The Road to Agincourt Read online

  “This is not war, lord, it is slaughter!”

  He was right but this was necessary if we were to secure Wales for the Prince. I mounted Hawk and, raising the spear given to me by Abelard, I said, “Sir Richard, take the west side and I will take the east. Dafydd, you know this land, ride with Sir Richard! Ride for their standards!”

  As a plan it was basic but I hoped it would be effective. After we had crossed the bridge I turned to the east. The Welsh would see us once we cleared the walls but, by then, it would be too late. Their knights, nobles and men at arms would have to get to their horses. We would be riding at full speed and only a fool faced charging horsemen on a stationary horse! As we cleared the castle, I saw that the second wave was advancing rapidly and the odd survivors from the first attack were making their way back. When we were seen we sowed confusion amongst the Welsh. Some of those retiring began to run while those advancing halted and presented spears and shields. We were not attacking the ordinary warriors, I wanted the leaders and the nobles.

  I saw the nobles mount but it took time and we were approaching rapidly. I had slowed down a little to allow my men to form a line alongside me. That was one advantage of riding with men who knew me; I did not need to issue orders. This time, too, Harry and Abelard were close to me with spears and shields. It would be Abelard’s first charge on a horse. All I hoped was that he would stay in the saddle. Anything else would be a bonus.

  The Welsh were horsed but their natural escape route, to the south and the west, was blocked by us and the river. They had but one way to go, towards the northeast. What they did not know was there was a large pond there and they would have to divide themselves to get around it. There would be confusion and, in such chaos, lay disaster. Sir Richard would take those on one side while I would take those on the other. We were gaining on them for they begun their ride not from a canter but from a halt and we had speed. I saw the banners and knew that the two sons of Glendower would be on my side. Before I could reach them, I had to negotiate groups of fleeing Welshmen. My spear came up and back, punching into men who, at best, managed to turn to face me.

  I heard Harry shout, “They are turning to face us!”

  I pulled my spear from the side of the bleeding Welshman and saw that Gruffudd son of Owain Glendower had realised the futility of flight and was making a stand. They wheeled their horses and came towards us. They would be going no faster but at least their front would be to their enemies. The two brothers and their lieutenants and standard-bearers came directly for me. I had no standard with me but my surcoat stood out, uniquely, on any battlefield. I realised then the danger in which I had placed my squires. They would both be facing warriors. I spurred Hawk and his legs opened to take me away from my squires. If I could draw their spears then it gave Captain Edgar and my men at arms the chance to protect my son and squire.

  Both of the Welsh knights who faced me wore open helmets and I saw the one they said was the twin of his father. It was he, Tudur, who came at me. The Welsh knights were trying to keep boot to boot but Tudur Glendower was keen to get to me. He had a spear but I did not think he had used one too often for it wavered as he galloped towards me. I kept my spear resting on my cantle. As we closed, I lifted it and pulled it back. His lunge at me was poor and I took the weak blow on my shield. I punched hard at his side with my own weapon and when I hit his shield, he lurched towards his brother driving him further from me but, alarmingly, closer to Harry who was on my left. Another Welsh knight barged his horse into mine and his sword clattered off my helmet. Abelard came to my rescue. His spear rammed into the arm of the Welshman and he had to drop his shield. Abelard had been trained for a few years as an archer and his quick hands punched again and this time, he drew blood. The Welsh knight wheeled his horse around and tried to flee. Abelard had the bit between his teeth and he urged his horse to pursue the knight. I turned too for Tudur Glendower was not yet beaten. He drew his sword and showed his strength for he backhanded my spear and it flew from my hand. I had been careless and in watching Abelard I had failed to see the danger my enemy represented.

  He saw his chance and came at me. Even as I drew my sword, I lifted my shield to block the blow from his sword. Behind me, I heard Captain Edgar shout, “Protect the Strongstaff!”

  It was as he shouted that I realised my son would be fighting Tudur’s brother! It made me determined to end this quickly, Already Sir Richard was driving other Welshmen towards the pond and I saw mailed men and horses falling into its murky waters. I spurred Hawk and his head reared around to bite at the Welshman’s mount. He did not have a courser and it tried to get away from us. It gave me the chance to pull my sword and to swing it hard at his shield. I knew my first blow had hurt him and caused some damage to his shield; the spearhead had torn into the wood and gouged a line along it. The next strike with my sword also hurt him but this time he shouted and I wondered if I had broken a bone in his hand or arm. I lifted my sword again as he swung a weak slash at my shield. I barely felt it but he expected another strike at his shield. Instead, I twisted the point to ram it towards his armour. He had a breastplate but my tip found the gap and the end ripped through links in his mail and came out bloody.

  He was afraid; I saw it in his eyes. My name was known as protector and champion of kings. Perhaps he thought me old, many men did, but the first blows we had exchanged had shown him that was not true. He tried one more swing at me, this time aiming at my head. I flicked up my shield and sent his blade harmlessly above my helmet while I hacked down at his leg. Like me, he was armoured for horseback and although he had greaves, he had no armour on his thighs and my sword hacked through the mail and into his leg. That was enough for him and he turned his horse. Sadly, for him, it was not a warhorse and it was slow to turn. I was still worried about Harry and rather than asking him to yield I brought my sword across him, striking him across the side of the head. He fell from his horse which fled the field. I did not stop to see how he fared but I turned my horse. His brother’s squire rode at me. He was not a young warrior; he was in his twenties and was a huge brute of a man. Behind him I saw Harry and Gruffudd Glendower sparring; to get to them I had to deal with a squire armed with a war axe.

  He urged his horse towards me and began to swing his axe. Any connection with me would be dangerous and potentially fatal. The axe head could shatter mail and break bones. I had to use his own strength against him. I held my shield out before me and invited a swing to shatter my shield and break my arm. I saw his eyes widen in anticipation as he swung the long weapon. I pulled back the shield and the axe-head swung into fresh air. I stood in my stirrups and hacked down at the haft of the axe. I hit it and, more importantly, knocked it from his hands. I lunged, more in hope than expectation, at his body and he reeled. He was a big man and, with an unbalanced horse, he pulled the horse on top of him. He screamed as the horse landed upon him and then spewed forth blood. He was dead!

  I whirled around and saw that my son had unhorsed the leader of the Welsh and he had his sword at his throat. “Surrender or die like your brother.”

  I saw the Welshman look around for a way to escape as I dismounted and walked over to him. I placed the tip of my sword close to the corner of his eye, “Gruffudd ab Owain, I care not if you live or die but if you attempt to leave without surrendering then I will kill you myself.”

  Handing his sword hilt first to my son, he stood, “I will yield but you will not hold me for long. My countrymen will free me.”

  The sun was setting but there was still enough light to survey the scene of carnage. Bodies were piled around the pond and riderless horses wandered around. I waved my sword towards the castle. The ground was covered in the bodies of the men slain by my archers; Captain Alan had led them from the castle to finish off the Welsh archers and their foot soldiers. “And where will these men come from? Has your father another army hidden away somewhere? We destroyed one at Grosmont and another here. These are knights and nobles I see here and they cannot defeat u
s. What hope do those who work the fields have? You can have the mountain passes! Let your men eat grass.” I turned, “Owen the Welshman, take four men and guard this one. Oliver the Bastard, take his brother’s head and plant it on a spear. For the rest, throw them in the pond. We do not need the water and Pwll Melyn will remind Welshmen for all time of the folly of rebellion.”

  As we searched the battlefield, we saw that the Captain, Gethin, who had raided Grosmont and caused them so much harm had perished too. Barely eight knights escaped the slaughter. We had little ransom but we had won and that was all that was important.

  Leaving Sir Richard to secure his new castle I led my men and our prisoner to Worcester. Dafydd Gam came with me. To my surprise, Prince Henry was there along with his father and the Earl of Arundel. Their faces told me that there was trouble.

  Chapter 7

  Before they gave me their news, for I knew that they would wish to do so in private, I said, “Your Majesty, Prince Henry, I have here Gruffudd ab Owain Glendower, captured by my son, and can advise you that his brother Tudur ab Owain Glendower is slain.”

  Dafydd tutted and said, “It is Glyndŵr.”

  I smiled, “However you pronounce it, he is our prisoner!”

  I saw that the King’s face was becoming worse and when he smiled, I saw the pain it caused, “You are the best of knights, William Strongstaff! I come here with dire news and you bring me a prisoner. Come, we have much to tell you. Arundel, have the prisoner taken under strong escort to the tower to join the other prisoners! You go with them to make sure that he does not escape.”

  I took Harry with me for I had a request to make. We were taken to a small chamber in the castle and I saw that the Archbishop of Canterbury was waiting. He smiled, “The bearer of good news again, eh Sir William?”

  King Henry waved an irritable hand. I suspected his illness was affecting him. “The north has risen in rebellion. Sir Ralph Neville has been given orders to meet them. The rebellion is led by Scrope!” He glared at the Archbishop. “The Archbishop of York!”

  “I did not appoint him!”

  “Your Majesty!” I heard the anger in the King’s voice at the apparent lack of respect.

  “Who else was involved, Your Majesty?” Sensitivities would get us nowhere.

  “Thomas Mowbray, the Earl of Norfolk and Henry, Earl of Northumberland! I have forgiven that snake enough and now I will take all of his lands!”

  Prince Henry said, “First, father, he has to be defeated. It is why we are here, Sir William. How stands the Marches? You have won two battles. Can we take the army from here to go to the aid of Sir Ralph?”

  I felt every eye boring into me and I knew that they wanted me to say, aye, but I could not. I would tell the truth and if they did not like it then so be it. I had fallen foul of King Richard by doing so but I could not change my nature. “No, Prince Henry, we cannot. We could take some men and send them but the castles we have we must hold. I thought Grosmont would result in victory but that was less than two months ago and they have come again. We have yet to see Mortimer outside of castle walls and Owain Glendower remains elusive and hidden. My advice would be to send some men north but not all.”

  When Prince Henry smiled, I knew I had done the right thing especially when the King said, “Your words concur with my son’s but I cannot let this rebellion go unpunished.”

  I had trained Henry Bolingbroke and, to me, he was still a youth, “Your Majesty, you trusted the border to me and I did not fail you. You have trusted the north to the Sherriff of Westmoreland and I know him to be a doughty warrior. Trust the loyal knights in the north.”

  “I have ever trusted your judgement and I will do so again. Nonetheless, I will leave when Arundel’s men return from London and I will take what men I can from here.”

  Prince Henry said, “And I will thank you, Sir William. What boon do you wish?”

  I pointed to Harry, “That my son Henry of Weedon be knighted, Prince Henry, for he was the one who defeated the rebel.”

  “And gladly will I do so!”

  And so my son ceased to be Harry and became Sir Henry of Flore, taking over Sir Roger’s old manor. Some of my men had been wounded in the battle and so I sent them with my son to Weedon. Even though he wished to stay I knew that Harry, Sir Henry, needed to speak with his mother and to use the coin from Flore to hire men and buy horses. If the north had rebelled then he would be needed, sooner rather than later.

  Harry shook his head and said, “I would rather stay with you, father, for we have two rebellions to fight and I do not wish to be just watching, I would serve my King and my country.”

  “And you will but you are now a knight, a lord of the manor and you have responsibilities. You have to provide the King with men and horses from your manor. You need a squire and you need to be dressed and equipped as a knight. When that is done then you shall return but not before. Remember, Harry, that I am your lord now as well as your father. It is my command that you must heed.”

  He saw that I was right. Turning to Abelard he said, “And now he is your responsibility. I have no doubt that you will discharge your duty well but it is a great weight that you now bear.”

  “I know, Sir Henry, but you have shown me that it can be done and it will be done!” They did not leave immediately and it took a couple of days to ensure that the wounded had been tended to and were able to ride.

  They had been gone but one day when Sir Thomas Fitzalan returned from London. From the state of his horse, he had ridden the animal almost to death. He was breathless but his eyes were bright with excitement, “King Henry, the rebellion is over! Sir Ralph tricked the Archbishop of York and the army of rebels is disbanded. He has the Archbishop Scrope and both he and the Earl of Norfolk are held in Pontefract Castle. The Earl of Northumberland, along with Lord Bardolf have fled to Scotland. God be praised!”

  The relief was clear in the King’s voice. The worry and fear I had heard while we waited for Sir Thomas, was now replaced by hope and optimism. “Then I will hie me to Pontefract and show these rebels the price for rebellion. My son, I charge you with the protection of these Marches on the Welsh border. Let us prosecute this war too so that England shall be at peace once more. Fitzalan, you shall come with me and sit in judgement upon these rebels.”

  After the King had gone to prepare for his journey and while an exhausted Sir Thomas Fitzalan rested in preparation for another punishing ride, Prince Henry and I enjoyed a beaker of celebratory wine. “This is a joyous day, is it not, Will?”

  “If we had Percy with the other two then I would empty this jug of wine but Percy is in Scotland and while the King of Scotland can do nothing directly for King Henry holds his son, there is nothing to prevent him from supporting the Earl of Northumberland and I can tell you, Prince Henry, that there are Scots who would follow any leader to do mischief in England. Do you remember Shrewsbury and Douglas?”

  Prince Henry was reflective. “You are right, of course, and yet you sour this moment for me.”

  “That is your lot in life, Prince Henry. I served King Richard as well as your father and I saw hope dashed many times over. No matter how secure you feel you are then you must know that there will be new threats which emerge from rocks you do not even see yet.”

  “And that is why King Richard and my father kept you close.”

  I shook my head and my voice was filled with bitterness, “Little good it did King Richard for he still died alone and friendless. I do not call these rebels friends of King Richard for they were conveniently absent when he needed them.”

  “I, too, liked King Richard for he was kind to me and it was he dubbed me but we cannot live in the past. We live in the here and now.” I nodded. “What do we do about the Welsh?”

  I smiled for I saw that Prince Henry’s joy had evaporated with both my words and his own thoughts, “There I can offer hope, Prince Henry. We have hurt the Welsh. The hostages will not end the rebellion but in two battles we have rid ourselves of s
ome leaders. There are now just two enemies we must deal with, Glendower and Mortimer. We know not where Glendower is hiding but we know where to find Mortimer: in Harlech. Harlech is well made. Even though it had a small garrison of thirty-six men and according to reports of the prisoners we exchanged they had but three shields, eight helmets, six lances, ten pairs of gloves, and four guns, it still held out for a long time. If you are going to take it then you will need cannons to batter down the walls and they will take time to make and to transport to Wales.”

  He nodded, “And they are both expensive to make and require skilled men to operate them.” He beamed, “Then I have a task. I will send to find men who know about such weapons. It may surprise you to know, Sir William, that I had already thought about this. When I was in London and had to endure the tedium of the Parliament I spoke at night in the alehouses by the river with hired swords.” He smiled, “Others may shun such company but I learned from you that these men, whilst not noble-born, are men from whom a future king can learn. The best gunners are Dutchmen and I shall send to that land for some gunners but as I have no cannons as yet, that will have to be for the future.”

  I smiled at the increasingly mature Prince of Wales, “In the meantime, we can use our horsemen to push further into Welsh lands. You now have bastions at Usk, Grosmont, Raglan, Hereford and Shrewsbury. We have lost few horsemen thus far and we use them to push into Welsh lands. The chevauchée we used was a most effective weapon. Let us raid the borderlands and make life uncomfortable for the rebels.”