The Road to Agincourt

by Griff Hosker

  I heard Alan shout, “Dismount and string your bows!” We did not slow although I felt Hawk weakening a little.

  The first of the men led by Sir Nicholas emerged from the undergrowth and the trees. The beck had been shallow and they had made good time but we had made better. I drew my sword and turned Hawk to cut off Sir Nicholas from his escape through the village. I heard shouts from further down the waterway as Prince Henry and his knights caught up with the slower ones at the rear of the column.

  Sir Nicholas was no coward and he roared a challenge as he galloped towards me, “Royalist lickspittle! You will die, old man!”

  I had been insulted many times and I ignored it. I had no shield but neither did Sir Nicholas. I know not if he had discarded it as unnecessary weight or forgotten to bring it but it meant that we were evenly matched. Except that we were not for I had forgotten more about fighting than the traitor would ever know. He made his first mistake when he came to me rather than waiting for me to descend into the water. It meant he was leaning forward and his horse was struggling to climb the slippery, grassy bank. I owed this rebel nothing and I swung my sword at head height as he came towards me. With no shield, he flailed his sword above his head but it merely slowed down my sword which struck his sword and then his helmet. His horse’s hooves found purchase on the bank but I saw, even though his face was shadowed, that I had stunned him. His ears would be ringing and he would find it hard to concentrate.

  Twirling my sword, I struck a backhand blow at him and this time he managed to block it with his sword but I had the initiative for he was reacting to my strikes. I was in command of the battle. I used Hawk. My horse was tired but he did not need to move. He just had to fight and fight he did. As I jerked his head towards Sir Nicholas’ charger, Hawk snapped his teeth and Sir Nicholas’ horse pulled away and exposed the knight’s side. I lunged with my sword. He wore plate but there was always a gap between the breastplate and backplate and my tip found the mail beneath and slid into a mail ring. He had good mail but my sword was better and it first enlarged and then tore the link before sinking through the gambeson and into flesh. It was not a mortal wound but he was hurt and his scream was almost feral.

  He whirled his horse away from my mount and my blade and as he did so I reached down and pulled my dagger from my buskin. He would not run away for he could not do so. My son and my archers lay between him and the Tyne while behind him came Prince Henry and his knights. His only escape was through me. He spurred his horse and launched himself at me. Maybe he thought I was old and my reactions would be slow but I knew how he would strike before he unleashed his sword for he pulled it behind him. He was going to use a long sweep and knock me from my horse. I had my dagger in my hand and, dropping my reins, I blocked his strike and swept my own sword towards his unprotected left side. There was nothing to slow down my blade and it crashed into his plate armour. The knight had good metal and my blade did not penetrate to the mail beneath but it did not need to. I was still a strong man, despite my age, and the blow broke ribs. He was bleeding from one wound and now he had to endure broken ribs. Kicking Hawk in the side made my horse lunge forward and the other horse shied away. Standing in my saddle I brought my sword from on high. His ribs hurt as he pulled back his arm to swing and counter the blow. His parry did not materialise and my sword hit and split his helmet. Even before it began to slice open the coif and tear through the arming cap his skull was fracturing. I saw his eyes begin to roll into his head as he dropped his sword and my blade carried on into his skull and ended his life. He fell from the saddle.

  I was dimly aware, as his body slipped into the beck, that no-one else was fighting. Even while I had been fighting, we had won for the others had either been slain or, seeing that they were surrounded had surrendered. All of the knights who followed Sir Nicholas died but his men at arms sought mercy and the Prince granted it. We had ended one threat from rebels but the rebellion still smouldered.

  Chapter 10

  We learned little from the prisoners because they were not noble-born and had been little more than swords for hire. Prince Henry showed a steelier side to him when he had one summarily executed who would not answer our questions. The others answered but it became clear that they knew nothing. They were sent south to languish in Windsor Castle. They would be an example to other rebels who were not noble-born. We stayed in Newcastle for some months. King Henry was still unwell and so the Prince rode abroad to let all know that it was the King’s family who ruled this land. We travelled as far west as Westmoreland and as far north as Berwick. When we headed south, we left a north that was cowed but not yet defeated. It could not be defeated until Henry Percy was dead. So long as he lived then the rebellion was alive and we now knew that we had to defeat the North before we could tackle the Welsh. We could not fight a war on two fronts.

  It was a leisurely ride back and the Prince and I discussed our plans for the following year. Prince Henry would ask his father to demand that the Duke of Albany, who ruled Scotland in the absence of the boy King, should hand over Percy. It seemed a good and workable plan but I knew that if the Duke refused then we would have to invade Scotland and we did not have an army which was large enough. We needed for Percy to venture south.

  We stayed a day in York and it was there that my son showed that he had grown. The Prince and his knights were talking with the Archbishop and Harry asked, “Father, I know we have a new Sherriff in Nottingham and I doubt not that he will do a good job but I now doubt that Sir Nicholas would have done anything about the bandits who were bothering Sir Humphrey of Stanton.”

  I confess that I had forgotten about the knight but when I called him to mind then I understood why Harry had remembered them. He had been much taken by the knight’s daughter, Elizabeth.

  “You may well be right. I will speak with the Sherriff when we reach Nottingham.”

  Harry shook his head, “At the pace we are going that could take another fortnight! We said we would aid the knight and I do not think we have.”

  I felt uncomfortable for he was correct. I had abdicated responsibility when I had told the Sherriff of the problem. In the past, I would have acted myself and I would have dealt with the problem. I knew there was more to this than a carping complaint from my son, “What would you do?”

  “I would take my men and ride ahead to Stanton. You can speak with the Sherriff but I can show the lord that we keep our word.”

  “You can manage this yourself?”

  “If I cannot deal with brigands and bandits then you should not have had me knighted.” It was a blunt statement and showed me that Harry was now a man.

  Nodding I said, “I will speak with the Prince and he will, no doubt, sanction it but take Captain Alan and my archers too. The forests there are not suited to men at arms and Alan of the Woods is well named.”

  I sought out Prince Henry during a lull in the conversation and he was happy to accede to Harry’s request, “Although I have no doubt that Sir Robert, the new Sherriff, will exert his authority soon enough!”

  “Yes, Prince Henry, but we both know that he must scour Nottingham first of all those who secretly support Sir Nicholas and the rebels. Besides, my son has another reason for this quest. I think he hopes to win the hand of a maid.”

  The Prince smiled, “And that will please you and Lady Eleanor.” He sipped his wine, “This is good, Sir William. Your family is the very antithesis of the Percy family. England needs loyal knights such as you and your sons and they need sons of their own.”

  “And what of you, Prince Henry? Do not you need a wife to ensure that there will be future kings of your blood? King Richard lost his crown because he had no heirs.”

  “Ah, Sir William, you forget two things: firstly, the King is still alive. He is ill but alive and secondly, I have brothers. They are being trained for kingship even as we sit here. Besides,” he touched his scarred face, “this will not win me a fair princess, will it?”

  “Prince Henry, the right
woman will look beyond the disfigurement and see the nobility within.”

  “Sadly, Sir William, unlike you and Harry, I will have little choice in the matter. This will be arranged either by my father or my advisers. King Richard was lucky in that he found the love of his life in Anne of Bohemia. I may not be that lucky.”

  My son left before us the next day. A royal progress was, perforce, slow as Prince Henry had to meet the leading nobles in each town and castle through which we passed. Riding north we had an excuse to race but now we did not. Prince Henry was consolidating his father’s grip on the north however, he was not using the mailed gauntlet but the velvet glove and his engaging wit. Where there were frowns when we arrived, they were replaced by smiles when we left.

  When we reached Nottingham, we learned that my son had first spoken to the Sherriff who was happy for the help. As he said to the Prince and I as we dined with him, “Not all of Sir Nicholas’ supporters left with him. There are lords of the manor who skulked back to their homes and I am still finding out who is loyal and then there are those who were not noble who fled to the forests. There may be less banditry and brigandage but it still exists and your son, Sir William, will discover that winkling them out will take a long time.”

  The Prince said, “And you, Sir Robert, will pay Sir Henry and his father for the men he uses.” I saw the frown on the Sherriff’s face as did the Prince. “Do not worry, Sir Robert. You will not lose out. I intend to confiscate Sir Nicholas’ estates. The money he took from Nottingham will be returned and the taxes he stole will be replaced. You will pay them the same rate as though we were at war; 100 marks per month.”

  The Sherriff nodded, “Aye, lord.”

  I knew that my son would have done this without payment but it was good that he was being paid for my men deserved reward for their work.

  We received good news when we reached London where King Henry waited to greet us. The Welsh had not been able to take any more castles and, indeed, had lost much of the land they had captured in the Welsh Marches. The captives we had taken had hurt them more than we had realised for they were the better of the Welsh leaders. King Henry was delighted with the quashing of a rebellion before it had even begun. Although he had recovered a little, his skin complaint still made him look leprous even though it was not that disease. The King and his son both shared facial disfigurements but for entirely different reasons.

  The three of us, the King, the Prince and myself, dined alone on the night before I returned home. “We have still to ensure that we can pay our army, my son. Parliament withholds the funds that you need.”

  “I have begun to put in place plans which will change that, father. I have confiscated Sir Nicholas’ estates and when the Sherriff of Nottingham has completed his scouring of the shire then there will be others. It may not be next year when we retake Harlech but by the time we are ready then I will have men and cannons which will ensure that it falls!”

  The King nodded, “And I have sent to my son in Ireland to ask him to attack Anglesey and relieve the siege of Beaumaris.”

  The Prince turned to me, “Sir William, I know from our journey south that you have connections in the north. Sir Ralph of Middleham Tyas was once your squire and now he is close to the Lord of the Northern Marches?”

  “That is true, Prince Henry.”

  “Then I would have you keep in close contact and give the Lord of the Northern Marches as much aid as you can.”

  It was interesting that the roles of King and Prince had almost been reversed. Already Prince Henry was giving commands and his father did not gainsay them.

  When I returned home, I went, first, to Northampton. I needed to speak with my son Thomas as I was keenly aware that I had kept him safe for the sake of his family but that protection might have to end soon. However, the warning had to wait for I was greeted when I arrived by my son and a pregnant Lady Mary. “You are to have another child! This is great news!”

  I kissed Lady Mary who said, “It is just to please you, my lord, for playing with Henry makes you so young that we thought to give you twice the pleasure and extend your life even further.”

  I grasped my son’s arm, “Does your mother know?”

  He laughed, “I will beard any knight in the land but I would never dare to keep such news from my mother. She is delighted and her tears ably demonstrated that fact!”

  “Then I shall stay the night and return home on the morrow.”

  He became serious, “With an escort of your men at arms!”

  “Of course.”

  I played with Henry until supper and then, after we had eaten and Lady Mary had retired, I sat with Sir Thomas and told him all that had occurred and my predictions for the future. “The King has charged me with keeping watch on the north. That is not such a hardship as the journey to Middleham is less than the journey to North Wales but I will need knights that I can rely upon. That means I shall need not just Harry, but yourself and Alice’s husband, Sir Richard, as well as Sir Wilfred and Sir John.”

  “And you know that all of us have been itching to follow you! We could have been at your side many times before now.”

  “Since Shrewsbury, I have not needed you but I know that I shall need you in the battles to come. When the north rebels once more it will be the last throw of the dice for Percy. It will be a fierce battle and they will do all that they can to recover their lost lands and to have vengeance upon the man who slew their son, Hotspur the hope of the North.”

  “You!” I nodded, “And yet they accept that it was in fair combat.”

  “I agree but their son, the champion of Northumberland, died and I live. When I am dead, they will be happy. The Prince and the King are even further from the north than are we so that it will be the men of the north who fight the northern rebels. Can you not see the dilemma and the size of the problem? More than half of the north wish King Henry gone. Many believe, erroneously, that King Richard lives. This will not be an easy fight.”

  He looked me in the eyes, “Do not fear for me, father, I am of your blood and earning my spurs at Shrewsbury tied me irrevocably to Prince Henry and his father.” I hid my smile with my hand. It was ever thus. Henry Bolingbroke was not likeable. He never had been and when men fought it would be for his son and not for the King. Prince Henry was a King in waiting and I wondered just how long he would wait.

  I left the next morning and headed for my home. The year had passed quickly and yet I had not been to Wales. From what Prince Henry had said I would not be going any time soon. The Prince had confided in me that he hoped the Welsh would simply tire of the rebellion. Their nobility had been slaughtered and the already poor country was becoming poorer. The peasants could not fight and grow crops. They could not rear animals and families. If the rebellion continued in this fashion then all that would be left was a land filled with carrion and corpses. I think that was the real reason that the Prince had called a halt to his attempt to recover his land. He needed a land which was worth ruling. He wanted to be Prince of a Wales which had prosperous people.

  My wife was delighted to see me but I saw the worry on her face when she realised that my archers and Harry were missing. “Fear not, wife, he is scouring a wood in Nottinghamshire of brigands.”

  She adopted a grimace, “And why does my son have to do that which is the responsibility of the Sherriff of Nottingham?”

  I sighed, “There is a fair maiden involved and a promise our son made. All will be well.”

  “A maiden?” She was mollified immediately. “A lady?”

  “Of course, and one with whom our son is taken.”

  “Then why did you not tell me immediately instead of making me fret and worry?” She kissed my cheek, “And, how are you? I hope you suffered no wounds.”

  As ever, the family came first and then me. It was ever the way and I did not mind. I knew my place and I was grateful for it.

  Our son arrived as the last of the crops were being gathered in. I had not been worried for if
anything had happened to him then a rider would have brought us news. He came, first to Weedon and I saw that although some of the men he led had minor wounds there were no empty saddles. After his mother had given him a tearful welcome, she scurried off to get her youngest some food prepared. I sat and spoke with him. His news disturbed me.

  “The ‘brigands’ father, were hired men paid for by the Sherriff himself. It is why we tarried so long in the north for the problem was more widespread than we thought. The new Sherriff brought men to aid us when I informed him. We managed to capture some and questioned them.” He smiled, “My men at arms are quite adept at extracting information. The ones we captured we let go but they are marked by the loss of fingers and a brand on each of their foreheads.”

  “What was Sir Nicholas’ purpose?”

  “From what we deduced it was to ferment unrest in the north. Sir Robert learned that Sir Nicholas blamed everything on King Henry. The King’s ailment did not help and people believe that the King is the cause of the malaise in the land. We have rid the land of the brigands and bandits but the problem still remains. There is unrest which borders upon rebellion.”

  This was the worst of worlds and I knew that I would have to write to the Prince to inform him. However, any action would have to wait until Spring and that meant we had a winter to prepare and to await the birth of the next Strongstaff!

  As my son quaffed the beaker of wine I said, with a smile playing upon my lips, “And the Lady Elizabeth had nought to do with your tardy return?”

  He flushed and then nodded, “I confess, father, that I am smitten and the lady, I think, returns my affection.”

  “Then do something about it. Life is too fleeting and we both know knights, like Sir Roger, who died before they had either wife or children.”