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dismounted men at arms.  Then their unique skills would come into their own.  We fought on foot. We practised using the six of them and Wulfric as the heart of my line.  I knew some of the others resented the place of honour being given to such new men but they had been brought up to fight and protect the Emperor. I knew that if we fought on foot then they would be able to stop anyone getting close to me.
    I also set John to begin William's training as a squire. They used wooden swords, much as the Romans had done. John was firm with William.  He was a good teacher. The aim was to harden my young son up.  Each day they would spar for hour upon hour until William could barely raise his arm.  Adela had questioned this at first but I dismissed her concerns. Women could never understand what was needed to train a warrior. It was hard and harsh; it was almost brutal but it was necessary to forge young squires into knights. William's tears soon stopped and he learned what it was to be a warrior. It would not be long before he would be able to ride to war with us.  At first he would not fight. But that would be another stage on his journey. Campaigning was yet a further skill to be added.
    Some of my men at arms had now become married, as had some of my knights.  It was a sign that they were getting older. When their wives became pregnant I was pleased for they would become warriors when they grew. Wulfric and Dick continued to train and seek replacements. It was too late if we waited until a warrior fell.  There had to be someone ready to take their place. The new men were kept at the castle where they could be trained until they were good enough to fight with my warriors.  I was acutely aware that we had been very lucky of late.  Luck did not last.
    Close to Easter Sir Hugh sent me a message that Stephen of Blois had left the north by sea from the River Wear. That meant he had passed through Durham on his way east.  That disturbed me. He had been very close to my land and yet we had not seen him. Had he passed close by Durham?  What connection did he have there? Sir Hugh's diligence had paid off. I was just happy that he was away from my heartland.
    It was as I was just finishing my sessions and preparing for the visit of the King's collector of taxes when I had a message from Robert of Gloucester. It seemed that the Welsh, under the leadership of Owain ap Gruffudd, the son of the king of Gwynedd, had begun to push north and east from the stronghold of Snowdonia.  They were ravaging the lands around Chester.  The Earl of Chester was secure enough in his castle but the rich lands of Cheshire were suffering.  I was ordered to march south with a force of my men to relieve the pressure on the Earl. It was a long letter and I took it as a sign of my recent elevation that Robert of Gloucester entrusted me with such knowledge.  He would be bringing an army from the south. He commanded me to meet him on the plains of Cheshire. I was urged not leave the north undefended.  The Earl of Gloucester only asked for a small force of knights.
    Even as I sent riders to summon my knights I could see the Earl’s strategy. I would be the anvil and Robert the hammer.  When I approached the men of Gwynedd I had no doubt that they would outnumber me.  Robert of Gloucester was clever. When the attention of the Welsh was on me then he would fall upon them. I only sent for four of my knights. I would take just those whose manors lay close to Stockton.  My other knights would provide protection for our homes. The Earl had not said how many men he wished me to bring and I would not risk took many.
    Sir Edward, from Thornaby, brought fourteen men; Sir Richard of Yarm sixteen, Sir Tristan of Elton ten and Sir Harold of Hartburn twelve. The bulk of the men in the conroi would come from my castle.  I took Wulfric and twenty men at arms and Dick and nine archers. I left Aelric at the castle to work with my new archers.  They would provide