by Griff Hosker
Beyond the ambush I saw the banners of the Prince and Stephen as they rushed back to catch the prize that they hoped was me. I put them from my mind. I veered to the right and brought my sword down on the back of the neck of the cross bowman who was levelling his weapon at the Earl. My sword tore through his aventail but he was dead already. The blow from the heavy blade had broken his neck. Gilles had learned well and he leaned to the side to sweep his sword at the unprotected head of an archer. Blood, pieces of bone and brains splattered the trees. I heard cries from my right and left as my men at arms and knights fell upon the ambushers.
The Earl and his brother were the only two survivors who remained on their horses and I saw Prince Henry and Stephen as they raced to finish them off. I spurred Rolf who responded magnificently. I left the squires in my wake. Their horses could not keep up. I fended a blow from a billhook with my shield. The Earl and his brother had both been struck and their horses were struggling. I shouted, "Clear the way! Earl, fall back!"
I was less than twenty paces from them but they managed to pull their weary mounts to the side. I did not slow up but went directly for the Prince and Stephen the Usurper. It was a move they did not expect. They were riding boot to boot and I aimed Rolf at the narrowest of gaps. Their horses both pulled away. I swung my sword horizontally at Stephen as I punched as hard as I could with my shield at the Prince. My punch caught him just as his horse veered and he tumbled from his horse. My sword smacked hard into Stephen and he pulled away to the right. I saw the men at arms coming towards me. There were too many for me and my squires. I had bought the Earl enough time and I pulled my horse to the left. I slashed at the two men at arms' horses as I turned. The blade made them both baulk. At the same time I saw the next two were plucked from their saddles by invisible hands. It was my archers.
When I had completed my turn I was astonished to see the Earl and his brother still in the middle of the road, "Retreat! Back! Do you want to die?"
They seemed to see the column of men behind me and they put spurs to horse. I felt something strike my back but I did not turn around. I kept yelling, "Fall back! Fall back!"
Had my archers not arrived when they had done then it would have gone ill for us. As it was the unhorsed Prince and the foiled ambush made them form a defensive line. We left the woods and, when we were half a mile from them I halted the remnants of our conroi. I was relieved to see that I had lost none of my own men. The Earl and his brother looked shocked. I saw my archers as they emerged from the woods. They, too, had avoided losses.
I nudged Rolf next to the Earl while I waited for the archers to catch up with us."Are you hurt, Ranulf?"
He shook his head, "Just my pride. My armour and my gambeson saved me from hurt. The tears look bad but I am whole. You were right about the trap but how..."
"There will be time for that later. We must get home. We will have to abort this attempt. Do you have any allies other than Peverel? We shall need shelter and it should be close by."
The Earl thought and then said, "Svilentone. It is a small manor. I gave it to one of my men at arms who had served me well when I was given the manor of Doncaster. There is no castle but he has a hall."
"And you trust him?"
"This time I can say with certainty that I can."
Chapter 12
This time the Earl was proved right. His former man at arms, Harold of Brotton had lost an arm in the service of his lord. He had the same look about him as Edgar, Wulfric and my older men at arms. He had a homely wife and four strapping sons. He had made the hall easy to defend for the animals slept on the first floor and there was a ladder to reach the second floor, where they lived. He was happy to give the animal quarters to my men and we enjoyed the safety of his home in the company of his wife and sons. We ate a frugal meal but we were just grateful for the sanctuary.
After we had eaten, his wife and his sons were discreet and went outside to see to their animals. We needed Harold's local knowledge.
"How did they know, Alfraed?"
"I am guessing your friend William Peverel." I sighed for I wanted neither to ask my next question nor hear the answer but I knew that I had to ask. "When you were drinking at the Baron's castle, is it possible that you told him what we were about?"
His guilty look and the sudden look of surprise on his brother's face gave me the answer I had expected.
"Then we know how Stephen found out."
"But William was a friend!"
"This is war! You have no friends! All that you have are the men that you can rely on and with whom you can stand shoulder to shoulder." I turned to Harold, "Is that not so, Harold?"
He nodded, "The Earl is right, lord. Many would like to be Earl of Chester. It is amongst the greatest manors in the land. I know this William Peverel. He is both greedy and ambitious. He has eaten up many manors since King Stephen was crowned."
"And that means that we are in a trap. We are safe here because this is a small farm. He will not look here. There will be a hue and cry but they will search the main roads and the larger castles. This will be our last night indoors until we reach your castle. I am afraid that our trap has been turned on its head." I shook my head, "The night of drinking has cost you much. Especially the brave men and squires who fell. Tell me Ranulf, was it worth it?"
His head drooped as he took in my words and felt their impact. "I am in your hands. How do we escape?"
"Tell me where your lands will be safe. Which castle do we need to reach?"
He studied the fire and William answered for him, "That would be Merpel. It is further west than Glossop. That manor also belongs to William Peverel!"
The Earl said, angrily, "I should burn it around his ears!"
I snapped back, "Do what you will but let us get home first. I do not wish my men to suffer the same fate as yours. I value them a little more!"
He calmed a little and nodded, "I deserved that. My brother is right. Merpel has a lord of the manor and a castle. It is more than ten miles from Glossop. So long as we can avoid Peverel's garrison we will be safe."
"Then let us get some sleep." I turned to Harold, "This may go ill with you."
"I know lord. Perhaps we will leave and begin again."
The Earl looked concerned, "Where would you go?"
"I know not but it would need to be somewhere where the King cannot find me."
The Earl seemed bereft of ideas. I said, "It is a long way, perhaps sixty miles, but I have farms and manors which I would give you in payment for your services. If you could get to the Tees I will reward you."
Sir John said, "You will be safe there. They are good people and you can trust them."
The ex man at arms said, "I will speak with my wife. Thank you, lord. It is both a kind and generous offer."
"No thank you, Harold. Had you not provided us shelter then who knows what our fate would have been?"
We rose before dawn and were ready to ride as the sun peered from the east. Harold and his family approached us. "We have decided to take you up on your offer lord. There is a farmer two miles away who will buy my animals. I will tell him that I have decided to return to Chester. We often speak of it and he will believe me. We will buy horses and, perhaps, the journey might take just two days."
Dick said, "If you ride hard just a day."
"They have a woman with them. It will take two. I would ride to York and break your journey there. The Archbishop is a good man and you can trust him. When you get to Stockton, take the ferry and ask for John my Steward. Tell him I sent you. He will, no doubt ask you about these others. Describe us and what we said. He will believe you. I will return home when my business here is concluded."
"Thank you lord. I will not forget this."
We headed west. We had not been on the road long when the Earl said, "Why do you care so much about men like Harold? He is a one armed farmer. How can he possibly help you?"
I shook my head, "The day you stop worrying about men like Harold is the day you l
ose. The men who fight for us deserve our protection once their days of fighting are over. There is a bond between a leader and his men." The look of bewilderment and lack of understanding on the Earl's face made me despair. He did not understand.
We kept to greenways and the forests. We used the skills of men like Dick and Harold as well as my archers to live off the land and to remain hidden. We made forty miles the first day and reached a small deserted farmhouse in the high fells. I reckoned we had another ten miles or so before Glossop. I wanted us to skirt that castle and so we would take a detour north. We would be crossing land without paths and without houses. It was desolate land even in summer. That would suit us.
Rolf apart, our horses were showing the effects of the journey. The Earl's and his brother's, in particular, were finished as horses. They could not be used in war again. I thought that they would be lucky to reach Merpel let alone Chester. We kept the two of them in the middle of our column when we rode. I assigned Long Tom and Rafe to watch them. We were all weary when we mounted our horses the next day. We had less than half a day to reach the relative safety of the Earl's castle at Merpel.
Ralph of Wales and my archers were a thin screen ahead of us finding the best route through the boggy and sometimes rocky route we had chosen. When we left the poor and barren land I saw, ahead of me, a green and verdant valley. We found a track way and the road became easier. We were less than a mile away from safety when disaster struck. We saw ahead of us a line of men at arms and knights. They were between us and the distant castle of Merpel. We were so close we could see the banner flying from the hall. The standards of the men awaiting us showed that they were the men of William Peverel. Had they anticipated or had Harold of Brotton been captured and forced to tell of our plans? It made no difference for the moment. We had been seen. We had to break through them.
"Tell me Ranulf, is Peverel with them? You know his banner."
He peered ahead, "I do not see him."
"Then we charge in a wedge. Dick take half of the archers to the right and Ralph the other half to the left. When we charge I want you to make life hard for those on the flanks."
"You are going to charge, Aelfraed? They outnumber us. Why not negotiate?"
"Simple, these are not the only enemies. I have no doubt that a rider is already heading east to fetch the rest of the men who are seeking us. I mean no disrespect Ranulf but if Stephen can rid this land of me then he will be a much happier man. He knows he cannot buy me."
Perhaps I was tired and had not chosen my words wisely for he looked angry. "You go too far!"
"Let us get through this line and reach your castle and then we can discuss my rash words. Keep close. Rafe, Long Tom, you know what to do?"
"Aye, my lord."
We cantered towards the waiting men at arms and knights. There were forty of them. Eight knights, four squires and twenty eight men at arms. I had time to count them as we rode towards them. I suspect they had thought we would either turn or negotiate. As we thundered towards them in three lines I saw someone hurriedly shouting orders. He was moments too late. We were cantering now, not quite boot to boot but certainly closer together than the disorganized line which rumbled up the slope towards us.
They had formed in a single line and were now trying to advance towards us. I aimed Rolf at the knight who had been shouting orders. He held a lance and I saw that he was unused to such a weapon for the head wobbled alarmingly up and down. I pulled my shield around a little tighter. He intended to aim for my sword side. That suited me. I saw the look of triumph in his eyes as he punched with his lance. I moved my shield horizontally across my body and angled it. The tip of the lance slid along the shield and opened his body. I swung my sword at his middle, just above his cantle. There was no finesse in the stroke. It was pure brute force. Added to the weight of my horse it meant a massive force struck his middle. I did not break his mail but I broke many parts of his body. Blood erupted from his mouth and he fell from his horse. His squire was a brave youth. He looked too young to be a squire but he came at me with his short sword. I smashed it from his hand, "Yield, boy! Or die!" I saw him consider the question. "You have done your duty but your lord is dead. You are too young to follow him."
His head bowed and he offered me his sword. "I yield."
"Good. Give me your sword later! Stay by your lord until my men return."
My knights were equally skilled and, along with my squires, we punched a hole in their line. It was a single line and I reined Rolf around to attack the survivors from the rear. My archers had slaughtered the horses of the men at arms on the flanks and were now racing in with their short swords to finish them off. Three men at arms galloped east while the two squires and two knights who had survived, surrendered. They were now the ones heavily outnumbered.
"Get the horses and the mail from the dead knights. Well done, Dick. Cover our retreat to the castle in case there are any others close by."
We made it into the castle before dark. The Earl sent two of the garrison to Chester for help and I breathed a sigh of relief when Dick and the archers brought in the last of the horses and the booty. We had found sanctuary. The question remained would we have to battle our way out of it?
John of Merpel was older than I expected. During our stay there I found that his sons had gone on crusade for they thought Merpel held little for them. They had perished and now the old knight lived in his castle with half a dozen retainers. All were as old as he was. It was my father all over again. They added little to our numbers but it meant we had plenty of room in the small motte and bailey. I inspected the defences with Dick leaving my three knights to question the prisoners. They did so separately.
"The walls are made of wood, my lord and can be fired. A ram or even a log will break down the gate. Added to that we do not have enough men to man the walls of the outer bailey."
"Then we will fall back to the inner wall when they break through but we make them bleed for the outer wall. We have seen the other side of this coin, Dick."
"Aye lord and it always seemed to go our way."
"We keep four archers in the inner bailey along with Sir John's retainers, the Earl and his brother."
"You would not use the Earl on the walls of the outer bailey, lord?"
"I fear his nature. He might do something rash. I hope that Tristan and the others can elicit information from our prisoners. It might help me to know whom we face."
We had finished our tour. Oswald and Gurth stood at the gate to the outer bailey. "We will get you relieved in a couple of hours. Keep a close watch although I do not think any will come before morning." We headed back through the deserted buildings of the outer bailey. None live there any longer. The handful of servants who remained with the old baron lived in the inner bailey. I pointed to the buildings as we passed them. "We will have kindling in these. When we fall back from the outer walls we fire them. It will delay the attack and stop the enemy from using them."
"I will get my archers to do that. They like making fires!"
We stopped at the main gate. There was just one gate in. The ditch, however, showed signs of neglect. It was not deep enough to stop determined men nor did it have any traps. It was too late to do anything about that. I hit the gate with my hand. It seemed solid enough. "This is where we have to hold them. It is our archers who will save us."
"My men have but a quiver left for each of them. They used many on the road."
That meant twenty or so arrows for each man. Luckily my archers could also handle themselves in combat. There were plenty of spears and shields in the armoury. When Sir John's sons had lived here it had had a bigger garrison. I looked up at the gate, Raymond of Le Mans and Leopold of Durstein were standing watch. "Make sure you patrol the whole of the inner bailey."
"Aye lord. That will not take long. Your keep at Stockton is bigger."
"Aye lord and made of stone."
I laughed, "I think we are being tested!"
As we walked towards th
e hall where I could smell the food which was being prepared Dick said, "Do we go home now, lord? We have done what the Empress wished. The Earl is an ally."
I stopped and spoke quietly, "He is an ally but this latest foray means he is not a confident one. The wind may change and he will defect again. I would stay here until I am sure." I shook my head, "Like you I would either be in Stockton or with the Empress. I have not heard yet that she has landed in the south. When she does so I will join her. We will stay with the Earl until midsummer at the latest."
I saw Dick smile in the light from the hall, "You are assuming we will survive this battle, lord."
"Let us say I am hoping. I do not think that our work is done but if we are to fall here then let us make it one which Stephen and our foes will remember."
Sir John was being a gracious host as we entered the hall. The majority of my men were still busy either looking after their animals or sharpening weapons. My own sword needed an edge. Gilles was busily turning the wheel to sharpen it. Even William Roumare was preparing for battle but the Earl had broached a jug and was in his cups already. I could see he was feeling sorry for himself. I sighed; it was like caring for a spoiled child. Before I could deal with him I needed to speak with my knights. The three of them had been speaking with their prisoners. Edgar guarded the last, a squire, who looked to be no more than thirteen summers old. I recognised him as the squire who had surrendered to me.
"Edgar, arrange the sentries."
"Aye lord."
"Dick go and make sure the men eat and rest. I will speak with this young warrior." I saw the fear on his face despite his stiffened lip. He expected the worst.
"Where is the sword you promised me?" He pointed to it. My men had placed it in the corner. I picked it up to examine it. "What is your name?"
"I am Richard sir. Richard son of Alfred. I was squire to Sir Ralph of Buxton. "You slew him sir. I was an orphan and so I have no master." He looked up at me. "And there will be no ransom for me."
I liked that he did not beg. This boy had courage. "And what is your expectation?"