by Griff Hosker
“No, I am from Sweden. My family were slaughtered and Sir Thomas was kind enough to take me as his squire. I am sorry that my family are dead but I could not be happier with my lord and master. I have a good life.”
“I envy you.”
“You? But you are almost a queen!”
She laughed. It was a tinkling laugh, like a mountain stream bubbling over rocks. “I am a prize cow! A heifer!”
Her mother snapped, “Eleanor!”
“It is true, mother and you know it. King John would have me married off to a fat Flemish warrior if I stayed in Angers. He would have an alliance. You are lucky, Fótr, you have choices. I have none. Tell me more about your home in Sweden.”
They chatted like two young people out for a pleasant ride rather than those who were fleeing for their lives. We made good time and we reached the mighty fortress of Saumur just an hour after the gates were opened. We arrived before they had begun the market. The presence of Sir Guy meant that we were allowed free passage across the bridges and the island. We were seen but were we identified? Sir Guy’s brother could slow pursuit but there were other ways across the Loire. However, the most serious obstacle had been overcome.
Once we reached the southern bank of the Loire Sir Guy and his squire left us. “I will stay here at Saumur. If you come back this way I might be able to help you.”
I nodded, “But you would prefer it if I found another way back which did not complicate life for you, your brother and the Seneschal.”
He laughed, “You are a wise man, my lord. Go with God.”
I had my archer scouts a little closer to us. Although there was plenty of daylight we could not afford to ride our horses into the ground. I was also concerned with the ladies. They were not used to thirty-mile rides. We rode for another three hours until we reached the Priory of the Order of St Therese. Although it was a nunnery they had male priests who tended the gardens and dealt with outsiders. Sir Guy had warned me.
Edward helped the Duchess from her horse. From the pained look on her face it had been some time since she had ridden as far. I heard her say to Edward as he helped her towards the gates, “Had we not been with you then you would have ridden further.”
Edward smiled, “Aye, your ladyship but our backsides are more used to a saddle than yours!”
I shook my head, “Edward!”
“Sorry my lord.”
The Duchess laughed, “It is refreshing to hear honesty. I am used to false sentiments and lies. Do not change man at arms. All the way here your eyes have never left me or my horse. Had danger come then you would have dealt with it.”
I saw that Fótr, too, had kept a close watch on Eleanor. He helped her from the saddle and took her arm and led her to the gate.
David of Wales said, “We are making camp in the sheep meadow lord.”
“Good. Duchess, we will need an early start on the morrow.”
She grimaced, “Another day in the saddle!”
“Perhaps two but we will try to do it tomorrow. We can rest our horses at Mirebeau before we return north.”
One of the priests, a lean older man with a cropped beard, said, “We cut some grass the other day, lord. We can have it fetched.”
“Thank you. That is most kind.”
He turned and shouted something. He was used to giving orders. Two servants rushed off to a large building at the bottom of the sheep meadow. Fótr returned, as did Edward. “Thank you both. That was well done. We covered more miles today than I expected. The rest will do the horses good.”
Edward nodded, “The lady is tougher than she looks, lord.”
As we sat around our camp fire and ate the food brought by the servants from the priory Fótr said, “It is unjust, lord. Lady Eleanor will be married off to someone she has never even seen. How can that be right?”
“Her brother is betrothed to a six-year girl. That is even worse is it not?”
David of Wales had finished his food and was lying looking up at the sun which was lowering in the west. “Master Fótr they move in different worlds to us. You are lucky to have Sir Thomas as a lord. I cannot see him marrying you off to anyone.”
Fótr looked around at me, “Why would you do that lord?”
“Rest easy I would not but there are knights who try to arrange marriages for their knights and squires. One day you, like William will choose a wife. I hope you are as lucky as he. Sir Henry will need a wife too. When you have a wife then you have children and more knights. There is an order to this.”
I took a walk around the priory as the sun set. It was partly to make myself acquainted with the place and also to check the security. We would have sentries watching and guards patrolling but until I had delivered my charges safely I would be wary. As I was nearing the main gate I saw the priest who had been so helpful. I made conversation.
“What do you do here brother?”
“I am not a brother, lord. I was a knight but after the Holy Land I tired of fighting. I became a priest who serves the ladies. I like the life. I came here seven nights’ since. I was heading north but the nuns were kind enough to offer me a position. They thought I had skills I could use.” He smiled, “The other priests are well meaning but you know yourself, lord that you need order in life.”
“Were you a Templar or Hospitaller?”
He gave me a surprised look, “How did you know I was in either of them, lord?”
“Something about the way you carry yourself. And the two orders are priests both. Were you at Arsuf?”
“I was, lord, and I saw you there. You were young and you were brave. If you do not mind me saying so you were reckless.”
“When we are young we are all a little reckless are we not?”
“Aye lord and I fear that your day tomorrow will be hard. The Priory to which you ride is twenty miles from here. The ladies all looked a little weary.”
“They are. Good night. I am pleased that you have found peace.”
I went back to our camp. It was a pleasant night to be sleeping out beneath the stars and I soon fell asleep. I was awoken in the middle of the night by Phillippe of Poitou, “Lord, one of the priests has taken a horse and ridden north. He laid out Michael with a cudgel!”
Even as I asked the question I knew the answer, “Which priest?”
“The one with the cropped beard who was so helpful.”
I cursed myself. He had not answered my question. That had been deliberate. He had been a Templar and they were involved in a plot with King Philip! Whether I wanted it or not we would now have to do the journey in one. We could not afford another night in a priory. I recalled his words, ‘The Priory to which you ride is twenty miles from here’. He knew where we were going. I did not go back to sleep. Instead I made sure that he had done nothing to harm the horses. Michael was recovering; he was being attended to by Edward. The blow had just laid him out. He was angry more than anything, “A bloody priest, lord!”
“A Templar.”
“Templar?” I saw the surprise on his face.
“Aye. I should have known that something was wrong but I was taken in by his robes. I will not make that mistake a second time. Tomorrow we ride hard and we ride fast. Edward, you and Fótr must ensure that, no matter what happens to us, the two women get to Mirebeau.”
“Aye lord.”
“And David, have two of your archers ride half a mile behind us. They can warn us of any pursuit. The priest made one mistake. He told me that he knew we were staying at a second priory. That is where he will send men to catch us. We will ride hard.”
I told the Duchess when she rose. She was angry and berated the Prioress. The poor woman quailed before the verbal assault. I said nothing to the Duchess of my plans while we were in the priory. I did not know if there were more agents. As soon as we were on the road. I told her.
“We ride as far as we can. We stop to rest the horses. I realise it will be hard for you, my lady, but it will be harder if you are caught. If we are attacked then Ed
ward and Fótr will ensure you reach Mirebeau.”
“And my ladies?”
“I cannot promise. I do not think our pursuers would harm them. They wish to capture you and to kill me.”
“Who is it? The French? I saw Templars with King Philip.”
“It could well be or they could be playing both sides. In my experience the Templars do not respect countries and kings; they are more concerned with their order.”
As we headed south I wondered at the happenstance of a Templar being at the Priory. Then I realised it was not. I had no doubt that another would have been at the second Priory. Word of the plan must have leaked out.
The day was filled with tension. I had thought the crossing of the Loire had been the biggest problem. Now I saw that it was not. Every village through which we passed now represented danger. We had already planned on skirting the castles but now we avoided anything with more than a dozen houses. It added to the journey. The horses my men and I rode were good horses. The ones ridden by the ladies and their servants were not. Only the Duchess and her daughter had horses that were as good as ours.
The only ones who appeared unconcerned were Fótr and Eleanor. They were of an age and they chattered to each other as though they were out for a pleasant ride in summer. I heard them laughing. Fótr had a fund of stories about the men at arms. He had a natural story telling ability. Perhaps that came from his Viking heritage.
The Duchess commented on it as we stopped to water the horses some fifteen miles from Mirebeau. We had made good time but if we had pushed the horses harder they might have broken. “Your young squire is just what my daughter needed. He is not trying to court her as the knights at court tried. He is just being friendly and making her laugh. She has had an upbringing which would not suit most girls. She has to put on a face and be polite to all. She has to listen to tedious old men trying to impress her and marry her off to some half-witted offspring. My decision to use you and your men was a wise one.”
The second priory was off the main road and I merely glanced east as we passed it. If there was another Templar or agent there he would be disappointed. I knew that we would be hotly pursued. Their plan now became clear. The first Templar would find us and bring the French to the second priory. There we would be massacred and the ladies taken prisoner. Therein lay hope. They would ride down the road to the second priory and discover that we were not there.
At Angliers we entered a forest which would take us almost all the way to Mirebeau. We were within ten miles of our destination. I was not complacent. Danger could still strike. The horses and the women were tiring. When that happened mistakes could occur. One advantage of the forest was that it was cooler. The hot sun had made the journey harder. Now the horses rode easier in the cool of the trees. We passed neither house nor village. It was perfect. Then I heard a shout from behind. I turned and saw Mordaf son of Tomas galloping towards me and waving. He was the rear guard.
Without waiting to hear his news I turned to Edward, “You and Fótr ride and ride hard. Take two archers with you and ask David to join me.”
“Trouble lord?”
“The way Mordaf is riding, I should say so.”
Edward said, “Right, my lady. Let us get the blood flowing eh? We ride as though the devil is after us.” He slapped the rump of the Maid’s horse and then spurred his own. The four of them headed for the vanguard.
Mordaf reined in, “Riders, lord. There were twenty of them. I think, from their shields that they are French. Gruffyd is watching them.” His brother was reliable. The French would have an attack from an unexpected quarter.
Sometimes a knight has to make instant decisions. The trees here had enough room for men and horses to move easily amongst them. My archers would have clear line of sight and be relatively safe from the French. David had eight archers. It was not enough but it would have to do. “Richard Red Leg and Gurth, ride with the women and the servants, get to Mirebeau. It cannot be far. The rest of you we make an ambush here. David organize the archers.”
I had seven men at arms. Donning my helmet and unsheathing my sword I led them into the woods
“David of Wales, you initiate the attack. I want them confused.”
“Aye lord.”
We had just backed our horses so that we were off the road and hidden from view when we heard the thunder of hooves. The French were galloping hard. I was tempted to peer down the road but that would have been a disaster. I had to trust my handful of archers spread out to the north of us. With three on one side and four on the other the French would not know where the arrows came from. The waiting was hard. To have come so close and then fail would be galling and I cursed the Templar. The leading riders began to come into view. I recognised the leading rider. He wore no helmet and it was the Templar from the Priory. He was wearing mail. A knight rode next to him and then sergeants at arms.
Suddenly arrows fell amongst those at the rear of the column. Their cries and their shouts made the ones at the front stop. I spurred my horse and we burst out amongst the French. We had hidden in the woods to the west and that meant we attacked their sword side. Some of my men had spears. I made for the Templar. His head turned as I raised my sword. He was good. He brought his shield around to block the blow. He could do nothing about my horse. Dragon was a big and powerful war horse. It bit and snapped at the palfrey ridden by the Templar. As he struggled to control his rearing and bucking horse I hacked, back hand across the Templar’s unprotected face. My blade ripped through his arming cap and into his cheekbone. The blade carried on into his skull for his horse was pinned by his companion. As I sliced deeper into his skull life left his eyes and he fell from the saddle.
His companion smacked the Templar’s horse with the flat of his sword as he rode at me. He too, was a Templar, I saw the token around his neck. My blood was up. I hated treachery. I had disliked the Templars in the Holy Land and, here, in this Christian land, where they were not needed, I despised them. I lunged with my sword. It went beneath his sword which slid alongside my helmet, scoring a line. My blade went up, under his arm and into his body. I pushed harder. Like the other Templar, he rode with just an arming cap. I watched blood spill from his mouth. I twisted and turned the blade. He fell from the saddle.
They were the only two knights and my archers had thinned out the company so much that there were just four sergeants remaining. They turned and fled. I took off my helmet and looked around. Peter son of Richard lay dead as did Michael of Anjou. Phillippe of Poitou was trying to hold in his guts. I threw myself from my saddle.
“Fetch vinegar, bandages and honey!”
My man at arms shook his head, “No lord. It is mortal. Leave me. It is good. I will die in my homeland.”
“We will not leave you. The French are fled.”
Padraig came over with a skin and said, “Here my friend, have some wine.”
Phillippe drank from the skin and nodded for Padraig to remove it. “Lord I have had much honour serving you. I can go to God and face him knowing that I served a true knight. We never did aught that was base and I died saving noble ladies what…” his eyes glazed over and his head lolled to the side. He was dead.
Padraig closed his friend’s eyes, “He was a good man.”
More of my men had died. I knew that my plan had fooled the Templars. They had thought to catch us at the second priory. We would have been slain while we slept. Now I wanted them to know that I was on to them.
“So were they all. Take the heads of the two knights and plant them here on spears. I would have the French and the Templars know the price they pay for treachery.”
The Maid and the Squire
Chapter 16
We took our dead with us and the horses and mail from the dead. When I searched the two Templars we found coin but, more importantly, I found a letter. It was getting on to dark and I put the letter in my surcoat. I would read it when we reached Mirebeau. The archers had suffered no losses. All of the sergeants at arms had been Te
mplars. The fact that we had killed sixteen and lost but three spoke well of the skill of my men but the three men lost would be hard to replace. As we rode through the darkening forest I began to second guess myself. Suppose the attack behind us had been a ruse and there were men waiting ahead? The enemy were desperate to get their hands on the two ladies. The Empress Matilda had been such a pawn in the battle for a throne. Eleanor could be Duchess of Brittany and then her brother would no longer be needed. She could be married off to some lord who would be tied to which ever king arranged it. I was still not certain if King John of King Philip was behind this. The letter was burning in my surcoat.
The gates were closed when we arrived. We waited on the drawbridge.
“Who goes there?”
“Sir Thomas of La Flèche.” That was all I said.
“Open the gate.”
As the gates creaked open we wearily rode through them. Burning brands appeared as we entered the lower ward. I dismounted. A sergeant at arms ran over, “The Duchess told us to watch for you, my lord. She will be pleased that you are safe for she was worried.”
“I have three dead men. I would like to lay them in the chapel and then we can bury them in the morning.”
“Of course, lord.” My men had lifted the three bodies from their horses and stood waiting. “Follow me.”
I was left along with the horses. I slipped the arming cap from my head and hung it from my saddle. I went to Dragon. “You did well today, my friend. You saved my life. We rest here for a while.”
Just then Fótr and Edward ran over, “Thank God, lord. Edward and I were worried.”
I nodded and said to Edward, “We lost three men. They are in the chapel.”
Edward’s face hardened. These were his men. He had chosen them to accompany us. He recognised their bodies draped over their horses. “Did you get the treacherous bastards, lord?”
“The Templars are dead.”
“Good.” He smiled at Fótr, “The lad did well, lord. He will be a good knight.” He turned and headed towards the chapel.