Rose Victory - Eagle Series

by Eagle Lady

  The three knights and the soldiers had arranged themselves in a half circle under the squire’s tree. In pairs, horses facing different directions, they waited. The earl and Sir Stefan sat on their horses to their fore, just off the path. Side by side, both faced the trees on the other side of the small clearing, their bodies relaxed but their eyes were continually searching, trying to penetrate the gloom of the forest. Neither had drawn their swords. Almost directly below the tree Sir Ivan sat his horse, he as well as the rest of the soldiers already had their weapons in hand. No one spoke and then a movement at the edge of his vision made Aguilus look towards the trees on the other side of the path.

  A sea of faces, a multitude of bodies materialized from the trees. The boy wished he had never learnt to count, surely there were nearly a hundred men facing their small number? No wonder they dared to attack them. The outlaws dressed in rags, their hair dirty and unkempt; they huddled together as they left the protection of the trees. They carried all kinds of weapons, from rusty swords to clubs, spears and even pitchforks.

  There were too many of them! Aguilus looked with mounting alarm at his father who sat, calm but watchful, on his horse. Then a mirthless smile split the earl’s face as he drew his enormous sword. Sir Stefan did likewise. The sound of sliding steel as the swords left their scabbards had never seemed so dangerous or menacing to Aguilus. The boy took comfort from the sound and from the look of utter contempt on the faces of the knights.

  At that moment the squire realized that neither of the two men wore full armour. Their heads, as well as their arms remained unprotected, only breast and back plates protected their torsos over quilted gambesons and steel-mailed chausses their legs. Thank God all the horses wore protective armour… This was no coincidence, the boy realized, his father had prepared for just such an occurrence as this. Horses and legs protected from a possible attack from unhorsed bandits and head and arms with the freedom of movement to cut them down.

  Slowly, the earl tied the reins of his horse to the pommel of his saddle and drew out a small battle axe; this he hefted in his left hand. Sword held in his right hand, across his horse’s neck, he waited unmoving once again; black, intense gaze on the approaching men.

  Aguilus nearly lost his grip on the branch, with such unexpectedness did the earl’s and Sir Stefan’s sudden actions surprise him. They had waited, immobile, unmoving until the outlaws were almost upon them. Then at an unheard, unseen signal, they each spurred their horses away and to either sides of the approaching human horde in a sudden burst of speed and action.

  The squire watched in awe as the two men circled the surprised bandits and attacked them from behind. Weapons slashing, hacking and ripping, the knights pushed the outlaws towards the waiting soldiers. Now Aguilus understood perfectly what Sir Stefan had tried to teach him about controlling his mount with just his legs. Hands busy with weapons, the two knights controlled and guided their horses exclusively with their powerful legs.

  A shout from below distracted the boy from the awe inspiring sight of the devastation that the two men alone were causing the bandits. Three, in some cases four outlaws, engaged each pair of soldiers. The sight brought him to his senses. Although the men-at-arms seemed to be holding their own against the unskilled assailants, Aguilus did not deem it fair odds and he decided to take a hand.

  Carefully, so as not to lose his balance, he put his hand into the leather bag and extracted one of the heavy stones he had collected the night before by the stream. They weren’t very big, just slightly larger than his fist and wouldn’t do much damage, but as a distraction he hoped they would do just fine.

  Taking careful aim at one of two bandits that attacked one of his father’s men, he let the stone fly at the back of the man’s head. The stone hit right on target. The outlaw swung round to confront this new threat and fell victim to his beleaguered opponent. Satisfied with both his aim and the fact that the soldier could now deal with the remaining attacker, Aguilus looked for a new target.

  He found it in a pair that fought almost directly below him. The soldier had a long slash down his right arm which bled profusely, yet he still faced an enormous bandit who attacked him with a long rusty sword. Putting extra force into the swing, the squire flung a small rock at the man’s head.

  This time the stone hit the side of the outlaw’s head, just above his eye. The man stood there stunned for a moment and then he collapsed to the ground, out cold. The wounded soldier looked in disbelief at the felled giant and then up into the tree; only to see a grinning face from among leaves looking down at him. After a gasp of surprise, he saluted the boy with his good hand and returned to the fight.

  None of the rest of the stones that Aguilus threw after that worked quite as well as the one that toppled the big bandit. Nevertheless they did distract the targets and allowed the men-at-arms a chance to strike back.

  In a surprisingly short time the fighting came to an end. A few of the outlaws melted back into the trees and the rest threw down their weapons and surrendered. More than half of the bandits lay dead or wounded on the ground.

  Aguilus, mindful of his father’s orders, remained quietly in the tree watching the prisoners dragging their fallen comrades out of sight into the forest. Sir Ivan seemed to have been given the task of supervising the move. He stood near the foot of the squire’s tree indicating the next bodies to be moved, when Aguilus noticed one of the ‘dead’ bandits behind Sir Ivan move. He watched in horror as the man abruptly rose to his feet, a long knife gripped in his hand and aimed at the back of the knight’s neck.

  “IVAN!”

  Only the boy’s shout of warning and Sir Ivan’s own immediate reaction saved his life. The knight turned quickly in the direction of the warning, raising the naked sword in his hand, almost as a reflex action. It deflected the falling knife and then continued on to end the life of the would-be assassin.

  The earl, now on foot with Sir Stefan beside him, approached a slightly shaken Ivan. “Are you alright, Ivan?”

  “Yes, my lord.” The young knight’s voice sounded a bit unsteady. Somehow a difference existed between facing death on your own terms in battle and the vile attack he had just been the target off. “If it hadn’t been for Aguilus’ warning…” Ivan left the sentence unfinished and looked up into the tree. His two companions followed his gaze.

  A smiling face, with bright golden eyes and a salient aquiline nose looked back down at them from among the leaves, the rest of his body hidden by the foliage.

  “You saved my life just now, Aguilus. You have my gratitude.” Ivan gave a heartfelt sigh. “I should have been more careful.”

  “Yes, you should have.” The earl’s expressionless face and cold tone masked the concern that had been obvious a moment before. “Never let down your guard whilst you are surrounded by enemies, dead or alive.”

  Ivan nodded, accepting the reprimand, knowing it stemmed from concern. “I am sorry, my lord. It will not happen again.”

  Roydon laid a hand on Ivan’s shoulder, a look of approval settling on his face. “You have done well today, Ivan. This is your first real battle. I am well satisfied.”

  Ivan literally glowed with his lord’s praise. “Thank you, sir. I will just finish with the outlaws.”

  “There is someone else who has been very busy today according to the reports I have been receiving.” Roydon looked up at the boy again.

  From the speculative look on the earl’s face Aguilus could not determine if his father approved or not of said reports. He opted to remain quiet on the subject until he found out. “Can I come down now, my lord?” he asked, emphasizing the fact that he had been obedient and remained in the tree, in case the earl found fault with his ‘distractions’.

  Sir Stefan smiled at Roydon, realising full well the intention behind the boy’s question. “You must admit, Roy, the boy is learning.”

  “Yes he is.” The earl positioned himself under the tree and held out his arms. This time when he looked up such pride and a
pproval shone from his eyes that Aguilus blushed a deep red with the knowledge he had pleased his father. “Jump!”

  Aguilus did not hesitate for a moment. He jumped into his father’s arms, never surer of anything than that the powerful arms held out to him, would never let him fall.

  “I am proud of you, son.” The earl set Aguilus feet first on the ground. “Your actions probably saved a few lives today.”

  Embarrassed, the squire tried to belittle his actions. “I only threw a few stones, Father. Nothing like what you and Uncle Stefan did,” the boy’s eyes shone at the memory. “You rode and controlled your horses without using your hands!”

  “That takes a lot of training, practice and hard work,” Sir Stefan explained seriously. “I have been trying to teach you.”

  “Yes, but now I understand. I will never complain again.”

  “I never heard you complain before.” Stefan raised an eyebrow in question.

  Aguilus bowed his head apologetically, “I complained in my head, sir.”

  “Ah, I see.” Stefan chuckled. “I’ll be sure to listen more carefully next time.”

  Sir Ivan’s return ended the short period of levity. At the earl’s curt nod he gave his report on their casualties. “Three dead, four wounded, my lord,” his voice sombre, he added, “We also had to sacrifice eight horses.”

  “Damn them!” The earl thought for a moment. “Put the wounded in the cart and our dead onto horses; they deserve better than to be left here.”

  “What do we do with the prisoners, sir?” Sir Ivan grimaced. “There are eighteen, seven of them wounded.”

  “The wounded we leave behind, we have no way of taking them with us. Their friends will probably come for them when we leave, they can also bury their dead. Anyway I will get the local baron to come and clean this place up. He can also decide the fate of the other eleven. Tie their hands and they can walk behind the cart.”

  “I’ll get to it right away, my lord.”

  “Be as quick as you can, Ivan. I want to leave this place as soon as possible.”

  “I will come and help.” Sir Stefan walked away accompanied by the young knight.

  “You will have to give your horse to one of the men, Aguilus; some of them will have to ride double as it is.” The earl pursed his lips and issued a piercing whistle. “Think you are brave enough to ride Black?”

  “Ride your warhorse?” The thunder of approaching hooves drowned out the boy’s incredulous question as men scrambled out of the way of the enormous horse. The huge animal snorted to a stop beside the earl.

  Aguilus remained absolutely still. One of the first things he had learnt had been never to move abruptly when near a warhorse, or better yet never to go near one. They were dangerous animals, bred for the battlefield and could easily kill with their iron shod hooves. In the case of Black only his master and one of the grooms at home, who took care of him, could get near the horse with any degree of safety.

  Nevertheless Aguilus had been fascinated by the horse since he had first seen him. Totally black from the tip of his tail to his nose, the steed towered above other horses. He even surpassed Sir Stefan’s animal and Troll was big enough. Massive and deep chested, the stallion carried both its master and the black armour that protected it, with ease.

  Fierce but surprisingly intelligent dark brown eyes watched its master intently, as it pawed the ground as if impatient to be off. Aguilus shrunk back almost involuntarily against his father but the earl held him firmly. Roydon raised a hand and swept it down confidently along the animal’s face and then rubbed his nose. The steed calmed immediately, lowering his head to receive the caress.

  “Give me your hand.” Roydon spoke softly and taking the boy’s hand in his own, he deliberately rubbed it along the horse’s nose, caressing it and at the same time allowing the animal to assimilate his son’s smell and equate it with his own.

  Aguilus could not believe that he actually touched the beautiful animal. Then his father lifted him and deposited him gently on the horse in front of the saddle. He froze. It seemed as if he were up in the tree again, only this time it moved! He had learnt to ride of course, but this was the earl’s warhorse! Instinctively he grabbed the horse’s mane; the ground seemed very far away. The steed, feeling the unfamiliar light weight on its back, gathered itself to dislodge it.

  “HOLD!” The earl’s harsh command and a sharp tap on its nose stopped the horse cold. It stood absolutely still, although a slight tremor run down its body as his master gathered the reins and mounted behind his son. Aguilus did not feel the animal relax until his father had bent forward and patted the steed’s neck firmly in praise.

  “Do not ever approach him, unless you are with me.” The earl’s command was categorical. “It will take time before he gets used to you.”

  “Yes, sir!” Aguilus had absolutely no intention of disobeying his father on this.

  Chapter Seven

  The earl decided to approach the king’s residence from the south, thereby bypassing the huge, sprawling city that lay in their path. It would take almost a day longer to reach their destination, but they would not have to cross the city with its narrow, crowded streets and dangerous, oppressive and often smelly roads.

  Following the outskirts of the capital, Aguilus could not help but be impressed by the large number of buildings that filled the horizon; a horizon hazy with the smoke from thousands of chimneys, pierced only by dozens of church spires.

  Sometimes odd glimpses of the massive city walls could be seen behind the nearest buildings, but more often than not these were completely obscured by the new buildings that had long since overflowed the old fortifications.

  The previous evening, the small troop of men from Eagle Rock had stopped at a large inn, the earl preferring to arrive at the Tower in the morning rather than after dusk. Four days earlier they had left their wounded soldiers to recover at an ally’s keep, at the same time the earl had also replaced their dead horses. As soon as they arrived at the inn Lord Roydon sent a messenger advising the king’s steward of his imminent arrival, as custom dictated. He also asked for an audience with His Majesty. As one of the country’s elite noblemen he should not have long to wait to be received by his liege lord.

  The Tower stood on a slight rise in the ground and it was not as Aguilus had expected. Instead of a single structure, the Tower was made up of a vast array of imposing buildings. Curtain walls, courtyards, imposing towers and battlements covered the high ground, dominating the city below. High walls surrounded the enormous complex and a river added to its defences. Banners flew from its high towers and soldiers patrolled the walls.

  Aguilus sat on his horse in open mouthed wonder as he stared in awe at their destination. The earl drew Black to a halt beside his son’s horse. “This is the Tower. The king’s stronghold, it has never been taken,” pride rung in Roydon’s voice. He had served here before his marriage. In this fortress he had spent an important part of his life, a time that he would not easily forget.

  Sir Stefan drew rein on Roydon’s other side, an expression of thoughtful recollection on his face. “More than ten years ago and it seems like yesterday when you commanded here.”

  The squire turned to stare at the earl, his eyes huge and unblinking. “You were in charge of that?” he pointed at the castle complex before them.

  “You have not told the boy, Roy?” Stefan smiled openly at the earl’s embarrassed shrug. “Not only did your father command here, as the youngest commander of the army ever, his strategy was instrumental in defeating the rebellion twelve years ago.”

  “The king was pleased to take my advice, Stefan. We were lucky.”

  “Nonsense, you saved countless lives and achieved a lasting peace that we enjoy to this day,” countered the knight seriously.

  “Don’t fill the boy’s head with tall tales, Stef. I but did my duty, as you did.” Roydon started forward again. “We will enter by the middle gate. Our chambers and the men’s quarters should have been
prepared by now.”

  Aguilus walked his horse beside Sir Stefan’s, his avid gaze centred on the knight. “Father commanded the king’s army?”

  “Oh yes, for over three years, the last two of which he was also warden of the Tower.” Stefan nodded at the earl’s back. “You just watch the soldiers’ reaction at the gate when they see him. Even after ten years he has not been forgotten.”

  “Will you tell me about it, Sir Stefan?”

  “Absolutely, my boy,” Stefan laughed outright at the glare that the earl directed back at him.

  As they neared the Middle Gate, Sir Ivan who had been riding with the men-at-arms came forward and addressed the earl, his voice formal. “Shall we unfurl the banner, my lord?”

  “If you must, Ivan.” Roydon sighed in resignation and both Ivan and Stefan chuckled.

  “Aguilus, come with me.” Ivan turned his horse away and led the squire back to the cart that held their equipment and baggage. Pulling out a long pole, he carefully unfurled the banner attached at its apex and handed it to the boy. “As the earl’s squire it is your honour and duty to carry your lord’s banner.”

  Aguilus’ eyes glowed with excitement. Carefully he anchored the long pole on his stirrup, watching the banner with the golden eagle on the blue background soaring over a green mountain, unfurl in the wind.

  “You ride behind your lord.”

  The squire nodded, too affected to even speak, as he turned his horse back to join his father. The men-at-arms cheered him as he cantered past them and the boy laughed with the sheer exhilaration of the moment.

  “Ivan does so like his pageantry,” Roydon glanced back at his son and had to smile in spite of himself. The boy sat on his horse as straight and erect as the staff he held in his white knuckled hand. Every pore in his body oozed pride and a wide grin decorated his face.

  Stefan followed the earl’s gaze, “Your son seems to like it too,” he nodded at the boy. Then he pulled his horse back to ride slightly behind the earl, on his off side.