by Griff Hosker
“We could have fought both of them. You know that.”
He did not answer directly. “I am the Seneschal of Angers and Tours. Will you bar our passage?”
“Perhaps.” I knew that Viscount Aimery had been in Angers for three days. I was certain that they would have fled for Poitou and the dowager Queen, Eleanor. If I could avoid fighting then I would. “What do you intend?”
“I will go to the Duke and explain why I have, apparently, betrayed him. King John has assured me that he wishes no harm to his nephew.”
I laughed, “And you believe him? The man does not know how to speak the truth.”
“He is King of England.”
“Aye but not the rightful one. An ancestor of mine spent his whole life fighting for the rightful King of England. I can do no less. However, we have been brothers in arms and if, as you say, the Duke is safe then I will allow you to pass unhindered but know this, if anything happens to Prince Arthur while he is in your care then you will pay with your life. I do not speak lightly.”
“I know and I realise that you are honourable. Fear not. I swear that while he is in my custody he will be safe.”
And so, we watched the army march past our walls. We scrutinised them for we knew that we might well have to fight them at some point. We saw many crossbows but few bows. That gave us hope. When they had disappeared, I summoned my most experienced men at arms. “I would have you build two stone throwers. I want one on the north-west tower and one on the north-east tower. If an army comes to do us harm then we will make life difficult for them. Build the machines in situ. It will save time.”
“Aye lord. And we will have men collecting stones.”
I turned to Sir William, “You take charge here. Have the men fix forks to the end of long poles. We will use them to send the ladders back to earth should they try that attack. I will take my archers and ride east. You may tell the people that we are not under siege. They can go about their business. Have them continue to work in the fields and send the horses out to graze.”
“You trust William des Roches?”
“It matters not what he does. I have two worries now and they are both kings. If King John is abroad then he might well remember me and come to do me harm and King Philip is also someone who may well be casting avaricious glances in our direction. I will see if any are close.”
I used Skuld and I did not wear mail. Instead I donned a leather jerkin beneath my surcoat. I needed speed. We headed north and west first. We were just twenty odd miles from Le Mans. If that was now in King John’s hands then I had to discover if he had men out seeking us. We would then head east to see if King Philip had advanced. There were just fifteen of us. If danger came then we would be more than capable of bloodying our attackers’ noses and still escaping.
We rode swiftly but I had my best archers at the fore. They had shown me, over the years, that they could sniff out danger. We rode fifteen miles north west and saw no sign of danger. We spoke with farmers who confirmed that there had been no scouts heading from Le Mans. King John would be waiting for William des Roches to apprehend Prince Arthur. I hoped that the young Breton was safely with Eleanor of Aquitaine. There he would be safe. We turned and headed due east. The French might well have scouts out. That might not spell danger for us, they could be seeking King John’s forces, but I wanted to know where they were.
We were nearing Chateau-sur-le-Loir when we found the French. That surprised me for it was William des Roches’ castle. He had not lived there since he had become lord of Le Mans but I had assumed that he had men garrisoned there. It was a knight, squire and twenty men at arms that we spied. They were not riding war horses but they were mailed with helmets and shields. We saw them first and I had my archers dismount and ready their bows. Beyond them I could see the towers of Chateau-sur-le-Loir. I turned to Fótr, “You have better eyes that I do, tell me if that is the standard of des Roches which flies from the tower.”
He peered into the distance. My archers had strung their bows. “No lord, but I have seen it before. It belonged to one of the knights who was in the retinue of the Comte de Senonche. It is a white bird on a red background.”
I nodded, “Then William des Roches has lost his castle.”
David of Wales said, “Lord they are moving towards us.”
“Are you worried?”
He laughed, “Of course not lord but I thought you should know.”
“If they get too close discourage them.” I turned to Fótr, “And unless I am mistaken that is a red shield with something white upon it too; on the shields of the men at arms.”
“It is, lord, but the knight has a black shield with the same bird.”
I heard arrows as they were sent towards the advancing riders. They were less than two hundred paces away. The movement of the horsemen meant it had been difficult for me to see the devices clearly. The squire flew backwards over his saddle clutching his shoulder. A man at arms was hit in the head. Another had his leg pinned to his horse. The rest managed to get shields up but the arrows which had struck had, effectively, ended their interest. Gathering their wounded, they turned and ran. The squire’s horse galloped towards us.
“Fótr, go and fetch the horse.”
“Aye lord!”
“Well done archers. We have seen enough. We will return to the castle. We know that the French are now twenty miles from our castle and I think they will be a threat before King John. This has been a useful exercise eh?”
“Aye my lord. Can we go and search the dead man at arms?”
“Of course. Fótr is still chasing the horse. We have time.”
It was almost dark when we reached our castle. The day had gone better than I had hoped and I had knowledge of my enemies. That was always important. I told Sir William of my scouting expedition that evening.
“You see, William, we have enemies to the north and east of us, the north and west and the south. As far as I can see we have no friends at all. Perhaps my decision to leave the Baltic was a bad one.”
He laughed, “Bishop Albert would not have allowed you to stay lord. No, this is better. We have more men now than we had. All of us are better armed and this castle is better than any that we saw in Sweden. I would not like to take it.”
“Nor would I but I think we can make it even more unpalatable. I plan on damming the river just downstream of the chains. I want the level to rise above the other chain. When the ground is boggy and soggy enough we will release the water.”
He nodded, “You would have them struggle to place ladders and to use the ground to the east of us?”
“Aye. We can do little about the ground to the north but the east is where the first danger will come.”
The next day I checked on the progress of the war machines and I was pleased. They were not as large as the ones we might use to batter a wall but they did not need to be. Their purpose would be to destroy any war machines that were sent against us. We used a crane to lower roped piles of stones into the river. It would not completely block it but, with autumn rains it would raise the river’s level and make it burst its banks. I wanted an inundation for a few days. It would destroy the grazing close to the castle and deny that to our enemies. It would also make the ground treacherous. The castle of La Flèche and most of the town was built on higher ground. The warehouses by the river might be under water, albeit briefly, but they were empty anyway. It was a small price to pay.
Four days later an emissary came from William des Roches. He sent a man I could trust. It was Sir Guy de Changé. He came to the west gate. He was not alone. He had twenty men with him. I was summoned to the gate, “Yes sir Guy?”
“I am sorry that we meet under these circumstances, my lord but the seneschal of Angers and Tours sent me. We have captured Prince Arthur and his mother. They are now prisoners in Le Mans. My lord thought you should know.”
It was a blow but I did not show my disappointment on my face. “He did not flee to Eleanor of Aquitaine then?”
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br /> “No, lord. His mother persuaded him to stay and to order William des Roches to changes sides.”
I could not believe the woman. She had cost her son his only chance of regaining power. “And all this happened some days ago.”
He smiled, “My lord you have something of a reputation. The Seneschal sent the Prince and his mother away from Angers as soon as he could. He did not want you to try to rescue him.”
“And how do you know that I will not?”
“I pray you do not, lord. There is a huge army at Le Mans. King John is busy securing the northern parts of Maine. If you were to attempt a rescue it would end in failure and, I think, your death. I would not like that. You are a brave lord and a true knight. I admire what you are doing but it is like spitting into the wind. You cannot change that which is.”
“But a true knight does not worry about that. When my father led his household knights to defend King Richard he knew it was like, what did you say? ‘Spitting in the wind’? Yet he did and the King was saved. It cost them their lives but they died true knights.”
He nodded, “Then go with God.”
We were now utterly alone. I was not a fool. King John would not allow me to change sides, even if I wanted to. I had bloodied his nose too often and he hated my family. I was fated to fight him. I was undaunted by the odds. If he brought his whole army to bear on my little castle it would send a message to others that it was possible to defy this Lackland King! We would not go quietly if we were to perish.
In the end it was not King John who came to test our defences, it was the forces of the French King. I had kept patrols out and they told me that French scouts had been seen. Those French scouts had also been killed. However, it meant that we knew they were coming. We could make them blind but, eventually, they would reach us. The swampy, boggy ground to the east would be a surprise. The weather had become wetter. It was almost as though God was on our side for it rained for seven days non-stop.
We pulled all of our people within our walls. With most of the crops already harvested we had every farmer and his family, as well as their animals, from within five miles inside the castle and the town. They were the French who were coming and my men were ready to defend the land with their lives. I hoped it would be French blood which would be spilled. The hiatus of the advance by William des Roches had actually helped us. There was neither panic nor pessimism. All thought we could beat them. I prayed that we could.
Besieged
Chapter 7
The French arrived a few days later and camped well to the east of us. Our boggy ground made the approach they hoped, impossible. Instead they headed further north which meant they would be within range of my two war machines when they attacked. Their crews were eager to try them out. My walls were manned but I knew that it would take some time for them to get close enough to attack. They had no high ground upon which they could place their own stone throwers and tunnelling, because of the moat, was impossible. Had I had more men then I would have considered a quick raid on their camp but my defences made that harder for us. There was no easy way to slip in and out. If we had to escape then that would be by the river.
Our only action was to destroy the houses which lay beyond our walls. They were poor dwellings. The ones who lived there did not pay taxes and they eked out a living working in the port or by gathering in the woods. They were empty now. Their occupants were sheltered inside my walls. We would help them to rebuild when this was over but we could not allow them to be used by the French. As they burned we contented ourselves on counting the banners and identifying our foes. King Philip had sent the Comte de Senonche. Perhaps King Philip had a higher opinion of the knight than I. During our time together, I had seen little evidence of great military skill. All the decisions which had won us castles had been the result of William des Roches or myself.
Sir William was with me. I had allowed him as much time with his new son as I could but he knew that his son’s life chances would be increased if we were successful. The two of us, along with Edward and David of Wales, peered north.
“Where will they attack, lord?”
“They cannot use a tower because of the moat and the boggy land. They can make a bridge for the moat.” In answering the question, I was clarifying my own thoughts. “They cannot mine for we have made the ground too wet and we are close to the river, a mine would flood. They will use ladders and a ram.” I looked south, to the river. “They either use the two roads and attack at the town gates or, if they wish to reduce the castle, then they attack the walls; probably either by the stables or the warrior halls.”
Sir William nodded, “Then we will not be fighting here at the keep. Our families will be safe within.”
“Only a fool would try to attack here. De Senonche is not a great strategist but he is not a fool. If we fight from these walls then the rest of the town and the castle have fallen and we will have lost. We will have the oldest retainers and the two crews here. I will be on the east wall and you, William, will command the west wall. Edward, you will divide the men into two groups. David, the archers will be on the wall they are attacking.”
“And if they attack two walls at once, lord?”
“Then that means they have men to spare and we will be in danger. If that happens then divide the men up. Now arrange all and I will go to the town.”
Taking Fótr with me I left through the main gate. It was open and unguarded. When the attack began it would be closed and I would have two men watching it. The people looked at me with a mixture of fear and relief. The fear was of the unknown, the French attack, and the relief was that my presence in their town meant I had not abandoned them. The council were the richest men in the town and all had bought themselves good helmets, hauberks and swords. I was not sure that they would acquit themselves well if it came to battle but they would give the French the illusion that we had more warriors than we did have. Some were even pretentious enough to have had banners made with their device upon them. Now that might work in our favour.
They waited for me to speak. We stood in the central square “It is the French who are here. I have no fear for our defences are well made. There will, however, be no relief. We have to defeat this attack.” I pointed to the two gates at the east and the west. “If they attack there then I want you to take all of your people within the castle. There is room for them and they will be safer. My men will defend these walls. If they do not, and they attack the castle walls then you need do nothing except to send your archers into the castle to fight on our walls.”
The relief on their faces was palpable. Their helmets and mail might not be needed. “You are certain, my lord, that they cannot breach our walls?”
I smiled, “Jean the Merchant, you have never fought in a battle. The outcome is rarely certain. I am confident that our defences are strong. We are well supplied. They may damage our walls and I have no doubt that I will lose men but I think that, when they have gone we will still be here and the food we have laid in store will be used to celebrate Christmas.” I sounded more confident than I was. I remembered the castle in the Baltic where we had thought the enemy would not be able to breach our defences and they had. They had been barbarians. The French valued and prized their own lives much more highly than the Estonians. “Keep the three gates manned with your other men. The French may try tricks. With the bridges raised and the water level high they will find it hard to break through. My squire, Fótr, will keep you all informed. God be with you.”
We turned and headed back into the castle. As we walked through the gates I said, “Have Robert and Michael stand here. They are both local men and the townsfolk will be reassured. They are also sound warriors. They will not panic. Come we will walk the walls.”
We walked beyond the east gate tower and climbed the wooden steps. Sir Leofric had built the gate towers so that they were self-contained. They could not be reached from the wall walks. The fighting platform was wide enough for two men. I saw that there were men at a
rms and archers along the wall. Each one had ten paces of wall to guard.
Fótr noticed that, “Lord is that not too large a gap between warriors?”
“It is but remember this, they cannot attack along the whole length of the wall. We will concentrate wherever they congregate.” I stopped and turned to my squire, “This will not be like a battle with horses. You will not have the luxury of waiting with horses. You will be armed and fighting here on this wall of death. Are you ready?”
“I am lord.”
It was as we walked that I realised we still had improvements to make. We could put wooden shelters, embrasures, to protect our men from missiles. We could not do that yet but we would when time allowed.
By the time we reached the keep and began to descend, Edward shouted from the keep, “Sir Thomas, they are making a move.”
“I come. Fótr find Robert and Michael. It is time to close the gate. The siege has begun.”
I entered the keep and climbed the stairs to the fighting platform. Sir William greeted me, “It looks like they plan on dividing our forces. They are coming to the east and the west.”
I looked to the east. The road was within bow range and they were aware of our skill. They were moving down the road using large shields to protect the men who were moving. They had a ram. They must have brought the parts with them and assembled it in their camp. “Do they have a ram to the west too?”
“Aye, lord.”
I looked at the crew of the stone thrower. “When you practised with this, how far could you send a stone?”
Godwin of Battle grinned, “Beyond the road, lord.”
“And how accurate were you?”
“If I am to be truthful, lord, not very but if you are asking me if we can hit that snake of shields moving south then I would confidently say aye!”
“Then let us see if you make the French fill their breeks. David of Wales have the archers ready to support the stone thrower. Sir William have the other one begin to send stones at those in the west.”