Hervey de Montmorency, Strongbow’s uncle, who had returned to Ireland, went to meet him. Father sent word to his own warriors to gather and be ready, but they were scattered and it would take time for them to come together.
However, Father’s enemies in Waterford and Ossory were not scattered. They were ready and willing to fight.
The first messenger to reach Ferns from the scene of the battle had a thrilling tale to tell. ‘Our enemies numbered three thousand men!’ he cried, with the light shining from his eyes. ‘But Strongbow’s captain, Raymond le Gros, wasn’t easily frightened. He captured many cattle, then caused them to stampede into the enemy lines. There was a panic and the enemy broke and ran. Le Gros chased them, and he and his men caught over five hundred and put them to the sword.’
‘I knew it!’ Father cried with joy, beating his fist against his open palm. ‘I knew the tide would turn for us! God’s blessing on the Norman and his kind!’
‘There was a bitter argument afterwards,’ the messenger went on to say. ‘Seventy of the principal men of Waterford were taken prisoner and held in our camp. Raymond le Gros thought they should be shown mercy. But Hervey de Montmorency said mercy never won wars. He insisted that their legs be broken, then had them thrown over the cliff into the sea.’
I gasped with horror. I hated Father’s enemies, but no man should suffer such a fate. It was as bad as blinding Enna.
A shadow seemed to cross Father’s face for a moment. But then he hid it. He ordered a great feast of celebration to be prepared, and had the priests say prayers for Raymond le Gros and for Strongbow, who was surely soon to follow.
We filled our bellies with roast boar and duck eggs and haunch of badger, and there was laughter once more at Ferns. But privately, I wondered if we were ever going to see this Strongbow.
After that first victory, Raymond le Gros fell quiet. He really had very few men, and had won through luck and inspiration. He didn’t want to have to fight again until Strongbow arrived to add to his numbers. Even the warriors Father was able to send to him couldn’t persuade him to leave his camp and set out against O’Connor and O’Rourke.
Father’s first joy turned sour. ‘These Normans always want to wait for something,’ he complained. ‘It’s an ugly habit. They’re too cautious. I thought they were eager warriors, but now I’m not so sure.’
The weeks dragged by. Nothing was happening. Father rode out to meet with le Gros and Strongbow’s uncle a number of times, urging them to fight, but nothing came of it. Without their support he was unwilling to march.
In time it would be winter again, another year lost, and his hatred for his enemies as strong as ever. When it began to soften he had only to look at poor Enna, feeling his way around the palace with his hands.
Enna was the torch that kept all our hatred burning.
But where was Strongbow?
Chapter 16
RICHARD
I’ve Come to Be a King
Remembering Henry’s words as if they were a solemn pledge of lands and power, I headed westward, gathering the last men I needed along the way. The summer was drawing to a close. If we meant to take a serious invasion force to Ireland in the year of Our Lord 1170, we must set sail soon.
I went to the holding that belonged to Raymond le Gros’ family, to say goodbye to my sister. If all went well in Ireland, in time she would be living in a fine castle of her own rather than a small mean house with her husband’s kin.
We didn’t know what to say to each other. I couldn’t ask her if she was happy. I couldn’t tell, from the look on her face.
Then she smiled at me as she always had, and ran into my arms. ‘Oh Richard, do be careful in Ireland!’ she breathed in my ear. ‘And take care of Raymond for me, will you?’
I knew she was happy, then. One small stone was lifted from my heart.
‘I’ll not only take care of him, I’m going to make him a very wealthy man,’ I promised Basilia. I said it as firmly as I could, to make her believe it. To make myself believe it as I stepped off the rim of the world. ‘There’s a much better future waiting for all of us,’ I said.
Somehow, I must make it so.
Trusting that Raymond had prepared the ground and had our allies waiting, I led my army to Milford Haven. From that port we would depart for Ireland as soon as the last supplies were loaded aboard our ships.
But no sooner did I reach Milford Haven than a messenger on a fast horse caught up with me. He brought word from King Henry.
My heart sank as I listened.
‘His Majesty fears the Earl of Strigul has misunderstood him, or taken advantage of his good nature. The king demands that the Earl of Strigul disband his army and undertake no foreign conquest, under threat of losing his last earldom.’
I was shocked. Why had Henry changed his mind? Was he afraid of any other man who could put together an army? What sort of threat could I be to him?
And, once I thought about it, what sort of threat was this to me? He said he would take my last earldom from me. But the title Earl of Strigul was of little importance any more. In Ireland, I would have vast holdings and be a king.
A king.
I thought long and hard, in the silence of the night. By morning I had made up my mind. Calling my ship’s captains together, I told them, ‘Finish loading as soon as you can. We sail at once.’
I had done everything possible to win the king’s favour. I had even made an extra effort to be certain of his permission.
Now he had turned his back on me. Very well. It wasn’t the first time a man had turned his back on me. My own father had done so, but I had survived. I had grown strong.
When the tide turned, we sailed for Ireland.
Aboard ship I stood at the rail, watching the sea. The water rose and fell, heaving up slate-coloured mountains that sank back into hissing foam.
My belly began to heave too.
I bit the inside of my lip but it didn’t help. I tried not looking at the water, but staring up at the sky. The heaving grew worse. Sweat broke out on my brow. Think of something else, I ordered myself. But I couldn’t think of anything else. Ireland, Dermot, the king … all faded away. I gripped the splintery wooden rail as hard as I could. My knuckles turned white. The ship swooped and swayed and suddenly I was leaning out over the rail, being terribly sick.
I thought all my insides were coming out of me.
When at last I stood up again, I was dizzy. My ears were ringing. But when I looked around, I saw that I wasn’t the only one who was seasick. On both sides of me were strong, brave warriors, with green faces, hanging over the rail and moaning.
‘I think I’ll stay in Ireland forever,’ I said to the man nearest to me. ‘I never want to be on a ship again.’
He nodded in agreement. He was too sick to speak.
In truth, I might have to stay in Ireland no matter what happened. By ignoring the king’s command I was guilty of treason. Unless I won great victories in Ireland and claimed the entire island for him, he might never allow me to return. Or if I did, he would have me killed.
It was not a pleasant prospect.
Looking beyond the ship on which I stood, I saw the other ships carrying the rest of the two hundred knights and the thousand men-at-arms I had gathered, plus horses and weapons and armour.
It had taken a long time, longer than I would have liked, but at last I had put together a real army.
Perhaps that’s why Henry forbade me to go, I thought. Men loyal to him might have seen us marching through the country and sent word to him of the size of my forces. No king likes to hear that another man, who was once set against him, has raised an army.
How good it felt to know I had enough power to worry a king! My sickness began to leave me. I gazed at the sea and the sky. I licked my lips and tasted the salt on them.
I turned my face toward Ireland.
Waterford was my destination, to join the advance party under Raymond le Gros. Our ships would come ashore on the
23rd of August, with good fighting weather still remaining to us.
As we neared land, I stood in the prow, eager for my first sight of Ireland. The ship’s captain came up to me.
‘Almost there now. You see that low dark line on the horizon? Land, that is. We’ll put in near a place called Passage, where the Barrow and the Suir rivers pour into the harbour.’
I leaned forward as if I would push the ship faster with my own weight.
As we drew near the harbour, I could see the fleet of trading vessels that dotted its waters. Beyond stretched a green land, a rich land. A sweet land, it seemed to my weary eyes. The sky was as clear as a nun’s voice, and the wind was soft on my cheek. Never had I seen a place so beautiful. We had left England under grey skies. When we reached Ireland, the sun appeared.
‘I want to be the first on shore,’ I told the ship’s captain. A hundred years earlier, William of Normandy had been the first man ashore on English soil, and he had taken that land as his own.
I didn’t wait for the boat to be properly beached but leaped out as if I was a lad of fifteen. Until the day I die I’ll remember the thud of my feet on Irish soil, and the tingle that ran through my body.
‘I’ve come to be a king,’ I said into the soft wind.
It took the better part of a day to get all my men and equipment ashore, and set up camp. Messengers from Raymond arrived almost at once. Many eyes had seen us come ashore. By the time the first fire was lit for the night, Raymond himself had joined me.
‘You’re most welcome to Ireland,’ he said heartily, clapping me on the shoulder. ‘I almost despaired of you.’
‘I said I would come. I came.’ There was nothing else to say.
He turned slowly, his eyes measuring the huge force encamped around me. ‘This is an army indeed. I expected nothing like.’
‘There was no point in doing it half-way,’ I told him.
‘And when do we begin?’
‘At once.’
Now that I was in Ireland, my patience was gone like melted snow. I couldn’t wait to claim the lures that had brought me. I sent word to Dermot Mac Murrough, but without waiting for him, decided to put the town of Waterford under siege and force its surrender.
‘Waterford,’ Raymond had told me, ‘was badly shocked by the killing of its most important men. But they’ve kept guards on the walls of the town, and the gates are barred. It’s the most important trading centre in Ireland, Richard, after Dublin, and its capture would make a mighty beginning for us.’
‘I think we made a bad start, killing important men,’ I said doubtfully. ‘It would have been better to make allies of them.’
Raymond snorted. ‘How can you make allies of these people? We’ve come to take their land for ourselves, they’ll not love us for it. I wanted to show them mercy at first but the others talked me out of it, and now I think they’re right. If we show these people mercy they’ll think we’re soft. We must be hard. We must frighten them from the beginning. Live up to the name of Strongbow!’ he said with a laugh.
I sent for a messenger. I set my face in hard lines as I spoke to him, knowing he would report my expression to the King of Leinster.
‘Tell Dermot Mac Murrough to bring his men and attend the capture of Waterford if he likes,’ I said, ‘but assure him I, Strongbow, can do it without him.’
I would. Raymond was right. The time had come for me to be Strongbow indeed.
We attacked the walls twice, and were twice turned back. Then Raymond came to me with a plan. ‘I’ve noticed a small timber building fixed to one of the walls,’ he said. ‘It’s an outpost for guards, I think. But the important thing is, it has been built into the wall. If it were torn loose, part of the wall would come with it.’
I was beginning to be glad I had given my sister to Raymond le Gros.
My men attacked the sentry post with a will, hacking at it with their weapons while the defenders hurled spears and curses at us from the walls of the town. Soon the little timber building came down, with a crash. When the dust had settled we could see that the wall was broken.
We poured through. I was in the forefront, yelling. Never have I felt so brave in battle, or so eager. Together with my men I hacked and slashed and killed until we reached the centre of the town, where a stone cathedral stood.
Only then did I recall that these people were Christians. My upraised arm trembled. I put down my sword and stood, panting. But my army didn’t stop. They fought most savagely, until the two Norse chieftains of the town came and offered to surrender.
They were sent to me and knelt before me with bowed heads as if I were a king.
Around us, their town burned.
Chapter 17
AOIFE
Meeting a Future Husband
After so long a wait, once Strongbow reached Ireland things happened with dizzying speed. No sooner had we learned of his arrival than a messenger came from him, inviting Father to take part in the capture of Waterford.
My father was startled. He told me, ‘I thought Strongbow would want to meet me first so we could plan together. I thought he’d want my advice, my ideas, my leadership …’
‘He doesn’t appear to need it,’ I remarked thoughtlessly. It was the first time I ever recall hurting my father’s feelings, and I was sorry at once.
Father went off by himself, with a black scowl on his face. He made no effort to hurry to Waterford. Nor, as it proved, was there any need. Within two days we learned that Waterford had fallen, and now Father was being formally summoned by the conqueror.
‘Richard de Clare, Earl of Strigul, requests Dermot, King of Leinster, together with his daughter Aoife, to attend him at once in Waterford town,’ the messenger announced.
Father was both furious and admiring at the same time. ‘The man struts like a peacock!’ he cried. ‘How dare he all but order me to come? What arrogance.’ Then he smiled. ‘What a victory, Aoife. Imagine. Two days in Ireland, and he has already taken Waterford. What can I not do with such a man on my side?’
My mother was terribly excited. ‘You’re going to meet the man you may marry,’ she kept reminding me, ‘and we want you to look your best.’
I tossed my head. ‘Let him worry about looking his best for me. If I don’t like him, I won’t marry him.’
Mother sighed. ‘You’re still like a wild animal. I hope this Strongbow can tame you.’
But Father merely said, ‘Don’t shame me, Aoife.’
Then my feelings were hurt. I would never, ever, do anything to shame him! So I stood quietly and let them plait my hair and bathe my body and dress me in fine robes. Our stock of gold and silver ornaments was not as large as it had once been, but rings were found for my arms and fingers, and a band of gold was twisted around my throat. Then I was wrapped in a new wool cloak and Father with his own hands set me upon the second best horse he had.
Followed by his warriors, we rode for Waterford.
Even from a distance, we could see the dark spirals of smoke rising from the captured town. I remembered the day I had seen Ferns burning, and wondered if Father was thinking of that too. But when I looked at him his face was blank. He stared straight ahead.
The northern gateway of the city gaped open, for the big timber gates had been torn from their iron hinges and burned. It was like Ferns all over again, but worse. We could smell death on the warm August air.
As we rode through the gates, I saw the first pile of bodies. They lay everywhere in the laneways of the town. I couldn’t help seeing them.
Until that day Father had tried to keep me safe from the sights and sounds and smells of battle. Now I saw it all. This was not a game and these people would never get up and walk away, laughing.
I shuddered. ‘What have we brought into Ireland?’ I asked Father. But he didn’t answer.
The ways were so clogged with bodies we had to get down off our horses and walk. Soot drifted on the air. My fine clothing was soon black with it, and I could feel the weight of ash on
my face.
Ahead of us we could hear men yelling. A woman came stumbling towards us, her clothes torn and her hair wild around her face. ‘They’ve killed our chieftain!’ she moaned. In her grief she didn’t recognise us, but thought we were citizens of Waterford.
My father stopped and put a kindly hand on her shoulder. ‘I’ll say a prayer for him,’ he said.
She looked at him with grateful tears in her eyes, then ran on.
Strongbow must be somewhere up ahead, where the yelling was.
Men in foreign armour were running in and out of houses, carrying loot. One of them started to speak to me but Father drew his sword, and gave the man such a black look he backed away.
On we went through the ruined town, picking our way among smouldering timbers and piles of rubble.
Then we saw a crowd gathered in front of the cathedral. A crude platform had been built there. Afterwards I learned it was where the invaders had executed one of the local chieftains. As we approached, several of the men in the crowd turned towards us.
All at once I was frightened. My heart began beating so hard I thought they could see it jumping inside my gown. I wasn’t afraid of the strangers in their armour, or of the dead bodies on every side.
I was afraid of change.
I didn’t want my life to change. Adventures were lovely, but I had always been able to go home at the end of the day to my own family and my own familiar place.
Strongbow would put an end to that. He would change everything.
My feet began to drag through the rubble and ash. Father gave me a sharp glance. ‘Come, Aoife,’ he said. ‘There’s no turning back.’ I heard an echo of sadness in his voice that frightened me still more, but he caught hold of my arm and pulled me forward.
One of the men waiting for us was Hervey de Montmorency. He was talking to a taller man who had long arms and a short neck, a man wearing badly dented armour. As we drew near, de Montmorency said something to this man, then pointed right at me.
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