The Road to Agincourt Read online

  The Road to Agincourt

  Book 5 in the Struggle for a Crown Series

  By

  Griff Hosker

  Published by Sword Books Ltd 2019

  Copyright ©Griff Hosker First Edition

  The author has asserted their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  Cover by Design for Writers

  List of important characters in the novel

  (Fictional characters are italicized)

  Sir William Strongstaff

  King Henry IV formerly Henry Bolingbroke

  Henry of Monmouth (Prince of Wales and Henry’s son)

  Ralph Neville, 4th Baron Neville of Raby, and 1st Earl of Westmorland

  Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland

  Sir Thomas Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel

  Thomas Arundel-Archbishop of Canterbury

  Sir Edmund Mortimer

  Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (Nephew of Sir Edmund Mortimer and claimant to the English crown)

  Thomas Bardolf, 5th Earl of Bardolf

  Owain Glyndŵr (Glendower), Rebel and pretender to the Welsh crown

  Royal Family Tree of England

  Chapter 1

  Henry of Monmouth, King Henry’s eldest son, Prince Henry, took his first steps to become a warrior in the mould of Edward, The Black Prince, on the field of Shrewsbury. The battle had been hard-fought and we had come close to defeat for Hotspur and our enemies had employed the archers of Cheshire. Attempts had been made on the King’s life and the battle had hung by a thread until Hotspur was slain. He was killed by me. I am Will Strongstaff brought up by common soldiers, the Blue Company who served The Black Prince. I was not born a noble but I became one and I am a warrior and I know how to fight; I know how to kill and I know when I see a leader. I saw one that day when Henry Monmouth fought for the whole battle with an arrow lodged in his skull. I know of no other man who could have done as he did and yet, at that battle, he had been a mere callow youth. But I saw, in him, a leader who could lead our knights, men at arms and, most importantly, our longbowmen, to victory.

  Although we had won the battle of Shrewsbury, we had lost many men and the Welsh were still to be defeated and Owain Glendower was still at large. The northern barons, despite the loss of Harry Hotspur, were still in a rebellious mood for their earl, Hotspur’s father, had not been at the battle and having lost his son and his brother was not in a mood for reconciliation. I had lost men from my retinue, men who had fought with me for years and others had been wounded, but we could not go home for King Henry was forced to keep his army in the field. The Welsh, as cunning as ever, had sent few men to aid their allies and they had taken many English castles in Wales. We were still at Shrewsbury for it had been a bloody battle and many men had been hurt. The Prince of Wales had been taken to Kenilworth Castle where his doctor, John Bradmore, was still trying to ensure that the King would not lose his eldest son!

  I was summoned, in my new role as Sherriff of Northampton, to a meeting with the King and his senior advisors in Shrewsbury. I was in elevated company for there were nobles there, such as Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick who had claims to the throne as well as newly-promoted men like the Earl of Arundel. However, I was not intimidated by my presence in such an august body for I had been the bodyguard to two kings, Richard and Henry and every man at the meeting was younger than I was. I had proved myself on battlefields more times than enough. I had been on crusade with King Henry and although I had earned my place, I did wonder why I was present for all those assembled knew that I had little to do with politics and this meeting had a political undercurrent.

  There were just ten of us in the chamber in Shrewsbury Castle and the doors were closely guarded by loyal knights. The rebellion had unnerved Henry Bolingbroke as some of those who had fought against us at Shrewsbury had been, apparently, loyal men. Thomas Percy had been one of those who had changed sides at the last moment. Everyone, it seemed, was now under scrutiny. I think that the council of war was the first time I noticed the illness which soon came to define Henry Bolingbroke in his later years. I do not think any other would have noticed; indeed, they did not but I had been caring for the King since before he had even had aspirations to be one. As the other lords were speaking amongst each other and not to the camp follower elevated far beyond his expectations, I had the opportunity to study the King. I knew that it was not only the rebellion which played on his mind but the terrible injury sustained by his son. That was not the reason for my concern. I noticed that his skin had begun to flake a little. I knew that it was little enough for wearing a mail coif and helmet was always an irritation but the King had always enjoyed robust health. Even when we were on crusade in Latvia, he had been healthy. I wondered what had caused his skin to blister and redden. I put it down to the mail he wore and the battle. I know that my wife had had a salve made up for me to prevent the chafing which came from wearing a mail coif for long periods. I decided, erroneously, to ascribe the skin complaint to that even though I noticed that he also appeared to be wearier than he should for a man who was not even forty summers old.

  “My lords, your attention.” Sir Roger was his pursuivant and his mace, banged on the table, made all silent.

  The King had a monk who was scribing for him. King Henry liked everything in its proper place and ordered. He liked to have records of who was present and what was said. It was not only his face which showed the King’s condition, but it was also his voice which sounded weaker and more tremulous than I remembered. “We have won the battle but the war is far from over. We have enemies all around us. Glendower and Mortimer are still free in Wales and I have lost castles to them. The Earl of Northumberland, too, is at large and I have heard that the French are eagerly anticipating our downfall so that they can attack us as they did in the reign of King John.”

  He allowed that to sink in but I do not think it came as a surprise to any of us.

  “Tomorrow, I will be heading north with half of the army and the Earl of Warwick to deal with the rebels who have still to accept my authority. I have already asked Sir Ralph Neville to raise an army of the loyal men of the north and to apprehend the Earl of Northumberland. I leave the Earl of Arundel here, with my son when he is recovered, to face the threat of the Welsh.” He looked specifically at me, “I know that the protector of kings, Baron William Strongstaff, will watch over my son for he is the future of England and there is none better than the Sherriff of Northampton to guard him. God willing, we shall overcome the threats of our enemies and England will emerge triumphant.” We all nodded. “I will write to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It may well be that our forces there can attack the Welsh from across the seas. If so, then that might aid our cause. We will depart on the morrow but we will not hold a feast this day for until my son is recovered from his wound and England is once again free from threat then there is nothing to celebrate. Until that time, we would be alone.”

  We rose to leave and each lord bowed as he did so. I was the most junior of all the lords and I waited to the end. King Henry said as I passed him, “Will, I would have a word in private with you. Clerk, finish that elsewhere and when it is done place it next to my bed and I shall read if before I sleep.” When he had g
one and the door had closed King Henry said, “Sit.”

  I knew that something bothered him and I asked, “What ails you, Your Majesty?”

  He laughed, “Ails me? How long is there, Will, for I seemed to be plagued by every ague known to man?” He shook his head, “I am well enough but I am not the warrior I once was. When you trained me, as a young man, then was I strong and healthy but I now sit and talk when I should be at the pel.”

  “You are the King, and that is a heavy responsibility.”

  “And it weighs like an anvil upon my shoulders. Do you know that there are rumours that my cousin Richard lives?”

  I had heard such rumours. “Aye, King Henry, but we both know that he is dead.”

  “Yet when he was alive all men wished his death. Ironically, I was not one of them and yet as soon as he died men beat their chests and tore their clothes saying that he was a saintly man and that I had murdered him! You know that was not true!” His voice showed his state of mind and he was pleading with me almost as though I was a priest and could give absolution. He had not killed the King but he had usurped him and I knew that Henry Bolingbroke felt guilt. Could that be the cause of his ailment?

  “King Henry, I was a common man as you know and I have grown into this world of lords and nobles. It seems to me that as soon as you give most men power it changes them. They become politicians and, as such, are self-serving. Sir Edward Mortimer was one such good example. He was a supporter and now sees the opportunity to claim one-third of England. I would not envy you your crown for it must be hard to see into men’s hearts and know what they truly feel and not what they wish ”

  “You are right and yet what you say is not true of you. I see the same warrior who treated my cousin and me equally and has served this royal house well.” I said nothing. “It is for that reason that I would have you watch over my son. Hotspur had control of him and it almost proved ill. You, I can trust to watch him and guide him as you did with me. I confess that there were times when I was younger where I did not always choose to take the advice you offered and I have paid the price for that arrogance. I am learning to be a better king but I pray that it is not too late. I see in Prince Henry something much greater than is in me or was in poor Richard. I would have you nurture it.”

  “I will do so.”

  “It means, of course, that you will have to stay close by him and that means abandoning your family.”

  “I will never abandon my family but I can still watch over the Prince and my family.”

  “Then you are a better man than I am, Will Strongstaff. But if any can do it then it is you. I will now go to pray. I do this more and more. Perhaps I should have been a priest.”

  We left the room together and he went to his quarters almost bent double as though he was Atlas carrying the world upon his shoulders and I returned to the chamber to gather my thoughts. We both knew that this sudden concern was because his world had been rocked by the treachery of those around him and the closeness of the blades in the battle. Knights dressed as the King had been brutally butchered in the battle. Hotspur had not just wanted victory he had wanted the King dead! Prince Henry should have died by that arrow but he had been saved and would be healed. Such encounters with the spectre of death made every man closer to God. When I had been with the Blue Company, those hard men alongside whom I had fought had prayed to God each time they went into battle! The clerk had left some parchment, spare quills and ink. I sat and wrote a letter to my wife. She would understand why I did that which I did. When I had finished, I sealed the letter with my signet ring. I went to seek my quarters and my son.

  My son, Harry, was my squire and he had food ready for me when I entered the house we had commandeered. He knew me well and saw that I wished to be alone. He left me with the jug of wine, the bread and the cheese. I sat and thought about the Kings words and the implications for me. I was Sherriff of Northampton and that title brought me the castle of Northampton as well as the protection of the King. I doubted that my wife would wish to live there and so I needed a constable. I smiled as the question popped into my head for there was an easy answer. My son Sir Thomas could learn to be a mighty lord there. He and his family would be safe and he would be close to my wife. Prince Henry had many of his own knights and I would not need my own. Sir Wilfred could return to his manor along with those men who had been wounded in battle. I would keep my youngest son, Harry, and retain the unmarried men from my retinue.

  Shrewsbury Castle was a large one but it had been damaged in the fighting and my retinue had taken over the house of a disgraced knight who had fought against the King. So far, King Henry had not decided who would reap the rewards of the fine house. Until that time, it suited us. All had known that I was in a meeting with the King and the lords who advised him. As I left the castle I was seen and by the time I reached the timber and stone house my men had begun to gather in the yard at the rear while I sat and ate. King Henry was right, I had not changed. At least, in my mind I had not changed and I had always told my men, all. They were expecting to go home for they knew not of the impending campaign.

  I stepped out of the door into the yard and I looked at their faces as they stared expectantly at me. “You have all done well and the King told me to tell you so.” He had not but I took his praise for me as implied praise for my men. “We did well from the battle for although there was little ransom there was armour, horses and weapons. Know that my share will be divided equally between those who died for the King and for me.” I turned to Abelard, Alan of the Woods’ son and the squire of Sir Roger. Sir Roger had died at Shrewsbury. “Abelard, I had a mind to send you back to Weedon with your father and the other wounded men but, if you choose, then you can stay at my side and help my son Harry for I need another squire.” It was in my mind to give Harry his spurs sometime soon.

  I saw him glance briefly at his father who gave a nod and he replied, “My lord, I had set my feet on the path to knighthood, I know that I lost my lord and I mourn him but I would carry on and I will follow you if you will have me.”

  “Then you shall become my second squire. The King wishes me to stay here in the Welsh Marches and I shall obey him. As for the rest, you can leave on the morrow. The King and a mighty host will be on the road and my advice would be to leave early. My son, Sir Thomas, shall lead you. Tonight we feast and we will speak of the dead for they deserve to be honoured.”

  Sir John and the newly knighted son of Red Ralph, Ralph, came over to speak with me. “Do you have need of us, lord?”

  It was Sir John who spoke and I smiled for I knew that he wished to be home with his family. “No, John, go to your family.” We both looked at Ralph, “But Ralph, you are newly knighted. There is a manor for you if you wish it as Sir Roger had no family.”

  Ralph shook his head, “And that is both kind and thoughtful but this bloody battle has shown me that the north is full of traitors. I know that Sir Ralph Neville is not one of them and he has a castle at Middleham. I would return to my mother’s farm at Middleham Tyas and offer my services to Sir Ralph. I am my father’s son and I believe that I can train men to follow my banner.” He looked at me nervously, “Have I offended you, my lord?”

  “Quite the opposite for it is what I might have said. You are your father’s son and there will always be a place for you in my household.”

  As they left Thomas and Harry, my sons, came over and Thomas said, “I am to lead the men home. What of you, father? You did not tell the men what task has been entrusted to you.”

  I gestured towards the River Severn which flowed close by the town, “Come, let us sit beneath the trees for I have much to say.” When we were seated beneath the willows, I handed Thomas the letter I had written to Eleanor, “Give this to your mother, it will explain much to her. As for you, I would have you become the constable at Northampton and act as Sherriff in my absence.”

  “You have yet to say what your tasks are to be, father.” My son was persistent.

  “I am
to be with Prince Henry, to guard and to guide him in his efforts to retake his birthright back from the Welsh. We have the Welsh to bring to heel. This may take some time but I need a strong hand in Northampton for the King goes north with Sir Ralph Neville and there is a rumour that the French think to invade. When Prince Louis did that he landed in London and we know how unpredictable are the people there. They do not think of England, only of themselves. Even if London were to fall then Northampton could be held by doughty men. The task I give you is a hard one but I know that you can do it.”

  Thomas was clever and he smiled, “And the fact that my family and your grandchildren will be safe is another factor. You never change, father, and I will discharge my duty although I will not do it half so well as you,”

  I laughed, “I am a warrior, Tom, pure and simple!”

  The feast was a good one and better than I would have enjoyed had there been a royal feast. My men and I were all equal and my sons had continued that tradition. We felt more like a company than a lord and his men. There was all the banter one might expect from a company of warriors and no one became upset because they were mocked. I was awoken early as a third of my men prepared to leave. It made me sad for it meant I had just seventeen men left. That they were better than any who followed a mightier and richer lord was a comfort to me but they were a smaller number than I was used to. They had heeded my words and my son knew that if he followed the King and his army then his pace would be slower and there would be little in the way of food or grazing for them. They would be many miles down the road before the King had even risen.

  I sought out Sir Thomas Fitzalan once the King and his army had left. The Earl of Arundel was a loyal supporter of the King and that was why, despite his youth, he had been given such a responsible position. His father had been executed by King Richard and Sir Thomas seemed to have learned from that. He and I had not always got on for he had been instrumental in deposing King Richard but I respected him for his loyalty to King Henry and he was a good soldier. He also had connections which helped for his uncle, Thomas Arundel, was the Archbishop of Canterbury and the most powerful priest in the land. The Earl was a young man, barely twenty-three, with much experience for one so young but he also knew that I had far more and when I spoke with him, I realised that he would heed my words and my advice. We sat in the Great Hall with his closest knights.