by Griff Hosker
“And if I wish them to live, what then?”
“They would be branded on the chest with an M for malefactor.”
“And…?”
“They could be imprisoned but then you would have to feed them. I have another suggestion.”
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. I saw him smile. He stood, “You are all guilty of many crimes. You attempted to kill my Earl and his men. I could have you all executed.” Their heads fell forward. “However, the Earl has made a suggestion and it is one which shows a degree of clemency.” They all lifted their faces as one. “You will all be branded to show that you have committed a crime and you will be put to work here in the tower. The Master Mason and the constable will ensure that you work and do not escape. I will return here in one year. I may release you to return to live your own lives. If you have not shown that you can work then you will continue to labour for me. Escape will be punished by death. Constable have them taken away and branded. Have the farrier fit shackles to their legs. Take them away.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” I could hear the respect in Sir Ralph’s voice.
The King turned to the Mayor, “I have provided the labour and given you the method to increase the number. You have authority in the city use it! Have the vagabonds employed to work on my walls. You and your council will feed the ones who build and you will provide the stone and the Master Mason. The money we collected from Waller will provide most of the stone. I expect all of the rest to be supplied by you. When the remainder of you leave the Earl and I will tell the mason of our needs.”
He did not request he commanded and I saw the council all nod. That one moment in the Tower saw the beginnings of a King.
Chapter 6
The Road North
We left Windsor a week later. Hubert de Burgh had managed to hire some men at arms. He brought more than a hundred but after I had examined them sixty were dismissed as being unsuitable. The King showed his new-found maturity by supporting me against the King’s Council. I knew that I had made three enemies but that did not bother me. When I told them that I would take him north their reaction was a mixture of pleasure that they could act as they saw fit but jaundiced by the worry that I might change their young charge. The King showed that he had been listening and told them that they had three months to draft the Charter of the Forests. That told them how long he would be away.
One of the names supplied to me by William Marshal was Roger de Hauteville. He had a strategically placed manor close to the Great North Road. Sawtry had been three manors in the time of the Saxons but William the Conqueror had made it into one. Roger de Hauteville was another favoured by King John. When the French had invaded he had changed sides. Once they had been defeated he had reverted to allegedly supporting King Henry. William Marshal told me that Roger de Hauteville was plotting with other dissident lords to usurp the King. He had shaken his head sadly when he had pointed to the baron’s name. “I was one who supported this knight, as I supported you. He let me down and deceived me. If I could fight one more battle it would be against him.” That alone might have helped me make the decision to confront the baron. My other reason was more pragmatic. Sawtry had just a fortified hall. We would not have to besiege it. I was aware that I had less than a hundred men to enforce the King’s will.
As we headed into Cambridgeshire I confided in Sir Robert and the King. Ridley the Giant, William and Henry Youngblood rode behind us so that we would not be overheard. “We need to make other potentially rebellious lords know that we will brook no opposition to your rule.”
“I am still in my minority!”
“Yes, my liege but the longer we allow the Council to rule England the more likely it is that rebel barons will think they can get away with flouting your authority. William Marshal told me that Sir Roger has begun to build a keep. He has not sought permission to do so. You cannot allow your enemies to have homes which can be defended against you.”
“How will we approach this, Earl?”
“Simple. We ride to the hall and speak with the baron. He has two choices: he can meet and speak with us or he can fight.”
Sir Robert said, “Fight the King?”
“Others have done that. As the King says he is in his minority. We will see.”
“And do we have enough men, Earl?”
“We could use a few more but it will do. I am guessing we will outnumber his garrison.” I saw the doubt on his young face and I understood it but I had been given the responsibility of making him a king. The three lords who were advising him were just trying to run a country. When Henry reached his majority then he would have to rule without a crutch. “You need to have strong castles, my liege. You have made a good start with the Tower but Windsor could be improved. When we reach Stockton then you will see what we have done.” I had the nettle to grasp and I did. “Your father pulled down my castle when I was in the Holy Land. I have had to rebuild.”
“Yet you now support me.”
“I would have supported your father if he had let me but he did not. That is water under the bridge. As they say in Normandy, ‘the carrot is out of the ground’.” He frowned. “It means, lord, that what has been done cannot be undone and a wise man learns to live with the past and make a better future.”
“I see. Castles cost coin, Earl.”
“And you can defend them with a few men. Less than forty men could hold Stockton for me. So long as there is a well and you have high, well-made walls then you can hold out for a long time.” I did not mind his questions. They were a mark of his increasing maturity.
We stayed, that night, at the small manor of Sir William d’Urberville. He had a manor at Knebworth. It was just a fortified hall but I noticed that the King paid a great deal of attention to it. He was looking for the weaknesses. Sir William was in his thirties and had a couple of sons. His manor had been ransacked by the retreating French and I had known of his views before I suggested staying with him.
After we had eaten his wife took the boys away so that we could talk. “What do you know of Baron de Hauteville?”
I asked the question deliberately and I saw the knight hesitate. I said nothing but allowed him to make up his mind first. I looked in his eyes. One thing I had learned, while travelling the world, was how to recognise a lie. The lessons had been expensive. Men had died because I had not always seen the signs. Now I could. When he spoke, I saw no lie in his eyes.
“I confess that I do not like him. Until the French came we served together in King John’s army. When he deserted it cost us dear for he knew the back ways of this land and he led French warriors as well as his own to pillage. I was lucky that my wife was staying with her father, the Earl of Bedford. The French besieged the Earl and the old man died. My wife, as you might understand is bitter. Many of our people were made homeless.” I saw him glance at King Henry. If he thought the King could have done anything then he was a fool. From the look I saw on the boy king’s face, he was also unhappy about the actions of this rogue knight. “He has received no punishment.”
The King said, “I knew not about this until you spoke. Earl, are there many such knights who have caused pain and mischief in my land?”
“There are, my liege. While your father was fighting rebels and the French some lords took advantage of the situation. Some sought power and others sought land. I know the names of some of them. I hope that a few lessons might bring most of them to heel. They are testing the waters, my liege. They want to know how you will respond.” I turned to Sir William. “We go to speak with this knight on the morrow. You are more than welcome to join us. Justice will be done.”
“Justice?”
The King nodded, “I will make him swear an oath and I will demand that he makes reparation. Which other manors did he damage?”
The knight gave us a list of four manors. Two were now without lords because de Hauteville had slain them. The King looked at me. “I know not the full extent of my powers yet, Sir William, but I am certain tha
t the Earl will guide me.”
When we left, the next day, Sir William did not accompany us. I knew why. He feared to leave his wife alone and he saw how few men we had. He feared we would fail and did not wish to risk the wrath of a vengeful neighbour. I did not blame him but, as we headed north, I saw the doubt begin to creep across the King’s countenance. It was a lesson he would have to learn. There were no certainties in life. Roger de Hauteville had been a companion of King John who had played both sides. He had survived because the Pope had demanded that there be no retribution after the civil war. De Hauteville had reaped the benefit.
When we were less than a mile from Sawtry I said, “Sir Robert, William, unfurl the banners. We will let them know who approaches.”
The land was flat and the hall only stood out because it had two floors. I guessed that the baron lived on the first floor and kept his animals beneath him. There was a fighting platform around the roof. I spied a warrior hall. It was almost as big as the hall save that it had just one floor.
We did not gallop up the road. We kept a steady pace. I watched men come from the warrior hall and then enter the hall. I saw mailed men appear on the fighting platform. Sir Robert asked, “Does that mean there will be a problem, Earl?”
“I think the baron will be taking precautions. He knows not why we approach. Keep your hand from your weapon, Sir Robert. I have two archers with me and they will ensure that there is no treachery.”
As we neared the hall I saw a knight accompanied by two others leave the hall. I had never met the Baron de Hauteville but I recognised his livery. When we reined in he bowed, “King Henry, this is an honour! I served your father for many years and was rewarded by this manor and two others.”
Had we not stopped at Knebworth then the King might have been taken in by the baron’s smooth words. The King did not dismount. He was learning. If he had dismounted he would have had to look up at the baron. This way the baron stared up at the King and into the sun. “And yet, Sir Roger, you sided with the French. More you took advantage of the confusion to take more land and to help the French to ransack manors.”
“That is a lie, Your Majesty!!”
I leaned forward, “And are you calling the King a liar?”
He glared up at me, “The King, as you well know, Cleveland, has no powers yet for there are three men who are Regent. I do not call the King a liar for he is young and does not know yet how to judge a man properly. It is my belief that he heard the lie from your lips and is merely repeating it.”
I heard my men begin to murmur, “Peace!” I dismounted and, handing my reins to William, walked forward. I took off my leather gauntlet. “Sir Roger, I am unaccustomed to being called a liar. Know you that the Earl Marshal of England told me of your pernicious acts. You will now apologise; first to the King and then to me. We will then come to the meat of our visit.”
The knight was just slightly taller than I was and I saw that he was broad too. He smiled at the King as he gave him a slight bow.
“King Henry, I am sorry. I am sorry that you have been duped by this murderer of clergymen!”
I took my glove and struck him across the face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a crossbow appear over the parapet. There was the snap of an arrow and the crossbow fell to the ground with a clatter. The crossbowman had an arrow in his hand.
“It seems your men are as treacherous as you. I take it you accept my challenge?”
“Of course. I choose sword and we fight on foot.”
“As you wish.”
I turned and walked back to my horse. I saw that while William looked confident, the King and Sir Robert looked apprehensive. “William, my helmet and shield.” He dismounted and handed the reins of both horses to Ridley. Ridley the Giant also looked confident. I took off my cloak and hung it over my saddle.
“Are you sure about this, Earl?”
“Yes, my liege, there was no way of avoiding it once he called you a liar. It was deliberate provocation. Had we done nothing then it would have encouraged others to be as insolent.”
Sir Robert said, “I should have challenged him.”
“And you would have lost, Sir Robert.”
“I protest, lord! I have fought in tourneys.”
“And this is a fight to the death. How many of those have you fought?”
There was an eloquent silence. William returned with my helmet. He held my shield until I had donned my arming cap and pulled up my coif. I did not need a ventail as the coif left just my nose and eyes exposed. The helmet was well made and I had good vision. Many knights preferred one with narrower eye holes. A lance or a spear could penetrate my eye holes. It was a risk I was willing to take. I held out my arm and William slid the shield on to it. He also slipped a dagger into my left hand and then he tightened the straps around my arm. The Warlord’s father had fought with a bigger shield which he held in his fist. In the one hundred and fifty years since then shields and styles of fighting had changed.
“Ready, Cleveland?”
I turned. He had a full helm such as I wore but he had narrower eye holes. His sword looked to be a good one although it did not have a tip. His surcoat covered most of his mail as did mine but I saw that he had metal disks on his shoulders and elbows. He probably had them on his knees too. “I am ready. Do you not wish to speak with a priest and confess?”
“No, for when this is over it is your soul which will be wandering in purgatory!” The baron was confident.
I smiled for he was not as well versed in such matters as I was. “To the death?”
He nodded, “To the death!”
He had great belief in his own chances of victory for he was slightly younger than I was. I now had some grey hairs. In a few years I would over fifty. He launched himself at me. Stepping forward on his right leg he swung his sword in a wide sweep. He was going for my neck. I brought up my shield and put my weight on my left leg. The blow was hard but he made the mistake of using the edge of the blade. It would rip the leather of my shield but also begin to blunt his sword. Even as I stepped forward I swung my own sword. My blow would be delivered with the flat of the sword and I deliberately aimed for his shield. I would not blunt my edge. In particular I went for the place he held his shield. The crack as my sword hit his shield made one of the horses whinny and he had to step back. Full helmets meant that you could not see your opponent’s face. I did not need to see it to know that he had been hurt for he took two steps backwards. My men cheered.
I had time on my side and I did not follow up. I was more than happy to fight a defensive battle. When he shuffled his shield, I knew that he was trying to get the feeling back into his arm. My shield had padding on the inside. I had learned that from the Swedes. He came at me and this time he feinted. He wanted me to lift my shield but I did not for I saw that, unlike his first strike, he did not raise his arm as high. I feigned moving my shield up and he changed his swing to strike at my thigh. He had quick hands and I barely managed to bring the shield down to block the blow. The sword slid down the shield and struck the metal plate on my knee. It rang and this time the knight’s men cheered. I lunged with my sword. I did have a tip. It was unlikely that I would break a mail link but I hoped to weaken it. He was not expecting the blow and his shield did not rise in time. Perhaps his arm was still numb. My sword hit his left shoulder. The blow was a hard one and he took another step back. I had not broken the link but I had widened it. I could see it. He could not.
He changed his tactics. He suddenly held up his shield and ran at me. He tried to strike me with his shield and his sword at the same time. He was bigger and heavier than me. I pirouetted on my left foot. As I did I brought the flat of my sword around. He struck at my sword with his own. The difference was he hit the flat of my sword with the edge of his. Sparks flew. He swung his head around and his helmet caught me on the side of the head. He punched at me with the pommel of his sword. My shield came up to take the blow. The strike to my helmet had made me see stars. I think he sen
sed victory for he launched a furious attack on me. He was almost like a Viking who had gone berserk. He swung shield and sword at me in as a succession of quick blows. My instincts and training saved me and he began to tire. When a tired and lazy blow came at my shield I turned the shield and then swung my left arm down towards his thigh. I still held the wickedly pointed dagger in my shield hand. The tip was narrow enough to penetrate the mail links and to make a hole in the gambeson. I hit flesh and blood was on my dagger when I withdrew it.
He stepped back. I felt as though I could read his mind. He was running through the last tricks that he had left. I felt less dizzy but the constant attacks had tired me. I needed to end this. When he brought his sword from on high I did not meet it with my shield but the flat of my blade. I intended not only to blunt his blade but, if I could, bend it. The metal rang together and sparks flew. He struck again and expected my shield. I met his sword with mine and then punched with my shield. The move took him by surprise. The top of my shield caught him under the chin. He swung again at my head but this time he punched with his shield at my head at the same time. He caught my helmet a glancing blow and I stepped back. As I did so I saw that his sword was no longer straight. When he held it against the light I saw the slight kink in it. The next time he swung the arc was not as true and when I met it with the edge of my shield the sword bent a little more. He had hacked wood from my shield but that was a small price to pay.
“Sir Roger, yield. Your sword is no longer true!”
“What and be put on trial? I will take my chances. Lay on!” As he raised his sword I did something totally unexpected. I spun around. His sword came where I had stood and my sword, the edge this time, swung around to hit his back. It was a powerful blow. When I had weakened his mail at his shoulder the integrity of it all was affected. My sword hurt him. I heard something crack beneath his skin. It may have been ribs. I spun the other way and this time brought my sword down diagonally. I hit his neck hard. Before he could recover I lifted my left arm and plunged my dagger into his throat. Blood spurted and he slowly sank to his knees. My men cheered. I lifted the mask from the lower half of my face for I was hot beyond words.