by Griff Hosker
"Now Sir Hugh!"
He raised his arm and made his horse rear, "Let us avenge the folk of the Tees Dale! Ride forth!"
He spurred his horse and led his sixteen men and his squire towards the bridge. A trumpet sounded inside the walls showing that they had seen the danger. At the same time the column of men heading east began to run. It was foolish for there was little chance that they would reach the bridge before the horsemen. Those inside the castle, however, would. The Constable sent mailed men with long spears to hold the bridge. Had Sir Hugh wished it then they could have reached the bridge and fought with the men there but that was not their task.
The defenders stepped from the bridge and their spears bristled before them. Suddenly Sir Hugh charged alone at them. He must have instructed his men for they did not move. The hedgehog of spears tightened. In a superb feat of horsemanship he wheeled his horse to the left just out of reach of a jabbing spear and he hurled his own spear at a warrior in the centre. The spear impaled him and he fell backwards. Sir Hugh's men cheered and the men with spears raced forward to get to grips with the arrogant horseman. Sir Hugh was too clever for that and his men wheeled in formation and followed him back up the slope. He did not gallop but kept at a speed which tempted the spearmen to carry on up the slope. I saw that the relief column had almost reached the bridge.
When the charging spearmen were in range Dick shouted, "Release!" Sixty arrows soared. The spearmen raised their shields but even so some found their marks. I saw men with pierced legs and arms and, as they began to descend they left two bodies. Sir Hugh and Dick had done as I had asked. The Scots would now be keen for revenge. They would regard my men as being without honour for retreating and the slaying of three of their men would rankle. They would brood about it. The Scots were like that.
My men all cheered Sir Hugh and his men as they reined in and dismounted. Sir Tristan said, "A fine hit."
Sir Hugh nodded, "I had the spear especially sharpened but their mail is not as good as ours. I was confident."
"Now rest your men for soon they will come." I pointed and we saw the garrison as it emerged from the castle to cross the bridge. There were just thirty horses with them and I knew that they would not waste them. They did not outnumber our horse but they did with their spears. They would use their strengths and their numbers to try to overwhelm us. I knew from the long spears held by the men at arms at the bridge that they had made them to counter our horses. They were longer than ours. It would be suicidal for us to make a frontal attack.
I motioned for Sir Harold and Sir John, "Change your lances for spears. We will do as Sir Hugh has shown us. Copy me when I charge. Leave thirty paces between the lines. If there are enough of the shorter spears have your men carry two."
As they left I rode towards my men at arms who waited patiently. They were already armed with the shorter spears. "When we charge we will halt just short of their long spears. I want them to think we are foolish enough to hit their line. Have your spear couched until the last moment. It takes two hands to carry their longer spears and they only have a small shield. Aim for the neck and the face. Follow in my steps and go no closer."
"Aye lord." Wilfred pointed to the bridge. "They are using the wild men from the west behind the spearmen lord."
"I counted eighty of the long spears and they are in two ranks. Then if only half of our spears strike home we will have seen off a quarter of the spearmen. Gilles, you ride in the line. Richard you guard Henry and Henry you ride on my left so that they see my banner."
They all nodded their assent.
I waited until all of the Scots were arrayed in a solid phalanx. They waited. It suited me. My father had said that it was unwise to interrupt an enemy when he was making a mistake. They had chased off Sir Hugh and, from their position they outnumbered us greatly. Their spears stopped us charging them. I could see that the Scots were eager to get to grips with us. Their barons and mormaer were having to restrain them. It was almost time. Sir John and Sir Harold returned, rearmed, and joined me in the line.
I rode a little way away from my men, "For God, the Empress and our future king, Henry!"
Henry obliged by rearing his horse and the whole army chanted, "Henry! Henry! Henry!" It was a good start.
I wheeled Rolf around and my men formed up on me. Wilfred was to my right and Henry to my left with Richard close behind. We cantered down the hill. There was no need to ride boot to boot for we would not strike home. The men who had arrived from the west had bows but they were not the war bows my archers used; they were hunting bows and hunting arrows. Against animals and men without mail they could be deadly. Against mail and shields they were useless. They began to release them when we were fifty paces from them. Hunters rarely get to send an arrow at an animal coming hurtling towards them and most of the arrows flew over us. One hit my shield and a second clanged off my helmet. From the Scottish cheer one would have thought I was dead.
When I was twenty paces from the spears I wheeled Rolf to my left. Henry had been watching my wrist and his horse mirrored mine. I do not think that the Scots knew what we were doing until I raised my spear and hurled it. Unlike Hugh's spear ours were thrown along the line. There were more targets. Mine hit a warrior in his left shoulder. I heard cries and shouts as our spears struck home.
Henry had my standard fluttering high in the breeze and he shouted, "England and the Warlord!"
When I reached the end of the Scottish line I wheeled left. I felt an arrow strike my mail but it did not penetrate. I watched Sir Harold and his men as they hurled their spears. The effect was dramatic. The men with the long spears had to bear it. If they moved then they risked us cutting them down once they became isolated. I drew my sword. I was leading my men in the opposite direction from Sir Harold but I was able to see the effect of his spears and Sir John's. When I was almost at the end of Sir John's line five warriors decided they had had enough. They burst from behind the men with the long spears. I had been waiting for such a rash move. I pulled Rolf's head around as I swung my sword sideways. Behind me Wilfred and Gilles did the same. The five men ran and jumped up at us. They were half naked and held a sword in one hand and a small buckler in the other. My sword smashed into one sword, bending it and then slashed across a naked chest. Wilfred's sword split the skull of the second and Gilles sliced across the throat of the third. Sir Harold and his squire hurled their spears into the chests of the last two.
We had done what I had intended and I shouted, "Fall back! Henry, the standard!"
I had worried that in the excitement of battle he would have forgotten his instruction but he had not. He waved it three times and followed me as I led the three companies back up the slope. The sight of our horse's rumps seemed to ignite and inflame the Scots' passion and the comrades of the five dead men raced after us, intent on revenge. More followed and soon the whole of the Scottish line was racing up the hill. We could not afford to slow up for they were swift. I saw Wulfric and my men as they opened their ranks to admit us through them. When Dick's arrows began to fall amongst them they veered away from the left towards our right. We passed through our men and I reined in Rolf. He was tired.
I watched as the Scots saw their opportunity to flank us and then Sir Philip and his men appeared and began releasing arrow after arrow into their unprotected bodies. The rest of my men arrived and Wilfred said, "Do we attack them now, lord?"
"No let them waste themselves on our line for a while. I want the Constable to commit all of his men first. Have the men form up on the flank in preparation."
"Aye lord."
"You did well Henry, you all did well."
"Lord, their horsemen are forming up."
I glanced down the slope as Alan son of Alan pointed. "I see them. Are you ready Sir Gilles?"
"Aye lord."
I headed for my men. Richard handed me my lance and I saw that men all had their lances ready. "Gilles you stay with Richard and Henry. They will try to take my banner. Stay behind
our first line."
We rode down behind Dick's archers. We were hidden from view. I knew that for I could not see the enemy either. We formed our line on the slope and I shouted, "Forward!" I led my men west following the ridge down to the shallow beck at the bottom. When we were fifty paces from it I shouted, "Wheel!" and turned Rolf to our left. I could not see the enemy but I knew that they would be charging my archers and their staked position. As we came up the shallow rise I saw them ahead of us. The Constable had a line of horsemen with lances charging towards Dick and his archers. They were less than forty paces from us and saw us too late. We crashed into their flank.
My first blow was lucky, my lance struck a knight with a blue and green surcoat. It hit his shield and then slid up to the top of his arm. The head of the lance went into his shoulder and Rolf's power pushed him to the ground. His horse was dragged by the rider's reins and by Rolf's force and he too fell. Their line was disrupted. They tried to wheel and face us but we had more powerful horses which were taller and stronger than those we faced.
"My lord! Watch out!"
I glanced to my right in time to see an axe slicing down towards my lance. Richard's cry had managed to give me enough time to swing the lance sideways towards the knight. At the same time Richard kicked on his horse and he hit the warrior with his spear. The combination of a lance and spear striking him tumbled him from his horse. It was now a confused mêlée. I drew my sword. This was where my squires would show their true worth. They had to guard my back. That was easier said than done for four knights, led by the Constable, saw me and my banner. They spurred their horses towards me.
One of the knights was the wild warrior, Lord Bute, whom I had insulted. His spear was shattered and he had a war axe. He closed with me ahead of the others. I reined Rolf back a little to gain more control and I readied my sword. He was charging to strike at my shield side. At the last moment, as he was pulling back his mighty arm to send me into the next world I jerked Rolf to the left. The Scot was moving so quickly he could not turn. I brought my sword in a scything sweep and hacked through his upper arm. The tendons severed, the axe fell from his hand. Richard's spear found his throat.
The other three Scots had reached me and I was almost stationary. The Constable was flanked by his squire and a mounted man at arms. The Constable had the best hauberk and only his eyes could be seen above his ventail. The man at arms had a short hauberk as did his squire. Both had a coif only. I fended the blow from the squire's sword as I smashed my sword against that of the Constable. The man at arms tried to get around the Constable's horse. Gilles still had his spear and he punched at the man at arms. It was a good blow but the man at arms was strong and he reeled as the spear broke.
As the squire raised his sword to hit me he was smashed in the face by the head of my standard as Henry came to my aid. It was not a powerful blow for it had been delivered by his left hand but it bloodied the squire and made his eyes stream. The Constable was, briefly, isolated, and I stood in my stirrups to smash down once more. Our swords rang together but the Scot had been fending off my strike and his did not have the power of my hit. His sword began to bend.
Richard came to the aid of Henry and his sword slashed the squire's leg. The squire wheeled away. Gilles was having to defend against the man at arms' powerful blows and his horse was backing off. I stood again to hit the Constable and he began to raise his sword. I stabbed instead and my sword slid through his mail, into his gambeson and sliced his flesh. He wheeled away as Gilles was knocked from his horse. I pulled Rolf's head around and brought my sword backhanded at the man at arms. The Scot was leaning down to stab a recumbent Gilles. My sword struck him in the back of the neck. He fell dead from his horse.
"Richard, Henry, stay by Gilles! Wilfred!"
I spurred Rolf and took off after the Constable who was following his squire back to the castle. The men on foot were streaming from the low ridge pursued by Wulfric. The Scots had seen the flight of their leader and they were following. I had not expected to capture Carlisle Castle but if I could capture the Constable then I would be able to do so. Rolf's exertions that day were my undoing. As we picked our way through the corpse littered field the Constable began to pull away. As we neared the narrow bridge it became congested with soldiers trying to get into the safety of the walls. They closed around the Constable's horse giving him protection. If we followed it would be suicide. We would be swamped and pulled from our horses.
"Wilfred, back!" As I turned Rolf around a wild warrior saw his chance for glory and ran at me. He leapt from the body of a dead horse to rise in the air like a sea bird. My quick hands came to my aid. I held my sword before me and he impaled himself on my trusty and true blade. His body, greasy with sweat and with blood, slid from my sword to lie across the dead horse.
"Dick, Sir Philip, bring your archers!"
I heard my command repeated. The Scots had jammed the bridge. They were a tempting target for arrows. Our horsemen picked off those isolated at the periphery and then the arrows fell and the slaughter began. Those without mail hurled themselves in the river. Some could swim and made it to the other bank. Others were swept down the Esk to feed the fishes. My archers were tired but they kept at their task. They knew that the more we killed now the fewer we would have to face in the future. War was a cruel world.
Sir Edward and Sir Wulfric, both bloody with dead men's blood rode up to me. "Keep up the arrows and the slaughter until they are within the walls. Let us make this lesson a good one and worth the price."
"Aye, lord, a great victory. They fell upon our swords and spears as though they were embracing death. They died well but they were ill prepared to be facing mailed men. I fear the treasure will be poor."
"We came for the victory and we have that. We can loot the land at our leisure now for there will be no one close to threaten us."
I turned my horse and headed back to Gilles and my standard. He was rising and I breathed a sigh of relief. He was merely dazed, "I am sorry, lord. I should not have fallen."
"You did well as you all did. We shall have to tip the standard for you if you wish to use it as a spear, Henry."
I recognised that look on his face. I had seen it on the face of William after he had carried my standard into battle. It was a mixture of joy, awe and terror at what he had done. He just nodded. Later he would talk. For now he stood next to Gilles gripping the standard and staring at the field.
"When you are recovered Gilles I want you and the squires to collect the horses which are roaming free. Search the knights for swords and treasure. There may not be much but we will have to be frugal now that we are cut adrift from the Empress and her army."
Chapter 10
It was dark by the time the last of the Scottish warriors had made the walls of Carlisle. We were too weary to clear the field and so we retreated to our ridge where, by firelight, Father James tended to the wounded. Men asked for comrades who had not returned and the stories emerged of where men at arms had fallen. Sir Hugh had received a bad wound to his leg and Sir Gilles had had a horse slain from beneath him. He had broken some bones in his left hand falling. Others like Sir Harold and Sir John had more scars to show their wives but my knights had survived. Sir Edward's son was still our most serious casualty.
Sir Edward returned to his vigil and his son. Sir Gilles joined him; he would be doing no fighting for a while. We ate the cold remains of the meat we had slaughtered the previous day and I set a good watch. As we sat around our fire Henry began to chatter about the battle. He gave us an account, blow by blow, of what he had seen. Richard and Gilles smiled for they had done the same thing. I did not mind for Henry had acquitted himself well. I was proud of him. I did not know yet if he would be a good leader but I knew that he had courage and would not flinch in battle. It was a start for the boy who would be king.
In the night we heard the sound of rustling, squeaking and yelping below us. The foxes, rats and creatures of the night were feasting on flesh. We could d
o nothing about it. The sentries hurled stones into the dark which sent them scurrying away from the feast briefly but they would return.
As soon as the sun rose I sent men down to recover the bodies of our dead while I rode with my knights and my squires to the gates of Carlisle. From the gaunt looks of those on the gates they had kept watch for an attack all night. We halted before their gates. They made no attempt to harm us.
I shouted to them, "We will clear our dead from the field. When we have done I give you truce until noon to reclaim your bodies. I will return, after noon, to speak with your Constable."
The old Scottish knight who leaned over said, "Aye, well the Mormaer is still with the healers. You hurt him, Warlord." He shook his head, "Those of us who had fought you before warned him and that hot head, Robert of Bute, but they wouldna listen. Well the Mormaer of Bute has paid with his life. I thank you for the courtesy. We lost some fine warriors yesterday."
I nodded, "We all did."
My men stripped the bodies of the fallen of anything of value and then we quitted the field. I sent Sir Tristan, and Sir Wulfric with their companies to ride north, east and west to gather as many animals as they could. I made sure they knew not to harm the farmers and the people. It was animals we needed and I wanted the Scots to suffer for their attack. It was the only way they would learn.
As I dismounted Richard ran over, "Great news lord! John, Sir Edward's son has awoken."
"Has he spoken?"
Richard looked at me as though I had not understood him, "Lord?"
I spoke quietly, "Sometimes men awake from a blow to the head, Richard but they are not in this world. They cannot speak and as men they are useless. Oft times it is as well to end their suffering. Has he spoken?"
"I know not."
"Come then, let us go for either way Sir Edward will need us."
John was being fed watered wine by his father when I reached him. I had a smile carved onto my face in case this was bad news. Sir Edward smiled, "He lives."