Temple Sword

Chapter 95 Timisoara
1311, St. Michael's Month (September)
Timisoara, Transylvania

-

The noise, the rush, the chaos, the crowds, the building materials and demolished ruins everywhere.Dust, tree trunks, brackets, stone carvings, dyes, the soldiers were in a mess without heads or tails.

The weathered corridors and haunted walls of Timisoara are being transformed into a new royal palace.Weary soldiers, bored guards, and aimless wanderers don't know where it is, where they should put their horses, or where to go on their missions.

The new yard was so small that carpenters, stonemasons, and architects were all over the place, cramming what little space was left.In the chaos of shouting and knocking, they couldn't even make out what they were saying.

Antal and Saipan Poka stared at all this dumbfounded, and the old nobleman turned back and shouted: "Stay in your saddle! Don't move around until we have clear instructions and know where to put the horses!"

The Knight of the Lilies dismounted from Caesar's back, and approached beside the carriage that had accompanied them for three weeks.

"I'm going to the king now," he said to Agnes, who sat speechless inside, "and I'll be back soon."

"Am I crazy?" Agnes grumbled back. "Where have you taken me, Antal? This looks like the halls of hell!"

"You'll see how beautiful it is in a few weeks!"

Agnes didn't answer, just stared at him with pursed lips.Antal left the carriage and tied the horse to the carriage.Saipan, the son of Hector, dismounted as well, and ordered his men not to move a step, and guard the carriage until he and Antar returned.

"Is your wife okay?" Saipan asked Antar as they pushed through the crowd.

"No big problem, Lord Saipan." The knight waved his hand depressingly, "She's just not happy that I dragged her from our peaceful home to this chaotic place..."

"Don't be depressed!" snapped Lord Saipan. "She'll be happy, and this headlessness won't last forever, and soon each of us will know what to do."

Antal looked at this lively old nobleman curiously, perhaps because the lonely years in his later years were replaced by a sense of mission, he seemed to have become younger.Maybe Saipan wishes to avenge his son's death all those years ago, and maybe he also wishes he didn't die in his bed, forgotten in his pillow, but fight to the end as a hero.Antar saw strength and determination in the old man, and this firmness also inspired him.

"You are right, Master Saipan." They walked towards the castle, "I have no reason to be sad, let's go, let's go to His Majesty the King!"

-

Antares knew that the Throne Room of Budaka Mokhov Palace was large, the kind of expanse that inspires awe in mortals, with its ceilings so high above one's head and its Gothic windows that The dragon moves in and out with ease.Its relief exudes a mysterious majesty, warning all those standing in the hall of the ephemerality of life, they are just insignificant dust.

In comparison, Timisoara's throne room was much smaller and darker.It's simpler, purer, without any splendor or frills.Dim light comes in from small windows, and there are no arches and other ostentatious art inside the building, only simple stone bricks.Antal immediately understood why the king invited so many masons. This place is not suitable for long-term living. People will become sour and moldy in the darkness here, turning into a ghost, a shadow that misses the glory of the past.

Silent guards stood along the walls, and at the end of what appeared to be a dimly lit tunnel sat 23-year-old Charles Anjou, who said nothing, with Archbishop Thomas whispering behind him.

"Your Majesty!" The Lily Knight bowed to the throne, and then also saluted the Archbishop of Esztergom. "Please allow me to introduce you to your loyal supporter, Sir Saipan, the son of Hector of the Boca family. He is willing to support your cause unconditionally and will come with a hundred well-equipped light cavalry."

The old man stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, and kissed the shining lily ring on the king's outstretched right hand.

"Get up," Charlie said coldly, and Antar attributed his indifferent tone to the harsh surroundings. "Welcome here, Saipan, son of Hector!"

"It is my honor, Your Majesty!" Saipan said decisively, "I want you to know that not only will I take my oath, but my hundred cavalry will also obey your orders."

"My knight just said that you don't ask for anything in return for your loyalty." Charlie looked into the old man's eyes, "But my experience so far tells me that nothing is free in this world. So tell me honestly, the price of your loyalty is What?"

Saipan wasn't at all embarrassed by the question.

"I was going to make my son, my only heir, Levant, a knight," he said without thinking, "he and Antal are friends, and they are both in the temple of Margaret Island A squire to the monastery of the Knights. I raised my son to be a good warrior and an honest man worthy of the name Polka, who would have inherited the name and honor of our family after my death .

However, during a well-planned heist raid that saw us engage the Corsergi's bastards, Levant was killed before he could draw his sword.He left me without a fight and died an innocent child. Saipan continued, his tone becoming more and more intense.

"I took his body in my arms and gave it to his mother, who fell ill with grief and never recovered. I buried them both with my own hands, and I swore that I would kill oligarchs for the rest of my life As many lackeys as possible. Whether they serve the Corsergis, or Mate Chuck, or any other family, I am not picky. If it is not for those greedy lords who can never be satisfied, my son He should still be alive today, and the one standing in front of you and offering the sword should be him, not me, Your Majesty!"

"Is this what you want in return?" The king smiled slightly. "You want to kill the lackeys of the oligarchs?"

"Your Majesty, revenge is the best reward," Saipan nodded, releasing all the hatred hidden in his heart in his voice. "While I doubt I will live much longer, I intend to dedicate the rest of my life to the cause of justice."

"Besides vengeance," said Archbishop Thomas standing behind the throne, "what is this great cause of justice you speak of?"

"Defeat the oligarchs, drive out the princes, and depose their rule forever, sir," Saipan replied respectfully, but still angry. "End tyranny, injustice, and exploitation throughout the kingdom. Remove robbers and murderers who illegally tax the roads and attack innocents in the most despicable ways. We share the same goal," he looked at Charlie. "We are all Fight for the same thing, my king!"

"Saipan, son of Hector, you have come at the right time," said the king, standing up and stepping off the platform on which his throne stood.He started walking around the two of them, continuing his speech. "Mate Chuck rebelled openly and began to expand his sphere of influence. This is unprecedented rebellion. There is only one person between me and him who can win the final victory, and one will fall."

"The Cardinal has excommunicated Mattei," the archbishop reminded them, as if that would solve all problems. "Officially, he is no longer under the protection of the Church of Rome."

"That's no use at all!" The young king turned around and stared at Archbishop Thomas with tired and bloodshot eyes, "So far Gentil has given me nothing but trouble!"

"Your Majesty!" Archbishop Thomas urged sharply, "Even you cannot speak of the Pope's envoy in such a tone!"

"He doesn't deserve my respect," Charlie laughed, "because his own head is full of evil thoughts! My faithful archbishop, you should understand what I mean, the name of Gentil originally means kindness, but The Cardinal is a cruel servant of the Church. Put him on board tomorrow and go home, and never set foot on Hungarian soil again!"

Archbishop Thomas turned red, even in the dim light.He tried to find words to calm the king, but finally gave up.Charlie's outburst was not unreasonable. Although Cardinal Gentil helped him regain the crown of St. Stephen, he was indeed a cruel and evil person. He dug out the bodies of these disobedient nobles' families and Extending an olive branch to a heathen, he is not worthy to be a servant of God.

Thomas himself had wondered what would have happened to them if Gentil hadn't excommunicated Mate Chuck immediately after the siege of Buda.But he quickly dispelled the idea, and they couldn't change the past anyway.

"The royal army is pitifully small compared to the armies of the provincial princes, just like Buda." Charlie Robert's voice became calm and firm, "This can't go on like this, we must have a force capable of defeating Matai. · Chuck's power, and then crush the others' troops in turn. There is nothing else to do!"

"My uncle will come from Slavonia soon," Antar said, "he should have recruited a lot of fighters to support you."

"William Bartow arrived yesterday," said the king despondently, "and he brought only one knight from the South."

"One?" Antal's questioning voice echoed off the dark walls of the throne room.

"Your uncle was a great warrior. In Alpad's time, he could make hundreds of people obey orders." Charlie sat back on the throne. "Nowadays, people don't seem to listen to him like they used to."

"You have taken the Templars out of your protection," Antar corrected, "and most of them will not come to your aid, Your Majesty."

"You are an impudent bastard," the king finally smiled, "but tell me, what else can I do? Future generations will judge whether I made the right decision. But I don't want to reflect now In the past, it is time to gather all forces and prepare for war!"

Saipan's eyes flashed with excitement, but Antar frowned.

"Should we begin preparations for war now, Sire?" he asked.

"We have no other choice," Charlie replied, "Matey Chuck is openly rebelling, and this year we must hunt him down. When the first snow falls, the worm will either kneel before me or be nailed to a stake." Watch us triumph!"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Lily Knight asked worriedly, "are you sure we have enough strength to carry out a battle?"

"Before this month is over, we will be unstoppable!" The king slammed his fist on the armrest of the throne, more excited than angry. "The Baksaks, the Balogs have sworn allegiance to us, and some adventurous knights, if I remember correctly... There was a Báthory, there was a Szechenyi Home (Széchenyi), and one named Széchy, they also swore eternal allegiance to the Anjou flag..."

Antar curled his lips when he heard this, he was not conquered by the frenzy of fighting.He himself would like to confront these oligarchs head-on, but only if they have an army strong enough to counter them.

"The Basacs, the Balogs, and some unknown people," he listed listlessly. "I've never heard of the Bathoris or the Szechenyis... We need more soldiers."

"The Abba family in Sepes also supports us," Archbishop Thomas looked at Antal, without concealing his contempt. "Who do you think you are, dare to question the correctness of the king's decision?"

"I am nobody, Your Excellency," Antar replied, staring at the archbishop, "but I know that we are not strong enough, our army is not strong enough to fight Mate Chuck, and the Abba family is only in name Just stand by our side."

"They will prove their loyalty with arms and deeds, don't be afraid!" Charlie said, "just as this damned owl's nest will soon become a palace and impenetrable castle, so will those headless flies in the yard. Be a mighty army. I have planned everything, Antal, everything!"

For a moment, Charlie seemed to be the boy he had once again become, the half-king who had knighted Antal in Visegrad, reckless, careless, but always ready for action, with a personality unparalleled by ordinary people. Determination.However, a panting messenger burst into the throne room and whispered something in Charlie's ear.

"What?" The king turned pale, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the man nodded, "the heir is already on his way..."

"I see," Charlie said in a low voice, "you can go."

After the messenger left, he stood up, walked down the stone steps again, and began to pace back and forth in the dark hall, wringing his hands nervously and biting his lip.

"Your Majesty..." Archbishop Thomas said worriedly, but Charlie didn't even look at it, and raised his right hand, asking him to remain silent.

"Amad Abba and his sons showed up in Kosice a few days ago with the army," he said, staring at the ground. , the townspeople of Kosice killed Palatine Amad."

All were silent, what could they say?They watched the King's face in silence as it changed from red to crimson and from crimson to purple.

"I won't allow it!" Charlie roared out of his mind, "I warned them not to attack Kosice! Well now, Ahmad is dead, and now his sons have come here and demanded that I Choose between the fools of the Ba family and one of the most prosperous cities in the kingdom! Maybe those greedy little brutes will put old Ahmad's body in front of me and say, oh king, this is Your murdered loyal minister, please uphold justice!"

Round and round he circled the hall, getting more and more angry, until at last he roared like an enraged bison.He was not in the mood to meet the sons of Abba's family, he had always hated them because they were far worse than their father, and he really wanted to slap them all, because old Ahmad must have missed them.

Archbishop Thomas watched the king coolly, knowing the man well, all his strengths and weaknesses.Antal also stood there without saying a word, only Saipan felt particularly embarrassed, he hadn't experienced the abnormal vitality displayed by the young king when he was angry.

"They'll let me, their king, make a choice," the king shook his forefinger, "but I won't take it, no! Scribe!" he roared eagerly, "Scribe, come I'm here!"

Soon, a short, thin man in an elegant velvet gown entered the hall, his fingers stained with ink and some papers between his fingers.

"I am here, Your Majesty!" He bowed respectfully, "At your service!"

"I will write a document," announced the King, "an agreement..."

The scribe hurriedly brought a servant to a table, lit a candle with a candlestick, dipped a quill in ink, and began to record.Charlie Robert slowly exhaled the air in his lungs, with an evil and nervous smile on his face, and finished the paperwork that he thought was a clever plan.

"Although we are not strong," he said to Antal after finishing his dictation, "but with this document, we will solve the problems of the Abba family forever without a single soldier."

(End of this chapter)