Warlord of the North

by Griff Hosker

I was alone when I jumped aboard the first one; it was a small merchant vessel and the nearest to the harbour entrance. I had my sword out as the three crew rose sleepily from their blankets. "Do not be heroes. I have a sword."

  One, I took him to be the captain or owner, ignored my warning and ran towards me. He held a wooden spike in his hand. I feinted with my sword and, as he raised, his wooden spike, I punched him hard with my mailed left hand. He crumpled to the ground. I shook my head, "I warned him. On your knees!"

  The town was now in uproar. In contrast the river seemed almost peaceful. Our prompt action had secured all of the ships, all four of them, and we had the port. More of the Count's men arrived led by one of the knights I had trained, Baron John of Nantes. "Make sure the ships do not leave. I would secure the crews and put your men in the tower."

  "Aye lord, you bring us luck and success again!"

  As I led William, Rolf and our men back to the keep I wondered how long I could rely on such luck. The sun had risen in the east and the town was no longer in shadows. The area around the keep was deserted. I saw two of the Count's men sprawled untidily in the square with crossbow bolts sticking from them. We used the narrow streets around the square to make our way to where the Count and his men hid behind their shields.

  "Almost a perfect attack, Earl. It is a pity about the keep."

  "Have you spoken to him yet? The Baron?"

  "Not yet. Will it do any good? He is ensconced in his tower. How will we winkle him out?"

  "Let me try." I turned to one of the men at arms who was sheltering in the doorway. "Give me your shield."

  I raised the shield above my head and stepped out. As I had anticipated three bolts thudded into it. I held the shield high above my head to afford the maximum protection.

  I shouted, "Baron Thierry. I would speak. Cease!"

  "Who is that, the Count of Anjou?"

  "No, it is Alfraed, Earl of Cleveland." There was silence. "We have you surrounded. There is no help coming your way."

  "You cannot take this keep. It is made of stone."

  "And how much food and water do you have Baron? How many bolts can you afford to waste striking shields?"

  "We will not surrender."

  "I have warned you. Whatever happens from now on is your doing Baron. I gave you the opportunity to end this peacefully."

  "Do your worst, Englishman! This is a Norman keep and it will keep you at bay until help arrives!"

  I returned to the Count.

  "See it is hopeless."

  "No, my lord, it is not. Have as much firewood gathered as you can."

  "Firewood? Why?"

  I pointed to the keep. "This is a well designed keep save in one respect. There is but one way in and one way out. We set fire to the door. The flames will be sucked inside and race through the whole building."

  He smiled, "See to it!"

  With shields protecting them the Count's men piled huge amounts of wood next to the only door. Out archers kept down the heads of any on the battlements. I sent three men to fetch the brazier from the front gate. They hurled it on to the firewood. Those inside the keep knew we were up to something but they had no idea what. The brazier soon set light to the bone dry kindling and firewood. Suddenly the flames took hold and whooshed up the door. I heard cries of alarm from the keep. They tried to pour water from the top of the keep. When two men fell pierced by arrows that stopped. The water had little effect for the walls of the keep actually protected the door.

  As smoke began to pour from the top we heard, "We surrender! Douse the flames! The town is yours!"

  The Count nodded and men ran to pour buckets of water on to the door. When it was out there was still smoke coming from the keep. The door was suddenly flung open. It was a mistake for the draught fanned the flames from within the tower. They raced up the wooden stairs within. Men ran out covered in flames. Our men used blankets and cloaks to put them out but some were dead even as the flames were extinguished. I heard screams from within. There were women inside.

  "William, Rolf, wet your cloaks. We cannot allow women to suffer because of a foolish knight."

  I immersed my cloak in a bucket of water and then put it over my head. I ran into the keep. One of the staircases was still standing. The one by the door was burning and out of control. I ran to the other stairs and raced up them. The Baron's quarters would be on the first floor. The door was close to the other set of stairs and was burning. I shouted, "Stand clear of the door!"

  I ran at it and hit it with my shoulder. It crashed open and a wall of heat through which I ran flared towards me. Inside, cowering on the bed was a woman and three children. William ran through the door behind me closely followed by Rolf. "Grab the children and put them under your cloaks."

  Even as I gave the order the flames from the door, now fanned by our entrance leapt across the ceiling and the room was in danger of becoming an inferno. I grabbed the woman who stood petrified and pulled her under my cloak. Rolf and William had already raced out of the door. The woman shook her head, "My husband..."

  "Forget your husband and think of your children." She nodded and I pushed her towards the door. I had just stepped out when huge burning timbers fell on to the bed where we had just stood. The second set of stairs were now on fire. Even through my mail leggings I could feel the heat. The woman stumbled as we reached a turn. I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. I ran down the stairs two at a time. I could feel a wall of heat behind me. I remembered the sensation from the time I had been in a burning siege tower. I saw, through the smoke and flames, daylight. It was the door. I burst through and, as I did so we were doused in water. Gilles shouted, "My lord, you are afire!"

  I realised that the cloak was burning and I threw it away. The three children ran to their mother who lay on the ground. "She lives, I think children."

  The boy, who looked to be about seven, looked at me and said, "Father?"

  I turned and looked at the tower. Flames wreathed it and black smoke billowed from it. From inside came the sounds of screams. I had barely made it out alive. No one else would. I shook my head, "You are now the man. Care for your mother eh?"

  The Count came to me, "That was bravely done but was it necessary?"

  "The day we make war on women and children is the day I leave my sword sheathed and become a priest."

  Chapter 13

  The deaths and the destruction of the keep had been unnecessary. Baron Thierry had been foolish. The Baroness and her children were taken to the church where the priests could care for them. The Count gathered together all the men we had captured. I saw Henri. He saw me approach and feared the worst. I smiled and rubbing my finger and thumb together said, "You have coin of mine I believe."

  He nodded and handed over his purse, "Will you kill me, lord?"

  "No for this town now belongs, as it should, to the Empress Matilda. I hope you will serve her better than you served your former lord."

  I walked over to where the Count was speaking with the burghers. "I have just had them swear allegiance to my wife, Earl. We have had great success and our men are all richer! What now?"

  "We close the river. Have your men sail the boats in a line across the Seine. Link them with ropes and chains so that they form a barrier. You will need to secure them to the northern bank and guard that end. Then we need to find a bridge and cross to the north shore. We have taken Honfleur. We now take Harfleur."

  "The ruse will not work twice."

  "I know but they will have seen the smoke. We take the Baroness and her children and ask for Harfleur to give them sanctuary."

  "Let them go? Why?"

  "They will be more persuasive than we could ever be. They will tell of the horror we inflicted and our requests will seem reasonable. We use the name of the Empress. This is hers by right. Her father gave it to her. If you take it then you are doing what your father, Count Fulk tried to do."

  "But we are married. The result is the same."

  "It is not,
my lord. Trust me. Now we need our horses for we must move quickly. Time is of the essence."

  After three days Harfleur agreed to surrender. The Baroness had, indeed, been persuasive and my name still had an effect, even across the Channel. The huge Angevin army and the horror of the fire related by the Baroness had the desired effect. We now had a gate at the mouth of the Seine. We had a double row of ships which stopped any we did not want from progressing up or down the river.

  The Count, of course, was delighted. "Earl this is better than I could have hoped. We now control the west of this land and it is not even summer. Why we could conquer it all by harvest."

  "Do not get ahead of yourself, Count. Tomorrow I ride to meet with the Earl of Gloucester. If I were you I would send a messenger to Falaise to tell them that we now control the Seine. Ask them to surrender again."

  "Will you go alone?"

  "You will need William and Rolf. I shall take Gilles. I should be safe enough."

  We took advantage of the newly captured horses and we rode two of the Baron's best. I had not worn my surcoat but my cloak was ruined and we had to take one from one of the Baron's men at arms. As we rode the twenty odd miles to Caen, Gilles asked. "Lord, will my father be safe?"

  "Safe?"

  "If Rouen is in the hands of the rebels what of my father's farm?"

  "I think he will be safe but when we have visited with the Earl there may be an opportunity to ride towards Rouen."

  He nodded, "He is a proud man, lord. He would not suffer orders from others."

  "I know, Gilles, he served me well. It was only one campaign but you know a man when you have fought alongside him."

  The Earl was out hunting when we arrived at Caen. That disturbed me. I had thought that, perhaps, the Earl was building up his forces and was preparing to join his sister. There appeared to be little evidence of a war footing in the castle. I was known and I was given quarters. Gilles took the opportunity to groom our two new horses. The one we had given him was the first that belonged to him. He would be like a child with a new puppy. We would have to drag him away from the stables.

  I was looking out of the south window when the Earl returned, "Alfraed! You are a sight for sore eyes! I wondered when you would return."

  "As I wondered, my lord, when you would stir yourself and ensure that your dead father's wishes were carried out."

  "You go too far."

  "Do I lord? We are both Earls. You are no longer the son of a King and until Maud is made Queen we are equals. Why should I not express my opinion? Even now your cousin is emptying the English treasury of all that your father built and buying favour. Your lands are being eaten into by the voracious Welsh and yet you hunt. I think I am entitled to be, shall we say, a little peeved."

  His servants had deemed it a judicious time to leave and we were alone. Robert clenched and unclenched his fists. Then he threw his head back and laughed, "God but I had forgotten just how outspoken you are. Perhaps I am used to toadies and lickspittles who yes sir me to death!" He came closer to me. "You have seen Geoffrey of Anjou. All he wants to do is to storm castles regardless of the result. There is no strategic plan!"

  "Then perhaps you should have given him one."

  "He would not listen to anyone."

  "We took Honfleur and Harfleur. The Seine is under our control."

  I could see by his face that I had stunned him. "How many men did you lose?"

  "None." I told how we had achieved it.

  "Incredible. Then we have more than half of Normandy under our control."

  "But I fear we do not have enough men yet to finish it. Rouen and the east has many large manors and, as you know, Earl, the French and the Flemish are very close. I believe it would be a mistake to push the Norman barons there into the enemy camp."

  "What do you suggest? You seem to have thought all of this through."

  "We raid until the barons beg for peace and a truce. We extract a fine and use that to build up the Empress' army. We both know that this will not be ended here in Normandy. It is England where we will decide the outcome. At some point the Empress will have to invade England and when she does she will need a mighty army. That needs money. We tax ships using the Seine and use the Angevin horses to control the lands between the castles. The Count has found, to his cost, how hard it is to take stone castles."

  "Then I prepare my men and give support to my sister."

  "Your name alone, my lord, will bring vacillating barons to our side. All know what a mighty leader you are."

  He laughed, "Do not make the mistake of underestimating yourself, Alfraed. I am sure that your name will draw men to our banner."

  "I will ride back, on the morrow and tell the Count of our plans."

  I was not used to this role as mediator. I was brokering alliances but it appeared to work. When I told the Count he was delighted. "And Falaise has surrendered. I will send for the Empress and my sons. She can stay in Argentan. It is a good castle and she will not be in danger there. The babe is not due for three months."

  "Is the move wise, my lord?"

  "She will be delighted. She will be close to her husband, her brother and her favourite knight, her Knight of the Empress and King Henry's Champion. When I send word I dare say she will leave immediately"

  In the event he was right and knew his wife better than I did. It made sense for Angers was remote; it was in Anjou. Argentan was in Normandy. It showed her intent; she would be Duchess of Normandy. Robert of Gloucester also concurred. We spent a week planning our strategy during which time the Empress reached Argentan and set up her court there. For the first time the balance of power was shifting away from Stephen and towards Maud, in Normandy at least.

  It was early summer when our three columns of knights and men at arms moved out. I was with the smallest. With my son, William, and Rolf the Swabian we had but three knights and twenty men at arms. I was more than happy with the quality of the ones with whom I rode. We were the central column and we headed directly for Rouen. Our aim was to make the land south of the Seine untenable for the rebels. Guy of Tours lived in Tostes which was just four miles or so from the Seine. I had made the decision to start there and work my way back towards Falaise and Argentan. I reasoned that if we did it the other way then they would be expecting us. I had also promised Gilles that he could see his father.

  Gilles came into his own for he knew all the greenways and backways in the area. We moved like ghosts through forests and woods. The handful of men we saw were there illegally. They were poachers. We passed each other with tacit acknowledgement that what we both did was less than legal.

  The carrion above Tostes should have warned us what we would see but we were not prepared. The hamlet had been devastated. Birds picked at bodies which had been roughly covered in branches and leaves. I could not stop Gilles who galloped up to the largest hut in the village. It was his father's. "Rolf, William, see if any live yet."

  I was not hopeful. Gilles was bent over disturbed leaves. He reverently pulled them from the face of the corpse. Even though the birds and rats had feasted I still recognised my old man at arms. I moved the leaves and branches a little more. There was a wound in his chest which suggested he had been lanced. His armour and sword were gone.

  "None live, lord."

  I stood. Gilles grieved by his dead father. "Someone made a half hearted attempt to bury these bodies. Find whoever it was. I would know what went on." I went to Gilles. "We should bury your father." It was not what was on my mind but I knew the young man needed to do something for his dead father.

  "Aye lord. There should be a shovel out of the back of the hut." He sounded numb as though he could not comprehend what we saw.

  The simple act of finding something with which to bury his father gave him focus and he forgot, albeit briefly, the horror of what he had seen. I helped him dig the grave as William and Rolf organised my men to find whoever had tried to give the dead some dignity.

  We had scraped out a depressi
on when I heard William say, "Here! I have him!"

  They pulled an old man with one arm from the bushes some fifty paces from the village. Gilles said, "It is old Henry! He was the swineherd."

  "Be gentle with him. He looks frightened!"

  By the time they reached us the old man looked a little less terrified than he had when William had dragged him out.

  "Tell me, my friend, what happened."

  "It was a week ago, lord. Men came from Rouen. It was Sir Hugh d'Elbeuf. It is a manor north west of here. They came through and just killed everyone."

  Gilles said, "But why? This village is small and there is no lord of the manor here."

  The old man shook his head, "I know not, Gilles. They were drunk. They rode down the animals and your father remonstrated with them. They slew him and then slaughtered the rest. I would have died too but I was with one of my pigs who was giving birth. I hid. I am sorry Gilles! I have one arm! What could I have done?"

  I put my hand on his shoulder, "Nothing my friend. And you buried them as best you could with one arm."

  "Aye lord. I would have done more but..."

  "William, have one of your men take him to the Empress. She will care for him. Make sure she knows what went on here."

  "Aye father." He went to speak with his man and we buried the dead.

  When we had finished William said, "I have heard of this Hugo d'Elbeuf." I nodded. "He was the cousin of Sir Guy de Senonche. He has a reputation for evil which is the equal of Sir Guy."

  "Then we begin our war at the manor of Elbeuf. Your father shall be avenged, Gilles."

  As we rode through towards the Seine Rolf said, "It will be a well made castle, lord. I thought we were raiding."

  "And we are Rolf. I will not throw away lives recklessly. I go to spy out the castle and see the roads the garrison use."

  It was just three miles or so through the forest to the river. The river was wide. We sent scouts east and west and one returned within a short time.

  "Lord, there is another village down the river. It too is burned out and filled with the dead."

  "It looks like this Hugo d'Elbeuf is ridding himself of all he thinks oppose him."