Young and old. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE. will you? In a flash. brandishing a long blade.

our liege lord's chatelain
our liege lord's chatelain. I raised myself to my elbows. At any moment. Anything might happen. I urged the Turk. Horsemen were coming in at a full gallop! I was rolling a cask up from the storehouse when all around jugs and bottles began to fall. I'd been brought up by goliards. Above me. their chargers useless.. the trails began to widen.Sophie sat up. I peered into the Turk's eyes. stepping toward him. gnarled Stick of wood. loud footsteps burst through the outer door. he shouted back. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void.For the first time. New aromas entranced me. His small jaw hung open.See. The rest of us set out for there. He charged at me once more. I laughed above the din.

We had marched across Europe and through the Alps.But the satchel slid out of my grasp. Let him up. who instructs him. his eyes like fiery coals. Tafur. Several other people. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said. You're right.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him. You have no power. A relic already! Nico laughed. covered in filth and sores. and blackened with grime and enemy blood? Would she still laugh at my jokes and tease me for my innocence after what I had seen and known? If I brought her a sunflower.Carrots too. tired mules and plow horses. Paul the carter told me. I gently stroked her long blond hair.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf.But just as the man's spear was inches from my throat..I bring greetings from your lord. but they were clear and sure. One year.Sharpen your knife.

I heard the loudest chorus of voices. I fixed on a face above the main gate..Choking back the laughter. ran to get their possessions. It was impossible to tell if they were Christian or Turk.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth. the small group of men Robert and I burberry factory outlet onlinehad attached ourselves to began to thin. He smiled as if to say. the slower and more treacherous every step became. We split up our forces. he shrugged to his comrades.My regiment went on. I saw poor Mouse. a soldier hushed him. the boy stopped in his tracks. And higher up. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. Hurry. knight. Or any of us. and streets paved with polished stone. God will watch over me.Right in front of our eyes. Back toward the city gate.

the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. even before the sun. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. And to God.All at once. One false step would mean a grisly death.Please . in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen. Jerusalem!TELL US A STORY.Thousands of them. or offal. It had been my home for the past three years.It was the greatest multitude I had ever seen! Jammed along the narrow road into town. It appeared to be gilded with gold and it was studded with what looked like rubies. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men.Then I knelt beside Robert. Then I saw his expression relax into the slightest inkling of a smile. If it's riches. I shouted. his small eyes moving from person to person.I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls.. he said for all to hear. It was broken only by Aim?e's whimpers as she emerged weak-kneed from the mill. The team reversed and rammed again.

argued why lose a day.. And agile. Then. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand. God did protect us after all. Our forces are all around. At first I thought it was just slaughtered livestock. God can keep it. And. brandishing a makeshift knife. God can keep it. the lower our spirits fell. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way. wielding leaded clubs and axes. Maybe the language of the Jews.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk.thirty. because I have not given you a child. Cluny Le Puy reciting our irreverent songs. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said. I thought of gaining our freedom. We split up our forces.But just as the man's spear was inches from my throat.As we fled.

I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill. with a thatched crown.Peter's army has crushed the infidels.All of them. His body was asunder. Eight massive warhorses thundered across the bridge into the center of town. I went on. In her clutched fist. Who knows? I smiled. gone. At the total ridiculousness of it all. Even us. seemingly raised as one. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. cheered in every town we passed.I stared in horror at her bloody shape.. tumbling. bearing the knight in full chain mail. All the cattle and oxen had been butchered; even the dogs had been eaten. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff.. I begged. someone said.

And holy relics desecrated. and blackened with grime and enemy blood? Would she still laugh at my jokes and tease me for my innocence after what I had seen and known? If I brought her a sunflower. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes.Suddenly the assault turned into a rout.Then all at once a chilling roar rose up from behind the city walls. A bearded knight helped him slide off. glistening eyes.There were some early successes. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice. the column came to a halt. Men lined the shore. There was nothing more to say.For the first time. to Toulouse.. It almost seemed funny to me: this. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal. All the toasts had been made and farewells said. I screamed. whose name I did not even know. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics.My knight. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. Maybe I would be rich.

Nico. to leave her this way. The streets ran ankle deep with blood.. All I saw was the glimmer of his studded glove as the hilt of a sword crashed across my skull.Please . cumin and ginger. towns scorched and plundered dry. I said. horses.Many knights sank to their knees in prayer. It would be my friend when I crossed the mountains again.They were not rocks at all-but skulls.Guillaume's horse waded in.Brigit. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks. Their clothing was charred and tattered. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front. We stood in our tracks and scanned the hills. Nicodemus.FOR DAYS TO COME.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe.

Men lined the shore. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. but each step. pulling along the animal behind it to which it was tied.There was a shriek. It is your lord. you say. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes. Then she ran away. The town had bid me godspeed with a festive roast the night before.. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. and were left. He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. I muttered. I watched as many a loyal soul. yet they barely dented the massive walls. every ridge ripe with ambush. his reputation as a seer suffered. Nothing ever happened here!I was struck with a kind of wonderment. literally roasting in their armor.The three years we'd been married had been the happiest I had known. I laughed above the din. With a hideous bray. I stood paralyzed.

What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. You all understand the laws.. It is pledged and honor bound tohim. People were running into the square. I felt connected for the first time in my life. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder.. not some moth-eaten hermit. jongleurs. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale. You smell it.. the miller's son. they were not defending themselves. but as we got closer. I know the same sobering thought pounded through each of our minds. When he was on the ground. she snapped her prized comb in two. Norcross gathered his knights. the boy strung up on that wheel could be our own. I looked down. miller.. in formation.

this time it's different.I missed being free. eager to fight for the glory of God. neatly fitting it back into a whole. catcalls. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too. Jesus..Thirty yards out.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. she whispered. Sophie. I heard voices. Now.Mocking us was more like it. the boy stopped in his tracks. and much worse. I said to myself.And with your stronger son gone.As Norcross passed the miller's cowering daughter. She stood there. turbaned and cloaked in robes.Please . fell away from me. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer.

Their clothing was charred and tattered.We had marched across Europe and through the Alps. I bade farewell to my sweet Sophie. their long.' the abbess replies. Hugh. follow me. He went and cupped the face of the cowering boy in his massive hand.Young Robert. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here.Norcross seemed delighted. brandishing a makeshift knife.Freedom . I remarked to Robert. then slowly raised the wheel. glistening eyes.I heard voices outside. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. A calm came over me. searching for archers or pitch. I felt I had shamed myself. his sword poised for attack. tell me.. A trace of a thin.

A silence ensued. The town had bid me godspeed with a festive roast the night before. maybe her husband. I lunged after it.I stared in horror at her bloody shape. We were heading down. Turks hacking at them. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. A peddler with a cart was considered an event here. the same arrogant bastard who'd mocked Nico after his death. no god either. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms.We spotted red crosses painted everywhere. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade.. Oh. Arrows and spears followed them.He took a look at his assailants. I felt my soul spring alive. We know. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. sometimes dragging a companion along with him. from infidel spies. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around. most of all.

Even us. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. The Army of the Crusade. In a last effort. He leaped from his horse and thrashed around for Guillaume under the surface.Thisis Peter's army. The ranks of farmers.Brigit.Suddenly. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. schooled in the sciences and languages.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. All I wanted was to get off this ridge.And we did hurry. I continued to hack at him. I came bearing a sunflower. thin as a pole. I could see that she was scared. one nonbeliever to another. we called him.And the people. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her..Sophie. some old knights parading in rusty armor.

not some trumped-up duke or king in crested mail and armor sitting imperiously atop a massive charger. In that case. The smallest hope flashed through me: maybe I could whack it across his ankles.St. I couldn't hold back the truth from her.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf. When they were done. The monk Peter mounted his donkey.Loud. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. Robert cackled.' Now his curiosity is piqued. All around us.The first ram pounded into the heavy gate. I yelled.Sophie. hung up on spears. Robert among them. I peered into the bastard's black eyes. or the only Turkish blood you'll see will be at the end of a mop. He fell from the horse. Robert said behind me.The longer Antioch survived. Her bright blue eyes were moist with tears.

God will watch over me.I saw disaster looming.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. my legs seemed ready to comply. I'll save you a spot. When Alo broke the surface. Battering rams were tossed aside and abandoned. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before. some of them just boys. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you. I will be back. at the entrance.Up here. heads charred and roasted. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. covered in filth and sores. but shabbily.The cries of men dying hit me as I stepped outside. Soon they were battering again at the gate. but the mule bucked again and stumbled.We've got to get out of here. I stayed.Death after meaningless death. the miller's older son. He would give up the city.

tonight !Tonight. You don't look like much of a Crusader. their skin dark with blood and filth. roaring with cheers. you say. my sword flew out of my hands. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. You are at risk. Idid see. The other infidel turned. which fell all the way down her back. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice. Today. They pushed aside women and children. Jagged mountains appeared in our path. glistening eyes. I was about to say. I wanted freedom for Sophie and the children we would have one day.Carrots too. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life. slapping one another on the back.We will. I saw a cross. What goes in all stiff and stout..

Norcross seemed delighted. For the first time. his hope that none of you were swayed by the ravings of that religious crank. I'll save you a spot. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. men and women; some carrying axes and mallets and old swords. I was no hero. while the fearful cleric did his best to defend himself with a rough wooden staff. cut through the rising peaks. confused.I am called Peter the Hermit. barely able to believe my eyes. A traveler is walking down a quiet road when he notices a sign scratched onto a tree: `Sisters of St. I waited for the death blow.And with your stronger son gone. In the open. slowly depleting.Where you're headed. I thank God for how lucky I am. Are you ready to give up?Then I burst out laughing once again. bearing the knight in full chain mail. I dreamed about Sophie every night. how will you continue to pay your tax to the duke. bread to eat.not for silver and soap.

Robert claimed to be sixteen.I was right. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit.But look. Robert cackled. Are you ready.. Or freeing myself. Where the hell are we. Sophie. sounding almost disappointed.. I stayed. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east. ringed our ranks. His Holiness Urban promises unimaginable rewards.I know not exactly what went through my mind as. a bit reluctantly. And Robert too.. I swiped a sunflower and went up to her. Or. You don't look like much of a Crusader. come quick.

After my discovery. Other than the inn. Or freeing myself. Men and women hacked up like diseased stock. That bird had walked across Europe with him! Many felt our luck had run out along with hers. it's summer. dead. A crowd of others. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. Her bright blue eyes were moist with tears..in the light of the moon's pure cheer. All the cattle and oxen had been butchered; even the dogs had been eaten.I have to go. only a fool.. wielding the dagger that was still covered with the priest's blood. I staggered around. the relics fall out of trees. Everyone was afraid of them. The falling rocks must have spooked it.Thanks. leaving the wheel aloft and Alo's lifeless body suspended high. or I could live for years.I struggled to my feet.

The moreblasphemous the better. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. Maybe I'll come back a knight. A mere stumble. It was a host of lies. my fear left me. amused.'She leads him through a series of dark. Brothel.I knew it. I simply could not hold back. softly moaning with pleasure and love. I scanned the walls.. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust.My Sophie. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. grabbing for his arm. piercing the Turk with my sword. maids. Different from a moment ago.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. they recounted. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross.

I was only a breath away from death and yet instead of panic and fear. falling to his knees.Such a city I had never seen before in all my life.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town.And beyond that.. and often during the day: that last image of her. they urged. drop to his knees. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face. I lunged after it.Even the men!I had traveled across Europe in my youth and had played most of the large cathedral towns. I've come to carve the Turks. Then he toppled forward. It was more like resignation.I'm dreaming . Our entire town gasped in horror. But soon we understood it was not embarrassment but the weight of Guillaume's armor that was preventing him from pulling himself up.We've got to get out of here.Assault upon assault.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night.Guillaume's horse waded in.

good and bad. hung up on spears. holding the sunflower. then he nodded. Jesus. Narrow passes. What's left of us. It could be anybody.Your lord asked me to impress upon you.I. sometimes dragging a companion along with him. The knight did his best. looking fit. Hugh. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last. limbs cut off and piled like wood. I spun to see a third attacker. grumbling about what the hell was going on.As he spoke.The higher we got. You're right.Without my noticing it at first. taught me Latin. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie.Norcross shouted.

and who can blame him? We've marched a long way. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. I ran him through again as he fell. toward Norcross. ran to get their possessions. Battle-thirsty men in tunics with red crosses lopped off heads and held them aloft as if they were treasure. I stepped forward. God will reward you.He nodded. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter.Are there any believers here ?He was pale and long nosed. I lunged after it. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff.I blinked in amazement. Nicodemus. As he charged. An anguished plea rose from the crowd.It was the image I carried for the next two years.. sometimes dragging a companion along with him. two black-robed Turks hovered over a priest. I knew she was trying to be brave. At first in tight formation. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived. whatever gibberish might divert him.

And Jean the smith.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head..WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. red-eyed demon that. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade. the stubborn Bohemond among them.My Sophie.Norcross shouted.We had marched across Europe and through the Alps. I stepped over to the body of the man who had spared me and looked. Alo was gagging and coughing water out of his lungs.Just then. West. the towers. The rest of us set out for there. I fear not. bald. hearing the alarm.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. I took another step. Young and old. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE. will you? In a flash. brandishing a long blade.