The Knight of Chivalry

Chapter 7

They marched for a week into the north and saw no one even when they passed closed to a village and this was strange to them but maybe all the people had go further into the north and were getting an army together to fight them. It took them so long to travel as they had a long package train with all the food for the army as the saying goes an army marches on its stomach. Simon being in the cavalry was acting as a scout for the army to make sure they weren’t walking into an ambush or being spied on by the enemy and also to see if they could find the kings army though they had a pretty good idea where they would be. They reached this place a week into the march and Simon had enjoyed riding everyday all over the place and seeing new places, the north was similar to where the lord was and they were going more north east than just north. When they got to this place where the king’s army was it was a surprise as it numbered quiet a lot and he roughly guessed that there was between twenty and thirty thousand men there and a few thousand horses and to feed this lot would have taken a lot of food he thought.

            They were gladly welcomed to the army and the lord was summand to the kings’ tent and he brought Simon along with him to act as his squire as he should. The kings’ tent was in the centre of the army and it was made out of scarlet cloth and there was guards outside of its entrance but as the lord walked in with General Matthew Kenthold and so the guards let them straight past. Inside the tent Simon saw that it was finally furnished with tables and chairs and though there was a screen blocking it Simon expected the bedroom to have a nice bed in it. The king sat in a chair behind the next, he looked to be in his early thirties, he had a nice head of golden hair with a pretty handsome face though it was not smiling now it looked more concerned but when he saw the general and the lord come him he looked up from his papers and a brief grin was on it.

            “Ah Lord John it is good to see you again though I wished we was doing so in happier circumstances I trust your journey here was pleasant?” The king asked.

            “It was indeed sire thank you for asking we faced to problems on the road here, I have brought you two thousand six hundred able bodied men to fight these damn north men” the lord replied.

            “Jolly good just what we need though I thought perhaps you would have brought more but no matter we have enough to face these rogues and face them we must they would deny me the throne and we can’t have that” The king said.

            “No sire we cannot you are our rightful king and not only that you are a pretty good and just one” The lord said.

            “You are kind John I do my best now I see you have brought a young fellow in with you who is he not your son?” The king asked.

            “It is not him I left him back in my county to govern it in my absence figured he could do with that experience more than combat as there are over battles to come no doubt, this fine young man is my squire Simon he be” the lord said.

            “Ah Simon is a good name and you look like a strong fellow” the king said and nodded at Simon who bowed in return.

            “Sire since Lord John has joined us we now have all the men for the council” The General said.

            “Ah yes of course get the major players assembled general we shall have this council of war in an hour let John here set his men to make their camp on our western flank” The King said.

            “Yes sire” The General said and all three men bowed to the king before leaving, the general shook the lords hand and went to send messengers to the other lords, dukes and barons who led the men in the kings army whereas John and Simon went to where they left the men and told them where they were to set up camp John then left Simon in charge of putting up his tent and went back to the king for the council of war. It took a few hours to set up all the tents for the men and to sort out the back age Simon had the lords’ tent up in no time, it was a simple tent compared to the kings but offered him everything he needed for a war. Once the camp was set up they started cooking a meal as the rest of the army was and some men came and visited them as some of them had thought battles with each other before and they got news from all across the realm but Simon was on his own for the most part sorting the lords things out for when he came back from the war council. Once this was done he sat by the fire sharpening his blade when his squire friends from the county came over and sat with him and they had a happy reunion and they gave news to each other and Simon got some ale for them and they were drinking and joking and it made him happy they said he should come and meet some others tomorrow if he had the chance and he promised them if he had the time to he would and they told him where they had sent up camp and their numbers which was quite impressive, but too soon they had to leave and they bid him farewell.

            The war council lasted a few hours but soon the lord returned with a grim look on his face and he wanted ale and food and so Simon supplied it to him in his tent but he remained silent while he ate and afterwards he told Simon to get his captains to assemble for the king had given them orders and he needed to tell them what they were. So Simon did as his lord commanded and got his captains together, they were all his banner men who led different parts of his army.

            “Well friends I have been in council with our lord king and the other commanders of this army for a few hours and I have learnt much, it seems the north don’t think the king should have rule over them anymore something about complaining they shouldn’t have to pay taxes to a man they hardly see and they rebelled the king wants to get them back he has tried to do it peacefully for a few months now but they kept refusing his terms and so he has gone to war. From scouts reports it seems that the north is in a number of different strongholds but has an army at Trygon waiting for us which the king wants to take care off he is waiting until Lord Manderly is back with his light cavalry as they went out on a scouting missing and are expected back in two days and then we’ll march on this army. It is a solid three days march for a small group of men but an army our size might make it in five if we are lucky to get all of us there, the king wants us to march behind the vanguard when we do so have a little rest but be ready to march and to fight for soon both will come” The lord said and the men nodded at this and talked amongst themselves about this and with the lord saying which order the men should go in for the march but after that they left.

            “This war is a shame Simon and many will die in it, not you, you are to able a swordsman but many others for this slight that the king wants to correct, he is in the right of course but still war is a terrible bloody affair, at first I liked them when I was young but that was before I saw what battle was, it is loud, it is messy but there is joy in it I must admit” the lord said.

            “So I have heard sir, do you think this one battle will be enough to teach the north a lesson or will we have more to do?” Simon asked.

            “It might be enough but the north breed hardy folk so I doubt it and we’ll have a few sieges on our hands in the months to come, hopefully this war ends quickly” The lord said and Simon nodded, he was a little scared for battle was coming and though he read about it and trained in combat he didn’t know what quite to expect when the day came and would see it but it would be soon.

 

            The next day he met some of the other squires from other counties and had a merry band of friendship formed between them they were all excited for the battle to come bragging that they would kill a score of men and come home heroes as the way all young people thought, saying they couldn’t be killed but how wrong they were and they will soon find out how very mortal they can be when the horns blow and the banners fly and the men shout and the crows fly.