by Griff Hosker
Anna of Thorpe curtsied, "Thank you, my lord, and I am sorry that I did not seem more grateful."
"You held your family together and you did what you had to. Do not reproach yourself."
I was mounting my horse when William of Wulfestun approached me. "I swear I will not let you down, lord. I know that my body could be swinging in the trees and I would be meat for the birds but you have to believe me that I did not choose that life."
I pointed to Dick and the other archers, "All of those were bandits and outlaws once. The difference is that they did not prey on women and children. I believed you and I believed the young woman. You have the chance for a new life. Consider today the day you are reborn." He looked at them with new eyes. To him they were the men of the Earl of Cleveland. Now he knew their past he could see the way to redemption.
I was quiet as I rode home. I believed I had done a good thing and I believed that William would keep his word. Only time would tell. Life had a way of changing a man and his nature. I had been betrayed and let down before. Most of those who had done so were now dead. I had a vengeful side to my nature.
The days of winter were so short that, by the time we reached home it was dark. The only saving grace of this time of year was that our enemies rarely moved in such times. My land was harsh and unforgiving whilst in the grip of icy winter. That did not stop us keeping a close watch on our borders and our homes but it was unlikely that we would be attacked.
When we rode through my gates I was greeted by John, my steward. "My lord, did you find the bandits?"
"We did and they have been despatched. The land to the north is scoured."
" Alice has prepared food, my lord."
"Good. Tell me, John, when do you expect the 'Adela' back?"
"At this time of year, lord, it is a twelve day voyage there and back. Captain William is a good captain and a careful one. He will return as soon as he can."
"I know John but I hate this lack of news. It is sad to think that we cannot find out what is happening in our own country save by what we hear from Normandy."
"We cannot make the winds and the seas obey us lord."
We entered my hall and Alice, who was ready and waiting with her cooks, began to serve up. It was her way of telling me to eat! She was very much the mother of the hall. She never shouted, at least I had never heard her do so but Wulfric and all my men at arms obeyed her words as though commands from me.
"This smells good, Alice. Have Wulfric and Dick join us. You two as well." I pointed to my steward and my castellan.
Sir John and John were frequent guests at my table but they never took the honour for granted. They nodded their acceptance and sat. We ate the warm rye and barley bread while we waited. Alice had warmed some ale with a poker and that warmed my chilled bones. I waited until all of my guests arrived before I spoke.
"Eat and I will tell you my thoughts. This day has sharpened my mind." They nodded and began to eat. Alice's frown left her face and she hurried her servants away to fetch more food. We never went short. "The problem we encountered this day was a foretaste of the future. How stand we for war, John?"
"Thanks to the monies and jewels you brought from York we are financially sound. Our coffers are full and we do not need to burden the people with heavy taxes this year." He waved his hand at Wulfric and Dick. "Thanks to the skills of you and your men we have both ransoms and arms from battle too. The goods we trade also bring in money. The problem is buying what we do not produce and cannot capture. We no longer have local markets such as York and Durham. Other traders do not visit the port and we have but the one ship."
"And what are we short of?"
"Wheat, lord."
I shook my head, "We can get that and wine from my estate in Anjou. We are at war. We can eat oat and barley bread. What of the iron we need for weapons and armour? What of horses?"
"We have iron aplenty lord but if we have trouble with the De Brus clan then there may be a problem for the mines are close to their lands."
"Do we have trouble?"
John nodded, "Men have raided the mines and taken some of what the miners have gathered and they fear for their lives. None have been killed yet but that is because the miners flee at the first sign of raiders."
I looked at Wulfric, "Then we make war on the De Brus again so that they cannot interfere." He nodded, "And horses, John. I am aware now of the need. Star has gone and others, like Scout, are no longer able to endure a long campaign. We need horses for the future."
He looked out of his depth, "I know money, lord, not horses. We have stallions and we have mares. They mate...."
"You are right John. I will speak with Aiden." I looked at my three warriors. "We have food and we have weapons. When I see Aiden we shall have horses but what of men?"
They looked at each other and it was Wulfric who spoke. "The men we have are good men. More than that, they are the best men that we could have but..."
"There are not enough of them."
"Aye my lord."
"Archers?" I looked to Dick, my captain of archers.
"I am more hopeful than a couple of years ago. We now have many young men who will be as good an archer as you could wish for but not until next year or the year after. From then on we will have a steady supply of replacements."
"And that is good news. Sir John, if I take away my archers and men have you a garrison?"
"I will be blunt, my lord, I have only the Varangians and the men of the town. They are keen but lack skill."
Wulfric shook his head, "Erre and his brothers are getting old."
Dick said, "Aye, they are like your father and his men when they returned from Miklagård." He shrugged apologetically, " No offence, lord."
"I know. I take no offence. My father and his men should have enjoyed their last days telling tales and enjoying grandchildren. They should not have had to die defending their land against Scottish raiders and bandits. Erre and his should enjoy a more peaceful old age. Steward, I want the money made available to Sir John here. Hire ten men at arms and ten archers. They will be your garrison."
"That is easier said than done, lord. We no longer have the markets to hire such men we once did and what about their loyalty?"
The wind suddenly whipped the shutters open on the eastern end of the hall and Wulfric jumped up to shut them. "There is always Denmark and the Low Countries. Our ship would have a shorter journey and they are not our enemies."
Wulfric snorted, "Not yet."
"Come Wulfric, we have fought against these men have we not? I am sure Sven the Rus could help us to choose some good men at arms."
He nodded, "It is worth a try, lord."
John the Steward asked, "My lord, I mean no impertinence but can we win?"
"Win?"
"My lord I am no warrior, I am a bookkeeper. However being a bookkeeper I know numbers. I have been reckoning up the men at your disposal. If we stripped all of your castles of your knights, archers, squires and men at arms then you could field an army of no more than a hundred and sixty men."
I smiled, "A hundred and sixty five, John, I can count too. And your point is...?"
"When the Scots come they will bring more men than that. They will bring hundreds more than that. King Stephen can bring more than that from the Palatinate and York alone. The Scots hate us and every village north of the wall and south of it too would send men who were eager to ravage this land. We are the thorn in their side. I am just a bookkeeper but I can see that. How could we defeat them?"
I sipped my wine. "In all honesty I do not know. But then, answer me this, how did King Harold manage to march from one end of the country to the other, defeat rebels and Vikings and then march all the way south and come within a whisker of defeating King William and his Normans?"
Poor John looked confused, "I know not, lord. It sounds impossible."
"And so it seems yet the fact of the matter is that they managed this. You ask me how will we do so and I say, honestly I do no
t know. Perhaps we will be as King Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans. We might face an army of ten thousand men and defeat it but die in doing so. If that is what we must do to save the valley then that is what we shall do. What I do know is that I will not cease to fight for my Empress, my land and my people until they hack my head from my body and tear my sword from my dead fingers."
My three warriors banged the table. Wulfric roared, "And the Earl speaks for every man at arms and archer. We are warriors and it is what we do. Money man, you give us the means to fight and you shall be safe here in Stockton's walls."
Chapter 2
The mood of my men after the meal was ebullient. They felt we could take on the world. I was not so sure but I did not break the mood. Our first task was slightly smaller in size and in my mind achievable. We had to eliminate the threat of the De Brus clan from the area south of the Tees. They had been a thorn in my side and that of my father since we had first arrived in England almost twenty years earlier. I had driven them from Normanby and they had fled to their other castle at Guisborough. Allies of both King Stephen and King David they could switch sides with ease. They were the masters of following the line of least resistance. Whatever happened to them they would survive and emerge on the winning side.
I rode out, the next day, with Dick and Sir John. We took but four archers with us. I intended to visit with Sir Tristan and Sir Harold before calling at Thorpe. Sir Tristan had been badly wounded in our last campaign. He had been close to death and was still recovering. His would be a social visit but if I was going to attack De Brus then I would need other knights and Sir Harold was always keen to improve the skills of his men and to gain treasure. He had recently married and was the poorest of my knights. When I had seen them I would visit with Sir Edward.
Hartburn was so close to us that we could be there and back in under an hour, Elton was even closer to Hartburn. We went to speak with Sir Harold first. His wife, Lady Eloise was with child and Harold was most attentive towards her. It was his first. I had been the same when Adela had been expecting William. By the time Hilda was due I was less worried.
"My lord, this is unexpected."
"It is partly social, Harold. I have not seen you for some months and wished to see how you fared. I also came to let you know that we caught and executed bandits yesterday in the woods north of Thorpe. We scoured those woods of them but there are also forests to the west of you. You should be on your guard."
"Thank you, my lord, I will do so."
I nodded, "And I also came to invite you to raid De Brus at Guisborough." He frowned. I smiled, "It is an invite, Harold and not a command. You know me well enough to know that."
"I would like to, my lord, but if there are bandits then I would like to protect my home. And my wife needs me." I saw Eloise squeeze his hand in gratitude. Hartburn was no castle. It had but a manor house. Well made to protect against the elements it would not last a determined attack.
"I understand but know this Harold, war will come to our valley this year. You will have to choose sides. Remember that my castle is always open to your family for protection. We have thick walls."
He hesitated, "When war comes we will take you up on your offer but I will forego the riches I might have attained on this attack. My wife is more important."
"As she should be."
I was slightly disappointed but I was not the kind of lord who dragged his knights away from family obligations. I was going to punish a knight and his people. I was not going to war against King David. I had enough men to do this.
After I had visited Tristan I felt a little happier for he was well on the way to recovery. He would be ready for war when spring and the campaign season started even though he was not ready to raid. Our last visit was to head north to Thorp. I was relieved to find that Thorp had been secured. My men at arms had worked hard. The doors and ditch had been repaired. The women looked happy and young William appeared to have been accepted by all the women. Anna of Thorp said, "I was wrong about him, lord. He is hard working and he is kind. I misjudged him."
"Often we do that, mother, we should give some people a second chance."
Once again it was dark as we headed home. "Can we do this with just our men, lord?" I heard the worry in Sir John's voice. This was my fault. I had left him behind my walls for so long that he had forgotten what it was like to ride to war. I was confident we would win but I understood his reservations.
"You forget Sir Edward. He may well wish to fight." Sir Edward was the oldest of my knights and the most experienced warrior outside of Wulfric. I hoped that he would join me but if he did not then I was prepared. "The way to look on this, Sir John, is that the fewer men we take the richer we shall be when we triumph."
"De Brus has a castle."
"He has wooden walls. He has a motte and he has a bailey. We have a castle. That is the difference. And we have the advantage that we have good, well fed horses. We have mobility. We take only mounted men with us. We force him to make war on us by taking from his people."
Dick asked, "What is your aim, lord?"
"To make De Brus flee to one of his two masters. I care not which one: Stephen the Usurper or King David. When they have departed we can safely mine the iron we need to make weapons and we will be stronger. We need a few months to extract as much as we can before summer. It will also give us protection from enemies from at least one side of the valley. The enemy will soon be at the gate. We have to buy time."
"Buy time, my lord?"
"Aye John until the Empress invades England." I sipped my wine. The letter I had entrusted to Gilles for Robert Earl of Gloucester had been blunt and unequivocal; I had called upon him to honour the oath he swore to his father. It had been less than polite but the Earl and I had butted heads before now. I had thought the loss of the land in the west to the Welsh would have spurred him on; Stephen had managed to lose all the land he had conquered. However he seemed happy to grab manors in Normandy. He and the Empress' husband, Geoffrey of Anjou were winning against the rebels and Stephen's supporters. However I wondered at their ultimate aim. Were they both trying to carve out larger tracts of land for themselves?
"I will visit with Sir Edward tomorrow."
Dick sensed my mood and said, quietly, "Earl, we have yet to be beaten. God is with us, I am certain, for we are in the right. Your soldiers' spirits are high. Our weapons are the best and we have the finest leader. We will win."
"I like your optimism and I believe that you may be right but here, at the end of this cold dark month I see no glow of a victorious spring."
Sir John said, "You should not be alone, lord. You need someone to replace Lady Adela." I know he meant well but I did not appreciate the comment.
I shot him an angry look and then relented immediately. John was young and did not understand. "Replacing a love is not as easy as replacing a horse, John. Forgive me, friends, I am in an ill humour this night. It has been a long day and I will retire."
As I prepared for bed I mentally berated myself. I was being less than honest. There was love in my heart and it was for a woman I could never attain. The Empress and I had lain together, we had a son and that son would become King of England one day but my life would be empty and lonely. All that I did was for England and naught was for me. I might as well have been a Templar, a warrior monk. As I lay down to sleep I could almost hear my dead father and my mentor Wulfstan say, 'and that is how it should be, Aelfraed, for you are a knight of the realm'. For some reason that thought helped me to sleep. I did not determine my course; higher forces did.
Sir Edward was keen to visit his wrath upon the De Brus clan. "Over the winter they have been raiding the outlying farms and stealing cattle. At first it was far to the east and did not concern us over much but they have raided the farm at Marton and the one at Acklam. That is but four miles hence. They grow bold and my people begin to hunger. I think your plan is the right one."
"Then we will leave in seven days time. We take mou
nted men only. We will travel to Stokesley first and then head east. I would approach not from the north but from the west. They will have learned from our last attack."
"When we chased them after the raid at Acklam we rode as far as the bridge at Ayeton. They have put small towers up. They watch the approaches from the valley."
"The hills and the rocks give them the illusion of protection. Do they have a garrison at Ayeton?"
"No lord. There is a small hall there but it is not fortified. They have the bridge which they could defend but the river is shallow enough to ford on horses!"
"Then we take Ayeton first."
I did not take all of my men at arms. I left half at home but I did take my entire troop of archers as well as Aiden, Edgar and Edward. My three scouts were worth a conroi of knights. I left clear instructions for my castellan. "Sir John keep a close watch on the north. I will be away for three days, perhaps four. Keep me informed if there is news from anyone." Although Sir Harold and Sir Tristan would not be sending men with me they would both watch the borders to the west. We were vigilant these days. Even our farmers walked the fields with short swords while their boys kept sling shots close to hand. An enemy would pay dearly for every inch of our land that they tried to take.
It was just ten miles, as the crow flies, to Ayeton but our route down the York Road added five miles to our journey. It would, however, deceive any spies and scouts who might be lurking in the woods to the south of Thornaby. They might think I was going to the manor of Yarm. I had not visited Richard of Yarm and asked for his help. He had sided with Stephen until his son had been injured. As far as I was concerned his loyalty was still a little dubious. Both his son and son in law had assured me that he was of our heart but I had my doubts. Passing so close to his land, however, meant that the first part of our journey was through that of an ally.