Here Be Dragons - 1 Sharon Penman (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📖

was already in flames. Dogs were barking frantically, and freed livestock milled about, but no monks were to be found, no resistance was offered. Most had fled as the Welsh rode into the abbey precincts; some had taken refuge in the nave of the church.The Welsh had no time for the terrified monks. Just three hundred yards away was the English bridge, guarded by only a handful of men, men who were seeking desperately to raise its drawbridge. But they were too late; the Welsh were already on the bridge. Swords flashed, blood splattered upon the red grit stones. The one surviving English soldier whirled, plunged into the river; he did not surface again.Llewelyn's stallion was maddened by the smoke, the scent of blood. It reared up wildly as a man darted into the street, swinging a chained mace. Llewelyn gave the horse free rein; it plunged forward, and the man went down under those flailing hooves.Other men were emerging into the street, but the resistance tne Welsh were encountering was sporadic, halfhearted. Women wer screaming; some of the houses nearest the bridge were on fire. By time Llewelyn reached Haystrete, he knew that Shrewsbury was his the taking. tThe High Cross was now in sight; ahead lay the sandstone walls ° John's castle. A small group of men were clustered below the <-

449Their swords were sheathed, and they held up a makeshift flag of truce, rjewelyn recognized Hugh de Lacy, and he reined in his mount.The Abbot came forward cautiously; his comrades kept a more prujent distance."My lord, I speak for the Holy Roman Church, for the provosts and common council of Shrewsbury. We will surrender the town to you, offer no resistance if you'll give us your sworn word that no further harm will come to our people.""What of the castle?"The Abbot was close enough now to see the blood smears on Llewelyn's sword. He could not bring himself to look toward the east, toward the billowing black smoke that overhung his abbey. What they were offering in peace this man could take by force, and then turn their town over to his men for their sport. "The castle, too, will yield, my lord. We ask only that no more lives be lost, that you spare the innocent.""I'd not see men die for a prize already won. Your offer is a fair one; so are your terms."The Abbot's shoulders sagged. His relief was such that he could not speak, could only sigh a fervent, "Thank God Almighty!"Richard Pride was not as easily assured; he knew from firsthand experience what could befall a conquered city. "I do not mean to give offense, my lord, but are you sure you can control your men?""Yes," Llewelyn said laconically, "I'm sure."No more than that. But Richard Pride was suddenly sure, too. Reaching for his sword, he held it out, hilt first, to the Welsh Prince."What now? Shall we take you to the castle?""First I think we'd best see to those fires," Llewelyn said. "I find Isuddenly take a very personal interest in Shrewsbury's survival."By noon the Welsh had gathered in the inner bailey of Shrewsbury Castle, where they watched as the royal arms of England yielded to the fed-and-gold lions ofNorth Wales. As Llewelyn's banner fluttered aloft above the keep, they cheered.Llewelyn could have cheered, too. He felt the same excitement, the same jubilant triumph as he gazed upward, and he did not move until Rhys came to stand at his side.'Shrewsbury was once the capital of the princes of Powys. You've re'aken what was ours, Llewelyn.""We cannot hope to hold it, Rhys; I know that. But I can hold it as n§ as it truly matters, until we've forced John to come to terms withLlewelyn reached out, impulsively embraced his friend. Passing strange," he laughed, "that the first English town I ever ^ sr>ould have been Shrewsbury.I was just a lad of ten, but I rememWell, even after thirty years. And now . .. now Shrewsbury shall

450be my bargaining counter, Rhys. I shall make use of Shrewsbury to set my son free."ON June 10, John rode to the meadow called Runnymede, between Windsor andStaines. There he gave grudging consent to the demands of his rebellious barons. The articles drawn up by the barons were affixed with John's great seal, as proof that a preliminary accord had been reached. It was then agreed upon that negotiations would resume on Monday the fifteenth, using the articles as the basis for a final settlement, a charter of liberties that would also serve as a treaty of peace between the embattled King and his disaffected subjects.It was dark by the time John returned to Windsor Castle. He dismissed his attendants, withdrew to his private quarters in the upper bailey, and none dared intrude upon his seclusion, dared to brave the Angevin temper on this, surely one of the most desolate days of a troubled kingship.It was Richard who finally resolved to breach John's defenses. He was no more eager than anyone else to serve as scapegoat for Fitz Walter and his Army ofGod and Holy Church, but he felt honor-bound to offer his father some small measure of comfort, if only a sympathetic ear."I'll go if you'd rather be alone, Papa."There was in John's face the exhaustion of a man who'd lived too long on nerves alone, and fury all the more intense for being impotent. But he beckoned Richard into the bedchamber, said, "No ... I'd have you stay."Several sheets of parchment lay scattered about the table. Richard picked up one headed Ista sunt Capitula que Barones petunt et dominus to condedit. That did, he thought, say it all: "These are the clauses which the barons seek and which the lord King concedes.""The charter of Henry I that the barons set such store by, Henry never held to it, Papa. He granted it and promptly disregarded it. Might it not be possible to treat the barons' charter in the same way?""You're not familiar