English Knight

by Griff Hosker

  “How long will it take us to reach our destination?”

  He laughed and suddenly looked much younger. “Ah the impatience of youth. In all honesty I do not know. I have never travelled here before. The captain told us that it would take three long days to reach Turin where there will be lodgings for us. The first days will harden us for the long journey ahead.”

  “This may be too much for you father.” I was genuinely concerned for my father was no longer a young man.

  “I am not fated to die on this road. I dreamed a dream and saw myself dying in England. It is meant to be. I had a sword in my hand. This journey will help to prepare me.”

  We rode in silence and I wondered about death. My father seemed resigned to it. I wanted to live and enjoy life. He appeared happy to embrace it. I did not even see the country and the mountains through which we rode; I was contemplating a life in the west, far away from the joyous life I had known.

  We rode until dark. Wulfstan found us a small dell by a mountain stream and we made camp. I dismounted and dropped the reins of my horse. Ralph’s voice stopped me, “Master Alfraed your horse will neither unsaddle itself nor will it water and feed without assistance. Unless you look after your own beast then you will be walking before any of us. We have no spare horses!”

  I looked at my father for help but he merely nodded his approval at Ralph’s words. This was getting worse. In our home in Constantinople we had had slaves and servants to do everything for us. I had to watch the others as they unsaddled their beasts of burden. When I had laid down my saddle I followed Egbert to the river where he led his own horse. I noticed that he spoke to it.

  “Why talk to the beast, Egbert? We will get decent ones when we get to England.”

  He laughed, “Until we get to England, Master Alfraed, these are the decent ones. Get to know your horse and treat him well. He may well save your life.”

  “But you were not a horseman, Egbert. What do you know about them?”

  “I spoke with the troopers in the Tagmata and they instructed me.” He nodded at the others. “When we knew we were returning home we prepared.”

  I detected a hint of criticism in his words. In the months before we had left I had spent my time drinking and giving all the pretty girls as much attention as I could. I had no doubt that some of my seed had taken. Now I wondered if my time could have been better spent. I looked at the horse as it drank from the stream. It was a chestnut colour with a golden mane and on his forehead there was a white cross. I realised that I had been given a fine looking animal. I glanced over at the others and saw that mine was in the best condition. Why had they given me the best horse? I idly stroked between his ears and his head came up to nuzzle my chest.

  “Good boy.” He whinnied and, for the first time since leaving Constantinople, I did not feel alone. The men with whom we rode were my father’s men. This horse was mine and the nearest thing I had to a friend. “That’s a good boy and what shall we call you? It needs to be a noble name for you carry a noble knight. Should I call you Bucephalus? Do you carry another Alexander?” Annoyingly the horse went back to drinking from the stream.

  “He will tell you his name when he is ready. For now he will answer to good boy.”

  I looked around and saw Wulfstan watching me. “And are you another one who learned about horses by asking others?”

  “No, Master Alfraed, I rode when I served with my former liege lord. We rode to battle and fought on foot.”

  I was learning much about myself and my companions. I was not asked to help with the cooking and I watched the men as they organised the camp. I envied them their easy manner and their banter. They were a little too familiar with my father for my liking but he seemed to relish it. The food was bland but marginally better than on the ship. Perhaps my hunger helped. I was about to roll into my blanket on the hard ground when my father said, “You and Osric can have the first watch, Alfraed. See you in the morning.”

  I looked in horror as the others all rolled into their blankets. Osric chuckled. He was a big man with a wild mop of golden red hair. He looked like the lions that they had in the amphitheatres. “You’ll get used to it, Master Alfraed. The secret is to keep busy. Feed the fire; check the horses; pee regularly. The time will soon go.” He gestured for me to follow him away from the fire where we would not disturb the others. He took his cloak and fastened it about his neck. It seemed prudent to copy him as there was a chill in the air.

  “How do we know when our shift is over?”

  “You don’t but I will. You get the time in your head. We don’t cheat each other. We all take it in turns. Your father has been kind this night. He has given us the best shift. The worst is the middle one when you are woken from a comfortable sleep to freeze in the night and then have to try to get back to sleep when you wake the last sentries.”

  He began to pick up dead branches from the forest floor. I copied him. “You are used to this?”

  “Aye, on campaign we guarded a whole camp not just a handful of warriors. There you never know if enemies are coming to slit your throat.” I looked around fearfully as though an assassin might be creeping up on me. He laughed, “Do not worry, our horses are good sentries. They will alert us to anyone who is close.”

  Osric was right, the duty did pass quicker doing small jobs. I learned how to keep the fire just right, neither too fierce nor in danger of dying. I also learned much about my father. Osric was in awe of him as a leader and I learned more in that one shift than I had discovered in my life so far. I was so tired when our shift ended that I barely noticed the rock hard floor.

  The next day we passed through beautiful mountains. I saw snow on the peaks in the distance. It was spectacular scenery. I spoke with my unnamed horse far more and I listened to the banter of my companions. Wulfstan was the one with the sharpest and wittiest tongue. He had the ability to make them all laugh. It became obvious to me that when they had faced death, fighting for the Emperor, it had bonded them. These were brothers under the skin. We had little danger on the road but I noticed that when we approached other travellers they all became alert. Ralph and Garth moved closer to my father and their hands were never away from their swords. I began to see that while their faces smiled at the strangers we met, their eyes did not. Once we had passed them then Athelstan and Osric hung back and watched for treachery. I was riding with warriors. They might be old but they had not forgotten their trade.

  By the time we reached Turin with its high walls and promise of comfort, I was in a happier frame of mind. Once this journey was over and I had returned to Constantinople I would have some interesting stories with which to regale my friends.

  We stayed in an inn and our horses were stabled. It was still ‘good boy’; he had not yet told me his name but I had come to know my horse and I almost missed not having to care for him when we stayed in the inn.

  Osric took me out to buy clothes for the mountains. I had thought that we had already crossed them but Osric pointed to the west where the snow covered mountains rose to the skies. “It will be so cold up there, laddie, that you could lose your fingers or your toes.”

  For the first time since our journey had started I was actually needed for I could speak a little Italian and I was able to negotiate a price for the goods we bought. I could see why father had chosen Osric to go with me. He was the largest of his warriors and with his golden mane he seemed to tower over the locals. We were not cheated and, in fact, they seemed pleased to have us out of their markets as quickly as possible!

  Wulfstan had been busy when we returned and discovered the route we would be taking. We had to buy a mule to carry the extra clothes and provisions. It would take us four days to cross the mountains and reach Lyons. As we left the next day I was just grateful to the Romans who had built such fine roads. They made the journey much easier. Wulfstan allowed me to ride ahead with him for part of the way. I wondered why.

  “The man in the inn I spoke with told me that hundreds of years ago
the Romans had inns called a mansio and they were spread out along the roads for visitors to use.”

  That intrigued me. The night in the inn had made me realise the pleasure of a roof and a soft bed. “Are there are any still remaining?”

  “There are some but we cannot count on them.” He suddenly turned in his saddle to look up at the mountainside.

  “What is the matter Wulfstan?”

  “I do not know and that is what worries me. I feel as though we are being followed or tracked and yet I can see nothing.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just have a feeling.”

  I stared around and it all seemed normal to me. “I can see nothing.”

  He laughed, “And you have yet to fight. You do not know danger.”

  He was wrong. “I have fought! I have used my sword and my dagger in combat!”

  He shook his head, “No, Master Alfraed you have not. When you fought there was no danger of your dying. When you are close to death you find senses you did not even know you possessed.”

  We rode in silence as I listened for these hidden dangers. “This is why my father wanted me here. You are teaching me.”

  “Your father is a wise man. He has been travelling through dangerous lands since he was younger than you were.”

  I looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”

  “Others told me. He and your namesake were legends. He was not made an outlaw in England just for poaching a deer. He and Aelfraed led a rebellion against William the Bastard. He has fought the Norman horsemen and beaten them. Do not let his white hair fool you, Master Alfraed. You are being trained so that you may become a shadow of the warrior that your father is.”

  We did not find a mansio; at least not one which stood whole. We found a building which had four walls remaining but neither roof nor people. It did, at least, give us some shelter from the biting wind and the fire had a hearth in which to burn wood. That night Osric and I had the middle shift. It was the first one I had had to take. Osric had been right; being woken from a warm blanket to stand in the cold was not a pleasant experience.

  Egbert took us to one side. “We saw nothing on our shift but I shall sleep with my sword next to me.”

  “Wulfstan was right then?”

  “I think so, Osric. I saw nothing but the horses are nervous. I would keep your swords to hand.”

  The words were not addressed to me but they were intended for my ears. Osric nodded to me as Egbert rolled into his blanket. “We move away from the fire. Let us find a tree to stand next to. Wrap your cloak tightly about you.”

  As we stood some thirty paces from the glow of the fire and I shivered I wondered what this danger was. I went to speak but Osric shook his head and held his finger to his lips. I was learning to heed these warriors. I was in their world now.

  It was my horse which alerted us. He whinnied. Osric touched my arm and then drew his sword. He pointed at my eyes and then the forest. He wanted me to watch. I nodded to show that I understood. He walked back to the camp fire; I assumed to wake the others. Where was this danger? I peered into the forest. I could see nothing! Then I caught the slightest of movements. Had I not been warned of danger I might have thought it an animal of the night but Osric’s touch had set my senses alight.

  I saw a shadow moving towards the fire. I was hidden by the tree and I stared as the shadow became a man and I saw that he had a long curved blade in his hand. Other shadows began to move towards the camp. I began to step forward when I felt Osric’s touch on my arm. He shook his head and led me away from the fire and into the forest. For a big man he was silent. I could now see the ten or so men who walked towards the fire. It looked as though my father and the others had not been woken or they had, at least, not risen.

  I raised my sword but Osric shook his head again. What was he waiting for? I stared in horror as the men walked into the camp and stood over the blankets. When would Osric do something? As if he had read my thoughts he nodded to me and, lifting his sword he ran at the nearest warrior. I pulled my arm back and stabbed at the man nearest to me. He had only been two paces from me and my sword sank into his flesh. I felt it grind against bone and it made me shudder. I pulled it out. The man turned and raised his sword to me. He was not dead! Osric’s sword slashed around and sank across his back. The man dropped at my feet dead.

  I looked up and saw that my father and his oathsworn had risen like wraiths and their attackers lay dead at their feet. I saw the last two assassins as they ran into the forest. I was going to follow when Osric’s ham like fist grabbed my arm. “Let them go. They can do no more. Fetch the bodies into the light and let us examine them.”

  The eight bandits were searched and money and weapons taken from them. My father looked at me for signs of injury. He nodded when he saw that I had none. “You have had your first brush with death. What have you learned from it?”

  I looked at the dead men. “That I can see better in the dark than I thought.”

  Osric shook his head, “That is not the lesson you should take from this. If you have an enemy and the chance to kill him then do so or he will kill you. Had I not been there then you would be lying dead in the forest and not him.” He put his arm around my shoulder. “You did not like the feeling as the blade ground against the bone.”

  “How did you know?”

  “It was the same for all of us when we first killed. If you stab upwards then you will avoid many bones. Still you did better than I could have hoped. You did not make a noise in the forest and that is a good thing.” He pointed to my horse. “And he is a fine animal. He warned us. He would make a good scout.”

  And that was how my horse got his name. He became Scout. He seemed to like it and responded every time I used it. Of course Wulfstan gave me the trick of giving him a treat of an apple or patting him on the head as well but that night saw a bond between my horse and me I could not have believed back in Constantinople.

  Chapter 3

  We had been riding for a day when I finally asked Wulfstan about the attack. “Why did Osric let those two bandits escape?”

  “They will spread the word that we are not easy victims. We will now reach Lyons safely.”

  “And was it right to strip their bodies of their valuables and weapons?”

  “Spoils of war, Master Alfraed. You take what you can when you can. Who knows what awaits us?”

  My education began as we descended to Lyons. Lyons would be the end of the Holy Roman Empire and then we would begin our journey across Frankia. We would draw close to the lands of England and Normandy; our final destination.

  Lyons was a border fortress. It was the most familiar town I had seen so far. I recognised the hands of the Roman builders everywhere. Here were the knights of the Holy Roman Emperor. They looked a little different to the knights from home but I recognised them for what they were. They wore mail here but the helmets were full face helmets. My father and his retainers still used the old fashioned open faced helmet with the nasal. They had the kite shields my father had faced in the wars in the east. My father and his men still clung to their round shields. When I saw the knights I felt happier.

  It seems that my father’s name was known in Lyons and we got to stay in the great hall of the castellan, Hugo de Montfort. He was of an age with my father. Count Hugo called me over. “Well, boy, will you be a warrior like your father?”

  “I hope to be a knight, sir.” I was not very happy about being called a boy. I had a beard and a moustache; I had bedded women!

  Count Hugo looked in surprise. “You do not wish to stand in a shield wall as these fine fellows once did?” he did not wait for my reply. “I fought for the Emperor when I was a young lance for hire. How well I remember your father standing like a rock with his warriors beside him. The Normans shattered their lances and had their hearts broken. They could not penetrate the wall of wood and steel.”

  My father laughed and suddenly seemed young again, “And then you and your horsemen drove them from the field and
returned rich men.”

  Count Hugo gave a loud guffaw and spread his arm wide, “And then I came here to become the most powerful castellan on this side of the border!” He quaffed his wine. It was good wine. It was deep and red. It was so rich you almost needed a spoon to drink it. His voice became lower and more serious. “You have a most difficult part of your journey to come. King Henry spends much of his time in Normandy. Rouen is his main castle. But you will have to cross France first. Louis the Fat is not the king his father was. This one rules with a strong hand. He knows the Norman ways and fought alongside the Dukes of Normandy.”

  “Are you saying we may not be welcome?”

  “I am saying, old friend, that you need to be careful and diplomatic. I will give you an escort across the border. The king does not keep a standing army as the Emperor does and he relies on his vassal lords to watch his land. Archambaud of Montlucon has a powerful castle on the Cher River. I know him. My men will take you as far as him and then you will be on your own.”

  I was confused. “Count Hugo why does the Emperor not impose his will upon the land?”

  Count Hugo shook his head with a sad smile upon his face. “This is not an Empire such as the one you have left. Here the power lies in the castles and the warriors who serve the Emperor, or the king. A strong king can control his lords but there are lords who will try to take power from their masters. Here the treachery is not done behind closed doors but behind a wall of steel, a wall of armoured knights. If you have skills as a knight, young Alfraed, then you will do well.” He went on to tell us of the young knights who would ride in a conroi under their liege lord. They did not fight in wars against barbarians as they did in the east but they fought men mounted and armed much as they were. This was a noble kind of war.

  I looked around the hall and saw knights younger than I. They were sat around tables sharing the camaraderie of the young. I was with old men. I would never enjoy the life of a knight in a conroi. I found myself being envious of them.