Baron of the North Read online

  "Alfraed, it is good to see you!"

  Wulfstan had been the warrior who had trained me and it was always good to see him. He might be a little greyer and his belly a little larger but there was no man I would rather have at my back in battle and that included Edward.

  "And you." I waved a hand at his home. It was only built of wood but it was sturdy and could be easily defended. He had no men at arms now but his men were all fine archers and he had many good yeomen he had trained. If he were to be attacked then it would need a doughty enemy to best him. "I see you have made your home bigger."

  Faren came to join him. As she wrapped her arm around his waist I saw that she was with child again, "My family is growing, Baron. And how goes it with you?"

  I told him of my encounter with the Flemish ships and my new task. He nodded and gestured for me to sit on the bench which faced south and looked over the becks which edged his land. "Your father would be proud. You have taken the start he gave you and increased it. It will be Earl next."

  I laughed, "You are as bad as Adela. One small step at a time eh?"

  "You did not come here to watch the deer drinking at the stream, what is on your mind?"

  "I cannot fool my mentor can I? Edward suggested a way to protect the King's land while ensuring that the valley is not left vulnerable."

  "Take mounted archers and men at arms and use the castles on the border."

  I laughed, "You are a mind reader."

  "No, it is obvious. It worked the last time but it is also clear that you cannot keep a large force fed that far from home. You would need to make it small and you would wish me to watch your home while you were away."

  I nodded, "I know that she does not complain but I hate to leave Adela alone."

  Faren brought us some ale, "You have a good wife, Baron, as I hope I am a good wife too. Loneliness is a burden we bear and a price we pay for having a good man." She kissed Wulfstan. "Not that my husband needs to wander far these days."

  "And who would you suggest I take with me as my knights?"

  "Edward and Harold are your first choice?" I nodded, "Then Tristan of Yarm would be my third."

  "That means we take two young knights and only Edward with experience."

  "You were their age not so long ago. It will do them good and it leaves the experienced knights to protect the valley."

  "We could find ourselves outnumbered if the Scots raid in numbers."

  "From what the King said and from what I know King David will be reluctant to allow large numbers to raid. He would not want retribution from the King or Robert of Gloucester. They are a rapacious people. They want to take what our people earn with hard work. If they do send a larger conroi then you retreat to one of the castles and wait them out."

  I nodded. It made sense. Hugh of Hexham had a good castle and there was another at Alnwick and Morpeth. "I will visit with Harold now. I will need many arrows. Ask Old and Young Tom for as many as they can manage."

  "Old Tom is not in good health at the moment but Young Tom now has a son he has taken as his apprentice. You will have your arrows."

  As we rode the few miles to Elton I reflected that Old Tom's illness was a sign of the times. He had been one of my father's first archers and now he was ailing. Age caught up with us all. Perhaps Wulfstan had the right idea and was enjoying the fruits of his labours.

  Harold had been my squire and his manor showed his youth. It was half the size of Wulfstan's and he had barely six farms and only ten warriors but he was keen. The land would become more populated but Harold would need to do as Wulfstan had done and make it attractive to farm.

  He was pleased to see me. He had only been elevated to the rank of knight recently and I think he was a little overawed by the responsibility. He had come from humble beginnings. The idea of having others obey his orders was foreign to him. "I will be pleased to follow you, Baron. A campaign with you is always profitable and I can turn my ten men into twenty and build a tower of stone."

  "You need not a tower of stone. Your people are more than welcome in Stockton if there is danger and you know that."

  He nodded, "And when do we leave?"

  "The end of next week. This will be a short campaign before winter sets in. I use it to let those in the Palatinate know who their new lord is."

  Although a temporary appointment I was wise enough to know that some might seek to use my relative youth as a weakness and try to take advantage of me. I had grown up in the east and I knew strategy. My last stop was Norton. As we rode there John, my squire, asked, "And what of our mail and our weapons Baron?" He pointed to Hugh who had a hauberk which was the equal of mine.

  "When we have finished this upcoming campaign we shall see Alf and have yours made but Hugh here has ceased to grow. You and Leofric are still youths. I would not waste coin on armour which you will outgrow by the spring."

  Hugh said, "Use the battlefield, John, to earn gold for yourself and increase your wealth. I bought this armour myself. It was not a gift from my father."

  I saw John taking that in. He was the least experienced of my squires and he would, when he finished growing, be the biggest! He would need a mighty warhorse to carry him. He would be bigger than even Wulfric my sergeant at arms.

  My visit to Norton was largely sentimental. There was no knight there for me to consult but the small church held the grave of my father and his dead oathsworn. The only one of them who remained now was Osric. It would be good to see him. As we approached I turned to my squires. "While I speak with the Steward take yourselves around the manor. Picture yourself as a raider. How would you attack it?"

  Hugh was a bright youth, "You wish us to find its weaknesses."

  "If someone comes south to raid the valley then it is here and Hartburn that will be attacked first."

  They took Scout from me and I went into the church. I always went to my father's grave and spent a few moments there first. As I rose Father Peter approached, "I had heard that you had returned, Baron. Will you be at home for long this time?"

  "No Father. I ride north to the borders but I will not be away for long. I go to secure our lands north of the Palatinate."

  The priest had been one of those who had survived the early Scottish raids and he nodded. "The people miss you but they appreciate what you do for them, my lord."

  Osric, too, had aged but he was happier than the last time I had seen him. It was summer that did that. Longer nights and sunsets had a way of making everyone happier. "We have had a good year, Baron. The crops are the best we have ever had and the Lord has been kind; our animals are healthy and multiply."

  Since we had begun to slaughter less for the winter and to bring many inside our walls we had prospered. It was the wolves who now went hungry and not us. It was however a double edged sword. It made us more attractive to raiders. "Good but remain vigilant. Do not let the ditches be filled with rubbish and keep up the practice with the fyrd."

  He laughed, "Aye my lord and I daresay you will be teaching me to suck eggs sometime soon!"

  I laughed, "You are right Osric. Perhaps I think I am speaking to my younger knights such as Harold."

  "Fear not, my lord, they are good fellows and they will learn. They have a good teacher; you."

  As we rode back the sun was setting in the west, lighting our way back home. "Well, what did you learn?"

  "That it would be hard to take Norton using horses for the swampy ground protects one side and the other has deep ditches."

  "Aye Baron but the gate house is weak."

  Hugh had a good eye for such things. "Well done Hugh. We will improve it in the spring."

  As we rode through the town I noticed, for it was now in my mind, that the gatehouse into the town was also a weak point. I shook my head. I was becoming foolish. It did not matter about the gate to the town for my castle was there as a sanctuary. It was when I approached my gate that I saw the weakness in my own argument. The river gave good protection but the gate could be taken by determin
ed knights. The gatehouse was only as tall as two men and the towers were small. It needed to be much higher. I stopped and dismounted. I had asked my squires to picture themselves as attackers and now I did the same. Here, if I was a knight I could stand on my horse's back and scale both the walls and the tower. This would not do.

  "Leofric take Scout to the stables. I will not need you again until the morrow."

  Aiden, who scouted for me and acted as a gamekeeper approached me. "Baron will you be hawking? Caesar and Sheba are in fine form."

  I was about to say no and then I relented. I had little enough time to myself as it was. "We will go the day after tomorrow."

  For some reason that seemed to please my former slave. "Excellent my lord. They will be ready."

  John, my Steward, was also waiting close by. "My lord we need to hold a Session soon. There are many cases which must be heard."

  "In seven days I travel north on the King's business. If it cannot be three days from now then the cases will have to wait until Advent."

  "Three days from now will suffice, Baron."

  "Good. Tomorrow I wish to speak with William the Mason and Sir Edward. Arrange it if you please."

  "Aye my lord."

  "And I need you at both meetings."

  I had aroused his curiosity but he knew me well enough not to pursue the matter. I felt guilty when I entered my Great Hall. Adela and my children rushed towards me. I knew that I should spend more time with them but I always had so much to do. My childhood had been the same. My father had been away so much fighting the enemies of the Empire that I barely recognised him when he came home. I eased my conscience by persuading myself that William would have more of my time when he became older and could accompany me to war.

  I smiled at him and swung him around. While I was at home I would make it up to him. After the servants had taken them both to bed and Adela and I sat before the roaring fire she put her hand on mine. "Thank you my husband, that made all the difference to our son."

  "I know I do not do enough but…"

  "But you are a warrior and you are lord. Both of those are important. I understand. Do not fret."

  "I have to leave again soon."

  "I know. You will need to stop any raids for the animals and the crops before winter sets in and the harvest is stored. At least I know you will not be away for winter. I am content."

  "I am lucky and I do not deserve you."

  "Without you my lord, I would have been as someone dead. You saved me and all that I am I owe to you."

  My mason lived close to the castle and he arrived first for the meeting. I walked around the walls with him and with John. "How is the work going, William?"

  "Thanks to you, Baron, I am kept employed as are my sons. The church will take time but your generosity means that it will be the finest south of Durham and north of York. I am proud to be working on it."

  "Good." I pointed to the gate of my castle. It sat in the middle of the low curtain wall. "I would make my gate stronger."

  "You have ideas, Baron? I fear that I have more knowledge of churches and cathedrals than castles. If you know what you have in your mind then I can build it but…" He spread his arms and he shrugged.

  "I know exactly what I want. I would like the gatehouse to be as tall again as I am." William nodded. "And I want it connecting to my tower."

  That shook them both. William said, "That will require a large amount of stone!"

  John said, "And expensive!"

  I smiled at John, "As it is my coin I will be using then it is for me to determine what is expensive and as for the amount of stone… can we get enough, William?"

  "Aye my lord. There is still plenty at Piercebridge but if the river freezes then we will not be able to get it."

  "Then John, I want you to arrange with Ethelred to bring as much stone as he can fetch before the river freezes."

  "Ethelred?"

  "He is enterprising and he has a ferry. I am sure it is not beyond his wit to transport stone down the river. There will be profit in it for him. Just make sure there is not too much."

  Edward arrived as we were finalising the details. He listened as I explained what I wanted. "That is an excellent idea, Baron. It will give you two baileys; both would be protected. An enemy would find it almost impossible to take the two"

  "There, William, you have you plan. Take your measurements and give the estimate of stone to John. You have plenty of time."

  He bowed and scurried off with his eldest son taking out his wax tablet. The three of us would have a great deal of time to talk. "John, Sir Edward and I will need to take some of our men north for three or four weeks. You have four days to gather supplies for us. I have the arrows already being made but we will need food and spears. You will need to see Alf."

  "My lord, with the new gatehouse this will burden your treasury considerably."

  "Do not worry about that, John. The King has made me Baron of the North. While the Bishop of Durham is indisposed I will be administering the Palatinate Treasury. The cost of our men in the north will be borne by Durham."

  He brightened, "Then, in that case Baron, I can have all ready in four days time. Will you use wagons or horses?"

  "Horses are easier. I will take ten archers and ten men at arms. Sir Edward you will need just five archers and five men at arms. We leave the rest to guard our lands." He nodded, "So, John, you need supplies for forty five men. I will also require men to care for the horses so make it fifty and find me the men to look after the horses."

  "Will you be taking your war horses?"

  "As it is the Scots we may be fighting then no. I would not risk Star with those savages."

  He bobbed his head, "Then if that is all?" I waved him away.

  The two of us walked my walls and looked to the south across the river. "Are you in a better humour, Baron now that you have seen your family?"

  "A little." I said nothing but stared across the river to Sir Edward's manor.

  "She is the Empress no longer but she is beyond your grasp Baron. Firstly you are married. That is reason enough. And then there is the fact that none of us may like that she is marrying a child but it is the King's decision and we obey him. We still serve her but we cannot do that properly if you harbour these secret desires."

  "You know?"

  "I am not blind and I have seen the way that she looks at you but it cannot be. We both know that. You have a fine wife and family. Most men would be content with that."

  "I know." I sighed, "And thank you. I needed someone to tell me what I knew in my heart. I will throw myself into this new task. Who knows there may be not only glory but rewards too?"

  "There will be little glory, Baron; we go to fight the Scots!"

  Chapter 2

  The weather had become unsettled when we left for the north. It was a wet and windy day as we headed north from my manor on the Durham Road. The five men we had to care for our animals included the freed slave, Oswald. He was eager to help and to earn the coin John was paying. He had told me that his life began again the moment we rescued him and he would make the most of it. I had also brought Aiden for he had told me, when we were hawking, that he missed the company of my archers and men at arms. He liked scouting. He would have made a fine warrior save that he was invaluable as a scout. Harold and Tristan had trained together as squires and they rode easily side by side. Hugh and Gille, Edward's squire, were cousins and they travelled as a pair. It was a small conroi of knights but we were close. In the dark days to come that would prove vital.

  We reached Durham and the Castellan, Hubert of Lincoln, appeared pleased to see me. "We were told of your impending arrival by a messenger from the King. I, for one, am more than happy that it is to be you who will defend the border."

  "I must warn you, Castellan, that I do not intend to base myself here. My men and I will make a show of force along the border and then winter back in the valley. We will return in the spring. I am not here as a guard but as a deterrent
."

  "I understand and you are close enough for us to send to should the Scots make another surprise attack."

  "Your words suggested that there are some who are less than happy at my appointment?"

  "Many lords have left their lands in England and gone to their estates in Scotland. More left when the rumour of your arrival spread."

  I smiled, "I cannot help that. Is Sir Hugh Manningham still on the wall? The lord of the Manor at Hexham has not departed has he?"

  "He is, Baron, and he is like a rock. I am grateful for his presence."

  "Good. Now we will need supplies when we come in the spring. I wish to move quickly and I do not want to have to bring a month's supplies with me."

  "I will see the reeves and the stewards and it shall be arranged." He waved his arm towards the keep. "You will stay tonight, Baron?"

  "I will."

  The castle at Durham made my own seem like a Saxon hut! The Great Hall was large enough for a huge conroi, far larger than mine. There were just the ten knights and squires who ate with the Castellan and the Dean. The rest of our men ate in the warrior hall. It suited us better; Wulfric was adept at garnering information. When Hubert had had a few goblets of wine he opened up a little. "There is a new baron who has been threatening the border castles."

  "Is he from England or is he a Scot?"

  "Neither. He has come from Anjou."

  "Who is he?"

  "Sir Guy Fitzwaller. He has six household knights and many men at arms and crossbowmen with him."