Temple Sword

Chapter 193 stay
1323, Month of St. James (July)
Eger, Hungary

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Lubbock the Bell-Ringer was secretly buried by the quiet boys under an old willow tree in the forest, the branches of which bent gently over the fresh mound, as if the tree had directly become the guardian of the old man's remains Ordinary.

They didn't get a priest to bury him because they both knew that wasn't what Lubbock wanted.The twins just dug a simple grave, carefully placed Lubbock in it, and silently placed the soft soil back on him.

They prayed silently for his soul, because whatever he thought about God and the priests, they wanted him to go to heaven.

The boys believed that the good the old man had done for them was enough for God to open the gate of heaven for him.They stuck the bell-ringer's stick with the bell at the end of the mound for a tombstone, but there was no other sign of who was resting under this weeping willow.

After the funeral, the twins returned to their humble little camp and continued to work in silence and grief.They tossed the shovel into the cart and began dismantling the ventilated tent.

They didn't bring much with them, so soon the boys had everything packed and ready to go.

They had just stood in front of the cart when a man stood in front of them as if appearing out of nowhere.

The boys recognized him instantly, with his shaggy beard and dirty bare feet, as the lonely wanderer who had been sitting quietly in the tavern, and they invited him over a long glass of wine.

"Hello!" The stranger greeted them cheerfully, "You are indeed here! I have been looking for you since you left the tavern in a hurry."

"Okay, now you've found us." Sepke nodded to him, then spat into his palm, gripping the handle of the cart.

"I'm not the only one looking for you," said the stranger, leaning against the tree with his arms folded across his chest, "After hearing what the tavernkeeper said, Tilberg and his men immediately set off to head north.

As soon as I heard it, you must have gone in the opposite direction, but I don't think it would take long for them to find themselves dumped and follow your tracks south.

"They won't find us here," Corta said, "and at night they won't find us any more."

"What are you going to do? Are you leaving the city?"

"You are a good observer, sir," said Sepke, "we have no intention of staying in Eger, waiting for this Tibberg and his men to find us someday, and we will go as far as we can .”

The bearded stranger grinned upon hearing this, shook his head, and stopped leaning against the tree.

"What about your farmland?" He asked with feigned indifference. "Wait, let me guess, you want to sell it."

"What do you care about this? Do you want to buy it?"

"Do I look like someone who can buy ten acres of land in Eger?" the man asked back. "I don't even have a pair of broken shoes..."

"Well then, God bless you!" Sepke nodded to him, "Now, if you don't mind, please get out of our way, we're leaving."

"Of course I mind!" The cheeky smile on the man's face disappeared.

"What?" the twins asked in unison.

"I just ask you to listen to what I have to say," he begged in a serious tone, "if I can't convince you, that's okay, you just go on your way, I won't bother you again, I promise... "

"What do you want to tell us?" Corta looked at him curiously.

"Stay and don't leave Eger," replied the stranger, "fate has placed in your hands a unique opportunity, few of whom have been so lucky, perhaps the best opportunity of your life, and you are foolish intends to throw it away.”

"We don't know anything about the wine business," Corta waved his hand, "Don't you know very well?"

"Well, actually," the man smiled again, "yes, I understand."

The twins looked at each other, and they still felt in their hearts that they couldn't find a more beautiful place than Eger, they hadn't told each other what they thought, and staying here obviously did more harm than good, but now everything seems to have changed .

"Keep talking!" Sepke said.

"My name is Zalan," the stranger introduced himself, "People here think I'm a worthless bum because I've done nothing but beg in the main square since I moved here a year and a half ago.

The giver gives me half a mouthful of supper every night, and some little wine on the tip of my tongue, to keep me alive until now.But trust me, I wasn't like this before, I just don't know what else to do. "

"If you're going to lie now and say you're the best winemaker here, we're not going to listen to your bullshit anymore..."

Zalan laughed, mouths from ear to ear happily, and the twins looked at each other for a while longer, then looked at the man with foolish eyes.

"What's so funny?" Sepke asked when Zaran stopped.

There was still a smile on the man's face, "Children," he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, "stay here! I don't know who you are, but I know who I am."

"Who are you, Mr. Zaran?"

"I am indeed a brewer, my dear children," he admitted as seriously as possible, "I cannot say I am the best in Eger, but I can make a thousand wines better than what you drink in the tavern." Double the wine."

The boys' throats suddenly went dry. They didn't know what to say, and Zalan's words seemed more convincing than ever.

"Let's have an honest talk with each other!" the man suggested, "if you really want to leave, just go! You won a fortune yesterday, but on the way, you will run out of money soon, and then There will be nothing again.

Then what do you do?Sell ​​that land?If you are lucky, someone may be willing to buy it for some silver coins, but if you are unlucky, someone may take it by force, and you will either be killed or enslaved.I don't know how many winters you've had, but in my opinion, there shouldn't be more than fourteen. "

"Fifteen." Sepke whispered hoarsely.

"It's about the same as I thought," the man spread his arms, "You are still children, is the person you buried your master or your father?"

More and more questions about the winemaker came to the twins' minds, and they wondered how long the man had been watching them.

"We were apprentices to knights," Sepke told the truth, "and then we got separated and became slaves. At last we were bought by Mr. Lubbock, and it was at this time that we learned that we The previous owner is dead.

So instead of trying to go back to his estate, we became Lubbock's assistants and started learning all the tricks of the trade, though we'll never be as good as him...

Apart from our constant vagabondage, we got on pretty well, because he didn't think of us as his slaves.He was our friend, our benefactor, who made us free again before he died. "

Zalan looked at them and let out a long, exclamatory sigh.

"I thought nobody had a more complicated and bitter story than mine," he said sympathetically, "which one do you think is more believable?

Is it the story of the winemaker who escaped his estate and became a beggar, born to make wine but unable to find work in the best vineyard in the world?
Or the story of two 15-year-old boys who claimed to have been apprentice knights, then became slaves, and then became assistants to a traveling merchant?If I believe your story, why don't you try to believe my story? "

The boys fell silent as they listened to the question.

"Listen, my friends," Zalan sighed, "I've spent 27 years of my life among the vines since I was born, and I know more about winemaking than our Lord Jesus , You know, He can turn water into wine.

You have land, I need a job, and you are children, you need protection, tomorrow I will be 30.Admit it, we need each other!That's what I'm trying to say, now you can decide what you want to do with your money, your land and your destiny. "

"Why did you leave your master?" Corta looked at him. "Before we make a decision, we need to know the reason."

"Because that fat pig held down my lover one day, abused her, and impregnated her. A few months later, I watched my only Alanka commit suicide in the river with her round belly." Said expressively, the corners of his eyes twitched, and the light in his eyes disappeared in an instant.

"Then one night, I decided I was going to slit his throat and set fire to his house. Maybe I should have done that...but I got it under control and left the estate.

I'm pretty sure I can't go to hell if I want to be with my Alanka after death.So I left that bastard and hoped the Lord would avenge me.

I stayed as far away from home as possible and stopped in Eger, attracted by the incomparable scenery, but so far the city has not been able to provide me with any livelihood..."

"Well," Sepke said after a short thought, "if you can make good wine like you say, we might have a good future here, but there's one thing that worries me right now .”

"Me too." Corta nodded.

"Tiberg and his men, right?" the man asked, "don't be afraid! If we work together, they can surely drive them away, and then we too can be the vineyard owners of Eger, in peace Live on here."

"But how are we going to do it?" the question came from the two boys, and Zaran grinned again.

"Leave it to me!" He winked at the twins, "I'll tell you what I think on the way."

"On the way?" Sepke looked at him in confusion, "We have already decided to stay."

"Yes, but your land is over there, on the other side of the mountain," he said, pointing to the vibrant hillside above the city, "let's start as soon as possible, the journey is not short!"

(End of this chapter)