Temple Sword

Chapter 14 A Duel

1301, Moon of the Holy Virgin (August) -
—

Laszlo was sitting in the yard, tearing the weeds on the ground with his nose down.

"What's the matter?" Umberto sat down beside him.

"Nothing," he shook his head, "nothing, really."

"Even a blind man can see that you are depressed," Umberto said. "What happened?"

In response, Laszlo raised his head and nodded silently towards the end of the yard.Umberto followed his gaze, and beside the fence in the distance, Antares and the Spanish riders were sitting together, discussing something happily.

"Carlos?" He looked at Laszlo in surprise, "What did he say or do to you?"

"No, it's not, it's just...Antal has hardly seen me since he came. He made a new friend and hasn't looked at me for several days. They are always outside Riding horses, chatting, and fighting. When my father was still alive, we sold food in the town, and people looked at us like this, like weeds on the side of the road... This feeling is uncomfortable .”

"I understand," Umberto nodded, "but you also have to understand him. He has been training as a knight, and now he has finally met a knight."

"But Lord William is also a knight!" Laszlo rushed to say, "And he has seen many knights in the monastery before!"

"William was his uncle, the head of his family, like his father," explained singer Umberto, "but Carlos was an adventurer, a real worldly man, and Antares could learn from him. Learned a lot of new things.”

"It's not necessarily a good thing," the boy complained, "but he's wearing a black cape, and who knows why he's forced to wear it!"

"I don't want you to feel bad about this."

"You can't help me..."

"Shall I tell you a story?"

"Sorry, I guess I can't concentrate right now, I can't listen."

Umberto sighed and stood up, "Don't worry," he smiled at the boy, "Carlos is just a guest, he will be home soon, and then you will become best friends again."

"Yes," Laszlo's voice was almost inaudible, "after he leaves..."
-
—

"Why?" Antar's eyes widened, "You've only been here for a week!"

Carlos of Barcelona shrugged, "I can't stay anywhere for too long."

"Then can I go with you?"

"No." The man smiled.

"Please stay a little longer!"

"Don't be a woman," Carlos told him. "I always know when to arrive and when to leave. That's my code."

"You are the most depraved and disobedient knight I have ever seen," Antar said. "You deserve to be burned at the stake. I will miss you!"

"Maybe we'll meet again." Carlos smiled at him.

"When?"

"When you're old enough to beat me."

Antar also laughed after hearing this, "I can beat you at any time in a horse race."

"Indeed," Carlos nodded appreciatively, "but you are still inferior in swordsmanship, and the winner of a battle is not determined by who runs faster, is it?"

"If I had a better sword, I could knock you down in the blink of an eye."

"Your sword is good enough," Carlos waved his hand. "When I was a slug like you, it would have been nice to have such a powerful weapon, let alone your horse. Your uncle said That's right, you know all the basics, you're quick, you move more gracefully than anyone I've ever seen, and I've seen hundreds of knights.

But you are too easy to get hot-headed, you want too much at once, you can't keep calm, your moves are impatient and greedy, which makes you full of flaws, if you can restrain these qualities, you will be able to win in the future I. "

"I can do it." Antal snorted, dismissing this frank criticism.

Carlos raised his eyes to the sky, "For God's sake, you are only 14 years old, just wait for your turn!"

However, Antal did not listen to these words. "You said you would leave at dawn?" He asked suspiciously, "Then let our farewell be an unforgettable farewell!"

"What do you mean?"

"A duel, at midnight, when the moon is at its brightest, just you and me, no one will let anyone else, I will show you my strength."

"You look crazier than I do," Carlos winked at him. "Maybe you got a little craziness from me."

"At midnight, let's compete," Antal stretched out his right hand, "how should I say it, do you accept it?"

"I accept." Carlos squeezed his right hand, "If you defeat me, I will give you half of my property in Spain."
-
—

The silver moonlight fell through the small window and shone on Antal, who was neatly dressed, and he was lying on his straw bag mattress with his eyes wide open.He waited in the room until late at night, and when everything around him became quiet, he could only hear his heart beating.

He wasn't just excited about the midnight duel and the chips Carlos had promised, but also uneasy about the evil he was about to commit.He knew in his heart that what he was about to do was wrong, but he believed that the road to glorious victory would be bumpy, so a little trickery was fine.

William hadn't moved in the next room for a long time, and Antal could hear the snoring that started to sound from inside. He got out of bed and tiptoed to the corridor.His uncle's door was closed, but Antal knew he hated the creaking noise, and his uncle oiled his door almost every week.

This is the first time in his life that he has entered William's bedroom. He can enter and leave anywhere in the manor at will, but his uncle's room is always a restricted area.He gently pressed the doorknob and opened the door a crack, but there was no sound at all.

He was surprised to find that the room was not much larger than where he slept, but he saw many interesting things along the walls.Even in the darkness of night, brightly colored patterned rugs and other fabrics with unusual patterns from sacred places stand out.

In the corner of the room was a mirror as large as the king's utensils in his own palace.And on a small table at the end of the bed lay what Antal had sneaked into the room looking for: his uncle's sword.

His fathers claimed the lives of hundreds of warriors with this fearsome weapon, which, though forged two centuries ago, is still as sharp as new and blacksmith John even called it the It is the work of God himself.

Antal held his breath, picked up the weapon in the leather scabbard from the table, and walked out with it.His heart almost jumped out of his chest, knowing he was only halfway there, and when the duel was over, he would have to sneak the heirloom back into its place with the same care.

"No!" William yelled loudly, and the boy's blood and footsteps froze in an instant, "Yasmin, no, please! Stay with me!" Then the room returned to silence, and Antar realized He realized that his uncle hadn't woken up, he was just having a nightmare.

He didn't know who the Yasmin he was calling was, he had never heard of the name, and he knew almost nothing about William's life in the Holy Land, which must have been his experience at that time.

Before he stepped out of the corridor, he saw a very strange painting.The canvas was painted the color of sand, or something darker than sand, like a rotting rag.On the canvas is the outline of a slender body painted black, and a smudged, unrecognizable face.

Before he had time to observe the details of the painting carefully, William spoke again in his sleep, and Antal quickly slipped out of the room.

No matter what happens, he will win this duel, he thought decisively, and clipped the knight's sword to his belt with a firm motion.
-
—

Carlos waited outside the gate on his horse, his right hand on Sareche's rein, watching Antal sneak out of the manor.

"Why did it take you so long to come out?" he asked.

"How did you get my horse out?" asked the boy. "I thought it wouldn't listen to the others."

"He's a fine horse," Carlos patted Sarecher's neck, "you just need to know how to talk to him."

Antar looked at the sergeant on horseback in surprise, realizing that he would miss him more than he had imagined before.

"Where are we going?" He also saddled up. "Why do you need a horse?"

"If we fight in the yard, we'll wake your uncle up." Carlos pointed out the obvious. "We rode to the Sava River, and we fought there."

The manor is not far from the shore, and the sound of the flowing river can often be heard in the yard.After a while they arrived at their destination and tied the horse to a thin tree.

Carlos stared in shock at the blade of the sword, which gleamed coldly in the moonlight, as Antares assumed his favorite pose, Posta di falcone.

"Are you crazy?" He asked coldly, "You stole William's sword?"

"I borrowed it." Antal corrected, "This is the sword of our family. If I want to win half of your property in Spain, I must be fully prepared."

Carlos shook his head, even for him, it seemed like too much. "I told you, it's not about the sword, it's about the mind!" he scolded the boy.

"This will make me invincible!"

"You've never used this sword before, you fool!"

The boy's knees were bent, and he danced and danced in the grass with his sword.

"How?" Antal asked. "Do you dare to fight me, Carlos de Barcelo? Or do you want me to take back my master's sword and make it all in vain?"

Carlos finally laughed, "We're all here anyway," he pulled out his weapon, "I will defeat you no matter what the situation is, you can even hold the Grand Master's sword, the result is the same."

As he spoke, he swung forward and stabbed out. Antal quickly dodged the attack and changed his posture. He dodged sideways, danced forward again, and rushed towards Carlos flexibly. Can't resist his quick slash.The two swords were entangled, and Carlos pushed the boy away, buying himself a little time, and he attacked in a long guard position, so fast that Antal was forced back and forth.But the boy was lightning fast and he parried every stab and slash perfectly.

"You're tired," Antar growled, thinking of a counterattack move in his mind, when he saw Carlos' blade suddenly stop in mid-air.Before Antar had time to ask a question, he felt the callused palm pressed against the back of his head, and he immediately knew what had happened.

"Uncle?" he asked tremblingly, and in response, the hand pushed him to the ground.

"My sword!" William ordered sharply, "Give it back to me immediately!"

Antal immediately removed the scabbard from his belt, inserted the sword back, and handed it to William, not daring to look him in the eye for a moment.

"Carlos, even if you are not an upright person, I never thought you would do such a sneaky thing." William looked at the black-robed sergeant, "I thought you were my friend, I must be wrong, Don't say it's dawn, you get out of my house now!"

"William," Carlos tried to calm him down, "we were just fighting and we wanted to leave each other with a memorable farewell ceremony."

"Really?" William raised his voice and drew his sword from its sheath. "This is my great-grandfather's sword, and it means more to me than anything else! You should know what it means, because your ancestors I gave it to my ancestors, my fathers have worn it... When I die, Antal will inherit it, but until then, you all have to wait!"

"William..."

"Shut up and listen!" he yelled, "I'm your commander, not your friend, and I want you to keep your word!"

Carlos lowered his eyes.

"A farewell to remember, you bastard?" William went on, growing angrier. "If you don't disappear from my sight, I'll cut you in half! Get lost, Carlos!"

Carlos nodded helplessly. He turned his back to William and quietly rode on his horse.

"Forgive me, Commander," he said in a bitter voice, nodding to the boy. "Be a knight of faith, Antal, and don't forget!"

He whispered something in the horse's ear and galloped away. William and Antal watched him until he was completely out of sight.Antal himself didn't know where the courage came from, and walked forward angrily.

"You drove my friend away! How could you do that?"

William slapped him hard and knocked him to the ground again.

"You've let me down, boy!" snapped William. "Get up, and ride home and start packing your things!"

"Luggage?" Antar sniffed, "Where are we going?"

"Where are you going. Umberto is leaving in the morning to start another journey of his," William said. "You go with him, this matter is not negotiable!"

"What?" Antal looked at his uncle in disbelief.

"You heard me right, I will suspend your knight training, no swordsmanship, no language lessons, no writing and reading, you will go on a pilgrimage and reflect on your sins!"

William stretched out his right hand and pulled Antal up. The boy was shocked and speechless. He wanted to cry, but he held back his tears because he didn't want to be scolded again.

His uncle looked into his eyes and his voice became very soft. "When you come back," he said sadly, "I hope I can open the door for a man who has grown up. If you want this sword, you must first earn the qualification to use it."

(End of this chapter)