English Knight by Griff Hosker Page B

in the east.  She was almost round in shape and had no oars. However my father assured me that her capacious and empty hull would accommodate the horses and Ralph had negotiated a good price as she was bound for London anyway and this would save the captain taking on more ballast. The high tide would not be until noon the next day and I hoped that my father’s judgement of Brother John was a correct one.
    The documents were ready by first light and my father insisted that I be there when they were presented to him. “You will be the lord of the manor once I die. You must be there when they are presented in front of witnesses.  I want no dispute over the claim to the land. I lost the manor of Coxold.  I will not lose this one too.”
    There were a host of clerics and officials when we returned.  The king, it seemed, had gone to visit his newly acquired estate. The estate of Fitzwaller might lie in Anjou but it was owned by King Henry.  I had learned that he had acquired Normandy by first defeating and then imprisoning his elder brother Robert. Anjou was ruled by Fulk of Anjou.  He was however in Jerusalem carving out a kingdom for himself there. His son, Geoffrey Plantagenet was only eight years old and the duchy was ripe for plunder.  Henry had his beady eye upon this juicy morsel already.
    The Bishop of Caen performed the ceremony conferring the title of Baron of Norton and the deeds to the manor of Norton on to my father and his heirs. My father and I had to swear fealty to the King and to promise to supply knights and men at arms should the king require it. As we left my father said, “How many knights and men at arms would be required by the king?”
    Brother John smiled, “The king understands that you do not know the land.  It is just three knights and twenty men at arms at the moment.” He lowered his voice, “However if I were you Baron Ridley, I would have more available. The northern march is a danger place.”
    As we boarded the ship to wait for the tide I asked.  “We only have two knights, father; you and me, where will be get the third?”
    He pointed to Wulfstan. “Wulfstan is a fine warrior.  He will be the third.”
    “Can you do that? Can you make an ordinary warrior into a knight?”
    ”I am the Baron of Norton.  Subject to the king and the Bishop of Durham I can do whatever I wish.  Remember that Alfraed.  This is your road to power. We have been lucky or perhaps it was just wyrd but our meeting in the forest with the king has given us a path to a home in England. When we left Constantinople I knew not how it would come about but it has and we should take advantage of it.”
    As soon as the ship left the estuary I began to vomit. The huge waves we saw terrified me.  They seemed to tower over the ship and threatened to send us to the bottom.  Each wave drenched me to the skin. How could men sail in such a storm?  By the time I was retching drily Wulfstan had fetched me some water. “This storm is an omen!”
    He laughed. “This is not a storm.  The waves you see are the normal ones for this stretch of water.”
    My eyes widened and I forgot the sickness, briefly. “Truly?”
    “Truly.  You will get used to this. It will take the better part of a day and a night to reach the safety of the mighty Tamese.”
    I could not endure this ship for half a day let alone a day and a night. I suddenly remembered something Brother John had told me. “Is it true that William Adelin, the king’s son, perished when his White Ship foundered in these very waters?”
    “I believe so.”
    “It is an omen.”
    I sank to my knees and rested my head over the side. That way I could be ill without too much movement.  The less movement I made the better.  I heard Faren’s voice and it sounded gentle.  “My lord if you drink this it will make you feel less ill.”
    She proffered a pot beaker.  I shook my head. “Thank you for your kindness but I could not keep anything down.  The water I just