Temple Sword

Chapter 32 The Owl That Falls from the Tree
1303, Moon of the Holy Virgin
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The old walnut tree, standing alone in the Abbey's courtyard against the gray stone wall, has perhaps never received as much attention as it has in recent months.Antar climbed up and down it, as if God had created it as a ladder rather than a tree.

A peach tree on the other side of the stone wall received the same treatment, of course, only at night when the whole monastery was asleep.Antal squatted on the grass and quietly walked towards the eastern corner of the island, where there was no building but the bushes were more lush. When he reached the designated spot, he imitated the hooting of an owl five times, and then Be patient.When he heard no response, he crouched down and huddled into a bush.

He didn't wait too long, and after a few minutes he heard footsteps, getting closer, and then stopped in front of the bushes like Antal, and began to imitate the hooting of an owl.

"Here I am," whispered the boy as he crawled out of his hiding place.

The wet girl looked more beautiful than ever, and Agnes's eyes shone in the moonlight, as did her white teeth when she smiled.Antar couldn't wait any longer, and he approached her, hugged her tightly, and kissed her like it was the last kiss, which he always did.

"When are you coming to see my father?" she asked, "I don't even know when the last time I saw you in the sun."

"I don't know when they will let me into the city." Antal wrapped the cloak tightly around his body, even though it was a hot summer night, he still felt inexplicably cold. "I wish that time would come sooner."

"You've got to talk to him," Agnes said sadly. "He's still upset about that thing you yelled at him in the inn, and he doesn't understand why I keep coming to your defense."

"Don't worry! I promise I'll talk to him soon, but let me take a good look at you now, I haven't seen you in a week!" Antal took her face in both hands, and gently Kiss.

"What are you talking about!" Agnes blushed, "I'm not everything to you."

"You're everything to me," Antar said gravely. "I'm sure of that."

He gently smoothed the cloak off her shoulders, kissing the stripped part.When Antar saw his lover naked for the first time, he froze, unable to move in the confusion, yet the girl knew what she was doing, she cuddled gently on the boy, and that night, they Belonging to each other for the first time.

Every blessed week since then they've repeated it all, and it turns out that Antal's voracious appetite is nearly insatiable, and he wants to, and again and again, doing things he never dreamed of and shouldn't do thing.

Far from the Dominican convent, the archbishop's castle, the Franciscans, the Premontreys, and the Templar monastery, under the cover of the bushes and the darkness of night, they kissed and hugged each other until at last they were together in a suffocating sound There was silence, and then they lay down on the grass, panting and looking at the stars.

"Tell me, how long will you stay here?" Agnes asked, resting her head on Antar's chest, "How long can we go on like this...how long?"

"I don't know," replied the boy, "it's a miracle my uncle has brought me to this abbey, and in two years they'll be knighting me, and maybe I can stay until then. Willem will surely come to me before then, But I think..."

Antal wanted to continue, but he noticed the corners of Agnes's mouth curled up in tears, and her despairing eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Tomorrow..." She began to cry as soon as she opened her mouth, unable to finish a sentence.She hugged Antar tightly, sobbing into the boy's neck.

"What's wrong? My one and only? What's bothering you so much? What's going on tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I'll be 20," Agnes looked at him, eyes that seemed to suck in all the pain in the world. "This is the age at which one should be a woman ... a mother."

Antar's heart sank piecemeal, she was sobbing in his arms, but he couldn't say any words of comfort to her.What can he say?He wants to marry her?Would he leave the Knights, disgrace William, the Barto ancestors, and both of them?Or should they elope?Where can they go?Where can they settle down and live a happy life?

"My Agnes, my one and only love, I..."

"No!" She wiped away her tears, "Don't say anything, because you can't promise me anything, I don't want you to lie..."

She gave Antal a soft kiss on the mouth, then jumped up and disappeared like an island night fairy, soundless, invisible, and untraceable.

Antar lay down among the bushes for a little while, reveling in the time spent together, in the shepherd's watch at night, but then gradually he was overcome by the pain and anger of his own helplessness.What happened to him?For as long as he can remember, decisions have been made for him by others, with fate pulling the puppet strings around him at will.

When other five-year-old children are still enjoying the embrace of their mothers, he is an orphan left by a father who killed his wife, and he is being raised by a harsh knight. Why?Because his uncle was afraid of being destroyed by his terrible sin, he wanted to train him to be a perfect knight, so as to get rid of his bondage and atone for his sins before the Lord.

But he was not born to be a Templar, not to be a servant of God, a soldier of Christ!He ran away at every opportunity, gave up his studies and training, lied, drank, and fell madly in love with a girl he never wanted to leave under any circumstances.

Antal lay in the bushes of Margaret Island, tearing the grass with his two fists in the night, scratching the ground in pain, as the thoughts tormented him.

He misses everyone now more than ever: his mother, his uncle, his friends...

One more thing he knew, he couldn't lose Agnes.

But how to keep her, he himself can't answer.
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The branches of the walnut tree, which had never cracked before, stretched out from the trunk like muscular arms, and Antar had no qualms about throwing himself upon them and snuggling beneath them.Except for the soft rustle of the leaves, not a branch made a sound, nor bent as if to break, till this evening.

At dawn, Antal climbed the peach tree outside, and then, as usual, jumped onto the walnut tree in the monastery.But the moment his body was attached to it, the branch made a loud breaking sound, and the boy fell to the ground directly.Antal's head hit the ground so hard that he almost lost consciousness.While trying not to scream or pass out, a familiar hideous face appeared in his blurred vision.

"Ha, look what I've found!" Zoutermont grinned happily, "So you're back from adultery this week, and I'm so happy for you."

"You? Be happy for me?" Antal groaned, feeling even more dizzy.

"Of course I'm happy," Zortmund patted his face, "I've been observing for quite some time, it seems that you are enjoying the same kind of happiness that I used to be, and you use this as a threat to drive me to a dead end , now it’s all over, you’ve started to enjoy the flesh yourself instead!”

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Antar yelled, trying to get up, but Zoutermon stepped on his chest.

"Lie down and have a good rest, you must be seriously injured, it seems that my hard work on that branch was not in vain, hey."

"Damn you!"

"When you stand up, the abbot will know all about it." Zoutermont grinned, "and a week later we'll catch your slut, whoever she is, and treat her like a charmer Burn to death. I warned you, you little slug, it's not over between us... just pray that you end up like your friend Peter and not follow Levant's fate."

Zortmund's words completely enraged Antar, he grabbed the oath-breaker's leg with a roar, twisted and pulled him towards him, Zottmund fell to the ground, and the boy jumped up and rushed towards him.But then two burly servants rushed out of the monastery and controlled the furious Antal.

Zortmund stood up, calmly dusted his clothes, and punched the boy in the stomach.

"Take him!" he ordered, panting.

Antal was sure it was over, his life, Agnes's life, William's pride and everything he'd worked for his life.

(End of this chapter)