The Fallen Crown (14 page)

Aelric said, "Lord they have a line of scouts north of Lincoln.  There is no village nearby and they watch the road.  There are ten of them."

I trusted Aelric.  Along with Dick he was one of the longest serving archers I had.  He had good judgement. "Could our archers take them?"

He laughed, "Ralph of Thirsk and I could have taken them, lord."

I smiled, "Let us take no chances.  Take the archers, all of them and eliminate these men.  I want their horses.  Leave no trace of them." I turned to Sir William.  "Is there a village north of here?"

"Not on the road, lord.  It is Roman and travels straight and true towards York." He pointed to our left and, in the distance I could see smoke rising from a collection of huts. "There is one there. It is called Scampton. There are few people who dwell within."

"Aelric do as I commanded and then bring their horses back to the village."

As we headed for the crude huts centred around a tiny wooden chapel I explained my plan to the others. "I want to draw Stephen north.  The Earl is approaching from the west and I want the Usurper looking to us. Dick, I intend to take the men at arms and progress down the Roman Road. I have no doubt that these sentries will be relieved or someone, at least will check up on them.  Your task is to wait until we approach and then ambush whoever comes.  We will wait until the archers return before we begin."

I turned to the servants.  "This will be our camp.  If the villagers stay do not harm them but warn them that they cannot travel south.  They must head north or west."

While my men went about their business I dismounted. I would ride Rolf for Lion had done his fair share for the day.  I had my knights and men at arms arm themselves with spears.  "When we ride put more space between you than is normal.  I wish them to see more men than there are.  Sir John make sure you have a banner.  I want them to see knights and Richard make sure you hold my wolf banner high.  Gilles, today you carry a lance with a gonfanon."

He said, "But I have not got one!"

Sir John laughed, "Then make one! Use a spare surcoat."

Aelric and Ralph returned leading a string of horses.  "They are dead lord.  We hid their bodies in the ditch.  They will find them only when they begin to smell."

"Good,  Dick, you know what to do.  Send me a message when they approach."

There was no road for us to the Roman Road and so we crossed the frost hardened fields.  The dips and the folds hid us but there were no enemies to spy us, yet. When we reached the road I had the men dismount.  The squires either had their lord's standard or a gonfanon. We all looked to be knights. It was getting on to late afternoon and that suited us.  I wanted dark behind us.  Men are more likely to see threatening and sinister shadows in the dark.  Men multiply enemies when night is upon them. I spent the time explaining to my men exactly what they would do.

I wondered if anyone would come at all as I saw the glow that had been the thin January sun sink in the west. Will Red Legs rode up, "Lord, a large patrol has ridden from Lincoln.  There are forty riders. They are a Roman mile away."

"Mount!"

Our horses were rested and we cantered down the road.  I did not want to hide.  I wished them to know that we were coming.  The horses' hooves drummed on the Roman stones.  It made us sound more than we were. We covered the first half mile quickly and then we saw them. As they saw us they reined in and I shouted, "Charge! For the Empress! The Warlord of the North rides!"

As we galloped, faster and looser than we normally did, Dick and his archers began to rain arrows into them.  Panic ensued.  These were men at arms and they ran. No knight led them.  Some were plucked from their saddles and some horses were struck. The rest headed back down the road.

We halted at the sight of the ambush. In the time it had taken to charge night had fallen. One horse lay dead. Already three of my archers were butchering it.  The rest were taking all of value from the twelve who had fallen.  Others would arrive back with wounds and some of those would die but it was the message they would deliver that was most important.  They would report that the Warlord of the North, with many knights and men at arms had ridden south.  I relied on my reputation and the fact that Stephen knew me well.  He knew of my tricks and my night time attacks.  He would halt his attack on the walls and prepare for my men striking that night.  I did not intend to do so.  Instead we would eat horsemeat, sleep well and be ready to harass them on the morrow.

As we ate Sir William said, "That was a clever ruse, lord.  I thought that you were just a good tourney knight who led men."

Dick laughed, "The Earl would have made a good outlaw.  He knows how to use the land and enemy's fears to win. I could not believe the panic when they saw your banners, my lord.  We were close enough to hear their shouts.  They believed that all of our men had come south with you!"

Sir John asked, "And tomorrow; what then, lord?"

"Tomorrow we move and we strike. Our men at arms hold them while Dick and his archers thin their numbers. The Usurper will know by evening how few men we have.  He will have patrols seeking us out. Until they report back he will believe that I am up to some trick. And then I pray that the Earl of Gloucester will have arrived for, if not, then the siege will begin again on the next day and I am not certain how long the Countess can hold out."

We slept as well as men can in the middle of winter out in the open but we were warriors all. The addition of Sir William's men had aided me for it gave me a larger number of mounted men to use. The key would still be Dick and his archers.  I was just grateful that we had brought so many arrows. It looked like we would need them.

I led my men east, across the Roman Road.  I wanted to draw Stephen's eye away from the west. Using Dick's archers as a screen we headed for the east gate of the town.  I knew that it would be guarded.  I also knew that there would be men watching for us.  Had it not been for Dick then we would have stumbled upon them but, as it was we had warning.

Rafe galloped up, "Lord, Sir Richard sent me.  There are fifty men ahead.  Four knights and the rest are mounted men at arms.  Our men are falling back along the road."

"Sir William take your men into the fields on the left. When we have their attention attack them in the flank!"

"Aye lord."

"Tell Dick to pull back; we are coming!"

I held my lance across my cantle.  If these men had been sent to look for us they would have neither lances nor spears.  Our might make the difference. As I looked ahead I saw my archers galloping towards us. They were safe from the enemy for they wore no mail and their horses were light.  They could outrun them. The men at arms and knights wasted energy spurring their horses after my archers. The ditches which lined the roads were no obstacle to horsemen and my archers leapt across them when they spied us.  The result was that the enemy suddenly saw my column of men bearing down upon them.

Their leader tried to form a line.  It was a good move and would be effective for the land around us was flat. What they did not know was that Sir William was bringing a line of men at arms to strike at his right flank and my archers were preparing to dismount and loose arrows. I concentrated on the leading knight in the line.  He was their leader.  I could see him gesticulating with his arm. I had Gilles on one side of me and Sir John on the other. Gilles was having to play the part of a knight thanks to the prevarication of the Earl of Gloucester. If anything happened to my brave young squire then the earl would pay!

The enemy line began to labour towards us.  We had speed.  I pulled back my arm and as our two lines approached each other I pulled my shield tighter and punched hard with my spear across the cantle of the leader of the knights. He was slow to bring his shield across and his cantle deflected the head of my spear up.  It tore through his surcoat and mail and ripped into his organs. I felt the tip strike the wood of the cantle behind him and he was thrown from the saddle.  His fall took my spear with it and I let it go. As I drew my sword I saw Sir William and his men hitting the right flank of the enemy line.  I shouted, "Wheel right!"

As I drew my sword a man at arms swung his sword at me.  I blocked it and then he was past.  I heard a shout as Jean of Angers hacked him in two.  Our dual lines were effective. As we swept right I saw men at arms being plucked from their saddles by the arrows from Dick and his archers. As we hit the shocked and leaderless remnants they broke and fled.

"Halt!"

I did not want us to pursue the enemy.  They might count our numbers.  This way the survivors would report greater numbers than we actually had. They would tell Stephen that there was a large number of men attacking the east gate as well as the north. It would make their flight understandable.

"Gather the weapons and horses.  Back to the village.  Fetch our dead and wounded."

As we ate the last of the horsemeat I reflected on the situation.  I had besieged castles before.  Indeed I had done so with Stephen when fighting for King Henry. I had set him a new puzzle. He now knew that I was to the north and the east of him. He would have no idea of the actual numbers of men.  His scouts had just seen a screen of my scouts while those who had returned from the encounters would give an exaggerated picture to him.  He was a clever commander.  I would never underestimate him.  He would be devising a plan to continue the siege while finding me and my men. I could expect him to hunt me the next day. So long as he hunted me then he could not attack the castle with all of his forces. I felt certain that the Earl would be close by the end of the day.  To that end I sent one of Sir William's men at arms to look for him on the road.

Before we retired for the night I warned my men what we could expect. "Günter and Alain I want you to guard the servants and spare horses.  If we are found then take them and head north and west. Dick, your archers will give us protection while we head north and east towards the road.  We will make our enemy think we are protecting our way home."

Sir William nodded, "In reality you are keeping the King's eyes away from the Earl of Gloucester."

"That is all we can do.  We have hurt him.  He has lost knights and men at arms to us.  We need to do more. I want him afoot.  If we can weaken his ability to use horses then we help our cause. We hit and we run." I laid out my plans for the next day.  My own men knew what to expect but Sir William and his men at arms struggled to understand how we could make such fluid plans and expect to succeed. They had proved an asset up to now but I wished they were my men from the north.

I was awoken while it was still dark by Walter of Crewe, one of my archers, "Lord I have heard horses.  There are men on the road."

That could mean only one thing; they were hunting us. "Rouse the men but do so silently.  Let us slip into the night."

Gilles and Richard had already been roused when Walter had woken me.  They had Lion saddled and ready for me by the time I had made water. They helped me into my mail and I mounted.  I rode east towards the road.  Dick ghosted next to me.  Even on a horse he could move silently.  His bow was already strung and hung from his cantle. We did not speak.  Noise carried long distances at night; especially in winter when there was little animal noise. He pointed south and east towards the road.  I nodded.  Unsheathing my sword I followed him. I soon heard the sound of hooves on the road.  They had put sacking around them but in the silence of the night they could still be heard. This was open country but it was dark.  Both Dick and I were cloaked and our horses were dark in colour. We were as invisible as it was possible to be. I glanced behind me and saw another eight of Dick's archers.  The rest of my men would be following and Alain and Günter would be leading the servants and spare horses to safety.

It was Dick who spied the first enemy scout.  His horse had blotches of white which showed up in the night. Dick had an arrow ready and he loosed it from the back of his horse. The scout fell from the back of his mount. He gave a grunt as the arrow hit him in the chest. Startled, his horse galloped north towards us.  The sound of the galloping hooves alerted the other scouts.  They shouted to each other and we knew where they were. Dick waved his archers to flank us and we moved in a long line across the open country.  Soon we would be seen, despite our black apparel, but it mattered not.  No matter how many men sought us we would have advantage of numbers over the scouts. We stopped in an oblique line across the road. Loosing from the back of a horse was neither easy nor accurate, even for my skilled archers but the scouts approached so close to us that even I could have hit my target.

The arrows flew and the scouts died but some died noisily and I heard the cries of alarm further down the road. I pointed to the east and Dick, nodding, led his archers thence. My squires, Sir John and my men at arms formed up behind me. I could hear, coming a little more slowly than my men, Sir William and his men. We formed a line ten men wide across the road. The scouts who had not been slain had galloped south down the road to rejoin their comrades and we waited.  Movement could be seen.  I could hear that they were cantering up the road and that suited me.

I caught sight of a white horse amongst the mailed men who rode towards us.  As soon as I detected where they were I spurred Lion and he strode forward eagerly.  It made us into a mobile wedge as we trotted down the road. The sound of our hooves told them that we were coming. I wanted my men as close to me as possible.  I did not know the numbers we would meet and I wanted us to strike the head of their column as hard as we could. When they came into view I saw that they were four abreast and less than thirty paces from us.

I shouted, "Charge!" As I dug in my heels my horse leapt towards them.  He was a powerful beast and was eager for battle. I had my sword behind me, ready to strike. Lion galloped between the two leading knights. A night battle is always hard for you can misjudge where to strike.  I just aimed my sword at neck level.  The knight to my right failed to raise his shield and my sword slashed across his ventail and throat. My blade came away bloody.

To my left I felt the knight who was there stab at me. It was the wrong stroke for it merely hit my shield and then Sir John showed him the correct blow by striking diagonally across his chest.  My wedge was forcing the column of men apart and that would give us an advantage, but only for a short time.  Eventually, if the column was big enough, we would be surrounded. I stood in my stirrups as I swung my sword overhand.  I brought it down on the head of the man at arms who tried to slash at my side.  My sword struck first and it smashed through his poorly made helmet. As I stood I could see that the column was a long one. It was time to break. 

"Wheel left!"

Wilfred and Edgar were at the extreme right of my short line and they were both experienced warriors.  They would have the task of protecting our right flank as we turned to the left. We took the men before us by surprise as we punched a hole in their ranks.  Then we were on the hard, frozen fields which bordered the road.  I led my men, now a ragged formation, north and east.  I knew not where Dick and his archers were but they would be ready to ambush the column as it blindly pursued us. A lightening of the sky ahead told me that dawn was not very far away.  It meant another day bought for the tardy Earl of Gloucester.

I saw two horses without riders galloping next to me and I recognised them as belonging to our men.  We had not escaped unscathed. Ahead I saw a low hedgerow. We could have jumped it but I suspected that Dick and his archers waited there. "Through the gate!" I led my men through the open gate I had spied. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the enemy were just fifty paces from us.  This time they were using a long line to try to sweep around us. They had advantage of numbers.  I knew that they would think to leap the low hedge. As we passed through the gate I saw my line of archers, all twelve of them with bows arched.  As soon as the last of my men at arms was through the gate they released.

"Turn and face!"

My men at arms turned and formed a line some twenty paces behind my archers. Dick's men were pulling and releasing as quickly as they could.  A skilled archer is beautiful to behold. Unless you have tried it yourself you cannot know how hard it is to pull back the yew bow and launch the ash arrow as accurately as they did. They made it seem so effortless and yet I knew it was not. Sixty arrows were released in the time it takes to mount a horse in full mail. Not all found flesh.  Some found mail and some horses but enough of the sixty struck home.

Six knights and men at arms burst through the gate. We charged them. Sir John and Sir William reached them first along with Edgar and Wilfred. There was a flurry of blows and three saddles were emptied.  Three knights headed back through the gate and from the way one hung on to his reins I knew that one was wounded. I saw the enemy reforming in the gloom of winter dawn.

"Dick, mount your men. We head north.  Let them think we retire to our home."

We rode quickly north and west across the field back towards the road. As daylight filtered slowly form the east they would see our paltry numbers.  They would now know how few men we had brought.  Stephen would realise he had been duped.  Our threat was that of an insect. It would do them little harm. We did not stop until dawn had fully broken and the thin late January sun shone across the frost filled fields. They stopped pursuing us shortly after we reached the road.

It was two of Sir William's men who had fallen.  I was just congratulating myself on a relatively easy victory when Richard slumped from his saddle. Gilles and I quickly dismounted.  His surcoat was bloody. "Henry!"

Henry of Langdale had some skills as a healer.  He jumped down from his horse and came over as Gilles and I took off Richard's surcoat and then his mail. A spear had penetrated his mail.  There were torn rings and it had pierced his side.  Henry took the skin which held watered down vinegar and washed my squire's side.  He was, thankfully, unconscious.  Henry peered into the gaping wound.

"His organs look intact my lord but this will need either stitching or burning."

Dick said, "It will take too long to get a fire going, Henry.  Stitch."

I nodded. "Gilles, Robert, hold his arms lest he flails around."

As Henry set to work I saw others seeing to the wounds some of my men had received.  Compared with Richard's they were minor but my men knew that wounds left untended could go bad.

"Alan, son of Alan, go and find the rest of our men.  Fetch them hither.  We will seek a new camp and hope that the Earl reaches us soon." It took until mid morning before our servants and horses arrived and Richard was ready to ride. We had to ride slowly for fear of undoing Henry's work.  We needed somewhere to rest up.

By noon we had found shelter in a village whose inhabitants fled at our approach. We stayed there for the day while we licked our wounds. I sent James son of Robert in a wide loop to spy out the siege and to let me know how it was going. We had still to have word from the Earl. He seemed to be dragging his heels in his march to rescue his daughter.  If it had been my child then I would have moved heaven and earth to reach her!

We kept two archers at the Roman Road as sentries.  A messenger sent from the Earl would head for our last position. We used one of the deserted huts for Richard. "How are you?"

"I am sorry I was injured, lord."

"It is my fault.  I have used you as a knight and yet you have barely begun your training as a squire.  You did well and you bore the pain well."

"Henry was gentle, lord.  I am grateful."

"You will stay with the servants until you are healed."

He shook his head defiantly, "I know I cannot fight, lord, for that would jeopardise another but Gilles is repairing my  mail.  I can hold your standard.  You have perilously few enough men as it is."

"And you have shown great courage. Very well, you may carry the standard but I want you to retire if danger threatens. I am pleased that you took my offer of service."

"I could not imagine serving another, lord and I will learn from this wound."

"How so?"

"When Henry was stitching me he said that had I worn a thicker and wider leather belt around my waist it would have stopped the spear thrust.  When we return to Stockton I shall use some of the money I have gathered and have the women make me a better belt."

I nodded, "Henry is wise.  You might also buy a padded gambeson. It too will prevent hurts."

"I am learning, lord.  Each time I fight for you I learn something new."

James returned in the mid afternoon.  My knights and I sat with him while he outlined what he had seen. "They have a ram trying to attack the western gate.  I think there is one in the city too but I could not be certain.  They are building towers and they have the parts for a stone thrower.  It is not made yet."

"Where are these?"

"They are to the west of the castle lord; they are close to the Fosse Dyke."

Sir John asked, "Do they have horse lines?"

"Aye lord.  They are north of the town walls. They are guarded."

"What is in your mind, John?"

"When the Earl comes we will bring them to battle.  If they have fewer horses then they will have to fight on foot.  It might help.  We could drive off their horses or even capture them. It would also prevent them from scouting in force."

"That is good.  Then tonight Dick, take your archers and try to capture the horses.  It matters not if we do not get them all.  Any would be to our advantage."

"Aye lord."

"Sir John, we will take our men and infiltrate their lines in the dead of night.  Let us see if we can set fire to their machines of war." He nodded.

Sir William said, "And what of me, my lord?"

"You will wait with your men and guard our horses.  We will be going in on foot.  When we flee we will be pursued.  You and your men at arms will have to charge those who pursue us and allow us to get to our horses."

"Aye, lord."

After dark Sir William's weary man at arms found us. "Pray tell me that the Earl is close to hand."

He shook his head, "I am sorry, my lord.  It is the reason I have taken so long.  He and the army are at Derby.  It is, however, a mighty host with many Welsh men as well as the men of the Earl of Chester."