Warlord of the North

by Griff Hosker

"Do not worry about what men say. Idle words mean nothing. It is yourself who will be your sternest critic." He nodded. "The Empress has asked me to advise her husband. If you have any influence then I beg you to use it. Until we conquer Normandy England will suffer under Stephen's misrule."

  My words sank in, "I am sorry. I can see now. We have been playing at war. We should have been making war."

  "Aye my son. It is not glorious and there is little honour but if we wish to win then we make war and squeeze the enemy until they have no other recourse than to accept young Henry as their Duke."

  "Not the Count?"

  "Normandy fought his father for too long to accept the Count of Anjou as their new Duke. That is why you have been opposed. From tomorrow we change the strategy."

  "But the Count..."

  "The Count will listen or he will lose all!"

  Chapter 12

  I was up early and I walked the camp. I wanted to get the mood and feel of the men whom I would be asking to fight. It was ill organized. Those within the castle must have been lax for a sortie could have ended the siege in one fell swoop. I recognised some of those on duty and I spoke with them. There was an air of despondency about the men. They had had success in the early days but, speaking with them, that had been the wooden castles which had fallen. I saw that they had tried a mangonel but it lay wrecked and broken. They had no siege engineers. As I headed back to the tent of the Count I saw that they had, at least, plenty of horses. That was where their strength lay. I learned from some of the Normans a little of the geography of the region and an idea began to form in my mind.

  William was awake when I reached the Count's tent. Gilles had already cooked some eggs which we had bought on the road and he was cutting up yesterday's bread.

  "Come William, join us for some bread and eggs."

  "I am not certain that my stomach could take it."

  "Then all the more reason to eat. Sit. I command you!"

  I said it with a smile and William gave a mock bow, "Then I shall do so!"

  I made sure that Gilles divided the food equally into three and we sat around the fire eating. "I did not see Rolf last night. I heard he was ever at your side."

  He nodded, "I think that, like you, he did not approve of the way the war was being fought. He made an excuse and he headed back to Angers."

  "I must have missed him on the road. Perhaps when I visited Leofric." I was disappointed. Rolf was someone on whom I could rely. I trusted his judgement. He would have made an ally for my arguments with the Count. The fact that he concurred with my views was reassuring. I would have to use my influence to persuade the Count to a different strategy. "Do you like it in Anjou, William?"

  "Aye father, I do. It is neither as cold nor as bleak as Stockton and the Tees in winter and in summer there is a bounty." He held up the bread, "Here we eat fine bread every day."

  I knew that many Normans objected to eating barley or wheat bread. They felt it inferior. I had grown used to it. "You would stay here?"

  "Aye, father. The Count has given me a manor not far from La Flèche, Sablé-sur-Sarthe. We captured it just before Easter. The wooden hall burned down and we will have to build a better castle there but is has a fine position and brings in a good income."

  "Good. I am pleased but there is always a manor for you in the valley." I told him of the raids and the deaths. "Norton has no lord of the manor. Should you return to England, it is yours."

  "Thank you, father, but here I am not the son of the King's Champion. I am William the Bold who stormed the castle at Sablé-sur-Sarthe and fought the lord of the manor before killing him. Here I am my own man."

  It hurt but I understood. He did not have to live up to my name. He had his own. "Well, William the Bold, you can help me persuade the Count to a more productive strategy." I explained to him how we could defeat the Normans more effectively. William had always had a clever mind and he understood quickly.

  "It is not as glorious but it would be effective. I will aid you. The Count likes me, I think."

  "If you are close then tell me who was the knight who was poisoning the Count's ear?"

  "I am making informed guesses but I think it was Sir Hugh of Langeais. When I first joined the Count he would often be closeted with Sir Hugh and after those meetings he would speak harshly of the King."

  "And now; with the King dead?"

  "Sir Hugh died too. He led the attack on Sablé-sur-Sarthe. I was with him. One reason I was given the manor was because I not only killed the lord of the manor, I also stopped them despoiling Sir Hugh's body." He shrugged, "They made much of it but I have seen you do such things often enough."

  We heard a groan as the Count staggered from his tent. His face broke into a weak smile when he saw me. "Earl! Then it was not a dream."

  "No, my lord. You and I need to talk."

  "First I need a drink. My mouth feels like the inside of my mail."

  "Gilles find some small beer for the Count."

  "Aye lord."

  "Small beer? I need wine!"

  "No Count, you need a clear head." I waved an arm around the camp. "With respect, Count, this is not working. You are losing men and the castle is no closer to falling. We need a different strategy."

  He slumped on a log and held his head in his hands. "Different strategy?"

  I sat next to him, "What is the purpose of this raid into Normandy?"

  He looked at me as though I had taken leave of my senses, "Why to conquer the lands that were left to my wife and son."

  "And how does taking Falaise achieve that end?"

  "Well... I ..er. It is a castle in Norman hands."

  "And to the north is Caen which is held by the Earl of Gloucester. Falaise is nothing. Rouen is where the power lies. That is the heart of the Dukedom."

  "But we have not enough men to take it."

  "Is that why you chose Falaise, Count? You thought you had enough men for the task?"

  He had the grace to smile, "Perhaps. But I wanted to be seen to be doing something. We captured so many castles on our way north that I felt sure Falaise would fall."

  "The men of Anjou are fine horsemen. You have many horses and they give you speed. Leave your foot soldiers surrounding this castle. It will fall when they have to eat their horses. We take your men and we cut the Seine. We can strike along the river. Those who rule in Rouen bring in their iron and their weapons along the river. They send their goods to be sold along the river. Honfleur is a small castle. We could take that one by stealth rather than by siege. With that one in our hands we would control the mouth of the Seine. We could raid from there and make the land between the Seine and the Orne yours. Falaise would have to fall and then we would have the west of Normandy."

  "That leaves the east."

  "And we can take that too. When we have Honfleur I will speak with Robert of Gloucester. This piecemeal attack does not help us. We need to combine all that we have and force the rebels to acknowledge the Empress as ruler."

  He drank the beer which Gilles had brought. He pulled a face but he drank it. "My wife sent you here?"

  "She welcomed my advice, yes, Count."

  "And I am glad. I will summon my men and we will do as you say. I would rather be on a horse than watching my men die on the walls."

  The mere fact that we were moving away from the walls of Falaise seemed to motivate the men more than even I would have believed. A hundred men were left under the command of Sir Stephen of Azay to keep the defenders bottled up while the rest of the Count's men, all mounted, left with us for the forty mile ride to Honfleur.

  William had not been idle since he had been in Anjou. He knew the worth of good scouts and archers. He had hired six such archers. They were all English but had lived in Normandy for ten years. We sent them to scout Honfleur.

  "How do we take it by stealth, Earl?"

  "I am hoping that they feel secure there. They will close the gates at dusk but I daresay they will allow travellers to enter during the
day. Eight of us arrive in ones and twos or perhaps we say we are a caravan. We hide our surcoats beneath cloaks. I am certain that there will be horses which are not fit to be ridden amongst those your men have. We use those to gain access to the castle. We say we need to have our horses looked at. Once inside we overpower the guards at the gate and we take the castle."

  "You make it sound easy. If it was this easy then every castle would be taken this way."

  "We may not be granted entry and then we would have to think of another way but this is worth a try rather than appearing with a host which tells them that there is danger. They will know you besiege Falaise and they know that the Earl of Gloucester has not stirred from Caen. Whom should they fear? Merchants like their trade and they want visitors to their towns. We will take off our surcoats and hide our mail beneath our cloaks. William and I will say that we are on our way to take ship to the Holy Land for crusade. We say that we are Englishmen who are unhappy with Stephen of Blois. That should put their minds at rest for Stephen has claimed Normandy too."

  "Who would go?"

  "My son, his squire, four of his archers and Gilles here. You have your men watch the gate and we will signal when we have taken the gate."

  The archers returned. "They have a close watch on the gate, lord, but it is open. There are ships in the harbour."

  William asked, "Did they see you, Harold?"

  He shook his head, "I am insulted, lord!"

  There were woods four miles from the gates of the small port. We took the poorest eight horses from the horse train and we trudged the last four miles, leading the horses. The dust from the road soon covered our mail and our cloaks. We looked like road weary travellers. The walk meant we reached the gates an hour or so before dusk. There were eight men at arms at the gate.

  "Halt, what is your business?"

  I patted the rump of the tired looking palfrey I led. "We need lodgings for the night and we need a smith to look at our horses."

  The sergeant at arms laughed, "Better find the butcher. That is all that they are good for. Who are you?"

  "We are knights who have fled England and the tyranny of King Stephen. We like not his ways and we seek our fortune in the Holy Land."

  "You are many miles from the Holy Land and you are far from England. Whence came you?"

  "We took ship but a storm took its rigging. The captain put us ashore at Trouville-sur-Mer while he made repairs. He told us that there are ships here in Honfleur."

  "Aye there are. Have you coin?"

  I patted my purse, "We have a little."

  "Then if you lighten it here we shall grant you entry."

  "But we are pilgrims."

  He smiled, "And the Lord will smile upon you when you reach his land a little poorer." He held out his hand.

  I played the impoverished and outraged knight. I took out two coins and put them in his palm. He kept it there. Three coins later he nodded. "For another coin I will tell you of an inn where you will not have your purses cut." I handed it over. "The inn is the 'Wheatsheaf'. If is just inside the gate. They have a stable. Tell the owner that Henri sent you. I may join you when my duty is over for a wine. The landlord is my brother!"

  Scowling as though we had been robbed, I led us into the town. The inn was where he said and we played the game. Henri's brother was as much a thief as Henri and we paid too much for poor rooms and even worse food. I consoled myself with the thought that we would get all of this back.

  We spoke English in the inn. It fitted our story and meant we could talk a little freer. Raymond, the owner, came to chat to us. We were the only visitors in the inn. It was no wonder his brother had sent us there.

  "Is there war in England as there is here?"

  "No but King Stephen is ridding himself of those he does not like." I waved a hand around the empty room. "Has the war affected your business then?"

  "A little. There are fewer travellers but we get trade when ships enter. All the goods which go to Rouen come either here or at Harfleur to the north. It is either a feast or a famine. There are more ships expected tomorrow." He smiled, "Your rates will go up when they do for rooms will be at a premium."

  "But we agreed a price!"

  "The fortunes of war my friend." He glanced outside and said, "The gates will be closing soon and my brother and his men will come for their food." He went over to the four men who had been seated in the corner drinking since we arrived. "You four had better get on duty. You know my brother has a temper on him. He will not like it if you relieve him late."

  They rose reluctantly and dropped coins on the table. Four guards were manageable. As Raymond cleared the table, ready for his brother no doubt, I sent all but William to our small room, ostensibly to rest but in reality to prepare for the night's work. Henri came in and his brother brought him food. He waved over affably. I knew that my purse was attracting him like a moth to a flame. I intended to use that to ensure that there was no suspicion attached to our presence.

  After he had eaten he wandered over. "You have poor horses there, lord. Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

  "How so?"

  "We have horses here in the garrison. Baron Thierry rarely ventures forth and they just grow fat. If you were to make it worth my while I could exchange your horses for his. The Holy Land is hard on animals, I hear."

  "You are right but would you not get in trouble for this?"

  He laughed and tapped his nose, "What the Baron does not know will not hurt me. Besides he rarely leaves his keep. So, do we have an arrangement?" He rubbed his finger and thumb together.

  I handed over a silver coin. "We have an understanding but I withhold the rest until I see the horses."

  "Of course. I will bring them to the stable tomorrow when I come on duty. You have made a wise choice, lord."

  We retired as soon as Henry had left the inn. A short while later I heard the door as it was barred. I had worked out that apart from Raymond there was just his wife and son in the inn. That was all. I detailed two of the archers and Gilles to take care of them. If any one came I had no doubt that Raymond would wake when he heard the bolt slide back. Our shields were with the Count and his men. We just had swords and daggers. I hoped it would be enough. There were five of us and only four guards. From what I had seen they had consumed a large amount of wine. I did not think they would be as alert as my guards. I had also noted that none wore a helmet and they had no mail. Their short swords and spears told me all I needed to know about them. They were the town watch and they were not men at arms.

  Leaving Gilles and the two archers to wait for the innkeeper to come we went to the door and unbarred it. As I expected it creaked and I heard the floorboards groan above as Raymond stood. We slipped out of the door. William had handpicked his archers. They would deal with the innkeeper. There was a brazier burning next to the gate. I saw a sentry silhouetted on the wall. He was staring to the south. A solitary guard sat by the brazier staring into is glow as though he was determining the future. The other two lay huddled beneath their cloaks. I took out my dagger and held it by the blade. I pointed to the sentry and the archers. They nodded and slipped towards the stair. In two strikes I was behind the guard at the brazier. I brought my dagger handle down on the back of his head. William's squire, Henry, grabbed him before he fell.

  I sheathed my dagger and drew my sword. William did the same. As Henry trussed up the unconscious guard with the rope we had brought I kicked one of the sleeping guards. As I did I heard a slight noise above me as the archers incapacitated the sentry. My kick and the noise made the sleeping guard open his eyes. The tip of my sword was but an inch from his eye. William kicked the other guard. They both had terror on their faces.

  The archers descended, one of them carrying the unconscious sentry. "Truss them up. William take a torch and make the signal." I pointed to one of the archers, "Come we will open the gate."

  We lifted the bar and carefully laid it on the ground. Then we swung the two gates open. Outside
it was silent. Where were they? I peered into the darkness. There was a limit to how long we could guard the gate. I knew that the town watch would be walking the streets looking for fires if nothing else. They would come to the main gate; perhaps to get a warm from the fire.

  I thought I saw a movement in the dark. Suddenly Rolf appeared on foot leading his men at arms. He grinned when he saw me, "Trust you to make this war more interesting."

  "And it is good to see you too. Come we must get to the keep as soon as we can."

  I wondered how he had transported himself from Angers to Honfleur but that was not important. I stood aside so that he and his men could enter. The Count had wisely decided to leave the horses outside and his army flooded into the town. I joined Rolf and William and we headed through the streets to the keep. We needed to get there as quickly as possible.

  The streets were thankfully empty and we moved without anyone noticing us. This was not a town on a war footing. When we reached the keep I saw that the door was closed. I guessed that it was barred. I waited until some of the Count's men joined us. "Keep watch here and let no one in. If the door opens then you know what to do."

  We ran towards the river. It was not the Seine it was a tributary, La Morelle. There were two small towers guarding this side of the harbour and I saw, from within, the glow of a brazier. The town watch were here too. Behind me, in the distance, I heard an altercation. I guessed the town watch had seen our men. As the doors on the two towers opened I ran towards one of them with sword drawn. The guard tried to close it but my blade darted in and found soft flesh. I pulled his body from the door and ran inside. A dagger was thrust at me and I could not avoid it. It caught on my mail and I used the hilt of my sword to punch the man in the face. I did it three times before he fell backwards. I skewered him as he lay at my feet. William and Henry raced up the stairs to the top of the tower.

  I went back outside. The alarm had been given. I heard a bell from the keep. Rolf emerged from the next tower. I pointed to the ships which were tied up to the harbour wall. "Quick. We must stop them leaving! We need them."