If you play chess, you might enjoy the story more if you follow the moves on a chess board as you read.
Well, here it is. Springtime. The time when all good kings go off to war. After all, the weather is likely to be reasonably nice, and everybody should be back in plenty of time before the fall rains. Ah, jocks and their sports.
King Richard Averry looked out over the plains from his vantage point on the turret of his castle. The blue flag with the white lion rampant fluttered above him in the warm breeze. He had ruled this land since the death of his father Henry IX twenty-two years before, and he was feeling restless. He was forty-six, and the sword was starting to become heavier than he remembered. Was he still the warrior he once was, or were those silver strands in his hair stealing his manhood? Then he thought of his son, Henry, to be the tenth in the line. Henry was now an officer, Richard thought proudly, at the head of a company of the royal cavalry. Let's give him a chance to show his stuff. He motioned to his attendant.
'Please call General Williams to meet me in the throne room in an hour.'
'Yes, your Majesty.' The attendant bowed and withdrew.
The king now examined the plains strategically, his heart beating a little faster in anticipation.
The general approached the throne briskly, confidently, having served Richard capably in many campaigns. He bowed. 'Your Majesty?'
'I wish to lead a small expeditionary force out west, towards the river, near where the Tonbar Forest starts, just to get the lay of the land. Would you please arrange for a company of soldiers, appropriately outfitted, to meet me in the courtyard this afternoon.'
'Certainly, sire. Do you have anything specific in mind?'
'Possibly. I'm wondering if we could avenge ourselves of the loss of that land on the other side that was stolen from us in the reign of my father. I want to have a closer look to determine the possibilities.'
'Lieutenant D'John has family down that way. He should have a good knowledge of the area. I will have him lead the company.'
'Excellent. Make it so.'
'Immediately.'
The king sat erect and alert on his horse as he led the troops along the road that led to the village of Carlach. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, where puffy white clouds and a west wind signalled that the weather would be pleasant for several more days at least.
D'John rode beside him. 'Sire, there is a hill just to the west of Carlach where I used to play as a boy. It is a most excellent vantage point over the entire plain on that side. I would suggest we camp out at its foot tonight. We can do our scouting first thing in the morning and be back at the castle in plenty of time for dinner.'
Richard laughed. 'You sound like you're in a hurry on this fine day.'
The lieutenant blushed. 'Well, sire, I was wed only a week ago.'
The king laughed again. 'Your plans sound excellent. That is what we shall do, then'
The view from the hill above Carlach was everything King Averry had hoped for. He pulled out a telescope and scanned the entire plain on both sides of the Donnie River, and then settled on examining a moderately sized hill, named Vantage Hill, that was situated strategically on the other side.
Lieutenant D'John, noticing the king's interest, commented, 'My great uncle Marpheno tells me that that hill has been the focal point of numerous battles down through the years. And I can see why: centrally located a bit back of the river and hard by Donford river crossing.'
'I can certainly see that as well,' responded the king after a moment. He then turned the scope westward, in the direction of the village of DonChurch, with its conspicuous cathedral church spire and the extended ridge that it was founded on, which ridge extended all the way over past Barnough Castle. And, above that castle fluttered that king's colours, a gold banner with a crouching red lion. 'I will take down that accursed flag myself one of these days, Lieutenant.'
'Oh, sire! Does this mean war?' D'John said excitedly.
'Ha! Spoken like the young, idealistic soldier you are. Yes, it means war. We must avenge my father soon, and take back the Mozzerrad Fields, there below the DonChurch escarpment.'
General Williams stood patiently, examining the battle map on the table before him, as he waited for the king to arrive at the briefing. Once King Richard had come in and seated himself at the end of the table, the general cleared his throat and addressed the gathering of the military leaders. 'Gentlemen, this campaign should be a straightforward one. Our first objective, of course, is to take possession of Donford.' He pointed to a spot on the map which represented the shallow ford on the Donnie River.
'That should be no problem,' piped up a lieutenant of the cavalry sarcastically. 'Nobody's holding it now besides a couple of goats.' There were chuckles from the other young cavalry officers.
Captain Fortuna, one of the captains of the horsemen, barked a quick 'ten-hut!', and, after silence was hastily re-established, he apologized for his men.
'Accepted, Captain.' The general stared icily at the offending officers for a moment before continuing. The king managed to hide his smile behind a gloved hand. 'Once we have Donford, we will move our army across, which we are starting to mobilize now as you know, and head across the plain to capture the Mozzerrad Fields, here,' showing another spot on the map, on the west side bordered by the Tonbar Forest to the west, the Barnough ridge to the north, the river to the south, and a line on the map that touched Vantage Hill on the east. 'The critical element in the attack will be having our forces ready promptly for battle. Since we are attacking, they will be on the defensive, and we must not give up that advantage. Any questions?' He glanced again at the young cavalry officers who hastily shook their heads. Since no-one else had one, he continued. 'Good. Get things ready.'
1. e2-e4
The next day, a scout reported to General Smatch in his office in Barnough castle. 'Sir, a company of footsoldiers under the Averry colours is moving into position right across the river from Vantage Hill.'
'What!' The general ordered the scout to go and ask the king to meet him on the front rampart, and he fetched his telescope.
King Tenna Sey G'Barnough III, standing on the front rampart of his castle, peered through the telescope at the distant troop under King Richard's blue flag with the white lion rampant now pitched just across the Donnie River. He slammed the scope shut and cursed. 'What is that man up to now?'
General Smatch turned. The king was always fretting over "what might happen". 'May I look?' The king passed him the telescope, and he scanned the area in question. 'If I were a betting man, I would bet he's looking to start a fight over the Mozzerrad Fields his father lost in the War of the Rainy Summer twenty-eight years ago.'
'Now why would he want to open up that old wound?'
'Lord, if I may be so bold, I would like to set up an armed outpost on that hill across the river from them, to keep an eye on their activities. Best to be prepared, you know.'
'Of course, of course. I'm not a child! Get it done.'
The general bit his tongue and bowed. He had served the G'Barnough line in one capacity or another for three generations of kings. He wasn't going to let this one get to him now. He turned on his heel, and marched to the stairway. 'I suppose the cavalry had better be put on alert, as well, to sharpen them up. I'll attend to that as well.' He disappeared below.
G'Barnough, king under the golden flag of the red lion for only three years, sighed and looked out again. He had never enjoyed battle, which made him irritable. In spite of having snapped at Smatch, he was so thankful for his expertise.
1. ... c7-c5
'How many are there?'
Captain Roanald and his men could see the opposing company easily, as he and his troops got camp set up on Vantage Hill, a lookout post for more years than even his grandfather could remember.
'Oh, I'd say fifty, give or take,' said Sergeant Bortilaga after a moment.
'That's a pretty serious number,' responded Roanald. 'How long will it be before he comes out in force? Ah, well. Let's get the tent up over by this tree.'
2. Ng1-f3
It wasn't long. Captain Fortuna had received his orders from General Williams: go to the ford and hold it, whatever it took. It was now midmorning and he had mustered his men, thirty-six horse, fully armed and battle-hardened. King G'Barnough would not have had enough time to prepare against a quick strike, even assuming he had seen it coming, and Vantage Hill was currently no match for his cavalry. He mounted his steed and looked around. Since all was ready, he ordered, 'Forward!'
They arrived just before evening and crossed the river, unopposed for the moment. Of course, the first matter at hand as they passed the ford was to look for the goats.
'Yes, Trellar. I know there are two goats here at the ford; but, you risk rapid demotion to footsoldier if you interrupt the General's briefings,' commented Fortuna drily to the company. He then scanned the area and pointed. 'Let's set up camp over there. That grove of trees ought to do fine, while we wait for D'John's footsoldiers to get here tomorrow morning.
2. ... e7-e6
General Smatch considered his options as he stood before the group of his commanders gathered in the castle courtyard. The early morning sun was giving a bright yellowish glow to the mist outside the castle.
'Gentlemen, a significant force of King Averry's horsemen has crossed Donford, and a troop of footmen is moving to the ford as well. Please mobilize your men as quickly as possible. I expect they plan to take the Mozzerrad Fields, and we certainly aren't about to give them to them. Sir Parrah, get your company of bowmen to take up a defensive position near to Vantage Hill, about here,' indicating on a map a location to the north of the hill. 'The cavalry, here, should not likely attack before King Averry's army is assembled.
The force of bowmen under the gold and red flag was on its way within the hour.
3. d2-d4
Meanwhile, General Williams sent out D'John with his company of footsoldiers, archers this time, to back up the assault. They were assigned to link up with Fortuna's cavalry.
When the bowmen sent by Smatch arrived at Vantage Hill, the captain consulted with Roanald. 'I can see that there is a troop of men crossing the ford. Let me take my men around the thickets over yonder and ambush them before they can get settled.' He indicated a clump of trees and shrubs between them and the camp the cavalry had established.
'No. Your men are tired from the march, while my men are well-rested. But the ambush idea is excellent; however, we will definitely need you to cover us from behind when their cavalry moves in; so, as soon as you can manage, set up your men in and around that thicket and watch.'
3. ... c5xd4
'Always in a dagblamed hurry those commanders are,' muttered one of the archers to his companion. 'They don't have to do the marching. My feet are killing me.'
'Mine, too,' responded the other. 'What's that? Did you hear something?'
Before the first man had time to respond, seemingly out of the ground arose a goodly number of soldiers. The archers gamely tried to defend, unprepared though they were; but, it quickly became clear that the Red and Gold was gaining the upper hand, and they pushed the White and Blue steadily back towards the ford.
Lieutenant Samora, in charge of the company of archers, realized quickly that they were not going to be able to hold their position.
'Retreat! Retreat!' he bellowed, and the men broke and ran.
4. Nf3xd4
Captain Fortuna noticed immediately that the archers were in trouble. 'We've got a fight on our hands!' he shouted as he ran for his horse. 'Mount up, mount up!'
The horsemen scrambled to get ready, and then charged to the rescue.
Roanald saw them coming. 'Back over there, by the thicket!' he called out. A sudden rain of arrows prevented any massacre; but, the ford remained under the White and Blue banner.
King Richard was pleased. 'Is Bishop Arnprior's guard in readiness, General?'
'Yes, sire. He mustered them as soon as he heard. I will have them take their position well past Vantage Hill towards the land we're taking back. And Captain Bruce has prepared the rest of the knights to follow later.'
'Excellent. I should think that my personal guard should be put in battle readiness.'
'Of course. I hate surprises too.'
'Your Majesty! Our spy has seen activity in Bishop Arnprior's land. What do you propose we do?' The captain of the King's Own Regiment was obviously flustered.
'General Smatch?' King Tenna looked over for ideas.
'I would hazard a guess, based on what I think they're after, that we need to put a company of bowmen over hard by DonChurch village. That should act as a deterent to any quick moves towards the land they seek. And we'd better get our own knights down towards Vantage Hill, to at least hold our ground while we continue preparations.'
'Thank you. Get it done.'
4. ... a7-a6
The second company of stout bowmen was on its way after lunch, and after marching hard all afternoon, they were overlooking DonChurch.
'Oy, Sir Lektar. We're a ways off from the battlefield, it looks to me.'
'True, sergeant; but, the general seemed quite sure that this area might become the battlefield soon. Now, should we be inconspicuous and prepare an ambush, or dare them to come?'
They opted to fly the flag conspicuously, a defiant message to King Richard.
5. Bf1-e2
'Colonel Mastings, Colonel Mastings!' The scout came galloping up to the line of Bishop Arnprior's guard seeking their commander.
'Here, man!' called out a sergeant, who motioned the scout to the colonel.
'Sir, I saw a company of archers take up a position on the ridge hard by DonChurch. They made no effort to hide their position.'
'Damn. Smatch has obviously deduced the plan. It's almost evening. Have the troops camp about bowshot from Averry castle. I'll go find General Williams.'
King Richard was furious when he saw the guard pull up. 'What is that fool doing? Does he have the stomach for battle, or not? Oh, never mind. Williams, Captain Bruce is completely ready for the holding of the ford?'
'Yes. And your personal guard is almost ready.'
'Good. At least I can count on you. Thank you.'
King Tenna was pacing anxiously. 'Oh, I hate this! Anyway General. You've contacted the bishop at Arway-under-Don?'
'Yes, yes. He says his men will set up a defensive position soon between us and the ford. He just has to muster everybody. The bishop is a veteran of war. He'll be fine. And the way things are going, I will have to lead out your regiment soon. King Richard is obviously pretty serious about the whole affair.' However, Smatch saw a glimmer of hope. Bishop Arnprior's men had balked in response to the archers at DonChurch, and that was more than he had hoped for. More delays like that and he might be able to steal the advantage.
He turned to an officer and said, 'Alright Gerald; take your horsemen immediately over behind Vantage Hill to back up Roanald and the archers.' He turned to the king. 'We'll play the waiting game for right now, since he has the advantage of preparation. Hopefully he'll make a mistake.'
5. ... Ng8-f6
Roanald was quite relieved to see Gerald's men gallop into view as dusk was falling. 'Gerald! What a relief! I was getting very worried when I saw troops massing across the river. At least now we should be able to hold our own.'
'General Smatch has said he will have to bring out the King's Own Regiment. And, from the look of things, I think he's right. Do you have any suggestions as to the best place to camp?'
'There is a dell hard by a spring over there. Check that out. It'll make you less conspicuous.' He pointed to an open area amidst a stand of trees. 'My sense is that King Richard will want to get dug in before he tries anything more, because Bishop Arnprior's men haven't advanced yet. That should give us a day or so, I hope.'
'Good. Over there, Marcon!' he shouted to one of his men.
6. Nb1-c3
The young cavalrymen were whooping it up, and Prince Henry was with them. 'Yahoo! We'll whup their asses!'
'Hurrah for King Richard and Prince Henry!'
Henry was enjoying the hoopla around his regiment's first battle. They were all drinking deep of the wine of battle and glory. However, he happened to see some veteran warriors standing apart, quietly checking their arms and armor. They were simply going about their business, and there was a certain grimness in their eyes that he didn't understand. It made him nervous enough to go over to his horse to check the saddle one more time.
An hour or so later, Prince Henry and his horsemen were ordered by General Williams to move to Donford overnight, by the light of the nearly full moon. Richard was plainly getting wound up over the delays; so, speed was of the essence. The prince was able to arrive at the ford well before dawn, and his men were all in place, across the ford from Fortuna's cavalry, by sun-up.
'That should make up for the momentum lost by the delay by the Bishop's men,' said Williams hopefully to the king.
'Yes, as I expected. Here's more of King Richard's cavalry.' As Smatch examined the company through the telescope, he noticed the king's crest on the leader. 'Hmm? Oh, Prince Henry. Well, welcome to the warrior's life, kid. Captain! Give the order to mount up; we're on our way as soon as you're ready!'
6. ... Qd8-c7
The captain, Baran Blacknen, leading the King's regiment, was to advance to a conspicuous location between the castle and the ford. This would be the fallback position, if it came to that. Right now, it was the King's regiment, the cavalry troop at Vantage, and the bowmen hard by against Richard's two companies of horse, the remains of the footsoldiers and their bishop's men. It would be tense.
Blacknen was most pleased to be going into battle. He had only just recently been promoted to captain of the Regiment, and he had been itching to do what he had trained for years to do. 'We are to get into position over there,' he said, pointing to their destination. 'We are to be conspicuous, for King Richard's benefit; so, let's break out the flags and trumpets.' And so it was that the King's Own Regiment paraded into position, with General Smatch in front asking himself if this was what he had really meant.
7. O-O (castle on king side)
Williams, true to his word, had mobilized the King's personal bodyguard. They took up their positions on the battlements and prepared the defences. Williams made a mental note to contact Bishop Bartall again about readying his own army. I wonder if he has any more stomach for war than his fellow bishop, Arnprior, he thought. Actually, a quick move by Bartall might really help now. That settled in his mind, he called in an aide and prepared the message.
7. ... d7-d6
There was a shout at the Barnough castle gate. 'Sir Sewant reporting for duty, with a company of spearmen!' he bellowed to the gatekeeper who was peering down at them from the battlement above.
'I'll go see what the King's orders are!' he called back, and disappeared.
King Tenna thought for a while. He was not comfortable with decisions of war without the General; but, duty was duty. Since Smatch had considered it necessary for himself to move out, it would be reasonable to assume that these men would be able to make themselves useful with him.
'Tell the good knight to hightail it to where General Smatch has my regiment, and to report to him.'
'General Smatch! Sir Sewant reporting for assignment. King Tenna sent us here from the castle.'
'The king sent you, did he? Excellent. You will definitely be useful. Report to Captain Roanald at Vantage Hill and take up position there.'
Smatch was not at all displeased at the king's decision, for he saw that his defensive posture would have more depth now. He wondered if the whole war would hinge on this hill. Fast and bloody, he shuddered to himself.
8. f2-f4
The arrival of another company of Richard's footsoldiers at the ford only confirmed Smatch's opinion about King Richard's intentions; but he wondered at the inactivity of Richard's clerics. 'I would have expected him to get Bartall here by now,' he thought aloud to one of the soldiers near by.
8. ... Bf8-e7
In the meantime, King Richard was livid. 'What is Bartall doing up there? Praying? I need him here now!'
General Williams was also angry. 'I sent a message in haste earlier. I have no idea what is keeping him. He should have responded already.'
'Well, we must do something now. G'Barnough has already got Bishop Mossley's men in position. Let us get the castle guard out, to keep us by until Bartall comes across for us.'
9. Kg1-h1
Sir Penwick turned to his sergeant-at-arms. 'You know this is war, don't you.' The sergeant nodded. 'Good. You know what to do, then; so, you may proceed.' The sergeant saluted, turned and strode off to mobilize his company of guards. These were the hand-picked King's Bodyguard, and they took great pride in their status.
A little later, Sir Penwick was pleased with himself when the order he had anticipated actually came through. Five minutes later, they were assembled and ready in the castle courtyard. 'Just give the word, sir,' he shouted to the general.
9. ... O-O
'Oh, this is looking bad, looking bad,' King Tenna fretted. 'Lieutenant Mikal, Lieutenant Mikal,' he shouted hoarsely as he headed into the barracks. When Mikal came running around a corner, G'Barnough stopped him. 'How is my bodyguard?'
'B'Diyna is not at all well; but, the rest of us can be ready shortly, if you need us.'
'I have a strong feeling I will need you. Let's get ready right away.'
'Yes, sire.'
The king then found Sir George in the officer's mess. 'I want you to get your guardsmen on the battlements immediately. The situation out there is developing quickly, and we had better be ready for anything.'
Sir George glanced at his plate, laid hold of a leg of chicken, and headed for the door.
As Tenna came out of the mess hall, he met one of the soldiers who were assigned to keep lookout on the wall. 'Your majesty, I thought you should know: I saw a goodly number of footsoldiers in Bishop Lexall's colours just outside of DonChurch.'
'Oh, excellent. Thank you. You may resume your post, soldier.' The good bishop obviously must have noticed the archers stationed nearby. Dependable as always, he thought with a sigh of relief.
10. a2-a4
'I wonder...' General Williams was hunched over the battle map. 'Lieutenant Berharr, take your archers into Tonbar Forest past Carlach, and head across the river towards DonChurch. Attack anyone who might want to take that route into battle.'
After Berharr had left, Williams decided to have a little chat with the Lord Bishop Arnprior, just to ensure he had the battle plan straight. No more messups, please, he thought.
10. ... b7-b6
Bishop Lexall had just finished saying morning Mass in his personal chapel, and was putting his vestments away, when Sir Tandar of Nir knocked on the door. 'Come on in.'
'Your Grace, I have assembled the footmen, as you asked. What now?'
'Let me see. Lord Smatch has a company of archers plainly visible on the Barter Hill. Since they are rather away from the obvious action, I will assume that he expects that King Richard will move in this direction if he is able to battle across the ford and defeat the army there. Send the footmen over to join them. I'm sure they will find ways to be useful soon enough there.' As the knight turned to go, Lexall said, 'Oh yes. As a show of appreciation for Lord Smatch's thoughtfulness to us while things are quiet, take out a steer from my pen and have it butchered. We will provide a little feast for them, to help pass the time. And I'm sure a couple of kegs of beer would not be refused either,' he smiled.
'Oh yes sir, your Grace!'
11. Be2-f3
King Richard was on the battlements, pondering the next move, when Bishop Arnprior's men under Colonel Mastings finally moved out. This was very consoling; but word was still lacking from Bartall. Things were too evenly matched for his liking over at the ford; he needed an edge and wasn't finding it.
11. ... Bc8-b7
'General Smatch, sir. Lord Bishop Lexall has sent me to tell you that he is entirely ready and what should he do?' The bishop's aide had just arrived at the camp.
'Our defenses at Donford appear to be sufficient to hold King Richard for the moment,' remarked Smatch. 'Tell his Grace that his placement of his footsoldiers is fine. How about he put his main company in a defensive posture for now, inconspicuously, near the DonChurch camp where the rest of his men are.' King Richard certainly didn't need to know, thought Smatch, and they are in quickmarch distance of the front. He was starting to feel good about the whole affair, and he had laughed out loud when he had heard about the Bishop's gift to his men.
12. f4-f5
General Williams was peering at his map of the battlefield. 'This is driving me crazy,' he mumbled to his aide.
'Why, sir?'
'This standoff is not how you run a war! I was hoping for some good, swift moves, and be well set up over there by now. But, no. Bishop Arnprior's men won't move fast enough and Bishop Bartall has decided to play coy with me. Now he tells me he "wants to discuss these matters"! Oh, please.' He pondered the map for a moment, glumly. 'I suppose we could try to liven things up, if Smatch will bite.' He quickly wrote up the order sending the troop of footsoldiers on his side of the ford across to bolster the remains of the first troop, and gave it to his aide to have it delivered. It was less than he wanted; but, Lexall was obviously going to keep him waiting. He wished, rather hopelessly, that Smatch might nibble the bait.
12. ... e6-e5
Well, Williams. Are you trying to start something? I suppose two can play at that game. Smatch could afford to be a little smug now, though only a little.
'Darrid,' he said to an aide nearby, 'advise that company of archers near Vantage Hill to move out and take up a defensive line close to the ford. They will then await my orders.' This was only to take up a more aggressive position. He knew that he could defend; but attack would be too uncertain, too risky. It wasn't time yet. But he wasn't prepared for the enemy's response.
13. Nd4-b3
Captain Fortuna's men were sparring with each other, since there was nothing else to do.
'Come on, Mareque! Stay sharp! If he lunges like this, you must parry like so before countering, or you'll be taken out! Now, again.' The sergeant was more irritable than usual. He was a man of action, and doing training in a war situation just grated on his nerves.
'Sergeant Packs, sir! A company of archers has taken up position over yonder,' reported a scout, pointing. The sergeant, after having seen for himself, ordered his horsemen to mount and get well out of bowshot westward, to the edge of the Tonbar Forest and east of Carlach.
General Williams, on learning of the movement of the cavalry unit, hoped fervently that they weren't too far away if things got hot.
13. ... h7-h6
'Your majesty, our spies have noticed activity on the part of Bishop Bartall. It seems he is finally mobilizing.'
'Thank you,' responded Tenna. 'Please let Smatch know immediately.' Bartall is a bit of a loose cannon. I'd better cover myself. Some footsoldiers eastward towards the river should tie him up if he gets greedy.
14. g2-g4 Nf6-h7
Roanald sighed as he saw even more men gathering on the other side of Donford, this time north of Carlach by the river. He went looking for Gerald. 'Gerald, what do you suppose they are up to?'
'You mean besides "no good"? It looks like they have a couple of boats. I'll move some knights over that way to discourage them from whatever they may be considering.'
15. Bc1-e3
Finally! They're here, exulted King Richard, as he watched the forces of Bishop Bartall move into position supporting the army already in place around the ford. But, having delayed so long, they did not provide as much edge as if they had appeared before Gerald's knights had relocated.
15. ... Nb8-d7
Tenna seemed to be starting to enjoy this.
'Sir Pandor. I have been watching all that is developing on the battlefield. I would like your horsemen to take up station directly in front of the castle, to await orders.'
'Right away, your Majesty,' he bowed.
16. Qd1-d2
General Williams, becoming desperately dissatisfied with developments, led the elite knights of the King's Regiment out onto the field outside the castle.
16. ... Rf8-c8
Baran Blacknen was joined by a portion of the castle guards sent out by Tenna. Baran didn't like this stagnation at all. It was even making the horses fidgity.
17. Ra1-c1
King Richard, trying to find that edge, ordered the castle guard under Sir Dewitt to assemble in the courtyard.
'Bah!' spat Dewitt in frustration a while later. 'Here we are in the courtyard waiting for orders. Where are those orders, I ask you? I dare say, if General Williams were able to run the campaign from the castle, he would have our orders.'
17. ... Qc7-d8
General Smatch, noticing that his position with the King's Regiment was not currently well located and could be in danger of a cavalry ambush, moved them back closer to the castle for the moment.
18. Nc3-d5
Smatch watched the movement of the enemy cavalry with interest. They were indeed interested in the plain below DonChurch. Then he noticed that Averry's cavalry was moving to a area which would serve him for his own ambush, if he could just arrange things fast enough. 'John!' he cried to his aide. 'Ride as hard as you can and tell Bishop Lexall's men to move to where I have written on this note! They are to jump the approaching cavalry from there.'
18. ... Be7-g5
Having done that, another look at the battle map showed him something useful, and he hastily sent off a message to Bishop Mossley's men to the east. They responded quickly by taking an aggressive position northeast of the ford.
19. c2-c4
General Williams sent some footsoldiers forward to support his cavalry, not having immediately noticed the looming danger at the ford.
19. ... Bb7xd5
Bishop Lexall's men burst out from the end of a hedgerow, face to face with Prince Henry's troop of cavalry, and ready for battle.
'Mount up! Mount up!' cried several men the moment they saw the attack; but, having been caught completely by surprise, the horsemen were easy pickings for the archers, mounted or not. Shortly, Lexall's captain noticed some of his spearmen in a bit of a huddle, and he ran over to see what was up. In the centre of the group sat the Prince, unhorsed and injured in the leg by an arrow. He was quite pale, and clearly deeply shaken by the deaths of most of his company. The captain felt a twinge of compassion.
'Your first battle, sire?'
'Ah...' Prince Henry took a deep breath and held it a moment in an effort to settle his nerves. He finally just nodded.
'Vorsh and Bendwa! Take his highness over to General Smatch's camp immediately. Make sure he gets that leg treated.'
'Yes, sir!'
20. Be3xg5
Both of King Richard's bishops were veterans of war, and they quite willingly took up the leadership of their men of war, though this made them more interested in the conducting of any war than usual, as King Richard had noticed.
Bishop Bartall noticed immediately the ambush of Prince Henry's cavalry and watched only for a moment before sending his men forward to avenge it; but, he chose to take his revenge by attacking Bishop Mossley's position, which was closer. It proved to be a costly battle for him, though, because Mossley's men had had a bit of time to get dug in. Indeed, the bishop had his horse shot out from beneath him. The factor that finally swayed the battle was a superior number of archers. Facing a hail of arrows, Lexall's captain called retreat, and the survivors withdrew into the forest behind them. They could link up with the rest of the army once they arrived at Barnough castle.
20. ... Nh7xg5
'Ouch!' winced Smatch as he watched as some of his men fled the knot of soldiers over to the east, on his left. Then he remembered his horsemen, who were presently behind him near the castle. He quickly got them forward. 'Hurry!' he shouted to Gerald, their commander. 'Get down there and get Bartall's men off of Mossley's position!'
The cavalrymen spurred on their horses and swept down, to bloody effect, on the melee. Once they had finished with Bartall's company, Gerald saw that Bishop Arnprior's company was within a quick ride of his position.
'Men! We're not done yet! Over there!'
21. Qd2xd5
General Williams was watching from his position, when he finally realized that Bishop Lexall's men were advancing dangerously on the Donford position. He jumped onto his horse and waved behind him, pointing. The King's Regiment didn't need an invitation. Led by Williams and charging out from the shadow of the castle, they beat back Bishop Lexall's line.
21. ... Ng5xf3
Colonel Hastings, Bishop Arnprior's commander, was holding position a little behind the line waiting for further orders and watching the action over across the ford. Suddenly, from behind a hedgerow to his right, Gerald's hard-riding cavalry that had devastated Bishop Bartall's men appeared. Arnprior had just enough time to call out orders before they tore into his position. It was not nearly enough, and the entire company was wiped out.
22. Rf1xf3
Penwick was on his horse, watching what was happening in front of him, and he was horrified to see what had happened to Bishop Arnprior and his men. In a rage, he called the knights of his castle guard to follow him, and they had little trouble besting the enemy, now exhausted from its time in battle.
General Williams looked down at his battle map and chewed on his lower lip. 'Sire, all of this has not gotten us very far. We still hold Donford; but, that is about all I can say. I say we pull back just a little to consolidate our forces.'
'This is not how I wanted it to happen!' moaned the king. And he knew that the reluctance of his bishops' commanders, one now dead and the other unhorsed, had robbed him of the edge that he had thought he had had at the start of this campaign. Now he was faced with preparing to retreat. 'Do we have any options left, Williams?'
'We may be able to parlay our positional advantage into something. I will have to consult with the captains to see where we stand precisely.'
22. ... Nd7-f6
Frantish Smatch had been looking carefully at his possibilities. King Averry's army still held a positional advantage, since they held the ford. But then a very basic lesson of war that he had learned as a cadet came back to him: always look for the higher ground. And there happened to be a hillock over to his left, just west of where Bishop Mossley had been posted earlier. It was within easy ride of the castle and overlooked the heart of the position of the enemy army. Excitedly pointing this out to Sir Don Pandor, he ordered Pandor's cavalry to take that hill.
Once in position, Pandor saw that he was overlooking the knights of King Richard's Own Regiment.
23. Qd5-d3
Seeing the sudden risk to his position, and following through on his desire to consolidate, General Williams pulled back the King's Regiment now threatened by G'Barnough's cavalry.
23. ... b6-b5
Smatch was very relieved when, instead of charging ahead to the castle (a risk he had seen), Richard's Regiment had withdrawn back across the river. He now knew the direction he would have to take if he was going to finish this thing once and for all.
Smatch ordered Bishop Lexall's footsoldiers forward with the idea of attacking some of Richard's forward posts. He dearly wanted to open his way up towards the ford. He also sent orders to the entire castle guard and to the King's Regiment to prepare to move out on a moment's notice.
Once Prince Henry's wound had been attended to, General Smatch sent him over to Bishop Lexall to care for him until the end of the war. Over dinner, the bishop noticed that the prince was poking at his food.
'Something's on your mind, your Majesty.'
Henry fidgetted a little more, and then looked at the cleric. 'You've fought in wars?'
'Ah, yes, I have indeed. Too old now, of course.'
'How do you forget? The killing, I mean.'
Lexall paused and studied Henry. He sighed. 'I don't. You take it to the grave, son. You can at least block it out most of the time; but, the images will ambush you now and then: an arrow through an eye; a slit throat...' He winced and covered his face with his hands. ' O Lord, have mercy on my soul!'
Henry was pale. 'Amen.'
The bishop stood suddenly. 'Would you join me as I pray for the fallen and their families?'
Prince Henry reached for his crutch, rose and nodded.
24. Rc1-g1
Williams finally realized what Smatch was up to. He's preparing to advance from the northwest with all of his castle guard and the King's regiment! Can I possibly make a move from my position at the ford, he wondered. In a final attempt to save the day, he moved the castle guard into position to attack through the area that Bishop Mossley had been holding before, but which was now not so well defended.
24. ... b5xc4
Williams had been too intent on the castle guard to see this threat to the King's Regiment and the cavalry, set up by a successful attack on his footsoldiers by a mixed company of archers and spearmen.
25. Qd3-e3
Williams was able to pull back with the Regiment, although there were some injuries caused by arrows.
25. ... c4xb3
But the last of the cavalry was wiped out. Smatch saw now that the way was now clear for his attack from the northwest, and the advantage clearly lay with the red and gold flag of Barnough.
26. g4-g5
Williams tried a similar attack...
26. ... h6xg5
but saw his troops wiped out by the footsoldiers opportunely stationed there by King Tenna. However, as he pondered the battle map before him, he got the kernel of an idea. 'Sire, I believe I can draw off G'Barnough enough to at least slip out of the clutches of defeat.'
'Defeat, you say? Father, I'm sorry! I've failed you.' cried King Richard to the heavens, and he was quiet for a few moments. 'Go ahead, Williams; hatch your idea.'
27. Qe3xg5
He led out the King's Regiment and destroyed that company of footsoldiers, hoping that this would induce Smatch to pull back his remaining cavalry. This would leave an avenue for a direct assault on where Williams could see Smatch, King G'Barnough and his bodyguard.
27. ... Kg8-f8
'So. Are you after some small game, or is there a stag in your sights?' Smatch saw through it, and told the king and his bodyguard to move towards a defensible position back inside the castle.
28. Qg5xg7+
Williams was desperate. Riding hard, the charging knights plowed into and destroyed a troop of footsoldiers that gamely tried to stand in their way.
28. ... Kf8-e7
But G'Barnough had had enough time to escape. Archers on the walls sent pointed reminders to General Williams' men to be cautious.
29. Rf3-h3
Williams was still trying, getting the castle guard in place for a last desperate push.
29. ... d6-d5
Smatch tried a distraction. He moved Sir Sewart's spearmen forward trying to pick a fight with a company of footsoldiers stationed at Donford.
30. Rh3-h6
Williams, in the heat of battle, was livid. 'He distains us! He's ready to finish it and he sends spearmen! I've got much bigger fish to fry. Get the castle guard out here with me, pronto!'
30. ... Rc8-c6
General Smatch was ready to accept that it was definitely time and he started to mass his castle guard.
31. Qg7-g3
Williams could clearly see the hopelessness of the situation, and started to pull back.
31. ... Qd8-d6
Smatch next led out the King's Regiment.
32. Qg3xb3
'Sire. We have received word that Prince Henry was taken in battle earlier today, though his whereabouts are currently unknown.'
'Henry my son, my son! What have they done to you?' King Richard ran and leapt onto his own steed and charged out of the castle. Signalling to the captain of his Regiment to follow him, he rode down a squad of Barnough foot soldiers and attacked like a mad man.
32. ... Ra8-c8
The final piece was played. They were now completely ready. Smatch surveyed his army of knights from his command position, and, satisfied, urged his horse forward at a purposeful gait directly in front of the flag bearer. As he passed their positions, the companies fell in behind.
33. Qb3-e3
His fury now spent, a despondent Richard led the Regiment back towards the ford.
33. ... d5xe4
Sir Sewart, having received word from General Smatch, advanced his spearmen towards the footsoldiers. It was a tough fight, since they were well dug in; but, the spearmen flanked the position, and the footsoldiers surrendered.
General Williams could now see that the last serious obstacle to the castle has fallen. 'Sire. It is lost. We cannot organize a defense in time to stop the massed might of G'Barnough's knights. I will send an unarmed company under a white flag to ask for terms of surrender.'
King Tenna's retinue, under the red and gold banner of Barnough, approached King Richard and his party and stopped. Prince Henry moved purposefully forward. He turned in his saddle. 'Thank you, your Grace, for your kind hospitality. I trust I will have the opportunity to return the favor.'
'The honor was all mine, your Majesty. Go with God.'
Richard took a close look at his son. Something had changed. Something in the eyes. His son was a man and a warrior now, and it brought Richard no joy.