Kingmaker (The Anarchy Book 12)

by Griff Hosker

  The gate did not lead directly to the bridge and we ascended the wooden wall to peer down to the south. The bridge was some three hundred paces from the castle wall. I saw men waiting. They were the ones pretending to be besieging the castle. I saw that their siege works were too flimsy. The trap became obvious. Some were turning around looking at the walls. We had made a sudden attack but there had been noise. I waved at the men. It might not have fooled them but it would make them doubt. I saw the Duke and the rest of the army as it snaked its way up the road. There was a wood to the west and I saw horsemen massing there. We could see them but the Duke could not. He had no scouts out! They intended to attack the Duke in the flank when he was on the island. He would be trapped.

  I turned, "Richard, fetch the Normans. I want them on the walls, all three conroi." I saw the intention of the enemy clearly now. They would wait until the Duke was engaged with the men holding the island. The first bridge would be like a gate when the men of Flanders charged. This was a deadly trap. Had I not approached from the north then we would have known nothing.

  We did not have long. I galloped Edward back through the bailey. Richard had already reached our allies and they were rushing back to man the walls. When I reached the keep I saw that Dick's archers had managed to clear the top of the stone defence.

  "The Duke will be trapped. Dick, leave half a dozen archers here to keep their heads down. Edgar, leave four men to guard the archers. If they try to sortie then send for the men at arms from the walls. The rest, mount. Henry. We will need your men now."

  "What do you intend, Earl?"

  "We will clear the defences at the bridge before your father reaches them."

  Once at the wall I found Gilbert and Richard de Thiberville waiting for me. "What do you wish us to do, lord?"

  "Mount half of your men and bring them with me. I intend to clear the island. We do not have long." I shouted up, "Raymond of Amiens. I leave you to command these men at arms in my absence. If they sortie from the keep you will have to support my men."

  He nodded, "We will still be here when you return! We have a fine view from up here!"

  I turned, "We ride in a column of six. Sir Gilbert, Sir Robert, you will ride at the fore with my men. Richard, ride, with the banner, in the second rank with Leopold of Durstein and Günter the Swabian. Henry I want your men at the rear. We will push on to the second bridge and leave you to clear the island! This will be your first command."

  "Aye lord. It will be like a graveyard when we are done!"

  He was learning to follow orders. I could see a change in him already. I raised my lance and shouted, "Now we unfurl our banners. Now we show them that the wolf is in the sheepfold!"

  We galloped through the gate and over the ditch. We wheeled right and I steadied the line to allow the others to close up. We had to hit the enemy like a steel ram. They knew we were coming. The ones at the rear had turned and seen strange faces on their walls. They hurriedly began to change their defence from the south to the north. We covered the three hundred paces quickly. The men were on the wrong side of the barriers. They had built them to stop the Duke. Now they just barred their escape. We charged the ones at the end of the second bridge. They tried to form a shield wall and to use their crossbows. Our shields took the bolts and then we were amongst them. I punched with my lance and the sergeant at arms who commanded crumpled as my lance head tore through him. The others were dispersed leaving us the empty bridge. We galloped across and I saw the men on the island quickly trying to find a way through the barricades they had built.

  Numbers were hard to estimate but I could see that there were no knights with the men who waited for us. They had crossbows and pikes. They had round helmets and they wore no mail. One or two of the braver souls tried to loose their crossbows at us when we hurtled towards them. They managed one hit on John of Norton's horse. The rest struck metal or wood. An archer can loose five arrows while a crossbowman reloads. Dick's archer’s arrows were deadly. The ones who tried were slain and then we were on them. While some of my men went through the holes they had made in the barricade I jumped Edward over a low part. I was aided by the fact that the stakes pointed south. Edward's rear hooves clattered against the tops of them as we landed. Edward bundled one man over as I punched my lance into the back of a second. Our sudden appearance caused mayhem. The defenders just tried to get out of our way.

  "On! To the second bridge. Leave the defenders for the Prince's men!"

  The flight of those before us gave me the chance to wait for my men and to spy out the situation ahead. Already the Duke was attacking the men defending the first bridge. His men were strung out in a long line. He could not see the wave of armour which was hurtling towards his unguarded flank. As soon as we began to cross the bridge the defenders ahead heard us and knew that they were doomed. I saw men surrendering and the Duke's men cheered.

  I yelled, "Ambush! Ambush! Enemy to your left! Ambush!"

  My words were drowned by the cheers as the Normans thought that they had won. I could not see the column behind the Duke but I heard the noise as the Count's men struck the middle of it. It was like the sound of a hundred trees splintering in a storm. Their lances struck the shields of the Duke's knights and men at arms. The Duke turned in his saddle and looked behind him.

  He was less than forty paces from me and I shouted, "It is a trap! There was no siege! This is the Count's attack!"

  The Duke was no coward and he whipped his horse's head around, "Turn and let us go to the aid of our comrades!"

  The Count outnumbered the Norman and Angevin force. In addition there was no order to the attack by the Duke's men. They would lose unless we could get to their side. As we crossed the bridge I waved my hand to the left. We would try to reach the head of the enemy. The Duke led his men right and there was an empty space to the left. We poured across the open ground. I saw that the Flemish knights had begun to turn to enlarge the hole they had made in the Duke's column.

  "Into line!"

  I reined Edward back a little to allow Sir Gilbert and Sir Richard to bring their men next to mine. Once we were in a rough line I lowered my lance, "For God, Duke Geoffrey and the Empress Matilda!"

  We knew our own men. We charged into a whirling mass of steel, wood and flailing hooves. We were less than forty men but we were boot to boot and we were organized. Edgar and I both speared the knight who was about to despatch a wounded squire. I pulled my lance from his body and hurled it like a spear at the back of a knight who had stood in his stirrups to impale an Angevin man at arms. He was less than twenty feet from me and the lance hit him squarely in the back. It broke through his mail and into his body. He arched as he fell backwards. His dying hand dragged his horse backwards. Edward had to jump again and I landed without a weapon in my hand.

  A Flemish knight saw his chance and he galloped at me. Rather than risk drawing my sword I held my shield before me. He saw I was weaponless and stabbed at my right shoulder. A lance is a long weapon and the tip moves. My right hand darted out and grabbed the lance behind the head. I pushed it in front of me. He was so surprised that he did not release the weapon. His own lance knocked him over the cantle. I drew my sword and checked back Edward for he was ahead of the rest of my line.

  The Duke was being attacked by a conroi of knights. Even as I pointed my sword and led my men towards them I wondered if we were too late. The Duke no longer had the strong right arm of my son to protect his back. Had the fates conspired to snatch victory away from us?

  The Flemish men at arms and knights who were at the rear of the line tried to turn to face us. Their lances proved an encumbrance. I saw the line ripple as confusion spread. Those of my men with lances knocked their opponents from their saddle. I brought my sword over to strike at the knight before me. He raised his shield. I hit him a mighty blow which made my arm shiver. The press of horseflesh stopped Edward and his teeth flashed around to bite the nearest horse. I stood in my saddle and brought my blade down again. I must
have weakened his arm for it did not come up as high and the end cracked into his helmet. I saw the life leave his eyes.

  The Duke was still beleaguered and I yelled, "Stockton! On me!"

  My men heard my cry and I saw Richard with the standard leading them to me. We hurriedly formed a line five men wide and three men deep. It was but fifteen men but I had fought with these warriors more times than enough. I stood in my stirrups and raised my sword, "Charge!"

  Richard waved my standard and we leapt forward. Even as we charged I saw the Duke's own banner fall. He and his oathsworn were surrounded. They had had their spears shattered and the enemy saw victory before them. With the Duke dead the Norman and Angevin forces would crumble. They had reckoned, however, without the Earl of Cleveland!

  Once again Edward began to outstrip the rest and I reached the rearmost knight. He has trying to reach the Duke and only became aware of me when Edward's snorting head appeared next to him. He half turned and I stood to deliver a blow between his head and his shoulder. He had a coif but my steel was sharp and it tore through the mail. The force was so powerful that I knew the blow had broken his collar bone even before it ripped into his flesh and bright blood spurted and arced as he fell. I held my shield before me as I swept my sword to my left. It caught a man at arms a glancing blow to his helmet and he lost his balance, tumbling beneath the hooves of Edgar and his horse.

  I saw Duke Geoffrey knocked from his horse by a lance which hit his shield from the side. The head smacked into his helmet and he fell heavily to the ground. He was hurt. I pulled back on Edward's reins and spurred him. He leapt into the air crashing into the side of the knight who had unhorsed the Duke and was about to stab him. As the knight fell from his horse I leaned forward to slash sideways at the next knight. My sword struck his right hand and he dropped his lance. Richard was by me and I shouted. "Help the Duke to his feet." I could see that the Duke was merely dazed. Richard used my standard to batter his way through and he leapt from the back of his horse. It was bravely done. Edgar joined me and Leopold of Durstein. The three of us formed a protective ring around the Duke and his wounded bodyguards.

  Our act seemed to enrage the remaining Flemish knights who furiously threw themselves at us. I was aided by my horse, Edward. He was a true warhorse and he whirled around in a semi circle, flailing his hooves at the knights who tried to get at me whilst snapping and biting at the enemy horses. Even so we were hard pressed. A war axe ploughed into my shield. It was well made but it could not withstand such strokes. Wood splintered from it. I brought my sword from on high and, as the knight pulled back for a second strike I hacked across his forearm. My blade grated against the bone. I must have severed tendons for the axe fell from his hand. As he stared at the wound I lunged at his open mouth and he fell from his horse. Leopold of Durstein gave a cry of pain as a lance struck him in the side. I watched as Edgar was knocked from his mount by the attacks of two men at arms. He fell to the ground and lay still. Alan son of Alan leapt from his horse to stand over the body of the sergeant at arms. Günter the Swabian joined him. They would die defending their leader.

  Then I heard a cry, "England and Anjou! England and Anjou!"

  The thunder of hooves made the Flemish warriors turn and they saw Henry FitzEmpress leading his bodyguards and the remaining Norman knights as they hurled themselves into the enemy. It proved to be the pivotal moment in the battle. Richard helped the Duke to his horse and, clutching both the Duke's and my banner, mounted his own horse. He held both banners aloft and there was a cheer from the beleaguered Angevin forces. The enemy broke!

  Chapter 11

  Baron Guillame D'Aubigny was defiant to the end. After the wounded men at arms had been despatched and the knights who had yielded secured and bound we took our battered forces into the castle bailey. Dick and his archers were sent to follow the defeated enemy and ensure that they returned home. The priests had seen to the Duke's wounds; they had been superficial. The wounded were still on the field of battle and they required more ministration than the Duke.

  As we headed to the keep, the Duke showed his pride at his son's actions, "You have saved the day, my son! Had you not reached us then both the Earl and I would have perished."

  Henry showed his maturity, "I think not. The enemy might have held on for longer but I do not think that the Warlord would have been in any danger. Even as we charged I saw that none dared approach him."

  I was not certain that he was right but I liked his words.

  The Duke pointed up at the keep from which the baron's standard flew, "And what do we do about this snake!"

  "First we winkle him from his tower."

  "That will be simple. We break down the door!"

  "Enough of our men have died this day. We either persuade him to surrender or burn it down."

  "That seems extreme."

  "We can rebuild a keep but we cannot replace our valuable warriors." I saw Henry nodding in agreement. He understood the wisdom of holding on to good warriors and not wasting them.

  We dismounted safe in the knowledge that the crossbowmen inside the keep would keep their heads down and not risk incurring the wrath of my archers. I noticed that the Duke dismounted gingerly. The fall had hurt him.

  "He will know that he must die."

  "True, my lord, but he must have his family within. They will give us the opportunity to strike a bargain." I looked at the Duke, "With your permission?"

  "Aye." He turned to his men, "And someone find me some wine!"

  "Richard, find some men and have the palisade broken up. I want it placed around the door."

  "Yes lord."

  The keep was an older design. The door was the height of two men above the ground. It prevented a ram from breaking it down. There would be a ladder inside the keep to allow them to descend. The weakness, however, lay in fire. We could build a fire which would send first smoke under the door and, if we continued to feed the flames, would set fire to the door. It would not be swift but we were in no hurry. The men needed rest and the longer the fire took the more likely they would be to surrender.

  I saw that Ralph of Nottingham had organised the men. He had been in the third rank. Those in the first two ranks all had a wound. Many still lay on the battlefield. I would have to find out what the butcher's bill had been. We waited until a large pyre had been built. Ralph had my men find kindling to lay amongst it. The taller pieces of timber almost reached the door.

  Duke Geoffrey had had his wine and it must have eased his pain for he approached me. "Are we ready?"

  "We are."

  He turned and shouted, "Baron Guillame D'Aubigny! Are you there?"

  We were rewarded by silence, "Baron Guillame D'Aubigny this is your liege lord Geoffrey Duke of Normandy. If you do not answer me then I will order my men to fire the keep and burn all within. Do you want that?"

  A disembodied voice shouted, "How do I know that you will not have one of your lackeys end my life with an arrow?"

  "You have my word that I will allow you to speak unharmed."

  A head appeared over the battlements, "What is it you wish to say?"

  "I wish you to surrender the keep."

  He laughed, "What kind of a fool do you take me for? I will be executed!"

  "First we will have a trial and you can give the mitigating circumstances which made you turn traitor."

  "I am no traitor. I served you but I never followed you. My heart is in Flanders. I was fighting for my country."

  "And you are foresworn. You said you were under attack."

  He turned his gaze to me, "It was a ruse of war. You often use such devices, Wolf of the North!"

  "But I never lie. You have forgotten the oath you took when you won your spurs."

  "I will not speak with a killer. I say to you, Duke Geoffrey, that I will not surrender to your justice. I will take my chance here. The Count will come with a relief force and I will be free."

  "And your family? Do you wish them to die?"

&nbs
p; "The keep is well made and we have supplies. We will trust in God."

  I shook my head, "God forsook you when you lied." The Duke nodded, "May he have mercy on your soul and your family too." I turned, "Ralph, light the fire."

  My men were ready. They hurled burning brands into the kindling. They were quite happy to administer justice. There was more smoke than flame at first as I had expected. As the fire took hold I saw smoke spiralling from the top of the keep as the tower acted as a sort of chimney drawing the smoke up inside. Men tried to douse the flames with water poured from the top of the keep but when two fell to my archer's arrows then they desisted. When the fire took hold we had to step back for the heat was great. The door began to blister and then, more alarmingly, the mortar in the stones began to crack.

  It did not take long for the Baron to shout, "Very well. We surrender!"

  The Duke was no fool, "Unequivocally?"

  "I give my word! For the love of God douse the flames! My children can barely breathe!"

  I nodded, "Ralph!"

  My men ran to the fire and using pikes began to pull the burning timbers away. The whole dissolved into smaller fires and Henry's men poured river water on them. The fire hissed and smoked. The keep was wreathed in smoke for a while but it allowed those inside to open the door and allow air to clear the smoke from within.

  I turned to the Duke, "With your permission I will return to the battlefield and see to my men."

  "Of course. My son and I will deal with these. You were right, again. I am, once more, in your debt."

  Leaving my archers to keep watch I rode with my men back to the field of battle. It was a grim place. Already crows, magpies and other carrion were picking over the open wounds of the dead. Red kites flew overhead waiting for us to leave them to their feast. The birds on the ground fled as we passed and then descended again when we moved on. They would gorge on the feast of flesh. Alan son of Alan rode behind Richard. "Alan, take some men and gather as many of the horses as you can."