by Griff Hosker
“Today I saw the enormity of my task. I have lost knights and I fear I will lose my Dukedom. My mother told me that I just had to assert myself and all would be well.”
“This is a game, my lord, and you do not yet know the rules. I tried to warn you that King Philip had his own motives. All is not lost. William des Roches is a fine leader. He fought with your uncle at Arsuf. So long as he commands then you will not lose your Dukedom.”
He looked at me and then nodded, “But you do not think that I can retake Normandy!”
I could not lie to him. Too many people had done that already. “No, you cannot. There will come a time when you will be able to. But that is in the future. You need to learn how to use the men you can trust and how to deceive those you cannot.”
“You have only one knight and yet you are able to defeat all your enemies. How is that?”
“I learned in the harsh sun of the Crusades. There you either learned to fight or you died. I went to war when I had seen but ten summers. I did not fight for three more but I learned by watching. I did as Fótr and Johann do. I brought horses and spears to my father while avoiding the swords and the arrows of our foes.” I lowered my voice. “And I learned to choose good men. When I came from the Holy Land I had but five and young William. Now you see that I lead over thirty men. By the time my arm is healed I will have another fifteen.”
Sir Richard of Nantes leaned forward, “I felt ashamed today, lord, when you and your men did what we could not. They are common men and have had none of the advantages we have enjoyed yet they killed Templars!”
“How many men have you killed?”
He shook his head, “None.”
“The first is always the hardest. My men fought to save their lives. They fought without armour and with poor swords. Now they have the best of both and they are better for it. When you go into a battle you have to believe that you are better than those you face. You must try to kill.”
Prince Arthur said, “But what about ransom?”
“You cannot have ransom if you are dead. Worry about surviving first and ransom second. The ransom will come when you defeat your enemies.”
By the end of the evening they all seemed happier for they had something to do. I knew that it would be at least two months before I could even think about going to war again. In the event I did not have two months and my world was turned upside down once more.
The next day my wife insisted that I stay in the castle and Sir William and my men at arms escorted Prince Arthur back to Angers. Before he left we spoke.
“I have learned my lesson, Sir Thomas. Perhaps you are right. My knights and I should learn to walk before we run. Tell me this; can I count on your support when I try to wrest Normandy from King John?”
I smiled, “Of course, you need not ask. I am your man.”
He visibly brightened and looked like a young boy. Was the game he was playing the right one?
Betrayed
Chapter 6
Thirty days after he had left us I was allowed to begin to train with my men once more. It had been frustrating not to do so. However, I knew that both my wife and the healer were right. I needed my sword arm. David of Wales and Edward son of Edgar managed to hire two more archers and four more men at arms. I had not been idle when recuperating. I had been allowed to walk my walls and I had examined my castle. It had been well built. Like many such castles it was triangular with the keep at the narrow end. The longest wall was the one closest to the town. The gatehouse was not the biggest but Sir Leofric had cleverly built three easily defended gates for the town. One was on the river and the other two at the east and the west of the road which ran alongside the river. It meant an attacker, if he wanted to reach the gates, had to move along two walls where archers could make life difficult for them. Or they could try attacking the keep and that was a substantial building for it was built on a mound and had the moat before it.
However, as I walked the walls with Fótr and Sir William, I noticed improvements we could introduce. The ditches which ran around the two walls were deep enough but it suddenly occurred to me that we could flood them from the river. All that we would need to do would be to build two bridges. I knew that they would need to be substantial ones. I set my men at arms and archers on building the bridges. When they were in place then we would break through the earth and flood them. I also had the boggy land to the west of my town flooded. If the French came from that direction they would get a shock. I made it competitive by having each group of men work on one of the bridges. My wound prevented me from helping but Fótr and Johann joined in. While they were being constructed I spoke with the merchants in the town. My wife had got to know them while I had been on campaign. That made it easier when I went around to speak with them.
Sir Philip had told me that Sir Leofric had created a town council which still operated and I met with them.
The head of the council was the leading wine maker, Roger of Meaux, “My lord, we are honoured that you have chosen to live here as lord of the manor. For many years we have served the castellan. Under our hand the town has grown and we enjoy a prosperity which other towns envy. We know that this is due, in no small part, to the power your family wields.”
I nodded, “As you know there is a war going on. At the moment we are safe here. The Duke of Brittany is in Angers and has promised that he will do all in his power to keep it so. However, I am a realist. King John may well choose to make war on us. And I have no doubt that King Philip might cast a greedy eye in our direction.” I saw some of them shifting uncomfortably. They did not want to hear this. I smiled, “I am a man of war. You are men of commerce. I will keep you safe so that you may continue to make coin. We all benefit.” They smiled. I had said the right thing. “If war comes then I wish all of you to continue to go about your business. The river is the lifeline of the town. I propose that we defend that lifeline.”
“Defend it lord? How? We already have walls.”
“The walls defend the town. I am talking about the river. If we are attacked then we will put chains across the river at the two ends of the walls. I would have any attack come from the land.” They looked relieved.
“And how can we help?”
“I am making the ditches into moats. My men will do that and I will bear the expense. We will make two bridges which we can remove in times of danger. I would have the town make the two chains to bar progress along the river. Does that seem reasonable?”
They smiled. Roger of Meaux nodded, “Perfectly.”
“And if we are attacked then I would expect the men of the town to defend its walls.”
Although less acceptable, they understood the reality of the situation. They all nodded.
“Of course, my lord, but it will not come to that, surely?”
I gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile and said, “I pray to God that it will not but we all know that the Lord helps those who help themselves!”
With the two bridges in place and the ditches deepened I watched as my men began to break through the narrow piece of earth which lay beneath them. The piles which had been driven into what would become the banks had been secured by rocks. My men had large stones which would also be placed next to the piles once the dams were broken. I nodded and both sets of men toiled to make the break through. It was not as spectacular as I might have hoped but the effect was all that I had wished. The dampness at the bottom of the ditch became a puddle and gradually it rose to become a moat. When the water flowed faster it washed away the soil back to the stones. We had good defences.
I summoned Geoffrey, my steward, and asked him about the supplies we had in our cellars. He misunderstood me, “Do you have a feast in the next few days lord? We have plenty of supplies I can assure you.”
“No, Geoffrey. Do we have enough to last us for a month? Is there enough grain for the horses? How many wells do we have?”
“A month?”
“If war comes we may be besieged. If we are then we ne
ed to feed ourselves and our horses. Have we enough?”
He shook his head, “No, lord.” He looked fearful as though I might berate him for an oversight.
I smiled, “Then start today. I want grain, salted meat, salted fish. I want a good water supply.”
“But the cost, lord!”
“How many chests of treasure did I bring back with me?”
He smiled, “Sorry, lord. Sir Philip rarely brought treasure. Of course, we have enough coin but I am not certain where we would store it.”
“Find somewhere; if there is nowhere then build a granary. If my men can defend this town then you can feed it! See to it!” I did not doubt that he would manage it. He had just not thought of the problem was all.
My plans were seen to be prescient when a messenger arrived to tell us that King John had landed in Normandy and invaded Maine from the direction of Argentan. It seemed our victories had spurred him to go on the offensive. Had I been fit then I might have contemplated riding north to fight him. Sometimes fate intervenes in our lives in ways we do not understand. Had I not been wounded I might have ridden north that September and then I would have been close to Le Mans and present at the battle of Lavardin. There King Philip was soundly defeated by King John and the Duke of Brittany suddenly found himself without an ally. I followed the rider who brought the news, along with Sir William and some of my men at arms to speak with the Duke in Angers.
I watched Arthur’s face as he heard the news. He looked crushed. As we had ridden into the city I had seen evidence of the build-up of his forces. He had not been idle but in the three months since he had ridden south he had had little time to gather a large army. His mother was with him. I could tell that she did not like me. She glowered and glared at me. There were other counts, earls and barons in the court and all of them had suggestions. This was not a place in which I was comfortable.
The Prince still looked up to me, “Sir Thomas, we value your advice. What do you suggest that we do?”
All eyes turned to look at me. “William des Roches still commands Le Mans. That cannot be taken easily. You have already begun to prepare an army to fight King John. All this battle means is that King Philip is no longer there for you. As you know, your Grace, I never liked the alliance. This may be a good thing.”
Constance, his mother, snapped, “A good thing? This is a disaster! If this is the quality of your advice then keep it to yourself! You are nothing better than a mercenary! You are a sword for hire!”
She had a savage tongue but her barbs did not penetrate. She was right. I had been a mercenary. However, my advice was still good. Arthur reprimanded his mother, “Sir Thomas has been my most stalwart friend. What else should we do?”
“Winter is coming. Armies find it hard to campaign in winter. Prepare for sieges. If John tries to live off the land then he will starve. By spring we should be in a position to meet him sword to sword.”
“That is your advice? Sit and do nothing?” Constance sounded like a harpy.
“Preparing for a siege is not nothing, your ladyship.”
“I have heard enough. You are dismissed from my son’s court! We will send for William des Roches. He will offer better advice.”
Summarily sent north I rode in silence. I was not angry. If anything, I was saddened by the events. I now understood why Arthur was the way he was. His mother lived in the past. It was a past which did not exist. She thought she could pick and choose from the advice she was given. That was wrong. She was right in one respect; William des Roches was Arthur’s only hope.
Rather than wait for disaster to strike us I had men put the chains in place in the river. I instructed the council to initiate the town watch and within the castle I doubled the sentries. My men did not mind. We all had coin we wished to keep and families to protect. Six of my men now had wives and children. That was an incentive. In addition, I rode each day, with Sir William, on the road north. The initial flood of refugees fleeing fighting fell to a trickle after a couple of days and I grew hopeful.
Then, six days after we had heard the news of the battle a pair of riders was seen coming down the road. I recognised one as Viscount Aimery from the standard his companion carried. He was one of the lords who served Prince Arthur and he had been with William des Roches. At last we would discover something approaching the truth rather the rumour and gossip which had followed the refugees.
We reined in and waited. Viscount Aimery’s face was dark when he spoke to me, “Sir Thomas, I bring dire news. William des Roches has been persuaded to join with King John. He is the new seneschal of Angers.”
I was not often stuck for words but I was then. What could have made William des Roches become a traitor to Prince Arthur? Had I been such a poor judge of character?
“I go to warn the Prince. He, his mother and his sister must flee. Sir William is coming down the road with his army even as we speak.”
I had recovered enough to regain my voice. “The Seneschal will need to get past my castle. He will not find that easy. Where will the Prince go?”
The Viscount shrugged, “Perhaps to Aquitaine. Eleanor is still the matriarch. If any can save the boy it is she.”
I nodded and whipped my horse’s head around. “We will escort you to my castle.”
We had not sought it but war was coming to my little valley and as we headed south I wondered just how many of the people we passed would suffer? The lords, the high and the mighty, even the church would not care what happened to them. They each fought for themselves and no one fought for the people. I turned and said to Robert of La Flèche. “Take two men and warn the farmers and those who till the land north of La Flèche that war may be coming. Tell them that they are more than welcome to take refuge with me.”
I saw the relief on my man at arms’ face. This was his land and these were his people, “I will do so, lord.”
The Viscount was impressed with my defences as we rode along my walls. “You have not been idle, Sir Thomas.”
“No, Viscount, my travels have taught me that nothing remains at peace forever. A wise man hopes for peace and prepares for war.”
My wife was like a rock. While some of the other women became almost hysterical she was calmness personified. “Ladies, Lady Marguerite is about to go into labour. Let us deal with her while our men do what they do best and protect us.”
I nodded my thanks to her and sought the council. They too were fearful. A rampaging army was unheard of in my sleepy little town. I had to calm things down. They were all agitated and already speaking as though we were defeated. “Firstly, they may not be rampaging. I may have misjudged William des Roches but I know that he is a gentleman. From what I have seen of him he might try to reduce our walls but he will not hurt those within. We must be strong. From this moment we ration our food. I know not how long we will have to hold out. If you wish to send your ships away then do so but this evening I have the chains deployed. We will be in a state of siege.”
Grateful for something to do those who had ships filled them with their valuables and the goods they had to trade and sent them down river. Brittany was still held by the Duke’s men and their goods could be traded safely there. By the time the evening came I was exhausted but our exhaustion was relieved somewhat when Sir William became a father. It was a son. “I would name him after your father, Sir Thomas. He will be Samuel of La Flèche.”
It seemed a good omen and everyone’s spirits were lifted. That night as I crept wearily into my bed my wife snuggled next to me. “I did not wish to say anything before Marguerite’s baby was born but I believe that I am with child.”
I could not see her face in the dark but I squeezed her hard, “When is the baby due?”
“March or so the ladies who deliver babies tell me. They have been watching me when they came to speak with Marguerite and I have felt the bairn move. It is a lively baby.”
“I will make sure that you are both safe, my love.”
As we settled down to sleep I had s
omething else to worry me. I not only had a Dukedom and a town to save, I had a family who now needed me.
As much as I wanted to be with my wife I was needed by my town and my castle. My archers already had many arrows but now they began preparing more. One legacy of Sir Leofric was that my town had more archers than any other castle this side of the English Channel. The smithies rang to the sound of swords and spear heads being beaten. Men were cutting and bringing in as much hay and grass as they could. Our horses would be needed once the siege was lifted. We began slaughtering some of the animals we would not be able to feed. The pig fat would be reserved in case we needed to deter attackers. The meat would be salted. I did not think it would be a long siege. We were not big enough to warrant it but King John might wish to make an example of us.
The first scouts came down from the north two days later. I recognised them. They belonged to Sir Richard de Trevers. He was a good knight and his men were the equal of any I had seen in the battle of William des Roches. They did not approach the castle directly. They halted four hundred paces from the fork in the road. Sir Leofric had placed his keep where it could be the most effective. Any army heading south would have to leave the road or risk the arrows, stones and bolts from the keep and the walls.
We watched as the army grew behind the scouts. I saw the banners of William des Roches. Would this day be the day I fought an old comrade? I watched him and three other knights take off their helmets and ride to the edge of the moat. There was no bridge. Sometimes I had thought that a curse but now I saw that it had been a wise decision of Sir Leofric. They stopped and waited for me to appear. I only had one knight, Sir William. We stood on the wall walk at the northern edge of the keep. Our squires flanked us.
“My lord I am disappointed. I hear that you have sided with John Lackland.”
He nodded, “King John was most persuasive. We both know that Prince Arthur cannot stand up to King Philip. You were there at Ballon. We could not endure that. King Philip would have Anjou, Maine and Normandy!”