The Throne

by Griff Hosker

  “And they were warriors all. When I was your age, or perhaps a little younger, I did not stand in the fore.”

  “And yet you fought, my lord.”

  “Aye, I did and that is why my advice is sage. Until Roger of Chester tells me that you are a warrior then you care for the horses and protect our backs and baggage. Six months is longer than you might think and you have time to learn.”

  We went to the horses to ensure that they had not suffered during the night. We had no remounts. Henry Bolingbroke had promised us that our horses would be replaced if they were lost but he did not say how. We would husband what we had. I went with John to the market to buy provisions which would keep. We would be fed by the Earl but a good soldier was prepared and we were good soldiers. We had just returned to the harbour when the Earl of Northampton and the bulk of his men arrived. My position was made quite clear when I was ignored as he rode in. He held a council of war with the senior knights who had already arrived. I was not invited. He was making a statement. The other knights had power and influence. I was the lowest ranked knight he took. I would be consulted but only when fighting was necessary. I heard, from one of the priest clerks, that the Percys and the Nevilles had been invited to crusade but they had refused the request to attend. Apparently, they still smarted over the lack of support from the rest of England when they had lost the Battle of Otterburn the previous year. Grievances were developing and it did not bode well for England in the future. Some of those we had spoken to in the alehouse suggested that many in the north favoured an England with a Percy or Neville ruler. The fact that they had very little claim to the throne seemed irrelevant.

  Geoffrey, one of the Earl’s squires, sought me out on the evening, “Sir William, the Earl wishes you to board your horses and then your men. The fleet will sail on the last tide of the day. He wishes you to be the vanguard when we land in Danczik.” He handed me a standard. I unrolled it and saw that it was the standard of the house of Lancaster and the Earldom of Northampton.

  I knew Geoffrey and so I asked him the reason that I would carry the banner and be the vanguard, “Why do we carry the standard and why is the smallest ship in the van?”

  He looked embarrassed but I continued to stare at him, “My lord, we have been invited by the Teutonic Knights but the Polish King, who is an ally, is not happy about our participation. He fears England’s ambitions and the Earl is related to the King.” He pointed to the standard which bore the quartered colours of the royal family, “And the standard is that of England.”

  I saw then the reason. I smiled, “Ah, we are expendable. Thank you for that honesty, Geoffrey. Fear not, I will not mention it to the Earl. In my time I have stepped into hotter places than Danczik.” I laughed, “I suppose anywhere will be hotter than Danczik! Besides, it suits us. It allows us to get decent accommodation!”

  He looked relieved, “Thank you, Sir William. You are less prickly than most of the knights.” He pointed to the standard he had given me. “He asks you to display the standard on your ship so that our allies know whence you come.”

  I remembered when we had been in Galicia. We had not been the first to land but we had been early enough to find a good house which we could rent. I did not think that we would be in Danczik very long for the Earl only planned on a six-month campaign.

  We began to have the horses loaded. Ralph paid for his passage during that two-hour process. He led each horse on board. His own horse was first followed by Blaze and then Jack. He sang to them as they were loaded and we had no problems. That contrasted with the next ship down where some of the horses became quite agitated and had to be led away. We were loaded the quickest and our captain was ready to sail the moment the tide turned.

  As we waited to leave, I told my men of the Earl’s plan and my reaction. Roger of Chester was an old campaigner. He knew the Earl well. “Why does he wish a campaign, lord? I cannot see what he will gain. If these are pagans then there will be little coin to be had.”

  I liked to be honest with my men. I hid nothing from them and, I liked to think, they were as honest with me. “Roger, we all know that he has ambitions. A crusade to the Baltic involves a shorter journey than one to Jerusalem and yet still gives the Earl the acclamation of the Pope and the church. King Richard said he would go on crusade and has not done so. A crusade is the mark of a pious king. Do you not remember Castile? We spent barely six months there. It was enough time to garner the glory of our victory and yet, not enough to lose too many men and animals nor to be tarnished with defeat. We will leave when defeat looms on the horizon.” I know I sounded cynical but this was the way the great and good carried on. They played chess thinking five moves ahead. I could barely plan my next move when I played.

  We set sail in the dark and while many of the other ships gathered in the harbour were still being loaded. The Captain, a local man called Peter Northgate, for his family lived close by the north gate of Hart-le-pool, rubbed his hands as we left the narrow harbour entrance. “I tell you, my lord, that this is a most unexpected occurrence. I know not why the Earl wants you and your men to land first but it suits me. We do not need to worry about fouling another ship in the night and we do not have to tack back and forth waiting to leave the harbour.”

  “Aye, but what happens when we land at Danczik? We know not the language.”

  He grinned, his teeth shining in the moonlight, “But we do. My first mate was one of those whose family lived in the city before the knights took it over. They escaped the massacre and his family came to live in our port. He speaks their language fluently and he knows the locals. We trade regularly with them.”

  “The locals?”

  “Aye, the Teutonic Knights massacred ten thousand so they say and then brought in their own settlers but there are still many of the people who lived there, the Kashubians. Piotr is of those people.” He gestured behind him with his thumb. “Many of those captains will find themselves cheated or even robbed but we will not.” He pointed to the bow. “There is a cabin for you and your squires there, my lord, but I am afraid that your men will have to share the hold with the horses.”

  “How long will the voyage take, Captain Peter?”

  “God willing and we keep this wind then six days or more. The Skagerrak is the most difficult part and there are still pirates in those waters. You and your men may be called upon to defend my ship. It is a rare occurrence these days but we have to be prepared.”

  I nodded, “Do not worry about my men. We know how to fight!”

  John and I went to bed almost as soon as we had left the harbour. The small ship bobbed up and down on the waves for the wind and the sea were both fresh. Ralph was too excited and he stayed on deck with my men. When dawn broke, I left the cabin to a grey day with ominous clouds on the horizon. I made water and then walked to the hold. I descended into the Stygian dark. The horses seemed calm enough and I spied Ralph asleep in the hay close to them.

  Simon the Traveller came over to speak with me. “He was so excited we could not get him below deck and then he became green and brought up most of his supper. He has slept ever since.”

  “And the horses?”

  “They are fine although they have produced so much piss and dung already that I fear young Ralph will struggle to keep anything in his stomach.”

  I nodded, “It is part of the process he has to learn.”

  The weather was no better over the next few days as we headed across the seas to the northern coast of Denmark. We kept a good watch for it was not only Baltic pirates we had to worry about. There were Scottish and English ones too. Perhaps that was another reason we had been sent out ahead, as bait to draw out any pirates. We saw none and, as we approached the Skagerrak, our journey was almost over. We had sailed the dangerous part. Captain Peter had told us that the Baltic was a gentler sea than the one we were crossing. Apart from keeping a good watch, we all had to take a hand in keeping the ship clean. The Captain had ensured that we had plenty of hay and straw. Each da
y we would hurl the spoiled material astern and lay down fresh. Ralph soon recovered from his seasickness. In fact, mucking out the horses helped him as it was something with which he was familiar. In the odd moments of rest, he questioned the men at arms and archers constantly about what he could expect on campaign. My men were patient. They had done the same for John, and I had no doubt when Tom came to war with me, he would be just as inquisitive. I had not asked questions when I was Ralph’s age for it was all around me and I lived it.

  We were passing between Gotland and the islands to the south when the pirates came for us. We had sharp-eyed lookouts but it was Simon the Traveller who first spotted them. As his name suggested, Simon had travelled the world with his bow. He recognised the low lean ships propelled by oars which were packed with warriors. Their ancestors had done the same. As Vikings, they had raided England and France. They were not the force they once were but they were still a threat.

  “Three pirate ships coming to cut us off!”

  Captain Peter did not panic. He sent his crew to give his little ship every piece of sail they could. I shouted. “Arm yourselves. Alan of the Wood, half the archers to the bow castle and, Stephen the Tracker, take the other half to the stern. Roger of Chester, have the men at arms gather close to the mast.”

  John handed me my helmet, coif and sword. He held my shield and I shook my head, “I will use a dagger instead. Ralph, take your bow and go to the stern. Today is your first lesson in becoming a warrior.”

  I pulled on my coif and donned my helmet. I drew my sword and dagger and I walked to the mainmast. I had never fought at sea and I hoped I would not have to now. The deck pitched and rolled around. We were in a worse position than the pirates for they had no sail and no mast. Their ship pitched around less. They were like lean greyhounds and we were like a milk cow! Seamanship was the Captain’s domain. Slaughtering pirates as they tried to board was mine. I had on my mail hauberk but no armour. If I fell overboard then I was dead. John just had his leather hauberk. I watched the three ships as they came towards us like wolves hunting a sheep. Two were coming for our steerboard side and the other, the largest, for our larboard. I was no sailor but I guessed that the larger was the leader. “Natty and Geoffrey, stay on the steerboard side. Keep watch on those two pirates and tell me if they close with us. The rest of you to the larboard. I want us in a double line. John, you will be in the second. We attack any who manage to board.”

  I watched the crew pick up hand axes and wickedly curved short swords. They would sell their lives dearly. The pirates had chosen a narrow stretch of water from which to launch their attack. For more than half a mile the Captain had no sea room. I estimated that the leading pirate would hit us almost as we reached the passage to the open sea. Looking aft I saw that the Captain did not look concerned. He shouted something to one of his sailors and a sheet was tightened. Glancing at the masthead pennant I saw that the wind was coming from our steerboard quarter. We began to move faster. The leading pirate also benefitted from the wind even though she had no sail. She began to not only keep pace with us but also to close. Her two consorts on the other side, both smaller boats, were merely keeping pace with us.

  I watched as Alan of the Wood released an arrow which arced high in the air. He was aiming at one of the smaller boats. It was a ranging arrow. It plunged into the wooden prow of the leading one. He was our best archer and it told him that they were out of range for he had the greatest range. He turned and shouted, “Aim at the ship to larboard!” He knew that the leader was in range for they were closer. With just a few bows he would have to keep up a regular rate to whittle down the numbers who might try to board.

  The nine bows of my men rose high and their arrows dived like vengeful birds into the belly of the pirate. I heard, across the water, the shouts and cries as the swallowtail arrows found flesh. Another flight soared and there were more cries. Our captain was keeping us to the north side of the channel. I suspect it was the safest channel. It meant we were converging with the pirate. The oars of the pirate were more ragged now for men had been hit. The boat began to slew around as the oars on the far side of the ship seemed to suffer less. We were higher in the water and I could see the ship below us. I looked down its length. There had been upward of forty men aboard. There were less now for I saw bloody bodies and men nursing wounds. A voice shouted from the centre of the boat and four men rose, as the bows came towards our centre. Even as the four grappling hooks were thrown and gripped into our gunwale, I saw the helmsman and the pirate next to him fall. As he died his body pushed the pirate to parallel our course. The bow would not ram us but the movement laid it alongside us.

  “They will try to board us. Single line. Natty and Geoffrey, join us!”

  We stepped to the side of the ship and began to hack through the ropes. More hooks snaked over towards our gunwale. Natty and Geoffrey ran directly to them and began to cut them. The arrows still thinned the ranks of the pirates. I think they were just trying to delay us until the other two ships could join them. Men began to climb up the side of our ship. They swarmed up the ropes. These were strong men who rowed great distances. Pulling themselves up a rope was child’s play for them. However, they could not pull themselves up and carry a weapon. I saw that each of them had a small hand weapon gripped in their mouths. Most had a knife or a dagger while the first pirate whose face appeared before me had a small hatchet. As he pulled himself up our ship lurched a little and the movement made us step back while it allowed the pirates to gain the deck. It was a fluke of the wind but it stopped me from completing the swing I had begun. As he gained the deck, the pirate grabbed the hatchet with his left hand while he began to draw his sword with his right. This time I had my feet firmly planted and I brought my sword from on high to hack deep into his shoulder close to his neck. The hatchet fell from his fingers but he was a tough man. I saw the anger in his eyes as he tried to force his dying body to swing the sword. I punched him in the face with my left hand and he tumbled over the side. As he did so he crashed into the next man who was clambering up. It slowed the flow of pirates.

  My men were dispatching the handful who had made the deck. I shouted, “John, use the hatchet to sever the lines!” I swung my sword, blindly, down the side of our ship and it connected with the skull of the Danish pirate who was pulling himself up. A second was thrown into the well of the ship as John severed a line. Nine arrows struck the handful of men who were preparing to join their comrades and then the last line was severed with a twang. The pirate suddenly drifted away and, being freed, ‘Maid’ leapt forward like a stallion of the sea. I turned and ran to the steerboard side. The two pirates were less than five lengths from us but, even as Alan and my archers loosed arrows at them, we burst into the open waters of the Baltic. We were freed!

  Sheathing my sword, I left my men to strip the dead and throw them overboard. Had they landed in numbers they might have caused some damage but man for man we were better armed, mailed and trained. Captain Peter had a huge grin on his face, “My short cut almost cost us there, my lord! But for you and your men, things might have gone ill. I am in your debt.”

  “Short cut?”

  “Aye, we are shallower draughted than most and the passage we have taken can save almost half a day. The wind was with us and…” He made the sign of the cross, “God smiled on us and I have learned a lesson. Still, all is done and we now have clear water to Danczik. We will be there by dawn!”

  Chapter 4

  Danczik was a revelation. The Teutonic Knights had taken the town almost half a generation ago and they had tried to impose their will upon the town. The result was that it looked like a mixture of two cultures. Some older parts looked almost exotic while the newer structures showed that the Teutonic Knights had an eye for defence. The Teutonic Knights liked to build their castles and defences in red brick. They made for a distinctive looking castle. They liked regular concentric lines; higher ones, closer to the keep, were surrounded by low outer walls. The one at D
anczik had a keep with a bailey in the centre. It appeared to be like a monastic cloister. I had never seen the like.

  As we made our way through the myriad of small traders which plied the waters, I wondered why the Earl had not sent the Teutonic Knight with us. Von Plettenburg could have translated. I hoped that Piotr knew his business. I looked up at the fluttering standard. The quartered three lions and fleur de lys were overlaid with five points ermine. I wondered if those ashore knew what that meant. I had been slightly honoured that the standard flew from our ship but also a little apprehensive.

  Captain Northgate made for a section of the quay which had been left clear. The black crosses on the white standards fluttering along the quay which marked that section told me that they belonged to the Teutonic Knights. As we edged towards our berth, under reefed sails, I saw a small party leave the red brick gatehouse which lay close by and walk towards us. I saw that one wore spurs and was a knight while the other four were sergeants.

  I turned to Ralph, “You had better get ready to fetch the horses ashore. The sooner we give them their legs back the sooner they can be ridden.” Ralph had never seen the effects of a voyage on horses. I had. It had not been as long as the voyage to Spain but it would still take a couple of days for them to recover. I had no doubt that Henry Bolingbroke had sent us ahead so that we could be used as we had in Spain. We would scout out the land for him.

  Lines were thrown and we were tied to the shore. The gangplank was put in place and the captain said, “I will send my mate to translate when all is secured, my lord, but feel free to go ashore until we have secured the ship.”

  I nodded, “John, come with me. The rest of you, help Ralph to fetch the horses and our war gear.”

  We strode down the gangplank. I knew that when my feet walked on the cobbles they would feel as though they did not belong to me. I concentrated on placing my feet on the flat part of the gangplank. Walking in spurs was never easy. The last thing I needed was to pitch forward before the Teutonic Knight. I was so relieved when I planted my feet on the stone that I smiled. The Teutonic Knight thought the smile was for him and he smiled back.