Temple Sword

Chapter 23 Return to Buda
1302, Month of Pentecost (May)
Umberto counted the sheep in the clouds above the oak trees, breathed the fresh air of the forest, and enjoyed the warm sun caressing his face.He loves spring because nature, in which everything comes back to life, always reminds him of his own rebirth, which he owes to William.

Adso's footsteps were light and steady, and the singer in the saddle swayed freely, but as they rode out of the woods, Antal's excited cry broke the comfortable calm.

"There! See that, Umberto? We'll be there soon!"

Umberto fell back to the ground from the clouds, twisting his stiff neck unwillingly. "That's great, thank you," he murmured, "I really don't know why you're here."

"Of course you do, and you know very well that I have two reasons. Which of us do you think will get there first? Drive!" the boy urged Sarecher, galloping towards the city.

Beyond the woods, the towers and fortresses of Buda came into view, then the city walls loomed before the travelers, and Umberto trailed Antares slowly, not intending to race the boys.

Antal was right in saying that he knew two reasons why the boy left the manor with him again and set out on the journey again, one was that the boy had foolishly fallen in love with an innkeeper's daughter and wanted to see her at all costs.Another reason, which was more of an excuse, was that Antal hadn't completed his pilgrimage to become a knight that William would be proud of.

Umberto watched for a moment the boy who was getting further and further away from him, sighed, lost again in the cloud scene.

Antal's heart beats faster than Sareche's hooves on the road to Buda, he doesn't know what has happened to Agnes since last summer, he can't mention her at home, and Umberto pretends the whole story never happened before.

Maybe Agnes didn't remember him at all, the boy thought desperately, after all they had only met briefly, exchanged a few words and nothing else had happened.She did nurse his wounds, but that was nine months ago!Maybe she's married, or worse, she's in danger, and who knows if he'll ever find her in town after everything that's happened.

After Wenceslas, the newly crowned King Wenzel, entered Buda and took up residence in the city, things became chaotic.First, Charles of Anjou and his supporter, Estefan, son of Mark Chuck from Bauconi, besieged the castle without success.The pope, who supported Anjou, then placed Buda under an injunction against church affairs, and then the Buda priests who supported Wenzel decided to fight back and, led by a priest named Lajos, excommunicated the pope membership.

Stepping through the gates of Buda in the late spring of 1302 was as dangerous as walking barefoot on hot coals, and at any moment word could come that they would be forced to flee as before.

"Never mind," Antar said to his horse, "we'll find her, and I'm sure you miss the good Buda hay too, don't you?"

The horses put their heads forward and began to gallop faster, with Umberto shrinking into a small spot behind them.
-
—

"Listen, you little knight!" Umberto began angrily when we entered the city, "don't do that again! You can't leave my sight unless I let you! And, when we've tied the horses , don’t think about finding that girl, or I will tell William everything!”

"Don't be mad," the boy smiled at her, "but you won't tell him, just like I didn't tell him that the big bag on my head wasn't from those three robbers, but from your bloody tin mug. of."

"If you think so, you are very mistaken, child," said Umberto. "If he knows why your head hurts, he will know why I knocked you out."

"Do you remember Adermus from Dubica?" Antal retorted, "He used to be a mighty fighter, but after getting a hard knock on the head by his opponent, he turned into a drool What an idiot. He doesn't even know who he is now, and he doesn't know why he's begging at the church door."

Umberto lost his mind. He took a deep breath and repeated what he said just now: "Anyway, be careful, or I will tell your uncle all your secrets!"

"Umberto," Antal rolled his eyes, "You know why I came here with you, face your heart, if you didn't want to help me in the depths of your soul, you would have sold me long ago. "

The singer knew that what the boy said was true, but still sternly rejected him.Antal calmed down a bit in the end, Umberto thought it was a good sign, he comforted himself, maybe Antal just wanted to see the girl, there is no commandment that prohibits platonic love, this does not violate the oath of the Knights .

"This place hasn't changed at all," said the boy. "Look at these people: they're just as busy as ever, making the same noise, as if everything is the same. You can't tell from them what's going on under the walls." Crazy thing."

"Of course," Umberto finally smiled sincerely, "how could they care who sits on the throne or who prays in Rome? Yawning priests say the same confession. They love the man who cuts taxes and hate the man who raises them, simple as that."

"I love this city," Antar said cheerfully. "I think it's like a Tower of Babel, don't you?"

"It's just a little more Czech," said the singer.After a short silence, both of them burst out laughing.

"By the way, I'm not a Templar yet," Antal said, returning to their previous conversation.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I haven't taken a vow of chastity, but I haven't broken any, and talking to a girl doesn't break it."

Umberto felt that there was no need to talk any further. "Be careful," he begged the boy, not wasting any more on the matter.
-
Instead of going to Uglin's hotel, Umberto found another place with rough stables and, ignoring the boys' protests, announced that they would be leaving the next morning.Antal ignored him, but only hoped that the singer would leave him quickly so that he could go to Agnes himself.

An hour later, he was at the hotel he visited every day in his mind, but he could barely recognize the place, the building was one floor taller and there seemed to be more guests.The several tables spread out in the yard were full of people, ranging from travelers, businessmen to clergy, and there were even a few Templar attendants on one of the tables. Antal nodded to them, and they Cheerfully toast him.

It appears they are not saddened by the loss of Elvad, the last Crusader stronghold, enjoying their free time outside the monastery.The boy didn't want to join them, he sat on a bale of hay, looked around and waited.

Not long after, a girl appeared in the yard, holding a bowl with a large chicken leg in one hand and three tin cups in the other, as she reluctantly hurried from one table to the other.Antal was stunned, he didn't know who this fat pigeon-like girl was, but she was definitely not Agnes.

He went up to the strange girl and ordered a glass of ale, found a bench and sat down, holding the sparkling glass and waiting for the miracle to happen.

And he didn't have to wait long.

The lavender-scented girl hasn't changed a bit, she's as beautiful as the vision in Antares' dreams.Agnes walks around the yard with a jug of wine, filling a glass raised high.She smiled at the boy as she passed him, but didn't seem to recognize him.

Antal doesn't mind, he just wants to see this girl, just look at it, and keep that smiling light in his heart forever to illuminate himself, he knows that if he can do this, then he will die no regrets.

But the rosy scene was quickly shattered when Agnes approached the Templars' table to pour wine for one of the squires, and he grinned and slapped her on the bottom.

Antal was instantly overwhelmed by blind anger, before he realized what he was doing, he jumped up from the bench and walked towards the table.Before the smile on the attendant's face disappeared, Antal appeared in front of him and directly grabbed his wrist, which was a head taller than the boy.

"What are you doing, who do you think you are? You little slug?" snapped the surprised squire.

"Take care of your dirty hands, you bastard!" Antal roared, the boy's eyes seemed to be covered by blood-red gauze, and he could hardly see anything except the person in front of him.

The attendant broke away from Antal, "Are you possessed by a devil?" His face was twisted, "I warn you, get out of here!"

"You'd better put your hand on the glass obediently." Antal spit into his wine glass, "What you did just now is not worthy of being a Templar..."

The girl took two steps back without saying a word, watching the increasingly violent quarrel curiously.

The attendant stared at Antal with wide eyes and flushed face. "Better put it on the cup? Or?" He swung his hand forward and grabbed the boy's chest, pushing Antar back, his heels on the uneven ground, Sitting down, the older attendant laughed mockingly.

"Go away, you little mole!" He waved his hand, and turned to his companions. "See? What was the little bastard thinking? When I became a knight, he was still scraping the dirt for his master's horse! I don't know what's going on in the world, I tell you, if young people don't Respect their elders, then..."

He was interrupted by a loud roar, and when the squire turned around, it was too late.The boy charged at him like a ram knocking all the air out of his stomach.

The wooden table was also knocked over, and the attendant fell face down hard on the ground.Although Antar was also a little dizzy from his full-power sprint, he was still full of satisfaction when he saw his opponent fall to the ground.

"You look like you've slept with a pig now!" After seeing the ale, wine and grease stained on the clothes of the servants who got up, Antal mocked in a slightly trembling voice.

"You bastard!" he said through gritted teeth, "I'm going to make you regret it now!"

The attendant drew out the simple sword hanging from his belt, and Antar also unsheathed his own Saracen sword.The whole courtyard was suddenly eerily quiet, and everyone got closer together, their eyes were sizing up their weapons and movements.The crowd slowly formed a semicircle, and some people were already explaining the cause of the dispute to those who hadn't figured out what happened.

"You don't have to do that," Agnes said, and touched Antar's arm lightly, but she still didn't recognize him.The boy's face was even redder, and his earlobes were burning.

"No," Antar said firmly, "there is no turning back."

"He's older and stronger than you."

"It looks like that."

She moved closer to his ear, "You've proven that you're stronger than him," the girl said in a low voice so no one else could hear, "Why did you do that?"

Antal reached inside his clothes, grabbed the bag he'd been wearing across his chest for months, removed it from around his neck, and stuffed it into Agnes's hand.

"Because I have to," he replied.He gazed into her cold blue eyes, just for a moment, trying to draw strength from them, and then he turned, closed his eyes to calm his trembling heart, and opened them to step confidently towards his opponent. out a step.He looked around, there were many faces looking at him, but the only one who could stop it, Umberto, was not there.

"Very good," Antar said to himself, holding the sword in both hands, raising it above his head, twisting his knees, and began to move slowly towards his opponent's left hand, as he often did in Dubica's spacious courtyard. like that.

Agnes backed away from the boy who was about to fight, and she scanned the temporary duel arena with worried eyes. When she retreated into the crowd, she only glanced at the bag the boy put in her hand.The bag was very small, and she carefully untied the bow, looked at the contents of the bag, and immediately recognized this dry, cracked and fragrant plant: lavender.Only then did she understand who was protecting her reputation in this way.

"I will consider accepting your apology," said the elder squire, who must have been worried that his knight master would find out about the unauthorized duel, "ask my forgiveness now, and I will let you go!"

Antal looked sullen, his stomach churning with rage.

"I don't need forgiveness from an honorless bug!" he shouted back. "I fight in the name of justice and truth, Deus vult!"

The other didn't answer, just took a step back, and then lunged forward, hitting Antal with a series of heavy blows.The boy fended them off with ease and began to fight back with dancing feet. He pushed the surprised squire back to the overturned table. Their weapons collided. Antar did everything in his power. With a cry, he pushed the squire out of the way, and the latter almost fell to the ground as he stepped back. His friends had to catch him and push him back to the arena.

"You're quick, you dwarf!" gasped the squire, "but you can't hurt me with your heathen dhole sword!"

"Just wait and see!" Antal attacked again, pouring all his power into the weapon.

Antar thought this duel would be easier. He had to admit that this attendant was a hard-trained swordsman. His movements seemed slow, but he dodged every attack of Antar, as if he could foresee As far as where the opponent's next sword will go, his mastery of swordsmanship is incomparable to those three robbers before.

Yet there is one more thing bothering Antares: anger.He felt a heartfelt anger at his opponent, a disgust bordering on panic, which disrupted his concentration in a way he had never felt before, and it was a whole new challenge for him to play in this situation. Swords got harder.

The battle had lasted for several minutes, both of them were out of breath, their faces were flushed, and some new wounds had been added to their bodies.The onlookers had already started placing their bets, and the discussion became louder and louder.

"What's the matter, boy?" asked the attendant, "Are you giving up?"

There was only a distance of three steps between the two of them, and Antar stared at each other's distressed appearance and gasped for breath, and the steel in his hand became heavier and heavier.

"Never," he yelled repeatedly, "Never!" and charged at his opponent again.

The attendant dodged his thrust, and then circled half a circle around the boy. Antal turned around to block the slash that hit his head, but he was hit hard on the back, waiting for him to turn around. Upon catching a glimpse of the assailant, the boy realized that the dirty trick came from his opponent's squire friend.This made him lose his balance, and the squire seized the opportunity to knock the sword out of Antal's hand.

Antal froze, standing where he was, exhausted and unarmed, with giggling attendants behind him, and the sharp blade of his opponent in front of him.A flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he quickly pulled out the dagger, trying to readjust his position but was tripped by another person stretching out his foot.

He fell to the ground with a muffled grunt, and his right elbow hit the ground heavily, but without any hesitation, he wanted to get up immediately, but it was too late.The squire stood beside him, with the tip of his sword to the boy's throat, a triumphant smile on his face.

"My name is Adam," he announced aloud so that everyone could hear, "remember the name and the face!"

Antal was too ashamed to speak, and he felt immensely humiliated, not only because he was defeated, but because his opponent had won the duel by cheating.He was lying on the ground with mud and sweat on his face and dirt in his nose and mouth.He vowed to avenge Adam, he would avenge Agnes, make him repent of his offense to the girl, he would not rest until he could humiliate the snake in front of the whole world.

"Recover your Saracen weapons," Adam ordered sarcastically, "and get out of here, and never appear in my presence!"

Antal stood up and hurried out of the hotel courtyard, avoiding meeting Agnes' eyes.

Before his eyes filled with tears, he heard Adam invite all to a drink, and the sheep obediently cheer his honorless victory.

(End of this chapter)