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THE GREEN PEBBLE By Geneva In medieval times, in the border warfare between England and Scotland, a love affair blossoms between two people who should have been enemies. A magic book plays a part in their coming together. START I gave a quick look around me at our own forces as the English army pushed inexorably against us, easily forcing us to give ground. It was dreadfully apparent that the final result of the badly conceived campaign was a disaster and this battle was the culmination. In fact we had been very lucky to have avoided battle before. King David had been slightly wounded earlier and that should have should have warned him about the folly and risks of the campaign. Now it was too late. We had pressed on but were now faced, just outside Durham, by an English army, better prepared, better armed, and in a better position. This and other recent things had shown me that King David of Scotland was not the general that his father had been. Robert, 'The Bruce' as he was known, had been cautious, almost to a fault. A master of ambush and quick attacks, he had only been forced into the crucial battle of Bannockburn by the rashness of his brother and even then the English King Edward II's incompetence had been a factor in the Scottish victory. Had it been his father, Edward I, 'Longshanks' as he was known, it might have been a different story. My own family had a personal connection with that battle. It was at Bannockburn that my great-uncle had won the Bruce's favour and was rewarded with the lands that my eldest brother would inherit. Yes, as a younger brother I would not inherit any lands and would need to make my own way in the world so I had been quick to join the Scottish forces when they invaded Northern England. I hoped that, if I distinguished myself, the king might reward me with some lands. Our incursion was in response to a plea from the French King for help against the English. Not that Scotland and France had much in common, other than that England was their common enemy! So, our planning was haphazard and we now had found ourselves facing the English force across a small valley. After a short spell where the armies glared at each other across the field, battle was joined. Right away our poor position hindered us and the battle went against us and we began to fall back to avoid being surrounded. It was obvious too that our weapons and horses were inferior to the English ones. Many of our men had only spears, totally unsuitable for close quarter fighting The pommel on my own sword, all that I had been able to afford, was worn and slippery. I was hardly surprised when I had seen King David break and run from the field with a small accompanying party. Others by my side saw it too and the cry went up that the king was gone and the day lost. More and more of us began to surrender. I was in a pocket getting almost surrounded by English soldiers when I suddenly found myself defending against two English knights. I only had a pony rather than a warhorse but its lightness and nimbleness gave me an advantage, especially on the soft ground. One of the enemy knights was skilled, the other obviously less so and he was either too lax in pressing home any advantage that arose or perhaps he had difficulty moving in the soft ground. I had been exchanging strikes with the first one but he became careless when his horse sank a front hoof into a soft patch. He was also slightly off balance after swinging his sword at me. Had it connected I would have been almost cut in two but I ducked under his arm and with a quick jabbing stroke I managed to get my sword through a joint in his armor into his shoulder. As he gasped and dropped his guard my next blow hit the side of his helmet and he tumbled off his horse. Another time I would have dismounted and finished him off but there was the other to deal with first. I wheeled my horse to him and saw my opportunity to finish him off but when I looked around, almost all the Scots around me had surrendered and laid down their arms. In the flush of battle I drew back my sword, tempted to strike him then reluctantly I let my hand down too. I dismounted, stuck my sword on the blood soaked earth and took off my helmet. In seconds I was surrounded by a rush of English foot-soldiers. One lifted his mace, ready to crush my head but there was a command from the English knight, lying on the ground. "Stay! Let him live," he gasped. They scowled at me and two of them kicked me but only tied my arms behind me. The young man I had spared took off his helmet too and gave me a grave bow then immediately dismounted and knelt by the fallen knight who I had wounded. By the armorial devices on their steel breastplates I saw that they were the same family. He removed the helmet from the other and I saw gray hair and a grizzled beard. "Your father?" I asked. A mass of golden hair hung about the young man's head. It looked like he had tried for a beard, but only managed a few wisps on his chin. "Yes, he is badly wounded." I took a deep breath. I wondered if the young man would run me through. His father was gasping with pain. I breathed easier when the young man sheathed his own sword. All around me the surviving Scots had now laid down their arms. The fighting was over but the danger to us not lessened. If the English victors were so minded they might just kill us all. I hoped King David had escaped. However, even if he were captured he would be safer than anyone else in our defeated army. Kings would give good ransoms. In contrast, I was a younger son of a minor landowner. I would not inherit much and the small parcel of land in Scotland that was my father's estate would be unlikely to provide much of a ransom for me. I prepared myself for death when we were led a small distance away the battlefield on foot. One by one we were led before the English commanders, and asked to identify ourselves. "Who are these? I asked a fellow captive. "I think that one in the front is Ralph Neville, and the one behind him is one of the Percys. Henry, I think his name is. Old enemies of ours!" I sucked in my breath. The Neville's and Percy's were important and powerful nobles in the north of England. My own father was only a knight and lord of a small area, but certainly no earl or baron. I did have my own, or at least my father's coat of arms on my shield and on my breastplate but it would not have been well known. Some of our foot soldiers were also captives. They were only commoners. They had less chance than I and without any more ado they were beheaded. I gulped, expecting to be next but I was relieved when we were led to an enclosure and, still tied, pushed to the ground. I expected they would be deciding on our ransom. I was disgusted with myself, from the easy way the English had defeated us, my own surrender, then with worries about a ransom. When I rode off to join the king some weeks previously my mother had looked concerned while my father had watched with beaming pride, my older brother with envy. Now I would have disappointed them. My brother had wanted to accompany me but he was weak after an injury when he was thrown from his horse. We had even thought he was going to die but my mother did something involving a special prayer from an old book she owned and he survived. We lay bound in the enclosure that night with four foot-soldiers guarding us. Most of us were exhausted, but unwounded. One of us had a bad slash on his face. He would live, but would be badly scarred for life. In the morning an English knight came with a dozen soldiers but also two servants carrying food and water. One at time, our hands were freed and we were allowed to feed ourselves then our bonds refastened. When it came my turn I tried to hold my hands slightly apart but they were wrenched together and I was as well tied as ever. The knight addressed us. "You are to be taken to Durham, then your ransoms will be decided." I heard sighs of relief. We would be spared. If there were enough ransom! We were all led out of the enclosure and I watched as the army got ready. The bodies of the few English nobility who had been killed were covered and set on carts. They would eventually be taken to their homes for burial. The bodies of the fallen English soldiers were piled in a common grave. I heard suggestions that the Scots corpses should be left to rot on the field but eventually we were untied and set to digging a common grave, nothing more than a hole in the ground for them too. Anything useful was removed from the corpses and many were buried naked. I recognised one of the dead. His name was Sim, one of the men from my father's lands who had followed me to join David's army. I hoped the other three would have escaped. I wondered what they would tell my parents about me. Just as we had finished we were joined by another group. I closed my eyes and cursed. They had King David and some more Scottish nobles with them. So they too had failed to escape! That caused another delay. The Scottish prisoners were put with us, although the king was taken off separately. "What happened?" I was speaking to Hugh Foulis, who I had come to know quite well. He was steward to a nobleman who had lands near Stirling. Hugh told me he thought that his lord, the Earl of Strathbhan, had been able to escape after fighting his way out. "What about you?" I asked. "As soon as David saw the day was lost he galloped off with a few of his bodyguard and other adherents, myself with them. Our horses were getting tired, and my own horse had been hit by an arrow. We did not know the land either so finally we got trapped. "We and the English and actually watched each other for a bit but I knew it was useless. We were too far from the border. We lost one, though. Wat Armstrong beside me was braver, or more foolhardy perhaps. He pulled out his sword. 'Better to die fighting,' he shouted, but the rest of us had all had enough. Wat was the only one to resist. He actually rode straight into the middle of the English. He even took the arm off one, but it took only seconds before he fell from his horse with sword cuts and a spear in him. "It was good for us that David held up his hand. He shouted that he was surrendering and ordered us to do the same so one by one we dismounted and laid down our arms. David drew his sword and walked to the English and handed his sword to them. We were lucky. After what Wat did I am surprised they did not kill us all." Hugh spat into the bloody ground. "I was ashamed to have to surrender to the English but if we'd resisted we would have been slaughtered." I shook my head. "The whole campaign has been a disaster!" Hugh sighed. "I agree. You see the result here." "You know, Hugh, we should have been better prepared. This was to much of a spur-of-the-moment thing." I shook my head in disgust. "You can't invade England without much more preparation! Our organization was poor. We need to muster more men, and supply them properly. There are too many inept commanders, yes, right up to the King." "Care you don't speak treason, Andrew," Hugh cautioned, although it was obvious he agreed. "Yes, and look at our weapons! We needed more, better. It's as if we are fighting battles with stuff from last century! Most of our men don't have swords either, just spears!" "I suppose you think you think you could do better?" My temper was up. "Yes, I am sure of it." "Then maybe some day you can get the chance to show us," Hugh grimaced. "Anyway, so here we are. Let's see how long we survive. What now?" I looked round at our captors, all well armed and some still glaring at us. "You'd be more able to get a good ransom. I'm not so sure about myself! What about the king?" "He'll live, no doubt, but it will be a hefty ransom for him. Maybe it will take years raising it in a poor country like ours. So he'll have quite a few years in England as a prisoner before he sees Scotland again. That will mean infighting between the Scottish nobles for power with him gone." I saw we were about to get on our journey to captivity when a man-at- arms came down our line. "Is Andrew Budrose here?" he called. I realized he was calling for me. Was I the first to be executed? He put a rope round my neck and pulled me with him as I stood up. "This way, dog!" My heart sank. It looked like I was going to be hanged like a common criminal. I wondered about making a run for it. I would be unsuccessful but death by a sword thrust was better than strangling at the end of a rope like a criminal. But I was astonished when I was led to a tent. Its pennant seemed somehow familiar. Then, as I was pushed into the tent to my astonishment I recognized one of the men. It was the young English knight whose life I had spared. This time his helmet was off and I remembered the distinctive golden colour of his hair. He had bright blue eyes. The other was an older man, gray haired and with a lined, worn face. He was lying on a pad, his upper body bare except for a large bloodied bandage on his left shoulder. The side of his face showed the dark bruise of an enormous blow. There were two armed men there too, guards, I supposed. "So, your name is Andrew Budrose?" asked the older one, speaking French. I understood him well. We used French at home. "Yes, I am Andrew," I wondered how he knew me. "I am Maurice deLigny. This is my son Charles. Your father is the lord of a place called Blackhaugh?" "Yes, I am his younger son." "What age are you?" "I am eighteen, my lord." His eyes were looking me up and down, taking my measure. "I am impressed. You have fairly good fighting skills for one so young, and you are brave, but it was foolish of you to attempt to invade England. Now you have ended up my prisoner." "I was only following my king, "I said defensively. I wondered why he had said 'my'. "Very loyal of you, but a bad general he proved to be. We should be thankful," he mused. He looked at me, mild annoyance on his face. "So now I have to decide what to do with you. I spoke to Lord Percy and he has given you to me as a prisoner. No doubt you are wondering why?" I had thought about that, but I just looked at him. I wondered what was coming up. Did he want me as a personal prisoner? "Andrew Budrose, I have to admit you are a very good fighter. You are young but you fought both my son and I simultaneously. You were lucky when you wounded me, putting this hole in my shoulder. My horse had stumbled." He touched his wound and grimaced. " You also knocked out some of my teeth. You could have killed my son except you spared him. Why?" Behind, him, his son was looking the ground, obviously embarrassed. "We had lost. It was time to end the killing." "Yet I could execute you. I'd be unlikely to get much of a ransom for the likes of you? You are not worth much! I 've looked at your weapons. " He actually picked up my sword. Look at it! It's old and it's been pitted with rust! Your armor, likewise! It's foolishness to go to war with worn-out weapons." He was right. My weapons had seen better days but they were all I could afford. "However, you spared my son. For that I am grateful. This was his first battle and he has much to learn about combat." He looked round at his son who flushed slightly. It must have been some kind of admonition. He sighed. "A good thing we won. So, Andrew Budrose, if I released you, would you promise never to take arms against us again?" I was astonished, but what he said was impossible. I could easily lie and say I would not. That was almost expected and I would not be the first! However, it was not my way. "You are generous, Lord Maurice deLigny, but no, it is my duty as a subject of King David of Scotland to follow wherever he commands!" "A principled Scot!" he laughed, ignoring my indignant glare. "You know, Andrew Budrose, I don't think I expected less. However, that may be irrelevant as your king is likely to be our prisoner for some time. Who will you give fealty to then?" He leaned back when I could not give an answer. "Actually, Andrew, I have met your father, Jean Budrose. I believe he was once called Jean Boudreau, a Frenchman, but he told me he changed his name when he went to Scotland more than thirty years ago. Budrose! A flower, a ridiculous name for a fighter!" I was getting tired of his condescending tone. "I believe your English king is a Plantagenet, also after a flower. What is it? A broom plant? A weed?" DeLigny inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "You are right. Anyway, yes, your father is a worthy opponent. I met him at some negotiations about ten years ago so I recognized the device that you also wear on your chest. I see much of him in you. I thought he was an honorable man." My father had told me that in France he had been a guard, then later the husband of my mother, after her father and all of her noble family had been killed in some baronial dispute in France. My mother had been the heir of my granduncle, who had been given lands as a reward for helping Robert the Bruce in Scotland and as a result she and my father had come to Scotland. My father might have changed his name to sound more Scottish, but he still had a strong French accent. No matter, as in England, many of the noble houses spoke French. My parents spoke French to us but otherwise I mostly spoke to our servants, guards and tenants in the local dialect. "However then, Andrew, I will release you. But beware! I have paid my debt to you. So I owe you nothing if ever we meet again." He wrote something on a piece of paper, then added a wax seal with his crest, all the time wincing from his wound. "Here, this will allow you free passage through England and across the border. It is also signed by Lord Percy. Andrew Budrose, make sure we never meet again!" "Thank you, my Lord" I said, bowing to him. I even bowed to the white- faced young man at his back, looking wide eyed at me and gulping. I could not believe my good fortune and I immediately headed north before they changed their minds. I saw Hugh looking at me enviously. The English had even returned my horse and sword to me but it took more than a week before I was back in familiar territory. I had been given some dried bread and some oats taken from a dead Scottish soldier. These and water from streams were my sole sustenance for that week. As I expected, I was frequently stopped by armed parties of soldiers, even a group of robbers, but the pass allowed me to keep on my journey. Some might have wanted to murder and rob me anyway, but the name Percy was feared in the border country. My father's lands in Blackhaugh were minor compared to many landowners, but the glen was fertile. It was in a good situation, surrounded on three sides by hills with only a narrow pass leading into it and could be easily overlooked by raiding parties unfamiliar with the land. That had saved us at least twice in the past turbulent years. As a precaution I approached my parents' castle from the east, coming over from near the top of the ridge so that I could see over the castle. If the English used their victory as an opportunity to advance into Scotland they might even have attacked the castle. I was lucky. When I looked down to the tower, all appeared in order and I descended the steep slope to the surrounding wall and guided the horse round to the main gate. I knew the guard there, Michael, and he recognized me, calling out his pleasure, welcoming me and shouting to others in the castle. It turned out that two of the four men I had taken with me had already returned, bringing news of our defeat. Michael was devastated when I told them that King David was a prisoner too and I left him shaking his head while I went into the door of the main tower. A sentry on to of the crenelated roof had seen me too and shouted a welcome down to me. As I approached the main door my parents rushed out to me. "Oh Anselm, I am glad you are back," cried my mother, wiping tears from her eyes. "You are safe!" She embraced me, followed by my father. I had been baptized Anselm after my great uncle, but I preferred the name Andrew as the Scots would think it less foreign sounding. "William and Tam have returned. But no others?" my father asked. I shook my head. "I saw Sim's body. And I'm afraid Jock must have been killed in the battle or after." I was glad Tam was safe. He was a good and reliable companion. When I gave them the details of the battle my father closed his eyes in pain and shook his head slowly. " Dangerous times! Sim was not married but Jock was, to Marion Braidshaw, and he has two children. It will not be easy for her and I'll have to help her until she finds another man. And I expect the English will now come calling on us." He looked at our tower and shook his head. "If they find us this tower will protect us, but only for a bit! A serious army could knock it down in a day. But we'll do what we can." We were lucky. Our isolated location had its good points and bad. For an invader unfamiliar with the area, we would be easily overlooked, but being isolated, we were more or less on our own if trouble arose. We settled down to licking our wounds and preparing for a possible invasion. We would keep a careful watch. The plan was that if any invading force was a large army, we would simply try to escape and flee north. If only a smaller raiding force, we would resist them as long as we could. A small force would not be able to breach the wall of the tower house quickly enough. There was a well right in the castle and we had enough food in the stores to last some weeks. Our armory was adequate, although, like my personal armor, its contents were old. I was only back a day when I set myself, as in the past, to regular practice at my fighting skills. My brother Alexander was my companion most of the time. He had been christened Abelard after my grandfather but, like me, he had opted for a more common Scottish name, to my mother's annoyance. However, as well as fighting practice Alexander had to sit under our mother while she drilled him reading, writing, even counting and in the administrative details of the castle and its lands. She scolded him when he complained, emphasizing that proper management and attention to duties was important for any lord. It was no use his complaining to my father as he agreed with my mother. Worse, she insisted that my sister and I do the same. I was surprised when it turned out that I learned these faster than Alexander. I did not know to be pleased or sorry. I could not see a use for these and I only endured them to humour my mother! I could not see how a fighting man would ever need these things. If ever I got my own estates I would hire someone to attend to these details. "I had to learn when I was young, "my mother insisted. " It served me well. So you will do the same! You think it is noble to be in charge of your lands. It is just as noble to look after your earnings and your estate!" A month or two after the battle I was sitting at our evening meal when we heard a cry from one of the sentries at the gate. He actually called to me. "There's a man at the gate. He's on horseback. He asks to see Andrew Budrose." I buckled on my sword and accompanied the guard to the gate. When we peered through I gave a cry of delight. "Hugh! Welcome to Blackhaugh! Guard, open the gate and let him in!" It was Hugh Foulis. When he dismounted we clapped each other on the back and stood back to examine each other. "So you're released!" I exclaimed. "Aye, I must be worth something to the earl. He helped my family raise the ransom!" "You're thinner though!" "I suppose so. The English fed me, adequately, but not generously. I'm probably out of shape and a bit paler too. I wasn't allowed out much, as you can imagine. And yourself? I saw you'd been released." I laughed. "Unlike you, I wasn't worth very much, but I was lucky. I had spared the son of a knight. The son was called Charles. His father is Maurice deLigny. He has some land near Durham. In return he released me so I've been back three months or so." "You're looking well!" "Thanks, but Hugh, come upstairs and you can meet my family" They welcomed him effusively, sitting him down with a plate of food and asking him about his captivity. The conversation turned to the King. "Where is he?" asked Hugh. My father shook his head. "There's a rumor that David is being held in southern England, well away from Scotland so, little chance of escape or us rescuing him. His cousin, that's Robert, son of Walter who was Bruce's steward, is in charge, and trying to raise ransom but this is a poor country. It will be a long time. That will mean a struggle among the nobles here for power." "Aye, Robert was at Neville's Cross too, but I heard he escaped. I hear he uses Stirling Castle. My home's a bit further north." "Hugh, you can stay with us a bit, surely," I said. "Thank you Andrew, but I want to be on my way back home to my wife and bairns. I have a small piece of land in the north of Stirling, but my lord, the Earl of Strathbhan, will be needing some help too. Some of the Highland clansmen are fractious and need a firm hand. "What about you, Andrew?" he asked. "What are your plans?" I was taken aback. I had not thought too much about it. "I haven't decided. Maybe I'll see if some earl or duke would could use my help." "Then why don't you come north with me. The Earl will be able to use a good fighting man like you too." Later that night I discussed it with Hugh over a mug of ale. We rehashed the battle and again I complained about our poor planning. "You know Andrew, I'm sure we can use a strong fighter like you, but maybe you could do other things too, that might turn out to be better for us." "What do you mean?" "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders and you think a lot about things, like organization." I shook my head vehemently. "I'm a fighter. That's how I'll make my way." Hugh shrugged. "Well Andrew, You complained enough about the bad planning. So you should be prepared to do something about it, But it's yourself for it!" I saw Hugh off two days later. He would be home in another four days if he had no trouble. "Don't forget, we can use you if you're so minded, " he shouted. The more I thought about it, the more I was tempted, but events at home drove it from my mind. As we expected, Edward III of England and his northern earls took advantage of David's imprisonment and the general lack of effective central authority in Scotland to extend English control well beyond the border. It would provide a useful buffer and deterrent against any other Scottish activity. Some of it was fertile, rich land too but it would be too much of a drain of his resources to try to annex it completely. There were better and easier pickings in France. Blackhaugh was a bit outside the occupied area but over the next months we had continual minor skirmishes or brushes with the English garrisons of some of the captured castles until we learned to keep out of each other's way. Still, I knew that the Scots would gradually retake all the strong points. A month or so later the trouble became more serious. Some Scottish earl's troops had made a major raid into England. There were no battles other than a few skirmishes but it was enough to stir things up and we knew it would bring some retaliation. I immediately took aside Tam, one of my most experienced armed men and we set ourselves to getting our weapons in order and laying in food supplies. Our planning paid off. One morning Michael came galloping up to the castle."A raiding party coming this way," he cried. "I see them sniffing about at the entrance to the glen. There are about two dozen of them." That was about an hour away and it was barely enough time to get some of the tenants into the castle, with some of the animals. Some of the other tenants herded up the majority of the animals and drove them up through the trees along the burn to the head of the glen. That area was covered with trees, and not easily accessible so with luck they would not be discovered. We set Tam in charge. As we had feared, the raiding party arrived soon after. The leader observed few formalities. "In the name of King Edward the Third, we demand you surrender," he shouted. " If you do your lives will be spared." That was refused, of course. "Edward is not King of Scotland. You are invaders. Take your men and go!" cried my father. The raiders then set themselves to burning everything that could be seen. Fortunately it was late spring and there was little to burn other than the crudely thatched roofs of the tenants' houses. A few were wood and burned to the ground. Some were wattle. The rest had stone or simple turf walls and there was little the raiders could do except knock them down and that was too time consuming. Unfortunately, the next morning the raiders were still set in front of the castle, looking as if they were settling in and we had a council of war. There was no question that we would resist them. We probably had more supplies than they had but by the end of the week the raiders were still there. Some days into the siege they made an attempt to force our gate but it was too strong and a few arrows and crossbow bolts from our battlements kept them at a distance. Frustrated, they began systematically to level the remaining dwellings. By the end of another week we were getting more concerned with the situation of our supplies. We were more dismayed when we saw fresh riders come in with pack horses carrying extra supplies for the besiegers. So our enemy was prepared to stay a bit longer! We had another family council to decide on our course. There were too many besiegers for us to defeat and we were apprehensive about surrendering. We might be simply driven out. Possibly we would all be killed. After a lot of argument we decided the best course would be to send for help. I volunteered to try to escape from our castle and go for help from William Seton of Nethercleugh who had an estate and castle about a day's journey away. William was actually related to us. His son James was married to my elder sister Agnes. I was not too worried about getting caught as I slipped out as our besiegers were a bit lax and had not surrounded our small castle. Unfortunately we would not be able to smuggle a horse out so I would have to sneak away on foot until I could get a horse in those we had sent to the top of the glen. The very next overcast night I was let down from the wall by a rope, keeping as quiet as I could. The few campfires of the besiegers gave only a little light around the castle and the only sound was a couple of the besiegers' guards talking quietly on the east side of the barmkin. When no alarm was raised. I cautiously made my way over to the burn running through the glen, then into the trees and gradually worked my way upstream. At first it was dark and I had to make my way cautiously along the path. When it began to lighten and I made better speed. I wanted to get to the head of the glen where hopefully I would find the animals we had hidden up there. We had several horses there too. I had gone about three miles and the steep slopes of the surrounding hills were getting ever closer when I finally got the smell of cattle. I gave a small whistle. "Tam?" I called, and to my relief it was answered by a low call. "Ower here, " I heard and soon Tam appeared, carrying a drawn sword. Behind him were two other men with bows and the arrows already nocked. Tam gave a broad smile and embraced me. Fortunately they had not been discovered and I gave them news of the situation back at the castle and my plan. Right away Tam answered. "Maister Andrew, you'll need somebody wi' you. It'll be safer that way. The kye and horses are in guid haun's here and we've no' seen ony o' the English lookin' this far up." "Thank you, Tam. I was hoping you would offer." We first scrambled up the slopes to the summit of the ridge, leading the horses and often stumbling through loose stones then suddenly we were at the top and with the dawn breaking early, we could see over the countryside. I pointed to the northwest. "There's another glen to go along and yet another hill ridge to cross, but Nethercleugh is just beyond that. I hope it's not under siege too." We spent that night under a tree but by the evening second day we reached William's castle. I was relieved to see it had no besiegers. We identified ourselves but the guards were cautious. We were admitted only when one of the guards recognized me from the wedding celebrations and we were taken immediately to William Seton. With him were his son James and my sister Agnes and I embraced her. She was obviously pregnant. My parents would be pleased when they heard. However, I had more pressing things to discuss. When I gave them the news about our siege the Setons all looked grim. It did not take long for William to make up his mind. "Yes, I'll get some men together. In fact I will lead them too. I thought we might have reached a kind of truce with the English but if Blackhaugh falls, then that may whet their appetite for some more." In all he was able to assemble about thirty armed riders and we set out the next morning just before dawn and arrived at the narrow vale that was the main entrance to our glen late that same evening. It was not the right time for a fight as we were all tired and it was getting dark. We might have the advantage of surprise if we attacked them during the night, but it was so overcast, and with a light drizzle falling, that we would have had trouble seeing who was friend and who was enemy. We settled down for the night. Tam and I were tired, even more tired than the others. I hoped I would get some rest that night, but I had trouble sleeping in the fine chilling drizzle that penetrated my clothes and I was on edge with the coming fight. At least it stopped raining overnight and in the morning we guided the horses carefully up the narrow gorge until it opened out into the valley and readied ourselves for the attack. "I know the land," I said. " I'll go on ahead and see what's happening." Moving cautiously through the trees I saw the castle, still with our family's pennant and some rough shelters and tents for the besieging English. But now there was something different. To one side there were two new tents, more elaborate, and both with fluttering pennants. I recognized one as that of the knight, Maurice deLigny, whose son I had spared at the battle. So it looked like we were going to meet again. DeLigny had commented that he would not spare me again. That was just. I did not owe him anything either. I reported back to William what I had seen. "How many enemy, would you say?" he asked. "About twentyfive or so." He looked round at his men and grinned. He spoke quietly. "Then we can take them. There are thirty of us and we'll have the benefit of surprise". He looked at the castle. "Even better if the people in the castle will see us and can come out to help. So are we all about ready?" There were only nods. The men had been warned not to speak, and the only sound was that of swords sliding out of scabbards and a little creaking of the saddles and harness. William pointed forward and we moved quietly through the trees almost to the edge of the open area, about a couple of hundred paces from the besiegers' tents. We were just about to start our charge when I saw a figure appear on the battlements. I was both puzzled and alarmed when I recognized my mother by her clothing. She was waving her arms, screaming what seemed to be abuse at the besiegers and I saw them all gradually move closer to the castle. It was too far for me to hear at all but she must have been insulting them as I saw some pick up stones and throw them at her. There were even a few arrows sent but the she was too far from the besiegers for them to reach her. I heard faint jeers from them. My mother was still shouting, or screaming at them. I frowned. There were no armed men that I could see on the battlements with her, only what looked like my sister. If we were successful I would have to speak to our armed men. She at least should have had some men with her for protection. I wondered what my father was thinking of. Suddenly, she must have finished as she abruptly disappeared. In groups, the attackers loosed a few more arrows then walked casually back to their camp. Some looked as if they were laughing, I suppose, at my mother's antics. I could not think what she had been doing. It had been risky and had made her look ridiculous. Carefully I counted the enemy and, as I had thought, there were only twenty five or so of them. We had the advantage of numbers and surprise. William raised his arm and we readied ourselves. We would ride them down before they had a chance to get on their own horses. William gave a loud scream of his family war cry and, his arm sweeping down, we spurred our horses and poured out from the trees into the open area, screaming and shouting, our horses at the gallop. Our surprise was almost complete. They were not prepared at all. Only a few of the besiegers managed to get weapons other than swords but they were overwhelmed and in just a few minutes they were all lying dead or dying on the grass, except for two who had been close to their horses. Seeing the rout, they had jumped into the saddles and fled from the scene. I recognized one, from the heraldric device on his chest, as Charles, the son of Maurice deLigny, the knight who had released me. Charles was the one I had spared. I cursed inwardly. This is what had come of my sparing him! He had now helped in a raiding party against us and threatened me and my family. Then again, if I had killed him earlier, probably his father would have executed me. In my mad rush through the enemy, I had been able to kill one, splitting his head with my sword when he blundered in front of me. I saw my brother-in-law run through another with a spear. I pulled my horse around to make another run but the fight was over. Our men were laughing and cheering. Only one of us was injured with a spear through his side. We looked at it. His wound was deep, but it was only through skin and muscle and he would probably survive. Almost immediately the castle gates opened and my family rushed out, crying with joy. Our own party gave great cheers. When the exhilaration of the fight had passed, I began to think about the action. We had defeated them but it should not have been so easy. It was as if they were too listless to fight and I had even seen one one cowering on the ground lying helplessly shaking. I had seen men afraid but never to that extent. Tam contemptuously put his spear through the wretch. I was shaking too, but I usually did in the aftermath of fights. I wiped the sweat from my brow, rode over to my father and dismounted. "Sorry for the delay, father, but it took time getting over the hills to Nethercleugh." He embraced me. "I was wondering. But you got here at last and you saved us. A good victory!" I embraced him again and my mother and my brother in turn when they ran to me. My sister Annabelle embraced me too. She really seemed to have blossomed in the three days I had been gone. I had not noticed how pretty she was. I looked round at the carnage. "Now what about those two who escaped?" "Ah, let them go," said William. "They can take the tale of their defeat back to England with them." "Maybe it would it be better to get them all?" I asked. " Then it would be as if they all disappeared. It might keep the others away. So I'm going after them. Besides, I have a score to settle with one of them. Tam, can you come with me?" Tam grinned. "Aye, Maister Andrew." "I think you'll have trouble catching them," said William. "They have a good head start." "Oh, perhaps they will not make such good time," my mother said, as if she knew something. I looked at her but I let it pass. In fact it was another hour before Tam and I could get going as we decided to change horses. I supposed if we had set guards at the entrance to our glen we might have stopped any fugitives but we had not known how many men we might need for the fight. The track was muddy and Tam and I were able to spot the fugitives' hoof tracks easily and follow them. It would be more difficult once we got onto the open moorland where the rough grass and turf would not show hoof marks as well. We had barely gone a mile over the moorland before we saw two horses standing, both grazing on the rough grass by a stunted tree. There appeared to be two bundles at lying on the turf below the tree. As we got nearer we saw the bundles were actually two bodies on the grass. "What's the maitter?" muttered Tam. "They're just lying there." "We'd better be careful," I said, under my breath, unsheathing my sword. "They look like the men we're after." Nearer still it was obvious that they were the fugitives we were looking for but they still made no moves. They appeared to be unconscious or worse and lay absolutely still, even though they surely could hear us. There was no reaction at all as we got nearer. When I got right up by them I saw one was a man, in soldier's clothing, and obviously dead. He was lying on his back, his eyes open, staring sightlessly at the sky. There was something not quite right about the other figure. It was in a man's clothing, and I recognized the crest on the chest as that of Charles, the son of Maurice deLigny. It was the one I was after but, as I peered at it more closely, it was as if the figure was shrunken and too small for the clothes. If he had been standing the clothes would surely have hung baggily on him. The figure was totally unconscious, but every so often a slight tremor would run through te body. I dismounted and felt at the face. It was still warm, so the figure was alive. It did not look like a man's face at all, more like a young woman's. She would have been very pretty except for wispy golden hairs on her upper lip and chin. I took off the helmet to see the face better. A mass of golden hair fell out. From what I remembered that was Charles de Ligny's hair colour. "What's that?" asked Tam. "It looks mair like a lassie." He was right. It looked more like a woman than a man. I was totally mystified. There were the two horses, and one soldier. It was impossible but it was as if the other had been replaced by a woman. I shook the girl but she remained unconscious. The tremors seemed to have passed. Curious, I unbuckled the breast plate. Underneath was a man's doublet but when I opened the shirt I saw two female breasts with prominent pink nipples. I jumped back in shock. "I think it really is a woman." I gasped. "It canna be! " said Tam, but when he looked at it his jaw dropped. "What now?" he asked. "Take them back, I suppose." I pointed to the dead man. "He can get buried with the rest. Her," I pointed to the other figure, "I don't know. It's like a man's clothing and armor, like the English were wearing, but I can't kill a woman, especially a helpless one!" We put the two bodies on the horses and led them back to the castle. My mind was spinning in confusion. Back at the castle they were just tidying up. William Seton's men, helped by our own, had dug a shallow grave and pushed the bodies in. They were just covering it up. "Room for one more?" I asked. "What have you got there?" my father asked pointing to the girl, or whatever it was. "I don't understand it. There's a dead Englishman and the other is alive. It actually looks like a girl. But she's in a man's clothing! And there's a deLigny coat of arms on it. That was the man that freed me after the battle of Neville's Cross. I told you about it. Did you see any woman arrive and join the English?" "Maybe the English have to get their women to fight for them," snorted someone in the background and I heard derisive laughter. My mother was staring down at the girl and biting her lip. She took my shoulder. "Anselm, I can explain this, but later tonight. Why don't you help in the clearing up here? Look, the common folk have to get their houses rebuilt. Why don't you see what you can do to help there too? In the meantime, I'll take this girl inside with me." I was more and more confused, especially at her concern, but I spent several hours with the rest of the men starting to rebuild and repair their dwellings. Later I went to the head of the glen where help was needed to herd the cattle back down to the fields. I saw something curious too. I saw my mother kneeling beside William Seton's injured man. She had something in her hands and was reading. I supposed it was a prayer. He had been badly hurt, but later I was astonished when I saw him walking about later, showing no sign at all that he had been hurt. When we ate that night my curiosity got the better of me. "Mother, what is going on here? Why have you taken that girl?" She looked at my father. "It is a long story. Better wait until we have finished eating." What I want to say should be private anyway." She gestured to the rest of the room. As was the custom, our servants and the castle guard ate with us. William Seton and his men were there too. They would stay the night with us. I thought William would have wanted to spend some time with us, but he said he was going to get some sleep for an early start back to Nethercleugh. Finally we were finished eating and I looked at her expectantly. My mother nodded to Alexander and to our younger sister Annabelle, and led us to her chamber, my father behind us. "In a way I hoped I would never have to do his, but perhaps I was being foolish. I suppose it had to come out. I have a tale to tell you that started in France, when I was younger than you, Anselm. You see, you have heard of the Templar Knights?" "Yes," said Alexander. "They were an order of warrior knights, but were suppressed for heresy and apostasy more than thirty years ago." It was as if my mother was looking into the distance, thinking of past events. "Yes, so you have been told, by the local priest, I suppose. But these accusations were probably untrue. Their downfall was due to the power and riches they had accumulated. These incited the envy of the French king to start with. "It is a long story, but to cut it short, my uncle, who was also called Anselm-you are named after him- was a Templar, but managed to slip away from the persecution. He fled to Scotland and, for his services to the then Scottish king, as we've told you, he was given some land. These are the lands that we now live in, and have now fought for." "But what has that to do with that woman we have prisoner, who is lying unconscious in one of the rooms?" asked Annabelle. My mother sighed and my father shifted in his chair, then rose to look out of the window. I sensed a great awkwardness. "My uncle had saved a book from the Templar library, a very special book." She looked at us severely. "This knowledge must never be revealed outside this family. Do I have your word? All of you!" She waited until we had all agreed. "It was a book the Templars had probably picked up from Constantinople. It contained words, that when spoken, cast spells of different types on all those who heard them. Some cured diseases, injuries, blemishes, helped women in childbirth. There were many of them." I was aghast at the idea of using magic. It was hard to believe and I said so. "It's true," my father broke in. "I can vouch for that." "Do you remember that woman, one of our servants, who was ill last year. Who I helped supposedly by prayer?" My mother smiled faintly. "And Anselm, I saw you looking at me today as I helped that injured man of William's. I healed him too." "Oh yes, it showed the power of prayer," said Alexander. I was puzzled. Even prayer would not fix an injury that quickly. My mother looked round at us. "Perhaps prayer did help, but you see, I used a spell from the book on her too!" "What?" I crossed myself in terror. "You may cross yourself, but I know it was the spell that helped her. However, there is another special spell and you all saw the results today. All men hearing this spell read become insensible and are changed to women, beautiful ones. That's what I shouted to all the enemy. The men in this castle all had their ears stoppered with wax. The women would be affected, but very much milder. And women have always liked the results." She waited until our cries of shock died away. "Men usually awaken in a day or so, but as women. You see, Anselm, you had been a long time getting help and I thought you had failed, maybe even that you had been killed. So, as a last resort, I read this spell. I shouted it out to all the besiegers. "In this spell nothing happens for some minutes. But then any men hearing it tart to shake and shiver. I wanted to make them unconscious, so we could easily capture them, but you arrived at the same time. They must have been feeling the first effects and were no match for your attack. It's a good thing that you and all of William Seton's men did not hear the words." "I wondered why it seemed so easy, " I cried. "It also makes women more beautiful. But they do not suffer the same severe effects as men. Have you noticed your sister?" I looked round at Annabelle. My mother was right, Annabelle was now a very pretty woman. She smiled happily at me before I turned back to my mother. "But, as you know, two escaped, but not before they too had heard the words of the spell. Anselm, you found the result. As you saw, one man died from the effects before he was changed completely. You can be sure that the spell is dangerous. The other person who heard it obviously survived, and became a girl, a young woman. You saw the result there." "Yes, "I whispered. "I saw her female breasts." The story and the implications of the book stunned us all. My mother rose and embraced us, Alexander and Annabelle, and then me. "That is indeed a fantastic story! Thank you, Mother," I said. "I can see why you want it kept secret." "But that is not all," said my mother. "There is more, and you will find it even more fantastic and... maybe heart wrenching." I was shocked when she broke down in tears and we all watched, embarrassed for her and puzzled. My father came to sit beside her and held her tight while she wept. I was nervous. What she was about to say obviously affected her greatly. At last she got control of herself and dried her eyes. "I have actually told you very little about both me and your father, my beloved husband. My father was a lord in France. He aroused the envy of a jealous neighboring baron who spread rumors and lies. He had the ear of the king too and told lies about us. The result was that my father, my mother and all of my family were killed in the fighting. Your father's father too." I looked over to my father. His face was set. "I swore revenge on all who had caused it. I even killed a priest for his lies and malice. I put a crossbow bolt through his lying throat. I would have hunted down the French king too but he had died. The last was a neighboring baron and I planned revenge on him. I had a plan involving that spell in the book .You see, I was the eldest son!" "You were once a man!" My brother jumped up in shock. My sister was holding a handkerchief to her mouth in shock. She began sobbing. I was confused and I began to feel a terrible dread but I had to listen to her. "My plan was to disguise myself as a woman, and let myself be abducted by the neighbor and once in his bedchamber I would kill him. I actually used that same spell and I became a young woman. " My mother's face was ashen. "As it happened, he was killed, not by me, but by a woman he had wronged. So, with him dead I could change back as I had no further need of my 'disguise', as you might say. The book also has a spell that undoes the first but then we found that the book had been inadvertently damaged and was no longer effective. It needed a cover of human skin and it was some time before we found a replacement." She sighed. "In fact, it became too long before I could change back, and I found... " There was a fresh burst of tears. "I found I was happy as a woman, and I did not want to change back! The body is changed in hours. The mind also changes. It takes longer, but the effects are just as thorough. Also, as a woman, I had fallen in love with your father. We escaped with my uncle back to Scotland and now your father is lord of these lands and I am his lady. And I am happy to be so" My brother and I were shocked into silence. My sister was still crying but she rose and embraced our mother. It was a fantastic tale but unfortunately it explained many things. "So the woman downstairs, it would be possible to change her back?" I asked. My mother shook her head. "Not right away. Several days are needed before attempting to use the reverse spell. After all, if the body is changed, it must be drastic. It is very hard on those who experience it. I should know. I was unconscious almost two days. "But, as for the girl downstairs, I will keep her as a woman as long as we have her, then change her back when she is ransomed and we can send her back. Then, what's his name? Charles deLigny? He will reappear, you might say, and we will send him back to his father." I reminded them about my past experience with the senior deLigny. "Perhaps we should just release him." "You seem to be making an unusual relationship with the deLignys," my brother laughed. "No, let's get some ransom. Money's always useful." That was reasonable. I had spared Maurice's son. In turn he had released me. We owed each other nothing. I tossed and turned that night, the strange revelations running through my mind. We were all so affected by my other's revelations that William and james Seton noticed our mood the next morning, but we could not tell them and soon after sunrise they left with their men. They took half the attackers' horses and most of the weapons. Later, I asked my mother about our prisoner. "She will not wake for another day, but do you want to see her?" my mother asked. The girl was still unconscious, but looked peaceful. "She looks totally a girl, " I wondered aloud. "Oh yes, I checked. And you said you saw breasts on her. She is a woman, totally. She could even bear children. I have. She looks as if she is about eighteen." "Yes, that would have been Charles deLigny's' age." I hoped we might get some relief from studies, but my mother has us both, even Annabelle, at reading practice the next morning, as if there had been no threat at all to our lives just a few days earlier. Fortunately in the afternoon she allowed me to spend some more time helping the tenants at rebuilding, and then later at arms practice. My mind wasn't on the practice. I kept thinking of the girl. The next day my mother summoned me. "Anselm, I think the girl is now beginning to wake up. Do you want to see her?" I was still bewildered by the events and their implications, but my curiosity got the better of me and I agreed. I studied the girl as she lay sprawled on the bed. Her outer clothes had been removed and she was wearing only a smock my mother had given her. She was obviously a girl, but her face was spoiled by some male hair on her upper lip and chin. Her neck was long and two bulges on her chest pushed out her smock. Her hands were small and when my mother removed her footwear I saw her feet were small and delicate too. The girl was giving little movements, her body twisting with occasional jerks of her limbs and making little sounds half way between groans and sighs. "I'm glad she's waking," said my mother. "She's pretty or will be. It would be a pity for her to die." The girl seemed to be evenly featured enough but her face was covered with reddish blotches and her eyes were crusted. I watched as my mother gently washed her face." I'm only doing what someone did for me all those years ago," she said when I commented. The girl gave a small gasp and a bit more movement. When she muttered something, it was a girl's voice, despite its hoarseness. Next, her eyes began to flicker and it looked like she was finally beginning to wake up. "She'll probably be thirsty," said my mother "Why don't you try giving her some water?" I looked at my mother, taken aback as I did not want to touch this changeling, but she gestured irritably. "Go on! What are you waiting for? Help the poor girl!" I held some water to her lips but she spluttered and coughed and her eyes flicked open. It looked as if she was trying to speak but could not. When I offered her more water she managed to swallow a little, then drank eagerly as I gently tipped the cup to her lips. "Where am I?' she whispered. "What has happened?" She peered at me. "Andrew Budrose? What are you doing here? What has happened?" "You and your forces were laying siege to this castle. "I said. "You were defeated and now you are our prisoner. You are in our castle." Her hands went to her face, and she gave a groan of despair, but in seconds she took her hands from her face and stared at them. She frowned. "What's happened to my hands? They are small!" She examined her fingers. "They look slimmer!" No wonder! Her hands were small, her fingers were long and slim and her arms were smooth and rounded. Before I could think of a reply she gave a series of gasps, changing to a cry of terror when she looked down at her chest. "Aahh! What's that?" She clutched her hands to her chest. She lifted up her smock and began to scream. Once more I saw the bulges of female breasts and rosy nipples, but this time my mother took me quickly by the arm. "Anselm, better you leave now. She's a woman, so give her some privacy. Annabelle and I will see to her. She has a lot to discover about herself and we have much to tell her. " "But..." was all I managed to say before I was thrust out the door. Behind me I heard escalating shrieks and howls. I had much to occupy myself and it was near noon when my mother reappeared. I was sitting with my father while he told me more details about the terrible events in France when he and my mother, as the man she had been wronged, and then plotted their revenge against their enemies. "I think she has settled down again," my mother said. I thought that the girl had not actually screamed much. Had it happened to me, I would have howled as long as my strength lasted. "How was she?" my father asked. "She is shocked, of course, but she did not resist when I undressed her and washed her. She's also started to lose any male facial hair and on her chest. I believe that happens soon after girls wake up from the spell. Not that she had much anyway on her face or on her chest! She's been left with the hair a normal woman would have, well, except for her head. It's much too short but she will wear a headpiece over it anyway. "I've explained to her about the book. Like all of you she was shocked, frightened too. I also took away all the male clothes. She would have looked ridiculous in them. I gave her women's clothes, some of mine and some of Annabelle's." "Didn't she object?" I asked. "She was unsure, but she accepted it. She'd be glad to get out of the male clothes. They didn't fit her any longer and they were very dirty. She's a pretty girl and they didn't flatter her either. " I thought that if I had been changed to a woman, wearing clothes that flattered me would be the last thing on my mind. '"But what are we going to do with her while we start negotiations?" asked my father. "Just as you would do with any hostage! We will have to look after her. She is a prisoner, but she is noble so we should give her the treatment appropriate to her rank. When we contact her father and ask for a ransom we need say nothing about her changes. After we get the ransom I will change her back with the reverse spell." My mother grinned. "Oh yes, she will have to read it herself. I can't, even after all these years it may make me into a man again and that is something I certainly do not want! I doubt that Annabelle would want to either. She's happy with her new looks. While we're waiting for the ransom, I will keep her as a woman and in woman's clothes. She will probably be even better controlled that way." This was a bewildering turn of events. Some days previously the prisoner had been an enemy. We would have killed each other with hardly a second thought. Now she was to be treated as a guest in our household until she was sent back. I made up my mind to watch her as the less she saw of our weapons and our defenses the better. So, in a few days the girl joined us at our meals. She was ill at ease at first, understandably, just as we were, yet she adapted to her strange imprisonment much faster than I would have thought. I was puzzled as I had expected continuing fits, cries and sullenness but her spirits seemed to lighten day by day. We had, of course, a minor problem, what to call her! Charles was inappropriate. When we asked her she thought for a minute. Blushing slightly and prettily, she answered." You should call me Joan. I've always liked that name." Now that she was recovered it was time to contact Maurice deLigny. We decided to send a letter to him saying that his son was our hostage but would be escorted back to English controlled lands upon payment of a ransom. We explained to Joan what would happen but instead of pleasing her it sent her into a depressed and troubled mood, even more so when the letter finally went off with Tam. He was to deliver it to the English garrison at Carlisle under a flag of truce. It would eventually find its way to Maurice deLigny. I was both suspicious and careful of her, and I made it my job to watch over Joan any time she was out of the castle buildings. At first she spent much time with my mother and sister, but gradually their surveillance slackened and she was allowed to walk in the lands around the castle. Always suspicious, I accompanied her. I had intended to simply act as her guard, but gradually we began to talk more and more andiIt did not take long before I actually looked forward to my times with her, although her moods were changeable. Sometimes she seemed almost lighthearted. Other times, she seemed depressed. One day I decided to take her riding. She laughed when she had to sit sidesaddle, "I've never done this before." It brought back to me that this graceful young woman had once been a man, and would be again when released. We began talking as we rode together. "I last saw you two years ago after the battle. What have you been doing since then?" I asked. "Probably much the same as you! But I am, or I was, an eldest son. " She gave a wry smile and looked down at her female body. "I have two younger brothers, Edward and Richard. They are keen on fighting but I would prefer to tend to my estate. Too much time is spent at warfare, a drain on our time and energy!" She sighed. " Unfortunately warfare and its skills are needed in these times so my father wanted me to get more experience. I'll need that if I am going to succeed him. The raiding party had been under the charge of a relative of my father. And when he heard they were going to attack Blackhaugh he was even keener to get me involved. I think he remembered you. I had been delayed with some other matters so I only joined the besieging forces the day before you attacked." I explained how I had gone to get help from William Seton. "You are a resourceful man, and a brave one, Andrew." I was pleased with her compliment. "Your father was generous to release me when he had me under his control." "You were generous to spare me! What do you see in your future, Andrew? Do you think you will stay here at Blackhaugh? I shrugged. "I don't know. It's Alexander who will inherit these lands. I could serve him, I suppose. W