by Griff Hosker
"Well, Sir Alfraed, what do you make of the King's choice?"
"He had little choice now that his son is dead. For myself I would be happy to follow the Earl of Gloucester should he be named heir."
"As would I but that cannot happen. The King's nephews would seize the opportunity to question the claim of an illegitimate son."
"You have met them then?"
"I know what they are like, Baron, and their ambition. Both seek to be king. The tragedy of the White Ship still sends ripples out from the shores of Normandy. The King plans to marry her off, you know."
"I know." I tried to keep the despair out of my voice but it was not easy.
Sir Roger was a pleasant companion and the two days spent in his company were rewarding in many ways. As we left his castle to head north on the forest road I felt suddenly naked. We had to return to looking over our shoulders. I wondered if I was wrong. Perhaps Stephen of Blois did not think me worthy of killing. Once more we pushed hard as we headed north. The forest still stretched like an endless green blanket before us. When we had ridden through the southern portion with Sir Roger it had seemed open. Now it felt constricting and filled with danger.
It was Scout who saved us, again. The road dipped a little and he neighed whilst pricking up his ears. I needed no second warning. "There is danger! Draw your weapons! I just managed to get my shield up when a bolt from a crossbow smashed into it. It came from ahead and to my left. It was close enough for the head to have pierced my shield. Although I knew there would be other crossbows that one, at least, would take time to reload and I spurred Scout on towards the danger. He leapt towards the eaves of the forest where I caught a glint of metal and a flash of colour. A second and a third bolt hit my shield. One of them penetrated the wood a second time. That meant the ambushers were close.
I had my sword drawn already and as I caught sight of a crossbowman trying to re arm his bow I swung my weapon and it tore into his face. I was not worried about Wulfric and the men at arms but Leofric and John had little experience of this sort of fighting. You had to react quickly and strike as soon as you had a target. Scout had superb reactions and he pulled to the left as the man at arms with a lance galloped towards us through the trees. The head of the lance went across Scout's mane and I stabbed at him more in hope than expectation. As his horse crashed into Scout my sword entered his chest.
I continued the wheel which Scout had begun. I saw a third crossbow and this was aimed at me. I stood up and pulled my shield across my body. The bolt hit my shield but the angle made it ping off to the left and I brought down my sword on his helmet. I crushed it so hard that I am certain I drove part of it into his skull. I saw that John was using my banner like a lance and there was a man at arms being skewered even as I turned. There were, however, more of them than us. Our sudden charge had given us an advantage but our small numbers now worked against us. What we could not do was to turn our backs. They had crossbows and they could penetrate our mail. Even though it was harder, we had to face them and to fight them.
"Drive them into the woods! Use our horses!"
I had not seen any knights but these were experienced warriors. I watched as one raised his axe to try to drive it into the neck of Roger's horse. Suddenly an arrow blossomed from his neck. I had no idea where it came from but I took heart from the fact that it had been loosed at the axe man and not at Roger. Now was the time to advance.
"At them!" A man at arms charged at me. He held his shield tightly and had his sword behind him ready to swing it at my head. I jerked Scout's head around so that we would meet shield to shield. He could not react quickly enough and, as I stood in the stirrups, I punched with my shield. He had to parry with his own shield and when I brought my sword down he almost overbalanced. His arm holding the sword smashed into a tree. I heard the crack of the bone breaking and the scream of pain at the same time. As he rode off towards the road I saw that it was over. Our saviours with the arrows had managed to reach us in the nick of time. I quickly checked to see what damage had been done to us.
Leofric and John were still in their saddles as were Roger and Wulfric. Conan was helping William to his feet. There was blood but William was moving. I searched in the forest for the men who had come to our aid. I saw no one. "Hello! Thank you for your intervention." I spoke in Saxon. If it was the men of the woods then the use of Norman might result in an arrow. A shadow moved and then a second. Five figures emerged from the woods. They looked like scarecrows.
I dismounted and took off my helmet. "Thank you! Had you not intervened then we might be dead."
The leader looked a little younger than Harold. He gave me a wan smile. "When we saw you fighting we thought to leave you for Norman killing Norman suits us. Then Alan here," he pointed to a blond haired youth, recognised him," he gestured at Wulfric. "I remembered that you came some years ago and took some of our men: Harold Osbertson and the others."
"You are part of Robert's band?"
"We are all that remain. We were heading to the monastery close to Doncaster to beg for alms. We are starving."
"Where is Robert? This was a large band the last we heard."
"Some Normans came at the time of the Bone Fire two years ago and they managed to track and to trap us. We think there was a spy. Robert and the others were either killed or taken and hanged in Nottingham."
"How did you escape?"
"It was luck. We had been sent to empty the fish traps on the river. By the time we heard the fighting and reached our friends they were dead."
I saw that there were three of the ambusher's horses still loose. "Roger, capture those horses." The five young men looked lost. "Harold serves me still and he is a knight now. If you wish then you can serve me too. At least you will be fed and be warm."
Their faces told me their answer before their words. "Aye, my lord. We will follow you. The days of being outlaw are passed."
"Then strip the bodies of all that is valuable and that includes their clothes; everything is of value. Two of you can ride double." While they collected the clothes and arms I went to the tree the man at arms had hit. There, lying on the ground was his sword. It was a good sword. It was well made and it was Frankish. "Here John, fate has given you a sword." My young squire looked excited as I gave him the sword. "You may find a scabbard but if not then you can make one." The new recruits found helmets and some mail as well as daggers, shields and short swords.
We rode north until it became dark. The fight had stopped us from reaching a castle and so we camped in the forest. Luckily we had food and Wulfric made sure that our latest recruits ate first. They would be a welcome addition to my archers. I saw him looking paternally at them. All were young enough to be his sons.
As we huddled around the fire I asked them of their life in the forest. "Our fathers did not wish to follow Branton. They were loyal to Robert. We were too young to go but we envied those who did. Life was hard in the forest. Some of our mothers had come to the woods to live with us but many found the life too hard and went to the towns to seek work. Others, like my mother and Garth's died."
"You are brothers then?"
He nodded, "This is Alan and I am Ralph. We had a younger brother, John, but he was killed in the camp with our father."
Wulfric ruffled Alan's hair. "You will like it at Stockton." He gestured to me, "The Baron here lets you hunt for him and we have a stone castle which is warm in winter." He opened his purse and spread the coins in the palm of his hand. The gold coins and the silver ones glittered and glistened in the firelight. "And you will make money!"
Ralph's eyes widened. "You are a rich man, Wulfric!"
He nodded as he put the coins back into his purse, "We all are! Even the archers!"
Ralph looked at me and said, "We will serve you well, Baron. I fear we would have all died as many did when we had the wolf winter."
I looked at Wulfric. "You had it too?"
"Aye, my lord. The cold and the wolves took many lives that year. We ne
ver recovered. I think that was how the Normans managed to attack us." he paused, "You are not Norman are you my lord?"
"No, but I fight with them and for them. If you cannot do that then we will take you to a place of safety and give you money."
"No, Baron, we know we live in a Norman land but Branton spoke well of your father and your namesake. We trust you."
Each day saw an improvement in the five young men. As we had two horses being ridden double we could not make the speed I had hoped and it was two days after St Stephen's Day when we reached the ferry. There was a shimmering of frost on the trees and a sea fret but the river was not frozen. Wulfric stood behind Ralph and Alan with a huge paw on each of them. "Well boys, there it is your new home, the manor of Stockton."
All five looked excited at the prospect. I had missed Christmas with my family but the encounter with the boys seemed more Christian somehow. It was almost as though we had been meant to find them and rescue them from a life which would have been parlous at best. The ferry proved to be a novelty to them. The rivers in the forest were all fordable. Here the tide was in and it must have seemed like a mighty sea to them. I spied Adela on the ramparts as Ethelred's men pulled us across. I saw her wave and then one of my men at arms lifted my son so that he could wave too.
I let Wulfric see to the new archers while I ran into my castle to greet my family. When my son and wife threw their arms around me I knew that I was home. London and the plots and intrigue seemed far away. I just prayed that Rolf and his men could keep Matilda safe. The last thing the Earl had said was that the Empress would be staying in London, at least until the spring. That meant her father could ensure her safety. After that…
I decided to hold a twelfth night celebration as I had missed Christmas. I took Aiden and my new archers as well as John, my squire and we went hunting on the first day of January. We went to the land around Hartburn. I knew there was good hunting there and I wanted my new recruits to become familiar with our land. John and I rode while the others hunted on foot. John and I had boar spears. Aiden's dogs soon found the scent of game and we followed the trail until we saw a stag, on his own. He was a fine beast. This was a good time to hunt stags for they had already served the hinds. It would encourage younger stags. Ralph and another of the recruits, Osbert, took down the deer and I saw that, despite their youth, they were good archers.
We found tracks of other deer but we did not see them. Aiden's dogs and Scout alerted us to danger. A sow hurled herself from under some bramble bushes. I pulled back on Scout's reins to make him rear and thrust down with my spear. It might have gone ill for Scout had not John hurled his spear into the side of the sow's head. She fell dead at my feet. While John and I tied her feet around the spears Aiden took the archers to search for the rest of the herd. They came back with six young. She had attacked us because she had young. I was just pleased there was no male close by.
"We can take them back, Baron, and raise them. This will be the start of a new herd for us." That was the beginning of a fruitful year for us and meant that the twelfth night feast was a good one. Fortune had favoured us and our kindness with the five boys had been rewarded.
Sir Richard, Harold, Edward, Wulfstan and Osric all attended my feast. Athelstan had the winter sickness and Father Peter insisted he stay in his hall. His presence would have made it perfect. After we had eaten I told them of the oath we had made and then I told them about the Count of Blois. Edward had laughed, "That is one more Count who hates us, Baron! I think it better we stay on this side of the English Channel!"
Harold shook his head, "I think not for we make more coin when we go abroad. Will we be abroad again, Baron?"
"I know not. I will be happy just staying in my own land for a while. I have not yet had the chance to see how it fares in the summer."
The evening was perfection. I had with me those I loved the best and those who served me. What more could a lord ask for than to be surrounded by his oathsworn and his family. I might have missed Christmas but the twelfth night feast lived long in my memory.
Chapter 14
We make plans and sometimes they work out and sometimes they do not. I had planned on a summer getting to know my children and my new men. I had planned on making Leofric and John into better squires. I had hoped to enjoy hunts with my knights. None of that happened. As Easter approached we received a summons to meet the Earl of Gloucester at Chester. It seemed that Gruffudd ap Cynan had tried to attack the rich farmland around Cheshire and Chester. Some of the Norman lords had been enjoying an extended stay with the King in London and some castles had been burned. Our success against the Scots meant that we were the first choice for the Earl and I led my conroi across the high hills towards Chester. I was less than happy to do so. My men had earned the right to some peace. This was the Earl's war and not mine.
Once again I left Wulfstan to guard my home. With Athelstan still suffering from the coughing sickness I needed someone to help Osric and Wulfstan was the perfect choice. When I had returned from London I had noticed that he was now totally grey. He was still a fine warrior but he would not be able to stand the rigours of a campaign in Wales. He was a visible sign that all warriors either died or grew old.
I left five men at arms in my castle as well as Aiden but I took all of my archers. I now had a fine force of bowmen and they were all mounted. We made a fine sight as we rode to the south and the west. My men at arms were all mounted on fine palfreys and each one had a full set of mail. We looked more like a column of knights.
The Earl of Gloucester would meet us at Chester. This would not be a repeat of the war against Powys. Gwynedd was a mountainous region. The only flat part was the rich wheat land of Anglesey. This time there would be no fine in cattle and as the crop was not yet sown it was hard to see what we would gain from such a campaign. It was another reason for my despondency. My knights wondered the same but they hoped for riches and success. Somehow I always seemed to manage to reap rewards. Tristan and Harold were now experienced knights and both had a small retinue of both men at arms and archers. They hoped to increase their numbers with a successful war.
When we reached Chester there were already many tents erected and Wulfric struggled to find us a camp which was not in the swampy area close to the river. I hoped we would not be there too long. The winter rains had left the estuary muddy and wet. I did not want the pestilence to strike my men. The Earl took me to one side as soon as I arrived.
"Alfraed you and your men will not be here long. I want you to be the vanguard. You are all mounted and have proved that you can be trusted on your own. I want you to find this Gruffudd so that we may bring him to battle quickly. The Earl of Chester managed to stop him penetrating any further north but he has taken his men towards the east and the rich farmland there." I saw him hesitate and wondered what was on his mind. "Did you deliberately upset the Count of Blois when you were at Westminster?"
I could not lie and I would not lie. "Yes, my lord, I did."
Instead of being angry he smiled. "I might have known you would give me the truth. My father was angry but tell me why?"
I took a deep breath. "I was certain that I had seen Stephen of Blois when we took your sister back to Worms. He denied it but I still do not believe him."
"You think he is a threat to my sister?"
"I know he is as do you, my lord."
He nodded, "Be careful, for Stephen and Theobald have powerful allies. There are many in Normandy who would see Theobald as King of England." He smiled as if to make it easier for me, "Anyway he is back in Blois now so you two are unlikely to lock horns again."
"He sent men to try to kill me when I returned north."
"And?" He did not seem surprised and that annoyed me.
"And they died!"
He nodded, "I would not cross you Alfraed; you do not take prisoners do you?"
"Not the likes of Stephen I don't." He nodded and turned to go, "My lord, we have brought our warhorses. Will we need them? I would
not risk such fine animals in the mountains of Wales."
"No, you are right. Leave them here. The Welsh do not use many knights and they like to kill horses." I did not want to lose Star in the mountainous valleys and summits of North Wales.
We had just the one night to spend in the damp camp by the river in Chester. We left four men to guard our war horses and my conroi set off across the east towards the flat rich plains of Cheshire.
Although the land was flatter than that which we would encounter closer to Gwynedd it still rose and fell. It made the prospect of both ambush and attack closer. Although we had not brought Aiden both Ralph and Alan had proved adept woodsmen. I could now see how the handful of archers had managed to survive after their leader was dead. They had been born in the woods and had natural skills at tracking and, more importantly, avoiding being seen. Dick was well impressed by them and the two new archers ranged far ahead of us. My captain of archers was confident in their ability. Our task was simple; we had to find and hold the Welsh and send a rider to the Earl who would then bring our army to destroy them. If we did not find any sign of them this first day then it meant we had lost them.
Alan found them within a few hours of beginning his tracking. He came riding in with a face flushed with excitement. "I have found them, Baron! They have a camp just three miles away. There is a river and a bridge. Some of the town is burned and they have taken cattle and, I think, prisoners."
Had this been Dick then I could have shown him the map which the Earl had given us but Alan could not read and had never seen a map. I would have to work this out in order to send a report back to the Earl. I knew how far we had come and where we were, roughly, on the map. There was just one bridge close to a settlement.
"Send a rider back to the Earl and tell him that we have found the men of Gwynedd close to Nantwich." I turned to my knights. "I think I know why they have chosen this place to rest. There are many places here where they make salt. They can use it to raid further afield while gathering plunder to take back to their mountain kingdom. They will slaughter and salt some of the cattle. We have a chance to catch them. They must be confident."