by Griff Hosker
Chapter 26
Edward and Richard brought the men up. While Harold and his two fellow archers adjusted the messages on the arrows to maximise the range I spoke quietly with my two lieutenants. Edward nodded but Richard looked at me in amazement. “You mean you think there are but a handful of men within and you want us to join those who are trapped? That is foolish. We should seek the king’s forces who are beyond these walls. Perhaps the king is not even here at all. He may have stayed in London. There would be no dishonour in finding our ships and returning to England. To attempt to join a small garrison inside a castle is madness.”
I could not believe this talk. “Our ships are long gone and I gave my word. So long as you follow my banner then you will obey my decisions and my commands.” He nodded. “I have no doubt that this castle can hold out. It is the best castle I have seen outside of Constantinople. Fear not Richard, we shall prevail.”
I hoped that I had convinced him but I would not waste any more words upon him. He served me. Harold nodded, “We are ready my lord.”
“Then God be with you.”
The three of them walked forward a little to gain the maximum advantage of their position. I knew that Harold would have chosen his best shafts. The three arrows would be the best that we possessed. It was now in God’s hands. They knew their business and they aimed across the gate between the two towers. I knew that behind would be the bailey and hopefully the arrows would not strike an unwary defender. They loosed together. Two of them sailed over but perhaps the fletch on one came loose. Whatever the reason one arrow veered a little and it clattered on the roof of the tower to the left and then slid down to fall on the walkway. The guards at the moat looked up at the tower. They had only recently come on duty. The noise would have alarmed and worried them. I was glad then that we would be waiting until dark before we risked an attack. I wanted them weary and waiting for relief. The guards on the ramparts ran to the sound of the arrow. I prayed that they would heed my message.
We ate dry rations as we waited. “Well the errant arrow did us one favour, my lord, they would have found it.”
They say that hindsight is a wonderful thing and always perfect. I should have asked the defenders to give me a signal to show that they had read the message. I had been too keen to send the message over as quickly as possible. I did not know if they had understood the message or, more importantly, believed it.
We waited until dark. I wanted the guards at the moat getting towards the end of their shift so that they would be tired and I wanted those at the main camp eating and resting. I took my two knights and their squires as well as my ten archers. The rest of my men would be needed to get the horses and equipment to the bridge as soon as possible. We had counted the men in the camp and knew their numbers. There were six within the tents when we approached and the others were gathered around their fires. They kept no watch around the camp. They felt secure. We had to wait until there were just ten men around the fire. That way my archers could do their job. Harold, Dick and John were masters with the knife but we had to make sure that we were silent.
Two men left the camp to make water. I nodded to Edward and Alan who slipped after them. When another went into the tents I began to feel hope rising. A third man rose and, rubbing his guts came directly towards us. I whispered to Harold, “Ready your men.”
The man at arms had his head down and he was still rubbing his gut when I plunged my sword into his painful middle and ripped it up to kill him instantly. I caught him before he could fall and make a noise. Edward and Alan appeared next to me with bloodied blades. The arrows soared and I led my men into the camp as the arrows descended. Nine of the men died silently. One arrow had struck a shoulder and the man turned as Richard sliced down and ended his life. There was no sound and no alarm. I let my archers enter the tents to use their knives. I watched with Edward and Richard. There seemed to be too much noise coming from within the tents but I knew that the noise would not carry. The next camp was at least half a mile away. My men emerged without casualty. We ran back to our horses.
The last part of my plan was the hardest. Each man at arms led two horses while my archers filtered down the track to the moat. There was no fire there and their victims would not be highlighted by the fire. They would need to close as closely as they could and be incredibly accurate. We waited out of sight while my archers loosed death.
Harold suddenly appeared. “It is done, my lord.”
“Lead the men down. Richard, watch the rear.” The bodies lay behind their shields. All had died silently. As I stood there I knew that I had to break the silence but, as soon as I did the noise would carry to the other camp.
I took off my helmet so that my voice would not be masked. I prayed there was someone inside who recognised both me and my voice. “This is Baron Alfraed of Stockton. I am here at the orders of King Henry. Open the sally gate and grant us entry.”
There was an ominous silence. Suddenly a flaming arrow soared high in the sky. As it came down we all looked up and I glimpsed faces on the walls. I heard a voice shout, “Open the gate and get inside. Be quick about it.” I recognised the voice. It was Robert of Gloucester.
Unfortunately the arrow would have alerted the other camp. I knew that Robert of Gloucester had had to make sure we were who we said we were but we now had to get our horses across a narrow drawbridge and through a tiny gate. I turned and went to Richard at the rear. There was no sign of him. “Edward, Harold, come here. Wulfric get the men inside.” I watched as he used the flat of his sword to push our hostage into Caen. There would be no flight for him.
I heard the bridge slam down and the gate creak open. Light from the castle illuminated the bridge behind me.
Of Richard there was no sign. “Dammit, where is the man?”
“Perhaps he needed a pee my lord.”
I almost laughed at Harold’s words. “Then he picked the wrong time to go.”
I heard Robert of Gloucester shout, “Hurry! We cannot leave the gate open too long.”
“Inside, I will follow!” I peered in the dark. What could have happened to him? I suddenly worried that we had not killed all of the guards. Perhaps he had been taken. I owed it to him to help. I began to turn and caught sight of the broadsword which sliced down at me. It was Richard!
I managed to deflect the blade. “What are you doing Richard? It is me.”
“I know, my lord, and I am sorry for this.” He swung the sword at my unguarded head and I barely blocked it in time. I saw sparks in the dark as the swords met. “I think you have picked the wrong side in this war. Count Fulk will pay me for your head and the land here looks better than that in England. I will take my chances here. King Henry is finished.” He swung his sword again and stepped forward. “There is too much treachery at home. He cannot hold on to his kingdom.” I was being pushed back. I did not have my shield with me and my only defence was the helmet I held.
I heard the sound of hooves as reinforcements galloped towards the camp.
“Hurry Baron Alfraed or you will be left outside!”
I heard the urgency in Edward’s voice. As my feet felt the wooden bridge, Carl, Richard’s squire thrust his spear at me. I blocked it with my sword and Richard swung his sword at my head. I whirled my helmet at the sword and managed to block it. If I wanted to escape I had to buy some space. I whipped my blade around and slashed at the spear. I heard it crack and split in two. I put down my shoulder and ran at Richard. He was not expecting that attack. I hit him under his arm and he fell to the floor. An arrow thudded into the ground next to me as Count Fulk’s men arrived. I swung my sword at Richard lying on the ground. He blocked it but my sword managed to slice across his face. He rolled away as his bare cheek began to bleed. I now had a chance and I took it. I turned and ran towards the bridge. I saw my men in the doorway with shields ready to protect me. It felt as though I had been thumped in the back and I pitched forward on to the bridge. Helping hands dragged me inside as the gate and then t
he draw bridge were showered by arrows. We were safe. When the gate slammed shut I dropped to my knees.
Robert of Gloucester was grinning at me, “You are not content to fight my father’s enemies alone. You bring your own enemies with you.” His face became serious and he pointed beyond the door, “What happened?”
“He decided that your father was on the losing side and he switched allegiance.”
Edward’s face clouded, “Treacherous bastard. I never liked him, my lord.”
I shrugged, “He was a good knight. He was never pleasant but he did his job.” I looked at Robert, “Where is the king? Our ships could not get beyond the chains.”
“He went to visit the Holy Roman Emperor, his father in law. He seeks his support against Count Fulk. He will be back ere long.”
“Then he had better hurry. De Brus has joined Count Fulk and he has a powerful army. It will only get larger.”
Suddenly Harold said, “Hold still my lord.” He pulled at my back and held two arrows for me to see. “You were lucky again, my lord! You can thank your armourer.”
I had been lucky. I turned to Richard, ”How many men do we have to defend the castle, my lord?”
He led me into the castle, “Your men have made a big difference. We now have fifty men!” I laughed at the absurdity of it. We had just a handful of knights and a few men at arms to hold off a whole army. “I am pleased you have not lost your sense of humour. We may need it before too long.”
He had food sent for and we ate, in his hall, a hot meal. It made all the difference. We told him of our journey. He seemed impressed. “Then with the men you killed on the ships and in the camp you have whittled his numbers down at no loss to yourselves.”
“Most were just men at arms.”
“They are the ones who will assault us. Get some rest for I fear that your traitorous knight will have given him your numbers. We had Count Fulk believing that the King was within. It will be hard to maintain that illusion now. Count Fulk may decide to risk all before reinforcements arrive.”
“I have a hostage who may be able to supply information about the Count’s intentions. Harold, bring Geoffrey.” My squire hurried off.
“I think we knew the Count’s intentions, Alfraed, capture Caen and defeat my father.”
“I think it is more complicated than that, my lord. The plots at home involved a whole host of people. When your father took De Brus with him and chastised the Seneschal of Durham he thought he had ended the problem. I do not think he has.”
Geoffrey arrived looking quite worried. Robert of Gloucester stood and took out his dagger. “You are the prisoner of Baron Stockton. He is one of my knights. If I chose I could end your life here and now. I could blind you. I could emasculate you.” He smiled. “I tell you this so that you are under no illusions. Tell me all that you know of the plot of Count Fulk.”
His voice rose in fear, “I only know a little.”
“Then tell me a little and I will decide your fate.”
“My father and the Baron of Hartness were to capture Stockton and then close the road to Durham. King David of Scotland would then advance south to join them. With Durham captured and the road south opened they were to invade England. My father said that either King Henry would have to abandon England to the Scots or return home and abandon Normandy to Count Fulk.” He shook his head, “Either way we would be on the winning side.”
Richard looked at me, “You were right. This is more serious than we thought. When my father arrives he will have much to ponder.” He sheathed his dagger. “You have bought yourself some more time young de Mamers.” He turned to me. “I will take over as his gaoler now. But you shall share in any reward.”
I saw the disappointment on Harold’s face. He would learn that we were at the bottom of this food chain. We took the scraps the great and the good left for us.
The castle smith repaired my helmet and my armour which had been damaged in the fight. As we manned the walls, the next day, my men were incensed at the treachery more than anything else. Carl, it appeared, had been as unpopular as his master. My men wanted to get their hands on the two of them rather than Count Fulk whom they did not know.
The enemy host appeared at noon. Their numbers were greater than we had seen the day before. I noticed the banners of De Brus amongst the host and I saw Richard’s banner with them too. At least we knew where he was. Count Fulk had been reinforced. These events were preceded by negotiation. It was in the Count’s interest to try to achieve the surrender of the castle without loss of men. He sent a knight forward to begin the discussion.
“Count Fulk does not wish an unnecessary loss of life. He demands the surrender of the castle. He will allow all within the castle to leave with their arms as a gesture of goodwill. We know that the king is not within and the castle is in the hands of Robert the Bastard.”
I glanced at Robert. He did not seem at all put out by the insult. He saw my look of surprise and shrugged, “What can I say? I am a bastard and grandson of one too. It is not a mark of dishonour. These petty insults show that they are not confident of taking us. Well I suppose I had better give answer to this blowhard.”
He leaned forward and cupped his hands around his mouth. “I defend my father’s castle against all. Tell your master he may try his best but he will leave even more of his knights and men at arms dead if he does. We will not surrender to a usurper and his band of traitors.”
“That is your final answer?”
“It is!” They turned and rode away. “I am pleased I have your archers with me. I wish you had brought all of Sherwood’s men with you. We could have defeated this Count Fulk before he could reach the moat. If he has any sense he will attack at a number of different places. He must know he has superior numbers.”
“Where do you want me and my men?”
“Leave half of your archers here with me and take the rest to the gate you used last night. They may attempt a ram there.” He peered at their camp. “They do not appear to have any serious siege engines. I dare say they will be building them as we speak. Hopefully our reinforcements will arrive.” He laughed, “I wish they were all as early as you!”
I made sure that I had Harold, Dick and John with me. My other archers were good but those three were the best. This would be a test of my leadership for I would be responsible for the defence of half of the castle. I had not experienced such a siege before. This was my first. I noticed that Aiden had joined us. I gave him a questioning look. “The horses are quiet my lord. I might as well defend the castle too.” He held up his bow.
I was proud of all of my men but particularly Aiden. He might have begun life as a slave but he had proved as loyal and valuable a warrior as any.
We watched as the enemy moved the huge pavises forward. Harold laughed. “They hope to use them for defence.”
“They will work though, will they not?”
Dick shook his head, “No, my lord. They can nock their arrow behind it but they must pull and step back to release. We can have them then. We have the advantage of height.” He patted the battlements. “We can shelter behind these mighty stones.”
My archers were as good as their word. They waited patiently until the Count’s archers had stepped back to loose at us and then my men released. By the time he had lost ten irreplaceable archers the sergeant who commanded them stopped that attempt.
Edward shook his head, “He has learned his lesson, my lord. He is bringing up crossbows.”
Even I knew that they were a different matter. They did not need as much skill to use and they could be used behind a pavise. The crossbowman did not need to step back. He could cock his weapon in the shelter of the pavise and then lift it over the top. “Harold, fell them before they reach the pavise.”
Before they could reach the safety of the wooden shields they had to run the gauntlet of my men’s arrows. The men at arms tried to shield them but they paid a heavy price. Half of the arrows found flesh. However, once they were in the she
lter of the shields then my archers had to take cover as the deadly bolts were released. Unlike an arrow they did not arc and many pinged off the battlements. My men could release their arrows high and the plunging trajectory could strike behind the pavise but a hit was a matter of luck. They caused few casualties but they kept our heads down. We heard the relentless beat of the ram at the gate.
Four men at arms appeared next to us with a pot of boiling water which Robert of Gloucester had sent. “The oil is not yet ready, my lord but the constable thinks that this will slow them down a little.”
There were channels built into the walls and they poured the boiling liquid to cascade down on to the men below. The outlet made a waterfall of boiling liquid which insinuated its way through armour and jerkins. We did not venture our heads beyond the battlements but we heard their screams as they dropped their ram and they ran. There was a brief hiatus as they prepared their ladders. Count Fulk was getting desperate but I knew that this was his best chance. If he mounted three or four ladders his crossbowmen could keep us from hurling them back and once he had gained a foothold on the walls then we were doomed. He had enough knights and men at arms to swamp our defence.