Housecarl (23 page)

I nodded, “You are both hired
and it looks like we have supper.  Now come along with me for
the four of us will work as labourers this day, not warriors.”

By the time Thomas’ wife had
brought us refreshments, just after noon I could see the difference
that we had made. The twenty labourers were a mixture of men, boys
and old men; I suspected that some of my people had not come, and
remained tending their own land.  I would deal with that later
but I did not really mind for it afforded me the chance to get to
know my men. These would be the men I would lead when called by the
Earl to supply the fyrd; the digging of the ditch showed how they
could work together.  Branton and his brother were a
revelation for they took to decision making quite early and I was
pleased that I had hired them. I sent Osbert off with six men to
cut down some saplings for the palisade and by nightfall we had a
mound surrounded by a wooden wall as high as Ridley. “You have done
well men and when you return tomorrow I will reward you.”

I could see from their faces
that they had not expected that and they left cheerfully. As we
trudged wearily back to the barn I turned to Ridley. “Two more days
my friend and then we will go to Coxold to claim your land. Osbert,
we will need horses for you and your brother.  We will need to
look like warriors of note.”

Later that night, after we had
eaten and Thomas had returned my depleted funds, Ridley and I
equipped the two men at arms.  We had our old leather helmets
which we gave to them.  We had spare swords and daggers but
neither shield nor spear. Osbert solved that problem.  “When
we have finished the walls I will make our shields and I will find
a spear staff.  Branton can make his own arrows; he is a
skilled fletcher.”

I had noticed a flock of geese
but so far no smithy.  While the brothers began to try out
their new weapons I sought out Thomas. “Do we have a smithy on the
land?”

Thomas shook his head.  “No
we go to Ripon when we need iron work.”

“I shook my head.  That is
no good.  We waste time and we need one here. When we have
built my house we will build a smithy close to the palisade and we
will find a smith.” Thomas looked at me as though I was a
magician.  His expression told me that he thought they would
be hard to find. I knew that I would find one.

The next two days were hard work
but we were rewarded by the house appearing at the top of the
mound.  We used stones from the river to give a sound base and
to build a tower at one corner. The door way was built half way up
the tower with a ladder next to it.  Thomas looked at the
structure doubtfully.  “It will not be easy to get in and out
my lord.”

“I know but that is its
function.  If we are attacked by the Scots I intend to make it
as hard for them to get in as possible.”

I rewarded the workers with a
half penny each and they went away happy.  We left Thomas to
finish off the roof and the lath whilst we rode down the road to
Coxold. I could see that Ridley was eager to emulate me and, having
managed to acquire two sorry looking horses the four of us rode
east.  Osbert had performed well and the shields of the two
brothers were painted with my red horse.  We were hardly
Housecarls but, armoured as we were, we looked martial enough. The
two parishes were remarkably close to each other and we were but a
couple of hours apart. It was smaller than Topcliffe but it had a
fine old church, St Michaels and, as we later found out,  a
less avaricious priest.

All of Ridley’s fears were
allayed when he met Garth, the Steward.  He was an old white
haired man but he was delighted to see a new lord. “Jove himself
has sent you master for we have been praying that the king would
send a saviour to us and here you are.”

We discovered that the previous
lord, Ragnar, had been part of a plot to invite Harald Hadrada to
come to Jorvik.  He had been executed and his land taken by
the crown.  All the monies from the estate had gone directly
to the crown for the priest, who was a holy man refused to flatter
and fawn on the Bishop.  Now that Ridley had arrived things
could only get better.  He also had a fine house partly built
of stone and I think he felt guilty that I had so little by
comparison. When he offered to house me I shook my head, “I am
pleased, my oldest friend, for it means I can take my men back to
my demesne and build that up without worrying about you!” I took
him to one side. “I feel a storm coming Ridley.  The attempt
on the King’s life was a sign and since we have returned I sense
that people around here are unhappy with the Earl.  War will
come sooner, rather than later and we should be prepared.”

Jorvik 1065

War did come but not as swiftly
as I had expected.  We had the autumn and the winter to
consolidate our holdings.  My citadel was finished and I was
proud of my tower. Thomas had managed to acquire a blacksmith,
Ralph of Thirsk, and we had not only produced fine weapons and mail
but also improved the tools we used on the farm.  The money
the priest had returned was not the full amount but I knew that I
had had all that he could lay his hands on and my threat of
exposure meant that he worked for me and not against me.  My
people were religious and the last thing I needed was to alienate
my church. My retinue was now larger. We had four men at arms and
two archers not counting the brothers. During the winter I had seen
that Osbert was a good warrior and he now fought in my old armour
with sword and spear.  It felt good to be riding the hills
with my men.  Ridley too had four men at arms and his property
was doing as well as mine.

When Earl Tostig raised the
taxes so much that I knew people would starve, we refused to
pay.  We were not the only ones and were not singled out but
when we heard that the Earl had led his Housecarls from Jorvik to
collect the taxes we knew that trouble was coming and prepared
accordingly.  I ensured that there were plenty of supplies of
food in my tower. If we were attacked then my people could be safe
behind my wooden walls and we could laugh a siege to scorn.  I
invited Ridley to join me but he had become quite attached to his
land and determined to defend it. He did take up my offer of
weapons for his fyrd however for my smithy, a huge man called
Ralph, made fine short swords and axe heads. With Osbert training
my fyrd after church on Sundays I was confident that they would
fight well.

One morning one of Ridley’s men
galloped in on Ridley’s horse.  “My Lord, Thegn Ridley says
that there are armed men heading up the road from Jorvik intent
upon taking taxes.”

“Up the Roman road?”

“Yes sir.  My master is
waiting there now for you with his fyrd and his men.”

“We will be there shortly.”

“Thomas, ring the bell for the
fyrd and get the people in the citadel.  Osbert prepare the
men.”

We had been planning this for
some time and the fyrd and their families flocked to the citadel.
Taking their tearful goodbyes I led my forty men down the
road.  I took just one horse for I knew that, whatever
occurred, it would be axe work. Ridley had remounted his horse and
was at the head of his thirty men. He grinned at me as I arrived
and I was astounded in the change the winter had wrought.  He
was a far more confident man than he had been and the looks on the
faces of his men showed that they had loyalty to this young lord
who had thrown himself into his work with energy and humour.

“How many are there?”

Ridley shrugged, “The man who
told me was not good at counting.” He shouted over to a young eager
looking man with a billhook. “Robert, come here.”

“Yes my lord?”

“How many men did you see?” He
looked at me in panic. “I swept my arm around our gathering. “More
or less than this number?”

He seemed relieved. “Less but
they were all armoured.” He pointed at Osbert.  “They looked
like him.”

“Any riders?”

“Just one at the front.”

“So they are men at arms and not
Housecarls.  If it is a small number then it will not be the
Earl.”

Before I could ask Ridley leaned
over to me and said, for all to hear, “You command my lord. 
My men are yours.”

I was grateful. “How many
archers do you have?”

“Five.”

“Branton take the archers and
Lord Ridley’s over to that stand of trees on the right.  When
I shout, ‘Branton’, then keep loosing arrows until you have none
left.” Grinning he gathered his band and left. “Osbert gather all
the men at arms and line them up before the fyrd.” I dismounted and
led my horse to a tree behind our force.  Tying him there I
returned to the front line.  We had ten men with some sort of
armour. Only three of us, Ridley, Osbert and myself had mail shirts
but the other seven all had helmets and shields.  They each
had a spear and then either a short axe or a sword.  The fyrd
were armed with everything from hayforks and billhooks, to hatchets
and daggers.

“Some of the Earl’s men are
coming up the road. They want to tax us so that we starve and they
want to take the food from your bairns’ mouths. They think they
will walk in here and take it. I think we will stop them.” They all
gave a ragged cheer which gratified me. “We at the front have the
armour and we will do any fighting, although I hope that they will
return from whence they came peacefully. Your job is to stop them
from attacking our sides.  When they charge us, push against
our backs as though we are a bull you are trying to shift.” They
all laughed at the image. “No-one charges until I give the
orders.  Is that clear?” I had hardened my voice at the end so
that they knew I meant it. I turned to the front rank. “I will be
in the middle, Ridley to my right and Osbert to my left.  The
rest of you split yourselves evenly.”

The waiting was the hardest
part.  I was never a patient man.  Osbert sensed my
frustration and he began to talk to the man next to him just to
break the silence.  Osbert was, in his own way a very clever
man; he had the ability to get anyone to do what he wanted through
persuasion not force. “Is this your first battle then?

“Aye it is.”

“Well remember that if we keep
shoulder to shoulder we have more chance of winning.  Isn’t
that right Lord Aelfraed?”

“It is Osbert.”

“And our two Thegns fought
against the Welsh king.  Thegn Aelfraed killed their champion
and made them run so you need not fear, we have two heroes with us
this day.”

I felt uncomfortable at such
praise but when I glanced around I could see that everyone looked
prouder and more confident, including Ridley. My ears were spared
any more unwelcome praise by the sound of a horse’s hooves on the
cobbles of the old Roman road. There was a hollow before us and I
saw the mailed rider appear over the top. I could not see his face
for he had a helmet with a nasal and a mail coif.  He also had
a kite shield and I wondered if he were a Norman or merely someone
who aspired to be one. Our sudden appearance was unexpected which
relieved me for it meant they had no scouts out.  The line of
mailed warriors suddenly spread out behind the rider and I saw that
there were but twenty men and only ten had mail shirts.  I was
confident that if we held our nerve we could defeat them.

The rider rode forwards and
halted twenty paces from us.  He pushed the helmet back as he
said, “Well, well this is my lucky day for not only do I get to
take prisoners back to the Earl but I get to kill the Runt!”

It was Edward! “Well brother, a
little premature. You can return to the Earl and tell him that his
taxes are too high and we will not pay them. When the king
hears…”

“Forget the king, it is Earl
Tostig who rules this land not the weak man of the cloth who spends
his days in prayers.” He saw Ridley for the first time. “Another
throwback to be killed.” His face became puzzled for the first
time.  “Where is your lord, the man you serve?”

I laughed.  He did not know
who we were. “I am sorry brother I thought you knew.  The King
gave me Topcliffe and I am the Thegn of that land.”

Ridley’s voice came out overloud
but was effective for all that.  “And I am Thegn of
Coxold!”

My brother’s face was partly
hidden by his mail coif but I could the anger in his face and his
eyes. “All that this proves is what a dotard the king has become
for appointing two runts to be Thegns.  You have made my work
today an easy task brother! Charge!”

I had been expecting such
treachery and I shouted, “Branton!” I knew that he would do his job
and I almost laughed at the ragged, uneven line which lumbered
towards us.  This was no wedge, not even a shield wall this
was a line of ten warriors having a foot race to see who could
reach us first. That suited us and I lifted my shield to cover my
face and prepared Boar Splitter to spill blood. I noticed that
Edward had not charged but sat watching his men as they closed with
us.  His face suddenly fell as the arrows rained down on his
force. Four arrows pitched some of those in the rear rank to the
ground. The rest of the rank slowed up, looking for the hidden
archers, and it was then that I knew we would win for the front
rank now had no support. 

The first warrior was so
desperate to reach me that he had outrun his fellows.  Boar
Splitter pierced his skull and spitted his brain. I allowed the
blade to fall away and drew my axe. Next to me Osbert had killed
his man, as had Ridley.  There was just the second rank before
me and I swung my axe above my head and roared forwards.  The
poor warrior before me stood no chance and his head was taken
cleanly off by Death Bringer.  The blood showered the man next
to him and the head rolled along the ground to lie looking at the
sky with a surprised look. Edward’s horrified face suddenly saw the
dead warriors and the rest looked over to their leader for help and
for leadership.  In answer Edward dug his spurs into his
horse’s flanks and galloped down the road, back to safety. 
The six survivors turned and fled leaving just the dead , the dying
and the wounded on the battlefield.