Temple Sword

Chapter 140 The Farthest Distance
1321, the first days of Halloween (October)
Çalokoz, east of Serdahli, Hungary
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A small party was riding along the road between Komarom and Pozzoni, which borders several small tributaries of the Danube.

It is said that this place used to be the hometown of fairies. At that time, it was still a piece of green composed of swamps and river water, but now most of the places have been covered with rusty brown coats, and the swamps have long since dried up.

Only Transylvania can match the undulating nature here, although Chalokoz doesn't have any mountain valleys, or a single hill.

"The land of my ancestors!" Antar Barto, his lungs filled with the moist autumn air, rode at the head of the little procession, riding with delight, with Lakfey on his left and his undeserving A chatty squire, followed by four riders armed with spears.

"From which my blood comes, the first known ancestor I knew grew up in Devon Castle near Pozzoni, and is called by those who honor him the Guardian of the West. He fought in the First Crusade and was Become a knight.

His son built a house for himself and his family on the outskirts of Cerdahli, and the Barto family's estate in Cerdahli, along with the estate in Syria, has been passed down from father to son ever since. "

"Do you have property in the Holy Land?"

Esteban Lakfi raised his eyebrows. These days he has developed an out-and-out friendly respect for the knight, and he readily accepted the invitation to go to Dubica Manor with Antal,
"If we can talk about this matter openly... I already guessed that the legend about you is true. You were once a Templar, but I didn't expect that your ancestors were all Crusaders..."

"I don't know my father, I was brought up by my uncle, he is my real father." Antar said looking into the distance. "He told me stories about my grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.

They were all members of the Knights Templar who, despite their vows, succumbed to the lusts of the flesh, leaving at least one heir, and then they repeated the mistakes of their fathers.

They all died young, either in the Holy Land, or at the hands of the Tartars, on the Tisza..."

"On the Tisza?" The Sekei had heard the story, "Where the Templars voluntarily went to die?"

"My uncle told me that they used their bodies to block the attacks of the heretics for the king," Antal said lightly, "they all died heroically there, on that small bridge..."

"...with their master, it was like a living wall," Lakfey finished for him, "where they threw their lives, and only the Tartars walked over their corpses, that's all King Bella escaped."

"How do you know?" The knight frowned at him.

"From the time we were little babies, my father told us heroic stories," Lakfee grinned, "Our family doesn't talk about anything but war.

We know no arithmetic, nothing written on paper...but if the sons of Lake Lakfell fight under your banner, victory will be yours sooner or later. "

"So you have siblings?"

"Yes, I have brothers, they are all good boys like me!" The man laughed in a rough voice, "One is more reckless than the other, you will know when I pay you back and let you come to my house as a guest .But first I want to build a castle so I can officially receive you."

"Castle?" Antal asked in surprise, "You won't regret it, I promise!"

"I'd bet my life on this," Lakfee said with a serious face. "I swear, I will do everything I can to improve the prestige of our family, my grandfather was a serf and my father was a servant to the end of his life.

But now, you see, Isstvan Lakfi rides home as a knight on Holy Christmas, side by side with the offspring of the martyrs, the strongest and bravest friends! "

"I'm not the strongest and bravest friend," Antal waved his hand, "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"How would I know?"

"I was thinking that while we were fighting in the north, my men in the south might have already started harvesting," said the knight, "and the nearby estates should have started picking grapes, and soon there will be sweet new wines. I will buy about twenty barrels.

I checked the piglets before I left, and they should be at slaughter weight by now.My son got up to help at dawn, and by the time he was dressed warmly, he had roasted pig ears in his hand.

My little ones were fighting over who was the fattest, but they each wanted to eat the most pork.

My wife helps the other women bake and cook, and I hug her from behind, press a kiss on the neck, and take her to the back of the kitchen when no one is looking. That's what I've been thinking about lately. "

"You are a strange person, Master Barto," Lakfee shook his head, "You discuss war with contempt, but your sword skills are better than anyone else, you condemn killing, but you kill faster than anyone else in battle, Kill more."

Antal didn't answer, as if he didn't hear this sentence, the newly promoted Sekays quickly noticed this and wanted to change the subject quickly.

"So this is where your ancestors lived, this green land of singing birds and flowers, isn't it?" He looked around carefully. "It doesn't look densely populated..."

"Because apart from Serdahli, everywhere from Pozzoni to Komarom are just small villages." Antal readily explained. "Although it doesn't look very dense, there are more people living here than you think."

"But I don't understand. Your ancestors have lived here for generations. What are you doing in Slavonia?"

"I was only five years old when I left here," Antal shrugged without elaborating on the reasons, "My uncle William, who later adopted me as his son, had a manor in the south, and I never asked why over there.

And the little stone house to which we are now going was given to me by the king when I became his knight, and I confess that I have not been here for a long time.

After the battle of Rozgoni, Charles allowed me to go home, so I returned to the south, inherited my adoptive father's estate, and gave my land here to my servants..."

"What?" Lakfei thought he had heard wrong, and asked in disbelief. "To your servant?"

"Yes," Antal nodded, "but Uncle Stephen and his wife have always been more than simple servants to me. I remember they all felt incredible at first, but I never thought of making them feel I am more important than them.

Why should I do this?They were so much more supportive and helpful to my wife than I was when we lost our first child.They lived here, and I was in Buda, trying to get home in that blizzard..."

An almost palpable gloom settled over them as the last few words were spoken, and this time it was Antar who took notice and began to steer the conversation toward more pleasant topics.

"You'll have a good time here, just wait and see!" He sighed heavily, "Chalokoz is a good place, Serdahli is at the intersection of two trade routes,

It already had its own local church in the time of King St. Stephen, and our King Charles rebuilt it many years ago, turning a simple adobe into a beautiful stone church surrounded by walls.

But the old folks here always say that this church existed before St. Stephen's and no matter what the Roman Church says, their priests just took it for themselves and named it the Catholic Mass site, as it was once the site of ancient pagan rituals.

Others said that those Hungarians who were branded as heretics did not want to bow their heads to Christ, but insisted on the true belief of their ancestors, fled to the east from here, and integrated into the nation that called themselves the Sekays.So, Isstvan, son of Lake, we are in a way compatriots, maybe even kin..."

There was a startled silence in the small team.Lakfey wasn't sure if he understood correctly, and the ex-Templar at his side called the Sekays heretics, and that the holiest Catholic church in Serdahli was a place of worship for the pagans.

The riders were not used to this kind of straightforward conversation, and they exchanged meaningful glances with each other.

Simon was the only one who wasn't surprised, he just didn't speak as usual.His master was indeed a dangerous man, but he was also a good man.

This uncomfortable silence did not last long, and the trees in the forest receded, and the seven riders came to a glade.From there a modest stone house could be seen, surrounded by a low fence, and...

"What happened here?" Antal gasped in shock, he reined in his horse and jumped off, walking close to his former home, his face pale as a dead man. "I do not understand……"

The stone house he had left old Stephen and his wife Katrin looked terrible, the roof had collapsed, the fence was in ruins in several places, and the house was covered in vines.

The place looked completely deserted, the corrals that had once housed strong, healthy horses were now empty and knee-high weeds, as was the vegetable garden.

"Stephen!" Antal shouted in despair. "Brother Stephen!"

"Come on," Lakfee beckoned to other riders with a gloomy face, "Go in and have a look!"

The house was in worse condition, with dirt and mud all over the floor, and the upper floors and stairs were covered with leaves blown in by the autumn wind, not this autumn, nor last year, but dried and rotten leaves earlier than that.The furniture had long since been thrown away, and there was no one in the room.

Lakfee walked from room to room in the house by himself, not knowing what else to do but sigh and shake his head.

How could he leave the manor to his servants, the Sekai thought.What a fool!He found Antal again behind the house, where the knight was kneeling in the tall grass before two small crosses and a mound of earth.

The tombstones are crude, and must have been made from broken furniture found in the house, in order to give the dead a sort of Christian burial.

Lakfe squatted beside Antal, only then did he notice that the man's face was already wet with tears.

"I don't understand," Antar said with a trembling voice of pain, "I don't understand why this happened..."

"Maybe they're just too old," Lakfee stroked his shoulder, "maybe they fell asleep one day and never woke up again."

"What if they were killed? What if someone saw their wealth and decided to take it from them?"

"But you said it yourself, they are just ordinary servants."

"Yes," said Antal, wiping his tears, struggling to his feet, trying to control his agitation, "but I send them a big money bag every two months. With this money, They can buy anything they want: land, livestock, servants...and..."

He interrupted his sentence and looked at the little cross, then at the overgrown grass, the dilapidated fence, and the collapsed roof...

"This stone house didn't become like this last month," Esteban Lakfi said suspiciously. "Tell me, when was the last time you sent money here? Who did you ask to bring money here?" of?"

Antal also had the same thought. He looked at Captain Sekai, with deadly fear flashing in his eyes.

"Mykolai!" he whispered, and started to run to his horse.

"Wait a minute!" Lakfe yelled behind him. "Where are you going?"

"Go home!" Antal yelled, jumping swiftly into the saddle and racing straight into the forest.

"Christ's whip!" Lakfee cursed, and then started to run towards his horse.

"What are you waiting for, you stupid cows?" he shouted to his men as he mounted his horse. "Do you want to get lost in the forest? Only Lord Bartor knows the way. Follow!"

The horses kicked over the fence and chased Antal. The rider in the lead was thinking only of his family, and he cursed the first day he saw the shrewd steward.

After a long day of riding, Lakfee pushed Antal out of the saddle, and he fell asleep straight away.

"You vile rat!" But even in his sleep he cursed his butler. "When I find you, I will peel your skin with my own hands!"

On this dark autumn day, the distance between northern and southern Hungary is greater than ever before.

(End of this chapter)