by Griff Hosker
The service took an interminable length of time. I was keenly aware of the passage of time. Many of the people outside drifted off leaving just soldiers standing. That in itself was ominous for we saw the surcoats of Stuttgart, Aachen and Supplinburg. It made our numbers appear even smaller. The soldiers of the three counts outnumbered us by over eight to one. We could not predict when the funeral rites would end but we had to time our departure well or else we might all die. Although I did not think anyone would begin trouble before the Emperor was buried I just did not know.
The Empress Matilda left the cathedral and she passed amongst the thinned crowd, with her ladies, distributing coins to the needy. When she passed us she glanced up and gave a half smile. The imperial nobles and the Archbishop followed next and I saw them give us stares. They were not friendly looks. We were now the enemy and, with the Emperor's death, fair game. So far it was all going to plan but it could still go awry. Once the last of the mourners had passed we followed but instead of heading to the palace we went towards the western gate and headed down the road leading to the west and Normandy. I knew every eye was upon us. I also knew that our enemies had spies who would be ensuring that we left their city. We rode leisurely down the road. After five miles we stopped, ostensibly to check our girths but in reality to waste time.
I had planned everything but I hated this part of the plan. Sir Guy and the Swabian knights would be escorting the Empress from the palace to her estate. All eyes would be upon them. They had to leave quickly before night fell. The people of Worms would understand that the Empress needed to be on her own to grieve, away from the sad memories of the palace. If it was after dark I had no doubt that Lothair would try to capture her. He could not do so with her people waving and watching.
We waited until Aiden arrived. He appeared without warning from the trees to the north. "There are thirty men at arms, lord and they are to the south of you between you and the estate of the Empress. They are keeping pace with you."
"It is as we thought. And the Empress?"
"Another fifty men follow her."
"Do they wear a livery?"
"No, Baron, they are the sweepings of the gutter."
That made sense. When the Empress and her guards were killed then it would be put down to bandits. It would also explain the theft of the imperial regalia which the counts would have assumed she had with them.
"Good, ride to Dick and warn him."
He hesitated, "Do you not need me, Baron?"
"I do but the Empress and the others need you more."
As he rode away I donned my helmet. My men followed suit. We rode west on the same course we had started. This time we rode faster. I almost smiled as I imagined the problems the men who were following us would have. We were travelling on a wide Roman Road and we rode three abreast. They had to ride in the forest and would be lucky to ride in single file. Our earlier speed would have lulled them into a false sense of security. After two miles I raised my spear and the whole line turned. We plunged into the forest and headed south east. Our move was so sudden that the first man at arms I killed thought that I was one of his own men. He turned to greet me as I punched my lance into his chest. We were attacking them on the side away from their shields and it was too easy. Our lances punched, stabbed and slaughtered the ragged line of men at arms. They were led by one knight and Harold killed him. He jabbed with his lance and took the knight in the throat. The lance broke and the knight died. Aiden's sharp eyes and skills had saved us and ensured that our would be attackers died to a man.
We could afford no witnesses and my men at arms slit the throat of every man we had downed. We took what they had and hobbled most of the horses. The others we led as we headed towards the estate of the Empress.
When Matilda had left Worms she had had four knights and a handful of men at arms to guard her. The fifty bandits would already be counting their money. They knew that they outnumbered those within the estate. It would not be a battle it would be a sneaky assault in the dead of night. They were attacking under cover of darkness and against a force which was better suited to an open battlefield rather than the confined spaces of a hall and a forest. They reckoned without Dick and his archers of Sherwood. We came across the first of the dead bandits a mile from the estate. As we neared the hall we saw more of them. Whoever led them had realised his problem and the survivors formed a shield wall close to the hall. There were still many of them.
I lowered my lance and we charged. It was not a solid line which charged them; the trees stopped that but these were not knights, nor were they men at arms. I jabbed my lance at an axe wielding giant who tried to take Scout's head. My lance shattered as it smashed into his head. I drew my sword and swung at the warrior with the spear who braced it against a tree as he tried to defend himself from me. I smote the haft and it broke in two. I halted Scout and brought my blade across his throat. A handful of these hired killers ran from the woods towards the hall. Sir Guy and his men at arms flooded from the hall and their lives were ended quickly.
As Rolf and his Swabians came out I heard the screams and shouts in the forest as the last of the raiders were slaughtered. When Dick and Aiden reached me with broad grins upon their faces then I knew that we had won. We had no time to lose. "Quickly, let us leave while we may."
The Empress and her two ladies came out dressed in helmets and surcoats. At close range they would not pass for warriors; they were too thin and waif like but, in a column of real warriors, they might pass unnoticed. We now had more than enough horses and we would be able to ride hard and fast, changing horses when we needed to. By dawn I intended to be at least forty miles away from the estate of the Empress. I knew we would be followed but a chase would tire our pursuers. If we could reach Bar then we had a chance; a slim one but a chance nonetheless. The three ladies were placed in a circle of my best men at arms. The three were almost invisible amongst the giants who protected them.
With Dick and his archers well ahead and the Swabians, Edward and Edgar guarding the Empress, Sir Guy and I were the rearguard. Aiden was off in the woods, disguising our trail and watching for pursuit. The work Dick and Aiden had done paid off and, as afternoon drew on, the next day, we found ourselves forty miles away from Worms. We had bought ourselves some time. However, even with spare horses, our mounts could go no further and we camped just off the trail. We had a fifth of our men on guard at any one time. The only ones who slept well were the three ladies. For the rest of us it was two hours sentry duty and snatched sleep.
I was on watch with some of my men at arms when I sensed someone approaching. I drew my sword and then breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that it was the Empress. She had the sense to come close to me and speak quietly. She was the daughter of King Henry; she knew that sound travels far at night. "Thank you, Baron. You have given us a chance to escape."
I smiled and pointed to the trees, "We are not out of the woods yet."
She giggled and was suddenly a young girl again. "It seems like years since I laughed."
"We have hope, at least. We will be pursued and we will have to fight but the odds are more in our favour than they were."
She gripped my arm, "Will men die?" I nodded, "Because of me?"
"We all die, my lady. It is how we die that is important." She wrapped her cloak around herself even more rightly. "Why do Lothair and the others care what happens to you? You are leaving Germany. What harm can you do them?"
"When my father was ill I was sent to rule the parts of Italy where there was dissension." She shrugged, "I enjoyed the work and the people appeared to like me. They were sad when I was summoned back to my husband's side. You saw yourself that those in Worms liked me. I think they fear me because I am popular."
"But Sallic law means that you cannot rule."
"I know but their fear is that someone will marry me and become Emperor because of my popularity. That will be my fate. Someone will be chosen by my father and I will have to marry them."
I felt sorry for the Empress. She had had no choice in her husband and now was like a prize animal to be auctioned to the highest bidder. I saw too clearly why they wanted her. It was not to do her harm but to force her into a marriage. I would make sure she reached Caen safely then her life was in her own hands.
"You had better get back to your bed, my lady. We have long days ahead and you will need your rest."
She turned to go back to the fire. She looked over her shoulder, "What of you and your men? Do you not need rest?"
"We are hardened to the rigours of the road. Do not worry about our men. They are all sworn to protect you. The only way anyone will get to you is if we all lie dead around you."
"I pray that will never happen, Alfraed."
I nodded, "As do we."
While we broke camp the next day I sought out Edgar. "I want three of our best men at arms assigned to protect the three ladies. From what I have learned the aim is not to harm the Empress but to capture her."
"It leaves us short, my lord, if I have three good men out of a battle."
"Nonetheless that is my order. Impress upon them that they keep them safe even if it means deserting us."
"Aye my lord."
As we rode west I smiled at the efforts of the three ladies not to show their discomfort. My men and I were used to the hard saddles we used. We had all ridden for eight hours a day for many years. The ladies could ride but our saddles were not easy on the posterior. I watched as they surreptitiously stood in the saddle to ease the pain for a few moments and then saw them wince as they regained their seats.
Aiden and my archers were spread out both ahead and behind us. Already we were beyond the trails that they had discovered and we were riding the main road to the south and west. One danger was that it would bring us perilously close to France and King Louis. He would not seek the Empress' hand but he might use her to buy the support of a potential suitor. This was a dangerous game we were playing. We had to negotiate a maze and the obstacles could be deadly. I turned as I heard hooves thundering up the road. Aiden galloped up to me, "My lord, there are horsemen behind us."
"How far away?"
"A mile or two."
"How many?"
"At least fifty."
"Find Dick and the archers, bring them to me." As he galloped off I shouted to the others, "There is pursuit. We ride hard until my archers return." I turned to Guy. "If they catch us then we turn with our men at arms and charge them. They will not expect it and it will buy us time." He nodded.
I spurred Scout to reach the horses with the lances. They were strapped in bundles of ten. I unstrapped a bundle. I grabbed one and the rest fell to the floor. My men at arms stopped, grabbed one and continued to ride hard. We did not have the luxury of being able to stop and choose the best weapon. I kept glancing over my shoulder to see where the pursuit was. When this road had been built the Romans had cleared both sides of trees. Over the last six hundred years the forest had grown back and what had been a place safe from ambush was now a potential death trap as bushes had grown in ditches which had not been maintained and trees had spread their branches across the road.
Roger of Lincoln was the last man for he had picked up the last lance. "Baron! They are less than half a mile behind."
I nodded, "Harold, tell Sir Edward to keep going. We will try to delay them. Have Dick and the archers make an ambush."
"Aye my lord."
As he rode off I slowed down Scout. "Rearguard, about turn." The turn took time and I saw the enemy horsemen. They were coming in a column. Their speed meant that there were gaps. "A line of five men!"
I was in the fore with Sir Guy and his squire. Roger of Lincoln and Peter of Totnes were the other two. We lowered our lances. "Charge!"
The enemy had no lances. It is hard to ride with a lance. They had been pursuing us and hoped to take us with their swords. They saw what we intended and drew their weapons whilst pulling around their shields. What they did not manage to do was to form ranks. We did not have much speed but we were knee to knee. The leader was before me and I saw his banner behind him. He was one of the Count of Aachen's men. I pulled back my lance and punched hard. I had no lance coming towards me and my shield was protecting me from his sword. The spear drove through his mail and into his stomach. He rolled from his horse taking the broken end of the lance with him. I used the stump to knock his squire to the ground where his falling banner managed to force another rider into the woods.
Our sudden charge had taken them by surprise. I drew my sword and smashed it against the shield of a knight who approached me. I saw a lance come from behind and the German was skewered. Although we were outnumbered the German men at arms did not know that. They just saw a wall of men and horses. With the leader and the banner down they were confused and I saw them halt. I reined Scout in and stabbed at a confused looking man at arms. My sword punctured his shoulder. He turned and rode east. I saw others joining him.
"Back to the column. Ride!"
As I turned I sheathed my sword and I saw that two of Sir Guy's men at arms had fallen. We passed their bodies as we headed west. Their horses galloped alongside us. Sir Guy and I were at the rear of the column. Three of my men still had lances. They would be a valuable commodity if we continued to be attacked; we could not replace them. I looked over my shoulder. The horsemen had reformed and now pursued us. Our turn had told them of our numbers. We did not ride at the gallop. We did not want to weaken our horses. The cobbles over which we rode would warn us if they closed.
Sir Guy flicked his head to the side. "Will your archers be in position?"
I nodded, "But do not expect to see them. We will know where they are when the men behind begin to fall."
"It is a pity there are only ten of them."
"There will be eleven. Harold is as good an archer as any and those eleven can release forty arrows or more in the time it takes for a column to pass them. It is a surprise we can spring so long as we have arrows."
I heard hooves closing and glanced behind. They were less than a hundred paces from us now. "Be ready to turn on my command. They are closing."
I saw that they all drew their swords, as Sir Guy and I did. I had held my shield loosely and I now tightened it against my side. I caught a tiny movement to my left as we turned to descend slightly. I looked again to see what I had spied and I saw the first of the arrows from Dick and my archers as they released them at less than fifty paces. They struck with such force that even when their shields stopped them the power made the riders reel. The ones who did not stop the arrows found the arrows deeply embedded in their bodies. As we came around the bend and down the slope I saw that Edward and Rolf had disobeyed me. The dismounted men at arms were arrayed behind them with a forest of spears. My men knew what to do. They split in two and rode behind the human barricade. We turned and faced the enemy. They could not outflank us for we occupied the eaves of the forest. They tried to pull up as the German men at arms stabbed forward with their spears. I was happy to see that my three bodyguards had, at least, obeyed orders and the three ladies were mounted and safely behind the horses of the dismounted men at arms.
I kicked Scout forward and rode at a man at arms who was trying to turn away from the spears. I swung my sword at head height. It bit through his coif into his neck. He tumbled to the ground. Edgar brought his mighty sword down to split the helmet and skull of a second man at arms. With Dick and the archers continuing to release arrows into the backs of the pursuers the inevitable happened. The survivors fled. They had left so many dead along the road that I knew they would not return. Others might come but this conroi would never dare to face a foe such as us.
"Dismount and change horses. Despatch the enemy wounded. You have done well!"
They all cheered and the men at arms slapped each other on the back. We had routed a superior force. Already the men at arms and archers were searching the bodies for the spoils of war. Such was our life. One moment your life was in danger and you h
ad the prospect of a brutal death and then you were victorious and loving life.
I took off my helmet and pushed my coif from my head. I was pouring with sweat. "Edgar, make sure that there are no injuries amongst our men. Even minor cuts need healing."
"Aye, my lord. This is where we miss Wulfric."
"It is. When we return to England we will see about hiring a healer."
"If we get a priest who can heal it will ease the men's minds, my lord. They fight harder if they know a priest will give them the last rites."
"I will think on it." I led Scout to the spare horses.
The Empress and her ladies had dismounted too. They approached. "Can we do anything to help, Baron?"
"We will let you know. How are the saddles this morning?"
Margaret gave me a rueful smile. "When we reach Caen I swear I will never ride a horse again. I know not how you do it each day and wearing mail!"
I laughed, "You get used to it and I fear we have many leagues to go. I can offer you no comfort until we reach the land of the Count Du Bar."
The Empress watched as the dead men were thrown into the ditches. "And can we expect more of this?"
"Not for a while. They have a long journey back to report their failure. I have no doubt that others seek us but these must have been the closest. We now have another five horses. The more horses we have then the more changes we can make and a faster journey."
Margaret groaned, "And that means longer in the saddle."
I nodded, "I think at least three more days before we reach Bar and we shall now be in the saddle for every moment that the sun shines."
"And when we reach Bar then we will be safe, Baron?"
"No, Judith. The dangers will increase for ahead of us will be only enemies. To the north is the Count of Flanders and to the South is King Louis. We will not be able to out run them. We will have to outwit and out think them."