Please enjoy this section of Chapter I: Homecoming
The young knight did not go immediately away to his sleeping chambers. Instead, he wished to explore the castle. This was something he had always longed to do but was denied while living under the previous lord. Colchester Castle’s halls were narrow; the windows were tucked underneath small stone archways. No stained glass windows were found, but instead, they were open and exposed to the outside.
“Rooms like these will be the coldest when winter arrives,” William said while studying the windows. “At least the stones are thick and strong. We will need to use the fireplaces frequently during the cold season. This place is less comfortable than Fastolf’s home in London, or even Caister.”
He continued his tour and came to the Place of Arms. The room was located adjacent to the gatehouse and held many weapons and pieces of armour. He was surprised to see such abundance of gear here but was also pleased with this. Less work would be needed before outfitting a city guard, which would be needed soon. A blacksmith for the city was still necessary, as some armour and weapons were damaged.
“I do hope Sir Borin elects to come with the others from London,” said William as he examined a blunt sword. “He and his apprentice would be appreciated here through their work.”
During his exploration of the keep and its surrounding rooms, William did not find a sallyport. He took note of this, as he thought it would prove useful if Colchester was ever besieged. However, skilled masons were needed to make this door effective. Colchester Castle was not a large place, but neither was it small and weak. William grew tired as he wandered through its tight corridors and spiraling towers. And so he too went to lay his head down. A week had gone by now since his arrival, but he did not feel at home yet; for the city had changed into something he did not know. The busy streets within the walls were empty, the farming fields had been neglected, and the sheep herds he was so used to hearing throughout the day were gone.
The next day brought more work, but there was a need to remove rubble before progress could be made on building another hovel. And so the men began working toward this end; unfortunately, it was midday before they could lay the foundations of the next house. This was when Brayden came to fetch William.
“Sir!” he called out. “There is a man at the southern gate on Maldon Road. He asks for you.”
William stopped his work and went with Brayden to the wall, where they peeked over with caution.
“Sir William of Colchester?” the rider called out.
“I am he!” answered William. “What is your mission and from where do you ride, sir?”
“I seek you, my lord,” answered the rider. “I come from London!”
Then William recognized the man. It was Robin, he who had helped in the battle of London. “I ride ahead of a group from London, among whom are your friends,” he continued. “They are at my heels coming this way. Their arrival is imminent and it will be soon.”
“That is marvelous news, friend!” answered William. “Go, and tell them we are preparing for their arrival!”
Robin quickly road off back on the south road to convey the message, while William and the others ceased their work and returned to the castle.
“Mother!” William called out as they entered the Hall. “People journey for Colchester, just as we thought. They will be here soon. We must prepare the great hall for a large company; they will be hungry.”
They began preparing the hall and its large table. What food they had left was prepared and set out. It was still a healthy amount, but would quickly be gone with more guests.
“Perhaps you can go hunt when the other knights come?” Isabel suggested. “We are short on meat and must not only prepare for more people, but also for winter.”
“I have no experience in this,” said William. “Never have I enjoyed the luxury of time for such pleasures as the sport of hunting. But even then, the previous lord of Colchester would not allow anyone but himself and the king to hunt his lands.”
“Then it is time you learned, William!” said Hadrian. “This is, after all, one of the many privileges of being lord of a castle.”
William grew enthusiastic over this. Now he had the time and peace to do what he had wished to do during the previous year. It appeared there were no conflicts to obstruct his life or grand mission to take his attention away. But it was not long, as Robin had said before the party from London arrived. And so William and Hadrian greeted them at the southern gate. There he met his friends, Benedict, Walter, and Montacute. Sir Borin and Connor were there as well.
“Welcome to my home, friends!” said the young knight with a smile. “It is not much to look at now, but it will be as it was meant to be!”
“The walls still stand!” said Walter as he shook William’s hand. “This is good if we are busy with rebuilding the town! Protection will be needed, for our scouts saw several highwaymen parties in the area.”
“As we rode in we saw the castle still stands strong!” asked Benedict.
“That it does, sir!” answered William. “Come here now with me; a feast has been prepared for you. I am sure traveling has made you all hungry.”
There were peasants with them and they were all happy for the prospect of food but were surprised that a knight would invite them so willingly into the great hall. Nearly thirty people, not including the knights and soldiers, came with them and they filled the hall with laughter and smiles. Under other circumstances, William might have been agitated by such a loud crowd in that small space, but he knew this was good for Colchester. He sat in the lord’s chair, now his own, with his mother at his side, and enjoyed a meal as well. After the feasting, William stood and addressed the people.
“As you have seen whence coming this way, Colchester has suffered from the Lancaster War,” said William. “Unfortunately, this means we do not yet have enough proper living spaces. Indeed, only one hovel was erected in the last week. Tomorrow, my men and I will continue this work. Building housing is a priority for us. If any of you strong lads and men would aid us, this process will be quicker. We will also need to replenish our food storages, now that more people are here.”
The men agreed and promised to join in the reconstruction of their old home. They were all Colcestrians and shared the desire to live there again.
“We would not have left London and its growing prosperity and safety if we had no desire to see home,” said one man. “I desire to see my house just as it was a year ago. Only a few of us were lucky enough to escape with our lives when the city was sacked.”
“We can make it better and warmer, sir,” said Hadrian.
“Meanwhile,” began William. “Let us prepare for another day of work by first resting this night. Find a place to sleep anywhere you can in the castle. It is safer and warmer within the stones than out among the ruins.”
William did not sleep much, as he chose to stand guard at the castle’s gate with Thomas Montacute.
“You know you cannot stay here for long,” said the earl. “As long as you breathe as a knight then your duty to England will take you away from home.”
“I suppose you allude to our task in securing Henry VI?” asked William. “When the time comes I will lend my sword to that cause. But for now, my attention is here at home. Giving these people a place of safety should be important to me as well. Still, I desire to continue what my father began, and what Fastolf wished for. A knights’ guild must be established here to make Colchester a strong fortress.”
“Ah yes!” said Montacute. “I can remember well the beacon of strength this city was when your father lorded over it. Then he went to war for King Henry V, and the Lancastrians appointed one of their own men as ruler of these lands. You may not remember any of this. It was an injustice to force your mother out on the streets to live as a lowly peasant, for it was her right to reign over the city in the absence of her husband.”
William was interested in this story. He was never told any of this, not even by Fastolf, and his father was away too often.
“Of course you must be curious,” said Montacute. “You were raised as a poor farmhand, were you not? And yet, you were born to a knight and lady of a castle. What you have here in Colchester is yours. I pray you do not squander it and shame your father’s memory.”
“Colchester will be as it once was,” said William. “I do not mean as I remember it last year, but it will be more majestic than that and be among England’s mightiest coastal strongholds! It will be as worthy of any lord, just as Caister-on-Sea is!”
Upon the next morning, a new week and more work came to them. While the men, instructed by Walter and Benedict, proceeded to build more homes, Isabel took charge of restoring the castle’s interior with her new-found help. Her first task was to fashion suitable bedding and clean the living quarters. Sir Borin and his squire, Connor, set to work on the city’s armoury. It appeared as though Connor was recovering well from the injury he suffered during Caister’s siege. The two smiths found their immediate job simple, as it involved repairing and appraising the current supply of weapons and armour rather than creating entirely new pieces. William, however, was not involved with Colchester’s restoration that day. Instead, he and Thomas Montacute, accompanied by a few of the earl’s men, went to the woods in the northwest and hunted down several small animals.
These were not enough, however, and so they rode around for another few hours before coming across a single deer. William took to his bow and notched an arrow. Unfortunately, the animal was frightened by even their slightest movements and pranced away deeper into the woods. It was quick, but the horses’ speed was greater. Soon the hunters caught up as they came to a meadow where William’s shot saw the arrow pierce its side just behind the front leg. The animal darted off again deeper into the woods, and then there was silence.
“Splendid shot, lad!” Montacute honoured William’s aim. “Now, come off your horse. We must follow the blood trail.”
They tracked the deer down to its final resting place only a short twenty yards from where William took his shot.
“Ah, venison!” Montacute exclaimed with excitement as he slung the kill over his back. “If ever there was a tastier meat than pork, this is it!”
“I will always find trouble in saying there may be something better than pork,” said William smiling. “Pork is a grand meal! I wish there were a way to acquire some. For what is an English castle without it?”
“Perhaps we will come across some soon,” said the earl.
“That is hopeful,” said William. “For I am surprised we found a deer in these parts; the previous tenants of the castle would have cleared the forest of much of the game here.”
“Nevertheless, we will have a great feast over this meat!” said one of the men.
“But perhaps one deer is not enough?” asked the other man. “Even with this small game added, I do not believe we have enough yet for the number of people who have come to us from London.”
“Then continue hunting,” said Montacute. “William and I will return to the city and deliver what we have to the kitchens.”
“I would also like to see the progress on the construction,” said William. He turned to the other men. “Return after a few hours, even if your hunt is fruitless.”
After this, they delivered their hunting bounty to the kitchen, where Isabel exclaimed her joy for such a find as a deer.
“These animals will feed many people!” she exclaimed. “Who took the deer down?”
“I shot it with a bow,” answered William.
“You are capable in the art of archery?” Isabel took her son aside then whispered. “But, how is it that your hand can wield a bow?”
“It is quite easy, mother,” assured William. “Of all the things that my impaired hand finds trouble in, this is the least of them, and it may even be simpler than holding aloft a shield. I learned this skill during my time with Fastolf in London. Now I see why a knight has need of such a trait. But mother, I do not think we need to be secretive of my right hand’s ailment among these friends. Do not worry.”
Now Isabel oversaw the meal's preparation; food would need to be ready before the workers came in for the night. William took his leave and went into the city to inspect the building progress. He found that several foundations for new homes had been laid out. This made his spirit rise to see such positive advances. It appeared that more buildings would go up in the next seven days than in the first week, and he hoped as more dwellings were erected that more people could move out from the castle. They would finally be able to sleep under their own roofs. The castle itself became more welcoming as well, with Isabel and her maids repairing the bedding and furniture. Sir Borin and Connor had begun to refit and restock the barracks and Undercroft and the soldiers there were thankful for new gear, but more thankful for a warm and dry place to sleep.
The men who had remained in the forest returned with a rich bounty. Another deer was their prized catch, but they also brought several squirrels and rabbits.
“It seems that Sir William is correct and there are no wild boars in this area,” said one as they passed the working crews.
“That is a pity,” said Benedict as he slung a huge log over his bulking shoulders. “I crave a hearty pork pie! Perhaps we need to search more?”
“Do not fret, friend,” said William laughing. “We will get one for you soon. I believe many of us, being true Englishmen, share this desire.”
Benedict smiled and furled his big red mustache, then went back to working on his current project. Colchester was beginning to take shape; several houses had been put up now after a few weeks before the weather became colder as November loomed. Hunting parties were sent out daily as they prepared the food storage for winter. They also chopped down additional wood that would be used for building fires. Regrettably, they lacked the resources for making pottage, but, they would have mead and a way to heat it. For now, their meats were kept fresh in the castle’s ice house and warm clothing was made from the deer hides or rabbit skins.
“It is a pity we do not have a herd of sheep anymore,” William sat and looked over the rising village as he remembered how convenient it was to have such warm clothing. “I do miss my wool attire! I cannot think of anything I would not surrender to have a strong drove of sheep again.”
“Remember though, that you spent last winter mostly inside a warm and safe place,” said Hadrian. “You were sheltered from much of winter’s hardships while under Fastolf’s roof!”
“That was a blessing,” said William. “Perhaps I was too focused on my studies to realize it at the time. M’fraid I cannot offer those same comforts to our people here.”
“But we do have enough!” said Walter coming from the village. “There is plenty of food and shelter. This is a good start! The rest will come over time. You cannot expect everything to fall into place at once.”
“I miss things as they were,” William said soberly. “I do not refer to our trials that started last spring, but the Colchester I have known during my lifetime.”
“Ah, things will be better here,” said Benedict. “I am certain of this since a student of Fastolf now resides in the castle. Once again a knight rules over Colchester instead of a foolish noble!”
Isabel had also come in to where the knights lounged and held discourse.
“And now that you are a knight there are certain tasks you must pursue,” she said. “Among which is choosing a squire. Now that we enjoy some degree of peace you must find time to teach and pass on what you have learned from Sir Fastolf.”
“You think I have the qualities to teach?” William was flushed with embarrassment. “Teaching is an honourable craft, but I do not think myself capable, even as a knight! Fastolf had many years of knowledge with him and I have only one.”
“But you can rely on me for the practical teachings,” said Hadrian raising his glass. “I will instruct the squires in important things like reading and in history, then when winter breaks you will show them what you know of swordplay. I have always believed you better than I in at least that much.”
“It is a frightening thing,” began William. “But as Fastolf promised my father to raise me into a knight, I too promised Fastolf to restore his guild. This is required for that. Tomorrow, we will go out to the village and collect any eager young lads who wish to pursue knighthood.”
“You would choose simple peasants to train for the purpose of one day being a knight?” asked Walter.
“Yes,” answered William, who thought he had suggested something wrong.
“Splendid, that is!” exclaimed Walter. “We will show Europe that a person’s position matters not in this. Usually, only royalty or noble-born children are selected in becoming pages and eventually knights. This will give us a numerical advantage over our rivals!”
“But this advantage will not be had lightly,” said Benedict. “It will take time to raise the next generation of knights.”
“I see no other choice,” said Hadrian. “The conflict against the Lancastrians left England weak and vulnerable. France is still a threat and may continue to be for years to come. Knowledgeable fighting men will be a great asset in the future, especially if we can ever restore Henry VI to his throne.”
“But what of Henry?’ asked William. “What is it that we should do about him?”
“We will have to wait for winter to break,” said Benedict. “And we will also need further instructions from John Hardyng on where to begin our endeavor of retrieving little Henry. I suspect there will be news soon. But, we must not worry about such things, for we cannot even cross the Channel once the waters freeze. In winter, everything halts, even the devices of evil men. For winter itself can bring the demise of any army, no matter how grand.”
“And have we done all we can in preparation for this coming cold season?” asked William.
“It may be wise to gather more food,” said Isabel. “We can never have too much, but without enough many people will not live to see spring. I have known too many people who starved during winter and never wish to witness it again.”
“We will worry about these things tomorrow,” said William. “For now, go and rest, my friends. Many of the buildings we need are built, but now a different kind of work is needed. We should also send word to London requesting any further supplies before winter hits.”
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