Sword for Hire

by Griff Hosker

  T here is hope for my benefactor feared for my safety. He has friends further south and he discovered that King John knows that I am alive. I did not think that he would dare to harm a lady and the widow of a knight but my benefactor decided not to take that chance. We were married in the church in Stockton. I now live in a fine hall. It feels strange to see the castle without gatehouse, walls and towers. The castle I knew as a child felt more protective than this. It feels exposed, as though we are naked.

  T here is another reason he brought me here. The Scots are using the discord in England to raid along the border. Billingham, Cowpen and Newton were all raided. Cattle were stolen and folk taken. My father and his father would be appalled. We need a knight who can protect the people. My benefactor would but he has so little coin; the new Bishop of Durham is just as greedy as de Puiset.

  T ake care but do not even think of returning home. You do have friends. I will not name them lest this letter falls into the wrong hands.

  xxx

  I read it a number of times. Perhaps this was as close to home as I would be getting for some time. I was pleased that Sir Richard had married her. I wondered at the amount of information she had put in the letter. King John was unpleasant and he was sly but he was no fool. He would have been able to work out that she was in touch with me, if the letter had not reached me. I was pleased that I had added a post script to my own letter telling her that I would not be able to write for some time.

  We threw ourselves into the business of preparing for war. Skuldsdotter was not ready for war. She would stay in the stables. For Skuld this might be her last war. She was getting old. We now had chests which contained our weapons and our surcoats. We had a new banner, sewn by Lady Brigida and blessed by Bishop Albert himself. We were able to be selective about what we took. We did not skimp on furs and cold weather war gear. We were veterans now. Hugh of Bath had a mark on his face where he had been frostbit. Henry Youngblood had lost his little finger in the same bad winter.

  I sought Lady Brigida on the day before we sailed. The horses and chests were being loaded. I took Edward with me.

  “My lady we have a boon to ask.”

  She smiled, “You know that we will refuse you nothing. You came here at our darkest time and you have never forsaken us. Others promised much but did not deliver what they said. Ask.”

  “My men and I have chests with our treasure. It seems foolish to take it with us. We would leave it here.” She nodded. “When we return we will divide it up between the survivors.”

  She looked surprised, “You all agreed to this?”

  I smiled, “It was Edward’s idea. We all agreed.”

  She paused, “And if, God forbid, you all perish what then?”

  “Then the money is divided up between the families of Hugh of Bath, Henry Youngblood, Rafe son of Roger, Gertha, the servant and Lady Margarite.”

  “The last two are not married to your men, are they?”

  “No but both have an arrangement. My men would see it honoured. It will be something to remember William and Will son of Harold.”

  “I think your band are the most suited and qualified to take part in a crusade, for your hearts are true. Go with God.”

  The ships were more crowded than we would have liked. We had one which we shared with Jarl Birger Persson. Fortunately, our men got on and they made the best of it. As things turned out the distance was not great. Jarl Birger Persson estimated it to be no more than one hundred and eighty miles. We would be landing at the mouth of the River Daugava. The Vikings had used it. There was a port there and we would be able to land our men. We had been selected as part of the first five hundred men to land there. Our task was to hold the town and clear any danger away from the area to allow others to land. More crusaders were gathering and they would be sent for if they were needed.

  In the end, the journey took just over a day for the winds were with us. What the people who lived at the mouth of the Daugava thought I have no idea but most fled upstream as soon as they spied our mighty fleet. We rested rather than slept on the voyage for the ship was too crowded for comfort. Jarl Birger Persson told me about the area and it became clear why Bishop Albert had chosen it.

  “Vikings have used the river since, well since before Folki the Fat. When this river ends there is a ridge they hauled their ships over and then they could sail down the Volga river. Eventually they reached the city we called, Miklagård.”

  “Constantinople.”

  “Exactly. If we can make it Christian and establish trading links then there will be a direct link across the Baltic. That link will extend to the Empire. Our waters will be safe and our people more prosperous. God will win. Bishop Albert is a clever man.”

  We arrived at the mouth of the river. There was a fort there but it was made of wood. Those who had lived within fled at the sight of the fleet. The ships pulled into the wooden quay. We all had our shields ready in case we received a flurry of arrows but there was nothing. Bishop Albert had twenty knights who bore his emblem and had sergeants. They were fanatical zealots and they raced ashore followed by Brother Magnus and Brother Harald with the holy banner. It was something of an anti-climax. All that they found were the very old and the very young: the ones unable to flee. They advanced towards the fort and confirmed it was also abandoned. I was quite happy. We had time to take the horses from the ships. We had somewhere safe to sleep and we had food. I took it as a sign that God was with us.

  We stayed in the port while the Livonian Brothers of the Sword took up residence in the fort. Bishop Albert took great delight in baptising the old and the young who remained. I saw, in their eyes, that they were being pragmatic. They wished to avoid death!

  Our horses had not been on the ship long enough for them to have suffered. Nonetheless we made sure that they were exercised, watered and fed before night fell.

  Bishop Albert was leading this crusade. He was no fool. He called together the senior knights and he included me in that number. “God has shown us that this land is ours for the taking. This is Mary’s Land, as the Pope has told us. Tomorrow I will send out my Livonian Brothers of the Sword and they will find our foes. We have but begun to make this land of heathens Christian.”

  I was not convinced. I had seen many heathens pay lip service to priests. I had watched as they feigned conversion. So long as they kept their amulets around their necks then they were pagans and I, for one, would not trust them. It took four days for the knights of the Holy Order to find the enemy. They were twenty miles south of us. It seems their leader, we knew not his title, Ylle, had sent far and wide for warriors to fight us. We gave him the title of king for that seemed easiest. The knights told us that there were ten thousand men heading for us. I did not believe them. I said so when we held our counsel of war but I was overruled. I realised that for most of the men with whom I fought, I was a mercenary. I was a sword for hire. They thought, because they followed the cross, that they were, somehow, better than me and my men. It was at that meeting that I made the decision to return home. If I had neither honour nor standing then what was I doing here? Better to join the men of the forests close to Bolsover and fight King John. First, I had to make sure that Bishop Albert could build his church in this land.

  Leaving enough men to guard the fort, port and ships, we set off south to meet the enemy. Bishop Albert came with us. I did not like the fact that we had no one with a military mind who was making these decisions. Bishop Albert was a good man but he knew nothing of tactics. As we headed south, along the river I kept my men together.

  “What is wrong, lord?”

  “We have ships. We should be sailing them up the river to give us support. The further south we go then the further we are from food and the shelter of the fort. I do not believe the numbers the knights of the Holy Orders have given but I do believe that we will be outnumbered.”

  I feared another Hattin. We kept in a tight column. We had few scouts out and no lighter troops. More than half of our nu
mber were horsemen. There were knights, men and sergeants at arms. But we also had two hundred and twenty men on foot. Many were archers. Mine were the only mounted ones in the whole army. When we camped, close by the river, I made sure that my archers protected my camp.

  Jarl Birger Persson and The Jarl Birger Brosa camped on either side of me. I took it as a compliment that they thought I knew what I was doing. I made sure that we kept a good watch. The next morning, we discovered that four of the knights of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword had been slain. Their throats had been cut. Worse, ten warhorses had been driven off. It felt like a defeat. Sadly, the knights of the Holy Order became angry and I feared for their reaction when we fought. You needed a cool head to defeat barbarians. They fought with their hearts.

  The next day we headed south. This time the scouts did their job. The enemy had formed up two miles away with their flank on the river. The other flank was protected by a forest. Their leader knew his business. We did not have enough light troops to flank them. That left only one option; a direct charge. We had been told that they had archers and they would make a killing ground of the space before them. They had few horsemen and even fewer mailed men, but they had over two thousand men. We had less than four hundred and forty. It was not yet noon. We would have to fight them or risk a knife in the night and more valuable war horses being taken.

  The more dangerous flank was our left and the woods. Even as we gathered to hear Bishop Albert’s dispositions I knew that our task would be to guard the left flank. Bishop Albert used every inflection and invective to exhort us to win. He sought to make us believe that we could defeat odds of four to one.

  “Today we face a huge barbarian army but I am not afeard. They are Godless and we have God on our side. The Pope, Christ’s representative in this earth, has sanctioned our actions. It any are to die today, then they are guaranteed to sup with Christ in heaven.” He looked at me, “No matter what sins they have committed.” There was a huge cheer at that.

  “We will have the Knights of the sword in the right by the river. In the centre will be The Jarl Birger Brosa and the warriors of Sweden and, on the left will be our stalwart crusader, Thomas of Stockton. The enemy think we fear their numbers; we do not. Brother Magnus and Brother Harald will take the holy banner with The Jarl Birger Brosa. They will break the enemy line!”

  There were even more cheers. That was when I wished that my men did not have the language. Jack son of Harold shook his head, “Bleeding death sentence. Those woods will be packed with hairy arsed barbarians who are keen to get my bollocks!”

  Will son of Robin shouted, “It they are the same size as your dick you are safe! They will never find them!”

  My men were in good mood. However, Jack was right. There would be enemies waiting for us. When we reached our starting positions, I turned Skuld and faced them. “I take it as an honour that we have been chosen. Look down the line. Are there any with our experience? The answer is no. The only men who could do what we have been asked are us!”

  Alf Smithson shouted, “Bloody right too, my lord!”

  The rest all laughed. “David of Wales you and our archers will leave your horses at the edge of the woods. You will hunt our foes and you will slay them. The rest of us will dismount and ready our shields for the attack of the barbarians. We will not risk our horses.”

  Fótr said, “But Bishop Albert wants an attack all the way down the line.”

  William said, quietly, “And if we do so then the enemy will fall upon our flanks. We will die.”

  “We will mount and we will charge but we do so when our flank is secure. Obey me. I want no heroes!”

  Rafe shouted, “Never fear, lord, you will get none!”

  They all laughed.

  While the rest rode their horses to the start line we walked ours. I ignored the strange looks from the men of Jarl Birger Persson. They knew our reputation. They could not understand why we did what we did.

  We had four servants now. They had hide jerkins and short swords. We left them guarding the horses as my archers slipped silently into the forest. I shouted, “Shield wall!”

  We stood in a single line with spears braced and shields held close to us. We were level with Jarl Birger Persson. The horn signalled the charge and over two hundred knights and sergeants galloped to strike at the Estonians. The two hundred men on foot waited with shields at the ready and spears braced. They were in two lines.

  For the first few moments of the battle we had a good view and were able to watch. The knights kept a good line. The sergeants behind were a little ragged but they were doing their best. When the arrows fell then the horses and the men began to fall. We were forced to turn and to look to our left. We heard men dying in the forest. Our archers were good. They had lived over here enough years to know the woods and forests. The Estonians had thought to use the woods to gain an advantage. When it became clear that they had not done so then their right flank began to advance. Over two hundred men advanced towards us. The rest of our army was engaged and this force of two hundred men could sweep through us and fall on the flanks of Jarl Birger Persson. Any sane man would have fled but my men were not sane. They believed in me.

  “Brace and trust to the man on your right!”

  “Aye lord!”

  David and my archers had cleared the ambush and, as the barbarians ran at us the arrows fell from the forest. They fell not upon us but the Estonians. They had not expected this. Every arrow found flesh. The Estonian right slowed. They turned their shields to the arrows. When they hit us, they would be an oblique line and their right flank would be threatened. As they struck us they would be looking over their right shoulders and seeking the arrows that would bring death. The Estonians were wild warriors. They fought in clans and they fought for the men in their villages. They sought glory by being the first to reach our line. They struck us piecemeal. It was like the battle of Kastelholm all over again.

  The first four warriors ran into our spears. They looked for our faces and not our spears. I flicked my spear to the side to discard the body and awaited the next one. A warrior had to focus on his own battle. He had to trust to his comrades to do as he was doing. A glance to the side could bring disaster. The body dropped off. I saw the next warrior run at me. I knew what he would do. He used the body of the dead man as a spring board. He leapt up into the air with an axe held above his head in two hands. I lifted my spear and his chest struck the spear. It went through his body and, as it struck his spine, it snapped. I drew my sword.

  The Estonians would soon have weight of numbers on their side. We would be locked together; shield to shield. I took the opportunity to slip my dagger into my left hand. The next thirty warriors hit us together. A spear struck my helmet. I had seen it coming and lowered my head. The spear slid over the top. I stabbed blindly and was rewarded with a scream as it slid into flesh. I pulled back and lifted my head, the dying warrior slipped to the ground. My sword was held before me still and I took a chance. I swung it to the right and down. I felt it strike something and I pulled my sword towards me. It ripped across the throat of the warrior fighting William. I was aware that while those on my right were being forced back the ones to my left were not. David and his archers were eating into the enemy flank.

  I shouted, “Hold them! Hold them!”

  My men on the right took heart. I lowered my sword and thrust up and under the shield of the man whose axe smashed into my shield. His face thought he had the better of me but as I found flesh, pushed and twisted, his eyes rolled in agony. The sword had ripped through his groin and he sought to escape the pain. He could not. The fact there were six bodies before me made the next warriors hesitate. In a battle hesitation can be disastrous. I stepped forward and brought my sword down on the next Estonian who was advancing too cautiously. I hit his leather cap and smashed my blade into his skull. He fell back and I took another step. I was now fighting men who thought they had time to measure their blow, to time their attack and to find a we
ak spot. They found death! The archers had cleared the woods and now they had thinned those on the far right of the Estonian line. There had been two hundred men charging us and now less than eighty remained. They ran.

  Now was our chance. “To your horses!”

  As I turned I saw that Rafe, son of Roger had left a widow. He was dead. I was angry. As I mounted Skuld I said, “Fetch Rafe’s body here and make sure he is not further harmed.”

  “Aye lord.”

  I picked up another spear and rode back to our starting line. I surveyed the battle. The two jarls and their men had held the enemy but the knights of the Holy Order, closer to the river, were being forced back. The ground was muddier there and their horses did not have firm ground on which to gallop. I saw that some Estonians had swum the river and were sending arrows into the flanks of the knights. They did not hurt the knights but slew their horses.

  I pointed to the standard of the Estonians. It was a hundred and eighty paces from us. Their attention was on the knights of the Holy Order. They looked to have just half a dozen horses tethered there. It was a small piece of slightly higher ground. It looked like a rocky pimple but it afforded a fine view across the battlefield. I counted eight banners including the battle flag of their king. The clan banners were adorned with skulls and bones. There were seven clans in this warband.

  “There is our target! We take the banner. David, follow us and give us cover!”

  “Aye lord!”

  It was a risk but it seemed to me that it was our only choice. The men who had attacked us had fled and left a gap. We simply followed them. The Estonians gathered around their banners and their lords had their attention on the river where the swampy ground had allowed their men to push back the knights of the Holy Order. The enemy lords were ignoring the two jarls for they knew that once they had broken the knights they could roll up the line.