Earl

by Griff Hosker

  I did not wait for further discussion but rode towards the north east. I used Aiden to keep us in the right direction. He had travelled through the land and knew the best route to take; we had to avoid observation. It worked well for he knew where they were and we would avoid an early confrontation. I saw the hill to our right as we rode down the greenway. The hedges and trees obscured our view for most of the way but the occasional glimpses showed us the banners of Robert of Gloucester. Aiden stopped and we joined him. "There, my lord, the Welsh!"

  I followed him to a gap in the hedge line and saw the Welsh advancing in solid lines towards the hill. His knights and men at arms were gathered behind his rear line of spearmen. He would use them to break through when the line had been weakened. The problem I had was that I would have to take my force through the gap and then form them up. We would be seen. There was no alternative.

  "John, signal the battle to move forward!"

  I kicked Scout on and moved up the slope to the top of the field. We were half a mile from the right flank of the Welsh. I reined in and John joined me. The Earl of Chester took his men left and Sir Edward, right. With the Earl's men we had about sixty men at arms and I hoped that our thirty odd archers would make us look more than we were. Our destrier and baggage would have to be guarded by my Varangians, Father John and our servants. I was throwing the dice and our fate was in the hands of God.

  I saw the enemy horse reacting. They turned as the word spread that a new force of Normans had arrived on their flank. It would have been a shock but they reacted calmly. They were well led. "John, signal the advance!"

  We walked forwards with banners fluttering in the breeze above us. I was sending a message to the Earl as much as I was to the Welsh prince. When a shaft of sunlight shone on our armour making it sparkle I knew that the Prince of Gwynedd would think that my men at arms were knights. It would not be until we were much closer that he would realise who they really were. I watched as they formed into a line. At the same time I saw that the men on foot had stopped their advance. They had not yet turned to face us but the Earl was, temporarily, safe from attack. He would be able to organise his defence.

  "Trot!"

  John signalled with the standard and we began to move faster towards our foes. The knights and the men at arms all held long spears which we had captured from the Welsh. I saw that only some of the horsemen who faced us were similarly armed. They too formed into a line and began to walk towards us. They were bravely led for our numbers would appear to outnumber them.

  "Gallop!" We were just three hundred paces from them and I knew that we would close very quickly for their line had also begun to trot.

  I knew I had to judge this perfectly. At a hundred paces I shouted, "Charge!" It coincided with the enemy beginning their gallop. I barely had time to lower my spear as the two lines of steel clashed. I struck a knight who bore a green dragon on a red background. I punched as I leaned forward and my spear hit him hard upon his shield. He must not have tilted much for he was thrown from his saddle. His lance had been aimed at my head and I watched as it moved from before my face to rise and fall with the knight. I knew that some of my men would not be successful but I had to keep heading towards the group of knights who were gathered around the Prince's standard.

  Behind me I heard the clash of weapon on weapon, the screams of men being hit and the cries of stricken horses. Without looking I knew that Dick and his archers were raining death upon them. They might not kill many knights but their horses would pay a fearful price. I concentrated upon the Royal Standard of Gwynedd. Glancing to my left and right I saw that I had men at arms on either side of me. They were my men. It gave me added confidence. I knew that John and Leofric would be hard behind me. I guessed we were an equal number to the Welsh ahead. Their first attack had failed. Would the Prince risk a second charge at us? When a horn sounded and they began to move south and west I knew that their leader was not willing to risk our reaching him. I slowed Scout down. There was little point in exhausting him. We had started the game and they would run. It mattered not that we were not riding hard. We had our spears in their backs.

  Suddenly horses and riders began to overtake us as the Welsh knights and men at arms raced to join their leader. The infantry too began to move south and west. I saw standards on the hillside begin to move towards the fleeing Welsh. I edged Scout closer to the Earl of Gloucester's men. We could not catch the Prince but we might be able to catch some of his infantry. As I did so I saw Dick and his archers galloping to our right. They halted some fifty paces from the Welsh, dismounted, and began to loose arrows. They sent six flights before the Welsh managed to get out of range. They remounted and galloped again. It was a tried and tested tactic. Dick was a master at it. They had tried to release arrows from the back of a horse but it did not work. This did; ride hard, dismount, release arrows, mount and so on.

  Soon my remaining men at arms and knights had joined me, as had the Earl of Chester. He forced his horse next to mine. "Your trick worked, Alfraed."

  "God was on our side."

  We pursued the Welsh for three miles until we came to more broken country and our horses tired. I reined in close to a stream and shouted, "Halt. We have done enough."

  My men were all experienced enough to dismount and rest our weary beasts. My men led their mounts to the stream. I looked up at Ranulf and wondered why they did not do the same. Before I could ask him the Earl of Gloucester reined in. He leapt from his horse and embraced me. "Once again I am in your debt."

  I gave a slight bow. "My men found me but they did not have enough time to explain what happened."

  He laughed, "Better you hear of my mistake from me than your men. I divided my forces. I know now that was a mistake. I sent half towards Wrexham. I believed that the Prince was there and I intended to trap him. He turned the tables on me and attacked me as soon as my men had gone. I expect them to return soon but they are not led by Alfraed the Earl of Cleveland." He seemed to see his son in law for the first time. "I see you had the siege lifted."

  "That was the Earl’s doing."

  "And how is my daughter?"

  "She is safe."

  Robert of Gloucester pointed his spear at a dead Viking who had been slain by Dick's archers. His body lay at our feet. He turned the body over. "This is a disturbing development."

  I nodded, "Perhaps your father should invade Ireland and end the threat once and for all."

  "Perhaps, although he is still in Normandy."

  The Earl of Chester asked, "And what now, my lord?"

  He looked at me, "Your archers will pursue them?"

  "They will follow until they stop and then they will return here. If you wish to go back to Chester where we can gather our forces I will wait here for my men."

  He shook his head, "I would keep us together now. It is lucky that they headed south west."

  The Earl of Chester laughed, "It was not luck my lord. The Earl here chose our direction of attack to create their movement."

  I shrugged, "I did not want to give them the chance to go to Chester and to cause mayhem there."

  "Then I am decided. We will retire to Deofold and await your men there."

  The old hunting lodge still stood. It had been long abandoned but it had a roof and kept out the draughts. When our pack animals were brought up we shared out the little food we had. The Earl of Gloucester had had to move so quickly that he did not have much food left.

  As we ate I asked, "Who commands the other half of your army, my lord?"

  "Sir Ralph Warenne. He is a doughty warrior and can hold the line but he lacks imagination. He will return here when he finds no one at Wrecsam."

  "Let us hope he does not encounter Owain ap Gruffudd then or we could be in another difficult situation."

  I could see that the thought had not occurred to the Earl who stood and walked to the door as though watching for his men. He suddenly started. "Your archers return, Cleveland, or at least some of them."

&nb
sp; That did not sound like Dick. He would have returned with all of his men unless prevented from doing so. Had he suffered a reverse? I joined the King's son as he walked to the edge of the wood to meet Dick.

  "Well?"

  The Earl was impatient. I nodded to Dick. "We followed them for ten miles and then they met up with a force of Norman knights and men at arms heading east. There was a confused battle. The Welsh drove the Normans from the field. We followed them as far as Wrexham. I left some of my archers to be the rearguard. I brought the news as soon as I could for I deemed it important."

  The Earl clapped him about the shoulders. "It is indeed and you are a fine fellow. Was the battle led by Sir Ralph Warenne?"

  "It was and he is wounded." Dick hesitated and I nodded for him to continue. "Four knights were slain as well as eight men at arms. Many of the fyrd fled."

  "Then Owain has slipped away again." He reached into his purse and took out a coin. "Here is for your troubles, my friend. I am grateful."

  Dick took the coin and went back to his archers.

  "What do we do now then gentlemen?"

  "Simple, my lord, we go to Wrexham."

  "And fight?"

  "We may not need to." I waved a hand towards the Welsh corpses which still littered the plain. "They have been hurt badly here and even if Sir Ralph was knocked about his men would have hurt the Welsh." I turned to Dick who still stood by the open door of the hunting lodge. "Did Sir Ralph's men cause casualties?"

  "Yes, my lord. At least twenty warriors were either slain or badly wounded."

  "There you are. We have both been hurt. If you pursue him he will not have time to lick his wounds and send for more men. Besides it keeps him on the defensive."

  "But we are in no condition to fight."

  I went closer to him and spoke quietly so that only he and Ranulf could hear. "If you do not then some of our men may decide all is lost and leave. You know yourself, my lord, that men are better when attacking." Even as I said it I knew that none of mine would leave but I had seen the hang dog look of those who followed the other two Earls.

  "Very well. We leave before dawn and march to Wrexham."

  "With your permission, my lord, I will see to my men. I have not spoken with them since the battle and I know not how they fared."

  That was something of a white lie for John had already told me that none of my knights nor squires had fallen and that my men at arms had suffered only minor wounds. I was keen to reassure them that all was well. The camp had a despondent air as though we had been defeated. Even as I went down to the camp I saw the weary warriors of Sir Ralph de Warenne as they trudged into the camp. Such ill feelings could easily spread.

  I found Sir Edward. I had to smile. My men had sent Aiden and Leofric hunting. I caught the smell of a game stew made with various animals and wild herbs. They knew how to forage. Their faces were a relief for they were in direct contrast to those of the other conroi. The other soldiers sniffed enviously at the air which was heavy with the smell of cooking meat. My men were relaxed; they knew we were far from beaten and that we had sent the Welsh running.

  "Stew, my lord?"

  "No thank you, Edward. I have eaten although not as well as you."

  Wulfric wandered over. He was only a man at arms but he had fought alongside Edward for many years and could talk as easily with knights as with his fellows. "And what of tomorrow, my lord?"

  "We follow the Welsh!"

  Wulfric rubbed his hands. "Excellent. I still have much room in my purse for gold coins."

  "I am surprised the Welsh had much upon their person."

  He shook his head, "No, my lord. It is these men from Dublin. They all like their arm rings. Some are silver and one was gold. They also adorn their swords with pretty stones. The Welsh are not worth searching but the men from Ireland are. Michael the archer told me that there were still twenty or thirty of them with this Welsh King."

  "He is a Prince."

  "No matter, my lord. We will take whatever he carries about his person but I was hoping for a crown."

  My men were irrepressible. They felt that they could conquer the world. I was lucky to lead them.

  The Earl had been impressed with my archers and it was they who formed the van. Our numbers were not as bad as one might have expected. Sir Ralph and his wounded were sent to bolster the defence of Chester. We had just twenty five knights, including the three earls. With fifty men at arms and just my archers the bulk of the army was the fyrd raised by the Earl. Although there were over a hundred and twenty of them they would not be reliable as a fighting force. I knew that the Earl of Gloucester was dubious about their quality for he kept his own men at arms close behind them. If they chose to flee they would have to risk the wrath of the Earl's men at arms.

  When we reached Wrexham the gates were, as we had expected, closed. I waved Dick over. "Take my archers and stop any leaving from the rear gate. I suspect the Prince will send for help."

  "Aye my lord."

  As they galloped off Robert of Gloucester asked, "What is that about?" I told him. "This looks like a difficult place to take, Cleveland."

  "I doubt they have many supplies in. There is little growing in the fields and we saw cattle and sheep as we passed. We can collect those. They will soon be hungry and we will not."

  "You are suggesting that we do nothing?"

  "I am suggesting that we wait and we eat the Welsh animals. Our horses will recover and we will eat well. The Welsh will starve and grow nervous. They will soon tire and either attack us or talk."

  "And if they fight?"

  "Then we have the superiority in cavalry. Most of their knights lay dead on the field at Deofold and we made great slaughter of their horses. We may have fewer men but we have more knights and mounted men at arms."

  "Very well." He turned and shouted, "Make camp!"

  The Earl had done this sort of thing before and he organised a closely guarded camp. He ordered his men to capture some of the cattle which still grazed, unprotected in the fields. When they were skinned he had them roasted over huge pits. The prevailing wind took the smell towards the Welsh. It would make them hungry. This simple act rejuvenated the rest of our army. A full stomach makes for a braver warrior.

  I sent Aiden to find Dick and tell him to make camp beyond the town. The men on the walls watched us. Had I been Owain I would have sallied forth and tried to drive us hence while we were busy setting up our defences but he did not. That told me that he did not have great numbers. I took heart from that. After we had eaten I walked around our perimeter and our sentries to reassure myself that we would not be surprised. I stood, just beyond our furthest sentry watching the lights from the town and trying to imagine what the Welsh might do.

  “You never stop do you, Alfraed?”

  I turned and saw the Earl of Gloucester by my side. I shook my head. “I worry too much, I know that my lord.”

  “I meant it as a compliment. Your diligence and your scrutiny have saved us more than once.” We both stared out towards the Welsh. “I tried to make up for my error the last time we fought the Welsh. I tried to draw the Welsh to me. It seems I succeeded too well.”

  “I think this Welsh Prince is a formidable foe. His men retired in good order. That speaks well of their commander.” I gestured back towards the camp. “I spoke with Ranulf. The defences around Chester are not what they should be.”

  “I know. I have the land in the south of their land well managed and controlled by castles. I think perhaps he should visit with you and see your defences.”

  “I constantly strive to improve them for our enemies are always looking for ways to breach them.”

  “Perhaps when we have killed enough they may accept the inevitable.”

  “There are always young warriors who seek to gain glory and fame. We have them too but we manage them a little better than our foes.”

  “You are wise beyond your years. My sister always says that.” I turned when he spoke of Matilda.
He lowered his voice. “She is at my castle at Gloucester. She tired of the Tower.”

  “She has not returned to her husband then?”

  “No. My father writes weekly urging her to do so but she is strong willed. I think the castellan at the Tower tired of her complaints. She can be a harpy at times.”

  I thought of the Matilda I knew. The Earl did not know his sister. She was no harpy.

  I heard a horse in the distance. I looked at the Earl who nodded. It sounded like trouble. We hurried to the camp. Aiden was dismounting. He dropped to one knee and spoke, “My lord, Dick has sent me. The Welsh have opened the northern gates. He thinks they are sallying.”

  The Earl of Gloucester looked at me, “He is your man. What think you?”

  “I will take my men at arms, my lord and support him. If I need any help then I will send Aiden back.”

  “Very well.” I heard a grim laugh in the dark. “This Welsh prince is an annoyingly resourceful foe.”

  “Wulfric, mount our men. Erre keep your men here. We need swift riders this night.” On campaign I rarely took off my mail. John brought Scout to me and Leofric my helmet and my shield. We were mounted in a short time. “Lead on Aiden.”

  We rode into the dark. Aiden had the eyes of a cat and led us unerringly along what seemed to me an invisible greenway. He held up his hand and slowed. He was listening. I heard, too, the sounds of combat. I drew my sword and the others followed suit. The town was less than a mile from our left. I saw the first Welsh body and it had an arrow in it. Dick was close. I heard Welsh voices. One sounded as though it was giving commands. I waved my sword to the left and right. My men spread out in a line behind me.

  We came upon the Welsh column almost immediately. Their white faces turned as they heard our hooves. I shouted, “Stockton!” At the top of my voice so that Dick and the others knew that help was at hand. Then we were amongst them. It was a unique experience. We rarely fought battles in the dark. A face loomed up and you had seconds to decide if it was a friend or a foe. We had the advantage for we knew that we were all mounted. However, when a horse suddenly appeared before me, I realised my error. It was a knight and he swung his sword towards me.