by Griff Hosker
We returned to Wallingford. Sir Brian said, "I am almost disappointed. That seemed too easy."
"We have poked one of the rat's holes. He will strike somewhere else. We have to be ready to respond. I want the three of you to send out scouts to find the enemy. Stephen will react to this and when he does we must respond equally quickly."
One of the treasures we had taken from the Earl of Derby was the hauberk his squire wore. It fitted Richard and I felt happier having him better protected. When we had been in Gloucester I had used some of the ransom we had received to buy new surcoats for my men. I had learned that my livery and my device sometimes gave me an advantage. Now that our reputation was spreading in the south I wanted to exploit it. I also had a new war horse. This one had belonged to the Earl of Derby. It as an unusual golden colour and reminded me a little of Scout. I could not give him the same name as a horse which still lived and so I called him Copper for his coat seemed to shine like burnished Copper. Leofric also rode a horse called Copper but he was in Anjou.
We spent a day or two in Wallingford repairing shields and sharpening weapons. It allowed the scouts to ferret out the enemy and his intentions. As I had expected Stephen reacted angrily to the loss of Oxford. He sent columns of men to capture the Empress' castles at South Cerney and Malmesbury.
The others appeared worried by such action. "It was to be expected. Sir Miles you and Sir Pain head to Malmesbury and try to recapture those castles. I will go to Trowbridge. I fear that is Stephen's goal. He is heading towards the Earl of Gloucester." I sent two of Sir Brian's men as messengers to the Earl and to the Empress warning them of the danger.
"And what of me, my lord?"
"Prepare to be attacked. This raid may be a ploy to lure us away from Wallingford. Stephen has to retake Wallingford before he can take Oxford. Be vigilant."
I split the Empress' knights into three. They were eager for more treasure. Many of them, I knew, had accompanied the Empress in the hope of riches. Although not mercenaries they had a mercenary attitude to war. I cared not so long as they fought on my side. I knew their leader, Raymond of Rouen. I had fought with him in Normandy. He was an old fashioned knight. His squire, Alan, was the same age as Harold and I had asked the knight why his squire had not been ennobled.
He had shrugged, "In Normandy there are too few manors. My own is small. You are lucky here in England, my lord. I hope to gain a manor here and then I shall knight Alan. He deserves it but it is useful having a squire who is the equal of a knight. I never fear for my back."
The other Normans had a similar attitude to Sir Raymond. It made them hungry. I hoped that the Empress would reward them wisely. Stephen knew how to dispense such favours. We headed south and west towards Trowbridge. The evidence of the passing of the army of Stephen was evident everywhere. Houses and farms had been burned. Animals had been slaughtered and their butchered remains littered the countryside. Stephen was attacking the heartland of the Empress. I wondered if the Earl of Gloucester would now stir himself to defend his lands.
Having a wholly mounted force meant that we reached Trowbridge in less than a day. The army of Stephen had the motte and bailey of de Bohun encircled. We reached the hamlet of Whaddon before dusk. It was a small manor and had not been burned. It was, however, deserted save for a swineherd. He told us that his lord had fled to the castle when the forces of Stephen had arrived.
"Tell me, swineherd, how is the castle defended?"
"There is a river, the Biss, around the south and west sides. The north and east have a ditch."
"And where will the camp be?"
"T'other side of Hilperton. It is a small farm on the main road."
I turned to my household knights and Sir Raymond. "Then that means the forces of Stephen will be on this side of the castle. We try a night attack."
Sir Raymond was dubious, "A night attack? Is that not dangerous? We will not know friend from foe."
"That is why I will attack first with my own household knights. You and your knights will form up at Hilperton. When the alarm is given you ride and attack the camp. We will have slain the guards and, I hope, captured Stephen. If we take the head of the snake then the body will wither and die. We use the password 'Adela'. The response is 'Maud'."
He nodded, "You take a great risk, my lord."
"And if we win then a great reward."
I gathered my men. We did not wear cloaks nor did we encumber ourselves with spears. My archers took their bows but they were not strung. It would be knife work. I divided my men at arms and archers between my knights. I had two men at arms and three archers with me as well as my two squires. We left our horses with Sir Raymond at Hilperton where we gathered after dark. We left them silently. We were less than a mile from the enemy camp.
Ralph of Wales, Long Tom and Rafe went first; they were silent. Edward the Fair followed them as a precaution. They would take care of the sentries. Five of us wore hauberks, carried shields and held swords. We would deal with men who were armed more heavily. I heard nothing but I saw the dead sentries as we passed them. Three of them had had their throats cut. Ralph was stringing his bow at the edge of the trees when I reached him. He pointed to the fires and the tents. I nodded.
The army had arranged itself with their lords closest to the houses and their ordinary warriors closest to the woods and the insects. I recognised some of the banners but the one which was missing was that of Stephen. I paused to take in the camp. I could not see all of it but there appeared to be fewer men than I was expecting. The day's fighting was over and meals were being cooked. I pointed to the camp fires. Ralph and his archers drew back their bows. I raised my sword and led my four men, with weapons drawn, towards the fires.
Four men fell with surprised looks on their faces as the arrows descended in the dark. Another three fell to the next flight and then we were amongst them. A man at arms reacted quickly and he picked up his axe. I hacked across his body with my sword. Freshly sharpened, it cut his arms through to the bone and he fell spurting blood. Shouts erupted all around us as the alarm was given. Panic ensued. I ran towards the tents of the knights. Arrows still descended and struck men who had little idea where the attack was coming from. Gilbert of Basildon came out of his tent flanked by his two squires. I had fought alongside him once. That meant nothing now and he shouted, "Cleveland! You treacherous dog! I might have expected this."
I left the posturing to him and I ran at him. He swung his sword at head height. It was a slow and clumsy blow. He had never been a particularly clever fighter. I had time to angle my shield and to thrust at his face with my sword. His sword slid harmlessly down my shield while he had to react quickly to block my sword. It was not totally successful for it flicked his helmet from his head revealing his coif. Henry of Langdale and my two squires fought with his squires. Sir Gilbert was forced to step back and he found himself in the entrance to his tent. When he tried to swing at me again his sword became entangled in the tent. I thrust at his middle this time and scored a hit on his mail. Links were severed.
He was hampered by the tent while I was outside and had freedom of movement. "Yield and you shall live!"
"Never!" He stabbed at me but it was a predictable strike and my shield was there to block the blow.
I pulled my arm back. "Then die!" Wulfstan had always told me that I had the quickest hands he had seen and my right hand darted out and my sword struck him between the eyes. There was neither helmet nor nasal to protect him. He was dead instantly. I turned and saw that my men had slain the Baron's men.
I spied papers in the tent. "Gilles you and Richard guard this. We have much to learn. The rest of you, with me!"
I ran towards the next tent. I saw Harold was there already with his men but they were being attacked by eight knights and men at arms. Henry of Langdale had picked up an axe and he hurled himself at their backs. His mighty blow sliced through the mail and back of one knight and knocked a man at arms to the ground. As they turned I darted in and stabbed a
knight in the groin. He fell writhing to the ground.
Ralph and the archers had their short swords and seaxes in their hands. In close combat those double weapons were deadly. The archers were without armour and could close with mailed knights. I saw Ralph hamstring one knight who, as he fell had his throat slit by a second archer. The sound of horses approaching was like thunder and men began to throw down their weapons and shouted, "Mercy! I yield!"
Sir Raymond reined in next to me. "You did not need us, lord."
"I did. It was your horses which made them surrender." I pointed to the tents , "But this does not seem like a huge army and where is Stephen I wonder?"
As we rounded the prisoners up the gates of the castle opened and Sir Henry Bohun emerged to greet us. "The Earl of Cleveland! I might have know you would come to our aid."
"Where is Stephen?"
"The King? He and the majority of his army left this morning and headed east."
I turned to one of the prisoners. "Where has Stephen gone?"
The young knight gave me a smile, "He goes to capture Wallingford! He knew you would take the bait and come here. King Stephen can outwit a wolf any time!"
Sir Raymond said, "So it would seem."
"I think not Sir Raymond. Sir Brian has Wallingford well defended. He will hold out. We rest and leave at noon. Send a rider to the Earl of Gloucester and tell him the news."
I returned to the tent of Sir Gilbert. My squires guarded it still. Gilles pointed to a box of coins. "The Baron was a wealthy man."
I examined the coins. There were some with the face of Stephen but many bore the image of the King of France and the Count of Flanders. Here was a true mercenary. "Guard the chest, Gilles." I was more interested in the papers. "Richard, fetch me a light."
I began to read. They were messages from lords and barons. Here was evidence that Ranulf, Earl of Chester, had indeed gone over to the side of the usurper. It also showed that he had spies for one letter spoke of Nigel, Bishop of Ely who was fermenting rebellion against Stephen's rule. Alarmingly there were letters from Prince Henry in Scotland hinting that when he became king he might switch the allegiance of Scotland from Matilda to Stephen. Stockton was in danger.
"Richard, gather these papers. You are to guard them."
"Are they important, lord?"
"They are. We might have missed our prey but these are as valuable as the coins which Gilles watches."
We left the prisoners with Sir Henry and headed back to Wallingford. I was concerned for there had been no word from the Earl of Gloucester. A rider found us as we headed for Wallingford telling me that Sir Miles was also going to Wallingford and the Empress had sent men with him to help relieve the siege. Our news had reached the right ears.
Sir Raymond rode next to me. "Do we try the same trick with Stephen?"
"If we can then we do but he has campaigned in enemy lands before. I will be surprised if it works with him. We may have to give battle here."
"How many men will he have?"
"The prisoners spoke of two hundred knights. There could be a thousand men at the siege."
"Even with Sir Miles, Sir Pain and the men the Empress sends we will be outnumbered."
"In total numbers aye but we will have more knights and we have Wallingford. Sir Brian knows how to defend and he knows how to attack. If he gets the opportunity then he will sally forth. This will be a battle of wits as well as arms."
We reached Wallingford after dark. We could see the fires of those besieging the castle. They lay to the south of the castle and to the west of the river. We made a camp and placed half of our men on watch. I would not be caught out by my own trick. When dawn broke we were tired but unharmed. I sent out scouts to find Sir Miles and Sir Pain while I went with my household knights and Sir Raymond to scout out the enemy positions.
It was a mighty host. Stephen had anticipated relief and dug ditches to the west of his camp to prevent us from attacking that way. With the river on the other side it would be a costly venture to attack him. He had also encircled the castle so that there was no way that we could deliver a message to the defenders. I was confident that Sir Brian had prepared for a siege. He would be well provisioned. When I reached our camp I set Edgar and the rest of the men at arms and archers digging ditches and embedding stakes. Until the rest of our forces arrived we could be attacked and overwhelmed. Stephen had the advantage.
Sir Miles arrived first. "We have retaken South Cerney. Sir Pain had more trouble at Malmesbury and he lost more men. It will take him a day or two to reach us."
"Until he does and until the men the Empress has sent reach us then we have to be on the defensive. We make our camp a fortress."
As I walked the lines with my squires Richard asked, "Why will it take so long for men to reach us from Gloucester, lord?"
"They will have many men on foot. You are used to travelling at the speed of a horse. They will come and they will be needed. If the Earl of Gloucester came then we could end this war once and for all."
"Why does he not come lord? The Empress is his sister."
"I know not Gilles but when this is over then I will visit with him. I served his father too long to allow this petulance to jeopardise his father's legacy."
I had the men dig a deep ditch and line it with stakes we cut from the nearby woods. We had time to sharpen them and fire harden them. When our reinforcements arrived I breathed a sigh of relief. Although still outnumbered we could now face them and meet them blade to blade. We watched as the enemy built rams and towers. They took time but they would be effective. It was infuriating not to be able to attack them while they were being built. The ditches and the stakes made any attack risky.
I was riding the defensive lines in the mid morning when I saw knights leave the camp of the enemy and ride towards us. I recognised the standard of Stephen and also that of the Earl of Derby. I had slain the Earl and I wondered who had claimed his title. My household knights and my squires closed about me. Dick shouted, "Archers!"
I smiled. My men were protective of me. I was not worried for they had two ditches between us. Stephen took off his helmet and I took off mine, "Earl. We are meeting more frequently these days."
I nodded, "The pleasure is all yours."
He laughed, "I forgot, when we met at Arundel that I had to thank you for defeating the Scots for me. I had thought that you would have sided with my cousin's uncle."
"I defend England and I defend my valley against all who would harm them."
He nodded and gestured to the knight who had the livery of de Ferrers. "This is the cousin of the Earl of Derby. He would have words with you."
I faced the young man. He took off his glove and hurled it across the ditches to me. "I am Walter de Ferrers and I am here to challenge you to mortal combat. You have killed my cousin and I demand satisfaction."
I picked up the glove and laughed, "Is this some kind of joke, Usurper? Do you find boys to do the work you should do?"
Stephen shook his head. "This is not of my doing, Earl. I have spent the last few days trying to dissuade the young knight from this folly but he will have none of it."
"You purport to be king. Order him."
"You and I both know that once someone begins this course of action it must be pursued to its logical end. I cannot have him leading his conroi off on some wild goose chase to fight with you. We will do this properly. You have the choice to accept or decline."
Stephen was clever. He had distanced himself from the offer. If I declined then it would weaken our men and if I accepted the young man might prove successful. I guessed that the young knight had proved himself in the tourney.
I walked to the glove, picked it up and threw it back across the ditch to him. "Very well. Reluctantly, I accept the challenge but I urge you, young man, to reconsider."
"You are old and no longer King Henry's champion. You will die by my hand."
"And what will that gain you?"
"Honour and glory!"
/> I shook my head. He wanted to make a reputation for himself. He would be the knight who slew King Henry's champion. It was no wonder that Sir Alan de Dinant, lived a quiet life. There would be many who would wish to fight and kill the man who defeated the French King's champion. "Where and when?"
He pointed to the area between the castle and the river. "There and then both our armies will see my victory and your death! Noon when the sun is at its zenith!" I looked at the place. It was flattish but there was a gentle slope which led to the River Thames.
I nodded, "Noon it is then."
I turned my horse and rode back to our lines. Sir Miles, Sir Raymond and Sir Pain had all seen the interchange but heard nothing. Only my squires and household knights knew what would ensue. When I told them Sir Pain said, "Decline the offer. There is nothing to be gained from the combat!"
"And that is why Stephen has put him up to it. If I decline then our enemies see it as a victory and they hope that my wounds and my age will make me weaker. If not then they have lost but a reckless young knight. Either way they win. It is my fault for placing myself close to their lines. I had forgotten how clever Stephen the Usurper is."
I would have to fight the young knight. Stephen too was gambling but the odds were in his favour. He could not lose no matter what the outcome. The best outcome for me was my survival.
Chapter 17
I ordered Gilles to saddle my new war horse, Copper. I had no doubt that the young knight would bring a warhorse and I would not risk Rolf. I had not ridden my new warhorse over much but as the horse of the Earl of Derby I felt that fate decreed that I should ride him. Gilles put an edge on my sword. "Richard, go and put an edge on my spear."
"You will not use a lance my lord?"
"A long spear is as good as a lance and easier to handle. Besides you can put an edge on a spear. I would not make the young knight suffer. He is brave. I have seen splinters from lances kill a man in days. I would either just defeat him or kill him swiftly."