Northern Knight

by Griff Hosker

  "If there is a bridge then that might make it difficult to take."

  Ralph rode in while we were preparing to move. "I have found them, Baron."

  I frowned, Alan had already done so. That meant that this was a second band. Had they split up? "Where?"

  He pointed to the south. "There is a large band and they are moving south and west. They are down that road there."

  "How far away?"

  His face fell. He had no idea of distance and had not learned to use the Roman stones which marked distance nor had he any concept of time. "Not far."

  I smiled. It was not his fault. The fault lay with me who had not taught him such things. "It matters not, you have done well. Tell me, how many men did you see?"

  "As many as in the Earl's army."

  "Alan, how many did you see? Was it as many as the Earl's force?"

  "No, my lord." He held up both of his hands ten times; a hundred.

  The Welsh had left part of their army and continued to raid with the other half. "We will need to split our force. Sir Geoffrey, take Hartness, Normanby and Piercebridge. Go to the bridge and await the Earl. Use your archers to stop them moving. I will take the rest and find this warband. Tell the Earl where we went."

  "Aye Baron."

  Although I took fewer knights I had more men at arms and archers than I left with Sir Geoffrey. I also had the most experienced men with me. The road we travelled twisted and turned between small rises and farms. This was not a Roman Road. This was ambush country. I kept Ralph next to me so that he could tell me when we drew close to the place where he had seen our enemy. The slight rise and fall meant that even though we would be hidden from the Welsh we could come upon them unexpectedly. Suddenly he said, "Not far now. When I saw them they were just beyond that small stand of trees."

  "Good. Dick, now is the time for your archers to do their work. Ralph thinks they are not far ahead. Find them but do not be seen. Send Aelric back to me to let me know where they are." My archers trotted off. We had five knights and seven squires. Harold and Tristan had both recently taken on a squire. Neither of them was experienced. They did, however, look like knights. With their helmets, mail and banners the Welsh might take them for knights.

  "Wulfric we will advance down this road in lines of five. I want ten men at arms behind us then the squires and the rest of the men at arms behind them. Leofric, leave a slight gap between your horses and those before you. I would have them think we have two conroi." I saw his eager face nod. He recognised the responsibility he was being given. "The front three ranks will use lances. I would shatter their first line of defence and cause confusion."

  Tristan said, "But we do not know how many there are. The scout said a warband."

  "You are right, Sir Tristan, but it matters not. These are raiders. They will have warriors who can be trusted to range and to ravage. What they will not expect is to be attacked by mounted knights." I pointed to the north. "There lies Nantwich and the camp they defend. They might expect us from the west but not from the north. We charge even if it is the full army of Gruffudd ap Cynan. We are the vanguard and we have been charged with finding and holding the enemy. We will do so."

  I understood Tristan's worries. This was the first time he had fought so far from home and the land was totally unfamiliar to him. He was also, like Harold, now riding in the front rank of my battle. He was nervous. If he survived this encounter then he would be a better knight.

  There were hedges along the side of the road. I hoped that they would stop soon or we would be restricted in what we did. It was too late to worry about that for the die was cast. I had committed us to a charge into their ranks. Thankfully as we crested a low rise we crossed another track and the hedges stopped. Ahead of us I could see the warband as it spread like a huge stain across the plain. Here were open fields separated by ditches. I could see metal glinting in the spring sunlight. The Welsh army appeared to be largely foot although I could see that there were horsemen mounted on the small hill ponies the Welsh favoured. I could neither see my archers nor the cover they might use. Just then Aelric appeared from behind us. He came through a gap in the hedges.

  "Baron, Captain Dick has the archers to the west." He pointed to another line of hedges in the distance. It looked to be two hundred or so paces from the enemy's right flank. It was the only cover he could find but the range was extreme. It was the best he could have managed. It meant that if we had to retreat it would be in that direction.

  "Good, Aelric ride to the Earl and tell him where we are and what we do. Ask him to come to our aid as soon as he can. We are seriously outnumbered."

  Aelric was one of my most experienced archers. I needed not tell him the importance of my message. As he rode off I said, "We charge their right side at the rear. I want us to draw them towards Dick and his archers. There are too many for us to destroy and they have horses. Wulfric I want a good man in the rear rank."

  "Aye Baron, it is Roger of Lincoln, he is a good fellow."

  "Then let him know that he has to command the rearguard when we ride to the archers."

  "Aye , my lord!"

  I led us at the canter towards the rear of the warband. It was some four hundred paces away and was spread over a wide area. As we neared them I could see that, in their midst, they had some captives and some animals. What had appeared a disordered rabble now took on slightly more organisation. I also saw that they had ringed their band with riders on small ponies. At their head were about ten mailed warriors on full size horses. The mass of men in the centre were armed with a variety of weapons. This was an army like the one we had fought on the Tyne; it was just far bigger.

  Inevitably the thunder of our hooves alerted them to our presence. When we were just three hundred paces away I saw the faces turned towards us and heard the shouts. We were committed. They turned to face us.

  "Charge!"

  I was not aiming to do more than penetrate deep into the heart and then turn away. I was trying, much as a hunting lion might do, to make the herd scatter. Their formation aided me. A dozen or so brave men turned, with their flimsy shields and pole weapons, to face us. I pulled back with my lance and punched forward. These men wore no mail and I chose an easy target, the chest. The warrior looked terrified as Scout's snorting face appeared before him and he took his eye from my lance which killed instantly. I flicked the body to the side and pulled back again. My next target had his back to me and was an even easier hit. He was a big man and a wide man. His fall broke my spear and I threw the now useless haft to one side. A warrior panicked and fell before Scout who had no time to turn. His body was trampled beneath his hooves.

  There was panic amongst the ranks before us and this was exacerbated by the animals and the captives in the middle. It mattered not that we were there to save them they panicked even more and prevented those at the front from turning to face us.

  I drew my sword and swung it from behind me to rip up and into the head of the mailed warrior with a shield and a sword. He tumbled backwards although not dead he was out of the battle. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that we had ridden deep into the warband. When I looked ahead I saw the warriors on the horses organising a shield wall to face us. Our horses were tiring and there was little point in risking them further.

  "Norton, turn right!" I had no John to signal with the banner and I pointed to the west with my sword. The knights with me heard and began to wheel. As we galloped through the fleeing Welsh we laid about us with our swords and the shattered remains of lances. It was as though a whirlwind had attacked a field of wheat. You could see the bloody lines of bodies behind us. It took some moments for them to realise that we had turned and we used that time well. I saw the hedge ahead of us. It was too high to jump and so we headed for the gaps. As soon as I was through the first gap I wheeled Scout around to watch the rest as they came.

  Some of the riders on ponies had pursued our men. I saw the squires being attacked by them. They did us proud. Although young and in
experienced they rode fine horses and wore mail. That saved them for the Welsh riders jabbed spears at them as they closed. It was their mail which saved them from serious injury. They hacked at the spears and used the weight of their horses to force the ponies away from them. I saw John use my banner as a spear and he knocked a rider to the ground. Roger of Lincoln wheeled the men at arms to aid the squires.

  I looked beyond them and saw that the Welsh leader, I assumed it was their king, had organised his men and a line of horsemen led the ponies in a line towards us. Behind them the men on foot were being ordered into lines ready to advance towards us.

  I said nothing to Dick for he knew the range better than I did.

  "Position yourselves close to the gaps. Dismount. We will face them on foot. That is where they will come through."

  I saw that we had lost at least two men at arms but my knights appeared to be unscathed. I saw Tristan and Harold congratulating each other. I understood their pride. They were young knights and they had acquitted themselves. They had done well. Already we had scattered the Welsh army and halted their plundering. It was all that the Earl could have hoped for. Now we had to hold them until he and the army arrived. I hoped it would not take too long.

  I was next to Wulfric at the central gap in the hedges. "They are piss poor soldiers, my lord."

  "Aye Wulfric but now they are angry. They have seen how few we are and that makes a man fight harder. This will not be easy."

  The men at arms were formed on either side of me. John and Leofric hurled themselves from their horses and stood behind me. "Make sure they see my banner, John son of Godwin."

  "Aye my lord." I heard the pride in his voice as he raised the standard.

  "Release!" The thirty arrows soared high over the hedge and even as they reached their apex a second flight was on its way. I knew without counting that they would release five and then begin to aim. To the Welsh on their small ponies it must have been like stepping from a house into a blizzard save that this storm was deadlier. Ponies and men fell as though scythed. Inevitably some got through for they were attacking on a wide front. The gaps were not large but two or three ponies could get through. I deflected the spear of the first rider who burst through the hedge and swung my sword. He jerked his pony's head around and my blade bit into the skull of the beast which reared in pain. The rider was thrown and the pony fell to the side. I stepped forward and killed the rider where he lay. The dead animal effectively blocked the gap and the other riders struggled to make their ponies climb over. Wulfric and my men at arms stepped forward and began to lay about them with their weapons. Ponies and riders fell. Most had no armour and could not stand against such disciplined men.

  I heard a trumpet and the Welsh fell back. They left behind a bloody pile of ponies and men. We had held them; for the moment.

  "Wulfric, see to the wounded. Dick, send a rider to the Earl and tell them that we have stopped the Welsh but we need help." I turned to Leofric and John as my men attended to their duties. "Come we will ride towards the Welsh. Bring my banner."

  We rode west to the departing Welsh. Although I had done as ordered I did not want the Welsh to slink off and escape the wrath of the Earl. I could see that some of the Welsh lived still. John looked aghast at some of the wounds the men had endured and yet they lived still. "Many of those will have their pain ended, John, but we have other duties to perform."

  "Will the Welsh not attack us, my lord?"

  "They may do although I doubt it. It is more likely that they will talk for they will be curious about me. My banner is unknown, I think, in these parts. If this is the Welsh King who leads them then he will have been surprised by our ambush." I pointed to the huddle of knights, "See how they hold conference. He is asking his men for advice. We have piqued their curiosity."

  We halted some two hundred paces from the Welsh. We were still close enough to our own lines to ride back if we had to and I knew, without looking, that Edward would have my knights ready to ride my rescue if it was needed. I sensed the nervousness of my two squires. "You two did well but John you need to learn to ride with the banner in your left hand and wield a sword with your right. We cannot have my banner broken because you have used it as a spear."

  "Sorry, my lord, but the blood was in my head."

  "I know but better you keep a calm heart and a mind which thinks. You will live longer."

  There was a pause. I saw the Welsh leaders still arguing. "I am still learning to ride, my lord."

  "You need to practise riding without using reins."

  "That is magic my lord!"

  "No, you use your knees. You will need to know your horse better than you know Sheba and Caesar." I was just talking to fill the silence for both of them were nervous.

  I heard Leofric say, "I did tell you."

  Just then a trumpet sounded and a knot of mailed knights with banners rode towards us. They bore the standard of Gwynedd. "Now keep quiet and listen. If this is a trick then I will tell you to ride back to Sir Edward. Do it instantly."

  The five knights stopped twenty paces from us. They were as wary of a trap as we were. I removed my helmet to show that I was here to talk and they did the same. Their leader, who bore the dragon on his shield, spoke, "I am Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and I command this army of Gwynedd. Who are you?"

  "I am Baron Alfraed of Norton and I command the vanguard of the army of Robert Fitzroy, Earl of Gloucester and Lord of the Welsh Marches. You have come where you are not wanted and raided our people. You must pay." I saw some of his knights look over their shoulder as though the Earl might appear like some vengeful angel.

  "We outnumber you Norman! Surrender and we will give you terms."

  I almost laughed but my father had taught me that was not polite. "We bar your way home. If you wish to drive us hence then do it and do not waste words."

  "Who says we wish to return home? We have retaken the land your people stole from us."

  I nodded, "Then stay and the Earl will drive you hence. And I am Saxon, not Norman. My land was taken by the Normans too but I have learned to live with that. Perhaps you and your King should too. Remember what happened to Powys when King Maredudd ap Bleddyn dared to threaten England. I have heard that the men of Powys have forgotten what beef tastes like." I suddenly realised that this knight was talking Norman. He had served under a Norman lord. I stored that information. Perhaps the Earl knew of him.

  "If you stay then we ask permission to carry off our wounded and dead. You may have the same courtesy."

  I smiled, "Thank you for the courtesy but none of ours lie on the field. You may carry them hence. They died well."

  "Thank you," he paused and smiled, "Saxon. I will remember you."

  "And I you."

  As we rode back Leofric asked, "Why did you allow them to carry off their wounded and dead, my lord?"

  "It affords the Earl more time to reach us and it does not harm us. Our horses are resting and when they move we can still follow."

  When I reached Edward I saw the relief on their faces. "Well, Baron?"

  "They carry off their dead."

  "And then?"

  "And then they have two choices. They either return to their camp at Nantwich or they ride west. Both bring them into contact with us. If they return north they meet the Earl and if they head west then they have to shift us."

  Edward nodded, "The Welsh are a poor people. We found little on their bodies and their weapons are useful only as ploughshares."

  "I know. And their King is not with them. It is not like King Henry who lives hundreds of miles away; their King lives in Anglesey. A leader should fight with his men."

  We waited while they collected their dead. They had to come quite close to us. As they did so I had a chance to examine their men at close quarters. We saw no mail on those who were sent to collect the bodies and the helmets were simple affairs; they were pieces of metal attached to a rim and one central cross piece. All had left their shields behind but their swords were
also crudely made. I could not see how they would stand against a determined charge by a large number of horses. Our vanguard had been simply too few in numbers to destroy them but we had seriously damaged them.

  Their eyes flicked to the dead ponies as they collected the bodies. Wulfric looked at me and I nodded. It was a small gesture but we made it anyway. Taking his sword Wulfric hacked off the hindquarter of a pony and gave it to one to the Welsh soldiers. His face lit into a smile and he nodded his thanks. We did not understand his words but guessed they were thanks.

  As night fell the Earl had still to arrive. "Dick, send a couple of archers a little closer to watch them. I do not want a sneak attack on us."

  My men had a fire going and the ponies that had died had been butchered and were now roasting on the fires. My conroi was made up of practical soldiers. You never knew where your next meal was coming from or when; you ate when you could. If we had to leave in a hurry then they would take the half cooked meat and devour that.

  Aelric arrived, "My lord, the Earl has captured the men at Nantwich. He says he will join you on the morrow."

  I was both surprised and disappointed. The Earl had taken the easy route of a quick gain. Had I led the army then I would have destroyed the Welsh first and returned later to the Welsh camp. We had just eaten and were contemplating camping when Garth the archer rode in, "My lord, they have broken camp and are heading south quickly. Griff of Gwent follows them. They have left their captives." He hesitated, "They have slit their throats."

  Dick had done well; he had sent one of our Welsh speakers to watch them. "Aelric ride to the Earl and tell him the Welsh have broken out. Wulfric mount the men. We follow."

  I was angry. If the Earl had come when I had sent for him then we could have attacked and the captives might have been saved. Equally Gruffudd could have just left them. He and I would need to cross swords. Edward said, "They will turn west."