Warlord's War (The Anarchy Book 11) Read online

  Chapter 17

  My spirits sank as we entered the castle. He had been this close and yet had made no attempt to relieve the siege. As I dismounted Henry ran to me, "Are you hurt, Warlord?"

  "Thanks to my archers I am safe. Is your mother well?"

  He nodded, "My uncle sent her and her ladies to the fire in the Great Hall. They were cold."

  "Good."

  The Earl approached me with his hand held out, "Thank God you escaped! I was worried."

  "Not worried enough to relieve the siege though. We have lost Oxford castle!"

  He ignored my words. "But Normandy is almost ours. Come to the fire. You are cold and you are weary. Men do not think straight under those conditions." He turned to a groom, "Come, take the Earl's horses. They too look exhausted." He strode towards the inviting door to the Great Hall.

  Dick said quietly, in my ear, "Now is the not the time, lord." I turned and saw his face. He shook his head, "We need no angry words this night. We have escaped and we live to fight another day. You have told me before to choose my battles. I urge you to do the same."

  "You are right."

  We followed the Earl into Sir Brian's castle. The others were already in the hall and servants were bringing in hot food and mulled ale. The Empress' eyes lit up when we entered. " You are safe We were worried!."

  "They were easily discouraged for they were mercenaries and my archers' aim was true. God was on our side."

  The Empress' face was a book which I could read. I saw a worried expression. She feared I would say something which might put our alliance in danger. "My brother explained that he was gathering an army to come to our aid."

  I said nothing and used the proffered goblet of ale as an excuse not to speak. Sir Brian entered the room, "It is good to see you, Earl. My men kept a close watch on the siege but we could do nothing about it. We had too few men. It was only when the Earl here arrived last month that we could begin to think of relief."

  Lives could have been saved had the Earl come a month back. I sipped the piping hot ale and felt it warm me within.

  "Sister, your husband and I have captured all of the Peninsula save for Cherbourg and that will surely fall in Spring. Then there is just Rouen which stands in our way. Stephen has now lost the support of all his earls."

  "And yet he still controls large parts of the land."

  "We have sent for Sir Miles and the Empress' men in Gloucester. Time is on our side."

  I knew it was not but I was too tired to argue. The Earl had his own plan. I could not fathom it but he was right in one thing. If Normandy fell then we had more men we could use in England.

  "Perhaps you are right. Does my son prosper?"

  "Young William is a rock. The Count relies on him more and more. When he is Duke of Normandy he will heap more titles upon him."

  I looked across to Matilda. She gave a slight shake of her head. "Duke of Normandy? Surely the Empress should be Duchess."

  "But she will be. Geoffrey is her husband. It is right that he become Duke."

  I knew then that an arrangement had been made in Normandy. What was the price? Had the Earl been given something? I should not have been surprised. My son had told me as much already. I saw plots everywhere.

  "We will talk more in the morning when you are refreshed."

  He was right and I was about to go when Sir Brian said, "Surely, my lord, you should tell him of his knights. That is serious news." Sir Brian was the most honest knight I had ever met. He had once told me that he wished to be a priest and that goodness showed through in his words.

  "My knights?"

  Sir Brian looked at the Earl who shrugged, "I was going to leave the news for the morrow. He can do little about it now but speak. You know as much as I do."

  Sir Brian began. "Three weeks ago a rider arrived from Sir Edward at Thornaby. He said his name was Rafe of Barwick. He told us that Waleran de Beaumont, the brother of the Earl of Leicester, had launched a surprise attack and taken Helmsley Castle. Sir Wulfric is besieged in Pickering. Sir Richard of Yarm is besieged in his home. Sir Edward asked for help."

  I looked at the Earl who said. "We could do nothing Alfraed. You and the Empress were our priority. We would have come weeks ago but for the weather. As soon as the snow goes then we will begin our operation to bring Stephen to battle."

  "Sir Brian our horses are almost dead on their feet. I beg of you thirteen horses to take me north to my home."

  The Empress started, "My lord! You are tired. You have not eaten well for months. You cannot travel the length of this land and fight a battle."

  "My lady, we waited for relief in Oxford. How think you Wulfric feels in Pickering? The only thing which would stop me would be my death."

  "My sister is right and your death may come if you ride in the depths of winter. A few weeks cannot hurt."

  "Ask your sister of the deaths which came daily in Oxford, my lord. Each hour we dally means someone will die. Sir Brian?"

  "Of course and I will have some of my men escort you to the Great North Road. We have food we can give you."

  "Thank you and now I will retire. I intend to be home within two days."

  As we were led to the room we would all share Dick said, "Wulfric is made out of granite, lord. He will hold."

  "I know but I cannot understand why Edward has not relieved the siege. I left him in command."

  "There will be a reason. He sent a message here. Perhaps William of Kingston had news he gave to Sir Edward which we are not aware of."

  "Perhaps. Once again I have been away too long."

  "You were needed here, lord. Had you not been then the Empress and her son would now be in Stephen's hands."

  Weariness took over and I fell into a deep sleep. My body however woke me while it was still dark. I rose and awoke my men."Come, we have friends to save."

  The kitchens were awake and I sent Gilles to them for food. We were eating when Sir Brian arrived. "Like me you an early riser, lord."

  I nodded and swallowed the bread. "Once again I thank you for your help, Sir Brian. You are a true friend and I pray that you will continue to watch over the Empress and her son until Sir Miles arrives."

  "The Earl is here surely he will watch over them."

  "Perhaps but I would be happier if you gave me your word."

  "And you have it."

  Henry burst in. "You cannot go without me! I am your squire!"

  "And you did a good job while you were. Now you have greater responsibility. You must learn to be a leader. It may be some time until you are King of England but soon you will be heir to Normandy. I have no doubt that your father will send for you. Besides this task I have set myself is a hard one. You know how hard it was to get south in the summer. How much more difficult will it be in winter?"

  The Empress, wrapped in a fur came in with her ladies. "I told him my lord but he would not listen."

  I knelt and put my hands on his shoulders. "I have shown you how a knight behaves. You have fought alongside your people. This is preparation for when you are king. You must be king! Too many good men have given their lives in your cause! Do not waste those lives. You have a greater responsibility than Gilles and Richard here. If they fall in battle it will be sad and a tragedy. If you do before you are king then it would be a disaster. Ask your mother to tell you of the death of her brother on the White Ship. I do not ask you to do this. I command you. It will be my last order as your knight. If you are squire then you will obey. You will become King and you will be a great king."

  I saw him thinking over my words. He was my son and he was clever. He nodded. "I will obey but you are to be my champion when I am king,"

  "And I will fulfil that role with pleasure. And now we must leave. We have many leagues to go this day."

  There were too many people in the outer bailey for me to have the farewell with the Empress which I wished but our eyes spoke for us. We galloped through the gates and headed over the frozen land heading north east. We wer
e going home.

  I rode next to Dick so that we could talk. Sir Brian had given us strong and well fed horses. They ate up the miles. With his men before us we had the luxury of not having to watch for danger.

  "Do we head for Pickering, lord?"

  "No, we head for Piercebridge and Sir Philip. I need to rouse my valley and then relieve the siege of Yarm. I know this delays our arrival but there are but ten of us."

  Dick nodded. "We would be throwing our lives away and for no good reason."

  "We will head for Lincoln."

  "Lincoln lord, but the Earl of Chester has changed sides and supports Stephen!"

  "The Earl is a treacherous snake but his wife is not. The fact that he changes sides so often means his heart is in neither camp. He looks after himself. I will gamble. Besides we cannot sleep out of doors. We need shelter. I trust Maud."

  "And we trust you, lord but I fear your trust may be misplaced where the Earl is concerned."

  The escort left us at Leicester as darkness fell and we hurried up the Great North Road. Surprisingly we were admitted easily into the town of Lincoln and we rode, wearily, to the castle gates.

  "Who goes there?"

  "The Earl of Cleveland. We seek shelter for the night."

  There was silence and then a voice said, "Wait there while we seek the approval of the Earl."

  Dick chuckled, "I am waiting for a bolt from the battlements. We seem ever drawn here."

  "Aye we do."

  The face reappeared remarkably quickly, "Open the gates. You are admitted, lord."

  As we rode through I saw, silhouetted against the light from the Great Hall two figures. One I recognised immediately as Maud and so I deduced that the other was Ranulf Earl of Chester. We dismounted and I handed my reins to Richard.

  The Earl of Chester extended his hand, "It must be serious business to bring you out on the road on such a night as this."

  I nodded, "We are anxious to get home."

  Maud took my hand and pulled me inside, "Then why do you make our guest wait in the cold! You have not the sense of a flea!" I smiled. She never changed and I liked that in a world of such uncertainties.

  As we went inside where the warmth hit us like a blanket the Earl said, "The last we heard you were with the Empress and besieged in Oxford Castle. Did Stephen let you go when it fell?"

  I spoke not to him but to the Countess. "He did not let us go for he never had us. The Empress and her ladies escaped over a frozen stream. She is at Wallingford with your father."

  She roared with laughter, "I told you they would not cage the wolf for long! Well done Alfraed! Come you shall tell us all over hot food. You look like you need fattening up!"

  I nodded, "My men?"

  "They will be cared for, fear not."

  Dick, my squires and I were the centre of attention. The assembled lords hung on every word. I did not tell them all but I did speak of the death of the Constable and the attack of the Frisians. Then I turned to Ranulf, "And you lord, whose side are you on now?" I knew it was blunt but I would not dance around with subtle words.

  Maud laughed, "The same side he has always been on, his own!"

  "I am a practical man, Alfraed. You are far too noble and inflexible. Sometimes you need to bend like the willow."

  "But your people in the north suffer great privations from the Scots. I have many refugees from the Honour of Clitheroe and Lancashire. They come to me with tales which would chill your blood."

  The Countess said, "And you are no willow, Alfraed, you are an oak."

  The Earl shook his head, "The war will end soon. I am afraid that the Empress cannot hold on much longer."

  I suddenly realised he had not heard the news from Normandy. "Not even when Normandy falls next year? And it will fall, Earl. The enemy hold two castles: Cherbourg and Rouen. I have been there and there is little support for Stephen. Those two will fall and then what will happen to Stephen's Norman revenues? Will he be able to be as generous as he was when first he came?" I knew I could not sway him to our side but I could put doubts in his mind. I saw his face as he took in my words.

  He frowned and sipped his wine. Maud waved a hand as though to dispel the words, "Enough of politics. How is my father?"

  "He is well. His successes in Normandy appear to have put him in better humour."

  "And the Empress and her son? I have suffered a siege and it is hard. It must be doubly so in winter."

  "She and her ladies survived remarkably well. They are all, like you, lady, resilient. As for Henry; he will be a great knight and a good leader. He is fearless in battle. Is that not so Gilles?"

  "Aye lord; Richard and I had to restrain him else he would have taken on men three times his size."

  "My grandfather would have approved. He liked strong men. That was why he so admired you, Alfraed. You stood up for your beliefs even if you were the sole voice."

  We both knew that she criticised her husband but he was still thinking of his future. "And now, lady, we must retire. I have to reach home by the morrow."

  "That is a hard ride."

  "I have two castles under siege and I must relieve them. I cannot let my people suffer."

  Ranulf roused himself, "Forgive me for my inattention, Alfraed. Your words disturbed me. I wish I had your strength of conviction. You still believe that the Empress and her son will win."

  "If more men believed that then she would have won already."

  Leaving that barb in the air I retired. I was about to undress when there was a knock on the door. It was Maud. She slipped inside and closing the door said, "Do not think too harshly of my husband. He will not betray you and I think your words will sway him. He needs time. I will let you take my personal guards. There are but six of them. You will need them more than I."

  "Thank you lady. I will not spurn any offer of help."

  "Return them when you no longer need them." She paused, "Or if they are dead."

  We left before dawn. The air was still icy but the skies were clear. We had a long way to go and this time we would be passing enemies all along the road. The Countess' men were led by Robert of Lincoln. I had fought with him at the battle of Lincoln. He was a warrior in the mould of Wulfric.

  "Thank you for your service, Robert."

  "You fight for the true ruler and that is what I believe too. Besides garrison duty is dull. Life with you will be anything but dull!"

  We halted close to Osmotherley. We needed sharp wits on the last twenty miles. We were familiar with the old castle and always used it when we were on the road. There was a well and we drew water. Richard went to make water and he suddenly shouted, "Lord!"

  Drawing our weapons Gilles, Dick and I ran to him. He stood over the corpse and head of Rafe of Barwick. The messenger had not returned to Thornaby. They would know nothing. Dick knelt next to him. "He suffered many wounds before he died. They must have ambushed him close by and he fled here." He pointed down the slope, "Look there is his dead horse. We shall bury brave Rafe."

  After we had put him beneath the ground we left in sombre mood. The ones who had ambushed him could be waiting for us. I took a decision soon after we reached the road. "We will head cross country to reach Piercebridge. There will be less chance of ambush."

  We were lucky. We saw no one. They had had less snow here and it was a frozen crust. We travelled faster than I might have hoped. It was close to dusk when we spied the river ahead. I sent Long Tom to scout the crossing. He was not away long. "There are twenty men there watching the bridge, lord."

  I nodded.

  Dick said, "We could ford the river."

  "It is icy and that will take time. They know not that we have the seven finest archers in England and six of the best men at arms. We avenge Rafe of Barwick!"

  We left the horses with Gilles and Richard. My archers had their bows and I held my sword. The white cloaks helped us stay hidden in this white wilderness. The would be ambushers were camped above the bridge. They were far enough away to be
hidden from Sir Philip's men and yet close enough to fall upon any who approached the bridge. Three men were on guard. The rest lay around a fire. I picked my way through the snow placing each foot carefully. I was less than twenty paces from the edge when the first six arrows flew and the three sentries fell.

  The rest were disorientated. All that they saw was the three men fall. They did not know where the arrows had been released. I leapt amongst them. I hacked one across the middle as I stepped towards the firelight. More men fell to arrows and confusion reigned. All that I saw would be enemies. They did not know where the rest were. I held my dagger in my left hand and I plunged it into the eye of a man who came at my left side. I lunged with my sword and impaled one who wielded an axe. All the time my archers were causing wounds and death as they released from the shadows. I could not totally avoid the spear which was thrust at me but, by turning slightly, it just scored a line along my mail. I brought my sword across the neck of a man at arms and took his head in one blow. Robert of Lincoln and the Countess' men were magnificent. Soon it was over.

  Those in the castle had heard the noise and I saw lights approaching the bridge. "Gilles, horses!" I turned to Walter of Crewe, "Collect the weapons and anything which might identify them."

  I mounted my borrowed horse and we rode down to the bridge. I knew the men would be nervous and I shouted, "Stockton!"

  "Halt so that we may see!"

  Two of Sir Philip's archers had their bows levelled at us while a man at arms approached with a torch. They recognised me. "Can it be you lord? We heard you were dead, or captured."

  "It is me. Go and help my archers collect the weapons from the dead. I will see Sir Philip."

  The gate was open but guarded. They parted when they recognised me and my squires. Sir Philip walked from his hall. "My lord! We heard noises. I did not know it was you."

  I pointed across the bridge. "There were twenty enemy warriors waiting to ambush any who left your castle or attempted to reach it." I could not keep the criticism from my voice and I hit the mark.

  He dropped his head. "I am sorry Warlord. When Wulfric and Sir Richard were under siege we prepared to be attacked too."