Targets of Treachery : A gripping, action-packed historical epic (Lord Edward's Archer series Book 4)

by Griff Hosker

  As we watched them go, Lord Otto turned to David the Welshman. “You are a Welshman – where will they go?”

  David shrugged. “Where can they go? Captain Gerald has told me that we hold Aberystwyth and the south. King Edward holds the Conwy. That leaves just the land of the Penrhyn Llŷn, the Llŷn Peninsula.”

  Lord Otto nodded. “South of here and north of Aberystwyth. Good, then we have the Welsh penned in the mountains. Our job is almost done. We take every animal we can find and when the harvest is in, we return to the mainland. King Edward will need us to take the Welsh prince!”

  It did not take us long to empty the island of all the food. There were no soldiers to stop us and the one hundred and fifty men with their scythes worked their way across the island. We guarded wagons laden with wheat as well as barley and oats. The halls of the nobles who had died or fled were burned to the ground and we unearthed the coins buried in their homes. We were amongst the first to leave and we reached the royal camp on the Conwy by the start of September.

  We escorted the wagons to King Edward, and I noticed that most of the mounted men had gone. Lion was being cared for by King Edward’s men, for John of Malton had been sent home without even drawing a sword. Even as we arrived, I saw more men at arms being paid off. King Edward knew he had won the war and now awaited a formal surrender. That it would come was clear to us all, for men had to have reached Llywelyn from Anglesey. He now had neither money nor food and we had defeated his best warriors.

  My men made camp and I wondered what the future held for us. Unlike many of the men, we would not mind being paid off. We had families and homes. It was as I was tending to Lion that I spoke with the king. It was two days after our return and followed the return of John de Vesci.

  He deliberately sought me out rather than sending a man to speak with me and that was significant. “Warbow, once again you have done me great service and I am in your debt.” I knew then that he had another task for me. I merely nodded. “The war is over; it is just that the Welsh prince is stubborn. You went to him once for me and sought a peaceful end to the conflict. I think he may be more amenable now. I have a specific offer to make to him and you will deliver the ultimatum to him.”

  “Where will I find him, King Edward? Winter is coming and I cannot spend all winter seeking an elusive prey.”

  He frowned, for he liked me to acquiesce without argument. “I believe he is in the castle built by Llywelyn the Great, Kaerinarfon, opposite Anglesey. I wish you to go there and ask for his surrender. In return, I will leave him Gwynedd and Anglesey, although he will pay me one thousand marks a year for the privilege of that island.”

  “And if he refuses your offer?”

  “I do not think he will. Rhufoniog and Dyffryn Clwyd will be ruled by his brother and all the rest will be ruled by me!” There was little point in arguing and I nodded. “I have a document for you to speak on my behalf, but the formal negotiations will be at Deganwy. Bishop Anian will attend. You are to bring him there. It goes without saying that he must first disband his armies. You may assure Prince Llywelyn that I guarantee his safety. His brothers, Dafydd and Owain, are my guests. Owain in Carmarthen and Dafydd in Flint. Dafydd will be present when I speak with him.”

  “And when do I leave?”

  “You may wait until the morning if you wish! It is not far to travel. I will furnish you with a pursuivant to accompany you, but you shall negotiate. His presence is merely to identify you as my man!”

  A pursuivant was just one level below a herald and wore the king’s livery. It was a clever move by the king, for the regalia would help to reassure the prince that there was no treachery involved. Of course, it also meant that we would have to have a couple of servants travelling with us. Such officials rarely travelled alone.

  I went to choose my men. I knew that the sooner I completed my task, the sooner we would be paid off and able to return home. That was incentive enough.

  Chapter 15

  It was obvious that I should take David, and as Tom and Martin had been with me the first time, then they were easy choices. I remembered how well Tom and Martin had worked with John, son of John of Nottingham, and I chose him too. The last archer I would take would be Alan; his hunting skills might be useful.

  They all looked up expectantly when I returned. They could see that the camp was emptier. “Do we pack our gear, Captain, and prepare to head back to Yarpole?”

  I shook my head. “That day will not be long in coming but the king has asked us to perform one more task.”

  Jack shook his head and grumbled. “When he needs something dangerous doing, then we are the ones who have to do it.”

  “Jack,” I said mildly, “I am Lord Edward’s archer, and he commands me to do anything he chooses. Each of you chose to follow me, for good or for ill.”

  He looked shamefaced. “Sorry, Captain, but it is annoying that others are rewarded more for doing less.”

  I laughed, for Jack had his pile of weapons and coins before him. “You do not seem to do too badly out of it, Jack.” They all laughed. “I am sent to find Llywelyn again and this time return with him to face King Edward.” They were silent, for they all understood the implications. “David, Tom, Martin, Alan and John, you shall be with me, and we have a pursuivant and, I do not doubt, his servant. We leave on the morrow.”

  John looked delighted to be chosen while the ones who had been told they would have to stay behind looked slighted, including Jack of Lincoln!

  “Where do we look for him, Captain?”

  “Kaerinarfon.”

  David shook his head. “The old name is y gaer yn Arfon, the fortress in Arfon.”

  “And is it a fortress?” I was curious.

  David laughed. “It is a small wooden castle on the banks of the river. Llywelyn the Great thought to build a castle from behind whose walls he could defy England. The dream did not last long.”

  The king was already up when we walked our horses to his camp. The pursuivant and his servant were speaking with him. I was surprised that the king was up and ready. While we waited, I examined the pursuivant’s horse. It was a courser, and his servant had a good horse. I saw that both men had swords strapped to their baldrics.

  The king waved for me to enter his tent. “Captain Warbow, this is Godfrey Landvielle and his servant, Walter. Godfrey has written information for Prince Llywelyn, but we would rather you spoke to him. I believe that he will respect a warrior rather than a courtier, and he knows you. He knows that you can be trusted. God speed.”

  We bowed and left. Godfrey said, “I expect you anticipated some courtier who did not know one end of a sword from another.” I smiled, for it was as though he was reading my mind. “I was a knight, but a fall from a horse at the Battle of Lewes means that I cannot grip with my left hand. I chose to serve King Edward this way. Walter here was my squire, and he is handy with a weapon, but I believe that if we have to resort to force of arms, then we have failed. You know this place we seek?”

  I nodded. “We will save time if we use the ferry across the Conwy, and then it is just sixteen or so miles along the coast.”

  We mounted and I saw that Godfrey, despite the use of only one hand, managed to mount easier than some men who had two. “I am surprised that Prince Llywelyn risks being this close to our army!” he said.

  David spoke. “It is simple enough for him to disappear south to the Llŷn Peninsula or lose himself in Wyddfa. This way he can take advantage of any slip that the king might make.”

  Godfrey laughed as we headed towards the flat-bottomed ferry, which would take us from the land we had taken to the land held by our foe. “I do not think King Edward is the man to make such obvious errors!”

  Once on the other side, I had Tom ride fifty paces ahead of us and Martin fifty paces behind. My bow was in a case and I did not think that I would need it. There might be places where we would be in danger, but they would be beyond Llanfairfechan. This would be about my ability to persuade the pri
nce that his life was safe. I did not trust Dafydd. He was a treacherous man but since we had begun this war, he had stayed close to King Edward and he had been rewarded with two Welsh cantrefs. I knew he wanted more, but he now had his own fiefdom.

  I spoke of these matters to Godfrey as we rode the narrow piece of land between the sea and the scree-covered cliffs that bordered it. “I think that the two cantrefs will not be enough for Dafydd. He seems more ambitious than that!” I was still suspicious of Dafydd.

  Godfrey showed me that he was a clever man who was close to the king. His words were those of a man near to the heart of the politics. “Oh, he is. I have spent these last months with him and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn. You are right, but King Edward has been astute. The third brother, Owain, is to be given the Cantref of Llŷn. That is part of Llywelyn’s land. Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn has been the best advised but his wife and his son are the two clever ones. He has given up his claims for Powys in return for land in the Marches. The foolish knight still seems to be a thrall of Dafydd, but Lady Hawise has negotiated with the king.”

  That fitted in with my understanding of the nature of the man. I put all the brothers into place in my head and then saw the whole picture. King Edward was giving them land and surrounding them with Marcher lords. They were being placed in a prison! Would Llywelyn agree to give up half of his country?

  Once we had passed Llanfairfechan, we kept a good watch, although the brightly coloured pursuivant should have told even the most rustic of Welshmen that we were not here for war. We met the first Welsh warriors when we neared Bangor. There was a defensive wall around the town, but we were passing more than half a mile from the port. Riders left Bangor to speak with us. A knight, his squire and ten men at arms surrounded us. I knew that John was nervous, for he kept looking around. His horse became fidgety too, for animals are very sensitive to the mood of their rider.

  “John, all is well. These men just wish to discover our intentions.”

  The knight took off his helmet. “I am Madog ap Owain ap Fychan, and I guard Bangor. What brings a pursuivant and archers here? Do you wish to take ship somewhere?”

  He looked at Godfrey and seemed surprised when I spoke. “I am Captain Warbow and I command the king’s archers. We have a message to take to your prince.”

  He nodded. “Ah, I wondered how long it would take. We saw your ships as they sailed Môn mam Cymru, laden with our wheat. You have a clever king. He uses starvation to defeat us.”

  I said nothing, for the king’s action would save many men from a violent death. If the prince agreed to the peace plan, then the Welsh would be fed… at a cost.

  “My men and I will escort you, for it would not do to have some of the hotheads decide to punish you for your victories.”

  As we neared the Welsh town of Kaerinarfon, it was clear how few men the prince had. It was an armed camp that surrounded the castle, but King Edward had already released more Englishmen than Welshmen remained to fight us.

  The stares and even some of the growled comments were reserved for Godfrey. Now I saw why King Edward had chosen him. He had been a warrior and he was not worried by the glares and remarks.

  My men and Walter had to stay in the outer bailey with their horses, but Godfrey and I were allowed to keep our swords and were taken inside the wooden keep. It was there I saw Maredudd ap Iago. His face now had a long scar running from his eye to his chin. It was red and angry. He had fought in the war. His eyes narrowed and his hand went to his sword.

  Prince Llywelyn snapped something in Welsh and Lord Maredudd stormed out. The prince shook his head. “Archer, you seem to bring out the worst in my men. Is that why King Edward sends you?”

  I said, “No, Prince, it is because he thinks you will trust the words that I speak, for I am an honest warrior and not a noble. I do not lie.”

  He nodded. “And if I had come with you to meet King Edward at Chester, then I would have been safe?”

  “Your brother, with respect, Prince Llywelyn, is a self-serving snake. We would have protected you.”

  He smiled. “You are right, archer, and King Edward has chosen well. Come, you and this brightly coloured bird can tell me the conditions of peace which the victor wishes to impose upon me.”

  There was resignation in his voice and I actually felt sorry for him. We followed him into the hall. It was not a large one and it reflected Prince Llywelyn’s position. He might have been able to outwit King Henry, but the son was a different proposition. The prince sat on a raised dais. Four warriors, lords, I had no doubt, flanked him, and a bishop stood behind him.

  “We are ready to hear King Edward’s words.”

  I took a deep breath. I would have preferred that Godfrey do the speaking, for he would have chosen better words. I just spoke the words King Edward had spoken to me. “You will return with us to the River Conwy and formally surrender to King Edward. Bishop Anian will be there to see that all is done well. You will do King Edward homage and, in return, the king will leave you Gwynedd and Anglesey. You will pay the crown one thousand marks a year for the privilege of that island.” I saw the lords look at one another. They were weighing up if this was good for them or not. I saw, in Llywelyn’s eyes, that he thought it was a better offer than he had expected.

  “And my brothers? What of them?”

  “Rhufoniog and Dyffryn Clwyd will be ruled by Dafydd ap Gruffydd and Owain ap Gruffydd will be given the Cantref of Llŷn.”

  “Poor Owain hoped for so much more than that but I fear that Dafydd will be even unhappier.” He glanced up at the bishop, who shrugged. “And how long do we have to make our decision?”

  “There was no time limit, Prince Llywelyn, but King Edward is not a patient man.” I paused and then took a deep breath. “You cannot win, Prince Llywelyn, and all that Welsh pride will bring will be death and starvation. Your granary is emptied. Your army will just live off fresh air, but your women, your children, your old? What will they do?”

  “You make a compelling argument, but we will sleep on it.” He gave me a sad smile. “As you say, we have little food. There will be no feast tonight but there is some good cheese, rye bread and ale.”

  I nodded. “I am a soldier and I have boiled leather before now to make a stew. We will survive. With your permission, I would eat and sleep wherever my men are housed.”

  He stood. “And that shows that you are a soldier. However, I would not be able to vouch for your safety. You and your men will have to sleep in this keep. Lord Maredudd is not the only noble who wishes to see this war continue and to see your life ended. We may be crowded, but this will be your sleeping quarters tonight.”

  “I have had worse!”

  It felt strange to be sleeping on the floor of the hall with the throne of the Prince of Wales a few feet away, but we were together. The prince put a guard on the door and after we had eaten, my men and I sat and spoke.

  Godfrey was a little bemused. “You have all the makings of a courtier, Captain. I know not if it was instinct or luck, but your words were perfectly chosen, and I cannot think of any other who could have plotted such a successful course.”

  “He has not answered yet!”

  “He is saving a little face but as soon as you made the offer, he was happy to accept. He keeps the most valuable part of Wales and his brother will have to bend the knee to him.”

  David the Welshman lay down on his cloak and said, “We have an implacable enemy, Captain. Each time you meet him, you humiliate Lord Maredudd. I know not what he plans but we had better sleep with swords in our hands, for he means us harm.”

  “When we have finished the work for King Edward, then we will be back at Yarpole, and this time there will be English knights between us and this Welsh hothead.” I had spoken with Godfrey and he had given me the names of some of the lords who would be castellans of Flint and Rhuddlan. He had told me that Rhuthun and Hawarden would also be made into strongholds and the king was choosing the castellans carefully. If men like Lord Maredudd de
cided to cause trouble, they would have to reduce our castles. It looked like peace was finally coming to the frontier.

  We rose early and vacated the hall, for the prince would need to address his lords. His decision, whilst inevitable, would not be popular. Prince Llywelyn summoned his senior nobles and clerics to the inner bailey, where he would make his announcement. I had our men wait there, and I asked David to translate for me. We stood to one side and endured the stares of the nobles. Godfrey seemed confident that the prince would go along with the surrender, and so it proved.

  “My nobles and my bishops, we have fought a valiant fight, but the war machine that is England has proved too strong. King Edward will allow me to rule Gwynedd, and that means our people will not starve this winter. I propose to travel with Captain Gerald Warbow and Godfrey Landvielle to the River Conwy, where we shall sign the treaty which will bring peace to this land.”

  That was as far as he got, for many knights, led by Lord Maredudd, began screaming and shouting so loudly that Prince Llywelyn’s bodyguards had to physically place themselves before the prince. Even David could not translate.

  The ten angry lords, still led by Lord Maredudd, left us, and Prince Llywelyn smiled. “Not all, it seems, support me. Let us not waste another moment, Captain Warbow. Let us ride while we may!”

  Despite the fact that many unhappy Welshmen had ridden away, there were still enough who were loyal to the prince for me to be confident about making the short journey to the Conwy without fear of attack. Lord Maredudd and the others were dangerous, but not yet. If they wished to rouse the populace, they needed a leader behind them whom they could rally. If it was not Llywelyn, then it had to be one of the other brothers, Owain or Dafydd, and both were guests of King Edward.