The King Is Dead (25 page)

"Earl, I was sorry to hear of your wound.  I hope you are recovering."

"Aye and the damned thing itches so much... enough of that. Tell me Sir Thurstan has your time with me been worthwhile?"

He stared at me as though I had gone mad, "Worthwhile? I cannot believe that you suffered me when I first met you. What an insufferable bore I must have been.  How arrogant was I? I now know how to be a knight and I know the knight I wish to be; you. I have money of my own; money which does not come from my uncle.  I have hired more men at arms.  I feel like my life is just beginning. I will never be able to repay your kindness and efforts." He paused, "Yet you say to me
'time'
as though it is ended."

"In a way it is.  I have a task for you."

"Anything! Just ask!"

"I would have you go with Wulfric and Dick.  Take my treasure to your uncle and then go with my men to Stockton."

The three of them gave me a curious look.  "Of course, but my lord, why?"

"I have to stay here.  It is the King's orders.  I fear that the Scots may try to take advantage of my absence. Sir John can defend Stockton but he needs Dick and Wulfric.  I would appreciate it if you were there too."

Wulfric said, "But, lord, who will protect you?"

"I have William and I will retain Edgar.  Rolf and his Swabians will return soon.  When I come home I will sail for Stockton.  I would prefer it if you were at my home."

Dick was a shrewd man, "Lord, why do you send your treasure to the Archbishop?  Do you not trust John... or us?"

"Of course I trust you but we have treasure enough in Stockton.  I am merely planning for eventualities. The Scots are still a danger. And besides there are enemies enough who would hire men to steal from me.  Remember Lavinia.  No, Dick, the cathedral at York is as safe as anywhere."

They nodded, "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you can take ship.  The autumn storms are almost upon us.  They will only become worse. Remember the White Ship!"

They left two days later. I was relieved when they went.  The treasure was huge. Sir Guy de Senonches and his corrupt tax collector must have been stealing from many more manors. I had been besieged.  I would make my own castle stronger.  I did not want to stay in Rouen but I had to.  The King had ordered me and I was his champion. When the Earl of Gloucester left for Caen I felt totally alone.  William still hunted and I was hobbling around yet.

Ten days after my men had left a messenger arrived from the Empress. He bore a letter for me. He was one of the Empress' closest servants. The only ones closer were Judith and Margaret. "You have ridden far, Charles."

"For the Empress I would travel to the edge of the world.  She bade me watch you read it so that I could take a message back if needed."

I read,

'Alfraed,

Thank you for your efforts to protect my husband's land and that of my father.  I was distraught to hear that you had been wounded.  You take too many risks.  I was sorry to hear of Karl's death.  Am I bad luck? My knights are dying and I would not wish it so.

I write because you are closer to my father and his life is in danger.  I have heard that assassins have been hired to kill him.  I know that people will say I only care because I fear for my inheritance.  That is not true and you know that. I have no idea who the paymaster is.  My spies said that agents were recruiting those who might be able to bring harm to King Henry.

I pray you become whole again.  Henry, my son, grows well and is a credit to his father. Take care of yourself, Knight of the Empress.

Matilda.'

I read it three times to make sure I understood all, especially the part at the end. The only person in whom I could confide was the Earl. I decided to do so at the earliest opportunity. We left for the hunting lodge at Lyons-la-Forêt not long after I received the letter.  I wondered if the Earl would return from his visit to Caen in time.

As luck would have it the chance came three weeks after I had received the letter. Leonidas had allowed me, two weeks earlier, to put weight upon my injured leg. Although painful at first I had managed it and when he said I could just use a stick I felt I was on the road to recovery.  Edgar was with me as I risked the stairs and the bailey.  We went to the stable to see Scout and Hunter.  They were both glad to see me.  I turned as horses entered the stable.  It was the Earl and he was alone. He must have just arrived at the lodge. "Edgar, leave us.  I am well and I would speak with the Earl."

"Aye, lord, but I will be close enough to hear a shout."

"I am safe , Edgar."

The Earl dismounted, "You have loyal men, Alfraed.  What is it that is so serious that you cannot have your loyal warrior listen?"

"Your sister has written to me.  Assassins have been hired to kill the King." He hung his saddle on the hook.  "You do not seem surprised."

He shook his head, "When Stephen of Blois and I were on the border we heard the same. It was why I took the long detour.  I was seeking information.  Stephen is, even now, in Flanders, Calais, seeking more intelligence."

"Should we warn the King?"

"I already have. He is aware of the situation. Now that he has an heir he is resigned to death.  Have you not noticed him hunting and drinking far more than before?"

"Aye, I have."

"That shows that he is content and feels safe. We stay vigilant." He looked at my stick.  "How is the leg?"

"It gets stronger each day and the crutches have put muscle on my arms and my chest.  By St. Andrew's day I should be walking and riding normally. I will be ready."

Leonidas chose the moment I would lose the splints.  I had been exercising with the stick for a week and he deemed the time right.  From that moment I grew stronger each day.  After a further five I no longer needed my stick and I began to ride. I took to joining the King's hunt and, on the odd days he did not hunt I went with William and the young bloods. I just used the hunt to regain my skills in the saddle. Hunting was the best way to do so.  You had an enemy;  the prey.  Sometimes the prey became the hunter.  One such day came when Sir Geoffrey de le Mont missed his strike on the wild boar. Instead of being a clean kill he scored a wound on the boar's back.  It angrily turned its tusks on us. It managed to eviscerate Sir Geoffrey's horse before William made a killing blow with his boar spear. That day I saw that my son had become a man.

That evening saw a great celebration as my son was feted. No one was more fulsome in his praise than the King.  Although he had not been there he had heard of the terror of the wild boar. He came over to me to speak quietly as toasts were given to William of Stockton.

"I am even more determined to knight your son, Cleveland.  He has earned his spurs this day."

"I know, your majesty, and you are right." I smiled, "He is more than just my son, he is my squire. You grow accustomed to having such loyal warriors behind you."

"Aye I know.  Before I was king I enjoyed that closeness." He swallowed some of his wine as though he was remembering the days before his elder brother had died and he had become King.  They had been simpler times.  "Make him lord of La Flèche. I know you yearn for England.  This would be a perfect solution. Sir Leofric could still be the castellan." Before I could say anything the King stood and demanded silence. "William of Stockton has shown himself this day to be a true knight.  When we feast on St. Catherine's day we shall knight young William of Stockton and hereinafter make him lord of La Flèche." He took from his belt a purse which I knew contained naught but gold.  He threw it to William. My son was more than a little drunk and almost missed it. "Here is a dowry for you shall marry the manor!"

Everyone cheered and laughed. I had had no say in the matter and I had lost my son. I caught the Earl of Gloucester's eye and he shrugged. It was the King's way.

I helped William up to his bed.  I secured the gold for him.  He was drunk but he could still speak, albeit haltingly. "Did I dream that?"

"What?"

"That I am to be a knight and I have La, La..."

" La Flèche. Aye you will be lord of the manor."

He grinned and fell backwards on to the bed.  I sighed and covered him with a fur skin. I had been such a foolish young man once.  Oft time Athelstan had put me to bed when I had been in my cups. One day William would do the same for his son.  Would I ever see that day or that grandson? My life was changing again.  I had lost my father and found a wife.  I had lost Adela and grown William to be a knight.  Now what did I have left? As I lay, staring through the arrow slit at the starlit night a thought came to me.  I had young Henry.  He would need my protection.  I had the future King of England to guide.

Rolf arrived back four days before the feast of St. Catherine. He had just his squire and two men at arms with him.  As he said to me, "Why do I need a larger retinue? I am the last of the Empress' bodyguards and she is now protected by the army of her husband.  It will suffice."

He was not surprised when I told him the news of my son.  "It is inevitable.  He is like his father.  I have watched him this campaign.  He has been a mentor for a knight.  Sir Thurstan is a better knight because of your son.  His age is irrelevant.  You have trained him well.  Had his mother not been taken from you then it might be different. Like his father before him he was brought up in a home filled with warriors. It is good that he is to be knighted.  I will stay for the feast and then rejoin the Empress."

The King threw himself into the preparations for the feast. He personally took charge of the organisation hiring extra cooks and ensuring that there would be enough of his precious lampreys. They were his favourite food.  Leonidas had advised him to eat fewer but for this special feast the King would brook no such advice.  Wines were brought from the farthest reaches of the Loire and Aquitaine. Beef was slaughtered and hung to allow the taste to develop. The King seemed really happy at this hunting lodge.  It was away from court and he was surrounded by men he liked. The only disadvantage was the extra servants he had had to hire.

I spent all the time I could with William.  Rolf joined us too for he was aware that the butterfly was about to emerge from its cocoon. I think that it had taken some time for it to sink in but William also realised his new responsibility.  He began to doubt himself and question both Rolf and myself for help in mythical problems.

Rolf had laughed, "Forget mythical problems you concoct in your head young William! You will have real enough issues with which to contend. The outlaws who steal your deer. Those who chop down your trees without permission.  The merchant who fails to pay his due taxes.  The neighbouring lord who covets your land. How you deal with them?" He shrugged, "You are your father's son and I daresay you will devise a solution.  He always has, which is why he is now an earl."

"Rolf is right and besides you shall have Leofric with you.  He knows the manor and he is to be married to the daughter of the leading merchant.  Listen to him as you once did when you were a squire and learning how to be a knight." I smiled, "And you will need your own livery too."

"Can I not use yours?"

"You could but would you rather not be you?"

Rolf said, "Just change it slightly.  You are not the wolf; that is your father.  You killed a wild boar.  Why not have a boar?"

I liked the idea.  "Aye, instead of a red wolf you have a red boar."

He brightened.  "I like that!"

Rolf chuckled, "You will like it less when you have to pay for it."

"Aye, my son, you will now have to use your own coin." It gave him something to keep his mind from the ceremony.

The night before he spent alone in the King's own tiny chapel at the lodge keeping vigil.  I had done the same as had Leofric and John.  It was a rite of passage. When he came into the Great Hall, having been anointed by the King's priest we were all waiting for him.  Every knight from the surrounding area was there.  He would be the first of my family to be knighted by the King himself.  I felt pride rising within me.  We had come a long way since I had left  Constantinople, the son of a serf. Now the King would give my son his spurs.

The ceremony was brief.  The King did not like to waste time on such things. I was standing with Rolf and the Earl of Gloucester.  I held my breath as the King touched the shoulders of my son with his sword and said, "I dub thee Sir William, Baron of La Flèche.  Rise and be my oathsworn knight and protect my lands!"

As he stood and was handed his spurs by the Bishop the Great Hall erupted in a cheer. Rolf and I went to him and put his new surcoat over his head.  He was now a knight.  He was not my equal but he would be referred to as sir or lord. He would no longer be William of Stockton, the squire. Sadly, he was no longer mine.  He was leaving my nest to build his own. When I took ship the next day for England, he would take horse for La Flèche.  Our worlds would be split asunder.

The rest of the day was spent in tourney and jousts.  I took no part.  It was deemed unfair for I was, despite my wound, still King Henry's Champion. Rolf and I sat with the Earl and the King and watched.  William did not win; he came second but he acquitted himself well. As evening drew close we gathered in the Hall. As we had spent the day with the King we were seated close by him on the high table. William was with the lesser barons. The high point of the feast was the serving of the lampreys. I was never over fond of the fish but I would have to eat or risk offending the King.

He rose to carve the beast himself.  He would choose the choicest portions. He had just begun when a man at arms came to me, I was seated between the Earl and Rolf. "My Lord Cleveland, there is a messenger here from Sir Guy de la Cheppe.  He says it is urgent."

The Earl said, irritably, "Can it not wait?"

The man at arms said quietly, "He used the words treason my lord and murder."

"I will come with you, Alfraed." His father frowned as we rose, "We will be back in a moment, your majesty."

We hurried out. The servants who had brought  in the lampreys bowed their heads and stood to the side as we raced past them. We reached the bailey and I recognised the messenger. It was Gilles, one of Sir Guy's squires.  I trusted him. "I rode hard my lord to get here. I would have been here sooner but I went to Rouen first. " He handed me a sealed scroll. I broke the seal and held it beneath the sconce so that the Earl could read it too.

La Cheppe,

December 1135

Alfraed,

I have the gravest of news to impart.  Since I left you I heard rumours of plots to kill King Henry.  My part in the attack on Senonches meant that I did not have the confidence of my peers.  I sent spies to discover if the rumours were true. They are.

The woman you spoke to me of, Lavinia, was seen at the court of King Louis.  She left in the middle of November.  I believe that she is heading for Rouen. You told me that she was a poisoner; that was confirmed by my spies.

I pray my news reaches you in time.

Baron Guy de la Cheppe.

I looked at the Earl. "The feast! We must get to the King."

We rushed back up the stairs.  We had not even reached the door when we heard a huge wail.  As we burst through we saw the King and Rolf writhing on the floor. They had been poisoned. The Earl shouted, "Send for a physician."

I turned and shouted, "Seal the castle now! No one leaves without the permission of the Earl! Guard the kitchens and let no one leave."

Leonidas ran into the Great Hall. He took one look and shouted,  "We must make him vomit.  Lord, send for Edgar! He can assist."

"William! Find Edgar." I knelt next to Rolf.  I jammed four fingers as far down his throat as I could manage. He tried to fight me off and then began to vomit a green and yellow bile.  I saw pieces of lamprey. I shouted, "Get me some water!" Glancing over I saw that Leonidas was mashing up some charcoal.

Rolf's squire handed me a jug of water.  I poured it down his open throat and held his nose. Once again he vomited and more lamprey emerged.  I knew that we had to empty his stomach if he was to stand any chance at all.

Edgar ran in with William. Leonidas said, "Mix some charcoal with water and get it into Sir Rolf's stomach." I had seen this done before and I helped Edgar. The result was that we had the black slime down his throat before Leonidas and his slave. I held his nose and soon he was vomiting.  He kept on vomiting until just a thin green bile remained. We poured water down his throat and he kept it down.

Leonidas glanced up and nodded, "Edgar, have Sir Rolf taken to his quarters.  He needs to be wrapped up and kept warm.  The King, I fear, ate more of the lampreys."

One of his household knights said, "He was always fond of the fish.  He ate far more that Sir Rolf and he ate it quickly."

Leonidas said, "I fear the worst.  This surfeit of poisoned lampreys has killed our king."

The Earl of Gloucester looked at me, "Poisoned?"

"It is Lavinia.  She will be in the castle or fled."

"Come with me, Earl, and bring William you know this woman and we can do no more here."

I unsheathed my sword as we hurried out of the keep to the kitchens. I glanced over to the gate and saw that they were securely barred.  My orders had been followed. The two sentries moved aside as we entered.  Inside I saw there were at least twenty people there. The Earl said, over his shoulder, "Let no one leave."

"Aye lord."

He shouted, "Everyone line up. Men on this side and women on the other."

The cook asked, "What is wrong, my lord?"

"Poisoned food was sent from this kitchen.  The King is gravely ill. At this moment all of your lives are forfeit." They began to scream and shout in fear. "Silence!" They whimpered and moaned but did so quietly.  "Women here and men there!" When they had complied he asked, "Who prepared the lampreys?"

An older man raised his hand, "Me my lord.  I always prepare them."