HISTORICAL FICTION

Guillaume Trains to Become a Knight

Vikings 15 — A bastard is never treated well by nobles

In the early summer of 939, thirteen months after Guillaume, the Count of Normandy, had left Acelynn and his bastard son, it was time for young Acelynn’s son, Guillaume to leave home to become a knight. Guillaume travelled with several others who were also to begin the training to become knights, under the tutelage of the Count of Amiens, Ralph the First.

Pierre, a boy the same age from the nearby town of Fontaine; Amboise, a boy a year younger from Bailleul; and Hugues from Abbéville, were quick to become friends as they rode to the estates of the Count of Amiens. The castle was further upstream along the Somme River, about a half-day’s ride from the city of Amiens.

“Pierre,” Hugues called to his friend. Hugues was a heavy set lad who had often been teased for his size. He wasn’t as tall as Guillaume, in fact he was a fair bit shorter. However, he was very heavy set. “Does your sister Marie-Anne know how to cook? I’m thinking of marrying her.”

“You know she doesn’t,” laughed Pierre. “She’s too young. Besides, as she has told you too many times to recount, she has no interest in marrying you.”

“She’ll change her mind in a few years, when she is of marrying age,” Hugues nodded with a degree of certainty.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, Hugues. She has her mind set on marrying Guillaume.”

“What?” Hugues protested without a trace of maliciousness. “But Guillaume is a bastard. And I don’t mean that in terms of just not having a father.”

“Good lord, Hugues,” Pierre swore. He always got pulled into Hugues outrageous statements and opinions. “You’re so crude, I don’t even know why you’re my friend.”

Guillaume kept his silence while his two friends bantered back and forth. He knew who his father.

They eventually arrived at the Count’s Castle. Once they had entered the castle grounds, they were shown to the horse barns and the dormitory that was placed between the horses and the practice field. When the horses were stabled, given feed, and given over to the care of several stable boys, the three friends followed the two knights who had gathered the prospects, to the tables where the other trainees were gathered for a midday meal.

“Looks like that one had already had several lunches,” teased a young man who was at least two years older than Guillaume and his friends.

Hugues refrained from responding. Unlike a good number of the prospective knights, Hugues wouldn’t have to earn his spurs to become a noble, as he was noble born, as was Pierre. Rather, he gave the rude young man a look of disdain, a stare that silenced. Hugues left no doubt that he would use his position as a noble to exact retribution.

The captain of the trainees heard and saw and approved of Hugues silent response. In the ensuing cold silence, he spoke out, “Men, make your new mates welcome.”

Turning to the new trainees, he added while giving Hugues a wink which he didn’t try to hide, “Remember, you are all in service to the Count while here. Your lives back home have been left there. You might be the sons of famous nobles there, but here, you’re grunts. Here, your actions will speak louder than words.”

Finally, staring at the young man who had spoken the insult, he continued, “Alphonse, you have spoken in a manner unworthy of someone who intends on becoming a knight. Your act of disrespect has just earned you latrine duty.”

The next two years were spent in the tight quarters of the dormitory and on the training fields. Hugues soon proved his worth as a skilled horseman and swordsman desspite his girth. Alphonse had been sullen and brooding, yet had managed to refrain from further dishonourable acts which would have resulted in his being dismissed from the training program.

Pierre had become everyone’s favourite trainee. He had that affable manner which brought out the best in everyone. As for Guillaume, his quietness had kept most of the other trainees from even trying to become friends.

Regardless, no one dared to disrespect Guillaume. He was the strongest trainee and the most skilled with sword and lance. If anything, there was a hint of fear that existed in his training mates, especially when they had to face him in training combat.

Guillaume had surpassed all the measures used to determine if one was worthy of a knight’s spurs. Despite that, Guillaume continued to press himself to be better. Unlike Pierre and Hugues, the only door open to him was to find a nobleman to hire him as a knight and so distinguish himself as to earn the status of a minor noble. And unlike Pierre and Hugues, he found no new friends among the young knights-in-training.

He was a bastard. And more importantly in their eyes, he wasn’t a Frank. Despite practicing and obeying the Christian rituals, he was considered a heathen. None of the others were overt in their opposition to his presence, especially Alphonse. Yet, behind the scenes they did their best to harass Guillaume.

He didn’t belong. He wasn’t one of them. They even refused to use his name, calling him Longpré as if it was an insult, instead of calling him Guillaume And, if they thought no one else could hear, they called him le bâtard, the bastard. Only Pierre continued to speak with him as a friend, his best friend.

No one understood why Guillaume was even permitted to be a knight-in-training. They saw his strength and size and knew his real skills as a warrior, but any number of heathens were equally as formidable. Even the trainers looked down their noses at the young man. When it came to competitions, they turned a blind eye to the young Franks flouting of rules when they competed against Guillaume.

Guillaume resisted the urge to retaliate in kind. He knew who he was, the bastard son of a Danish Viking, who now ruled over Normandy. He also knew he could never tell anyone that truth. Stoically, he kept his silence about his parentage and suffered the shunning, the slander, and the brutality of those who felt demeaned to have a peasant as a training partner and opponent.

At the end of two years, the Hugues, Pierre, and Guillaume had earned their spurs. Hugues returned to his father’s home where he entered his father’s military council, and began learning the art of being a landed noble with all of its responsibilities. Pierre was to have done the same, but had begged his father’s permission to remain in the Count’s service with his best friend.

Guillaume had committed to serving as a knight under the Count’s banner for three years. After that, Guillaume would be expected to either earn himself a position in the Count’s personal guard, or find some other Lord who would have need for his services as a knight.

Previously

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