by Griff Hosker
I hurled my spear into the back of an archer and, drawing my sword galloped into their midst. Once again, their numbers prevented them from using their bows properly. I charged into them swinging my sword widely knowing that any I struck would be hurt. There was no skill. My men fanned out behind me and even my new squires could not fail to kill. We took no prisoners. I wanted the slaughter to serve as a reminder to all Seljuqs of the price to be paid for such attacks. My sword was blunted when we had finished. We tended to our wounded and made sure that none remained alive. We took their weapons and led their horses down the trail. It was noon when we reached the manor.
Lady Sarah and Wilfred greeted me, “It is over?”
“It is over. We will head back to Jerusalem. I will leave one knight and his men here as a garrison for a month or so but the danger is gone. Sir Thomas…”
Sir Robert said, “Lord, let me and my men stay here. I have more experience than Tom.”
Tom coloured but I saw the hint of a smile on Lady Sarah’s lips. I turned to my younger knight, “Of course. Come Tom. We will see which horses we wish to keep and which we will sell”
“Aye lord.”
As we rode back to Jerusalem Tom said, “I have enough experience lord!”
Guy laughed. He knew Sir Robert and he had observed the same as I. “Do not worry Sir Thomas, the experience Sir Robert was speaking of was the experience of wooing.”
Poor Thomas was still confused.
Chapter 22
We were able to resume our road patrols for the presence of Sir Robert and his men deterred the enemy around Jericho. We were not needed there. I was able to spend more time with my son. He was growing each day. It was a joy to be greeted by some new noise or action. Even the arrival of his two bottom teeth made me smile. When he gnawed on my finger then I knew he had a bite! Time flew by. Days turned into weeks and then months. It was measured in the growth of my son. And then my wife told me that she was with child again. I was delighted. I felt that God was smiling on me and that I had been forgiven. This time I was able to watch my wife grow. I was not needed on the road as much.
One day a rider came from Jerusalem telling me that the King wished to see me. The days of needing a large escort were long gone. The sign of the gryphon standard and surcoat kept the road safe. I just took Alf. He was no longer the awkward and sometime truculent youth. He had been with us for more than four years and he had changed. He was now confident and skilled. He would be a knight soon.
When I reached the court, I found Sir Robert there. It had been many months since I had seen him. He gave me an awkward smile.
“My lord.”
“It is good to see you, Robert. Francis and his family miss you.”
“I was needed at Lady Sarah’s lord.”
“You have more raids?”
“No Sir William but that was because we have been aggressive in our patrols. We make them fear us.”
“And Lady Sarah is well?”
“She is lord and, we are happy.”
Before I could question his use of the word ‘we’, we were ushered into the King’s presence. There was no court but I recognised Ralph of Bowness. I smiled, “I thought you were going home?”
“I was but the Emperor decided that, after my skill as a diplomat, he would use me elsewhere.” Theobald coughed. “However, more of that later.”
The King said, “Firstly, Sir William, we have asked you here to thank you for the work you have done on our behalf. Secondly, I have to ask you to release Sir Robert from your service.”
“Release Sir Robert?”
“He wishes to marry the Lady Sarah and I have agreed. He will be the new lord of the manor. As you can understand he cannot owe you fealty.”
I smiled and embraced my former captain, “I am delighted and do so without delay! We will be invited to the wedding?”
“Of course.”
The King looked relieved. He obviously did not know me yet. “Good, that is settled. Thirdly, we begin our attack on Ascalon. Ralph of Bowness is here to bring us news that the Emperor is sending ships to help in the blockade. Gerard of Sidon will command our ships and the Byzantine ships ensure that we prevent the defenders being resupplied. You and Sir Thomas will be needed.”
I was disappointed but I said, “Of course, your majesty.”
Theobald said, “And then, when Ascalon falls then you will be released from your oath and you will be able to return home to England.”
I had forgotten that. I now had a dilemma. I had a fine home at Aqua Bella and my wife was happy. Yet I wanted to return to England. I would have to wrestle with those problems while I was at the siege.
“You have a week to prepare. I will be leading the army. The new Master of the Templars, Bernard de Tremelay and Raymond de Puy Provence will also be bringing their knights. It has taken longer than I hoped but we will finally take that port.”
We spent some time going over the minor details and then we left. Sir Robert said, “The wedding will be in a month.”
“Then I will not be there for I will be at the siege.”
Sir Robert looked distraught. “Lord I owe you so much. I would have you at my wedding.”
“And you know that I have to be with the King. I am sorry.”
He clasped my arm, “I know. Then, when it is over, bring the Lady Rebekah and your son. Stay with me.”
“That I will do.”
Ralph said, “Could I impose on you and stay at Aqua Bella for a few days?”
“I would be disappointed if you did not.”
Ralph had an escort this time. There were four cavalrymen with him. They had the distinctive fish scale armour and pointed helmet. Ralph gestured at them with his thumb and said, in English, “I said I wouldn’t need an escort but the Emperor insisted.”
“You have surprised me Ralph. I was convinced that you would return to England.”
“I was at the quayside negotiating my passage home when the Emperor sent for me. Between you and I he was stuck for someone he could trust. The English Varangians may not be the cleverest of his guards but we are the most loyal and reliable.” He laughed, “Of course the generous payment he gave me helped.”
Rebekah was both delighted and irritated by the guests. The irritation was with me for I had not warned her of their arrival but she was a generous hostess. Ralph noticed that she was with child and he would not let her do anything. Most of our conversation was about Sir Robert and his change in circumstances. I teased Thomas. “Well you will be next, Thomas eh? Shall we find you a pretty young wife?”
He blushed and Rebekah reproached me, “Will, let him alone. He is young.”
He nodded gratefully at my wife, “And besides I think I would like to marry an English girl.”
Ralph smiled, “For that you will need to be in England. Perhaps you will come with me?”
“I cannot. Like my lord here I swore that I would stay until Ascalon was taken. Neither of us can leave until then”
Rebekah looked surprised, “You would leave?”
I put my hand on hers, cursing Tom and his careless mouth. “That was before I met you. I am content to stay here now.”
“Content?” There was something in her tone which made both Ralph and Thomas look down at their platters.
Ralph said, quickly, “Tom, would you and Alf show me the roof. I hear it has a fine view.” The three of them gratefully left for there was a noticeably changed atmosphere.
Rebekah waved over Judith, “Take Samuel and prepare him for bed. I will be up in a while.”
I knew that when with child she was sometimes more irritable. I cursed my choice of words. With men, it was easy. They did not react to a word’s nuance. A woman could read much into one word! “I meant nothing, my love. Did I use the wrong word?”
“Content means you are putting up with it. I would not have you stay here just because you are married to me.”
“My love this is your land and your home…”
&n
bsp; “You have always been honest with me. It is one of the many things about you that I adore. Be honest now. If you were not married to me or we had never met then when you have helped take Ascalon would you go back to England?”
I made the mistake of hesitating. I should have answered quicker. As it was the damage was done. I saw her roll her eyes as I spoke. “I did meet you and we are married. Our paths are now as one.”
“Answer me honestly.”
Her fingers squeezed mine. She smiled at me and I had to answer. “Yes, I would.”
“There that is better. Now tell me, where would we live in England?”
“My father is an earl. I have a castle which I call home.”
“A big castle?” I nodded. She was silent for a moment. “England is cold?”
“Compared with here it is.”
She nodded. “I will go to see Samuel.” She kissed me. “I have much to think on.”
I took the wine jug and ascended to the roof. Tom said, “I am sorry, my lord. I should have thought…”
“Do not worry. I also demonstrated that men are clumsy when speaking with women. It is for the best.”
An uncomfortable silence settled on the four of us. Ralph slapped his forehead, “I am a fool. I knew I had some news for you. Geoffrey, Count of Anjou is dead.”
“Killed in battle?”
“No, he died of … I know not what but it was not violent. His son Henry is now Duke of Normandy and I heard a rumour when I visited Sicily that King Stephen and he have met.”
I said nothing for my mind was filled with all sorts of ideas and thoughts. The civil war might already be over. My father had been resolute and fought for Henry and his mother with unstinting loyalty. I wanted to be there at the end and yet I could not. We chatted about England and the impending voyage which Ralph would take. “If I write a letter would you deliver it to my father?”
“Of course.”
I would explain why I was not leaving the Holy Land. I would tell him why I was not returning home. He would understand. He was that kind of man. I could hope that I would be as good a father to Samuel as he was to me. We chatted until the stars came out. In truth, I was avoiding going to bed before Rebekah was asleep. I envisaged an argument.
As I crept into our room the candle was still burning. “You are willing to face any number of enemies and yet afraid to risk the sharp tongue of your wife.”
“You are with child and I did not wish to upset you.”
“We women are far stronger than you men imagine! Come lie next to me so that I may nestle in your arms.” I undressed and slipped next to her. “Here it is. Without you I would be dead. If not on the road from Jaffa then when de Waller came to kill my family. I now have just my aunt in Jaffa. A good lady but she is not my husband. There is nothing for me in this land any longer. There will come a time when King Baldwin or his son will be defeated and the Muslim hordes will drive the Gentiles into the sea and then the Jews will be subjugated once more. We will go to England. I will ask my ladies if they wish to come with me. If not then I will use some of my father’s money to give them a start. And I will buy lots of furs!”
I hugged, “You are a remarkable woman.”
She laughed and kissed me, “Of course I am.”
I was awake early and I wrote a letter to my father. It was not the letter I would have written the night before. I told Tom and Alf of my new plans and Tom wrote a letter for his father. Ralph was, of course, equally delighted. “Have you told your men yet?”
“No. I will gather them together before we go to Ascalon. If they wish to stay here I will send them to Sir Robert. He needs good men.”
Ralph said, “If I am any judge of men then they will wish to stay with you.”
He left and I went to tell Francis that we would be leaving for Ascalon when the King arrived. “The King is coming here?”
“He is.”
“Then that is an unexpected and most wonderful honour.”
My men were waiting for me at the armoury. I had told them of the impending campaign and we needed to choose what we would be taking. I stopped them all and gathered them around. I told them of my new plans. “You have a choice. You can all come with me to England and live in my castle in Stockton or you can serve Sir Robert. If any wish to leave both of our services then I will give them horse, armour, coins and my good wishes. You have all served me well.”
My words were greeted with silence and I did not know what to make of it. Then Garth said, “Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I have had more than enough of this oven they call the Holy Land! I will be going back to England with his lordship.”
Every single one of them chose to return with me. I would be heading back to England.
Chapter 23
Three months later I wondered if I would ever see Aqua Bella again let alone England. The siege was not going well. The Egyptians had sent a fleet north and they had managed to drive off Gerard of Sidon and his allied fleet. Moreover, the King’s authority had been threatened by the new master of the Templars. If Robert de Craon was conceited then Bernard de Tremelay was both arrogant and fanatical. He wished to slaughter every Muslim that we encountered. He wanted us to charge the walls with horsemen as though that would bring down the mighty walls. The fifty odd towers were not as high as they might have been but they had made the city much harder to take.
I was privy to the rows and arguments between the King and Raymond de Puy Provence on one side and Bernard de Tremelay on the other. The king usually prevailed but I could see that the arguments were wearing him down. We had finally built the wooden towers which would allow us to close with and assault the walls. The problem was the numbers within Ascalon’s walls. They outnumbered us. We had no Crusader army. In fact, our army would have been pitiably small if a large number of pilgrims had not joined us.
The first months of the siege had been spent dealing with the Egyptian forces who were outside the walls. We had to chase their horse archers from the field. The aggressive Templars suffered for their Master was convinced that Christian might would easily defeat Muslim guile. He lost many brave but reckless knights that way. Then we had to gather the materials for the wooden towers. That was not an easy task either for there was perilously little timber to be had and we had to bring the wood from the north. All of that took time. The siege had begun in April but now it was July and the last month had seen some of the pilgrims, recently arrived from the cooler north die from the heat. My darker skinned men would have been in the same position when we had arrived. We had learned to adapt and survive.
Things had become so desperate that the King had had to send for more men and Sir Robert of Jericho arrived with reinforcements. He did bring news, “Sir William, you now have a daughter, Ruth.”
It had brightened an otherwise dark time. “She is hale? They are both well?”
“They are both well. Lady Rebekah sends you her love and prays for a swift end to this siege.”
“I fear that may not be happening. You have come at a dangerous time. We are to begin to move the towers into position. First, we will have to clear their walls and then fill in the ditches so that the towers can be pushed close. But I am pleased that you are here with us. You will join my battle.”
I had a large number of knights to command. Geoffrey of Azdud was my Captain. He was an able and level headed warrior. We had two towers. The Templars had two and the Hospitallers two. The knights of Nablus had two towers: Ibelin, one, Tyre one and the rest of the army three. My knights and sergeants slept around our towers. It had taken us some time to build them. We would not let them be raided and destroyed. When the last piece had been finished on the last tower the King held a council of war.
“Tomorrow we begin the attack. The towers will be pushed to the edge of the ditch and we will rain death on their walls.”
I was not so certain. The rest of the army relied on crossbows. They were slow to reload and awkward to handle in a tower. I was luckier.
I now had twelve archers and our numbers had been swollen by another fifteen men who were with the pilgrims. We had attached them to our numbers. With six of my more experienced archers in each tower we would have, with the pilgrims, thirteen or fourteen bows which could keep up a withering rate. The pilgrims did not have a war bow but from the elevated towers they would have the range and power to cause more damage than crossbows.
“Have your men ready to fill the ditches with the stones and timbers when it is safe to do so.”
The Master of the Templars said, “They can fill as soon as the attack begins. We need not wait!”
Theobald was the voice of reason, “We do not have the men to waste, Master. We are close to the end now. Let us not rush. You will soon have your fill of Egyptians to slaughter.”
The Master nodded. He had made no secret of the fact that he wished to kill as many enemies of Christ as he could. Many of the enemy were fanatics. I had fought them. Bernard de Tremelay was just as fanatical. His fanaticism infected his knights and sergeants too. They were forever dropping to their knees to pray to God to destroy the walls and let them fill Ascalon’s streets with blood.
When I returned to my men I gathered them around and explained what we would be doing. I pointed to the walls, “Let us be vigilant this night. I want one man in three on guard and watching. We have barrels of sea water close to hand. Those of you who thought me mad to bring them may thank me soon. When we attack, the enemy will use fire and that is the greatest danger for a wooden tower.”
Sir Robert nodded, “Sir William is right. Many years since I served in Normandy. I was a young warrior then. I saw his father caught at the top of a burning tower. He managed to escape by leaping onto the walls but every man in the tower was consumed by fire. It took a long time to get the smell of burning flesh from my nostrils.”
Giscard de Huberville asked, “But why keep watch?”
“Because if I was the Egyptians and saw the towers completed I would try to destroy them with fire tonight. With our fleet scattered, until we can bring reinforcements they can continue to keep the city supplied by sea. We will grow weaker and they will grow stronger.”
