Varangian

by Griff Hosker

  A tall soldier came up to us and spoke with Aidan. “I am Nicephorus Botaniantes and I command the Cataphractoi, although we only have five Kontoubernia. Not enough but all that we can take. I like these arrows, may I keep it to have more made?”

  “Of course for we serve the same man do we not?” He gave me a strange smile as though trying to read my words. Aidan said something to him and he shrugged and left.

  “What did you say to him?”

  “I told him that Saxon warriors always speak from their hearts and speak the truth.”

  “But we do!”

  “Aye my lord but you are now in Byzantium.”

  We reached our destination in two days and there was a mighty camp set up there already. It seems that Alexios had planned on taking the Saxons anyway and my arrival had been propitious as it gave them a commander and a focus. Although they did not have the word wyrd in their language Aidan told me that they called it Fate and believed that it marked me as a lucky emblem. I could see the relief on Ridley’s face when we met again. He had enjoyed getting to know his men, a pleasure I was denied on my voyage for I had to meet with the other senior officers but it did at least help me to understand their character traits. Each one appeared to be different in some way. In England I had been used to either men at arms or the fyrd. Here they had a plethora of different warriors, each one appeared to be specialised in some way. The Thema appeared to make up the bulk of their army. The cataphracts looked magnificent as they led their mounts down the reinforced gangplank. Covered from head to toe in armour, as were their mounts, I could not see how they could be defeated. Nicephorus had told me that they had a few weaknesses; they were so heavy that one charge winded them and they could not pursue. In addition their enemies had taken to sowing caltrops, small pieces of metal with wicked points which always had a sharpened barb for a hoof no matter how it landed. I decided to get some just to protect us against the Normans.

  Aidan was a resourceful man, as demonstrated by his ability to escape slavery, and he discovered where we were to be quartered. The Byzantines had learned much from Rome, and it had grown from that ancient, highly organised people. The camp had a ditch and wooden wall surrounding it and the tents within were laid out in neat rows. The tents each accommodated eight to ten men and there was one for the three of us. We left the men to sort themselves out and Aidan to arrange our tent while I took Ridley with me to meet Alexios in the command tent where he was briefing us all on the forthcoming campaign. This was a much larger affair than the one on board the ship and I wanted to arrive early, partly to get a good position but more importantly to speak with the strategos alone.

  The bodyguard recognised me and frowned at Ridley. I had picked up a little Greek by then, however crude it sounded, “With me!” He let us in and Alexios was at his desk poring over a map.

  He glanced up at me, “You are early commander. Trying to impress me?”

  “No my lord but I thought that as my Komes had been on the other ship I might be able to let him know of your plans.”

  He nodded, “Sensible. Welcome Ridley.” He leaned over the map. “You will not know that this Norman has sacked Chrysopolis which is a town across the water from the city of Constantinople. It is the reason we are here for it was a little too close to home for the Emperor. He has retreated to Ankara where he awaits us. He has at least three thousand cavalry and they outnumber us in the other forces he has at his disposal. As for his other troops we estimate that there are ten thousand soldiers under his command.” He looked up from the map and his eyes bored directly into mine. “You should know Aelfraed that I intend to send you along with my light cavalry archers to watch his city because the army will have to move slowly as we are taking siege engines.”

  I studied the map even more intently. ”Would I be able to have a copy of this?”

  “Of course, send Aidan to me. And he can make a copy.”

  “How many cavalry will be accompanying us?”

  “Four Droungoi.”

  “Not a large force then strategos?”

  “No, for you are not there to fight but to watch. The light cavalry are swift and can see much but if the Normans attack they will need to hide behind your wall of shields.”

  I smiled, “Shield wall.”

  “Yes that is it. Do you know the ancient Romans had just such a device? They called it the testudo.”

  “Yes my uncle told me of it.”

  “So you will build and defend the camp and watch the road to Ankara. In that way we can arrive safely and without ambush and we will know what this Roussel intends.”

  “Thank you for that sir; it always helps to understand the broader strategy.”

  Just then the other officers began to drift in and Ridley and I made our way to the side so that I could observe them and their reaction to the briefing. Nicephorus nodded to me as he came in and gave me a half smile. I had learned that a smile from a Byzantine can sometimes be the prelude to a knife in the back but Nicephorus seemed as honest as most men. I could not get over the magnificent armour which was paraded. The Byzantines might not have a huge army but the one they did have was well protected. Aidan scurried in and stood next to us, just before Alexios began. We already knew our role and all heads turned in my direction when our names were mentioned. The cavalry commander was Andronikos who grinned at me when his name was spoken; he appeared to be slightly younger than the others, like Nicephorus and the rest of the senior officers. We discovered that we were taking a Thema of infantry from the region along with the cataphracts of Nicephorus and the engineers who would service the siege engines. I looked at Ridley when the numbers were read out. “We will be seriously outnumbered.”

  Ridley nodded but the grander plans were not Ridley’s strong point. He could understand the men he could see but larger numbers meant nothing to him. I could see that Alexios was relying on the ability of both my men and the light cavalry to secure himself a base and I wished that we had had time to train the men and practise shield wall and wedge formations. Much would need to be done on the road.

  Andronikos and I were asked to stay. “Your role is vital. You are both Droungarios and I expect you to work together.” He gave an apologetic smile to Aidan,” it means, priest, that you will have to accompany Aelfraed into danger.”

  Aidan bowed, “It is my honour to serve.” Aidan had learned the politic reply well in his time in this place of intrigue.

  “You will leave tomorrow morning and remember that you must secure a camp close enough to spy on the enemy stronghold and yet make it defensible. You must control the road.”

  Once outside, Andronikos shared his knowledge with us. “My men are from this region, Droungarios, and we know the terrain well. There is a round hill just to the west of the town which would be perfect for a camp which could be fended and yet still see the city.”

  “Excellent. How are your men armed?”

  “We have bows and swords.”

  “Armour?” I looked at his magnificent breastplate and mail.

  “No, they wear a helmet only.” He looked at us. “You are on foot and you will not be moving quickly I think.”

  “Faster than you think. An English army armed as we are once marched over two hundred miles in four days and won a battle against the Vikings.”

  He looked impressed. “We may be quicker for we have wagons which will carry our tents.” He held out his hand. “I look forwards to this expedition and to fighting alongside men who carry such fearsome weapons.”

  I liked Andronikos for he was not a man of politics; he was a soldier and, as I came to find out, a magnificent horseman. He was a young noble who was passionate about Byzantium and his one regret was that he had not been at Manzikert where his father had fallen. In all the time I knew him he never played me false and was a true friend; would that I could have said that about all my fellow commanders. He had told me that we would be marching for almost three hundred miles. The strategos had arranged for the few ships the B
yzantine fleet had to accompany us along the coast which would be twenty miles to the north of us. In the old days we would have all been transported closer to our destination but the fleet had been neglected. It meant that, if we were in danger we could retreat and be evacuated by sea. I hoped it would not come to that. I decided that we would try to march at least sixty miles a day. That would be tough going but it would help to harden up the men and give me an idea of their ability. Ridley and I had discussed the men and realised that if they had taken the trouble to make their way to Constantinople then they already had a mental toughness about them on top of their natural ability. If they were not the elite yet they soon would be.

  We left before dawn had broken for I wanted to use the cool of the morning to march; we would need to rest during the heat of the day. I took a risk that first day and told the men to put their mail in the wagons along with their axes. It meant we could move faster on the first day when they were at their freshest and Andronikos assured me that the people of this region were not aggressive. Once we neared the capital of the rebel homeland then we would need to be aware of enemy attacks.

  By the end of the first day we had covered seventy five miles but we were too exhausted to build a camp and Andronikos offered to use his men as sentries. I hoped he was correct about the placid nature of the local inhabitants. He had been impressed by the efforts of my men. “We could not have travelled much further today and we journeyed mounted.” He looked up at Ridley and me. “Are all your warriors as big as you two?”

  We stood a head taller than the Byzantine and in his men. I laughed. “No but the Housecarls,” I waved a hand at my sleeping men, “are always big men for their wear heavy armour and wield heavy weapons.” I pointed to their ponies. “It is the difference between your swift ponies and the horses of the cataphracts.”

  “Ah, now I see. You have to stand and fight but we can evade and harry.” He shook his head. “It must take bravery and courage to stand and know you cannot retreat.”

  “If we retreat we die so we stand and we fight. That is what a Housecarl does.” Aidan had fun explaining the word Housecarl. I had been impressed by the priest for he had not complained once but taken a great interest in the land around us. The next day as we once again made an early start I spoke to him of his dreams.

  “My dreams, my lord?”

  “Yes Aidan. What do you wish? Where would you like to be?”

  “Jerusalem, my lord, in the land of the Turks. I would like to see the place where Christ was born.”

  I had not thought of that but we were as close to that holy place as any and I wondered what it would be like to see such a famous place. Such thoughts filled my head as we trudged eastwards through the heat, and the dust and the flies. Here I was in the land of antiquity, of Trojans, Persians and the Bible. Alexander and Caesar had both ranged and fought over this land and now, over a thousand years later, we were doing the same. The journey was uneventful until the end of the fourth day. One of Andronikos’ riders galloped to a halt before us.

  “My lord, the Droungarios begs to report Norman horsemen ahead, a large patrol.”

  I looked around and saw, about a mile ahead, a small hill topped by a wood. “Tell your commander I will take my men to that hill and form a defensive line.” I was glad now that, for the past two days we had worn armour. The men had complained but it meant that we were now in a position to fight. I turned to them. “There are Normans ahead; I want us to run to that hill and form a shield wall.” It says much for their past life that they all fell into the same rhythm of a steady run and all kept perfect time as we trotted up the hill. The shield wall does that to a man; if you lose step in a wedge then you all die! I glanced at Aidan, although he was not dressed in armour I knew that we were far beyond what could have been expected of an aesthete, a priest. “Can you manage it Aidan?”

  “Yes my lord. I am discovering parts of my body I did not know existed before.”

  By the time we reached the hill I could see the whirling horsemen of the Droungos as they retreated to our position. They were firing behind them as they came. Branton would have been impressed. “We have not formed a shield wall before we will learn in the face of the enemy. Thegn Ridley will be to my right. I want three lines; you should all know what to do. We will organise this better when we reach our destination.” It could have been a disaster; five hundred men jockeying for position but, although they had not fought together before, they had fought in a shield wall and they naturally found friends and men of similar heights to stand next to and soon we had three lines with shields to the fore and spears in hand. I was impressed. I had placed us so that the wood was slightly to the west of us and protected that flank. With only three ranks there was plenty of room behind us.

  Andronikos grinned as he rode up. “Well done my lord. You look like the hedgehog with a wall of spines. The patrol was made up of scouts and it is a column. There are less now than there were.”

  “Any foot?”

  “No, purely horse.”

  “I would suggest you place your men on the left and to the rear of us. The hill will slow them up and your men can harass them with their bows. If you put a screen in front of us we might just give them a surprise as they will not be expecting a shield wall.” I was diplomatic and I gave the young noble the chance to choose his own dispositions but he nodded and gave his orders.

  The Normans came on eagerly, anticipating slaughtering lightly armed horsemen. As they came and I saw their pennants I saw that they were a mixture of Franks and Normans. The former distinguished by the lack of a nasal on their helmets. There looked to be about four conroi and they were all heavy cavalry with no archers. They were in for a shock. My view was soon obscured by the hundred horsemen who screened us. I hoped that Andronikos would judge his moment well. “When the archers move stand firm. The second ranks will bolster the front rank. Those who have never faced a Norman charge fear not. Their horses die easily and a Norman on foot is like a one legged man in an arse kicking contest.” It was a familiar joke but they all laughed and it gave them confidence.

  I could just make out the Norman line as it steadied for its charge. They were confident that they could brush aside the archers and then chase them. They placed a high value on their large kite shaped shields protecting them. I saw the archers loose three quick volleys and then I heard the command which made them all ride to the left. He had timed it well for the enemy knights were but forty paces from us when the screen moved. “Stand by!”

  The arrows flew from behind us to smack into the shields and ping off the helmets of the charging Franks and Normans. A couple of the horses went down but the armoured warriors still came on. I could see the surprise in the eyes of the lead warrior as he saw the shield wall before him. I had confidence that my men would know what to do and would not require any unnecessary orders and I concentrated on the lead rider. He was leaning forwards with his lance ahead of his horse. I deflected it easily with my shield and then plunged Boar Splitter into his mount’s throat. Even as it was dying the stricken beast tried to move away from the pain and it reared up smashing into the warrior next to the leader. The Norman fell at my feet. The horse’s death throes had disengaged the spear head and I stabbed it down through the knight’s eye and into his brain. Ridley had killed his opponent and now the archers behind and to the side were having more success as the shorter range enabled their arrows to find the chinks in the mail. I sensed them wavering and I took a chance. There was no one before me and I swung my shield behind me and stabbed Boar Splitter into the ground. I grabbed Death Bringer and yelled, “Front rank! Wedge!”

  I knew that Ridley would know what to do and I hoped the rest would. I felt the men around me tighten up and I shouted, “Forwards!” The run to the hill had shown me that they were well trained and as the enormous one hundred man wedge began to move down the hill towards the milling Normans and Franks I saw the panic on the knight’s faces. They were taken by surprise and our axes whirl
ed before us creating a wall of death. They tried to get out of the way but their path was blocked by riders trying to reach us. I cared not who I struck for I was intent upon causing terror. Death Bringer struck one horse in the flank almost severing its leg and on the backswing took a warrior’s leg off. I could see blood on Ridley’s axe as it sliced through the knights to my right. Andronikos took advantage of the mayhem and his warriors closed with the enemy loosing not only arrows but drawing their wickedly curved swords to hack at unprotected horsemen who had their backs to the archers. It proved too much and I heard a Norman command I had heard before, “Retreat!”

  Decapitating a dismounted and disorientated knight I yelled. “Halt!”

  My men stopped and Andronikos led his whooping men to chase the Normans off our hill. My men began banging shields and cheering. We had won and the field was ours. “Despatch the wounded, Komes.” Ridley did not answer for I had used his title. “Ridley, that is you, you are Komes now!”

  “Sorry Aelfraed.”

  “See to our wounded. Aidan!”

  Aidan scurried up so quickly he can only have been a few paces behind me. “Yes Droungarios?”

  “Help Ridley with the wounded.” I held his arm. “Were you close to the battle?”

  He shrugged, “I thought you might need me my lord.”

  I shook my head as he ran to help Ridley. I could see Normans and Franks still falling as the eager horse cavalry pursued them. I turned to see my men behind me all grinning. “That felt good my lord! Your father would have been proud of the way you led us into their ranks!”

  There were other such fulsome praise from my men but I just nodded. It was easy to lead if you knew you would be followed. We had butchered the dead horses and were cooking them by the time Andronikos arrived back. He jumped from his horse and embraced me, kissing me on both cheeks. “Magnificent. I had wondered what use you would be so heavy and slow but I have never seen Norman cavalry so put out unless by cataphracts. I can see why the strategos sent you.”