Return of the Knight

by Griff Hosker

  The knight would send a message and ask for help. They knew who we were. A rider to Tours might not bring the result they wanted but one to Chinon would. We had to hurry. We helped each other pull off the heavy hauberks and chausse. We tied them on to the spare horses.

  “David of Wales, we are ready.”

  We moved to the other side of the narrow island. The river looked deceptively slow but I knew that it would have a strong current. Fótr was the one I was worried about although Flame, his horse was a good mount, he had never done this before. I said, to them all but my words were especially meant for my squire. “Swim upstream!”

  Fótr did not have a spare horse to lead. They were led by men at arms and archers. My archers were used to this. They forded rivers as a matter of course. I led Dragon into the water and pulled him so that he faced north east. We walked the first thirty paces and then the water rose to my chest. I grabbed the cantle and urged him on. He was a strong horse and I found that I was heading north east. He was managing to defeat the current. I clung on and kicked. Ironically the fastest part and the place where the current threatened to take us downstream was the part closest to the sand. There was a deeper channel and I found that Dragon was facing north west. When his feet found the sand, I breathed a sigh of relief. I led him from the water and tied him to a tree. I returned with a length of rope. I knew I had one of the stronger horses. The others might struggle.

  The ones who were struggling were the ones leading the spare horses. What saved them was the weight of mail on the backs of the spare horses. It made it harder for the current to pull them downstream. Jack, son of Harold, was carried the furthest downstream. I was about to send one of the archers to seek him when he and the two horses appeared. We were all bedraggled and wet but we had crossed the Loire. We had no dry clothes but we donned our hauberks. Who knew when we might have to fight. The other bank was hidden by the island and I wondered if the Baron of Candes watched us still.

  Our horses had exerted themselves and so we fed them some damp grain and fortified ourselves from our wine skins. We had thirty miles to go and although we were close to home we were now in danger from both King John and the French. The bridge had been our undoing. Had we crossed unseen then we could have laid up in the woods and moved off after dark. That was now impossible. The hunters would be out.

  With David of Wales leading we headed north west using trails when we could and if there were no trails then small roads. This time we knew where the castles lay and we avoided them. What we could not avoid were the villages at crossroads nor the farmers working in their fields. I hoped that they would simply ignore us but that was a forlorn hope.

  We were less than twenty miles from home when we were found. We were on a little used back road which led to Parcay les Pins. Parcay les Pins had a grander name than it merited. In the middle of a pine forest the four huts were occupied by foresters who made a living in the woods. The timber was sought after for masts. I knew it because we used the wood for our ships.

  As we entered the hamlet Jean, the head man, ran up to us, “Sir Thomas, there are men awaiting you on the road to Noyant.”

  “French or Norman?”

  “They are French and there are French awaiting you on the road to Le Lude. The Normans have closed the road to La Flèche.”

  “How do you know, Jean?”

  He smiled, “We know, lord, for we live in the forests. They think they are silent but they are not. They arrived two days since.”

  I took one of the coins the Duchess had given to me. I slipped it into his hand. “Thank you, Jean, I will not forget my friends.”

  He looked at me in surprise, “Will you not turn around and find another way home, lord?”

  “There are men behind us too. Do not worry. Forewarned is forearmed.”

  I turned my horse’s head around, “David of Wales, there are men on the Noyant road as well as the road to La Flèche and Le Lude. Find out if we can get past the men at Noyant.”

  “Aye lord. Griff, Tom, Harry, come with me. You know this land like the back of your hands.” He turned to me, “You have four or five miles before you need to make a decision, lord.”

  “Aye.” We made sure our saddles were secure and our weapons ready. We set off north. Once we reached the end of the forest we would be in farmland. We would be in the open and we would be exposed. My archers would use cover to scout out Noyant.

  At Briel there was a road which led to Le Lude. I was loath to take it for that would bring me closer to the French at Chateau-sur-le-Loir. If we could pass Noyant then there were four different ways we could reach either La Flèche or le Lude. We carried on north. We would try to get around the men who waited for us. I looked at the sky; the sun was beginning to set. With eighteen miles to go to safety we would not make it before dark.

  “Fótr, stay close to me. We have lost three men at arms. This night you will have to fight as though you are a veteran.”

  “Aye lord.”

  We took it steadily as we headed north. With all eyes ahead, we were suddenly surprised by three riders who burst from the small road to our left. It was not a stone road and we had not heard them. Even so we reacted quickly. Edward and Fótr’s swords were out in a flash and two riders fell. The third one, however, managed to turn his horse and escape back down the road. I dismounted. None had mail and they rode ponies. That was why we had not heard them. One carried the sign of St. Denis. They were French. They had come from the south west. Had they been in the castle at Candes? If they were then there was collusion between the French and the garrison at Candes for it was still Angevin. Treachery was all around us.

  “Should I follow him, lord?”

  “No Henry. There is little point. If they are the scouts of a larger force we risk losing men. We will hurry north and hope that David has found a way around the town.”

  Noyant was bigger than Parcay les Pins but not by much. The main difference was a wooden palisade. It was intended to keep animals in and predators out. There was no castle but if men had occupied it then we would have our route barred.

  David and his archers materialised from the side of the road. David’s face in the fading light was grim. “There are thirty men waiting there, lord. Only ten are mounted but there are two knights and men at arms.”

  “Could we force our way through?”

  He shook his head. “We would lose men. They have barred the road and they keep watch.”

  Had we not been surprised by the three riders then I would have risked sending men in with knives to slit throats. The deaths of the two men had ended that idea. I pointed to the north west. “We dismount and we lead our horses around Noyant. We take the road to La Flèche. Muffle your armour. David of Wales you lead. Robert of La Flèche, bring up the rear.”

  David said, “In the dark our bows will not be effective, lord.”

  “I know. Once we have passed Noyant there are no more castles and no towns. We only have to avoid farms.”

  We set off west heading across open fields. We were heading into the setting sun. The men at Noyant would be watching the road. As we walked I listened for the sounds of horses and men from our left. All the time I was thinking that I now had a price on my head. That might explain the alliance of Angevin traitors and the French. This was the borderlands. A lord had to be flexible to survive.

  We each followed the horse in front. I was behind John Wayfarer and Fótr walked behind me. I was aware that we were turning more to the north. The sun had almost gone down but there was a faint line of pink light to my left. David of Wales had a natural instinct and knew the direction he was travelling by means I did not understand. I trusted him.

  It seemed an age before John Wayfarer stopped and David came back to me. “The road is ahead. I have checked and it is clear. By my guess we are two miles north of Noyant. We can mount.”

  “Good. Pass the word, mount.”

  I climbed into the saddle. I had not walked as far for a long time. We had been o
n the road for barely a mile when we heard a commotion to the south of us. I did not panic. We kept our gait at a steady walk. I did not want thundering hooves to alert our enemies that we had slipped their trap.

  It was only when Robert of La Flèche passed a message to me that we were being pursued that I ordered my men to gallop. It was a race. I spurred Dragon and pulled next to David of Wales. Edward joined me.

  “There are men waiting at La Flèche. We have to find somewhere to fight those who pursue us.”

  “They outnumber us.”

  I did not answer Edward. It was obvious that we would be outnumbered. David of Wales said, “The forest south of La Flèche is just seven miles from the castle. If we held there one man might get through to the castle.”

  “One man?”

  “Griff Jameson. He knows this land better than any and he is a good warrior. He could bring help. Sir Richard and Sir Henry cannot know that our enemies wait for us.”

  It was not much of a plan but it was a plan. I turned in my saddle and shouted, “Griff Jameson.”

  He galloped up to me, “Aye lord.”

  “We are going to hold up in the forest south of La Flèche. I want you to sneak through the enemy lines and bring help from the castle. Can you do it?”

  Even though we were riding hard he still grinned and nodded, “Sneak through a bunch of dozy Frenchmen? In my sleep lord.”

  “Good then bring them to the sound of the battle and let us hope we are still alive when you reach us.” As he disappeared I shouted, “As we only have a short way to go let us ride hard and prepare a welcome for these Frenchmen!”

  Even in the dark we could see the forest looming up ahead of us. We hunted there. It was familiar to us. The road to Le Lude passed along its northern edge. Even as we rode I was planning where to stop. The road twisted and turned. Two miles in there was a slight slope. It was not much but we had felled trees at the top and it meant there was a slightly more open space for us. More importantly we had not yet removed all of the logs. We were allowing them to season before using them for building. We would be able to make a defence. David must have read my mind for he reined in as our horses began to breathe heavier after the exertion of the slope. “Here is a good place and I fear the horses have done enough, lord.”

  “You are right! Stop here. Hobble the horses. Archers put the horses where we can reach them easily. Men at arms make the logs into a wall. Build it where the road is narrow. Here is where we make our stand.”

  I heard Padraig the Wanderer say, “Just when I get a bit of coin together and think about taking a wife we have half the French army after us!”

  Edward laughed, “You have not enough coin yet to induce a woman to take on an ugly bugger like you!”

  The banter was a good sign. I laid down my cloak. I needed space to swing my sword. My blade had been sharpened at Mirebeau and was perfect. As the logs were dragged into place I heard the thunder of hooves. We were less than six miles from home and yet we might as well have been on the other side of the world. With enemies before and behind, we were trapped. I took off my helmet. I would need to use all of my senses. Fótr looked at me, “Take off your helmet. The arming cap will have to suffice.”

  We had nine archers. The light was too poor for accuracy at distance but they could shower the narrow road with arrows. We would be in darkness until the sun came up and, by then the battle would have been decided. It all depended on Griff. He would be almost at the castle now. It would take Sir Richard some time to rouse and mount the men and more than an hour to reach us. We needed to hold them off for almost two hours.

  “David when you can hit them then release.”

  “Aye lord. Right lads, we will send our arrows when they are two hundred paces from us. Nice and steady.”

  We waited and listened to the drumming of the hooves as they approached us. We could not make out faces but we saw the mass of horses. I was not sure how far away they were until David of Wales shouted, “Draw! Release!” After that the archers worked at their own pace. The nine of us with swords and shields stood behind the logs. We would have to wait. If any of the French were brave enough or foolish enough to try to jump the log barrier then we could be in trouble. I put that unpleasant thought from my mind.

  The arrows struck. Even as horses whinnied and men fell from saddles more arrows were in the air and then more.

  A French voice shouted, “Ambush! Look to the trees!”

  They could not see us and thought that we flanked them. They would soon realise their mistake but as long as there was such confusion men would die; their men! Four riderless horses came to the log barricade and stopped. That told the French where we were and the French voice shouted, “Fall back and dismount!”

  “Now they will try to flank us.”

  David of Wales said, “Mordaf and Gruffyd take Will and John, go to the left. The rest with me.” As he passed me he said, “We will stop them flanking, lord, but they will come at you.”

  “I know!” Turning to my men I said, “We have to trust David of Wales. They will not flank us. We stop them getting over the barrier. If they climb they cannot use their swords. We do not climb! We are not squirrels. We kill!”

  They did not come straight away. I am not clear if they meant to make us worry or they were just being very cautious but it seemed an age before I heard movement. A scream from my right told me that the archers had made their first kill. Trying to outwit my archers in a forest was like trying to get the better of a wolf in its den! I was dimly aware that, in the east, the sky looked marginally lighter. False dawn. I saw a movement. It was the French and they were advancing. They had their helmets on. It would limit their vision. The eye holes were bad enough in daylight but in the dark, they were a positive hindrance. There were more cries from left and right. I heard arrows as they flew through the dark. My archers would be sending them from ten paces distance. The men they struck would die.

  I heard a wail and then a French voice shouted, “Get back in the woods, you cowards! There are a handful of these bandits, no more.” Numbers were hard to estimate but they had filled the road. That meant seven men abreast. When they saw the logs, a knight, I guessed it was a knight, shouted, “Charge!”

  They ran at the logs. They were built to chest height. They could have used their weapons over the top but they were eager to close with us and they tried to climb. The first knight grasped the top of the logs and put his foot on the bottom one. I lunged with my sword and it entered his right shoulder. He fell backwards and struck one of his men who was climbing. Padraig had a long sword and he brought it across the side of the head of a man at arms. The man fell. Another used the body of the dead man to help him to climb and he made the top log. Edward swung his sword and it sliced through both legs. Pumping blood he fell.

  More men tried to use the dead to climb on to the logs or to use them as a fighting platform. That played into our hands. We had nine swords we could bring to bear and they had only seven. Added to that the light was improving and we could see them. We were still shadows. When another five had fallen a voice from the rear shouted, “Fall back! The sun is rising. We will await the Comte.”

  I turned to Fótr. “Take four men and fetch the horses.”

  As he went Edward said, “We will run? This is a good place to defend.”

  “Not when dawn breaks and there will be reinforcements. Our horses are rested and they have a barrier to overcome. Go and fetch Mordaf.”

  As he left I whistled and David of Wales shouted, “Aye lord?”

  “Did you hear?”

  “We will pull back.”

  Of course, just as we could hear the French so they could hear us but Fótr and my men arrived with the horses and we mounted.

  “After them.” The French would be following!

  The road continued to twist and turn through the trees. I was tempted to abandon the horses we had brought but they contained not only the treasure but the Templar letter and the rights to my
new manor. I would not let them go easily. Noise travels a long way at night. We had been battling in the woods for some time. Someone close by must have heard the sound of combat. My archers were ahead and the sky was light enough to make out that the trees were ending. Suddenly Gruffyd ap Thomas who was in the lead held up his hand and reined in. That told me all I needed to know.

  Donning my helmet, I shouted, “Fótr, stay with the horses. Archers to the rear! Men at arms to me!”

  David of Wales called out “Enemy horse ahead lord.” Already he and his archers were moving back through my men at arms. Until they were dismounted and their bows readied then they were in the greatest danger.

  I had seven men with me. I spurred Dragon. I could see a banner. De Comte had spread his knights out. Therein lay the tiniest glimmer of hope. I could see that they outnumbered us but if I could take the leading knight and the head of the snake then the others might lose heart.

  I shouted, “La Flèche and the Maid of Brittany!” My men at arms had been taken by the young girl and the obvious love between her and Fótr. It would put heart into their fight and strength in their tired arms. I pulled my shield up. The French were in the same loose formation as we were. My powerful war horse would bring me into combat first. Our castle was just a few miles away. I should have known that the French would have camped close to the edge of the wood where they could remain hidden and prevent me from reaching the safety of my river and my walls. Hindsight was always perfect. The thought that I was so close to my wife and family steeled me.

  The light was the thin grey light of dawn but it was enough. The knight I would strike was also riding a war horse. I did not recognise the blue and yellow design. Perhaps it was another sword for hire. I hoped he had been paid in advance for if he captured me he would have earned it. I had already made up my mind which side I would strike. I would feint as though I was going for his shield side and use Dragon’s speed to take me to the left. The road was descending to the Loir and while it might not be much of a gradient it be would enough to aid me.