Northern Knight (5 page)

An official came to tell her that there were dignitaries from Denmark who wished to express their concerns. She rolled her eye.  After giving us the directions to the estate she left us. I pointed to the treasure before us. "We had better take some of these with us now.  It seems to me a huge amount of jewellery We are a big enough target without this.  Every knight, lord and bandit will be after this treasure."

We took the small leather pouches containing the jewels and we each took one.  Even then we had barely taken the top layer from the chest. We gathered our men with the eight horses Sir Guy had managed to buy and we headed west out of town.  We left Rolf to have the first shift and moved towards our home for the next week or so. I smiled as I saw the looks as we left.  They assumed we were going home; they did not know us.  We were here to stay.

The estate had been a fortified manor at some time in the past and had an old warrior hall.  It was perfect for us. Ernst, who was the caretaker for the Empress, was a little taken aback when we arrived.  Gottfried explained it all to him and our gold helped to ease his mind.  We were not robbers.

"I will take the next shift.  If you give me your armour, Edward, I will get it repaired." Already we were preparing for our departure.  I had no idea how long we were staying it could be a day or it could be a month.  We had to be ready to fly whenever that was.  I summoned Dick, Aiden and Edgar.

"We may have to leave in the middle of the night.  Dick and Aiden I want you two totally familiar with every road and trail out of here.  We may be pursued; in fact I am certain that we will be pursued. You will have to be able to get us away from here unseen. Edgar, organise guards.  We too, as well as the Empress, may be a target.  Our enemies may decide to eliminate us and here it is an isolated spot. We stay vigilant.  The men do not go into Worms.  The last thing we need is for the men who serve the Count of Stuttgart to begin to whittle down our numbers. And make sure that all the horses Sir Guy bought are sound and broken in.  We may well have to use them for the three ladies."

We explained the arrangements to Sir Guy.  "When I was in the town I noticed bands of what can only be described as bandits. They were on every corner and in every ale house.  They are like crows gathering over a corpse."

"Then when we go on duty we take our squires with us. We are too few to risk losing any."

I took Harold with me as I headed back into Worms.  We already knew a good armourer from our previous visit and I dropped off the mail. By the time we reached the Empress' chambers it was time to change the shift. Rolf took me to one side.  "It is as well you have brought Harold. There are many armed knights in the palace.  When the Emperor dies then we will have to be on our guard."

"Is it imminent?"

"I do not know." He shook his head, "We are lucky, Alfraed, when we die it will be so sudden that we know nothing about it. I would hate to have to lie there and think about the mistakes I had made in my life and worry about the hereafter. Especially when surrounded by bloodsuckers and leeches."

"Where is the Empress now?"

He pointed to the inner chamber.  "She is resting." He smiled, "You will have to endure the feast tonight! She will need a bodyguard."

I groaned.  I hated having to eat amongst the lords and ladies.  I preferred the company of my men or my family.  I was not a sociable person. I took off my helmet and lowered my coif.  "This will be a long night, Harold."

He shrugged, "When I think of the nights I froze in Sherwood then I will accept this, my lord.  This seems quite a pleasant place in which to wait."

"You are right, I forget sometimes what a pampered life I had before I reached England."

"Do not worry, lord, you have made up for it since!"

The Empress came out followed by her two ladies, Judith and Margaret.  Both were older than she was but not by much.  She smiled when she saw me, "I feel safer already. These are my ladies in waiting.  They will return to Caen with me."

I nodded, "I hope you will not find the journey too arduous, ladies."

"Do not fear, knight, Judith and I will not slow you down. We are Norman and we know how to ride."

I coloured.  How had they known my fears?

Matilda laughed, "Do not tease Alfraed, Margaret; he and his men are the wall of iron which will protect our frail bodies. And now let us go down to meet those who play the false smiles of sympathy."

Harold and I followed the three of them to the Great Hall where the tables had been prepared. With so many visitors the room was packed.  I saw that the Empress had arranged for five seats kept for us at the head table. It meant she was cocooned by her ladies on one side and Harold and me on the other.  She would not have to make small talk. She was making us a barrier.

The room rose as we entered and was silent.  The Empress sat down and then nodded to us; we sat. I will say that the servants at the palace were very well trained.  The food must have been waiting just outside the hall for the moment we sat an army of liveried servants hurried in and began to place the wooden platters on the table. I watched as Judith and Margaret each took food from different platters and nibbled before nodding to the Empress.  She chose only from the food they had tasted. I turned to Harold, "We must also act as food tasters. You try from that platter and I will try this."

I picked up a piece of mutton and ate it. Although it tasted greasy it did not appear to be poisoned.  As the Empress reached over for a piece she murmured, "You learn quickly, Baron."

"Is it always like this?  Do you constantly fear for your life?"

She looked sad as she gave a slight nod, "It is the reason I wish to return to Caen.  There I can eat without fearing poison.  I can sleep without guards and I can know that the smiles I see are real." She nibbled at the mutton and then wiped her hands on her napkin.  Margaret poured some wine and drank a little. She wiped the rim and passed it to the Empress who nodded her thanks.  She sipped and said, "Watch the Counts on the opposite side of the table. The three of them are as close as thieves."

"Why does Lothair of Supplinburg hate you and your husband so?"

As she spoke I stared at the three of them. "Lothair thought that he would be elected and he was not. He has the Pope's support and when Henry dies then he will become Emperor but he festers for he thinks of the years that Henry and I ruled. He will try to pay me back for the years he has waited. He is the only one who has not even shown false sympathy for my poor husband's condition."

"Then why allow him to stay?"

"Because as a Count of the Empire he has every right to be here."

"But he will try to stop you leaving."

"Oh yes.  He will definitely try to bring harm to me."

I studied their faces. I had fought the Count of Stuttgart and knew that he was devious.  The Count of Aachen was a plotter.  This Count of Supplinburg appeared slightly more honest and yet he was the deadliest of the three.

I had been wrong.  It was not a long night. The Empress stood after having partaken, albeit lightly, of each of the courses. "I will now retire, please stay and enjoy the hospitality of my husband's hall.  I will see how he fares."

We followed her from the room and I felt eyes, like daggers, in our backs. "Come, we will see how poor Henry is."

When we entered the room it smelled of candles and of death.  The physicians we had seen before were gathered in a huddle.  One of them approached Matilda as we neared the bed.  "We have, as the Empress demanded, stopped bleeding the Emperor."

"And?"

"And he has a little more colour but his condition is not improving."

"But he is no worse?"

"No, highness."

"Then go back to you books and find a cure.  I will visit with my husband now."

The gaggle of physicians hurried out. The Empress went to a jug of water and dampened a cloth with it.  She tenderly swiped his face.  She stood silently for a moment and then leaned forward to speak quietly in his ear.  She kissed him lightly on his forehead and turned to us.  I saw that she had wept a little.

"They have used drugs to make him sleep.  He does not appear to be in pain. Let us return to my rooms." As we passed the guards she said, "Abelard, let no one enter save the doctors. No one!"

He nodded, "Yes highness."

Once we entered the antechamber to her room she flung herself down on the couch and began to sob. Margaret and Judith comforted her while Harold and I looked helplessly at each other.  Margaret stood and came towards us as the Empress' sobs subsided. "It shows the faith she has in you, my lord that she weeps openly before you."

"I thought that she and the Emperor were estranged."

"No, my lord.  They were never enamoured of each other; it was a political marriage but they were fond of one another." She shook her head, "If the Emperor were a dog then he would have been put out of his misery long ago.  There is no dignity in this long lingering death." She saw my look of surprise. "I would have given him a draught myself to ease his pain were it not for the fact the finger of blame would be laid at the door of the Empress and she has even more enemies than the Emperor."

We had been in the corner speaking quietly and the Empress rose. "I am sorry for my weakness."

"You are a woman first, your highness and then an Empress."

She nodded, "Now let us talk of after.  My ladies know that the journey will be hard.  What are your plans; I know that you will have made some."

I took a deep breath.  I had been thinking, while watching the three Counts at the feast how we could escape. I did have an idea but it would need the compliance of the three women. "I know that you can all ride but can you ride as men? Can you straddle a horse?"

Judith giggled.  "I had a husband once, I think I can straddle!"

When the other two laughed I felt relief.  "I will have three surcoats made for you and buy helmets.  You need not wear armour but I will disguise you as men at arms. No one notices men at arms and you can ride in the midst of my men.  When we leave they will look at our faces at the head of the column.  You three, in the middle, will be invisible. The swords you will wear will be uncomfortable but this will just be until we are out of Worms."

"You would ride through Worms?  In full view of our enemies?"

"If they try to prevent us leaving it may be the safest way.  Once we are past Worms then my men will take us down secret routes but if we pass through Worms seemingly without you then we will be safe, at least for a while, and they will not try to stop us.  If we left with you in plain sight then Lothair of Supplinburg would prevent us from leaving."

"I think it will work but how will you hide our hair?  Would you have us shear it?"

It was my turn to smile. I showed her my helmet. "Do you see how we have a cap within the helmet to cushion blows and to prevent chafing?  You will not need protection for you will not be fighting and your hair can be tied up underneath the helm and it will be a good fit."

"You could have us wear a coif beneath the helmet and that would hide our lack of beards."

"Not all of my men wear such facial hair but it is a good idea.  I will make the arrangements tomorrow."

There was a knock at the door and when we opened it Edward and Gille were there.  They looked at us expectantly.

"We have had a quiet evening.  I hope you are rested."

"Aye, my lord."

I bowed to the three women.  "Then I shall make the arrangements tomorrow.  Good night." Taking more pouches of the jewels we slipped out of the Empress' quarters.

When we left the palace it was night.  Although not yet midnight it was late enough that there were few people around. As we reached the gates to the city I noticed more guards on duty than there had been.  They let us out and the gates slammed ominously behind us. It was just a few miles to our bed for the night but I kept glancing around. Something did not feel right. We could see nothing for it was a cloudy night and there was no moon.

"Harold, you are a man of the woods, does everything seem as it should be?"

"No, Baron. I cannot put my finger on it but it feels, uncomfortable and threatening.  There are no noises in the woods to our side."

"Draw your sword."

I pulled my shield around to my side.  It was pitch black The only way we knew our route was by the stones before us.  Our horses' hooves clattered and that was the single sound we heard. The hiss of my sword as it slid from the scabbard was hidden when Scout neighed. There was danger ahead.

I turned to Harold and whispered, "Ambush! Ride like the devil himself is after us."

I leaned forward over Scout's mane and spurred him.  He leapt forward.  There were half a dozen cracks as crossbows were released. I felt one as it pinged off my helmet.  The rest flew above us. We had sprung the trap but not yet escaped it. I heard German shouts behind us and the sound of hooves on the road. Suddenly four horses loomed up out of the dark.  I jerked my reins to the right knowing that Harold would tuck in behind me. We would rely on our shields and fight those to our right. I ducked beneath the sword which swung at my head and stabbed forwards with my sword.  I heard it tear across the mail of armour.  As I pulled it back I heard a grunt of pain. I barely had time to bring up my sword to block the next sword strike. Fortunately we were travelling faster than the ones who had sprung the ambush.

I felt something strike my saddle.  As I glanced behind me I saw Harold finishing off the man at arms I had wounded. It was too dark to make out who they were but I could see from the moving shadows that there were at least ten men chasing down the road.  This would be a race to the estate of the Empress.

"Harold, ride as fast as you can and keep your head down!"

"Aye my lord."

He came level with me and I spurred Scout.  The two horses were used to running alongside one another and they settled into a ground eating rhythm.  It was so dark that I was disorientated.  Had it not been for the Roman cobbles beneath Scout's hooves then I would have been lost. Fortunately the natural woodsman in Harold came to our aid.  "My lord, I can smell wood smoke.  We are close to the hall!"