Temple Sword

Chapter 26 Zoutermont

Antal tossed and turned all night, and it wasn't just the dung pile under the window that bothered him; even without the dung pile, his mind was full of worries.He thought of Agnes and his future master Zoutermon, and a serious question arose in his mind.He didn't know when he'd have the chance to go to Buda, but he knew that she was there waiting for him, and that reassured the boy.And every new idea he had of Zoutermont was more terrifying than the last, he had not yet met him, but Peter seemed too persuasive, talking of the knight with horror on his face.

Antal, who hadn't slept all night, dozed off during morning prayers. The fresh air and the melodious hymns soon put him to sleep, but after only a few heartbeats, he was woken up by the monk's stick.

The monastery was governed by strict rules, and life was difficult for apprentices inside, which Antal fully experienced from day one.In the chapel in the morning, they prayed at [-] o'clock, [-] o'clock and [-] o'clock, plus the tasks assigned to them by the monastery, they had to work until noon.

They ate only twice a day, no breakfast, and Antal tried to satisfy himself by watching Sarecher munch on fresh, crisp hay.There was no bridge between Margaret Island and Buda, so William had the horse brought over by the designated ferryman and left to the boy to take care of it on a daily basis.

After the horses have been fed and cleaned, the apprentices are busy with their weapons and clothing, they must examine all equipment and adjust to correct any minor defects found.After that comes training, which lasts until noon, with only short breaks in between.

According to Antal's observation, a small group of attendants, only a dozen people, obey the orders of an elderly knight, and always fight with others. The training objects are often changed, and so are the training weapons.Antar was most fond of swordplay, and to his delight the training was mainly sword-based, but he was also proficient with the lance and hammer-spear, and he found training with shields the most tiring, and he simply couldn't stand those.

He had his first meal after noon, and Antal was so tired that he was dizzy, his eyes were stinging from lack of sleep, and his arms hung like lead.After he wolfed down his lunch, he came to the door of Zoutermont's room. He almost fell asleep standing up. The mixed emotions of fear and excitement made him a little more energetic. The boy knocked on the door cautiously, and there was a An impatient voice.

"come in!"

"I'll report, my lord." Antal walked into the spacious and messy room.

"Oh, it's you!" The knight glanced at him, and continued to search for something among the mess on his desk.Antal glanced at the man, he was slightly bald, handsome, with a walnut brown beard, not big, with a prominent belly, and to the boy's surprise, he looked less than 30 years old.

"I am Antal, the son of William Barto." The boy introduced himself proudly. "They asked me to come over after lunch."

"Well... well, how should I put it, you are really slow." The man raised his head from the mess and looked at his future student with a sour look, "So you are the son of William Barto?"

"Yes, my lord."

"I have never met him, but his name is very loud, what kind of person?"

Antal was surprised by the question, "Excuse me, my lord?"

"Are you deaf? I asked what he was like."

"A battle-tested knight of valor, a model warrior, and a wise man."

"Oh, so he is still a smart person," the man raised his eyebrows, "what else?"

"A strict and stubborn man."

"I've heard of that, old man," said Zoutermund, laughing, with a strange gurgle in his throat. "Tell me, how old are you?"

"I'll be sixteen in the summer, my lord."

Zortmund looked at him as if he were a piece of dead flesh. "You look smaller than this," he said. "You must be weak and cowardly. They must have stuffed me with a squire..."

"With all due respect, my lord," said the boy hoarsely, "I consider myself strong and tough. I am good at swordsmanship, good at riding, and commanding all weapons."

Zoutemon didn't speak, just continued to stare blankly at Antal.He got up, walked up and down the room, and sat back in his chair.

"How many languages ​​do you speak?" he finally asked.

"Besides Hungarian, I also speak Latin and Arabic."

"Can't speak French?"

"Je sais seulement un petit en franais." The boy smiled, but the angry knight jumped up and drowned out his smile.

"What did you say?" he yelled around the table, about to hit Antar with his hand. "What did you just say, you impertinent little thing?"

"A little," the boy backed away in horror, "I said I could speak a little French, my lord!"

Zortmund put down his hands, sat back at the table, snorted, he was out of breath, and his head was red.

"How dare you tease me like this, you little slug?" He panted, sweeping a few scrolls, two plates and a cup off the table, "Son, never speak ill of me, or you'll regret it forever Yes, do you understand?"

"I understand, my lord." Antal replied calmly. He hid his hands behind his back to prevent the man from seeing his trembling, but his wide eyes already explained everything.

"Can you read text?"

"Yes, my lord." He nodded obediently.

"What about writing?"

"Also, but not as good at reading."

"Very well," said Zoutermont, "because I can neither read nor write. Did you just say something?"

"I said nothing, my lord."

"You'd better keep your mouth shut," the man frowned at him, "If I hear you and your companions dare to laugh at me, I'll cut off your tongue."

"Understood, my lord."

"I will give you a lot of tasks," Zoutermon calmed down a little, "You have to be prepared not to attend the afternoon training, because I will often send you to Buda to deal with my affairs."

If other apprentices heard that he would miss so many training opportunities, they would definitely worry about being affected, but Antal almost laughed happily after hearing the news.

"But you must pray the Lord's Prayer 140 times a day, like everyone else," Zoutermon continued, "fourteen times at each prayer hour, eighteen times at supper, thirty times for the living and thirty times for the dead. Second-rate."

Antal would bet no one in the monastery would follow the request, but he wasn't angry at all, just nodded quickly.

"I like to rest in my room in the afternoon, so only interrupt me when absolutely necessary. We are discussing your mission next time, you can go, don't come back until tomorrow!"

Antar obeyed without a word, and walked out into the hallway, wishing his new master to spend as much time sleeping as possible...
-
—

Antal sat on the empty bench in the yard of the inn, his heart was pounding, and a full hour had passed.The sky was clear, and the early spring sun was refreshing, but not many guests stayed in the open air, and Antal felt that everything was going well.

He thought about it until every hour of every day, whether he woke up or fell asleep, he dreamed of the girl walking past him.Then again, Antal stopped her for the third time without hesitation, and he gently grabbed Agnes' arm, but she just looked at him with a wary smile, her eyebrows raised in doubt.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked, but Antal just watched her quietly. "Can this gentleman understand Hungarian?"

Antal muttered in a low voice with difficulty, with a bitter taste in his mouth: "Please give me a glass of ale and something to eat."

Not long after, the girl appeared in the yard again, but it was still the same as before, and walked past him again.After repeating this several times, she brought Antal a glass of ale and a small plate of cold roast, and the boy was about to leave.

Is everything you do worth it?Is that why you were trying to defend the reputation of lavender-scented angels last summer?Is this why you are being humiliated?Is that why you lied to your uncle and came all the way to Buda, to a monastery you never wanted to live in your life?
It was okay, he consoled himself at the end of his despair, the years had taught him something about life, women, and honor.God has tested him, now he can repent, let him boil in the juices of his pain, and who knows when he'll be home again, healed from it all...

He finished his ale, pushed the untouched cold roast away, and got up to leave with a disillusioned look on his face.

"Please wait, sir!" The girl who didn't know him stopped him, but for her, he was willing to give his life.

"What do you want?" Antal's voice trembled.

"If you've been to Uglin's Inn, you know exactly what I want," Agnes said. "There's no free drinks, so you have to pay, even if you don't eat the food."

What the hell, thought Antal, this girl was worse than he could have imagined, what was he dreaming about, she wasn't an angel, but a witch!
"How much do I have to pay?" He reached for the money bag under his coat.

"No, no," she held his hand, "you can't pay back with mere silver coins for what you got from me."

"Then what do you want?" Antar snapped, he was willing to give anything in order to get out of here as soon as possible.

"I want two things," said the innkeeper's daughter, laughing, the freckles flushing her cheeks, "a lavender bag and a kiss."

Antal opened his mouth, did he hear correctly?Didn't this little fairy forget him?

"But not now," whispered Agnes, "tomorrow afternoon, please come to church! If you see me, follow me, I know a good hiding place, no one can find us... "

Antal slept more soundly and securely than ever that night, but Agnes watched the stars outside her room window until they were lost in the rays of the rising sun.

(End of this chapter)