Knight of the Empress (18 page)

As we passed the tiny farms which dotted the land to the west of my manor we told all the villeins the same. Most barely existed.  They hand ploughed a few strips of land and kept a handful of animals for their milk and their eggs. Many of their animals would not survive the winter. The huts they lived in were little changed from the ones the people had used before the Romans came. Even though they all had so little they were incredibly grateful for the few gifts I had sent their way. I told them of the rabbits and Aiden's advice. They looked surprised.  Alan of the High Waite said, "But, my lord, the hunting of deer and rabbits is forbidden to all but the lord of the manor."

I turned to Aiden who nodded, "It is my lord.  Only the king and the lords he favours can hunt deer and it is accepted that only the lord may hunt rabbits.  Why villeins cannot even have a dovecot."

These laws and rules seemed pointless to me however I dared not break the law of the land.  That did not mean that I could not bend it a little.  "I see.  Now suppose Aiden here, my man and," I smiled as I conceived of a title for him, "my game keeper, were to organise a hunt of rabbits and each of my farmers joined him. It would then be up to Aiden how many animals and their skins he brought back to my manor would it not?"

Alan of the High Waite and Aiden grinned, "Yes my lord."

"Then we will designate the next Saturday as the day that Aiden and his workers will harvest the rabbit harvest! We shall make it a weekly event until the weather deteriorates and the animals sleep for the winter."

Such a small gesture had an immeasurable effect on the poorer farmers. To them the meat of the rabbit was a luxury. It would provide a richer diet before the ravages of winter made them suffer.

When I returned to Stockton I had John organise the clearing of grass and its drying and the creation of enclosures for animals. Athelstan and Osric did the same in Norton. One short ride had had a dramatic effect on my manor. It proved to be crucial as the year drew to a close.

The time around All Hallows Eve was a busy one. Despite keeping more animals than normal we still had to slaughter the weaker and older animals.  Nothing was wasted.  The skins were dried.  The hides were sent to be tanned. The offal was eaten quickly or cooked and mixed with fat to make pastes and pates which would last longer. The fat we rendered was kept to seal the jars of meat we preserved and make it less prone to spoilage. The intestines and guts were kept to make sausages.  Even the hooves of the dead beasts were rendered down to make glue.  Finally the bones were gathered and, after the goodness had been extracted from them in soups and broths, were added to the piles of leaves which had fallen from the trees.  The Bone Fires we burned on All Hallows Day were a sign that winter was coming. The ash was distributed and spread over the fields.  Fertility would return to the ground for the following year. It was the cycle of life.

When my father had arrived he had begun a tradition on All Hallows Day of distributing some of the precious spices we had brought from Constantinople. I used Olaf to bring more from our contacts in our old home. I knew how to pay less than most merchants. We were better stocked with the precious spices than many and the women used them with homemade elder wine and bramble wine to soak into spoiled fruit and dubious meat to make into a pie which could be eaten over the Christmas period.  As we had travelled the manor the sweet aromatic smell had pervaded every hut.  It was a sign that the seasons were changing. The nights were drawing in, the leaves were falling and winter was approaching.

It was shortly before Advent that things changed.  It was Captain Olaf who acted as the harbinger of doom. He was in port collecting some tanned hides and sheepskins to take to London to sell.  We had a particularly cold night and there was a sheen on the river.  It happened to be the day that Adela and I used to walk the town. He waved us over. "My lord, I shall leave on the noon tide today."

"Why the rush?" I pointed to the blue skies.

"That is the reason. The river had a sheen of thin ice upon it last night and the weather is coming from the north.  I come from Norway and we learn to notice such things.  That weather means that ice is coming. This will be a harsh winter. I do not want to be trapped here."

I laughed. "You think the river can freeze over?"

"I know that the river can freeze over." He shook my hand.  "I will return in the spring, my lord and I beg you to take care.  This winter will be hard."

"An icy sheen on the river and a blue sky tell you that?"

"No my lord, they do." He gestured towards the birds.  They too were flying south in large numbers. He showed genuine concern, "My lord prepare for a hard winter. This is not Byzantium. Last year was bad but this one will be worse."

"Thank you for the warning."

I sought John and Edward. "Olaf tells me that it may be a hard winter." They looked at me in surprise. I nodded, "I know the skies are blue but Olaf has rarely let us down.  Send riders to warn Norton and Hartburn of the prediction.  Send out woodcutters while we may.  The exercise will be good for my men.  We need to lay in a store of wood. Cut down as much as we can.  It will not hurt to dry it out before we use it. John, check that we have enough fresh food in for at least a week.  Adela will need help now that Faren has gone. Find any grass which has yet to be cut and have the terriers hunt the rats.  What we have we keep."

While they went to do as I had bade them I found Alf and told him of Olaf's news. He took it seriously straight away.  "I will tell the rest of the burghers. We need to prepare.  With the short days coming we have to be ready.  Thank you for the warning, my lord."

I looked at him in surprise.  "Why should I not warn you?"

He laughed, "Many lords would ensure that they were prepared and not care about the people without their walls."

"But you are my people."

"And that is why you are so respected.  You are not as other lords.  Many of those who lived in Hartness came to live here after you rescued the Lady Adela.  They told us a different story of cruelty and neglect. The Lord De Brus cared not if his people starved so long as he ate well. We will not take our good fortune for granted."

Olaf's predictions came true but not for three days.  I had begun to think I had wasted the efforts of my men and my townsfolk.  We woke, with just two weeks to go until Christmas, with a blizzard which blew all day. The snow piled high against the gates. I had the men clear it but stopped them after two hours when I saw little reward for their efforts. The storm raged all night and all the next day.  William the Mason barely struggled, with his men, into the town having taken all day to travel from Yarm.  I did not speak with him but I saw them struggle against the white wall of ice as they entered the town.

Three days into the blizzard I woke and found that I could not see where my ditches were but the snow had, temporarily ceased. I had every able bodied man, John and me included, clearing the snow from the gates and, where possible the roads in the town.  I did not want the people trapped within. It was as we were clearing the track near to the tanners that Aiden observed something.

"Have you noticed, my lord, that the ground is not churning up?  The air is filled with cold.  We have not been aware of the cold for we are working but it is still cold and the snow has stopped.  It is too cold to snow."

That sounded ominous.  I had never seen snow until I had sailed from Constantinople.  It was an unknown phenomenon.  Each time it snowed I learned something new. I wished that I had paid more attention to my studies when I had been younger.  I am sure that those who taught me would have mentioned something about snow and ice.

I woke in the middle of the night and I was shivering with the cold. The fire had died. I wrapped a fur around my shoulders and went to build it up again.  I could have summoned a slave but I was awake anyway.  I saw, as I took the firewood over to the fireplace, that there was ice on the inside walls.  This was truly cold. I placed some wood on the embers of the fire, which seemed barely glowing, and I blew on the embers until a few weak yellow flames licked the wood. It took some time to get the fire going. By that time sleep was beyond me and I dressed. The fur I had used for initial warmth I kept about my shoulders as I left my room. I also donned a cloak. The rest of the castle was so cold that my breath appeared before me. I pulled the fur over my head and I headed for the battlements.

When I opened the door to the tower I was hit by an icy wall. It actually hurt my face. I regretted not having a full beard like my archers. I saw the glow of the brazier in the corner and headed for Roger of Lincoln who was on guard duty. He was so close to the brazier that I thought he might actually burn.  He looked at me in surprise.  "My lord, is something awry?"

"No Roger I just awoke with the cold."

He pulled a blue hand from beneath his cloak and pointed to the river. "It is so cold, my lord, that the river has frozen."

I looked and saw that the river was like a black and silver road shivering in the moonlight. I saw that he was so cold that he was actually shaking. "Come Roger.  We will go and get you warm.  If any enemies are abroad this night then they are not human for only the animals who hunt will venture out this night."

He obeyed, gratefully, my orders.  As soon as we went back into the castle I noticed the rise in temperature. We hurried down to the kitchens.  The slaves were all asleep, huddled together and the fire there was just a glow. The two of us began to feed the fire.  Seara awoke and looked startled at the two shadowy figures in her kitchen.

"My lord what is amiss?"

"It is cold outside, Seara.  I am just getting Roger something warm to bring him back to life."

Roger had managed to get a roaring fire going quickly.  Here the wood was not frozen and he began to thaw out. Seara went to wake the other slaves and servants. "No Seara let them sleep.  You go back to bed too."

"No my lord. It is not right that you work while I rest."

She swung the black pot over the flames and taking a ladle she began to stir it. Then she took a long iron poker and placed it in the fire. Pointing to the table she said to Roger, "Sit there and I will fetch you some hot broth."

It was rare that I came down to the Stygian depths of the kitchen.  Adela visited frequently but I was always too occupied with other matters. I realised that there were some advantages to working here.  It was marginally warmer than the rest of the castle and the huddle of bodies sleeping under their blankets emanated warmth. Seara ladled some of the broth in a bowl and placed it on the table. Roger was about to use the bone spoon to eat it when she put her hand across it.  "It is not hot enough yet." She went to the fire and, taking out the poker from the fire, plunged it into the broth. It hissed as it went in and when she withdrew it, it steamed. "Would you like some, my lord?"

The smell was too appetising. "Aye Seara."

The broth was not the soup we had in the main hall.  This was the everyday fare of the slaves.  It was water and whatever had been left over from our plates.  That night it tasted like ambrosia. I felt more human after eating it. When Roger finished he said, "I will get back to the walls my lord.  Wulfric will have my…" he grinned, "he will not be happy if I have deserted my post."

"I will join you and watch what passes for sunrise this day. Thank you Seara and that was fine soup."

It was just as cold as we stepped out on the castle walls but the soup within kept us warmer. It was still some hours from dawn and we had not even reached the shortest day. That would come just before Christmas.  It would be a long time until spring.

Roger put more wood in the brazier; we would need more timber cutting soon. He rubbed his hands in the warmth of the flames.  "You are right, my lord, no men will be out this night.  It is only the animals clad in fur who will be abroad."

"It is a small comfort, Roger, but I fear this will be the conditions we have to endure for some time."

"We can learn to live with this my lord. If no enemies travel then we will have a peaceful winter; cold but peaceful."

It was then we heard the wolf pack howl.  It was south of the river in the hills above Normanby but we both heard it.  Its chilling sound carried over the icy river. It was a pack and they were hungry. That was the start of the wolf winter.

The sudden cold and the sound of the wolves shocked and surprised all. We were trapped now by a sea of white.  I went to the hall my men used.  "You are all soldiers and you fight for me against my enemies.  The enemy now is winter and the cold.  When the snow abates I want the bailey clearing and then we will help the townspeople to clear their houses. Wulfric and Dick I want four archers and four men at arms to accompany me.  I must visit Wulfstan and Norton." I paused, "Aiden has hunted many rabbits. I want each of you to take the skin of a rabbit and make yourself a pair of mittens. Roger of Lincoln almost lost his fingers last night with the cold." It kept them busy.

I sought my clerk. "We must husband our food and I think there will come a time when we have to bring the farmers in here. I will keep the bailey clear for just such a purpose. Have we willow and hazel within the castle?"

"Aye my lord.  We gathered it before the Bone Fire to encourage new growth next year.  I was going to keep it for firewood when we ran low."

"No, John.  If there are any breaks in the weather then we send wood cutters out. The days are so short now that we use every moment of daylight that God sends." Use the willow and hazel to make hurdles and pens within the bailey.  We can use them to make shelters if the people need them."

The break in the snow was brief. The grey scudding clouds promised more and so I led my eight men, along with Harold, towards the now frozen Hart Burn less than a couple of miles away. Our horses struggled through the snow. We were only a short distance from Wulfstan but it took an hour to reach there.  In places there were drifts up to our girths. As we passed each farm I told those within that if the weather became too bad then they could shelter within our walls. The first ones lived within sight of the reassuring stone walls of Stockton but I knew that those who lived further north would struggle to reach us.

Wulfstan had also cleared his land of snow.  He only had two men at arms to help him but Old and Young Tom lived so close that they were part of his retinue. "I fear this winter will be a harsh one, Wulfstan.  I know that we are well prepared but some of our people are not.  I have told them to come within my walls when things become too bad.  And I heard wolves howling across the river."

Wulfstan looked up sharply, "I thought that was a dream or a nightmare."

"They were south of the river but the river has begun to freeze. It will not support weight yet but if the cold continues then we may have more trouble than we can handle. If they cross the river…"

"We will be ready for them." He took me to one side. "I fear for Norton, Alfraed. We have friends like Richard and Guy to protect the south and the west but if this winter is harsh then human wolves will descend. Others will not have prepared as well as we and they will come to take what we have."

"I know.  I go there next."

We make plans and then God, or in this case, Nature, interferes. By the time I had visited every farm and hamlet it was almost dark and we barely made Norton before the snow came again. The last mile to Norton we endured cold so biting that my men were looking for the animal which was sinking its teeth into their faces. We would have to spend the night in Norton.

Athelstan insisted that we stay, "Alfraed, you are blue and Harold here looks like a corpse already.  Come into the hall and warm yourselves."

I was pleased to see that my father's old comrades had planned well and the manor looked to have prepared as well as it could.  As we warmed ourselves by the fire in the Great Hall I voiced my fears and those of Wulfstan. Osric nodded, "I too heard the wolves but they were to the west and the river and swamps have frozen here.  Any enemy need not fear them now."

"I hope that our enemies will be kept away by the cold."

"That will only be so long as they have food enough but other lords do not care about their own people and if men become hungry they will take from anyone. We need vigilance."

"How many men do you have to defend Norton?"

"There are six men at arms and we have twelve men who can fight."

"That is not enough. I have invited those farmers who live far from help to seek sanctuary with us.  Better that we feed them and then use them to protect what we have.  You know that they will not leave their homes until things are desperate. If you have more men within your walls then you all have a better chance of survival."

"Aye," Osric chuckled, "When we left Miklagård to come home we forgot what the winters were like."

"Would you be back there?"

"No, but I would have better winters."

Father Peter had joined us, "This is just God testing us."

Athelstan shook his head, "The land tests us enough without his help."

The snow fell all night.  It was a blizzard. The night watch told us that it stopped before dawn and then the sky cleared and was filled with stars.  The snow which greeted us in the morning was not the soft freshly fallen blanket we expected, it was a hard crust of frozen ice. We left as soon as we could and it took us all morning to reach the walls of Stockton. The horses' hooves gained no purchase on the slippery surface.  We had to dismount and lead them on the steeper slopes.  It was treacherous underfoot. So long as the cold remained no one was moving on our land.

As we approached our land from the north I heard the sound of axes. We came through the woods to the east of the manor.  They were thin and spindly and the ground was too poor for farming.  Alf and the men of Stockton were hewing the thin trees which had grown there in recent years. He paused as we approached. "I know it is cold, my lord but I fear it will get colder before it thaws. These trees are thin and easy to cut.  We have burned much already. I would not have us run out."

Harold had lived in the forests of Sherwood and he said, "In the forest we dried out animal dung and burned that. It burns for longer than wood. If you mix the two then we will be warmer for longer."

"Thank you.  We were wondering what to do with the animal waste.  They are warm to be close to and the milk is nourishing but we wondered what to do with the dung."

It was another example of how my people's skills married together.  As a community we were all greater than had we been isolated individuals.  I think that was what helped us to survive the winter.

The days were cold and the nights colder still.  The river became frozen so hard that a warrior in armour could walk across to the other bank. That was the first warning sign. The river had been our defence.  If there was no river to halt an attacker, animal or human then we would have to increase our vigilance. With three times more night than day we had to have three sets of sentries to keep watch.  We all dreaded those times when we have to leave the relative warmth of the draughty castle to endure the biting cold outside. All of us now wore the rabbit mittens. I never ventured out without my fur cloak which I wore over my head. If a man was outside for any longer than an hour then his beard would be rimed with white frost making him look like an old man.

The wisdom of keeping the animals within our walls was soon obvious. Although not as healthy as grass fed cattle and sheep, they survived better than we could have hoped.  Their diet was not the best but then neither was ours and they lived. Their waste was dried and provided fuel.  The milk was the lifeblood of the manor.  We continued to make cheese. However, inevitably, some animals succumbed to the poor diet and we had to slaughter our first cow a week before Christmas. It fed us all for that week leading to Christmas Eve.  It was a blessing. The bones were not burned but placed in a huge cauldron and simmered to extract every morsel of goodness.  Every shrivelled vegetable we could find was used to add to the flavour of what we termed Christmas broth.  Our Christmas feast would be this strange soup.  As we hunkered down on Christmas Eve the rich smell of the bubbling broth permeated the castle and drifted across the still air to the town.  We all felt warmer.

And then the wolves came.

They came silently across the river.  Wolves do not know what day it is. Were it not for our priests then we would not. They came on the night when all were comfortable and looking forward to our feast of Christmas when the spiced treats we had saved would be brought out to savour on the feast of the birth of Christ. They came when the nights were so long that we seemed not to have any daylight. They came when we hoped for joy and they brought death and despair. I was awoken by Edgar.

"My lord, we have heard screams and the sound of wolves."

I was out of my bed in an instant.  "Where?"

He pointed north to the land to the east of the Hart Burn. "Towards the farm of Alan of Aldborough."

Even as I was dressing I remembered that Alan had come to us with his family the previous year. He was a young farmer whose family had been either killed or enslaved by the Scots.  He and his wife had four children. I prayed that they were safe and cursed that he had not come within my walls as some other families had. "Have five archers and four men at arms readied." Harold was dressed already. "Bring your bow."

I did not dress in mail but a leather byrnie with my surcoat on top.  The cloak I wrapped around me would keep out some of the cold. I took a spear and strapped on my sword. Aiden was already there with the horses. We left by the north gate.  "Keep a good watch for farmers seeking refuge but keep the gates closed until you see them.  With wolves about I would not invite danger into my castle." Ethelred and Alf were at the gates of the town. I paused to speak with them. "There are wolves.  We go to fetch in the farmers.  Keep a close watch. My men say they have crossed the river."

"We will, my lord and we will keep torches burning.  Wolves cannot abide fire!"

The ground was mercifully frozen but it was slippery and we had to travel slowly. I was relieved when I saw Alan of Aldborough and his family trudging towards us and the safety of the castle.  "Thank God you are safe.  We thought that the wolves had had you."

"No, my lord, we were woken by the noise of them but they were to the west of us.  They were close to the Ox Bridge over the beck."

I wracked my brain to think who lived there.  I remembered it was a small hamlet of four farms who eked out a livelihood by the old stream. Oswald was the head of the families.  He was one of the original farmers of the manor and had lived there since William the Bastard had scoured the north.  He was as old as my father had been. I spurred Scout on.

We saw lights flickering in the distance.  Fire was the only foe the wolves feared.  Some of Oswald's family lived still. I held my spear like a lance. It was more accurate than trying a throw. As we crossed the frozen beck and climbed up the other side it was a scene from hell which we saw before us.  It was a pack of twenty wolves. Three men were fending them off with flaming brands but there were six who were carrying off the dead and dying already. Our duty was to the handful who lived. I needed issue no orders.  All of the men I had with me knew what we had to do. I leaned forward and charged Scout at the centre of the baying, growling, howling pack.  A large she wolf turned and leapt at Scout. Scout was a brave mount and did not flinch.  It gave me a steady platform.  I punched forward with my spear as though it was a lance and the spear head plunged into the chest of the beast.  Even then its savage jaws tried to clamp on Scout's neck and I hurled the spear and dying wolf to the side. Drawing my sword I swung it down on to the neck of the next wolf which was preparing to launch itself at Edgar. It took the animal's head in one scything motion. 

My archers, aided by Aiden and Harold had done the damage.  Ten of the wolves lay dead and the rest fled.

"Edgar, get after the wolves who took the bodies.  Bring the bodies back. We would have a Christian burial for them."

I dismounted as my men left. Edward son of Oswald strode over to me and dropped to his knee.  "Thank you Baron.  We would have all died had you not come."

"Where is your father?"

He pointed to the middle of the family.  They had protected his dead body with their living ones. His throat had been torn out. "He died with a sword in his hand.  When was younger he had been a warrior and he had kept his old sword. There is a wolf out there who knows that my father fought to the end." He shook his head.  "It was the young that they took."

I put my hand on his arm. "My men will fetch back their bodies." Waving my arm around the hamlet I said, "You cannot stay here. Have your families bring what they can carry and you shall spend Christmas in the castle. I want no more deaths."

By the time my men returned with the bodies of the children and the young women who had been taken we had all that they could carry. The wolves had not had enough time to do much damage to the bodies but the six were a tragic sight and the mothers and the fathers fell upon the bodies weeping.  My men looked away.  It was too much to bear.  They had lost friends in war but these were children and should have grown up. I said the words I did not want to say but which I knew I must. "The ground is too hard to dig a grave, Edward son of Oswald."

He looked up from his dead daughter's body.  "I know my lord but we cannot leave them for the rats and the foxes."

"We will build a pyre and when daylight finally comes we will collect the ashes and put them in an urn.  Father Peter will bury them in the church at Norton.  Your father and his grandchildren will rest together close by my father."