The Archer's Castle: Exciting medieval novel and historical fiction about an English archer, knights templar, and the crusades during the middle ages in England in feudal times before Thomas Cromwell Read Online Free PDF

Earl of Cornwall is no match for William and his men.  So I deliver her message myself – I shoot an arrow straight down into his upturned face .  I wasn’t always a priest you know.
           The sight of his stupid brother falling off his horse seems to really anger the Earl.  A few moments later there is a great hue and cry as Baldwin and his men surge forward towards the castle walls waving their swords.  And then they get to the walls and look up to find a dozen or more defenders firing arrows and dropping rocks down on them – and turn around and run and stagger the other way leaving Sir Ralph and more bodies on the ground.  They had forgotten to bring ladders. 
           That afternoon the Baldwin and his men leave, but not before they work themselves into a rage and start to attack Trematon village.  They begin by torching one of the houses and cutting down a couple of villagers who hadn’t been smart enough to run when the fighting started at the castle.  But then the Earl stops them.  Apparently it suddenly dawns on the fool that his men are destroying some of the very property he wants to add to his own estate. 
           In any event, Baldwin and his men miss most of Trematon’s people because just about everyone is either in the fields for the harvest or inside the castle with Lady Dorothy.  In the end, after standing around thinking about the situation for a while, the Earl leaves Sir Ralph and the rest of his dead next to the castle walls and goes home with his men to get reinforcements and beat his wife or whatever it is that nobles do when they don’t get what they want. 
           We buried them without prayers three days later when they began to smell. 
           We’ll probably see the Earl of Cornwall and his men again when his harvest is in and more of his retainers are available.  So as soon as he and his men are out of sight I send yet another messenger to William describing what has happened and suggesting some precautionary steps that he might take.  And while I wait for William’s response I spend my time counseling and consoling Lady Dorothy and her daughters - and composing messages and documents to take to Prince John and the Pope.  Always best to be ready isn’t it?
     
                                           Chapter Two
           Thomas’s second message reaches me while I’m drilling the men on how to respond to attacks by mounted knights and men at arms using the newfangled Swiss pikes Brian produced for us before we left Cyprus.  It is quite an encouraging message; Thomas thinks Baldwin has gone to his Restormel Castle and will return to Trematon with more of his men right after the harvest is in. 
           My brother is right as usual – catching the fool out of his castle is too good an opportunity for us to pass up.
           I send the messenger back on a fresh horse, newly acquired and the only one we have, to tell Thomas we’ll be coming.  Two hours later we are marching along the cart path to Trematon.  We start quickly because I’d already loaded the horse carts with the supplies we need and some of the coin chests – and sent rest of our coin chests to be loaded on our galleys.  Once they’re loaded, all we’ll have to do to protect them is push the galleys back into the water with a handful of men on each to act as guards.
           Harold will have the men untie them and let them drift down to the safety of Falmouth Harbor if the Earl surprises us and attacks here at our camp instead of at Trematon.
           One thing the Earl’s behavior accomplishes is making up my mind as to where we should spend the winter.  Falmouth and Trematon are going to be our base until the spring.  After that, who knows?
           Our galleys will stay on the River Fal with a small guard of sailors under Harold’s command until we know it’s safe to pull them ashore.  The cogs,