Your army slowly increases in size as you dash about striking swiftly at your enemies and withdrawing. As long as you keep on the move, they don't know where you will strike at them next. They cannot assemble an army at their convenience, because they must leave garrisons in all the threatened places, in case you should strike there. All the forces that you chance to meet are either smaller than your own, or else swiftly withdraw behind their walls, leaving the open countryside to you and your loyal retainers. This state of affairs continues until king Henry finally arrives with a sizeable royal army. You join your forces to his, and the combined army advances toward the center of rebel resistence, near Val-es-Dunes.
The rebel army is larger than yours and king Henry's.
You suggest that a night attack would be a good strategy. King Henry tends to agree. So the main army stands down to wait for nightfall.
There is a champion from Bayeux, one Hardez, who is renowned for his many victorious single combats: this worthy rides out and challenges you to a duel.
You refuse, deeming such a challenge to be too uneven, as you are hardly more than a strippling compared to the battle-hardened Hardez.
You accept the challenge, urging king Henry to array his forces at once. With your own mesnie you meet the attack of Hardez's men. The two of you square off on horseback between the two embattled forces. Most of them stop fighting to watch their leaders fight together.