The Knight of Chivalry

Chapter 6

A year had now pasted since the others had left and Simon was very settled in his life but today he remembered them and the times he had with them, he missed his family back home and the civilised world even if he felt that he belonged in this one way more than in the civilised world the way he was, the way he acted was certainly more old fashioned and chivalrous. With the year that had gone he had learnt all that there was to being a squire and now he served the lord doing any task that he was instructed to and he enjoyed it and he filled his spare time between combat training, riding, reading or just having a good time with the few friends he had made here though the squires still didn’t like him very much and William still picked on him though the others rarely did only with his extreme encouragement as they had learnt they could never beat him in a fight and it wasn’t as funny to make jokes about him. But they didn’t really interact with him still but he was glad they didn’t pick on him so much. It was now summer and the harvest was busy being brought in and he enjoyed it as most weekends had markets and there was a lot of people coming into the town and it was very busy but there was also fresh food and that was very good.

With all of these people coming there were amongst them were some people from out of this county and they brought news from other places in the realm but there weren’t many of them as this county was far from the centre of the realm. One day the lord summand all of his banner men to his hall and they all came, Simon had seen them in the hall sometimes or the lord had took him to their manor halls to go hunting or to collect rents or just to pay them a visit. They were all curious as to why he had summand them here and so was he.

            “Hello once again friends I am glad you all came when I summand you, I’m glad to see you and to see you are all loyal to me, I have summand you here to give you all a task, the news saddens me but I knew it must come. The king has ordered me to gather my men to be a part of his army as the north of his realm has rebelled against him and as we are fairly close to that part of the realm they might attack us so the lord king wishes us who might be at most risk to form part of the army that will teach them oath breakers, them traitors up north a lesson they will always remember and so I put to you my friends summand your men for we go to war, we shall assemble two weeks today at Llewey as that’s close to the borders to the north, ride now as fast as your horses can carry you I know you will not fail me” the lord said, the men were all cheering at this news, war had not come for many years to the realms and they were tired of resting on their laurels in this peace time, men were meant to fight some of them fought, though perhaps some of the older ones were hesitant at this as they knew what war was and how there would be many casualties to the war but the younger ones were all excited and rushing around, they were headstrong and knew not the horror off war. Simon though he was young was also wise he knew plenty of war and was a little frighten by its prospects, who knows if he would return, or which one of his friends would die but he would do his duty to his lord and fight well. The castle was very busy now with everyone rushing around getting ready for the march ahead, weapons were sharpened or made by the smiths, men were rounded up, horses readied, armour polished, supplies collected. Simon had to get a lot of the lords’ armoury ready for him and onto the carts which would take it to Llewey and then he sorted out his own weapons and armour.

It took five days for all the men and horses to get ready but once they were the left the town and went on the road to Llewey it took two days marching to get there but they were all egger to get going, they were singing songs and laughing and bragging to each other that they would kill these traitors and be home by mid-winter. They got to Llewey, some of the lords banner men were already there and they were excited to see the lord come and many knew those men of the town and they greeted them with happiness. Llewey was a fort next to a river that it had been there for a while as the fort was next to a bridge which was one of the only ways across the river for miles into this country and many years ago when the kingdom was all split and there was always battle or raids from the north to this part as though they might be out of the way they also had a fertile land and they raided them for crops. It had been improved over time and was now a stone fort that was held by an old soldiers called Gunderland Hoffer and he let the lord stay in his room while they were assembling the army here. The lord had brought all his knights with him as well as three hundred foot soldiers, these were the professional trained soldiers who had tough leather armour and using spears, swords, shields and sometimes axes. There was also 500 militia men, these were ordinary people who were levied for the army and had a few days training each year, also with them were 300 archers with their bows as they trained every Sunday as archery contest were very popular in the summer.

A couple of his banner men were already there and more came over the days as they came closer to the two week time limit. The lord was very happy with all of the men that was coming in, as it was harvest time the men were needed to bring it in but more had come and he knew it would be enough to help out. By the end of the two weeks all of the banner men had all came to here now, in total his troops numbers 100 cavalry which were made up of the banner men and the knights in his household and their squires as well as a few professionally trained cavalry men. Five hundred foot soldiers, one thousand militia and a thousand archers but there was a few more than that but he left three hundred and fifty militia and archers at Llewey to help hold it. During the last couple days a messenger from the king came to them to see them and told the lord where the kings’ army was going to be. Once they were all assembled there the lord gave another speech to inspire them that this war was just and then the next day they started to march north.