The Welsh Marches (The Anarchy 1120-1180 Book 15)

by Hosker, Griff

  “You know you can. I am not worried. Trust to your blood. This is your castle now. When I return, I will be as your guest.”

  “But…”

  “No, arguments. William knows where my treasure is kept. I will take some with me for who knows what expense I might have. The rest is yours. It is your inheritance. Use it.”

  “You will not need coin for you will have the king to pay for whatever you need.”

  I laughed, “Then you do not know kings. Fear not. Before I go I will speak with John of Craven and William my steward. I am sorry that we have not had more time together. When we have pushed the Welsh back…”

  “There will be a room for you here.”

  “Care for my horses. I would not inflict a long voyage on them. Badger has fought enough. He should now sire young horses. Aiden will see to it.”

  He nodded, “I cannot believe that I travelled so far to see you so briefly. We have had but one night!”

  “I know.” I put the palm of my hand on his heart. “Know that I am always here and so is your mother. I will return.”

  “I know and I will go and visit my mother’s grave with my family. They should know her.”

  I gathered John of Craven, Alice, William my Steward and Ralph of Bowness. I met them in the room Alice had used to sew with the ladies. “This castle is now my son’s. William, he has access to all of my treasure. All!”

  “Aye lord.”

  “Alice, I need no words for you. You are the heart of the castle and there is now young life once more.”

  I saw that she was welling up and she merely nodded.

  “John of Craven, you have served me well.” I handed him a bag of golden coins. “Here is your pension. You are welcome to stay in this land.”

  “Aye lord and I will. I know there is a find piece of land north of the Ox Bridge. I will seek Sir Harold’s permission to build there. There is a stream and a wood. I will be content.”

  “I am certain that Sir Harold will acquiesce to your request. And Ralph of Bowness, I said last night that there was a place for you here. That place is as constable of my son’s castle. What say you?”

  He grinned a gap-toothed look of pleasure, “I am beholden to you lord. This is a fine castle and I will defend it with my life!”

  “I hope it will not come to that. I go now, my friends, old and new. I know not when I will return but I know that when I do I will be coming home.”

  My last visit was to the church and my wife’s grave, “Our son has come home, Adela. He has a fine family and I know that your spirit will watch over them. My life is full once more and I am content. Forgive me for all that did to wrong you.”

  I knelt in prayer. I am certain that I heard a whispered voice say farewell. Perhaps it was my age and I was now hearing voices.

  Chapter 12

  I watched the mouth of the Loire estuary as it grew larger. I stood at the prow with James my squire. It was two months since we had left Stockton. The King and Queen had much to do. I had hired four servants in London. There were many old soldiers from the civil war. Maimed and handicapped there was little for them to do save beg. I chose four who all impressed me with their demeanour in the face of adversity. One, who would look after the horses I would buy in Anjou, and the other three to cater to James and me. All were old soldiers. All had suffered a wound. They knew me and had, at one time or another followed my banner.

  Tom had been hamstrung in his right leg but he knew horses like no one save Aiden. Wilfred had taken a spear to the chest and suffered shortness of breath. Brian had been disfigured by an axe which had taken his eye and gouged a hole in his cheek. Osbert had lost three fingers on his left hand at the battle of Lincoln. All had been living in dire circumstances when I had found them. They were more than grateful to be serving as my servants. I would hire men at arms in Anjou. Archers were a different matter. I would have to rely upon Sir Leofric. He had some of my old archers and they had been training young archers for many years as well as finding English archers who had lost their way in Normandy, Anjou and France.

  The King had commandeered eight ships to take him and his household knights to Anjou. His youngest brother, William was trying to contain Geoffrey. He and Sir Leofric had had limited success. Some Angevin lords saw it as a family squabble and did not involve themselves. Henry would punish those at a later date. I had been impatient to leave. The longer Geoffrey was on the loose the more mischief he would cause. In addition, the news from the Welsh border was not good. Their kings, for they had three of them, had stolen more land. Geoffrey’s rebellion was more than unwelcome.

  Now that we were close to Anjou I was happier. I would see Sir Leofric once more. He had ever been a faithful knight. We had prospered because of his skilful management of my Angevin estate.

  I turned to James, “You will need to learn the local words quickly, while we are here James.”

  “I know, lord. The servants are also worried.”

  “They need not be. I intend to ask Sir Leofric for one of his archers. That will make it easier for us.”

  “It is a shame that the King has to fight his brother.”

  “I am afraid that where thrones are concerned there is no love lost between brothers. The king’s grandfather kept one brother imprisoned to make sure he was not threatened. King Henry will have to be as ruthless. He has inherited a far larger realm thanks to his mother.”

  Just mentioning Matilda made me look north. It was some time since I had seen her and now she lived in a priory. I doubted that I would ever see her again. I still thought about her every day and I saw her in our son the King. It would suffice. We had had our one moment of joy and love. It was more than most men enjoyed.

  One of the squires attached to the king’s retinue hurried down to speak with me, “Lord, the King would have a word. He is by the main mast.”

  “I am coming.” Henry did not like to be below deck and he spent most of his time on deck. I also slept on deck but that was because I had been used to that since I had travelled to England with my father.

  Henry looked up. He was surrounded by other senior knights. Some had fought for Stephen and some for Matilda. Having spent some time with them I knew that they were all loyal. “Earl Marshal, you know Anjou as well as any, tell us of the defences there.”

  “Chinon is the mightiest of them. It rises from the river on a fine piece of rock. It is like Arthur’s seat in Scotland. The best castles are Angers, Saumur, Tours and Blois. We need not concern ourselves with Blois. I do not think that the Count of Blois will risk war with you.”

  “No?”

  “He will wait to see who emerges victorious. Remember, your majesty, that Brittany has a great deal of unrest there too. The people are not happy about their Duke.”

  “I am curious, Alfraed, how do you know?”

  I smiled, “I spoke with sea captains whilst we were in London. They have much information if you ask the right questions. It was they who told me that Geoffrey holds Chinon, Mirebeau and Loudon. Your brother, William, has men besieging Chinon.”

  “And we could sail there.”

  “I believe we could, majesty. The Vienne is not as deep as the Loire but I have heard that ships sail there. These are not deep draughted vessels. We could certainly get closer that way. However, the horses would need time to recover.” I had not brought horses but many of Henry’s knights had.

  “I think that horses will be the least of our worries. Chinon, from what you tell me, will require siege works and that takes time. Perhaps I can persuade him to surrender.”

  “Perhaps but can you trust him? This is not the first time he has betrayed you.”

  “I know.”

  Few others knew how Geoffrey had tried to abduct Eleanor when she had been on her way to meet and, ultimately, marry Henry.

  We were aided on our journey by the winds which came from the south and west. Had they been against us then I am not sure that we would have managed to make it as quickly as we did.
Ultimately, we had to stop a mile from the castle. We saw it dominating the skyline in the distance but the captain would not risk his ship. He did not want it to be grounded. We disembarked.

  I went with Henry, his bodyguards, and my squire. We were closely escorted by William of Le Havre and Phillipe of Aix. They had been his bodyguards for some time. Ten of his household knights also walked with us. I left my four servants to unload our war gear. With swords drawn we walked along the path to the camp of William Fitz Empress. When we arrived at the tent with his standard he was seated with a priest reading to him from a book. We sheathed our weapons.

  Henry asked, “Reading, brother and not pressing forward with the attack?”

  He jumped up, “Your majesty!” He bowed, “This is a hard castle to take and I was studying Vegetius.”

  Henry, like his brother, was well read in military tactics, “The Roman writer?”

  “Aye, brother. The castle is well situated and I did not want to waste men in a fruitless frontal attack.”

  I stepped back. Their mother would be pleased, as would their grandfather. The two brothers were thinkers. As they discussed what William had learned I took out the map I had had made in London. It was not the most detailed but it told me all I needed to know. Chinon was the northernmost castle held by Geoffrey. The other two, Loudon and Mirebeau were due south. It would take time to reduce Chinon, even with the aid of Vegetius. Rather than waiting for it to fall I believed that we could do something else. I folded the map and waited for the brothers to finish.

  “If we build two rams and some onagers then we can use the onagers to keep down the heads of the defenders at the gatehouse while the two rams can be pushed up the ramp. We have archers here, thanks to Sir Leofric, who can pluck the eye from a hawk. It might take longer but it will be less costly in terms of men.”

  Henry nodded. I could see that he approved. It was time for me to make a suggestion. “I think it is the best plan and, while the siege engines are big built, your majesty, if I might suggest, we take a column of men south.”

  “South?”

  “There are two more castles held by your brother. Neither is as strong as Chinon. It is why he chose Chinon. He wishes to be safe. He thinks those two castles protect his supply lines. I believe if we visit each of the castles then we might be able to persuade their castellans to surrender. It is one thing to rebel against your lawful ruler when they are a sea away but facing you might change their mind.”

  William said, “And having the wolf of the north, the Empress’ champion, with you cannot hurt either brother.”

  “How long will it take to build the machines?”

  “I have the plans and the materials. It will take no more than four days.”

  “Then we will leave tomorrow. The Earl Marshal and I will need horses.”

  He nodded, “Sir Leofric is here with his conroi. He has some fine horses.”

  I turned to the king, “Then James and I will fetch them. I need to speak with my knight. Where is his camp?”

  William Fitz Empress pointed east, “He is closer to the better grazing. His men do not have as far to go when they are needed to send arrows at the walls.”

  I saw my knight’s standard. He had a well-organized camp. When I had fought for old King Henry I had seen some bad practice amongst Angevin knights. It had led to unnecessary deaths. Sir Leofric had learned from me.

  I was recognised, as I approached the camp, by Griff of Gwent. One of the last two archers who had gone to Anjou with Sir Leofric he was now completely white, “It is the Warlord! Now we shall take these walls.”

  Sir Leofric came out of his tent. His squire, Alfraed, was with him. The last I had seen Alfraed he had been a boy and now he was a man. “It is good to see you Warlord. Is the king come too?”

  “He has Leofric.” I held my arm out, “This is James son of Sir Edward.”

  “Your father was a great warrior. I miss him.”

  “Thank you, lord, one day I may be a knight and I hope to emulate him.”

  Griff of Gwent and Robert of Derby brought over two half barrels for us to sit upon. “How goes the siege?”

  “They have learned to respect our bows. Their crossbows have hurt others but our men are too clever for them.”

  Griff of Gwent spat, “A devil’s machine and as slow as an ox to load!”

  “The King is here now and he and William Fitz Empress have plans to build siege engines.”

  “Good. Sitting idly by is no good for the men. Mine are well disciplined but there are others who cannot control their men and there have been fights.”

  I knew what he meant. Some warriors who became bored took to drinking and then what might have been a fist fight without drink turned into something deadlier.

  “That may change tomorrow. The King and I are taking the mounted men to Loudon to see if we can persuade the castellan to surrender. To that end we need half a dozen horses.”

  “We brought plenty. For the last six years I have been breeding larger mounts. I won a fine stallion at a tourney to celebrate the end of the war in Normandy and I was given a good mare by the burghers of a town I relieved. From those we have a herd of war horses. Robert go and pick out six.” As his man at arms left he asked, “Will I be needed?”

  “I do not think that the King will have forgotten what a fine leader you are.”

  “I will have my men at arms prepare then.”

  The horses were magnificent. Robert led a chestnut to me. He had a blond mane and reminded me of a younger Scout. This tail was blond too and he had one white foreleg. What was most noticeable, however, was the white blaze on his head which looked, for all the world like a sword. “This, lord, is Sword. You can see why we named him.”

  Leofric came over to the horse which nuzzled him. “He is the best of the horses.”

  I looked at Leofric, “He is yours.”

  “Let us say that he was but he deserves a greater lord than I.”

  “Then I shall borrow him for this campaign. Hopefully I will not ruin him for you. When we leave then he will be returned to you.”

  Leofric showed the relief in his eyes and his words, “Thank you, lord.”

  I did not mount him. We led them back to the King’s tent which had now been erected. My servants had put mine next to his and Tom had planted my banner. The King had his leopards and I had my wolf. The King said, “What a magnificent beast!”

  I smiled, “Aye, he is Sir Leofric’s and he has allowed me to borrow him.”

  There was clear disappointment on the King’s face but he was gracious enough to nod. “One day I shall inspire my men to be as loyal as yours.” He put his arm around me and James led my horse and his to be tethered close to our tents. “I have forty knights and forty men at arms for the morrow. Will that be enough do you think?”

  “We will make it enough. It is the banners he will be counting. Have some of the men at arms carry the banners of knights who are staying here at the siege. It will double the numbers of our knights. He will fear you, lord.”

  “More likely he will see your wolf and wet himself. I will do as you advise. I leave William to command here.”

  “He is young but he makes wise decisions.”

  We left early the next morning. Henry knew how to make an impression. Every knight had a burnished helm and armour. The rebels would see us coming from a long way away. That was the intention. Sir Leofric and Alfraed were given the honour of being the heralds. That too was clever for the rebels would know of his association with me. They would know that the Warlord was coming!

  The road took us through farmland and then into a forest. I was annoyed that the King had not ordered scouts but he had overruled me. “The enemy are within the walls of Loudon. There may be bandits and brigands inside the forests but they cannot harm us.”

  The King had taken a young Angevin as his squire. Guiscard D’Aubigny was just thirteen summers old and delighted to be a squire to a king. He saw great things in his future.
As he rode he held his head up proudly and preened for his peers to see. He died with a crossbow bolt in his throat. James and I had been fighting more recently than any others and, having seen where the crossbowman hid we galloped towards the hidden assailant. The others looked around bewildered. I knew that the bolt had been aimed at the King. He had been lucky. Who knew how many others were hiding in the dark forest? Our sudden charge would disrupt them. The crossbowman who had tried to kill the King would be reloading. He was fast. I saw his crossbow come up and it was aimed at me. James leaned from his saddle and swept his sword across the throat of the would-be assassin. I would have preferred a prisoner but I was grateful to my squire. I heard hooves and saw riders, some ten of them fleeing north. There would be little point in pursuing them. We were mailed and they were not. We reined in and rode back to the dead crossbowman.

  Sir Leofric and a dozen knights and men at arms were there. “You have not lost your touch lord!

  “And the King nearly died.” I pointed to the men at arms. “From now on you will form a screen on either side of the column, understand?”

  The sergeant at arms nodded, “Aye Warlord.”

  Sir Leofric jumped from his saddle and went to the dead crossbowman. His squire dismounted too. While Sir Leofric searched the dead man Alfraed systematically smashed the crossbow. All of my men hated the infernal machines.

  “There is nothing to identify him save this, lord.” He flicked a gold coin to me. It was a large one and it bore the head of the King of France.

  I turned it over, “This does not prove anything.”

  Sir Leofric laughed, “No, lord, but it points in one direction.”

  Henry frowned when I told him the news. “It is bad enough having rebels but when we have assassins too then it really is too bad. I suppose we ought to have outriders.”

  I nodded, “I have given the command, your majesty.”

  We passed through a second forest without incident but I breathed a palpable sigh of relief. We did not have far to travel before we saw the castle looming up ahead of us. Loudon was not a large castle. It had a donjon, outside wall and stone towers but, unlike Chinon, it would not require a vast number of siege engines to make it fall. We halted four hundred paces from the outer ditch and Sir Leofric rode ahead.