Baron's War Read online

  I left my men to claim the mail, coins and weapons from the twenty dead knights. Another fifteen men at arms were slain too. We had twenty good horses. Sixteen of them were that most valuable of commodities, war horses. I knew that we had been lucky catching them too full of confidence. Had they been prepared then it might have gone ill for us. As it was three of our men at arms had fallen. Four others had wounds. Gregor of Burgundy was wounded. I turned to him, “Take the wounded, our dead and the horses back to La Flèche.”

  “Lord, it is a scratch.”

  “It is a wound. I need the horses and dead to be taken back and I cannot afford to send a whole warrior. Obey me.”

  “Aye lord.”

  When Robert came back and said that the survivors of our attack had headed towards the French camp I gathered my knights and captains. We now had a chance to break the hearts of the French and I would do so. Robert had told me of their camp and an idea crept into my head.

  Sir Henry was ebullient, “We trounced them! We barely lost a man!”

  The words they had had still rankled with Sir Edward. He had been born a commoner and, for him, arguments were settled with fists and not words. His words were not spoken gently, “That is because we follow a good leader who plans well. We used spears against men who were in a ford and lax. We were lucky.”

  “Enough bickering.” I could see that there was now a rift between my knights and I had to repair it. “Rest men and horses but keep a good watch. Tonight, when it is dark, we walk our horses to the French camp. I would have their sentries slain. Then we mount and ride through the camp causing as many casualties and as much disruption as we can. If we can drive horses away then all the better. When Fótr sounds my horn three times we withdraw. We pull back to the ford. We do not have enough men to be reckless.”

  Sir Richard asked, “And what will the attack achieve, lord? We risk men when we do not need to.”

  “They have such overwhelming numbers that they feel safe. We hurt them. When they attack La Lude, they will have a shock for there are now more archers within those walls than they have ever seen. Sir William has made good defences. We will watch and I will choose the moment when we break French hearts. Now go tell your men what we do. Put out sentries and rest.”

  I joined Fótr at the horses. “I have a fresh spear for you, lord. The other appeared in good condition but you never know.” I nodded. He lowered his voice. “I have never heard your knights argue before.”

  “I know and it is my fault. I did not speak my heart to them often enough. Sir Edward has known me the longest. Sir Richard and Sir Henry fled England to find sanctuary with me. They have both had more success than they could have dreamed. I can see why they see their future here. The fealty they will owe to their new king will be worth it. They have to bow the knee to someone and there is little to choose between John and Phillip.” I smiled, “Do not worry Fótr, when I have truly made up my mind then I will tell you and you can make your choice.”

  He grinned as he took off Dragon’s saddle, “Oh I made my decision a long time ago, lord. Where you go so do I!” His loyalty lifted my spirits.

  I drank some wine and ate some stale bread and salted ham. I had, perhaps, been less than truthful with Fótr. I had almost made my mind up already. If Phillip granted my manors to my three knights then I would return to England. I battled only to bring the King himself to speak with me. I would not bargain with some Count or Prince. I had fought and beaten them too many times to expect fair treatment.

  I managed to sleep for a short while. I was woken by Fótr. “It is almost time, lord.”

  “Any trouble?”

  “None lord. I have fed, watered and saddled Dragon. He is eager for war.”

  After I had made water I hung my shield and helmet from my cantle and slipped my arming cap from my head. I needed to be able to hear. Taking Dragon’s reins, I said, “Let us go. Robert de La Flèche, you lead.”

  We headed south for the camp. We were two miles from the French. When we were just a mile away we stopped. I nodded to Ridley and he waved to the ten men who would slip silently ahead and slit the throats of the sentries. While we waited we mounted. We would ride our horses at the walk for the next one thousand paces. My men were spread out in a large half circle. I had organized my knights so that they led their own men. It was reassuring to have Ridley the Giant, Godwin and Godfrey flanking Fótr and me. I had no need to worry that our horses’ hooves would alert the enemy. They were in high spirits despite our attack. Gathered around their camp fires they were drinking and eating. They were joking and they were gambling. It was ever thus in an ill-trained army.

  Timing would be all. I decided to risk leaving my shield hanging from my cantle. It would protect my left leg. I also left my helmet hanging there too. I needed to be able to see and hear. We passed the first dead sentry and Roger rose like a wraith to climb on to the horse brought by Godwin. I would see the shadows of the men by the fires some three hundred paces from us. I raised my spear. My men raised their weapons. When I was satisfied that all were ready I spurred Dragon.

  Fótr was right, he was eager. He leapt ahead of my men at arms and Fótr. Even though our hooves thundered I had covered thirty paces before the men around the fires reacted. Their weapons were at their tents. A few had swords about their waists. They drew them. I leaned forward, pulled back my arm and rammed the spear into the middle of a man at arms. Dragon was a powerful horse and his speed meant that the falling body slid from my weapon. I barely had time to bring it up before I saw my next victim. He was a brave man who stood before Dragon with a swinging sword. I could not risk injury to my horse and I jerked back on the reins as I thrust the spear into his neck. He fell backwards. Another ran at me with a small wood hatchet. I punched with my spear. He managed to block the blow with his weapon but the force of my strike knocked him backwards towards the fire. His hands grasped the spear and tore it from my grasp. He screamed as the fire ignited his hair. I drew my sword. The man stepped from the fire but his clothes had caught fire. He ran, screaming into the camp.

  I looked around. The French had seen the threat and men were racing from their tents with weapons in their hands. The sight of the burning man must have terrified them. We had done enough. Around the closest three fires I saw twenty bodies of men dead, dying or wounded. “Fótr, sound the horn!”

  Three men at arms ran at me with swords and axes. I stood in the stirrups and pulled on Dragon’s reins. He reared. Two of the men showed discretion and stepped back. Perhaps the other thought he could avoid the flailing hooves. Whatever was in mind Dragon’s mighty hooves crushed the man’s skull. As pieces of bone and brain splattered the other two I slashed down and my sword went through the skull of one of them. Fótr’s spear took the other.

  “Lord. the men are retiring!”

  I nodded and dragged Dragon’s head around. We thundered back towards the river. I saw, from the way they hung over their saddles that some of my men were wounded. I saw some empty saddles. We had lost men. Eight French horses without saddles also galloped with us. Horses do that. They follow the herd. I was one of the last to reach the river. I saw that all of my knights had survived as had their squires. Ridley the Giant and my other veterans had also survived. That was the way of war. I saw that four of the men who were not with us had been the recent arrivals. War on the border was brutal. You either learned quickly or you were dead!

  “Back to the woods. Ridley, appoint two sentries to watch here. The wounded can take the horses back to La Flèche.”

  We had now suffered losses which would make a difference. We had no spare spears but we had hurt them. While our horses were tended to by our squires I spoke with my knights and Ridley. “Did we hurt them?”

  No one man had a true picture but by discovering how many men each knight and his conroi had killed I estimated that they had lost upwards of fifty men. Some men had been trampled as they lay asleep around the fires others had fallen to spears and swords. Satisfied I
said, “We rest. If they attack tomorrow then we will have to fight again. If not, we rest too.” Dawn was breaking as I lay my head down.

  I was awoken at noon. Fótr pointed to the west. Gregor of Burgundy led fifteen men on horses. As they approached Fótr said, “The French have stayed within their camp save for those men at arms they sent to recapture their horses. Our scouts reported that they are cutting down trees to make a ram.”

  “Good.” That was what I had hoped. A ram meant a slow and steady approach. My archers would decimate the attackers.

  Gregor had brought not only welcome reinforcements but food and my men organised fires. The hot food and the wine they had brought would revitalise weary bodies. I knew that the French would expect us to attack again. They would have dug ditches. Stakes would have been planted and one in three of their men would be on guard. They would be waiting for the thundering hooves. We would rest. The French would watch and become tired. Weary men made mistakes. When they assaulted La Lude, those mistakes would cost lives.

  We ate well. Men who had slept now kept watch. Our scouts were changed. We knew where the enemy were. They kept their scouts close to home. They did not know that my archers were in La Lude. They thought it was my famous archers who were scouting!

  Ridley the Giant woke me and it was still dark. “Lord, they are on the move. We heard them break camp.”

  I nodded and stretched. “Let the men sleep. Wake Fótr. The three of us will be enough to investigate.”

  I did not take Dragon. I rode Skuld. She was better for such work. She had senses which I did not understand. We crossed the river and headed to where the French camp had been. Ridley led us to a small stand of scrubby bushes and old apple trees. There we saw Robert de La Flèche. We took shelter and spied the breaking of the camp. The tents were already down and they were being packed on to the back of sumpters. The parts of the rams were loaded on to wagons. The neigh of horses told us where they were being saddled. As the sun rose over our left shoulders I saw that men at arms and the levy were already heading west to La Lude. Two lines of mounted men at arms flanked them. The knights stayed together. They still had over sixty of them.

  I glanced east. There was no sign of reinforcements. They had taken a couple of citadels and would need to garrison them. King Phillip was around Alençon and William des Roches in Angers. They had limited numbers of men. “How many men do you think we face?”

  Robert pointed, “I counted banners, lord. Sixty-six knights lord including those with their lord. A couple of hundred men at arms. There were forty crossbows. They left early. I guess they want them in position before dawn. The levy? More than a hundred and fifty. They guard the rams, carts and baggage.”

  “We will watch and follow at a distance. They kept no scouts out?”

  “No lord, but they had many men guarding their lines.” He chuckled. “They must have spent a long time digging ditches.”

  We waited until the last of the levy, escorted by ten men at arms, left and followed the column of men snaking west. They were easy to keep in view and we appeared to go unnoticed. We were four hundred paces behind them. We had the river to our right and if they sent men to chase us away we could easily reach it before they did. I was confident. I wanted to see their approach. We had thwarted their original plan. They could no longer guarantee taking the bridge. That meant they would attack the softer side, the south east. William had dug a good ditch and it had been filled with river water. It would be an unpleasant crossing for the French but one I felt they would risk. William had a bridge over his ditch. He had not yet built a removable one. That would be where they would use the ram.

  The lords and the knights stopped five hundred paces from the walls of La Lude. They respected my archers. I saw that the crossbowmen who had arrived in the night were behind willow pavise. They were in arrow range. The men at arms, led by ten knights, were forming lines and walking to support the crossbows. The men of the levy were assembling the rams under the supervision of a knight. I saw arms being waved and a knight led twenty men at arms towards the river. They were going to risk swimming it to prevent the bridge being used by Sir William. If we had to then we could remove them. I was happy for Sulpice d’Ambroise to spread his men out. An idea was forming in my mind.

  Twenty knights and twenty men at arms along with forty of the levy headed south. They were going to cut off the castle from the south. Only half of the knights remained around the standards. I saw that they had priests with them. Men were erecting tents. They were here to stay. I observed that the first ram was almost built. I saw that there was an exchange of missiles between the crossbows and the bows. David of Wales was too crafty to show his hand. He would have his men target the crossbows. He would make them think we did not have many archers in the castle. He would save the shock of the arrow storm for the assault.

  “I have seen enough. We can return to the camp. This has given me an appetite.”

  We smelled the food cooking as we approached our camp. My men looked up. Edward asked, “Do we eat or fight?”

  “We eat first. Then we watch and, when the time is right, we fight.”

  It was the middle of the afternoon when we moved off. We left four men with the spare horses and our supplies. We now had fresh spears. I led my men back to the stand of trees where we had met Robert. My plan was to approach from the direction they would least expect: the east. If they saw horsemen they would assume it was reinforcements. The last thing they would expect would be an attack by me!

  We used the natural folds in the land to approach discreetly. We had no banners. We heard the sound of battle even as we approached. A small ridge hid the battle from us. I dismounted and with Edward and Fótr, crawled towards the ridge. The French tents were less than five hundred paces from us. Sulpice and his knights were dismounted and viewing the battle. There was no point in using horsemen against walls. When the walls fell and the defenders fled then they would be used.

  Almost a thousand paces away I could see that they had the ram across the ditch and it was lumbering up towards the gate. It was hard to see but it seemed to me that there were many bodies lying alongside it. It looked as though David of Wales had won the battle of the missiles! There were fewer men at arms now. Even as we looked I saw a few of the levy leaving. They were doing so surreptitiously. They sneaked away from the slaughter at the bridge. I wondered if they had been used in the attack. If so it was an error of judgement. You used the levy to defend or to exploit a victory.

  We slid down the slope. “We take the standards.”

  Edward laughed, “You would attack their leader and his knights?”

  “They are not mounted and they are just five hundred paces from us. If we can drive them from the field then we can destroy their camp. It is a risk worth taking.” We reached my men. “We are going to attack Sulpice d’Ambroise. He is surrounded by knights but they are not mounted.” My men at arms looked delighted. There was nothing they liked more than attacking knights. They had the confidence to believe that they could win and they also knew that victory brought rewards which would make them rich men for the rest of their lives. All were acutely aware that when King Phillip arrived the situation would change. We had to make hay while the sun shone! “We go in in one line. Ignore the levy. They will run. Those on the walls are close to breaching the wall. We take the standards and the victory will be ours! We will snatch it from them.”

  This time I donned my helmet and took the spear proffered by Fótr. “Stay close behind me. If you get the chance then take their standard and throw it to the ground!”

  “Aye lord.”

  I made sure we were in a line and then, raising my spear, led my men forward. We were in dead ground for the first forty paces after that we broke cover. Even then we were not immediately spied. All attention was on the walls and I could hear the boom as the ram struck Sir William’s gate. We were less than two hundred paces when the shout went up. The knights ran for weapons. The men of the levy who were
still erecting tents, fled. I saw Sulpice d’Ambroise and some of his knights running towards the eight horses which were nearby. Those close to the walls knew nothing about it. They were clambering over the ditch to join the ram. Even as we rode I saw David of Wales archers knock down waves of French men. If they took the walls it would be at great cost.

  I pulled back my arm as a knight held his shield and sword before him. There was little for me to hit. I thrust below his shield at his knee. He fell writhing to the ground. Some of the French lords had mounted. The standard was with Sulpice. I thrust my spear again into the chest of one of the knights who, with two others, tried to bar our way. Dragon contemptuously knocked them to the ground. My men at arms would deal with them. Dragon had the scent of battle in her nostrils. She was eating up the ground. The eight men we were chasing looked over their shoulders. The last two turned. They were going to try to stop me.

  “Fótr, take the standard!” I still had my spear and the two men did not. They came at me from both sides. I pulled my shield tighter to me and thrust at the knight to my right. I caught his shield square on and he tumbled from the saddle. I felt my left arm shiver and shake as the sword smashed into it. I wheeled Dragon around. I could not afford to leave a knight behind me. I thrust my spear at him. It struck him but caught in his surcoat and mail. As it was torn from my grip I saw blood on the surcoat. I had a hit. Drawing my sword, I managed to block his blow. He had managed to turn very quickly. Sparks flew as our blades struck.

  I saw that Ridley the Giant was with Fótr. My squire was not alone. Many of the knights had managed to get to their horses. Instead of fighting us they were following the standard. I stood in my stirrups to bring a blow down on the brave knight whom I fought. He blocked it but I saw that his sword bent a little. He realised it was useless as a weapon. He threw it at me as he wheeled his horse around. I had to block the thrown sword with my shield and, when I looked, he was heading after the other knights. Dragon would not catch them.