Return of the Knight

by Griff Hosker

  We set the men to building the new stables and some went to help our new tenant farmer to dig the ditch and his home. He knew how parlous his existence was but if war came again he and his family would not have as far to flee. Sir William and I questioned Johann’s captive.

  We learned that he was Jocelyn of La Chartres sur Loir. His father was a knight and had been one I had unhorsed. He told us all. He wanted us to think we had been outwitted. We let him talk. “We knew that you were coming. Sir Raymond de Senonche predicted that you would attack the manors to the south.”

  “He was right.”

  “And that was why we had men waiting and so few horses in the field. They were to tempt you.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say that it did not seem to make a difference. We had defeated them and taken their horses and cattle. However, it was a lesson. I should have been a little less arrogant about my opponents. “My father will pay a ransom.” He gave a sly look. “La Chartres sur Loir is a rich manor. As is this one and the Comte will soon have it.”

  I saw Sir William colour. I gave a slight shake of the head. “He has tried once.”

  “Next time he will succeed. As soon as the peace talks are concluded then you will be even more alone.”

  I rose and gestured for Johann and Sir William to follow me. “You had better go to the nearest French village and send a message that we have Jocelyn of La Chartres sur Loir. Set your price.” I smiled. “He is an arrogant pup. Ask what you will. Sir William, take command here. I will ride with some men to Angers. I would speak with William des Roches.”

  “Is that wise, lord?”

  “We are blind without more knowledge. We knew nothing about this peace meeting. If William is not in Angers then it means they are meeting now and if he is there I can discover when and where it is. In one respect the boy is right. If the French, Normans and the English combine against us then we cannot hold out. We would have to find somewhere else to live.”

  “And we are running out of such places.”

  I left the next morning with six archers and six men at arms. I took my most experienced men including James Broadsword. He would know those who had fought for Prince Arthur. I needed those men identifying. The weather was improving day by day but we still rode with thick, grey cloaks about us. They also helped to disguise our livery. The land was at peace. Farmers were in the fields and there was no appetite for war. Our numbers would not intimidate but would offer protection from bandits and brigands. Since the war had ended there were such bands wandering the countryside. Like those we had taken on they had lost their lords but they had chosen the route of banditry. None had come close to my land. Perhaps my name had frightened them.

  We knew the road well but it had been some time since we had travelled it. I now saw standards flying from castles which reflected the new owners. King John and his seneschal, William des Riches, had wasted no time in evicting the supporters of Duke Arthur and replacing them with men loyal to King John. We had been lucky.

  When we neared the gate, I spoke quietly to my men. “We go in peace but we are prepared for flight. While we are in Angers keep your eyes and ears open. Fótr and I will go alone to the keep. The rest of you,” I smiled, “wander the streets but keep your eyes and ears open.”

  “Aye lord.”

  Both Edward and David had been given coin by the men they led. Angers was much bigger than La Flèche. The markets were better and there was a larger range of goods. When I had finished my business, I would have to order more bolts of cloth for both mine and Sir William’s surcoats.

  The sentry recognised me by my horse. He was a grizzled old sergeant at arms. Skuld was always prominent on the battle field and William des Roches had used his own men as guards. They had seen me fight. “My lord, can I ask your business here in Angers?”

  “I am here to speak with the seneschal. Is he at home?”

  “He is lord but you have barely caught him. He leaves on the morrow for…he will tell you if you need to know. Before I can allow you to enter do I have your word that you wish none within this castle harm?”

  I adopted a serious expression, “Does John Lackland reside in this castle?”

  He looked puzzled, “No, Sir Thomas.”

  I smiled, “Then all within are safe from both my ire and my blade.”

  He stood aside and we passed through. Edward chuckled, “Not the sharpest of blades was he lord? He looked to have taken too many blows to the head.”

  I nodded, “Meet us at the gate to the keep. Makes sure the lads stay out of trouble.”

  “They will lord.”

  We were admitted to the inner ward where we left our horses. I hung my cloak and helmet from the cantle. I no longer needed a disguise. I turned to Fótr, “Stay around the inner ward. Someone may say something we find useful.”

  I could not help smiling as I was taken into the Great Hall by four guards. I must have worried them. William des Roches had his head down and was poring over a map with four of his lieutenants. He looked up, in irritation at first, at the interruption then smiled when he saw it was me. “I can see you now at Arsuf! Does nothing make you afraid? You come into the heart of this castle which is ruled by your greatest enemy and yet you come alone.”

  “Not alone, Seneschal, I have my squire and twelve of my men with me besides when last we spoke you said we were not enemies.”

  “Nor are we.” He turned to his lieutenants, “We will continue this later. I must speak with Sir Thomas.” He turned to his squire, Guy of Chateau-sur-le-Loir. “Guy have the maps made ready for me.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  He put his arm around my shoulders and led me outside. “Come we will walk the inner wall. I almost did not recognise you. Were it not for your beard and your voice I would have wondered who you were.”

  “A mace in the siege. I was lucky.”

  As we walked he said, “You managed to defeat de Senonche I hear?”

  “Perhaps the defeat of the French by King John weakened them.”

  “Perhaps but it was remarkable with so few men. I would that you were on our side.”

  “When you are on the side of Prince Arthur then I will be. I can only follow one master at a time.”

  “He is weak and worse, he is led by his mother.” We had reached the wall walk and the Seneschal waved a hand so that we had privacy. “There are few barons who support him. Even the dowager Queen does not support him.”

  “I will admit he is not ready yet but even as he is he is a better ruler than John Lackland.”

  “King John is stronger than you know. He will stand up to the French. He appointed me as Seneschal of Anjou to make sure that the French did not take it. I will be moving to Tours after the treaty is signed. There I can make sure that the French keep their side of the treaty.”

  “How did you lose your castle?”

  He gave me a sharp look. I could see him wondering how I came by that information, “I took too many men with me to Le Mans.”

  “I raided the French barons there. I think they will not be happy. I expect retribution.” He nodded. I had made him think of his former home. “One of the prisoners told me that there is a meeting between the two kings.”

  “Aye, in May at Le Goulet on the Seine, not far from the Vexin.”

  “And will Prince Arthur be there?”

  “He will be as will I. I can promise you that all will be done well. They may not be done to your satisfaction but Prince Arthur will be treated fairly. I swear that I will do all in my power to watch over the youth.”

  “Good. I would come but I suspect that I would be the subject of the ire of the two monarchs.”

  “That you would.” He laughed then stopped and turned to face me, “Seriously, Sir Thomas, as soon as the treaty is signed your position will become almost impossible. King Philip cannot allow you to flaunt your independence before the rest of France and King John has endured much at your hands. I will not fight you but there are many others, like the de Ferrer
s family, who would be more than happy to ravage your lands and take your castle. None of them are as good as you but they would weaken you with every attack.”

  I nodded and then said, “I have taken into my retinue the men of Gilbert de Vesci.”

  He looked genuinely pleased, “I thought they might come to you. I liked Gilbert. Like you he was obstinate but he had honour.”

  “I intend to take on as many others who have fought John and lost. You say I will become weaker. I intend the opposite. I will become a refuge for any who wishes to fight against King John. You know there is treason talked in England?”

  “I heard. That is your country and not mine. I know that the King will not return hence until the situation in Normandy and Anjou is settled.” He paused, “And Brittany.”

  “So not content with preventing Arthur ruling Anjou and Normandy he is taking from him his Dukedom. I do not call that seeing things well done, William des Roches. What you mean is that you will see that Arthur has a decent burial.” I turned, “Farewell. You are not the knight I thought you were. Farewell.”

  “Sir Thomas…”

  I stormed down the steps. The two guards who waited close by the door to the great Hall stepped towards me. I glared at them and then saw them look beyond me. They stepped back and away from me. Turning I saw William des Roches. He had ordered them to stand down. I forced myself to calm down. I had been let down, again. However, if I raged and ranted it would do no good. I had to use my time in Angers well.

  When I reached Fótr and the horses I was calm. “Did you learn anything, Fótr?”

  “Yes lord. The Seneschal leaves tomorrow. All the greatest counts, earls and barons in the Dukedom accompany him. His own retinue leave tomorrow for Tours.”

  “Good. We need to find our men. Do you know where they are?”

  “Yes lord, Edward said that he heard the ‘Angel’s Kiss’ by the river was a good alehouse and popular with English sailors. He was going there.”

  We led our horses and wound our way through the busy town. We heard many accents and dialects. There was Angevin, Norman, Breton, French and English spoken. A plan was forming in my mind. We passed some of our men buying wares but the bulk of them were at the inn. I could see why it was popular. It was as close to the quay as one could get. A ship docking would find it before any other alehouse. Sailors rarely wanted to walk far for their drink. Edward, David and James Broadsword were closeted together.

  Edward rose, “Are we leaving, lord?”

  Not yet.” A servant appeared, “More beer for this table.”

  He looked at me as though I had two heads, “Beer, lord?”

  “I am English, humour me. Beer.” I leaned forward and spoke more quietly, “I believe that Prince Arthur will be betrayed by everyone. Bad as that will be for Prince Arthur it could be worse for us. It could well mean even more enemies. Thanks to James here we have more men but we need to recruit even more. James, I want you and David to spend another three or four days here. Take rooms.” I took out a purse of coins. “Use this to hire, as quietly as you can, as many men at arms and archers as you can. We do not want the dregs of the river. We want men we are happy to have as shield brothers. Have them make their way to La Flèche as soon as they are hired. That way it will appear like a trickle.”

  The beer arrived. I held my beaker aloft, “England and a decent King!”

  They echoed the toast. Interestingly I saw only smiles and no scowls. Edward had chosen the right place. We talked a while about how we would be able to pay for such men and then, after finishing my ale I said, “Fótr, stay here. I will soon return.”

  I was gambling that ‘Swan of Stockton’ was still in port. I knew that the captain, Henry the son of William of Kingston, would be ensuring that he had a full manifest. If he was not still in port then I would find another English captain. I could trust Henry the son of William of Kingston and more importantly so could my aunt. I needed her help once more.

  The ship was in port but I could see by the activity that she was getting ready to sail. The crew knew me and I was admitted on board, “You are just in time my lord, if you wish to sail. We leave before the middle of the afternoon.”

  “No, Henry. Have you parchment and pen?”

  Most sea captains kept such items to make charts and to keep records. “Aye my lord.” He took me to his cabin. “I must get ready to sail.”

  “I will not keep you.” I sat and wrote three sentences. I neither addressed nor signed the letter. I did not seal it nor did I use the sign of the gryphon. I trusted Henry and my aunt would know from whence it came. I went up on deck. “I would have you deliver this for me.”

  He looked at me, “There is no address, my lord.”

  “You need not one.” I took a gold coin and pressed it into his hand.

  “You need not, my lord.”

  “I know. God speed.”

  I stepped ashore and waited until the ship had cast off and set sail. I felt much happier.

  The Seneschal of Angers

  Chapter 9

  James and David were both more than capable of blending in. I had chosen James rather than Edward because he was unknown in Angers and would arouse little suspicion. Similarly, David of Wales was so quiet that he was easily overlooked. With loaded sumpters the rest of us headed north. We would have daylight for most of the journey and it would only be the last three miles we would travel in the dark.

  Before I had left James had said, “Sir Thomas, what if there are knights who wish to join us?”

  I had not considered that possibility. “Then tell them to ride to my home. They will not need coin as inducement.”

  “Most men will not need coin. If they ask for coin then I will not take them. They fight for the right!”

  I knew that I had made the correct decision.

  The next day I met with Sir William and my wife to tell them the news that I had discovered. I confess that Margaret showed less interest than she might normally. Half way through my opening statement about the conference she winced and said, “The baby!”

  Her ladies whisked her away. I made to follow them but Sir William restrained me, “They do not need us, lord. In this respect you are the novice and I am the veteran. Come, tell me the news you were about to impart.”

  It proved to be good advice and it took my mind off the birth. When I had finished he asked, “Could we not go to Le Goulet? Perhaps we could help the Prince directly.”

  The thought had crossed my mind but it was a risk. “William des Roches was quite right. We would antagonise both monarchs and make it worse for the Prince. However, we could go north and be close to Le Goulet. We could stay hidden. I want to be close at hand and learn quickly what the terms of the treaty are to be.”

  “We have forty days then, lord?”

  “Aye and by then I hope that we will have more men to lead.”

  “We need more horses, warrior halls and stables and, unless they bring it with them, coin.”

  “We have forty days before we ride north. I want us to begin raiding our French neighbours in the next five. We shall use them as our treasury and stables! Their lords will be at Le Goulet. Angers had been emptied of barons. The two kings will want as many barons present as possible. By the time we leave for Le Goulet we will have more men, more horses, more coin and more grain. Our walls will be higher and we will have more war machines. My conversation with the Seneschal showed me the size of this problem. We have two choices. We run away or we fight to make this enclave a county!”

  The birth took a whole day. It was dark of night and Sir William and I were still seated with a flagon of wine when Lady Marguerite came in, “Lord, you have a son. Mother and child are doing well but Lady Margaret is tired. Do not stay too long. She needs her rest.”

  My wife looked pale but she was smiling. “I told you, lord, a boy and a healthy one too. I am surprised you were not alarmed by his cry when he came into this world. He will make his mark.”

  I kisse
d her and she thrust the swaddled babe into my arms. I held the little reddened bundle. One eye opened and stared at me, “Son, I am your father. You come from a long line of great knights and you, I have no doubt will gain as much honour as any of them. I swear that I will teach you to become the best that you can be.”

  His other eye opened and his mouth seemed to smile. I know it was my imagination for every father believes this to be true but in that moment, we were bonded.

  “And his name, husband? What will this young knight be called?”

  “That is easy. I will name him Alfred after the Warlord who sired this clan. He will be Alfred of La Flèche but one day he will be Alfred of Stockton!”

  The birth delayed the start of our chevauchée and that proved a blessing in disguise for the first of the men sent by James arrived. Like James and his men, they were underfed and ragged but their weapons were sharp. Their arrival meant that I could take more of the garrison. When we left, a day late, Sir William and I headed south east with over forty men. The French were going to experience rampant English warriors.

  We headed for Dessay. It was ten miles south east of Chateau-sur-le-Loir. They had a castle and it was made of stone but I had no intention of bleeding upon its walls. We now had twenty archers with us and I used them to ride far ahead of us and get between us and the castle. I intended to be the beaters driving the game towards the archers.

  As luck would have it we came upon ten French men at arms. They were heading along the road in our direction. Perhaps I was still distracted by the birth of my new son but whatever the reason it was Sir William who reacted quickest. He spurred his horse and led his column of men towards the men at arms. I drew my sword and led mine a heartbeat later. The men at arms tried to turn but our horses were well fed and fast. Sir William and the men clattered into them. Three at the rear escaped but the rest were killed or wounded so swift was our attack. The four wounded were tended to while the horses and arms were collected. We discovered that the Comte de Senonche had ordered his lords to send out patrols while the barons were absent from their homes.