At War

Summary: Jousting is very different to going into real battle
Warning(s): Spoilers for the movie; some violence

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Jousting was vastly different to fighting in a real war.

William’s horse stamped nervously against the ground and even with the sounds muted by his helmet, he could hear the stallion’s nervous whicker. It wasn’t only his horse he could hear, though. The horses of the knights on either side of him, stretching as far along the horizon as the eye could see, were pawing at the ground and letting out whinnying sounds and huffs of breath.

His own breathing sounded loud and harsh to his ears. It had been easier to reach that place of calm when he’d been jousting. No matter how dangerous the sport was, it was still just that: sport. Right now, he was about to charge into war, into true war, for the very first time.

The mounted knights surrounding him weren’t the only part of the Black Knight’s army. Foot soldiers were arrayed on the battlefield in front of them, swords drawn and glinting in the bright sunlight. Everywhere he looked, he saw the bright gleam of blades, swords and spears, in a dazzling array that threatened to blind him if he looked at them for too long.

There was movement alongside him and William glanced to one side, recognising the Black Prince by the armour he wore. Edward raised his visor and nodded to William. “This is your first true battle, isn’t it? Are you ready?”

“Of course.” William raised his own visor so that he could grin at the prince. He glanced at the knights that surrounded them and then back at the Black Prince. “I don’t see your men. I can’t think they’d be happy about you positioning yourself at the front of the army.”

“You know that I won’t hide behind my army when there’s a battle to be fought,” Edward replied. “I think, in that, you and I are very similar.” He turned his gaze away from William and surveyed the rest of his army. His next words were so quiet, they nearly didn’t reach William’s ears. “This isn’t the first battle I’ve been involved in. It’s not the first battle I’ve led a charge in. But it never becomes easy when there’s a high risk of losing good men.”

For a few seconds, William just sat in silence. It felt like time was moving slowly, but he knew that they would be charging forward in the space of one moment to the next. They wouldn’t have much time to speak now; and after the battle, he couldn’t be sure either of them would survive. Even so, his words were open and honest. “As long as we fight at each other’s sides, I will protect you with my dying breath.”

Edward’s eyes swept over William before he finally nodded. “We will fight side by side and protect each other. And when the battle is over, we will talk further.” His gaze moved forward, towards the opposing army, grouped together in a formation that wasn’t anything like as neat as Edward’s own army.

Raising his own blade high above his head, the metal catching and reflecting the sunlight, the Black Prince calling out, in a loud voice, “Charge!”

War cries and shouts rang out as the two armies raced towards each other. They met with a clash of blades and within moments, blood was flying and the air was torn with the sound of screams and groans of the dying and injured.

Keeping his seat on his horse’s back wasn’t easy. The horse’s hooves slipped and slid across ground turned treacherous as blood stained the green grass crimson. William gripped his horse’s reins with one hand as he slashed and cut with his sword, hacking enemy soldiers as his horse heaved and leaped under him.

The Black Prince’s mount was never far from William’s side. The two kept their balance on their stallions as the rest of the knights and soldiers around them fought and bled and died.

Sweat ran down William’s forehead and into his eyes, pooled under his arms and trickled down his spine. His armour chafed and rubbed against skin and despite being mounted, he’d taken several hits that had ended with his armour dented. The arm that didn’t wield his sword had taken a hit that left it numb and his fingers tingling.

Everything else went out of William’s mind apart from the battle. His current world was small, only consisting of the swing and slash of his blade and the dodging and ducking of other strikes. The gleam of his armour was gone quickly, covered with dirt and splattered blood. The sweat dripping into his eyes made it nearly impossible to see, but he kept some of his attention on the Black Prince, so that he’d know where Edward was and could follow his leader when it was necessary.

By the time he, Edward and their surviving army had taken the other half of the battleground, the bodies of the dead and wounded covered the battlefield.

The Black Prince dismounted from his own horse and turned to look over the battlefield, then held his sword at the throat of the enemy leader, who’d been sheltering at the back of his army. “Do you yield?” With his free hand, Edward raised his visor. “If you surrender now, I can promise you all the courtesy afforded to a prisoner of war. Resist and you will receive a traitor’s execution.”

The commander, a common man wearing simple, basic armour, looked at the Black Prince and then at William, who had almost dismounted. He took a step back, dropping his sword to the ground and then dropped to one knee in the dirt. “I surrender, my Prince.”

Edward lowered his sword and then took a step back. “My surgeons will treat your wounded as well as my own. But this rebellion was not necessary. You could have petitioned for what you needed and not led your people in a revolt.”

“The King would not listen when I asked for aid,” the man replied, his head still bowed.

“I am not my father.” The Black Prince eyed the kneeling man and then turned to William. “Direct my surgeons to tend to the wounded while I hear this man out.”

William nodded and dismounted from his own horse. Gently patting the side of his mount, he made his way back through the carnage, picking his steps carefully to avoid stepping on anyone who had the chance to live and to avoid slipping in blood that stained the grass. He made his way towards the surgeons, who had been placed at the back of the Black Prince’s army, and relayed his leader’s instructions to them. Then, he went towards the squires and allowed them to help him out of his dented, stained armour.

His friends hadn’t been able to come with him to subdue the rebellion and William was certain Wat, in particular, wouldn’t be happy about that when he returned to them. His farewell to Jocelyn had seen them spending the night in each other’s arms, with the woman he loved promising him a gift for when he’d returned.

His mind drifted back to where he was right now as the last bit of his armour was removed, leaving him clad in his simple underclothes. And the first thing he noticed was that the Black Prince was stood in front of him, sword sheathed in place and with his own armour being removed.

“Will the King be willing to let you leave the leader of the rebellion alive?” William asked.

“He won’t have a choice.” Edward shrugged. “My offer of mercy was given with witnesses. He won’t be happy about it, but he won’t insist that the rebellion’s leader be executed after I made the decision to spare him.”

“Will anything be different?” William pushed. “He led the rebellion for a reason. If nothing changes, then they’ll rebel again. Perhaps not with the same leader, but certainly under someone else unhappy with their life.”

“Like you,” Edward commented.

“I wouldn’t have rebelled,” William disagreed.

“You wouldn’t have raised an army to rebel,” the Black Prince agreed. “But you were unhappy with your life the way it was. I understand that. I understand being unhappy with your lot in life. I’ve promised I will hear out their complaints and will do what I can to make their lives better.”

“Are you injured?” William noticed the other man was favouring his right arm.

“I was hit,” Edward admitted. “But it didn’t break any skin. Just left me with a bad bruise. I’m more concerned with the men who need to be treated by the surgeons. At least three of them might lose their lives before this day ends.”

“Do you think we will have to stay here until our wounded recover?” William asked.

The Black Prince smiled. “I can understand why you’d wish to return home quickly. I also have someone I need to return to. But I would like to set up our tents and stay here for the night. We will need to make litters to take our wounded back with us tomorrow.”

“I understand,” William answered. He glanced towards the tent the surgeons had set up for the injured and then turned his attention back to the battlefield. “I will go and collect more of the wounded. Bring them to the tent.”

“I will join you,” Edward stated.

Without any more conversation, the two of them went to the aid of their fellow soldiers.

The End