Varangian (Aelfraed) (16 page)

Cnut shook his head, “We took no oath.
  We were hired to fight.”

I shook my head.
  “Saxons fighting for money are not Housecarls.  We must have an oath.”

William looked at the others and then at me.
  “We could swear an oath to you my lord and that would be more binding than gold.”

I pondered that. What would the strategos think?
  I turned to Aidan.  “How would that sit with the strategos, Aidan?”

He laughed, “They have no concept of an oath.
  Their loyalty is not to the man but the office. When an Emperor dies a new one receives the same support, “he paused, “so long as he lives.”

I looked at each face.
  They all nodded. “Then let us make an oath.”

The horse archers were bemused as my men all chanted their oath, cut their palms and shook hands with me.”

Andronikos came over afterwards and said, “It seemed a little barbaric to me but your men all took it seriously.  What is the point of it?”

Aidan answered, “It means they will never leave the battle field before their lord, even if he is dead.”

“But that means they would all die with him.”

I nodded, “As did the Housecarls of my father at Senlac Hill when the finest Housecarls ever, died to a man protecting their lord’s body.”

The army of Alexios Comnenus snaked its way along the road.  We could see them from miles away as they raised a huge cloud of dust.  From our forward positions we could see the towers of the city and knew that they too would be able to witness this mighty army. Having seen what constituted a Norman patrol I suspected that we would be outnumbered but the one thing I had noticed about the Byzantine army was that it was well equipped and disciplined.  The Normans thought they were well disciplined but, as their attack against us had shown, they were not. The strategos and Nicephorus rode up the hill to greet us. Andronikos had sent back regular reports and they knew the situation.

The strategos was beaming when he dismounted and he embraced Andronikos and me. “I have made at least two worthy appointments. Well done.” He held me at arm’s length and looked up into my face.
  “So is it true you charged cavalry on foot?”

I shrugged modestly, “It seemed the right thing to do.”

Nicephorus shook his head.  “I should like to have seen that and I hear you slew over a hundred of their men.”

I waved my arm at Andronikos, “We slew over a hundred.
  It was a good combination of horse and foot working together.”

Alexios nodded, “Which is the Byzantine way but it seems Saxons learn quickly.”

The Byzantine engineers set to work making defences for the siege lines. We were observers but it was fascinating to watch. They used huge shields such as we had against the Pechengs to protect the men who dug the deep ditches and then placed the excavated soil as a barrier. The shields were then buried in the mound to provide an instant wall.  Next they began to build the siege machines which had been brought by wagon and were assembled.  All the while Andronikos’ cavalry provided a screen to deter any sorties from the city but Roussel seemed happy enough to watch from within and bide his time. As soon as the ditch was dug then Andronikos bade us farewell as he and his cavalry left to surround the far side of the city and prevent reinforcements raising the siege or the escape of any of those inside the city.

For the next four days our role was that of an interested spectator. The siege engines were built and they began to hurl their missiles at the gates and the walls.
  The strategos was a cautious man and he did not wish to waste his men’s lives; here men were expensive while at home the poor fyrd were thrown into battle like chaff in the wind. Eventually I was summoned to the command tent. By now my Greek was passable and becoming better each day.  Ridley had not made such progress and I left Aidan with him to improve my friend’s skills.

“Ah Aelfraed. I think we are ready to begin the assault. Nicephorus, his second in command was with him and they had a model of the town built in the tent.
  “We are going to use a ram here.” He pointed to the gate. The archers from the Thema will cover the walls but I want a shield wall around them.” I nodded.  I suspected more was expected of us than human shields.  “When the ram has penetrated the gate you and your men will force an entry supported by the archers.  As soon as you have control of the gate then we will send the rest in.”

I nodded and looked at the plan.
  “What of this gate?” There was a gate on the opposite side of the city.

“Andronikos and his men guard there.”

“When we attacked the Normans in Jorvik many escaped through the gate which was furthest away from the gate we were attacking.  Normans and Franks do not like to fight on foot. I would position some heavier armed men there.”

Nicephorus pointed at the gate. “My cataphracts are of no use in an assault.
  I will support the archers.”

“Good.
  Prepare your men.  We will attack as soon as it is dark.” That made sense for our numbers would be hidden. The men were excited as I briefed them.  “Leave your spears and cloaks here we will not need them.  This will be axe work.  I will lead the first wedge. Egbert will lead the second and, if we need it, Edward the third.  Once we are inside we have to secure the gate. My wedge will form the shield wall while the others secure the entrance.

We followed the ram out of our defences.
  The onagers were still hurling rocks to weaken the gate.  Once the ram reached the gate they would shift their aim to the walls. “Keep your shields up.  I want no dozy bugger peeping over the top!” Ridley and I led the men in two columns.  We were better protected and I felt confident that we would reach the allotted position without injury.  The archers on the walls concentrated their missiles at the ram and that allowed us to get closer than I had hoped.  Night had cloaked us well.  The Komes with the archers said, “Here is good.”

“Shield wall!”

We quickly formed three ranks.  I dropped to my knees and felt the reassuring presence of a shield behind my head.  With three rows of shield the archers were as protected as well as possible. Flight after flight flew over our head and then it became more sporadic as the archers chose their targets.  We could hear the steady beat of the ram striking the heavy wooden gate.  To those inside it must have seemed like the sound of a coffin lid being hammered shut for the gate was giving. A figure emerged from the back of the ram and I saw a white hand waved in the dark.  It was nearly time.

“Front rank! Wedge. Egbert take charge of the rest.”

We formed a wedge almost instantly and I set off at a trot.  The first two hundred paces would be the hardest. I had my shield held before me and my axe in one hand.  The rowing and hauling the boat up the portages had built up my muscles and I could, for a short period, use the axe one handed.  It meant I could still protect myself. The brave men in the ram heard our feet thundering and they pushed their ram through the shattered gates.  If we were slow then the unarmoured men would be slaughtered.  That would not happen. I could hear their screams as the defenders fell upon them but then we were there.  I saw a knight raise his mace to strike a cowering soldier and Death Bringer struck to cleave his head and arm from his body.  The grateful soldier ran out of the gate to safety.  “Shield wall.  The wedge was unnecessary as there was no force to meet us.  The defenders were now pouring along in ones and twos. I heard Egbert leading the men behind up the stairs and the shouts, screams and clash of weapons as they took the gate.  The men before us seemed in no hurry to attack us and I moved us towards them. “Forwards!”

The effect was two fold, firstly more of Edward’s men could fill in behind us and the enemy retreated, actually, to be accurate most of them routed.
  The enemy melted before us and our deadly blades. When we finally captured Roussel’s capital we found out that the stories of our defeat of the Normans had been exaggerated but none were brave enough to try us. For us it was the end of the fighting.  We had no blood lust for we had lost no-one and the defenders surrendered.  It seemed strange to us until one soldier told us that Roussel and his knights had fled when the gate was assaulted. I just hoped that Nicephorus had been there to capture him!

That night we ate well and slept well for we were inside the city. The strategos did not extract vengeance on the people for Roussel had deserted them.
  We ate, with the other commanders, in the Governor’s magnificent dining room.  We were all in a good humour until an irate and angry Nicephorus stormed into the room, drank off a small jug of wine and then slumped into the empty seat we had left for him. There was a silence and then he seemed to see us for the first time.  He jumped to his feet and gave a short bow to Alexios. “Apologies, strategos.  They escaped.” He nodded to me.  “You were right Aelfraed.  They did come out but there were over two thousand of them and, although we killed many, they out ran us in the dark.  We had too few to pursue.  I ordered Andronikos to follow them with a bandon. I have retained the rest.”

“At least you killed some and where will he go?” We now know that he has less than two thousand men.
  Once he has been found we will take the Thema and the Saxons with your cataphracts and defeat him. We will not need the siege engines again.”

Nicephorus relented a little and actually smiled.
  Alexios was a good leader who was always calm.  I never played him at chess but I suspect he would have been as good as Aethelward, if not better. However he was wrong.  We did need the siege engines but by then they were two hundred and fifty miles away, still in Ankara. We left the siege engineers and a detachment of the Thema to manage the city and we loaded our war gear into the wagons and set off in pursuit of Roussel. We were a hundred and fifty miles from Ankara when a weary Andronikos reached us. “He has gone to Amasya.”

Nicephorus and Alexios exchanged a troubled look.
  “Perhaps the people will eject him.”

“No strategos. I followed him to the city walls and the people there have made him governor.”

“What is the problem my lord?  We just do as we did in Ankara.”

Alexios smiled and Nicephorus shook his head.
  “Amasya is on a high mountain and the approach is difficult.  It would be very costly to assault.  In addition to that there is access to the sea so that he could escape there and cause us more trouble.  No, this problem needs a little more thought but at least we know where we are going now.”

“Should I send for the siege train?”

“No Nicephorus, we need to strike quickly and the siege train would take over a week to reach us here and we are still only half way there.  We will see what our minds can come up with.”

As we trudged north along the dusty road I now understood my uncle a little more.
  I had assumed that he had been merely fighting in the east but he had been learning from the Strategoi who sometimes use other strategies to obtain their ends.  The Norns were still weaving and had not forgotten me here in the mystic east; now, at last, all of my training was coming into play.

After a couple more days on the road we saw the high citadel rising above us.
  I could now see what Alexios meant. Even without the local garrison the Norman could rain destruction down upon us as we struggled up the single road.  It would take cunning to affect an entry this time.  We made camp at the bottom of the road leading to the city.  There were mounted guards at the head of the road but we knew we could chase them away when we needed to.  Alexios ordered a fortified camp and we held a meeting to decide what to do.  Aidan was present although my Greek was now adequate for such meetings.

Alexios began, “We need to make the people throw him out.”

“You mean throw him out to us rather than letting him escape.”

“Quite, Nicephorus and the question is why would the people do that?”

No-one had an answer. I spoke up after a few moments thought. “You say they love him.” Andronikos nodded.  “Then we must make them fear us even more.”

“Go on Aelfraed, you intrigue me.”

“Has this city fallen before?”

“Only after a costly assault.”

“They will feel secure behind their walls.  They will have seen that you have no siege train and they will be waiting for you to waste your men in a useless assault against their fortifications.”

“Precisely!” Nicephorus was becoming impatient with my slow and patient build up.

I ignored him and said, instead to Alexios.  “Are there men in the army who know the city?”

“There should be.” He waved over an aide and whispered something to him. The aide left.
  “Go on.  I feel there is an idea behind these questions and unlike our friend Nicephorus I have a little more patience.” Nicephorus gave an apologetic smile.

“Suppose we created a little terror inside the city walls?”

“Terror?”

“Yes.
  If we could somehow get six or seven warriors in at night time they might cause them to believe that there were traitors in their midst. “

“What sorts of things do you have in mind?”

“A city in a siege situation needs plenty of food and water.  If they were threatened, then the city is not as secure.  They must be housing horses; if those horses were released from their stables and ran amok then damage would be caused.”

The aide returned and spoke quietly to Alexios.
  “There are some men who lived in Amasya so there is a chance but would this not mean the deaths of these men.  If they could get in and they could cause this damage then how would they escape?”

“Oh they would have to escape.
  There should be no connection to you and your army.  Then when you go and demand that Roussel be handed over they might be more amenable.”

There was a silence as everyone considered the plan. Alexios nodded. “If we could do all as you say then there are no drawbacks to this plan and it would work but where would you get men who were not connected to my army?”

“My men. We use some of the Norman and Frank armour we retained after the battle so that, if we are seen, and heard they will assume we are Franks for our languages sound similar to the Greeks do they not?”

Andronikos grinned, “They both sound like someone bringing phlegm from their throat!”

Everyone laughed and Alexios, after a moment or two held up his hand. “But how would you get in and out?”

“In is the easier part.
  There will be some way in and those who know the city amongst your men, if they were soldiers will know those ways. Getting out will be the same way and, if our work is not discovered then it will be easy but if they are seeking us then it will be more difficult.”