“I will think on this. I will speak with you after the feast this night. I commit to nothing. I wish to keep my head upon my shoulders.”
I heard footsteps and they receded. They were not coming down my corridor. I turned around the top of the stairs and headed for my room. I would speak with Henry when I could get him alone. The only person around him whom I truly trusted was his wife Eleanor. His brother William was also trustworthy but he had been left in Anjou. I wondered if his life was also in danger.
The feast that night was a relatively small affair. Henry had invited only those who would support him. The Church was heavily represented. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London and the young priest who was highly thought of, Thomas Becket were there. They held power. It had been the church who had thwarted his mother’s attempts to have the throne. I suppose I was the most powerful lord who was present. After all I had been the one who had never lost a battle against Stephen and his supporters. I was the bane of the Scots too. Sadly, most of the other lords who had supported the Empress were now dead or retired to priories. The war had gone on for longer than many lifetimes. My position as the king’s key advisor was shown by my place at his table and close by his wife, Eleanor. I had brought her from France to marry the future king and Henry trusted me with her,
As we ate I saw the resentment on Geoffrey’s face. It had been hidden during the coronation. Having heard his words, I now watched like a hawk. Although he had been forgiven by his brother I saw that Geoffrey was not satisfied with the arrangement. I wondered why he had come to the coronation. I answered myself as soon as the thought entered my head. He wished to allay any suspicions from his brother and he was looking for whatever he could get. Looking around the tables I could not see a Norman called Charles. I had looked around the hall when the knights had entered but I saw none I did not recognise. The fact that I did not know this, Charles, was not a surprise. I had spent most of the war in England. My son, William, might know him.
I saw Geoffrey leave towards the end of the feast and before the entertainment. He spoke briefly with Henry and then left. He did not speak with me. He just flashed me an irritated glance.
“You are quiet tonight, my lord.”
Eleanor of Aquitaine was an astute woman. She had been married to the King of France and had survived many intrigues at that court. She knew how to read people. She was the best woman Henry could have married. Older than he she was able to control some of his wilder tendencies. She was a thoughtful woman.
I smiled, “I am anxious to get home, your majesty. Despite the peace the king made with them I do not trust the Scots. They still have large swathes of English land and many English women and children are still Scottish slaves. Now that I am no longer needed here I would defend the north again.”
She lowered her voice, “There is still danger here, my lord. I do not trust some of those who now smile at my husband. I am always more comfortable when you are by his side.”
“I am an old man now, my lady. It is time for the younger knights to stand by the king.”
“Men like your son perhaps?”
“I have had a message that he returns from the Holy Land. He got on well with Henry’s father. But I am selfish. He has been away for some years. I would spend time with him. But I agree with you, your majesty, there is danger here. I will speak with you and the king when time allows.”
She raised her eyebrows but our conversation ended for there was entertainment. A troubadour sang a dreary song in praise of Henry. It was flattering and was composed by someone who did not know him. The acrobats who were followed were more entertaining for at least they had talent. When the evening finished I waited until the king and the queen were ready to head to their chamber. Henry smiled, “Good night, old friend. I am glad you stayed for the entertainment.”
Before I could reply Eleanor said, quietly, “I think the Earl has something he wishes to say to you in private, husband.”
Henry was quick. “Then come to our chamber. That is as private as anywhere.”
There were two of Henry’s bodyguards on the door. Phillip and William knew me well. I had stood in a shield wall with both of them. Once inside I told Henry of what I had overheard.
My words made Eleanor frown. I saw Henry considering what I had said. “Of course, you did not see my brother. He would deny it if I confronted him.” I nodded. “This Charles, it maybe he is Charles of Alençon. The people there have always hated my family ever since my great grandfather had the hands cut off those who opposed him. He was not at the feast tonight. I wonder where he was?” He nodded and then slapped his right hand against his left palm.” I will keep Geoffrey close by me. William is watching Anjou for me. I trust my little brother. And he has men such as your Sir Leofric to aid him.” He smiled. “I take it you do not relish going to Anjou for me?”
“No, your majesty. My son is on his way home and I would see him.”
“I think I will have Charles of Alençon brought to me. I will question him.”
“It may not be him.”
I saw, that night, coldness in Henry’s eyes. He had grown since he had served as my squire. He now showed that he could be ruthless. “I did not invite him to the coronation. I will ask him why he travelled from Normandy. It is not unreasonable. If he has nothing to hide then I will find out. If on the other hand he has treason in his heart…”
I slept a little easier having told the king of my suspicions. However, when I met Eleanor the next morning she had a worried look upon her face. “Where is the king, your majesty?”
“He has taken men to seek Charles of Alençon. He rose early and went to seek him. Somehow the knight must have heard he was being sought and he fled.” She paused.
“He should have woken me. Hunting men is something I have done before.”
There was little point in following now. They could have gone anywhere. There were many ways out of England. He might have had a ship at Dover, Southampton or even London itself. He might not even have fled the country. There were still many of Stephen’s supporters who would hide the Norman.
The king returned at noon and was in a foul mood. “He had a ship waiting for him east of the city. He has fled. His flight is evidence of his guilt.”
“Will you follow, your majesty?”
He shook his head. We have too much to do in England. I know, lord, that you wish to see your son but I need you with me when we go to deal with Welsh. They have encroached on my lands.”
“And the Scots too, majesty.”
“And that is why I propose that we ride to your castle. It will be a royal progress and I can display my standard at Oxford, Lincoln, York and then the borders. I would have the Scots know I am coming. You know this new King Malcolm do you not?”
“Aye your majesty. Not as well as his father, Prince Henry but I know him. He is young: perhaps no more than fourteen. He studied warfare. Prisoners I took told me that he was very studious. His father had skills in strategy. At the battle of the standard he almost took the day. He is however, inexperienced. This would be a good time to meet with him.”
His brother Geoffrey begged to be allowed to stay in London. The king agreed and put him in charge of the White Tower. I know why he did it. He was giving Geoffrey some power to see if he could handle it and to prove his loyalty. It was a mistake. I did not trust him and I did not like the idea but, equally, I was keen to return home to be there when my son finally arrived. I did not press the matter and that proved to be a mistake. They say that when you look back you have perfect vision. Perhaps that is so. I did not know that Geoffrey would take me away from my son, again.
The journey north began in the heartland of the Empress’s supporters, the Thames Valley. When we headed up to Lincoln it was nostalgic for me. Lincoln had seen our greatest victory over Stephen. But for the Empress’s brother making a misjudgement at Winchester the war could have ended then and the Empress been crowned queen. The castle was now back in the king’s hand
s and I was delighted to find the widow of the Earl of Chester there. Maud was the Empress’ niece and as valiant and doughty an ally as any warrior. She had held Lincoln for us. Ill served by her husband who had been murdered she had shown her resilience by keeping Lincoln safe for her cousin.
“I am pleased to see you here, my lady but wonder why you are not in your Castle at Chester?”
“I am on my way there. I came to London with my son for the coronation. We did not stay for the feast.” There might have been a criticism that the king had not invited her but Henry’s cousin was the most loyal of subjects. She understood the politics of the land.
She and Eleanor got on well and we stayed there longer than I would have liked. I was anxious to get home but the king and his wife enjoyed the company and the stories the countess told. In many ways, it proved propitious for a messenger caught up with us there and told us that Geoffrey had taken ship for Anjou. He had waited a day and then fled. Perhaps it had all been planned that way and Charles had been arranging passage. Henry was angry. Like me he felt that his brother had now made the decision to begin the road to treason.
“I thank God that my little brother holds the fortress of Angers for me. We have time to deal with Malcolm and then go to Anjou.”
My heart sank, “And the Welsh?”
“They can wait. We need to quash this rebellion in the bud. I have sent word to William to detain Geoffrey but I think Geoffrey is too clever to risk incarceration. He and William have never got on. However, I must continue through my land for I want all to see their new king.”
The message proved the spur for us to move speedily. As we passed each major town and castle, Nottingham, Sheffield and the like, peasant and noble cheered the king. For the peasants, they were just pleased to be without war. They could plant their crops and rear their animals. When we reached York, we stopped a little longer than at the other towns. York was a bastion against the Scots. Since they had been given Carlisle by Stephen they no longer had to cross the Tees. They had learned to avoid me.
We left the city in buoyant mood for both church and noble, peasant and freeman had welcomed us. We were heading north past the sites of the many battles I had fought against Stephen when we were ambushed. King Henry had brought ten of his household knights and twenty men at arms. It should have been enough but he had no archers and no scouts out. It was I who spotted the ambush. I was riding next to William of Le Havre, one of Henry’s bodyguards and we were approaching the village of Craythorne, not far from Yarm. The road through the forest was not particularly straight. It followed the contours of the land and the village lay just off the York road. It was but a handful of huts and the families who lived there were charcoal burners and foresters. When you have fought as long as I have then you develop senses you do not even know you have. We had passed the village of Appleton not long since and I had been greeted by the villagers who had recognised my surcoat. They had cleared and now farmed the land on either side of the road. It was an open area but, a mile or two ahead, was the forest which lay to the south of Yarm. I glanced back and saw that the queen’s women and the servants were dallying. We had watered our horses but they had dismounted and, unlike the men at arms who watched them, were slow to mount.
William and I had drawn perhaps thirty paces ahead when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. You learned to trust such warnings. I peered ahead to the forest. There was no smoke coming from the charcoal burners. Of course, only I would have known that there were charcoal burners there. But they kept their fires going all the time. If this had been my men then Dick and his archers would have already been in the woods. They would have sought out the charcoal burners.
I slowed up.
“Lord?”
“Something is not right.”
William of le Havre peered ahead, “It seems quiet, lord. We are close to the castle of Sir Tristan.”
“There are no fires burning and there should be. See there are no birds ahead. I fear a trap. If it is one then let us see if you and I can set it off.”
We urged our horses on. A good scout was always well ahead of the main group. I saw the road bend and climb ahead. If I was right and there was danger then that would be the perfect place. Our horses would be going slower and they could have prepared any number of traps. I said, quietly, to William of Le Havre. “Have your weapon ready. I suspect danger.”
He knew me well enough to trust me. I turned and donned my helmet. Henry was busy talking to Eleanor but Phillip of Aix attracted his attention and pointed to me. When I lifted my shield, the king nodded. Phillip of Aix moved to flank the queen so that she had two shields to protect her. The horse I rode was not one of my horses. He was one of the king’s. I preferred my own for they were clever beasts who could almost read my mind. My helmet was open faced. It was not my war helmet with the mask but it would do.
I turned to William. “Let us ride and see if this is an ambush.”
“Aye Warlord.”
I drew my sword as I spurred the chestnut up the road. As we turned and the trees seemed to reach above us and make a canopy I saw the logs which had been hewn and laid across the road. “Ambush!” Turning to William I shouted, “Follow me!”
The ambushers expected us to turn and run back to the main column some fifty paces behind us. I glanced ahead and saw metal which indicated helmets, spears and swords. They thought we would be afraid. I would not oblige them. I dug in my spurs and headed right. Our shields protected us and the arrows that suddenly flew from the woods hit our shields. This was a hunting forest. The foresters had kept the undergrowth cleared. Tristan of Yarm enjoyed his hunting. It meant we could rider faster that way. As arrows thudded into my shield I whipped my horse’s head around and rode at the archers who were busy drawing another arrow. They were not as good as my archers and were too slow. I swept my sword sideways and it bit deep into the neck of one archer. William of Le Havre brought his sword down on the head of another.
I counted six more archers and, closer to the road, the metal of helmets and men at arms or knights. Henry’s household knights and men at arms, forewarned were now galloping up both sides of the forest. Henry and Phillip of Aix would be guarding the queen. Although there were just two of us the archers were terrified. They were not locals. If they had been they would have known the forest better. They would have prepared hides for themselves. A horse can run down a man on foot easily. A knight with a good sword can strike with impunity. One archer lost his arm as he raised it to protect his head. Another fell beneath the hooves of my horse and the others were hacked and slashed by William and me.
When we looked up I saw men at arms led by a knight riding towards us. They wore a dark green surcoat and their shields were painted black. There was no way to identify their lord.
Behind us a voice shouted, “We are coming, Warlord!” The forest was not the place for battles between knights. There is not enough space. You need fast reactions and even faster hands. You cannot gallop and you must watch the ground. The first man at arms who galloped towards me had a spear. It was the wrong weapon. In his eagerness to get at me he lunged and found the tip of his spear caught up in a branch. Instead of coming towards me it rose in the air as his horse continued galloping. I held my sword horizontally and my blade almost cut him in two.
The ambush had failed but that did not mean that we were out of danger. I had no idea how many men were in the forest. I realised that there was a danger that the king and queen could be attacked as they were isolated. Henry’s knights and men at arms were bent on killing as many enemies as they could. I reined in my horse and turned left. It was fortuitous that I did so. A knight’s spear suddenly appeared and thrust into the space I would have occupied had I not turned. I hacked down with my sword and chopped through the ash shaft. I pulled back on the reins and my horse reared. The movement made my enemy’s horse flinch and it turned from me. I swung my sword hard into his back. He was moving away and I did not manage to inflict as much
force as I might have wished. Even so, off balance and hurt by my strike he fell from his horse.
“William, with me. The king needs us!”
“Aye lord.”
I spurred my horse back to the road. The sounds of combat filled the woods. The road, however was empty. I cantered down the road. I saw, just beyond the pile of logs that Phillip and Henry were having to fight off a knight and five men at arms. They were hampered as they had to protect the queen. I spurred my horse and galloped. I could not afford the time to go around the logs and so I trusted to the horse and made him jump. It was a risk for I did not know how good he was at jumping. I was lucky for his rear hooves caught the top of the logs but he did not fall.
Our momentum crashed us into the back of two horses. I swung my sword and punched with my shield. I used my knees to guide the horse. My sword cut through the mail of one man at arms and, coming away bloody, I raised it to finish him. I had no need for he slid from his horse. The other man at arms struggled to hold on to his reins and I was able to slide my sword under his arm. It rose through his neck. I tore it out and was sprayed by his blood. The King and Philip of Aix were doing their best but, had we not arrived then things might have gone ill. As it was disaster almost struck when one of the men at arms took advantage of the King and Philip moving apart. The man at arms darted in and grabbed Eleanor’s reins. The two horses of the men we had just slain blocked my path. As the queen’s horse was jerked to the side I saw her reach into her belt, pull out a long dagger and plunge it into the neck of the man at arms. He put his hand to the wound and turned in surprise that a queen would have had a knife. Then he tumbled from his horse.
“Philip, William, guard the King and Queen.” The immediate danger to King Henry and his bride was gone but our knights and men at arms were now chasing the assassins through the woods. I saw that the women and servants had stopped. Their guards had joined the chase. I cupped my hands and shouted, “Fetch the women and the baggage here! You will be safer.”
The Welsh Marches (The Anarchy 1120-1180 Book 15) Page 10