Northern Knight

by Griff Hosker

  I suddenly remembered the knight who had told us of the rebellion at Durham. Guy of Gisburn had been allowed to return to his manor. Perhaps this was fate.

  "And where are Aiden and Dick?"

  "They are watching them. It was dark, Baron, but from their fires Dick estimated that there were sixty or more warriors."

  I nodded, "Two boat loads and that means there will be a third boat to take the slaves. You have done well. Eat."

  "Yes my lord," he hesitated, "there are children Baron." I saw the pity in his eyes and I nodded. We would get them back or die in the attempt.

  Sir Raymond said, "Your face showed that you know of this place."

  "Let us say I have heard of it and there is a castle at Gisburn but it is a small demesne. They may not be able to do anything to stop them but, equally, we might be able to add them to our force. Sixty Vikings are a formidable warband."

  "You have fought them before?"

  "Not from Orkney but I have fought them. We will need to use lances. They go for the horses knowing that a downed horse makes a knight easier to kill. Hopefully they will not have much mail and our archers will be able to pin them down." I smiled, "And perhaps your crossbowmen will come into their own."

  We rose before dawn. We had three knights, three squires, twenty men at arms and a force of fifteen archers and crossbows. I hoped that it would be enough. By the time dawn had broken we were armed, armoured and ready to ride. As soon as we started to ride Sir Raymond saw the reason we had camped. Within half a mile of where we had spent the night we had a gorge cascading to one side of us and precipitous rocks above our heads. Wilson led the column for he knew where they had spent the night. They had obviously moved when we reached their camp but their trail was easy to find. Dick and Aiden would leave signs if there was the danger of an ambush.

  Once we passed through the last pass the ground fell away and we saw them two miles ahead. They were on the road and it was descending between the wooded slopes of the valley. I hoped they would not realise they were being pursued but that did not really matter now for we could see them.

  "Wilson, take the archers and find Dick. There looks to be cover to the side of the road. Have Dick pin them down until we can get there."

  The archers trotted away. They did not use the road but headed into the fields and scrubby bushes which lined the road. They were masters at hiding. I turned to Harold and Tristan. "Get the lances." As they went to the pack horses I took my helmet from my cantle. "We had better arm Sir Raymond. As soon as they see us they will form a shield wall." I hesitated. I did not want to insult him. "If you have never fought a shield wall I should advise you to try to strike between the shields rather than the head or the shield. You have more chance of making a hole in the wall and that is what we must do. If we can break their shield wall then we have a chance."

  "These are barbarians. They cannot stand against Norman knights!"

  "Do not underestimate them, Baron. They are worthy and ruthless opponents. They will take the legs from your horses if they can."

  He did not look convinced but he and his men at arms prepared.

  "I would suggest we ride in a line five abreast." He nodded. "Tristan you ride next to Wulfric in the second line."

  "Yes Baron." If he was disappointed he did not show it.

  We cantered down the road. Our horses were still relatively fresh and the slope helped us move more easily. The noise of our hooves must have alerted them. There were faces turned to us and then a sudden movement as shields were presented. I was impressed with the speed with which they formed a shield wall. These were well trained warriors. This would not be easy. Their spears protruded and, as we closed to within five hundred paces I saw two lines of spearmen and, behind them, a line of mailed warriors who looked to be the leaders. The slaves, and there were many of them, were penned in by ten lightly armed warriors.

  As we lowered our lances I hoped that my archers had managed to get into position. Sir Raymond's crossbowmen were riding with us. They would be of little use until it was all over. I was pleased that Harold was keeping tight to me as was Sir Raymond. Worryingly the knight to the left of Sir Raymond, William of Helmsley, was not and worse, he was getting ahead of both Sir Raymond and me. It was too late to order him back for we were now galloping. I pulled back my shield closer to my body and looked at the warrior I would strike. I stood in my stirrups as I punched forward. Even as I was striking I heard the scream of a dying horse as William of Helmsley's mount was hacked by a Danish axe. William was thrown over the horse's head to be butchered by the warriors behind.

  The Viking I had aimed my lance at had glanced to his left. It cost him his life as my lance sank into his shoulder. William's dead horse crashed into the shield wall and Harold managed to spear a Viking in the face. It meant we had created a gap. I continued to urge Scout on and the dead Viking's body fell against the spears of the men behind him and they could not bring their spears to bear.

  Dick and his archers began to rain arrow on the unprotected backs of the Vikings. With their centre broken by the four of us and their right flank assaulted by archers the cohesion of the shield wall was gone. We were no longer knee to knee but Wulfric and our second rank were now in a position to bring their lances to bear. I threw my broken lance at the men before me and, as I unsheathed my sword, I pulled back on the reins so that Scout's hooves rose to clatter down on the broken shield wall. Our combined weight came down on a warrior and crushed his chest as though it was a sheet of thin ice.

  We could not stop, that would be disastrous, and I yelled, "On! We have them! No quarter!" There were too many of them for us to risk trying to take prisoners. I stabbed down and found the unprotected throats of a blond, bare chested Viking. We were now a wedge which was forcing its way towards the five leaders who stood waiting for us. They were a different proposition. They had mail byrnies and well made shields. They were also standing on a small mound. We finished off the last of the shield wall. Dick and his archers had done the most damage. There were just the five leaders standing between us and the slaves. The warriors who were guarding the captives would not be an obstacle.

  I turned to Sir Raymond, "Bring up your crossbows. Let us see if they can make these last five charge us."

  He shouted and his seven crossbowmen arrived. "Sir Alfraed wants you to hit those five."

  The leader nodded and the crossbows cracked as they sent their bolts towards them. All of them hit the shields. They were well made shields and did no damage.

  "Aim for the legs." That was one advantage of a crossbow. It had a flatter trajectory. The Vikings were not expecting it and, when they had reloaded, the seven bolts hit the Vikings. One was hit by two and he fell to the floor. The captain of the crossbowmen looked at Sir Raymond, I shouted, "Keep going! Do not stop. When they are on the ground we will charge them!"

  The five were brave men and they were hard to kill. The crossbows seemed to take an age to reload. I shouted to Dick. "Take out the guards on the captives!"

  It did not feel glorious to watch the end of the Vikings but they had risked all for their slaves and they had paid with their lives. Finally one of the Vikings ran directly at me. I was dismounted, standing next to the crossbows. They had yet to reload and he ran with his war axe swinging. He threw his shield like a giant discus and it smacked into the chest of a crossbowman. I did not wait for his strike. With my shield held tightly I stepped towards the Viking and pulled back my sword. As his axe smashed into my shield I stabbed forward. My sword tore into his mail and his stomach. I punched so hard that the tip struck his spine. I twisted and pulled. As his guts spilled out the last of the Vikings fell dead at my feet.

  The men at arms all cheered but I felt sad. It had been an unequal contest. If Sir Raymond's knight had not broken ranks we might have suffered fewer casualties. As it was one of his knights had a broken leg, suffered when his horse had been killed and two of his men at arms had foolishly advanced beyond my men at arms and been ha
cked to death.

  Sir Raymond said as he viewed his dead and wounded, "I see what you mean. I will heed your advice next time."

  The captives were delighted to be rescued. It turned out that half of them had been taken from this side of the great divide. "Are any of you from the manor of Gisburn?"

  A woman and her daughter came towards me. "We are my lord. Thank you."

  "Is it far from here?"

  She shook her head. "Just five miles to the north my lord."

  "Harold and Tristan, go with these women and ask Sir Guy if we can stay at his castle this night. He may remember you, Harold. If not then remind him of my name!"

  It took some time to strip the Vikings of their valuables and pile their bodies on some dead wood. Wulfric kept shaking his head as he organised the weapons and the treasures. "These Vikings are a strange lot, my lord. There were just a dozen who fought in armour and yet every one of them has a piece of silver or gold around his neck. Most of them have these." He held out a small piece of metal on a thing.

  I examined it. "Thor's hammer. There are many Christian Vikings now. Perhaps this explains their raid here. They are going back to their old ways."

  "They fight well enough, my lord but no discipline."

  "Did we suffer any losses?"

  "Two horses, my lord. The riders could do nothing about them. The warriors threw their weapons at them to break up the charge. The lads have a few cuts and bruises. Nothing too bad. I'll stitch them up when I get the chance."

  Sir Raymond and I set the pyre alight and mounted our horses as the flames consumed this throwback to a different age when Vikings rampaged and pillaged this land. I nodded to Sir Raymond, "Wulfric will see to Sir Tancred's leg when we reach Gisburn. He may not be able to travel back for a few days anyway; at least not on a horse."

  He nodded, "I may well ask this Sir Guy if we can stay there for a couple of days. The captives have been harshly driven."

  "If memory serves then this Sir Guy has a poor manor. I would use some of the Viking coins to ensure he does cooperate."

  He looked at me strangely, "But we are all brother knights!"

  "And these are the northern borders. Sometimes it is not the way it should be." I shrugged. "The King spared his life and so he may be grateful."

  The castle was tiny. It was one of the smallest motte and bailies I had ever seen. Sir Guy and his wife greeted us. My first impression of Hilda was that she was thin and wasted. She did not look well. Sir Guy looked pleased to see me and that was a surprise.

  "Thank you for rescuing my people, Baron," he held his arm out. "As you can see my manor is small but I can accommodate the knights if you wish."

  "Thank you Sir Guy. I will only need shelter for one night but Sir Raymond here has a knight with a broken leg."

  "Stay as long as you can. We are poor but I remember the favour you did me and I am in your debt."

  I had my men use the rations we had brought for Gisburn did not have an abundance. With winter approaching I hoped that the young knight had prepared well enough. I discovered that his fortunes had worsened since the abortive rebellion. He had been ostracised by those of his neighbours who had been loyal to the King for his involvement and his other friends had deserted him. He had but two men at arms left.

  The next morning, as I left with my men I wondered if they would survive the winter. He had spoken to me of going to the east to take the cross and hope for better fortune there. We both knew he would not do it. He had not enough coin for the voyage and his wife looked too sickly. We would have had no ransom had we tried to extract one when he had been captured. It showed me the result of ill advised decisions.

  I was brought out of my reflections by the excitement of Tristan. He was bombarding Harold with questions as he relived every moment of the skirmish. He finally asked me one, "Baron, how did you teach your horse to use his hooves? He is not a warhorse."

  "No Scout is no warhorse but he has intelligence and I used his natural ability. Get to know your mount, Tristan. It is every bit as much a weapon as your sword or your shield. You did well yesterday."

  "But I only used my lance once."

  "And yet you hit your target and you did not fall off your horse when you did so. Work with Harold until the ground is too hard to fall upon and by spring you will be a knight."

  When I told Adela of the manor at Gisburn she nodded, sympathetically, "When my father had Norton he found it hard to survive. The King wanted his taxes and he did not care if the crops had failed or we had had raids. You have made this a safer place to live and you should be proud of your achievements."

  She was right. The north was not an easy place to be successful. After King William had cleared away the old Saxon lords and the villagers it had been a wasteland for many years. Only Durham, with its Prince Bishop had prospered. Now the land and the people were recovering but it only took a wolf winter to set us back.

  Adela and I discussed the improvements John was making. "You should make him steward, Alfraed. He knows how to run the estate, I have seen that. The King will call upon you again. I could try to run the estate but it is not in my heart."

  "I know that you are right about John. I will speak with him on the morrow."

  John was, of course delighted. Surprisingly he did not negotiate too seriously when I discussed his remuneration. When I asked him about that he smiled and seemed almost boyish. "I know that you are giving me a great opportunity and I am young yet. Perhaps when I have done the job for some years we will discuss this again but for now I am happy to be given the opportunity to learn."

  The months leading up to Christmas were always filled with the myriad of tasks which we had to complete before the winter. While John organised the food for the winter and the stabling of the animals, the rest of my men cut wood and gathered together all that they would need for the winter. Aiden and his rabbits were in great demand. Cloaks and mittens made from their fur could be lifesavers in a harsh winter. I worked with Harold and Tristan. I needed two more knights and these two were close to ready. I spent each day honing their skills. Harold was older and stronger but Tristan had more natural ability, especially with a sword. It was a pleasure to work with them. Even as November approached I began to think about the two new squires we would need. Tristan and his father would have to look to their own manor but we needed two from our lands. That would be my task over the winter.

  Christmas that year was almost benign. I walked my walls without mittens and just a cloak. It was my son, William's second Christmas and he could now walk. He was more of a child now and he recognised me. He no longer burst into tears when he saw me. Life was good. We also held a feast on St Stephen's day and some of my knights and their families crammed into my hall. Edward, Richard and Wulfstan all came as did Athelstan and Osric. It was a joyous time. Tristan and Harold were firm friends now and I looked at Sir Richard as he watched his son. He was now lost to his father. He had made that transition from son to warrior and he could not go back. It did not seem that long ago that had been me and, as William giggled at Edward pulling faces, I knew that one day that would come to me. That Christmas, however, was the most peaceful one I could remember. Sadly it would be the last one without tribulation for many years to come. That was the Christmas I needed to see into the future. There were storm clouds over the horizon and they would sweep through my land and the whole domain of King Henry. We had no premonition and no warning that Christmas and so we enjoyed peace. It would not last.

  Chapter 8

  The Scots had had a long time to lick their wounds and brood on their failures. We had had a secure border since the abortive rebellion. The single raid by the Vikings had been our only conflict. I had begun to wonder if we had won. Perhaps we had taught them all a lesson. It was pleasant living in a peaceful, prosperous world. That all changed after Easter. We had held the sessions and paid our taxes. John planned improvements to our lands. William the Mason continued to work on and improve my castle. Buttresses wer
e added; ladders replaced by stairs. I did not mind the expense. It would be worth it if we were protected from harm. Besides we had more money available to spend. Edward and the other knights in my conroi had all had good springs and increased the yields of their lands. They were not the knights who spent all their time hunting and enjoying life. They knew the value of their manors and they worked hard to improve them. I now knew how lucky I was to have such knights serving alongside me.

  The days were becoming longer and Adela and I had taken to walking the ramparts with my son. We were all wrapped up well against the chill wind which blew across the sea. William just liked to run. Every time he did so Adela's hand went to her mouth. "He is a boy and they run."

  "And they fall!"

  "When he falls he will learn. If is life. Do not worry about him."

  "I worry about him as I worry about you." She smiled at me and put her hand on mine, "Besides, it will not be long before there will be another child born within these walls."

  I had noticed that her cheeks had been flushed of late, "You are with child?" She nodded, "Then that is wonderful news." We had something else to look forward to. Life was becoming good once more and I threw myself into running the manor.

  Harold and Tristan had been knighted at Easter and I had taken on Leofric, the falconer, as my squire. He was rough around the edges and he was not a perfect choice but he was willing and he was strong. I needed someone who was good with animals, strong and willing to work hard. Leofric had all of those qualities and he had shown some skill with a sword. Harold promised to guide him and, until Harold chose his own squire then Leofric would serve us both. He had grown considerably since Aiden had trained him as a falconer and, at sixteen summers; he was the right age to begin training as a squire.

  Harold and I had had our armour improved by Alf. He had fitted metal plates around our knees and that added protection. When we rode our knees were vulnerable to a blow from a soldier on foot or a deflected lance. Our helmets had been modified. We had had the nasal removed and cheek guards fitted. Both of us enjoyed the improved vision and I could never remember a blow to the nasal. The back was strengthened for we had both been hit there.