by Griff Hosker
David of Wales had sharp eyes and he pointed, “Look lord! The tower!”
A tiny crack began to zig zag up the donjon. Even as I saw it widen there was an audible crack and a large lump of earth suddenly descended. As it did so the wall which adjoined the tower collapsed in a crash of stones and mortar. It tumbled down to the ditch. The wall was so weakened that its collapse continued on the side away from the tower. Then the crack in the donjon became so wide that we could see inside and suddenly the corner collapsed. It, too, fell but it struck the mound where the tunnel had been. As the soil was moved so the flames were fanned and they burned the wood which had fallen with the corner of the donjon.
We were almost mesmerized and then William des Roches shouted, “To arms! We take Ballon!”
I drew my sword and shouted, “Follow me!” I ran to the hurdles which covered the ditch.
I had barely made the mound when I saw the standard which had still been flying when the donjon collapsed lowered and Geoffrey de Brûlon appeared. “We surrender! We yield!”
It was an anti-climax but we had lost no men and for that I was grateful. It became obvious to me, as the knights trooped out of the castle, that they had been relying on the relief force destroying us. They did not have enough to defend the castle.
Prince Arthur was ecstatic. We had begun two sieges and both had ended well. Even as the knights and men at arms were moving from the castle the rest of the donjon suddenly collapsed. Ten men at arms died as the stones tumbled over them. After that we evacuated the castle. We would not enter until we were certain that it had settled.
The prisoners were guarded and a request for ransom sent. The day was spent preparing a feast to celebrate. Prince Arthur told us that King Philip would be joining us for the feast. That worried me. Sir William and I left the feast early before King Philip had arrived. I did not relish the thought. We went to the stables to see to our horses. They were behind a stand of trees where there was good grazing. Our horses were separate from the rest and Edward son of Edgar had been watching over them. We relieved him. Although neither had been wounded or injured in the battle we checked them over again. I was lost in my thoughts and William was dutifully silent. Thus it was that we heard what we were not supposed to hear.
As we were grooming our mounts we heard the sound of horses and I heard the Comte de Senonche’s voice. The French tents were on the other side of the stand of trees. He greeted his king. King Philip had arrived. For some reason the King and the Comte, along with three others I could not identify, came closer to the trees. It was, I presumed, so that they could talk without being overheard.
“You have done well, Valery. And you too, my lord Raymond. Will the young Breton go along with our plans?”
I heard the Comte speak. I recognised his silky tones, “He will, your majesty.”
“Good then there is no problem.”
“I am afraid it is not as simple as that, majesty. There are two problems, William des Roches and Sir Thomas of La Flèche. They are both suspicious.”
“It matters not. So long as we control the Prince then those who serve him will have to go along with what we say. Are your men ready to move into the castle as soon as the feast is over?”
The voice I did not recognise answered, “Yes, your majesty.”
“Then we will have possession of the castle and the two knights can bleat all they like it will not make any difference. And now let us go and greet the would-be Duke.”
As soon as they had gone I grabbed William. “Go and fetch all of our men. Do so silently. Have them fetch the tools the miners used.”
“What do you intend lord?”
“We cannot afford a war against France but I can deny them this castle. We will destroy it. Meet me by the donjon. Tell the men to be silent.”
There was still smoke rising from the tunnel and the ground and stones felt warm. As I slipped across the bridge and into the half-demolished castle I could see that most of the work had been done for us. We had two sides of the donjon to destroy and the gatehouse. There was plenty of material which would burn. I knew what we had to do. Once my men arrived I explained my plan. I was pleased by their attitude. They set about it with gusto. We could make as much noise as we liked for the feast was in full swing. The animals the garrison had kept for a long siege were now being served to the victors. I split my men into two. Half collected wood and flammable material while the other half used mattocks and crowbars to pull out keystones. The plan was for us to prepare it to fire and then they would return to our camp while Sir William, Edward, David and I set it alight. I intended for the cause of the destruction to be a mystery. They might suspect who had done it but there would be no proof for we would be close by the French King when the fire took hold. I was anxious to see King Philip’s reaction.
It took longer than I had expected but eventually we were ready and I sent my men back to the camp. The four of us lit the oil soaked kindling and then hurled the brands into the corner of the donjon where we had piled all the wood we could find. The tapestries still hung from the walls and they would burn well. We disappeared in the dark. We had reached our own camp when the first shout from the camp was given. There had been plenty of drink and most of the knights were slow to react. William and I went into our tents and removed our smoky surcoats. We put on fresh ones and then joined the other knights who were watching the blaze and listening to the crack and thunder as the walls collapsed. I saw King Philip, Prince Arthur and the Comte de Senonche in close conference. The King turned and saw me. Then he looked back as a sudden flare of flame leapt into the air. The castle would be destroyed. Of that I had no doubt. It might be rebuilt but that would take time. If King Philip thought he had taken a prize he was mistaken.
William des Roches joined me, “What do you think happened, Sir Thomas?”
I shrugged, “Perhaps we weakened it more than we thought.”
“And the fire?”
“Who knows? It may have been just an ember which was fanned by the breeze.”
Just then we heard King Philip. He was shouting angrily for his men to put out the fire. William des Roches shook his head, “Why is he so concerned about the castle? It was not his. The only losers are us for we have lost an important fortress. If I thought this was sabotage…” I pointed. The three Templars were close by the King and he was speaking to them. They disappeared. William des Roches turned to me, “What is that you know, Sir Thomas. I pray tell me.”
I had to trust him. Outside of the Prince there was no one else to trust. “Sir Ranulf was a Templar. I think he was in the employ of France. When he fled us, he was just being clever. We thought he served King John. He did not. Who knows, he might have persuaded King John that he was on his side. I overheard the French King talking to the Templars. He intended to take Ballon as his own castle. That way he could control this border crossing.”
“But why would we give away such a fortress?”
“Would you go to war over it?”
“Would the French?”
I shrugged, “We will discover all when daylight comes and men can talk. I for one will be interested to hear what the French have to say. I told you before. I do not trust the French. I am happy that we have defeated King John’s allies. It bodes well for the future. We may well be able to take all of the castles. With Normandy and Maine in our possession we could think about taking England.”
“I am not so certain. Is Prince Arthur strong enough to be king?”
“He is stronger than you think.”
“But if he sides with the French…”
“I cannot see that. We will wait until the morrow.”
As I turned he grabbed my arm, “You destroyed the castle.”
I gave him what I hoped was an innocent smile, “I am just a simple knight. You grant me too much intelligence.”
“You are clever but I cannot yet fathom your true purpose. I do believe that you have the interests of this army and Prince Arthur at heart. But be
careful my young friend. This is not a game of dice. This is a game of thrones.”
The next morning, I awoke refreshed. Whatever plan the French had been hatching had been disrupted by our action. What would happen next? I was summoned, along with Sir Guy, Sir Roger and the other senior knights. Worryingly it was not Prince Arthur who spoke to us but Philip of France.
“My friends, we have won a great victory here and defeated King John and his English knights. The castle may have been destroyed but a new one will rise from the ashes,” he laughed, “quite literally! It will have, as its seneschal, Raymond Comte de Senonche!”
I looked at William des Roches. His face was a mask of anger, “Your majesty! The castle is in Maine! It is not French!”
King Philip had a thin smile on his face, “It is now and Prince Arthur here agrees, do you not?”
This was the moment when Arthur should have stood up to King Philip. He did not and, in doing so, signed his own death warrant. He shook his head, “The castle will not be built for some time. Let us not fight over a pile of rubble. King Philip has promised that his army will help wrest Normandy from King John! When that is achieved we will discuss Ballon! An act of God has destroyed the castle. It is a sign that we are to put aside our differences and join together to fight King John.”
The announcement left a bad taste in the mouths of the knights of Anjou and Brittany. None of us wanted a war with France. We did not have enough men to fight both France and England but Prince Arthur had now handed over command of the war to King Philip.
William des Roches came over to speak with me. “You knew this might happen. You said as much to me. Prince Arthur is a liability. He will sell us out to the French.”
I looked over and saw that Juhel de Mayenne was laughing and joking with the Comte de Senonche and the three Templars. Now that the King of France was here they openly wore the surcoats of the Templars. Their plain apparel had been a disguise. Prince Arthur stood forlornly alone. He did not even have a household knight with him. It was as though they had all distanced themselves from him. He had made a mistake and the visible sign of it was that he was alone.
I shook my head as William des Roches and I watched the scene. “I knew that the French and their spies were up to something but I thought that Prince Arthur would stand up to the French King.”
The Lord of Le Mans nodded, “I will return to Le Mans. There are ransoms to be collected. I suppose one good thing to come of this is that we have weakened Normandy. When we choose to attack them, they will not have as many knights with which to defend their castles.”
“That is cold comfort, lord. I will speak with Prince Arthur and discover his intentions.”
Prince Arthur saw me coming and hung his head. He looked like a naughty boy caught out in some mischief. I had been wrong to put my faith in one so young. I said nothing when I was next to him. I waited for him to raise his eyes from the ground. “Sir Thomas, what could I do? King Philip said that he would cease to support me if I did not yield the castle of Ballon. Surely it is better this way? We have an ally and can fight and defeat King John.”
“Why did you speak with the King alone? The Lord of Le Mans could have offered support and advice. You are young. You said that you were stronger than men thought. Was this an attempt to impress us by showing that you could negotiate with a king?”
The guilt was written all over his face but he did not reply immediately. “What will you do now, Sir Thomas?”
“Maine is now protected from an attack from Normandy. I came north with you soon after I had arrived in Anjou. My wife is there. I will return home.”
He looked almost relieved, “Then I would beg an escort from you. My mother is in Angers with Viscount Aimery. I would seek advice from them.”
“And what of William des Roches? He has served you well.”
He looked over. William was pointedly sat with Sir Guy and Sir Roger. “I will seek advice from my mother. She has steered my course thus far. I still have enemies in this land. I trust you. I know I have disappointed you and yet you do not berate me and you offer your support. You are a true knight.”
I nodded, “Then the sooner we leave the better.”
My men were delighted to be leaving. They had bulging purses and there were some, like Ridley the Giant, who had wives. They would be keen to share their bounty. The others wanted to spend their gold and silver. Angers was not riven with war. They would be able to spend it well.
I gained satisfaction from the disappointment on King Philip’s face when we said that we were leaving. “We are close to victory, Duke Arthur. We can advance into Normandy.”
“I take no men from the army, your majesty. The Lord of Le Mans is still here to command the army of Brittany and Anjou. I will be but a short while. There are things I need to do in Angers.”
For the first time King Philip switched his reptilian gaze to me. If he thought to mesmerize and cow me he was mistaken. “And you take Sir Thomas with you? Sir Thomas you need to be careful. Those who play with fire often have their fingers burned.”
I smiled, “True, your majesty and those who sleep with the devil always regret that decision.”
His face darkened. I knew that the burning of the castle could not remain a secret for long. Men talk and there was gossip that the men of La Flèche had returned to the feast smelling of fire. His eyes flickered to the three Templars who stood close by and then he smiled, “I am pleased that the Duke of Brittany will have such an escort. If King John’s men should capture him then it would be the end of the war. We still have much to do.” He turned to William des Roches. “When the ransoms are in we will discuss our strategy to take the border castles of Normandy.” It was a deliberate snub to Prince Arthur. It was as though he did not exist.
William nodded, “Yes your majesty.”
Leaving the Duke’s servants to see to him I returned to my camp to give my men the good news. As we were packing up William des Roches came to me. “I am sorry that we must part like this. You are a true knight and a great warrior. I hope that Prince Arthur realises what he owes you.”
“He is my liege lord and I cannot support King John.” I looked over to King Philip, “If I were you, my friend, I would keep a close eye on the King. He is up to something. I cannot see him risking his best knights just to regain Normandy for Prince Arthur. I fear he means to take it for himself.”
“Then he will have me to contend with. Our task is not easy, my lord, we must save the young prince from himself. With time and a good mentor, he may become a leader who can face up to King John but, until then, we must save the Dukedom!” he clasped my arm. You can be assured that I will send your share of the ransom to La Flèche. Will you return to the army?”
“When I have safely delivered Prince Arthur to Angers and set my affairs at La Flèche in order then I will bring my men back here.” I smiled, “By then my young knight will have hired more men at arms and we will be even stronger.”
He looked relieved, “Good, then go with God!”
We left on a bright June morning. With over seventy miles to travel we could not make the journey in one day; not with servants and baggage. I decided to break the journey at my home. It would be a long forty miles but the thought of my wife would spur me on.
Templar Treachery
Chapter 5
I was not a fool. I had a great responsibility. The Duke of Brittany had just six household knights and squires with him. All were young. None had taken part in the two sieges nor the battle north of Ballon. They were untried. They had the best of helmets and they had fine armour and war horses but I knew not how they would deal with danger. I would be relying on the common man and not the nobles. I had the six knights and their squires riding with Prince Arthur. If nothing else they could slow down an enemy who might try to do him harm. I had ten of my men at arms at the rear with the baggage and the horses. The rest rode in two lines flanking the household knights. My archers were spread in a scouting screen ahead o
f us and Sir William, Fótr and Johann rode ahead of Prince Arthur. I know that he thought he was being snubbed for, as we neared the cathedral of St. Julien le Mans, he asked me so.
“Why do you keep apart, my lord? We are travelling through my lord des Roches’ town. Surely we are safe here and you can speak with me and make this journey more pleasant.”
I had stopped and turned to speak to him, “Prince Arthur, your safety is all. If I am distracted then, in that moment, you could be harmed. If anything happened to you then King John has won for there is no other of your family to fight him. You have neither wife nor child. Your sister cannot rule but she could be married off by your uncle. When we reach La Flèche I will chatter like a magpie. Until then we will be vigilant, even when passing a cathedral!”
South of Le Mans the land was devoid of castles. Mine at La Flèche was the only one of any substance. There were fortified halls but no walls and that was another reason for hurrying. I would not risk a camp in the open. King Philip’s words still rang in my ears, ‘If King John’s men should capture him then it would be the end of the war. We still have much to do.’ I feared John but I feared King Philip even more.
The household knights complained and moaned about the speed with which we travelled. I ignored them. When we stopped, it was for the horses. My men did not complain. They were alert and spoke little. The household knights sounded like ladies sewing a tapestry as they chattered on about trivialities like who had hunted the largest pig or speared the greatest stag. I noticed that Prince Arthur said little. He had more serious matters to engage him.
We were not moving as swiftly as I wished. A combination of the wagons and the need for the household knights and squires to stop and make water meant that I did not think we would reach our home until dusk. I was eager to see my bride and the changes she would have wrought in the old castle. It was late afternoon and we had just emerged from the forest at La Fontaine-Saint- Martin when Griff Jameson rode in. “Lord there are riders ahead of us.”