June 23, 1314. The day before Bannockburn, war briefly narrowed to two men and a single decision. Robert the Bruce was riding ahead of his lines near Stirling, checking ground and judging where the English army would move. This was not meant to be a heroic moment. He was not sealed inside full armor. He was mounted lightly, doing the dull but necessary work of command while Edward II’s massive host advanced. Henry de Bohun saw him. To an English knight raised on the logic of cavalry warfare, the