Free Warlord of the North by Griff Hosker Page A

sight.  I found the Scots and I scouted Durham."
    "Sit, please.  I am sorry.  I should never doubt you.  You are like the forest itself. Go on..."
    "There are small bands of Scots between here and Durham but not enough to trouble you, my lord. Further west there is a large army.  It is at Barnard Castle.  I think I saw the Scottish Royal banner there.  Durham is free from Scots and is on a war footing.  I did not enter.  The Bishop's standard flies yet."
    "You have done well. Tomorrow we ride to Durham and scour the land of these brigands."
    Sir John came to speak with me once Aiden had left us.  I still saw him as my squire and yet he was now a knight in his own right. "Earl, may I speak?"
    "Of course, John."
    "Have I disappointed you in some way?"
    "Disappointed?"
    "You did not take me with you when you raided Hartness. I wondered if you thought less of me."
    "Sit." He sat and I saw the young man in his eyes. This was another mistake on my part. Perhaps I had taken on too much.  "John you are my castellan. Your job is to protect my castle.  When I ride abroad I do so knowing that my castle is in safe hands; yours. I asked Sir Edward and Sir Richard to remain in their castles too and you know how much I value them."
    "But I do nothing!"
    "You are right in that I have not given you enough to do and for that I apologise. The men you command are mine. You should have men, like Erre and the others who guard the castle but are your men. You need oathsworn of your own. I have told John that the priority now is defence and he will make funds available. There will be young men of Stockton who wish to become warriors.  You and Leofric did a fine job of training William. Do the same for your own men at arms. There are archers too for Alf has everyone at archery after church each Sunday. Find those who wish to serve."
    "I can do that?"
    "You are a knight and you are my castellan. Remember your men at arms and archers need no horses.  They will be static.  They guard my castle.  They guard you and your family."
    "But I have no family yet."
    I smiled.  I had not told him all the trivial news from Maine and Normandy. "Leofric is taking a wife.  Even now they may not only be married but have children. Tristan, Hugh, Harold all have wives and some have children. You will too. This Scottish incursion will end and peace will return."
    "And yet if Stephen of Blois...."
    "Ah, you are right. He is a boil which has yet to burst but we have time.  I hope and believe that the Empress and the Earl of Gloucester will return to this land to claim the throne that is rightly hers. On that day I shall ride behind her as a Knight of the Empress."
    "Thank you, my lord, for confiding in me."
    "I should do this more often. This is your home as well as mine.  When I am here then join me whenever you can.  We need to speak.  If we do not understand each other's minds then what chance do our warrior's stand?"
    He rose, "I will begin to choose my men in the morning, lord."
    "Oh one thing; we must look to ourselves for everything. Find women of the town whom we can pay to make new surcoats.  We need our enemies to know who we are."
    I did not take all of my men with me when I headed north.  I left Wulfric and Dick along with Sir Hugh and his men to help with the new gate and the wall.  I took Sir Tristan and Sir Harold along with their retinues.  Aiden came as scout. He had told me the road to Durham was clear. If there were any small bands of Scots then the two conroi would be more than enough to deal with them. It was my tongue I expected to use and not my sword.
    It was depressing to ride the Durham Road and see the burnt out farms and the flocks of carrion birds feasting on the corpses of the dead. This was because I had been absent and the Bishop had procrastinated. Sir Harold and Sir Tristan flanked me. "Can we win, my lord? Can we beat the Scots and then take on Stephen of Blois and the might of England?"
    I looked at Sir Tristan.