The Throne

by Griff Hosker

  “It was a shame that she died. She was a real lady.”

  “Aye, that she was and she was good for him too. Enough of that. We must put our mind to hunting Irishmen. When we ride, I will send Stephen the Tracker and my best six men ahead of us. With you and your men, we now have almost fifty and that is a good number. Your Jacob and Abraham can lead the sumpters with our war gear. If we have to fight then it will be against scouts. If we find an army we are to report back to the King.”

  This was a land without real roads but with few hills and even fewer woods then it was an easier country to cross than had been the Baltic. We could see for miles, once we crested the pimples that they called hills. The problem was that the enemy could see us and they wore no mail for the sun to reflect off mail and helmets. It would be hard to see them but just as hard for them to ambush us.

  We found the first hamlet just twenty miles from our setting off point. My archers had found it on their scouting expedition. I sent the Duke’s rider back with the message that we had found the first settlement. It had just twenty huts. I had my orders. I had disobeyed one and got away with it. I would not disobey a second. When Stephen the Tracker reported it, I said, “We attack. Do not harm the women and children. Drive them off. We slaughter the animals and burn the houses.”

  “And the men, lord?”

  “If they fight us then we kill them.”

  Harold Four Fingers shook his head, “Then we will slay them for they will not sit idly by while we destroy their homes.” Harold had changed since he married and had his own farm, I wondered how much longer he would wish to fight.

  I sent my archers in two wings to the north and south of us to prevent us from being surprised. I left Ralph and Tom with the horses along with Sir Henry’s two servants. The rest of us formed a long line twenty-four men wide and I dug in my spurs. I would not ride beneath my banner. There was no need. None of us wore helmets and my shield guarded my left leg. We trotted rather than galloped. In my heart I wanted them to flee and then I would not have to kill them. We were seen when we were four hundred paces from them. I saw them run. I thought at first, they would all leave and escape us and then I saw that there were two pigs and an old cow which were lumbering down what passed for a road in these parts. Four men held spears and swords and awaited us. There would be blood. My men spread out in a wide line.

  I had learned a couple of words from the Irish who lived close to the castle. I shouted, “Surrender!” as we approached. I did not catch the answer but from the gesture, I suspected it was a negative reply. Two of the men on the flanks of the Irish suddenly turned and fled. Twenty-odd galloping horses will do that to a man who is untried. I saw that the other two were older men. I watched as the taller of the two lifted his spear in two hands. He meant to spear me over my horse’s head. I let my reins hang. Jack would keep running until I pulled on them. I was wearing gauntlets and, as he lunged at me, I grabbed the shaft and pulled it over my horse’s neck. When he lurched forward, I used the flat of my blade to smash into his nose and face. I broke his nose and rendered him unconscious. I left him lying in a pool of blood. When I looked, Roger of Chester had split open the head of the other. He had not risked his own life.

  We reined in. The two pigs and the cow had been left. My men slew them and then began to butcher them. Others looted the huts. There was little of value in them save that each had a small pot of coins buried in the floor. We took them and burned the huts. We left most of the butchered animals for the rest of the army and took choice cuts with us for our supper. We left within an hour of our arrival. The smoke would act as a marker for the army. I did not doubt that they would probably camp there. The army moved more slowly than we did. We found two more villages before dark but they were deserted. Those who had fled us had warned them. I was glad. We burned them. One had a field of wheat growing. We burned that too.

  We camped that night on a small lump of land which rose from the undulating land around us. It afforded a clear line of sight. The Duke’s replacement rider found us. His horse was lathered. He had ridden hard.

  “His lordship is pleased, my lord. He thanks you for his supper. He is fond of beef.”

  I was happier knowing that the Duke was with his nephew. He was a moderating influence. The King needed that. We roasted pork and beef on the fire. The livers and kidneys had also been taken. They cooked quickly and my men loved them. They did not bother with hovels for the skies were cloudless. It would be chilly but we had furs in which to lie and our oiled cloaks would keep off the wind.

  Sir Henry said as he ate the juicy pork. “This is not the sort of war I imagined.”

  “Nor me but I agree with the King and the Duke. This is the best way to bring this rebellion against the King’s authority to an end.”

  “Is this his land?”

  “The kings of Ireland all acknowledged, in the past, the right of England to live on their island. They accepted his authority. When Strongarm came here two hundred years ago with three hundred knights and conquered their land they knew they could not stand up to the might of knights. Had King Cathal mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair not been greedy and seen his chance to steal land then we would not be here.”

  The next day brought us to their first stronghold. It was at a place we later learned was called Beannchar na Sionna. Two ridges met and there was a settlement and a hill fort with a palisade. It was too large for us to take and so we sent the rider back to the army. We made a camp three hundred paces from the walls.

  The people lined the palisade and hurled abuse at us. As Roger said, wryly, “They shout and curse, lord but I see that none have the courage to ride forth and face us.”

  I nodded, “Alan, bring our archers. Let us see if we can stir them to battle.”

  I dismounted and handed my reins to Tom. I did not bother with my shield or helmet. John and I, along with Sir Henry and Peter, approached the walls. My archers lined up one hundred and fifty paces from the walls. Four arrows flew at us. They were ranging arrows. The best of them fell ten feet from Stephen the Tracker. He walked up to the arrow, which had a flint head, picked it up, snapped it in two and, spitting on it, threw it to the ground. He then walked back to the other archers. Each one chose a good arrow, a swallowtail. The men on the walls did not know that they were being targeted. They assumed that our archers had bows as poor as theirs. My men each had a bow which was six feet long and made of yew. A man had to train for at least ten years to be able to pull it. Alan gave no orders. He just looked down the line when he had nocked. He nodded and released. It would have been comical had it not been tragic. The men on the walls watched in fascination as the twenty arrows soared. By the time they realised that the arrows would not fall short, it was too late for twelve of them. Twelve heads disappeared from the walls. The other targets survived because they had a shield and had had the wit to raise it. The other defenders all ducked below the top and, instead of heads, we saw shields.

  I began to walk back. “They have seen our power. Let us go and eat. Roger, send four men to the far side of the hill fort. They may send for help!”

  “Aye, lord.”

  It was the King himself and twenty of his knights who first arrived along with the Earl of Kildare. In all, there were a hundred warriors. He dismounted and looked at the walls. “What have you done, Sir William?”

  “We have sent men to watch the west gate. My archers slew a dozen or so of their men. I thought to wait until the rest of the army arrived. They will surrender.”

  He nodded, “Come, Earl Gerald, bring that tame Irishman and we will go and speak with them.”

  I said, “My liege, go no closer than the broken arrow you see. They have the range.”

  He smiled, “I will heed your advice but if the arrow of a barbarian could penetrate this plate then I would have the head of the weaponsmith who made it!”

  I walked behind the King and waved Alan of the Wood to accompany me. His arrows would be faster than any Irishman who tried to kill m
y king. With the Earl and the King was an Irish lord. He wore a surcoat. I had learned that many of the local lords and princes would ally themselves with us in the hope of advancement. He shouted something. Those in the hill fort responded. The King spoke to the translator and so it went on until the King turned, “They have decided to die. So be it. My conscience is clear. They have the misguided belief that their King will save them. They are in for a rude awakening when their town is burned and their men beheaded!”

  The rest of the army had joined us by dawn. Most would be in no condition to fight but the King hoped that the sight of our superior numbers would make them surrender. They did not. In the late afternoon, the King ordered all of the archers to line up. He was going to send a message. He looked at me, “Sir William has given me good advice. He thinks our archers are the best in the world. Captain Alan, let us see what ten flights sent into the hill fort can do!”

  Alan of the Wood looked at me and I nodded, reluctantly, for I knew what he intended. Richard was the King and we could not refuse an order. Two thousand arrows descended into the hill fort. Those who were in their homes were the lucky ones but the children who were playing, the women who were grinding wheat and those standing and discussing the attack were not. They died. When the arrow storm had ended, we could hear the cries from within. Some were cries of those who were hit but others were of mothers who had come from their houses and seen their children and aged parents slaughtered.

  The gates opened and four men, bare-headed and open-handed emerged. They spoke their language. It was translated and, turning, the King simply said, “It is ended. They have surrendered. Sir William resume your scouting. We have wasted enough time as it is!”

  We were spared the sight of the children who had been killed. Alan and his men were grim-faced. They had not enjoyed obeying that order. They could kill men but the King had ordered them to kill the innocent. A new, ruthless King was emerging. His standing amongst my men plummeted.

  As we headed west, he said, “If we meet a real enemy, my lord, we will struggle. We have but forty flights each left to us. We can make another fifty with the ones we recover when we return to the fort but that is all.” The ten flights had used a fifth of their supplies and they had not had the opportunity to recover any.

  “Then let us hope we need them not. Send Stephen the Tracker and his men ahead of us.”

  We rode steadily and it was just an hour or so later when they galloped back to us. We had seen no sign of people since leaving the hill fort. There were abandoned villages dotted in the distance. We had not the stomach to torch them. If the King wanted them destroyed then he could do it.

  “My lord, we have found the Irish. There is an enormous army. They have mounted knights and many banners. They filled the land ahead of us. We could not begin to count them.”

  Just then a couple of hundred warriors on hill ponies rode over the small crest towards us. “Alan of the Wood, ride back to the King and warn him. We will bloody their noses and follow you.”

  “Are you sure, lord?”

  “You have no armour and will be faster. Do not fear. We shall not be long behind you.

  “Form line. Ralph and Tom behind me. When I shout ‘turn’ then do not hesitate.”

  “Aye, lord!”

  I pulled up my shield and drew my sword. Behind the horsemen, I saw banners as they rose over the crest. Alan was right. It was like a sea of faces. It was hard to discern where one man began and another ended. There was no order to it. It was as though the whole nation had risen. The only horsemen I could see were the ones on hill ponies who galloped towards us. We could outrun men on foot.

  As we waited, I said to Sir Henry. “Now we know why they were holding out. They expected their King to come to their aid. Perhaps King Richard was right to use the arrows. Had we not reduced the hill fort then we would have been trapped between the army and the defenders.” I did not convince myself but at least I could justify, partly, King Richard’s act.

  The Irish ponies closed rapidly with us. The riders’ feet almost touched the ground. They were much smaller than our horses.

  “We wait until they are forty paces from us. We hit them and then retire. No heroics. We hurt them and then fall back. Ride to the left!”

  My men all chorused, “Yes, lord.”

  As soon as they were forty paces from us, I spurred Jack and he leapt forward. I know not what the warriors thought we would do. What we actually did confused them. My sword hacked through the head of the first Irish warrior for his skull was at a perfect height for my sword. Even as I pulled Jack around to my left, my bloody sword continued its sweep and hacked into the back of a second warrior. Our sudden attack had emptied more than sixty saddles. We could have destroyed them.

  “Turn!”

  As I turned, I managed to stab an Irish chieftain in the back. I saw that Ralph and Tom had obeyed me and were heading, a little slower than I might have hoped, towards the distant hill fort. I glanced over my shoulder. The survivors of the attack were milling around. They looked at the hacked and maimed bodies which littered the ground. Barely seventy remained in their saddles. Many had been slain but some had been wounded. Others had been thrown from their saddles by our bigger horses. When the Irish army passed the skirmish, it would be a warning for them.

  We reached the hill fort in a shorter time than it had taken us to reach the enemy. My archers had arrived and warned the King about the Irish. Even as we approached, I saw the lines being prepared. When we rode in, the lines parted and allowed us through. The Duke and the Earl, along with the Earl of Kildare awaited me. “Well, Sir William, what can you report?” I heard the hint of fear in the King’s voice.

  “The Irish are coming. I fear they have been using the time since our skirmish to gather warriors from all over the island. If we show a line of steel it may halt them.”

  The Duke said, “I will order the archers into the hill fort. They have the range to loose over our heads. We can dismount the men at arms and have them present a wall of spears and shields.”

  “And what of the knights, uncle! They are our most powerful weapon!”

  I knew he was wrong. The two hundred archers we had were the most powerful and they had shown it already. The Duke smiled. “King Richard, we withdraw our knights to the other side of the hill fort.”

  The Earl of Kildare said, “They will negotiate first. It is the Irish way. There will be no attack this afternoon. Your wall of sergeants will make them stop and they will seek a truce.”

  The Earl was proved correct. The Irish stopped three hundred paces from us. The wild warriors beat their shields and chanted. Some dropped their breeks to expose themselves but the kings and their knights conferred. They camped. The Earl looked pleased with himself. “We have the night to prepare.”

  Chapter 14

  When morning broke, and it was a grey one, Irish emissaries in the form of priests, approached. “We would speak with the King!”

  “I am the King. What is it that you wish?”

  “The King of Connaught wishes to have a conference with you. You may bring a bodyguard and advisers. He swears that there will be no treachery.”

  King Richard nodded, “Uncle, Kildare, you will come with me. Dick of Craven, I would have ten men with me.” He looked at me, “And you, Will Strongstaff. I need your wits and your blade. I fear treachery.”

  The Earl of Kildare said, “There will be no treachery, my liege!”

  “When men have sneaked into your bedchamber and tried to kill you and your wife then you can speak to me of no treachery. Will Strongstaff can be trusted to watch out for the life of the King.”

  I walked behind the King, as did Dick of Craven. We would not talk. We were there to watch for knives which might flash from beneath cloaks. I saw that there were three kings waiting for us. A bishop and four chieftains were there also. The bodyguards all had bare tattooed chests. They had paint upon their faces as though to terrify us. On their heads they wore high dom
ed helmets and, in their hands, they held long war axes. They did not frighten me.

  We stood in silence and it was broken by King Cathal mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair. He was as old as John of Gaunt. He wore many rings on his fingers. About his neck, he had a golden torc and his helmet was golden too. I doubted that it was pure gold. More likely it was a silver, copper, gold alloy. The hilt of his sword was elaborately decorated and I doubted that it was a weapon to be feared. His breastplate shone. It was made to look like gold but I suspected that it was iron coated with copper and burnished. The King was a showman. He was trying to impress.

  The King spoke our language well. That was not a surprise. His neighbours were English. “King Richard, you have brought an army into my land and slain my people. I ask you why?”

  The King stared deep into the King of Connaught’s eyes. His voice was filled with steel. “Do not speak with a false tongue to me, you barbarian! For all your polished copper you are but little removed from the half-naked men who guard you! You attacked Kildare, Ormond and The Pale. You thought us weak and we are not. We are puissant and we are strong. Have you forgotten that all the kings of Ireland bow their knee to me!”

  There was silence and I could see that the Irish had been badly advised. They thought Richard to be an ineffective king. Perhaps their dealings with Robert de Vere had misled them.

  The Irish King flushed, “Perhaps we need to renegotiate that arrangement, King Richard. You bring a large army here but ours is ten times your number.”

  “And it could be a further ten times that number and I would not fear you. Bend the knee or fight. That is your choice.”

  King Richard had taken them by surprise. He had not come to speak of peace but of war. They looked at each other. King Cathal mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair was their leader but he began to doubt himself.