Sword for Hire

by Griff Hosker

  The Estonians sent their arrows towards us. Our shields stopped them. Those that did not hit our shields either bounced from our helmets or stuck in our cloaks, surcoats or mail. They stopped wasting them. When we were forty paces from them we stopped. Brother Harald and Brother Magnus began singing. We all joined in. Once again, the enemy were confused. As soon as it stopped we took another ten paces forward. It was then that we broke ranks and the sergeants and men at arms ran and hurled their pots. Some of the Estonians had their wits about them. They sent a few desultory arrows and spears towards them. One sergeant fell with an arrow in his chest another was struck in the leg but gamely carried on. The pots flew. Those who had oil and fat threw theirs too. Another two sergeants fell: one with an axe imbedded in his chest and a second with a spear. As they turned and ran for the protection of our ranks another three were hit. Then there was the roar of flames and fire as the pots struck the tinder dry wood and ignited it. Some of those within the wagons were set on fire. The ones who were not, fled. We stood and watched as the smell of burning wood and then flesh filled the air. Smoke began to billow towards the huts and the bulk of the enemy army.

  Hermann Balk had a horn sounded and we began to advance through the stakes. The Estonians had counted on being able to attack us from their mobile castles. They were now crematoria. We could not attack with a continuous line. The stakes prevented that but the enemy were shaken. I stepped between the stakes and rammed my spear at a shocked Estonian. It was a powerful blow and he was knocked backwards. He stumbled and, as he began to fall I speared his thigh. The bright arcing blood told me that he had been mortally wounded and I stepped over him and took the axe blow from the next warrior on my shield. Sir William’s spear penetrated the warrior’s ear and then his skull. I thrust again at the next man, aware that we had moved ten more paces closer to the enemy town. The Estonian took the blow on his shield and his curved sword hacked through my spear. Holding it overhand I jabbed the broken wooden end at him. He had an open helmet and the broken end took his eye. As he screamed I punched him with my shield while drawing my sword. I ended his pain as I stepped over him and stabbed him in the neck.

  I was through the wooden stakes and so I halted. Now we could use our superior training, mail and swords. I waited for Sir William to join me on one side and Eystein, one of Birger Brosa’s men, on the other. As soon as their shields touched mine I raised my sword and our long line of knights moved forward. David and the handful of archers closed behind us. They would help to both thin and clear the men from ahead of us. Even as we stepped forward their arrows found flesh. They were not bone barbed missiles. These were long steel bodkins. They would tear through mail and, at this close range, rip through flesh and out of the back. They might even strike those behind.

  David and the archers were just clearing a line ten men wide. Behind us my men at arms, having thrown their pots, were now armed and advancing to give us support. We would be three ranks deep and ten men wide. The smoke from the fires was now adding to our attack for it drifted into the faces of our foes. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. This must be what it would be like in hell. I had atoned. I had been forgiven. Hell did not await me. We stepped over bodies stuck with arrows. The Estonians ahead held their shields up to save them from an aerial death. I rammed my sword into the guts of one such warrior. He did not even see the blow coming for he was hiding behind his shield. I used my sword to pull him from my path and then I stepped on to his body and, raising my sword brought it down on the skull of the next Estonian. He had a helmet. It was poorly made.

  I saw that the Estonians had stiffened their ranks with Slavs. The Margraviate of Brandenburg had been ordered by the Emperor to drive the Slavs from his land. They had become hired swords themselves. Some of their nobles had mail and helmets. They liked war axes and they were fond of gold. I saw one such noble ahead of me. He had his bodyguard with him. Dressed in a variety of helmets and pieces of mail they would present us with a more rigorous test than the Estonians. I saw that they did not hold their shield on their arms for they were smaller than ours, but on their fists. They would punch. They had not been in the front line for behind them I saw King Ylle and his men. He had hired mercenaries. The Slavs love of gold meant he had more chance of protection than countrymen with dubious motives.

  “Stockton, to me!”

  I did not mind fighting with Birger Brosa and his men. They were good warriors but if I had a choice then it would be men who followed me.

  “Form a wedge!”

  Sir William and Edward tucked in behind me. Ridley the Giant and Godwin of Battle flanked Phillip of Poitiers. The rest formed behind them. None of us had spears and so we held our swords before us. We had a chant, a sing song, we had developed. It was in English and it was unique to us. It was simply to help us march in step.

  Stockton men are big and brave

  Send a Scot to an early grave

  Stockton men fear no foe

  Fight us and to hell you go

  Stockton

  Stockton

  Stockton men fear no one

  Stockton men are big and brave

  Send a Scot to an early grave

  Stockton men fear no foe

  Fight us and to hell you go

  Stockton

  Stockton

  Stockton men fear no one

  I knew without looking that my men were grinning as we marched. Ahead I could see, for he wore an open helmet, doubt appear on the face of the Slav lord. They were used to fighting man on man. They were wild and they were unpredictable. They had never met us before and I could see he was confused. His eyes flickered to the side. Would his men cope with this wedge of steel which was coming for them?

  I knew he would use his shield offensively and punch at me. I suddenly lowered my sword and, sure enough, his shield came at my face at the same time as his axe swung at my shield. My shield was bigger than his and it covered my body and half of my face. I did not need to move it. I lowered my head so that his shield hit the top of my helmet. At the same time, I lunged with my sword. It ripped and tore through his leg. It snagged on his thigh bone and I twisted it. His axe had struck the top of my head. I had a padded cap and a coif beneath mine. It did not hurt. As I looked up I saw the look of pain on his face. I pulled out my sword. It slurped as it came out. I must have severed a tendon for he dropped to one knee. I swung my own shield at his face as it drew level. He fell unconscious. He would bleed to death. I shouted, “Victory!”

  Sir William and Edward hacked and slashed at their opponents and I flicked my sword to the side to score a deep wound against the leg of Sir William’s foe. When Edward gutted his foe, their line was broken and, once again, King Ylle ran. He had paid for what he had thought were the best of bodyguards and we had sliced through them as though they were butter. We turned and slaughtered the other Slavs. There was no way we could catch the Estonian king. They had been mounted on horses. However, a flurry of arrows flew and I saw two bodyguards fall and an arrow strike the king in the shoulder. This time he had not escaped unscathed.

  “Lord, we have outstripped the rest!”

  “Then we hold here. Shield wall!” We turned and made a circle. It was ironic for the bodies we protected were the Slavs. The Estonians and the other Slave mercenaries gave us a wide berth. They fell back, keeping their front to face the knights who hacked, slashed and chopped their way through them. I think they must have known this was their last battle. Their king had no idea how to defeat us and their warriors just bled on our swords.

  The battle passed us and our squires brought our horses and my banner. While the rest of the army finished off the wounded my men found the treasure that the king had left and the Slavs had carried with them. Unlike us they did not have a lady to watch over their coin and every Slav carried his payment about him.

  I heard Harry Longsword shout, “Who needs England with rewards like this! Thank you, Sir Thomas.”

  I took off my helmet and lower
ed my coif. We had lost no men and that was a good thing but Harry was wrong. We needed England. I was an English knight and while I fought here I was letting down my country. I had to get home!

  The German Widow

  Chapter 17

  This time King Ylle returned to the field to sue for peace. David’s arrow had hurt him. He would live but our victory, the second such monumental one, had made him realise that he ought to convert and then our God would fight for him. He surrendered Estonia to Hermann Balk and Bishop Albert. Birger Persson was not happy, “This was your victory, Thomas! You should have had the credit!”

  “I am a sword for hire. If I had wanted glory then I would have accepted Bishop Albert’s offer. This is good. We have treasure and our share from this victory will make it easier when I return home.”

  “You will still return home?”

  “I like your country, Birger. I feel a kinship to it as though some part of it is in my blood but it is not England and can never be. This may well be my last season here. If I cannot go to England then I will return to my estate in Anjou.”

  “We will miss you.”

  I shook my head, “Hermann Balk has learned. His plan was a good one. You and Birger Brosa have wise heads.” I ruffled his hair, “Do not look downhearted. We have a whole summer yet! Estonia is ours but there are more barbarians yet to conquer.”

  It took almost a month to totally pacify the area and to begin to build a castle. We used the conquered Estonians to dig the ditch and build the mound. In English terms, it was an old fashioned and primitive castle but it would suffice. The master left twenty knights and twenty sergeants in command and then we headed back to Riga. We had animals, hostages and treasure to escort. There were no enemies between the rivers. To the west of the river the Danes were busy converting heathens of their own. I knew that to the east lay hordes of enemies. I doubted that would be my task. I had finished with the winter war and the northern crusade.

  Of course, I was wrong. Those women Birger had spoken of, the Norns, determined that I would not go quietly into the night.

  Bishop Albert, after speaking with Hermann Balk, was fulsome in his praise of me. I was given a chest of gold and offered more titles than I had ever heard of. There was just one title I wished, Lord of the Manor of Stockton. I had long ago given up on Earl of Cleveland. We spent the next month riding long forays into lands we had conquered. My banner was known and Bishop Albert used it to cow his foes. We captured or killed many small bands of warriors who had escaped the battle and sought to fight on.

  We had just returned to Riga at the end of summer, when I was summoned to the Bishop’s hall. It was almost a keep and it was made of stone. The bishop valued his safety. “Sir Thomas, I understand that this will be your last season of fighting alongside us.”

  I sensed the censure in his tone. I had not spoken of this to him. The Jarl Birger Brosa must have broached the subject. I did not feel honour bound to fight more. I had never made a commitment. Bishop Albert had told me that I had done my penance. It had come to me that he might have done that in the hope that I would have taken the position of master. Bishop Albert was a good man but he was driven and he had a single aim; he would bring God to the godless.

  “It will, your grace. The Estonians are beaten and most are converted to Christianity. The Livonian Brothers of the Sword can hold this land. Hermann Balk knows how to fight them.”

  “You know that I am disappointed.”

  “And I am flattered that you need me.”

  “I do for Jarl Birger Persson and his brother have also said that they will not take the cross next year. That is your doing.”

  He was now trying to make me feel guilty. “A man makes his own choices, Bishop Albert. If he does something because of another then that is his weakness. You will not bend nor will I. I have served you well. My men have died for your cause. It is enough.”

  “It can never be enough for there are still heathens who do not believe in God!”

  This was a circular argument. I would not get into it and so I remained silent.

  He smiled, “You too are strong. I have one more task for you. A column of Teutonic Knights, led by Burchard von Bruggeneye have been pushing from the land south of Lithuania. They are driving Slavs northwards. I would have you take your men and meet them where we stopped our advance.” He handed me a parchment. “Give him this.” I took it. I saw that it was sealed with wax. I just nodded as I took it. “You do not ask what is in it?”

  “I am a messenger. I am guessing it is important and that it should not fall into the hands of any other than Burchard von Bruggeneye.”

  He laughed, “You are a deep one, Englishman. Yes, you are right. I wish the two orders to join together next year and drive towards the Prussians and the Lithuanians. King Canute is heading east to Estonia. He will subdue that land. It is why I wished you to be with us. You are not only a good general, the men like to follow you, you inspire confidence. You are seen as important as my holy banner.”

  “I am sorry, your grace. I have been fighting the enemies of Christ for most of my life. I have enemies who are closer to my home I should war against.”

  “You are still outlaw in England.”

  “I know. I will take my chances.” I had confided in no one yet what my real plans were. I had felt guilty keeping the information from my men. When we wintered in Stock Holm I would tell them.

  We took spare horses with us. These were not horses for riding. They were the small ponies and horses we had taken from Estonians. They would carry supplies. The twins led us as we headed south. Although Bishop Albert and the Swedes called all of these people Estonians they were, in fact made up of different tribes. We had spoken to some of those who had converted and it explained why we had been able to defeat them despite their superiority of numbers. Those to the east of the river were the Latgalians. It was their king we had defeated. To the west of the river were the Selonians and Semigallians. They had fought alongside King Ylle in the last battle. They were largely undefeated. The fact that we had not crossed the Daugava was the only reason we had not had to fight a major battle with these people. That battle would come. Bishop Albert had used the river as a natural boundary. So long as trade came down the river then he and the merchants would be happy. So far, that was the case. What would happen when King Canute pressed their borders on one side and then the Holy Orders on the other was unknown. And then there were people of Poland. That had been a strong country of pagans until the leader, Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth had divided the land between his sons. Bishop Albert had set himself a mighty task.

  My twins scouted ahead of us as we headed for the scene of the last battle. The place we would meet the Teutonic knights was forty miles south of there. When we reached the battlefield the bones of the dead still littered it. The town had been abandoned. The walls had been burned and destroyed after the battle and they must have moved on. It was a good site and one day someone would rebuild but I would not see it.

  Gruffyd ap Tomas signalled to us. He and his brother were riding the ruins to see if any remained. He led us to what had been the centre of the town. There we found the body of King Ylle. He been impaled upon a spear. His eyes had been eaten already and rats had gnawed at his flesh but I recognised him by his clothes. He had paid the price of defeat.

  We continued the next day. The king had promised peace and he was dead. I had been cautious before and now I was even more so. I needed to get back to Bishop Albert with the news. He was making great plans assuming that the land was at peace. That was not the case.

  We found the Teutonic Knights towards dusk. I had been considering making camp when Mordaf spied them. They were easy to spot in their distinctive surcoats. I was pleased to see that they had built a camp with stakes around it. There were twenty knights and forty sergeants. We rode in and dismounted.

  “I am Sir Thomas of Stockton and I have been sent by Bishop Albert of Riga. I seek Burchard von Bruggeneye.”

&nb
sp; A man of about my age stepped forward, “I am he. You are a brave man to venture forth with just two knights.”

  I handed him the document, “This is for you. I need no knights. My men and I have fought together many times. They are good warriors.”

  We sat. “I have heard of you. You are the hero of Arsuf. I was a squire myself in the Holy Land but I was not at the battle. I envied you that glory.”

  “It has not yielded me much save the loss of my father and the knights who trained me.”

  “Their deaths were glorious! They defended their king.”

  “And what did it avail us? We now have a tyrant ruling our land with an iron fist.”

  He nodded, “You are not of a Holy Order. We have a higher purpose. We serve God.”

  “No, I am not a brother knight. I am now forced to be a sword for hire.”

  “This life suits us. Any we find we fight and we slay for they are heathens. We have travelled hundreds of miles to reach this place. The bones of many pagans litter our route. When we return, we will slay more.”

  I shook my head. “Tell me why I was sent here. This missive could have been sent by ship and then across land which was safe.”

  He smiled, “We have scouted the land. When we come next season then I will lead the vanguard for I know the land. This is preparation. Our master wishes me to find out the calibre of the enemies we will fight. Will we be fighting alongside you, Sir Thomas?”

  “No, this is my last journey in the east. I will return to Stock Holm in the autumn.”

  “A pity. This will be the only chance I have to speak with you. I will use it well.”

  I was assaulted by questions about Arsuf, England, the Baltic and the campaign thus far. He seemed a professional warrior. He would do well.