This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person living, dead or long dead is purely coincidental and unintended. If battlefield scenes and the robbery of the dead bothers you go read something else. If you do enjoy this short story, remember to vote, like, comment, and follow me.
Now on with the show.
Someone once said that there is nothing more terrible than a battle lost, then a battle won. The losers are either dead, prisoners, or have run away leaving their wounded behind to the mercies of the victors. Right now, Earl Oliver who had been charged by King Henry II, to put this rebellion down, was back in camp celebrating his victory, leaving the battlefield to us ravens. Yes, that's what we call ourselves, Ravens. We pick over the dead and recover weapons, armor, coins, chainmail and the thousands of other things that a army needs to fight.
I'm a blacksmith by trade and the recovery of the metal weapons and armor made my job a whole lot easier as I could fit a breast plate to someone a whole lot faster if all I need to do is a few modifications vs making a new one from a flat plate. Right now, I was taking the gear from a dead archer, his quiver was still half full of arrows and this long bow lay nearby unbroken. I flipped him over taking his dagger, short sword and checked his purse, only finding a few coppers and a half silver piece.
I was really searching for the position that the Sisters of Battle had held near Duke Coles center force, but in the rapidly fading light it was getting harder to find it. I lit my lanterns and hung them from the rods that jutted off the corners of my cart, they helped light my work as I stripped a minor lord of his positions, carefully stacking the parts in my cart.
So far, I had 35 bows, more than 25 dozen arrows, 59 daggers, 47 swords of various quality and size, 32 shields and 23 sets of armor. Not to mention the staves, axes, maces, 15 halberds and pikes, and several suits of chainmail and mail coats and bucklers for the archers that could afford them. To strip a knight could take 20 to 30 minutes or more if he had well-made armor.
I was pulling off his plackart when his eyes popped open, and he took a deep breath and grabbed at my left arm. I quickly pulled my dirk and stabbed up under his chin into his brain. I heard him exhale and his grip loosened as I pulled my blade free and wiped it on his padded arming doublet then sheathed it and resumed stripping him.