by Smith, Skye
The assumption that Raynar made was that they were staying close together so they could raft the ships for the night and then proceed into port at first light. He was wrong. They kept going, and not to Southampton because they turned west along the north coast of the Isle of Wight and there entered the River Medina. They stayed locked in formation as they turned into the River Median, so that they blocked the river mouth. The pilots on these ships must have known these waters well to do the last five hours in the dark. Despite the moon's size and brightness, the light did not make up for the moon's rip tides, which had been frightening.
There was no rest yet for the oarsmen, for most of them were put ashore to take control the two villages of Shamblord, one on each side of the river mouth. That went without incident, and allowed most men a more comfortable sleep ashore than they could have had on the over crowded ships. Soon after first light, the Mora and three other ships moved up river, while the oarsmen of the other ships marched along each bank.
At the far reach of the Medina were two ships, longships like the Mora but not as large. The sight of but two ships set the nobles cursing to each other. Raynar listened to the gossip of the closest oarsmen. Apparently William had expected to capture an entire fleet of ships in the Medina. Instead there were just two. His four ships stopped and blocked the river and waited for the men marching along the banks to catch up.
The captains of the two ships surrendered them to William's captains without delay. They were fully provisioned for a long journey, with an imminent departure. The crews had been loading the ships when the Mora appeared, but they had fled inland leaving the ships defenseless. With a token guard left at the ships, all the rest of William's men marched through the village of Medina, without seeing a soul, and then two miles along a side valley to Carisbrooke Castle where Regent Odo was supposedly in residence.
The castle was a formidable motte and bailey style fort with some stone walls and some pale walls. It could certainly sustain a siege for at least a month, even if William had brought siege engines with him. If the Regent was inside, he was quite safe. The nobles discussed the situation but it was William who made the decision. He had most of the men regroup further away from the walls, and they were instructed to relax and put their weapons down, and take their battle helmets off.
Surrounded by just his senior officers, William marched up to the main gate and had himself announced. Seeing this, Raynar held his breath while his stomach churned. From what he had heard about Odo while he was in Rome, the only thing standing between Odo and the throne of England, or Odo and the throne of Rome, was this old plump man now walking towards the gate. William death at Odo's hand could turn into a nightmare for England.
To his amazement, the gate was opened wide, and Odo strode through it to welcome his half brother with open arms. Perhaps it wasn't too amazing, because Odo did not invite William into the castle, and there were many men, armed men, waiting just inside the gate. Slowly, reluctantly, other nobles left the safety of the gate and joined Odo, where he was facing William and a dozen of the nobles just arrived from Normandy. All of them were carrying swords, but still in their scabbards.
William and Odo circled around each other as if they were wrestlers, not speaking to each other, but speaking to each others nobles. Of interest was that neither Odo nor his nobles bowed to their King. Eventually Odo faced William and they talked. Their voices became louder and louder. There were now hands on sword hilts. Raynar's feared nightmare seemed to be turning into a dream come true, that is to say, the most powerful nobles of Normandy and England may come to blows and slaughter each other, or start a Norman civil war.
Raynar missed that he was being called forward because his mind was thinking out scenarios of what would happen in England if these two dozen elite nobles slaughtered each other. Someone had to push him from behind to start him walking towards the ring of nobles. Now he was thinking hard about what he could say to encourage these men to slaughter each other.
William motioned him to come close to he and Odo. "Do you recognize this man?" William asked Odo. He didn't wait for confirmation. "He is the Popes messenger who has carried letters to and from Rome for you. I have one here. It seems that you have accepted a nomination from the Cardinals that may eventually lead you to the throne of Rome. This would mean relinquishing the Bishopric of Bayeux and the Earldom of Kent and the Regency of England and moving to Rome. The letter also mentions payments in gold, and ships and warriors."
"I do not deny this," Odo said calmly, while glaring at Raynar.
"Gold stolen from English churches," William seethed.
"The gold was the property of the Roman church, not of the individual churches," Odo replied calmly. "The Pope had asked for it, and as one of his Bishops I was obliged to comply."
"And the warriors and the ships, what of them?"
"The ships were bought for the church using the treasure of the church. The warriors were joining a pilgrimage to save our Holy City from the clutches of Emperor Henry. Surely you cannot object to this. And think brother, think of what it would mean for your England and your Normandy should I succeed in becoming the next Pope."
Raynar did not like the direction this talk was taking. Odo was very convincing, and he was making some good points as he explained away his secret works.
"Where are the ships, the men, and the gold now?" William asked.
"Most of the ships and men departed two days ago from Southampton. They are well on their way to the Pillars of Hercules. I was to catch up to the fleet with my two ships." Odo's voice was so controlled and calm that Raynar wanted to kick him.
"The gold?"
"Most of it was sent ahead with pilgrims and is already in Rome. I was about to load the rest onto my ships when you arrived. It is church treasure, brother. Crosses and such."
William took some deep breaths and seemed to be shedding his anger with his brother with each breath. Around them the hands of the nobles were no longer on their sword hilts. Men were smiling in relief. William was thinking about Odo's words, thinking about the advantages of Odo being the Pope, especially since most of the payment for this had already been made.
There was no way that Raynar could allow these brothers to make amends. In desperation he spoke out in a loud voice, "Sire, the Bishop does not tell everything. As his messenger I heard things, know things. While you were on your deathbed, he became less forceful in his push for the throne of Rome. With you on your deathbed he had closer thrones to grasp, and more sure. The throne of England and the throne of Normandy. It was for that reason he collected treasure and warriors and ships. Only when Robert's witch from Paris cured you, did he again think of Rome. Until then, his plan was to invade Caen on the day of your death."
While saying these words, Raynar had been backing away from Odo. Odo's face was scarlet with rage and his hand was unsheathing his sword. As he did so, every hand went to every sword and every sword was drawn. It had worked. Some simple words, mostly true, and now the most powerful Normans would slaughter each other. Warriors who had been watching the parley from both sides were now moving forward with their own weapons at the ready.
"The weasel lies," Odo yelled out, but convinced no one with his denial. It was too obvious a plan not to be true.
From outside the ring of watchful nobles, Raynar called out to William, "He would have crossed to Caen, where all of your kin would have been gathered at your bedside and he would have slaughtered all of them. All except your wife Mathilde. He would have betrothed her by rape on your deathbed and in the blood of your sons, so that through her he could claim your honors, your titles, your thrones."
Odo leaped at Raynar with sword raised in one hand and a long dagger held low in the other. He would have died at that moment had not William hit his brother bodily with his full weight and knocked him off balance and to the ground. "Someone come forward and arrest this man," William yelled pointing down at Odo, who was trying to gain his feet.
"Stand bac
k, all of you," Odo bellowed with a volume that froze everyone in place. "I am a Bishop of the true church and the next Pope of Rome. Touch me in violence and you will be excommunicated, and you will burn in hell for eternity. You heard the messenger. I am the favourite of your Pope Gregory. William you have no authority to arrest me."
Odo stood and puffed up his chest, and walked through the ring of nobility. Raynar backed away from Odo, but Odo wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Williams warriors, now forming a larger ring around all of the nobles, and all were armed and dangerous. "Men of Normandy, lay down your weapons. I am to be the next Pope. My body is holy. Touch me and you risk your soul. Block my men or my ships and you risk excommunication. I am about to order my men to take my things from this castle to my ships, and then my ships will sail for Rome and to the destiny chosen for me by God himself. You will lay down your weapons and let them pass. You must obey God."
Odo sheathed his knife, and with that hand grabbed the large golden cross he wore around his throat. With that held high, he also held his sword high, but like a cross not a sword. "I bless all who would see a Norman as the Pope of Rome, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
William rushed up behind him and struck his right hand so that Odo dropped the sword and then physically wrestled that arm behind the man's back and twisted it cruelly. "Odo, Regent of England, I King William of the English do arrest you and detain you to appear in court and face the charges of willfully abusing the people and wealth of England for your own gain in a shameful betrayal of your office and your King's trust." Odo was struggling and William looked around for help. No one stepped forward.
"William, you have no right to arrest a Bishop!" yelled Odo as he struggled to free his arm. "Only the Pope can order that."
"I am not arresting a bishop," William said as he grunted with the effort of restraining the man. "I am arresting the Earl of Kent for treason. I gave you the Earldom of Kent and therefore I have the right to arrest you and relieve you of that honor." William was quickly exhausting himself. A month ago he had been on his deathbed. The nobles, the warriors, everyone looked on in wonder and indecision at the wrestling match between these two brothers.
There was no indecision with Raynar. There was no chance of this turning into the slaughter that he had dreamed of. Either William would win, or Odo would win, without any help from the others. Although William had taken the upper hand to begin with, he was weakening quickly. Odo would eventually win. Odo who was more vicious even than William the Conqueror. Eventually his free hand would find his dagger and then he would stab William to death. That would begin a nightmare in England.
As he thought these things, Odo’s hand moved to his dagger and pulled it free of its sheath. Raynar jumped forward and grabbed the dagger hand and twisted the wrist and shook the dagger to the ground. To do violence to either of these men with their nobles watching would cost him his life, though he would have sorely loved to pick up the dagger and kill them both. Instead he did a child’s wrestling trick, innocent enough not to raise any objection, and knocked the back of Odo's knees with a gentle kick. Odo slumped to the ground and now Raynar helped William to hold him there.
It was finished. William had won. He shouldn't have, but he did. Suddenly nobles from both sides were rushing forward to be the first to arrest Odo, or to help William to his feet. Odo was marched away under heavy guard to the Mora, while William marched under heavy guard into the castle. Raynar followed him closely for his own protection. Just inside the gate, there were dozens and dozens of bound and locked chests. Two of them were forced open, and the wealth of an entire kingdom spilled out from them.
"Sire, you can now save England from the famine that Odo has created to fill these chests. The treasure in these chests can be used to end that famine. Your people will love you," Raynar yelled out to William's back. William turned and gave him a look like he was an idiot child, and made no comment. It was clear from the look of greed in his eyes that the famine would continue.
"Walk away from me monk," William hissed. "Walk away from me now, and be free. I will say this only once."
The threat was implied but very real. Raynar turned on his heal and began to walk. He did not stop walking until he had reached the beach east of the mouth of the River Medina where he could watch which way William's ships turned as they left the river. He camped there, and in the morning saw ten ships leave the river and make the turn for Normandy. None crossed the Solent to England.
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The Hoodsman - The Second Invasion by Skye Smith
Chapter 8 - Peaceful anarchy in England in 1082
There were no quarry barges leaving from the Isle of Wight carrying stone for the building of the new cathedral in Winchester. Winchester Minster no longer had the coin to pay for it. Regent Odo had taken everything of value from the cathedral and from all of its parish churches. So said the watcher sitting on an idle barge whittling a toy for a child.
"So where can I catch a ride to Southampton?" Raynar asked him.
"Try the fishermen. People still got to eat. The locals get better prices in the fishmarket in Southampton."
Men fish at first light, which meant that Raynar rolled himself into his cloak and slept near the fishing boats in the stench of rotting fish. For lending a hand on the oars and nets, he earned his way to Southampton. He had eaten his fill of a breakfast of absolutely fresh raw fish with the fishermen and so was not hungry when he reached the port, but he did reek.
He had been under house arrest in Normandy for months, and so his hunger was for news, not food. There was an alehouse on the road that ran up the hill away from the fishmarket, and he stopped in there for some good English ale, and some good English gossip. There were plenty of both.
After listening for a while to a story of the great fleet that had left Southampton four days ago, he used an ale-gulp space in the story to ask how many ships had been in the fleet and how many men had been on them.
"Hundreds," came the answer, after which he asked, "Hundreds of men or hundreds of ships?" It was a question that went unanswered. None of these men could count past twenty. He walked on to the next alehouse, but with the same result. Eventually, at the top of the hill he found an alehouse surrounded by carts. There he was told that there had been over forty ships carrying over a thousand men. He also found out that horses were currently very cheap in Southampton because the men boarding the ships had mostly arrived by horseback.
Near the northern edge of the town he found an alehouse near a paddock that was filled with riding horses. This was the place he had been told about where he could make a good bargain on a horse. The horse trader was not pleased that the monk was not wanting a fine riding mount, but a farm nag. He was even less pleased when he found out that the only coin the monk had to pay for the horse was gold.
"Gold coins are useless in this kingdom," the horse trader complained. "I'll take silver or copper, or even your sister, but not gold. You can't spend them because they are worth too much."
"It's just a small coin," Raynar said hopefully. He hadn't thought of that. England had been robbed blind of gold and coins by Odo. He should have traded one of his gold coins for silver before leaving Normandy. Should have, would have, could have. Nothing for it now but to find someone willing to exchange the coin for silver.
"Now if you wanted to buy a herd of horses, then I would take the coin," the horse trader offered. Of course he would make such an offer. He already had silver coins, and too many horses to sell, so he would hoard the gold coin.
The bargaining began afresh with the trader buying the pots of ale. It was good business. The trader thought he had cheated the monk because he had sold him all of his worst horses for gold. He had supplied wooden farmers saddles for all, as a sweetener to swing the deal. The monk was very happy with the poor horses, because they weren't worth stealing and risking the gallows for, and because he would be able to sell them or tra
de them for lodging, one at a time as he traveled north.
As Raynar rode along the Winchester road leading his string of a dozen small horses, he watched each cart he passed for the metal hubs that would tell him that the cart was one of John's. There were carts a plenty but not a single metal hub. The carts were all heading north away from Southampton. Their last loads had been to deliver Odo's army to the ships there, and now they were empty and going home.
From the carters he learned many things. The churches had been stripped of holy treasures. The manors had been left without fighting men, and in many there was no longer a lord in residence. The harvest was late this year, and the folk had empty stomachs while waiting for it. All builders were without work because none of the Norman lords and none of the Norman churches were doing any building. The number of runaway serfs was increasing every day.
Some of the carters recognized some of Raynar’s horses. Once paid off in Southampton, they had used some of the silver to trade their cart nags for better horses. That was how they would pay for their return journey. They had bought a good horse at low Southampton prices and would sell it for a good profit further north. They laughed at the monks sorry line, but Raynar told them that that it is unseemly for monks to ride fine horse as priests did.
It was true. The difference between priests and monks was like night and day. The priests were mostly Norman, often injured warriors who had chosen the profession so they could live well. The monks were mostly English who had taken vows of poverty to work for the benefit of their chapter. Priests considered themselves the masters or shepherds of men, while lay monks bowed their head like sheep.
At the next crossroad there was a very busy alehouse, and all the carters were pulling up to see what was happening. Such a busy alehouse either must have cheap ale, or friendly ale wenches, or good food. Since there was a shortage of meat, and the harvest was still not ripe, then it wouldn't be the food. The alehouse was not just popular with the carters but had also attracted a host of ragged and hungry looking men and women, who were probably runaway serfs attempting to make it as far a Winchester, and sanctuary.