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Year of the Norman Conquest in England, 1066 AD
It was difficult to spot even one Norman knight among the few thousand that blended together. All of them wore the same armor, rode the same horses, and carried the same weapons. Each Norman knight wore a defensive hauberk, made of chain mail that went down to their knees. A simple helmet with a nose guard adorned every Norman head, both cavalry and common infantry. The sword each Norman carried was a simple yet deadly short arming sword, no more than 90 centimeters long. The sword the Normans carried doubled as a thrusting and slashing sword, making it two times more deadly. The Norman cavalry didn’t just carry a sword but also carried a long lance. The horseman could either charge the lance into a body or use it like a javelin by throwing it. Each horseman had their own style when it came to killing the enemy.
There was one Norman knight however, that was different from everyone else. He was a silent man who spoke very little. He had been born a simple peasant nearly 20 years earlier, when he was home in Normandy. He had never married or fathered any children; he was determined to work for Duke William of Normandy for as long as he lived. His eyes were a hardened blue, and his hair was short and dark. His fellow Norman soldiers were afraid of him, for this Norman knight had a slight reputation. He was simply called the Jackal of Normandy although his real name was believed to be Emeric, Gefroi or Aymon; no one knew for sure.
“Why is he called the Jackal of Normandy?” one soldier would ask. “There are no jackals in Normandy, let alone this far up in the north.” Another soldier would just shrug his shoulders. “But he is the last Jackal of Normandy; that’s why no more jackals exist because he is the last one.” No one ever understood the answer that soldier gave and some didn’t even know what a jackal was. The Jackal had a pale white face, which separated him in terms of skin color from his fellow Norman soldiers. In fact his face was almost feminine, but none dared to say that in front of him.
Tomorrow, the Norman army would prepare for battle on the Senlac Hill, which the Anglo-Saxons had chosen. The Norman soldiers were confident in their leader William’s abilities. William had promised each soldier their prosperity in England if he became their king. Like many Normans, the Jackal had chosen to follow William over the English Channel and to win this battle to take over England. It all seemed so easy but the Norman soldiers knew that some of them wouldn’t make it out alive. The Anglo-Saxons would not give up easily to defeat and it was rumored that Harold had experienced huscarls; soldiers who carried axes and fought in the foot soldier manner.
The Jackal had never killed another man before, but he was ready to bring down the Anglo-Saxon huscarls if he could. The Jackal’s fellow soldiers would drop their mouths in awe when he showed his skill with the sword. He could also take his lance and thrust it like a javelin, always hitting its target. He never missed a single target and progressed easily in his training of the lance. That was why William had helped The Jackal climb up in the soldier ranks, blessing him with the knightly title in the Norman cavalry. The Jackal never argued and rarely spoke. Most who heard him said that he had a soft voice that never sounded worried or aggravated. He did well to hide his emotions, not allowing his fellow soldiers to guess what was going through his mind.
On October the 18th, Harold’s troops could be spotted along the top of Senlac Hill. There were several thousand soldiers, probably the same amount William had. The Anglo-Saxon infantry formed together in a line, creating a shield wall. The heavier and more experienced infantry lay in the middle of the shield wall. Of course, the wall depended on every man standing behind one another. There had to be enough soldiers to prevent the shield wall from being broken. William of course made the first move. He ordered his dismounted infantry to charge against the shield wall, along with archers firing down arrows across the battlefield. It wasn’t too long before he decided to send out the Norman cavalry, The Jackal almost leading them ahead, desperate to get the battle over with. Around 1,000 Norman cavalry charged at the Anglo-Saxon shield wall. Some of the cavalry had stepped over their fallen soldiers. Those who were still alive were crushed by the stampeding Norman cavalry. The Jackal of Normandy paid no heed to his fellow soldiers dying on the ground below him. Soon the cavalry clashed with the shield wall, trying to break it. But the Anglo-Saxon infantry would not allow the Normans to break their defensive position. Hundreds of Norman horsemen began pushing, even piling themselves nearly on top of one another to attempt to break the wall. The Jackal almost fell off his horse, panicking yet regaining his balance in time. He saw one of his fellow knights being speared to death by the common Anglo-Saxon infantry. Many of the Norman horsemen took their lances and began thrusting them across the shield wall. Some hit their targets and a couple would mark their way into the bodies of enemy soldiers.
The Jackal didn’t dare throw his lance yet. Charge after charge there was until the Norman charges could no longer be counted. No matter how many charges the cavalry did the shield wall would not break. So many hours passed they became uncountable. After several hours, it was rumored that William was dead. Many of the Norman soldiers panicked but it had only turned out to be a rumor. William was alive and well but he was growing impatient with these constant cavalry charges. However, William had a plan up his sleeves. He ordered his cavalry to finally retreat, or rather, fake their retreat. The Jackal didn’t know why they were retreating but he would soon find out. The shield wall had suddenly split and all Anglo-Saxons broke their ranks. The huscarls and surrounding infantry began pursuing the fleeing Norman cavalry. The shield wall was no more, and to the absolute surprise of the Anglo-Saxon soldiers, the cavalry made an abrupt turn. The Norman cavalry was now coming straight towards the enemies who were chasing them. Horses whinnied and collided into the broken ranked enemy soldiers. Blood began pouring into the earth everywhere from both sides, though the Anglo-Saxon infantry had it much worse than Norman cavalry. The Jackal took out his sword and began killing every enemy soldier within his realm of reach. A huscarl came from behind but The Jackal maneuvered quickly enough to block the axe blow with his kite shaped shield. The Jackal had dropped his lance a long time ago and now only had his sword to guard him. The huscarl would not let him go so easily and The Jackal constantly had to find an opening. He found a “naked” spot on the huscarl’s body as he once again led an axe blow onto The Jackal’s shield. Quickly, The Jackal of Normandy thrust his sword into the huscarl’s unguarded neck. Blood came gushing out of the huscarl’s mouth and neck until he collapsed onto the ground and never woke again.
Harold could be seen trying to rally his troops across the Senlac Hill, trying to make them form a new wall. No matter how many times Harold tried his troops could not pull back together. Norman arrows showed no mercy as they still reigned down arrows across the field. Some arrows would hit the enemies while most landed harmlessly into the ground. Harold never knew what hit him when an arrow pierced his eye. He had no clue where the arrow came from but it obviously came from a Norman archer. The blow to his eye sent him convulsing violently until blood came gushing out of his mouth. He fell to the ground, his soldiers trying to come and help him. Harold was dying while the battle was still being fought. The Anglo-Saxon soldiers stayed with their king until he had died.
It was confirmed now that the Normans had won the Battle of Hastings. England now belonged to William the Conqueror, so the Normans gave a victory cheer to the prosperity they had so envisioned. The Jackal threw off his helmet, fatigued and nearly ready to fall off his horse. Sweat drenched his body and hauberk. He hadn’t escaped the battle with no injuries; several cuts and bruises lined his body that needed attention. He was glad that the battle was now over and now, so was his life. The Jackal was not noticed as he fell off his horse and plunged onto the soft earth.
She opened her eyes one last time to know for sure that the battle was won. She gave a soft smile which quickly turned serene. “I am Roheisa,” she said. “Now I can rest.”
