to Europe. The King was alone except for his wife, Anne of Bohemia. Parliament had taken away some of the King’s powers and was, effectively, ruled by those who sought to curb King Richard. Despite that, now that Robert de Vere was out of the way, King Richard became a better man and a better king. That was down to his wife, Anne. She was a good influence. He was happy with her and she understood the complicated man that was King Richard. He did not need me. Had he sent for me I would have gone to his side for I had sworn an oath to his father. He did not send for me and I stayed in my manor. I was no farmer and my wife did not expect me to be one. I had grown up with the Free Companies and I was a warrior.

  For three years I had peace and I became a man of leisure. However, I had grown up a man of war and so, each day, I practised my art. I helped to make John, now my squire, into a warrior who might, one day, become a knight. I had learned how to do so with Sir Henry of Stratford. His grandfather had assumed I knew what was necessary. I just trained John as I had trained Henry. That was the way that Red Ralph and Old Tom had taught me to be a warrior when I had been in the Blue Company. I knew nothing of playing the rote or the laws of chivalry. Instead, I knew how to kill as quickly and efficiently as possible. I knew how to take the treasure from a battlefield and I knew how to survive. King Richard had also been taught by me as had Henry Bolingbroke. The difference was that they also learned the courtly skills a knight needed. Perhaps that was why I was not invited to court or to dine with the lords of the County. I did not care that the local nobles ostracised me. Only Sir Henry invited me to dine and that was not above twice a year.

  Thanks to the prosperity of the land and the skills of my wife we prospered. It meant I could continue to pay my handful of archers and men at arms. They were a luxury but so long as we prospered then I paid them and my wife did not mind. Sir Henry used us to keep the forests clear of bandits and there was pay for that. My wife’s skills were such that she purchased another manor from Sir Henry at Whittlebury to the north-west of us. The manor had been run down as the previous lord of the manor, Sir Roger, had drunk any profits which the manor produced. He died without an heir and Sir Henry, with King Richard’s permission, sold it to us.

  When my men and I were not hunting bandits, we were training my eldest son, Tom. He had the best of teachers; my men at arms and archers. I had never learned the bow but Tom did. He would, when he became a man, be bigger and stronger than me. When he grew, he would be a far better archer than I was and the equal of me as a swordsman. Life might have gone on that way for some time had not two things happened at the same time. The first was a bad summer producing a disastrous harvest. Secondly, the Earl of Northampton, Henry Bolingbroke, decided to go on crusade. He did not choose the Holy Land but he joined the Teutonic knights in their war against the pagans in Lithuania.

  The poor harvest occurred first and my wife reacted quickly. “We have too many expenses, husband. Your men at arms and archers must do without pay and work the fields. And you must sell your war horses.”

  I shook my head, “Neither of those events will happen, my love. There is no war at the moment. Since the battle of Otterburn, the northern border has been quiet. If we sold the horses, we would not receive their true value. You would not wish us to lose money, would you?”

  She set her jaw, “We have to cut costs somehow.”

  “Then let me try to find work for my men and I. There may be lords abroad who need swords for hire.”

  “You would leave me?”

  I sighed. Arguing with women was an impossible task. They altered their defence before you had countered their first argument. “No, my love, I would save you the expense and make money. If you do not have to pay my men, will the family survive?”

  She nodded, “Yes, but not in the manner to which we are accustomed.”

  “When I came back here you were a pauper and I was a sword for hire. Do not forget that.” She took my hand and kissed it. It was the nearest she would come to an apology. “I will leave tomorrow and speak with Sir Henry.”

  “Very well.” She shook her head. “This is your fault for you do not go to church often enough and God is punishing you!”

  I did not point out that God was also punishing many people who did go to church. I merely nodded and said, “Yes dear.”

  I went to see my men. I was honest and explained the situation. I told them to prepare to leave within a sennight. Roger of Chester was my most senior man. “I think that we will have to travel abroad, lord. Since the troubles, England is at peace. Castile again? John of Gaunt always needs men.”

  I nodded, “Aye, we could, I suppose.”

  My squire, John, smiled,
“You do not seem keen, lord.”

  “Nor am I. I do not think that it is a war that he can win.”

  Harold Four Fingers shrugged, “So long as we get to fight, lord, then there will be profit. None of us here care what happens in Castile. If it was England then we would worry.”

  While we prepared weapons, we spoke of the merits of fighting abroad compared with England. I was unique. I knew of no other knight who had come from such humble origins as I. It meant I could speak the language of my men. Unlike many knights, I had no lofty ideals. I was a warrior. I fought for pay. If it was a good cause then that was something to be celebrated. I had been trained to be a good one. That was why I had been selected to train both King Richard and the Earl of Northampton.

  Tom had been listening to all of this, “And do I get to come with you, father?” I was silent for I was conflicted. Part of me wished to take him but another part feared for his life. Campaign was not the place for someone as young as my son. My men and I had done much work with him but he was still not ready. “I have seen almost seven summers, father. When you were my age you were with the Free Companies in Gascony.”

  I saw my men grinning. They liked Tom and wanted him with me.

  “The difference is, young Thomas of Stony Stratford, that I was born in a ditch and had endured three years of tramping behind the army when I was your age. I knew how to scavenge and how to catch, gut, skin and cook a rat. You just have to wait for one of the servants to bring you a platter of meat!”

  He was not put off by my harsh comments, “Then this might be a good time to learn.”

  “The point is moot as we do not have an employer as yet and do not know who will hire our swords or where we shall go. Until then you can help us to prepare.”

  I had given him hope and he helped John to pack my armour in the chest. I wore more armour than the men of the Free Companies. Red Ralph and Old Tom had worn mail shirts with just a breastplate and a sallet on their heads. Even that was more than most sergeants at arms wore. I had mail on my forearms, legs, thighs and hands as well as my mail shirt and coif. I wore less mail than most knights. I preferred the freedom of movement. My helmet was an open bascinet. Most wore a helmet with a visor. So long as I had my skills and my flexibility, I would continue to wear the minimum of armour. I had a mail hood for my horse but I just used a caparison rather than a full mail coat. I had sold my best war horses in Castile. The ones I had were coursers. They were good warhorses but neither as expensive nor as aggressive as a destrier. A destrier could cost as much as a small farm and all the attendant animals. It was a waste for something that might be used once or twice every few years.

  That evening, as we ate, Tom asked me again if he might come. He did so deliberately for he wanted his mother to hear the question. For a child, my son was clever in a cunning sort of way. He hoped that she would forbid it and that would make me all the more determined to take him. Eleanor was also clever and she caught my eye and winked at me, “I am sure that your father does not want to be encumbered by someone who still needed his breeks changing not that long ago but if he wishes to nursemaid you then, of course, you may go. It would be one less mouth for me to feed here and, with the poor harvest, there will be less food for all of us. This way I can fatten up Alice and Harry.”

  There was the inevitable sibling rivalry between all of my children and I saw Tom chew his lip. He remained silent as he pondered his next move.

  After they had gone to bed I said, “Roger and my men wondered if we might seek an employer in Castile.”

  “You brought good treasure home the last time.”

  “The trouble is that involves expense. John of Gaunt is in Castile. We would have to pay passage on a ship and that is not cheap.”

  The thought of paying money out which would not be replaced for half a year did not appeal. “Why not see his son, the Earl of Northampton? He might put up the coin. Or Sir Henry?”

  “Sir Henry has his own manors to run.”

  “Yet he is rich and he has a debt of honour to you. You risked all to save his grandparents.”

  “And in that, I failed. Their deaths were upon me. His grandfather did not outlive his wife by much.” I was a proud man and I would not seek coin from Sir Henry. I had been brought up to rely on myself and I would continue to do so. I would ask him if he knew of any lord who wished to hire us but I would not take his charity.

  The next morning, we were just preparing to ride to Stratford when we heard hooves galloping down the cobbled track from the village. We stopped what we were doing. It was a pair of mounted men. They were cloaked and hooded. I had seen enough treachery in my time to be wary and so my hand slipped to my sword’s hilt. When they reined in, I relaxed. I recognised the livery. They came from Henry Bolingbroke. It was one of his squires, Edward, and a servant. I had fought with Edward at the Battle of Radcot Bridge and I liked the squire. I was surprised that he had yet to attain his spurs. He bowed, “Sir William, I am asked to take you to Monmouth Castle.”

  “The Earl has need of me?”

  “I believe so, lord. I was asked to fetch you forthwith.”

  I smiled, “That sounds like the Earl. Your master likes to command, does he not?”

  Edward nodded and grinned, “Aye, Sir William. He does.”

  “And have you not yet been given your promised spurs?”

  I saw the disappointment in his eyes. He shrugged, “When Richard was knighted, two years since, I had hopes but since Radcot Bridge there has been no need.”

  I nodded, “Then get inside. Tom, ask the servants to feed Master Edward and his servant. John, saddle horses for us and for our guests.” We had good horses and the two which had just ridden in looked lathered.

  “Aye, lord.”

  “Roger, I just need you and David of Welshpool to accompany me. Have Alan of the Wood take command of the rest. I think that this summons may provide us with work!” Stephen the Tracker had been the one who had formerly commanded my archers but Alan of the Wood had gradually taken over. Stephen enjoyed hunting in my woods. He was more of a solitary figure these days. Alan had a wife and seemed more assured. The two were great friends. They behaved differently to knights. I had seen knights advanced and those who had been the same rank resented them. That was not the way with the Free Companies. It was not my way. I had a few men but we lived together in harmony. I trusted them and they trusted me. There were many nobles who wished for such mutual loyalty.

  When I went in to my hall to tell Eleanor of my plans Tom asked, “Can I come with you, father? This is not war and I should like to see the land beyond this tiny hamlet.”

  I looked at Eleanor who smiled, “For me, you can, but it is your father who will have to worry about you falling from the back of a horse. He will have to mend your broken coxcomb.”

  I realised it would not hurt and it might take some of the sting from my refusal to take him to war with me. “Aye, but John will have to watch you. I cannot.”

  “I will go and prepare my mount!” He raced from my hall.

  It was over ninety miles to Monmouth. We broke our journey in Tewkesbury. It was as we ate that I learned more about the Earl and his life since Radcot Bridge. Edward was guarded in his comments for he was loyal but I discovered that Henry Bolingbroke had spent the last years building political alliances and powerful friends. We were weary as we approached the western bastion of the Welsh Marches. I had seen Monmouth Castle before and as we approached, I realised that it was as formidable as Windsor. It was a fortress against the Welsh. They had been quiet for some time but even if they rose, I doubted that they had either the men or the siege engines to reduce it. The Earl was hunting when we arrived in the early afternoon. My men went to the stables with the horses and then they sought out the warrior hall. The steward had a chamber for myself, my squire and my son. For Tom, this was an experience beyond his wildest dreams. He was surrounded by armed, mailed men and he was in a castle. He was so excited that he was speechless. For my p
art, this was like a visit back to a former life. When I had commanded King Richard’s guards this had been commonplace. John and I were seasoned campaigners. Even though we were in a castle we did as we would if we were in a tent or a hovel. We arranged our clothes so that they were ready to hand. We hung our swords and daggers. We washed and we changed from travelling clothes and then we prepared to descend to the Great Hall.

  “Tom, you should just watch and listen. You are not even a page. You are here because you asked to come. You will be bored for we will be talking about matters which do not interest you. If you are tired then John will take you to bed. There will be no mother to tuck you in!” Even as I spoke to him, I realised this was a good thing. He had an idea that when I was not at home, I led an exciting life. I hoped that the boredom might make him reconsider his request to come to war with me.

  Henry Bolingbroke was now a man grown with children. He had been given more manors by his cousin King Richard and that had ended, temporarily at least, the animosity and rivalry between them. I had spoken with Henry Bolingbroke during the campaign which led to the battle of Radcot Bridge. He still had ambitions to be King but so long as Richard had no children then that dream was still possible. Henry was a patient and calculating man. He believed that King Richard had flaws in his character which would bring about his own downfall and Henry was ready to pick up the pieces when that happened.

  When he strode into his hall surrounded by his household knights, I saw a confident leader. He had been a youth when I had first met him and now, he had fought and won battles. He was assured and he was hungry for more. His face broke into a smile when he saw me and John. He had fought alongside us both. “William! You came! I hoped you would!”

  That was a little disingenuous of him. He was, as the Earl of Northampton, my liege lord. When he requested, I obeyed. That was the system. “Of course, my lord.”