Magna Carta (Border Knight Book 4)

by Griff Hosker

  “Why is he not a knight? He is more than qualified.”

  “I am afraid he does not wish to be one. He is quite happy to serve me. To be honest, Earl, my eldest son, Robert is training as a squire and I have asked Johann to be my sergeant at arms. He is happy to do so.” He looked worried, “Is that acceptable to you, lord?”

  I laughed, “We made him your squire and then he became your responsibility. If he is happy and so are you then there is no problem. What about Richard, your younger son?”

  “Two squires are always useful, lord.”

  He was right and I was content.

  The contentment lasted until the summer solstice when William Marshal’s son, William arrived at my ferry. He had with him just an escort of knights. It was not an army and I wondered what it betokened. I liked the earl’s son. He was a good warrior and he spoke plainly. He was a younger version of his father and in a world of deceit that was reassuring.

  “It is good to see you Sir Thomas. How has life treated you since the battles of Welshpool? You saved the battle that day.” I told him of Durham. He had a strange look on his face.

  “And you, and your father?”

  He said, “I will speak in confidence to you for I know that you are a true knight. The King had planned an invasion of Poitou so that he could recover the lost lands. However, when he sent letters to demand service abroad many of the barons, especially those in the north refused. They said that a war in Poitou would require them of more than forty days’ service and as they did not own land in Normandy or Anjou the King should use those knights.” He shrugged, “According to the letter of the law they were right but, as you can imagine, that did not sit well with the King. He has demanded that those who refused service should repay the debts they owe. If they do not then their manors will become forfeit. King John does not take defeat well.”

  “He did not ask me.”

  There was a heavy silence. I could see that he was struggling with a in internal dilemma. “The fact is Earl, that he knew you would accept. You are that sort of knight. But he has other plans for you and the knights of Durham.” He paused.

  “Come William, I speak plainly, I would ask that you do the same.”

  He nodded, “King William of Scotland is having trouble with some of his rivals. They are disappointed that he lost the war and had to pay such reparations that Scotland will be crippled. He has asked King John for military aid from England. The King has offered you and the Earl of Chester. I went to Chester first. The Earl is already marching for Carlisle. Alexander, the King’s son, is with him. They are meeting with the loyal barons in the west. You are to ride to Jedburgh. There King William awaits you.”

  I could not believe what I was hearing, “We fight and bleed, for the Scots?”

  He sighed, “It is not as simple as that, Sir Thomas. If King William is overthrown and one of the other factions gain power then the treaty of Norham is as good as torn up. That will mean raids along the northern borders.”

  We were standing in my north east tower and looking down on my town. It was market day and the town was packed with those who wished to trade. Could I ruin the prosperity it had taken me years to build up? Fighting for the Scots was the logical thing to do. It just went against my nature to fight for our natural enemies.

  The Earl Marshal’s son sensed my dilemma. “The King has knighted King William’s son, Alexander and so long as the two of them are in power then England is safe.”

  “That is because we defeated him so heavily last time.”

  “And that was your doing. Think what the effect would be on these would-be rebels if the Earl who captured their King suddenly fights for him. The battles would be won before you took the field.”

  I shook my head, “Do not insult me by trying to flatter me. I care not for glory. I care about the men I lead into battle. Are you telling me that I will not lose men in this war? This war that I need not fight.”

  “I apologise, I am so used to the knights who fawn around the King that I grow to think that all are the same. You are right but so am I. You either fight for King William or face the rest of his men when he is overthrown.”

  “He has no support?”

  “Little.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “You destroyed most of his best men in the last battle. They were his oathsworn, they were his best. We both know that it takes time to build up an army of men on whom you can depend.” I knew that he was right. We would have to fight the enemies of William of Scotland. “Two things, Sir Thomas, there is coin involved. The King has manors in England. He has promised the revenue from Huntingdon to you and your knights so long as he lives and reigns. That would help you and your knights. He is also happy for you to keep any treasure, horses and ransoms which you might take in battle. All that he wants is security and the time to build up an army.”

  “And King John wants me to give him forty days?” He nodded. “I will summon my knights. I promise nothing.”

  “But the King…”

  “The King is pushing my patience to the limit. I will do what I must do but only if I have the backing of my knights.”

  I took William Marshal to his quarters and then sent riders to summon my knights. As I needed Sir Ralph from Northallerton the meeting would have to be the following day. That would give me the night to discuss it with my wife and aunt. My wife knew something was amiss and when William Marshal showed tact by begging for him and his knights to retire early then her fears were confirmed. I allowed Alfred to stay, for he was my squire but the rest were sent away.

  I gave them the information and the task. I left nothing out and I gave the reasons both for and against. I could see my wife becoming upset. Aunt Ruth looked less worried.

  “Another war, husband? A war which is not of your choosing? You say no! It is madness to fight for an enemy.”

  Alfred said nothing. I knew he wanted the chance to go to war but he did not wish to upset his mother. Aunt Ruth sipped her wine. “You have no choice, Thomas. You must go.”

  “Aunt!”

  “Listen to me, Margaret, this is an order from King John. He is not a reasonable man. He is not a forgiving man. The de Percy family have lost two manors. Your husband has just two. If they are taken then what do we have left? Secondly William Marshal is right. If you allow King William to be defeated the hordes of hell will be unleashed. They will flood over the border. Before Thomas came home that was a regular occurrence. He has done what the Warlord did. He has kept this valley safe. He must fight to ensure it continues that way. I think that Thomas should give King William his forty days service for King John and then he has fulfilled his obligations.”

  Alfred’s face showed what he thought. Margaret was too upset to see that my aunt had spoken from the heart.

  My knights all knew that something was wrong but I refused to tell them until Sir Ralph had arrived. When he did I gathered them in my hall and told them exactly what I had told my aunt and wife. They came to the same conclusion but it took longer.

  Edward summed it up succinctly, “We ride north and kill Scotsmen. We take their treasure and their horses. We do so with the blessing of the King and then he pays us a yearly stipend for the rest of his life. This is a chance not to be missed. Would that all wars promised so much coin before even starting out!”

  I gave them three days to muster their forces and I rode to Durham. I summoned the Durham knights. With them there was less of an option. They would be obeying the King. I did not mention the punishment which the de Percys and other families had suffered. Surprisingly enough they were all happy. David of Stanhope said, “At least we are fighting close to home and the ones we fight are our enemies. There is one condition, Earl, we follow your banner and not King William’s”

  I nodded. “That goes without saying.”

  We were at Jedburgh ten days later. We did not bring all of our men at arms and archers. None of us trusted the Scots enough for that. We were expected and, when w
e crossed the Tweed we were greeted with smiles and not spears. The knight who greeted us and escorted us was an older knight. “I am the Mormaer of Fife, Angus. Your men can camp where they choose. King William has quarters for you and your son.” My look must have shown the suspicion in my heart. “You have my word, Earl, that there will no treachery. If you wish to bring two chamberlains then the King will understand.”

  I nodded, “In that case I will. Alfred fetch Ridley the Giant and Padraig the Wanderer.”

  When the mormaer saw Ridley he smiled, “I hope we have a room big enough to accommodate such a man.”

  My men at arms and Alfred went to the chamber prepared for us and I was taken to a small room where King William awaited me. He was now old and looked it. “Sit, my lord.” I did so and he poured us both some wine. The door was closed behind us. “I thought we ought to talk privately. That way you can express your fears about this directly to me.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Here’s to a strange alliance.” He held up his goblet and we both drank. He laughed, “The last time you were here it was different eh, Earl?”

  “It was but we came so often that this was almost like England.”

  “Aye, your family have ever been the bane of Scotland.” There was nothing I could say to that. It was true. “I confess I was surprised with King John’s choice of leader. I had hoped he would send some of his knights from further south. There is bad blood between us. You do not want to fight for us.” It was a statement and not a question but I answered it anyway.

  “When the war was ended it was because we defeated and killed those men who were closest to you. How many survived?”

  “A handful.”

  “And I want to avoid that with my men. It might happen in a war or a battle but I would prefer it to be something I wished to fight for.”

  “And not me.” I nodded. “That is understandable. Look Earl there are three enemies here. Dunbar, you have met him, Galloway in the west and, Argyll in the north. All you have to do is defeat Dunbar. He is the most dangerous of the three. My son and Chester can handle Galloway. With those two out of the way then my son and I can deal with Argyll.”

  “If it were that easy then you would have rid yourself of him before asking for my help.”

  “Our knights are brave enough but they lack discipline. Your combination of knights, men at arms and archers is irresistible. Our men cannot become that skilled overnight. It will take time. Now that I have had time to think about it I can see that you are the best choice for this quest.” He took out a map. “Here are Dunbar’s strongholds.”

  “Where will he be found?”

  “Din Burgh. He will be on the rock.”

  “And that is almost impossible to take without losing many men. Then we will have to tempt him from there.”

  “How?”

  “I do not know yet but give me a few days and I will have a plan.”

  “The longer you delay the more powerful he becomes. He controls much of the land from his rock. He dominates the river and the trade. I have heard he has hired Norse mercenaries to fight for him.”

  “I need a delay of only a few days. I am not procrastinating but there will be an additional price.”

  “More gold?”

  “No, information. Last year a couple of Scots with three men, Aimeric of Chartres and some others fled across the Tweed from England. They are being sheltered in Scotland and I would take them back for trial. While I come up with a plan you need to find out their location.”

  He smiled, “I will do what I can. I can see I am going to learn much from you, Earl”

  We drank a jug of wine as I discovered as much as I could about the Lord of Dunbar. I really needed to speak with my knights. I had an idea but they would be able to help me refine it. Edward, in particular, had a cunning mind when he chose and my young knights thought in different ways to me. It was, however, too late to do anything until the morning. We ate in the King’s hall. We were surrounded by the last of the King’s oathsworn. In their eyes I saw a mixture of hatred and respect. I hoped that the latter would outweigh their desire for vengeance for the loss of brothers in arms.

  The next morning, I went to speak with my knights while the King sent forth his men to seek the information I had requested. My valley knights looked apprehensive as I approached. Sir Edward shook his head, “I like not this, lord. You should be with your men.”

  “I was safe enough, Edward. Gather around I need your ideas.”

  I explained to them my initial plan. They saw flaws and weaknesses. We refined it and by mid-morning we had a plan which, I hoped, would tempt Lord Dunbar and his Scottish rebels from Din Burgh. I sent for David of Wales and he and four of his archers rode north to scout out the land. I returned to King William. For my plan to succeed we needed a spy in the Scottish camp. I had no doubt that there would be at least one. Scots had been coming and going all the morning. I knew that Lord Dunbar knew of the arrival of an English army. He would know that it was a small one and that it was led by me. My banner told him that. I was alone with Alfred and the King when I told him what I needed.

  “That is a good plan, Earl, but I can see many flaws and weaknesses, not least the fact that you rely on one of my men betraying us.”

  I nodded, “King William I have been fighting enemies for more than half of my life. I can tell you now that the only men I trust completely are those who rode with me from my valley. I am guessing that you felt the same about those who died at Alnwick.”

  The King nodded, “Aye and you are probably right. It just wounds me to think that that there are spies in my army. I will look on each one differently now. I have no news yet of this Aimeric of Chartres.”

  “You are looking and you will find him. He likes a comfortable lifestyle. He will be noticed.”

  “What will you do with him when you have him?”

  “Take him back to Durham. He will be tried for murder.”

  The next morning, with my archers still absent, the King held a council of war. His leading lords had been demanding action. Our secret conferences had them all intrigued. They were also more than a little resentful that an English Earl was privy to information that they were not. David of Stanhope and Stephen of Spennymoor accompanied Edward and I to the meeting. King William was getting old. However, none had ruled Scotland for as long as he had and he knew how to command attention.

  “Lords, I know that many of you are anxious to rid our land of rebels and traitors. King John has sent us an able commander to help us. The Earl and I have been planning how we can do this. We now have one.” Every face looked expectantly at him. “Lord Dunbar, the lord we seek, is in Din Burgh at the moment. To take that rock we would have to bleed ourselves dry. Instead we strike at his castle at Dunbar. He will have to march from his rock to retake his home.”

  One of his lords said, “What if he does not come? Din Burgh is a richer manor than Dunbar. He may let us have it.”

  The King nodded. “He may but he has left his family there.” There was surprise on some of the Scottish faces. He laughed, “Just because your King has grey in his beard does not mean that he cannot think any more. I have men riding the land who tell me what goes on. We are awaiting more men from Hawick.” He glanced at me, “When they come then we will leave.”

  As the lords began talking amongst themselves he came over to me. “Tell me that this is not Alexander of Hawick. If it is then I fear there will be bloodshed in this camp which will end any plans you have of reducing the enemy.”

  He shook his head. “The privations caused by that vile lord made me appoint another in his place. Sir Malcolm leads fewer men but he is loyal to me and a true knight.” He gave me a wry smile, “Of course he may not be enamoured of you, Earl, for he has had to rebuild a hall and a tower. I do not think that the men of Hawick will forget you and your vengeful knights.”

  My archers returned late on the next day. They looked weary but David smiled for they had been successfu
l. “Your plan should work lord. The old hillfort at Traprain Law has been long abandoned. The wood which was planted as a wall has, in places, taken root.” He clutched his cross, “You can feel the ancient people there. It reminded me of places in Wales which once were centres of defiance and defence. The trees which have grown will afford cover.”

  “Good, now rest. We leave in a day or two.” I sought out David of Stanhope and Stephen of Spennymoor. “I know that neither of you are happy to be fighting for the Scots. I suspect that some of your lords will be even more unhappy. We have more knights of Durham this time than came with us to Wales. We know not them all.”

  “You think there may be some amongst our number with black hearts?”

  “Perhaps not amongst the knights but the men at arms? Certainly. Those who followed Aimeric showed us that. For that reason, what I am about to tell you goes no further than the two of you. Once my trap is sprung then it will be too late for any traitors to thwart it.” I told them.

  Baron Stanhope said, “But that means that you will be bait!”

  “Can you think of a better way to winkle Dunbar from out of his rocky perch? We defeated him. We took much gold from him. He will want vengeance. He will come for me but only if he thinks he can do so successfully.”

  Even as the men of Hawick arrived the King sent for me. “I have news for you, Earl. We have found where Aimeric is hiding.” I waited expectantly. He shook his head, “It is not good news. One of Lord Malcolm’s men brought it. Aimeric is now with Alexander of Hawick. They are in England.”

  “England?”

  “According to Malcolm Alexander fled there when my Malcolm’s men moved in. This Aimeric was in the village and they fled to somewhere called Falstone. It is not far across the border but it is far from the fortresses of England. Elsdon is the nearest manor and it is not a large one.”

  I nodded, “This makes perfect sense. This Alexander raided and ravaged the area. Thank you, King William. You have fulfilled your part of the bargain. When we have bested Dunbar then I will deal with Alexander and Aimeric once and for all.”