Warlord of the North

by Griff Hosker

  "It is good to see you, Alf."

  "And you, lord."

  Although I had said I would speak with the townspeople after we had cleared the Scots I owed it to Alf to speak with him first. He was the leader of the town and as good a friend as I could wish for despite his low birth. I told him, word for word, what I had said in my Great Hall. He took it as Wulfric and Dick had, stoically.

  "I know not this Stephen of Blois and he may well be a good man but I know that you are a man of honour. Stockton would have nothing without you. We stand by you e'en though that makes us rebels and traitors."

  "It is not a trivial matter, Alf, although we have to end the Scottish threat first. We are far from London and we may escape his notice but it will come. I intend to build up our army so that we can resist all foes." I smiled, "At least we shall not have to pay taxes eh?"

  He laughed, "And that is a silver lining, lord, to this black cloud."

  When I had walked the length of my walls I descended to my church and knelt by the grave of my wife and child. "Perhaps, Adela, you and our daughter are better off for your husband is about to become a traitor and a rebel. I never thought that it would come to this. I pray that I behave with honour and I hope that you and my father approve."

  Father Henry's voice came from behind me, "You speak from the heart and God will understand."

  I rose and turned to speak with the priest, "And you, Father Henry, what do you think?"

  "I am just a priest, my lord. What I say has no bearing on any secular matters."

  "You and I both know that is not true. My people look to you for guidance. I look to you for advice. Do I do what is right?"

  "You swore an oath in a holy place upon a Bible. Stephen of Blois also swore such an oath. He is the one who has broken his oath and not you."

  "But if the Archbishop orders you to obey the new King, what then?"

  He smiled, "We both know Archbishop Thurstan my lord. Do you think he will do that? Even if he appears to obey the new king he is a clever man who will find a way to support those he believes defend his land. You." He made the sign of the cross over me and said, "But think of the people too. They have little voice and are often trampled upon by the high and the mighty. If you think of them then God will approve."

  As I returned to my castle I had food for thought. Was I doing the right thing? I knew, from our conversations in Normandy, that Stephen would heap rewards and titles upon me if I supported his claim to the throne. My people would benefit. My knights would benefit. Why could I not accept him as King? The Archbishop was right, it was good for England. It would give stability. Stephen of Blois was well respected and would rule from a position of power and yet... I could not. I was now set on a course which would bring me into direct conflict with Stephen of Blois. It would not be soon but it would come and it would be a fight to the death!

  Chapter 3

  My knights and my captains were still in the Great Hall. I had no doubt they had been speaking about my decisions. They were momentous ones. That I knew. I saw the anticipation on their faces as I entered. "Tonight we attack the Scots by the river. I have walked the walls and observed the ones by the river. There are a small enough number for us to eliminate them. Dick, I want every archer on the walls of the town tonight. I wish you to rain fire arrows on their camp to the north. When it is ablaze and they attack then use your arrows to thin their numbers."

  "And if we spur them to assault the walls, my lord?"

  "The men of the town will be with you and you may retreat to my castle if they threaten to overwhelm you If we lose the town walls then so be it. I want them to bleed. We can sacrifice the walls so long as they die to gain them. The men at arms and my knights will attack the camp by the river. Tomorrow we have reinforcements from Thornaby. The ones Sir Edward brings are the fyrd and we cannot afford to lose any of our men. We have too few as it is."

  Wulfric nodded, "We attack without warning, my lord?"

  "The warning will be the cries from those dying in the northern camp. I want them distracted by Dick's fire arrows. They will see them and their attention will be there. When we attack we use our small force of knights as a battering ram. When I was on the walls I saw that the men camped hereabouts had little mail. They will not stand."

  Sir Harold asked, "When does the attack begin?"

  "When the darkness is complete Dick will begin his firestorm. We make our way to the river then and we attack. Tell your men to rest. I want every man at arms here as soon as darkness falls."

  I found Alan of Osmotherley and took him with me, "Where do we go, my lord?"

  "To meet the man who will lead you and whose every word you will obey as thought it was from my own lips."

  Wulfric was sharpening his sword. "Wulfric, we have a new man at arms. He helped me at Osmotherley and his father served Ralph of Osmotherley. His mother, father and brother were all slain by the assassins who tried to kill me. He has armour and a sword. He needs a surcoat and a shield. I put him under your command."

  Wulfric nodded. He could be intimidating but, at the same time he could be the most gentle of men. He smiled, "Welcome Alan. You join the finest conroi that rides in England. You join men who are the equal of any knight I have ever seen, save his lordship. Can you ride?"

  "A little."

  "Not good enough. After we have scotched these Scots we will make you a rider. Come, the Earl has better things to occupy his mind than seeing to a new man at arms." As he led Alan off he nodded. He approved.

  I took the opportunity to sharpen my own sword. Normally one of my squires would do that but I had none. I enjoyed the sound the blade made on the wheel. The sparks flew and illuminated the blade. When I struck it would slice through flesh. If it hit mail it would damage or destroy it. It was an extension of my arm and of me. When I was satisfied I did the same with my two daggers. I was ready.

  I trusted Dick. He knew his business. I did not need to watch him begin his arrow storm and I joined my men at arms. With the knights and squires we had fifty three men. Our numbers would be the equal of the Scots but our quality exceeded theirs. I wanted a quick and decisive victory. I wanted those who were attacked by Dick to be shaken. I had not told my knights but I intended to use our victory to attack the main camp of the Scots. I wanted the scent of victory to be in their nostrils and use the energy that created. There we would be outnumbered but we would have the taste of success in our nostrils. I was gambling!

  We gathered behind my gate and waited. Dick would initiate the attack. When he began to loose fire arrows we would slip out of the gate and fall upon the Scots. The day which had begun foggy had ended with a cold hard frost. Indeed the river showed the faint sheen of ice upon it. I made my men draw their swords when they were within the castle. Sometimes a blade could stick in the cold; that could be fatal.

  I had my knights at the fore. That was twofold. They were the best I had and I wanted our men to see that we were not afraid. We led and they would follow. I also wanted their weight of armour and weapons to decisively break our foes. The shouts from the north alerted me. The attack had begun. I nodded and the bar on the greased gate was slid back. It opened soundlessly and we walked, quietly out of my castle, across the bridge and down the ramp. The shouts from the north wall were now cries and screams. The smell of burning drifted on the crisp night air. Ahead I heard alarm in the Scottish camp by the river. The smoke from their fire and its glow drew us on. They were not looking west, they were looking north and I heard strident voices as they debated what to do. Indecision was the worst state of mind; better a wrong decision than no decision. Their vacillation and procrastination enabled us to close with them. We were less that forty paces from them before we were seen and by then it was too late.

  As one sentry shouted, "Alarm!" We raised our swords and fell upon them. I smashed my shield into the face of a man to my left as I gutted one to my right. The path and the jetty were narrow and I heard the splashes as men fell into the icy waters of
the Tees. My river protected us too. If they fell in the icy waters they would last but moments. I became a killing machine. I blocked with my shield and swung my sword. Sometimes my blow was from above and at other times from below. Their eyes were still blinded by their own fires. Their defence was brief because we slew them so quickly. The ones we did not slay sought safety in the water. They died anyway. I daresay one or two hardier souls may have struggled ashore at the Tees mouth but they would not return.

  I raised my sword, "Let us end this tonight. Follow me and we will fall upon the Scottish camp."

  When I had been on the walls I had seen that they had the tents of their leaders to the east of the town. I headed for it. The men who were dying at the hands of my archers were the ones who were on watch close to the walls. The leaders and the knights had been in their beds. Awoken by the clamour they now rose and gathered outside their tents. They watched as fire arrows fell into their camp. I saw a knot of them pointing and debating at this new lunacy. What were the men of Stockton up to?

  It was now the time to strike. I began to run. With my shield held tightly against my chest I held my sword above my head. To my right were Wulfric, Erre and the other Varangians. They spurned their shields, carrying them over their backs, and held their axes in two hands. The power which they generated when they swung their mighty axes was frightening. The nobles saw us and, like deer caught in the dark, stood almost petrified to the spot. It lasted but a heartbeat but we were moving so quickly that the heartbeat ended for some. I spied a knight with a gryphon on his surcoat. It was like that of the Senonche family. This must be a relative who lived in Scotland. Sir Guy had died at my hands but he had caused too much pain for me to be merciful. I brought my sword down from on high. It smashed into the knight's shield. He had failed to brace himself and the shield was driven down towards his chest. I had put my weight into the blow. I had been travelling at speed and the sword continued down. It bit into the mail of his coif and ventail. He began to fall backwards and I struggled to keep my feet. I had done this enough times to hold back a little and I stopped. My foe did not and he tumbled to the ground. As the breath was taken from him I raised my blade and plunged my sword into his mouth as he opened it to suck in air.

  I pulled out the sword and sought my next foe. Wulfric and my Varangians were carving a path of death before them. No one was giving quarter. We were too few in number. These were largely men at arms who followed me and their reward would come when they searched the bodies of the dead. Until then they killed!

  I had enough men behind me so that I did not worry about those who fell wounded. They would be despatched. We ran on. Although we were spread out a little more we were approaching those men who were not as well armoured and were suffering from my archers' attack. I did not fear that we would be struck. Dick and the archers he commanded were too good for that. Some of the Scots had courage far beyond their skills. Some raced at me with bill hooks in an abortive attempt to slay me. I fended off their weapons and gutted them. Others had a small buckler and sword. None of the swords could match my well made weapons and all were slain. When the gate opened and Dick led my archers and the townsfolk to complete our attack it was too much for the Scots who remained and they fled.

  Dick and his archers led the fyrd to pursue and to hunt down the survivors. The Scots who had come south to claim Stockton left a trail of bodies and bones as they ran north across the frozen ground which led home. Dick and his archers halted only at Thorpe, seven miles up the road. By then it was daylight and the ones who could still run deserved to live.

  None of the nobles had survived. My men had been ruthlessly efficient. The few wounded survivors were the low born and knew nothing of the plans of King David or the Earl Gospatric. They had been enticed to join the enterprise with the promise of Stockton's treasure. The only treasure they gained was a patch of earth. I had, however, achieved my objective. I had relieved the siege and halted the Scottish invasion.

  As I took off my helmet and walked around the battlefield I was able to assess our position. There was no immediate danger. Aiden was looking for danger closer to Durham. Had he found any he would return quickly. We had breathing space. I would be able to think and to plan. I joined my men as they cleared the ditches and the battlefield.

  Alice and her women began preparing food. We would eat when we had made the town and castle secure once more. My men spent the late hours of night and the early hours of the morning taking the treasure from the dead and stabling their horses. We now had fifteen war horses and twenty palfreys. They had been captured intact. They were as valuable as gold. Then we piled the Scottish bodies together and began the task of burning them. For days the air was filled with the smell of burning flesh. It was an unpleasant task but it had to be done. Dead bodies would attract vermin.

  As dawn broke I returned with my knights to my castle and we held a council of war.

  While Alice served food I spoke. "As long as the Scots are abroad we must ensure that your families are safe. I decree that until you decide your futures, then your families stay here. Stockton's walls are thick and they will hold."

  Sir Harold said, "My decision is made already, lord. I will follow you even if it means my death. I would be nothing without you."

  I waved my hand. "Do not be hasty Harold. I have asked Alf to gather those from the town to meet with me in the square. I will tell them what I told you. Make your decision then. I intend to tell the archers and men at arms the truth. They may be hired men but they deserve respect. I shall give them that."

  By the time my hunters returned from the chase of the Scots it was gone noon. The pyre of bodies burned still. The graves for our dead had been dug and Father Henry would inter them after dark. The sentries on the river wall shouted, "My lord, the ferries from Thornaby come."

  Ethelred had fretted about his son and his ferry all morning. His son now brought over our horses, Gilles, stable boys and Sir Edward. The rest of Sir Edward's men came on the second ferry. I went to the jetty to greet them. Blood still stained the grass where we had made our night attack upon the Scots. The air was still chill and the blackened blood stood starkly against the frost. As the ferry reached half way Sir Edward shouted, "My lord, boats from the west!"

  Could this be Scots? I was taking no chances. I turned and yelled, "To arms!"

  Wulfric, Erre and my Varangians had not left my side since the battle had begun. Nor had Alan of Osmotherley . With drawn weapons they stood in a circle behind me. The ferry bumped into the wooden jetty. "Gilles, get the horses into the castle and hurry." As they led Scout, Hunter and the rest up the ramp I asked, "Could you make out who was aboard?"

  Sir Edward shook his head, "There was a canvas awning and they were using a sail."

  I glanced up at my wall. Despite the fact that they had only recently returned Dick and his archers lined the river wall, arrows knocked. The three small river vessels had arrows protruding from the sides and the sails. They were heavily laden. They were riding low in the viscous, icy water. I drew my sword and prepared for combat.

  Sir Hugh of Gainford's head appeared around the edge of the canvas awning, "My lord! You live!"

  We sheathed our weapons and breathed a sigh of relief. Sir Edward said, somewhat testily, "The young fool could have flown his banner at the very least."

  "And if the castle had been held by the Scots? What then, my friend? He was cautious and I applaud him for that. We have numbers which are too small for us to take unnecessary risks."

  The first boat bumped into the jetty tied to the two ferries. Sir Hugh and his wife clambered out. I saw that there was a babe in a wet nurse's arms too. "Take your wife into the warmth of the castle Sir Hugh. The air is too cold for women and babes."

  "Aye, lord but it is good to see you. Our prayers have been answered."

  That was the second time I had been told that. The first boat contained families and half a dozen men at arms. The second had another surprise for me as Wilfred, son of Geo
ffrey of Piercebridge, stepped ashore with his mother, Lady Hilda. "Where is your husband, Lady Hilda?"

  "He perished with most of our men fighting the Scots. He held them until we could get to Gainford." She began to well up.

  Wilfred, a youth of no more than fifteen years of age said, "He died well as did our men but their bodies were butchered and despoiled. Our enemies have no honour, my lord."

  "Take your mother and your people to my Hall. I will join you there soon."

  I stood to one side with Sir Edward and my men at arms. "Our army grows."

  Wulfric said, "The numbers will not swell our own overmuch, my lord"

  Sir Edward concurred, "Wulfric is right. It looks like they have suffered losses as grievous as my own. You have sent the Scots packing but they will return and now, my lord, we have enemies closer to home. The De Brus family control the land to the east. They can close the Tees any time they choose."

  "And that is why we must improve the defences here on the river. I want ramparts erecting. We need total control and access across the river. When I have spoken with my people, Sir Edward, I want you to return with the men at arms and archers you sent over and fortify your castle and the ferry. I will send a rider to the Archbishop and tell him of our situation."

  "You said he might be forced to side with Stephen."

  "I did, Edward, but I do not think either man wishes us to lose the north and have the Scots control all the land north of the Tees. We must defeat our common enemy before we face each other."

  Sir Hugh and the family of Geoffrey of Piercebridge gathered in the Great Hall. I told them my news, all of it and my decision. "I go now to speak with my people and when I return we will talk further."

  Father Henry and Alf had gathered everyone in the town square by the water trough. I rode Scout so that all could see me. There was neither cheering nor shouting. This had been a narrow victory and everyone knew the danger still remained. "People of Stockton, King Henry is dead and Stephen of Blois claims the throne. King David has treacherously taken advantage of the death of King Henry to try to take our land. I swear that I will fight the Scots and bloody them until they find other lands to ravage."