by Griff Hosker
The Count of Aachen adopted an innocent look, "Why should she need help? She is our Empress and the people love her dearly. We protect our own."
I nodded, "As do we."
Just then Rolf, Carl and Gottfried came bounding over to us, totally ignoring the three counts, "I knew you would come!" Rolf grabbed me in a bear hug and almost lifted me from the ground. These three were the only genuine knights in the whole room.
The others shook Guy and Edward by the hands. Edward winced, "Steady on Gottfried, I am not healed yet."
The three of them turned to glare at the counts and led us off. When we were out of earshot Rolf asked, "You were attacked?"
"Aye, the men of Flanders ambushed us."
Rolf spoke quietly, "We heard that men were looking for you. We could not leave the Empress, you understand?"
I nodded. "We would not have expected you to. We are men and we take our chances. We came here for the Empress said she had need of us." I gestured for them to come closer. "The King has asked us to bring her home when it is over."
"Aye, the Empress has asked us too. We will not stay here. We serve the Empress. That Lothair is even slier than the Count of Aachen."
I was relieved. Our chances were greatly increased with the men of Swabia alongside us. "How is the Empress?"
"She is under great pressure. Once the Emperor has been bled she will leave his side. Come we will wait in the antechamber."
"We were told we had to wait in the Great Hall."
Gottfried smiled as he smashed his right fist into the palm of his left, "They have learned not to argue with us."
There were two guards protecting the entrance to the Emperor's rooms. When they saw Rolf they nodded and relaxed a little. We waited outside with the two servants who hovered there. "Is there any hope for the Emperor?"
Carl shook his head, "They have no idea how to cure him. They have drained off so much blood that he cannot have much left in him. Each day he is thinner and shrunken even more. The man is dying. If he were my horse then I would have ended his life already." He paused, "And I like my horse!"
"And after?"
"And after there will be a rat race to see who can reach the top of the greasy pole!"
"I thought as much. Do you have any idea how many of the retinue of the Empress we will have to protect?"
"No and they are what worries me. We can protect the Empress; she can ride and she is not easily afraid but her ladies and her servants are a different matter."
"Then let us begin now to make arrangements. Sir Guy, go with the squires and see how many horses you can buy in the town. Better to buy in ones and twos and then we will need somewhere to keep them out of sight. For the moment take them to Edgar and Dick. They will watch them for us." Sir Guy left. I had chosen him because he was not Norman and we would be less likely to be cheated.
We waited for an hour in the antechamber. We told them of our journey home and the border battles. "And that sounds much more exciting than our lives. We just watch for assassins. If we did not have each other with which to practice then we would be useless as warriors."
"Do you have men at arms and squires?"
"No, but we intend to hire some men at arms. How many men did you bring?"
"Between us we have forty, including archers."
"Not many to protect an Empress."
"No, Rolf but they are all trusted men. I would not ask for more."
The doors suddenly opened and the Empress Matilda came out flanked by the physicians. I could see by her face that she was both angry and upset. "Is there nothing but draining blood which can be done? It seems to me that it is blood he needs putting in not taking from him!"
The elder of the doctors gave her a patronising shake of the head, "Empress, we have done this since the time of Hippocrates. It will work but it takes time."
"You have done this for the last year and all I see is a weakened husband. Come up with something else or I shall find other physicians!"
She looked up and saw the five of us standing there. Her face changed from a scowl to a smile, instantly. "You came! I prayed that you would."
I gave a bow and said, "We swore an oath. Why would we not come?"
She glanced around her at the courtiers who had followed the physicians from the Emperor's chamber. "Come let us retire to somewhere we can speak."
She led us to another wing of the palace and we entered her drawing room. She dismissed the two servants who waited there. She sat.
I spoke gently for I did not wish to upset her more but I needed to know how the land lay. "So there is still hope for the Emperor?"
She shook her head, "No, Alfraed, he is dying. If they stopped bleeding him then he might live for longer but each day he is closer to death." I nodded, there was little to say in such circumstances. I did not think that I would have the luxury of dying in my bed. There were advantages to being a warring knight and not a sickly Emperor. "Did you have trouble reaching me?"
"Edward here was wounded by the men of the Count of Flanders. I fear our return will be as fraught with such danger."
She smiled at Edward, "I am sorry you suffered pain for me, Sir Edward. Fear not Baron, I will not hold you up when we leave."
I could not remain silent. "But your ladies and your servants might."
She shook her head, "No, for I take just two with me, Judith and Margaret. They are both Norman and are as tough and resilient as I am. We will not need a carriage or a wagon. We will travel on horseback as you do."
I felt relieved. "Good. Now we need somewhere for the men to stay while we wait… well while we attend your majesty. We could camp close by the cavalry field if you wish."
"That will not be necessary. I have a small estate some five miles to the south and west of here. It is large enough to accommodate you and your men but…"
"But you would like some of us closer to hand."
She clapped her hands in delight, "You read my mind, Alfraed, but I would not expect any of you to sleep outside my door as Baron Alfraed once did." She patted the couch upon which she sat, " this will do I believe."
I turned to Rolf, "There are five of us."
Edward shook his head, "Six!"
I smiled, "Six then. We each do four hours on duty. With the travelling time to the estate this should be enough resting time. One of us will always be in attendance."
"Good." She rose and went to a chest by the door to her chamber. She lifted it, "Each time you return to the estate you should take some of this." She revealed her imperial regalia and her personal jewellery and treasure.
Edward whistled at the sight of so many jewels and crowns, "That is a king's ransom."
"Or an Empress' at any rate. There are those who would take what is mine from me. If we store this at the estate then its disappearance may go unnoticed." She held up her Imperial Crown. "This will need to stay until the funeral."
An official came to tell her that there were dignitaries from Denmark who wished to express their concerns. She rolled her eye. After giving us the directions to the estate she left us. I pointed to the treasure before us. "We had better take some of these with us now. It seems to me a huge amount of jewellery We are a big enough target without this. Every knight, lord and bandit will be after this treasure."
We took the small leather pouches containing the jewels and we each took one. Even then we had barely taken the top layer from the chest. We gathered our men with the eight horses Sir Guy had managed to buy and we headed west out of town. We left Rolf to have the first shift and moved towards our home for the next week or so. I smiled as I saw the looks as we left. They assumed we were going home; they did not know us. We were here to stay.
Chapter 3
The estate had been a fortified manor at some time in the past and had an old warrior hall. It was perfect for us. Ernst, who was the caretaker for the Empress, was a little taken aback when we arrived. Gottfried explained it all to him and our gold helped to ease his mind. We were not ro
bbers.
"I will take the next shift. If you give me your armour, Edward, I will get it repaired." Already we were preparing for our departure. I had no idea how long we were staying it could be a day or it could be a month. We had to be ready to fly whenever that was. I summoned Dick, Aiden and Edgar.
"We may have to leave in the middle of the night. Dick and Aiden I want you two totally familiar with every road and trail out of here. We may be pursued; in fact I am certain that we will be pursued. You will have to be able to get us away from here unseen. Edgar, organise guards. We too, as well as the Empress, may be a target. Our enemies may decide to eliminate us and here it is an isolated spot. We stay vigilant. The men do not go into Worms. The last thing we need is for the men who serve the Count of Stuttgart to begin to whittle down our numbers. And make sure that all the horses Sir Guy bought are sound and broken in. We may well have to use them for the three ladies."
We explained the arrangements to Sir Guy. "When I was in the town I noticed bands of what can only be described as bandits. They were on every corner and in every ale house. They are like crows gathering over a corpse."
"Then when we go on duty we take our squires with us. We are too few to risk losing any."
I took Harold with me as I headed back into Worms. We already knew a good armourer from our previous visit and I dropped off the mail. By the time we reached the Empress' chambers it was time to change the shift. Rolf took me to one side. "It is as well you have brought Harold. There are many armed knights in the palace. When the Emperor dies then we will have to be on our guard."
"Is it imminent?"
"I do not know." He shook his head, "We are lucky, Alfraed, when we die it will be so sudden that we know nothing about it. I would hate to have to lie there and think about the mistakes I had made in my life and worry about the hereafter. Especially when surrounded by bloodsuckers and leeches."
"Where is the Empress now?"
He pointed to the inner chamber. "She is resting." He smiled, "You will have to endure the feast tonight! She will need a bodyguard."
I groaned. I hated having to eat amongst the lords and ladies. I preferred the company of my men or my family. I was not a sociable person. I took off my helmet and lowered my coif. "This will be a long night, Harold."
He shrugged, "When I think of the nights I froze in Sherwood then I will accept this, my lord. This seems quite a pleasant place in which to wait."
"You are right, I forget sometimes what a pampered life I had before I reached England."
"Do not worry, lord, you have made up for it since!"
The Empress came out followed by her two ladies, Judith and Margaret. Both were older than she was but not by much. She smiled when she saw me, "I feel safer already. These are my ladies in waiting. They will return to Caen with me."
I nodded, "I hope you will not find the journey too arduous, ladies."
"Do not fear, knight, Judith and I will not slow you down. We are Norman and we know how to ride."
I coloured. How had they known my fears?
Matilda laughed, "Do not tease Alfraed, Margaret; he and his men are the wall of iron which will protect our frail bodies. And now let us go down to meet those who play the false smiles of sympathy."
Harold and I followed the three of them to the Great Hall where the tables had been prepared. With so many visitors the room was packed. I saw that the Empress had arranged for five seats kept for us at the head table. It meant she was cocooned by her ladies on one side and Harold and me on the other. She would not have to make small talk. She was making us a barrier.
The room rose as we entered and was silent. The Empress sat down and then nodded to us; we sat. I will say that the servants at the palace were very well trained. The food must have been waiting just outside the hall for the moment we sat an army of liveried servants hurried in and began to place the wooden platters on the table. I watched as Judith and Margaret each took food from different platters and nibbled before nodding to the Empress. She chose only from the food they had tasted. I turned to Harold, "We must also act as food tasters. You try from that platter and I will try this."
I picked up a piece of mutton and ate it. Although it tasted greasy it did not appear to be poisoned. As the Empress reached over for a piece she murmured, "You learn quickly, Baron."
"Is it always like this? Do you constantly fear for your life?"
She looked sad as she gave a slight nod, "It is the reason I wish to return to Caen. There I can eat without fearing poison. I can sleep without guards and I can know that the smiles I see are real." She nibbled at the mutton and then wiped her hands on her napkin. Margaret poured some wine and drank a little. She wiped the rim and passed it to the Empress who nodded her thanks. She sipped and said, "Watch the Counts on the opposite side of the table. The three of them are as close as thieves."
"Why does Lothair of Supplinburg hate you and your husband so?"
As she spoke I stared at the three of them. "Lothair thought that he would be elected and he was not. He has the Pope's support and when Henry dies then he will become Emperor but he festers for he thinks of the years that Henry and I ruled. He will try to pay me back for the years he has waited. He is the only one who has not even shown false sympathy for my poor husband's condition."
"Then why allow him to stay?"
"Because as a Count of the Empire he has every right to be here."
"But he will try to stop you leaving."
"Oh yes. He will definitely try to bring harm to me."
I studied their faces. I had fought the Count of Stuttgart and knew that he was devious. The Count of Aachen was a plotter. This Count of Supplinburg appeared slightly more honest and yet he was the deadliest of the three.
I had been wrong. It was not a long night. The Empress stood after having partaken, albeit lightly, of each of the courses. "I will now retire, please stay and enjoy the hospitality of my husband's hall. I will see how he fares."
We followed her from the room and I felt eyes, like daggers, in our backs. "Come, we will see how poor Henry is."
When we entered the room it smelled of candles and of death. The physicians we had seen before were gathered in a huddle. One of them approached Matilda as we neared the bed. "We have, as the Empress demanded, stopped bleeding the Emperor."
"And?"
"And he has a little more colour but his condition is not improving."
"But he is no worse?"
"No, highness."
"Then go back to you books and find a cure. I will visit with my husband now."
The gaggle of physicians hurried out. The Empress went to a jug of water and dampened a cloth with it. She tenderly swiped his face. She stood silently for a moment and then leaned forward to speak quietly in his ear. She kissed him lightly on his forehead and turned to us. I saw that she had wept a little.
"They have used drugs to make him sleep. He does not appear to be in pain. Let us return to my rooms." As we passed the guards she said, "Abelard, let no one enter save the doctors. No one!"
He nodded, "Yes highness."
Once we entered the antechamber to her room she flung herself down on the couch and began to sob. Margaret and Judith comforted her while Harold and I looked helplessly at each other. Margaret stood and came towards us as the Empress' sobs subsided. "It shows the faith she has in you, my lord that she weeps openly before you."
"I thought that she and the Emperor were estranged."
"No, my lord. They were never enamoured of each other; it was a political marriage but they were fond of one another." She shook her head, "If the Emperor were a dog then he would have been put out of his misery long ago. There is no dignity in this long lingering death." She saw my look of surprise. "I would have given him a draught myself to ease his pain were it not for the fact the finger of blame would be laid at the door of the Empress and she has even more enemies than the Emperor."
We had been in the corner speaking quietly and the Empress rose. "I a
m sorry for my weakness."
"You are a woman first, your highness and then an Empress."
She nodded, "Now let us talk of after. My ladies know that the journey will be hard. What are your plans; I know that you will have made some."
I took a deep breath. I had been thinking, while watching the three Counts at the feast how we could escape. I did have an idea but it would need the compliance of the three women. "I know that you can all ride but can you ride as men? Can you straddle a horse?"
Judith giggled. "I had a husband once, I think I can straddle!"
When the other two laughed I felt relief. "I will have three surcoats made for you and buy helmets. You need not wear armour but I will disguise you as men at arms. No one notices men at arms and you can ride in the midst of my men. When we leave they will look at our faces at the head of the column. You three, in the middle, will be invisible. The swords you will wear will be uncomfortable but this will just be until we are out of Worms."
"You would ride through Worms? In full view of our enemies?"
"If they try to prevent us leaving it may be the safest way. Once we are past Worms then my men will take us down secret routes but if we pass through Worms seemingly without you then we will be safe, at least for a while, and they will not try to stop us. If we left with you in plain sight then Lothair of Supplinburg would prevent us from leaving."
"I think it will work but how will you hide our hair? Would you have us shear it?"
It was my turn to smile. I showed her my helmet. "Do you see how we have a cap within the helmet to cushion blows and to prevent chafing? You will not need protection for you will not be fighting and your hair can be tied up underneath the helm and it will be a good fit."
"You could have us wear a coif beneath the helmet and that would hide our lack of beards."