Part 27 (1/2)
”Be that as it may, my son, your conversion of the Pruthenians was a wonderful deed for the glory of God But it places the Church in an aard position I shall have to defend those children, possibly against the Knights of the Cross, who are after all another branch of the Church! It would help matters considerably if you could see fit to win tomorrow”
”I shall make every effort to satisfy your wishes, your excellency” I bowed and thought, What a po thewolfskin capes to the duke, his son, and to seven counts, including Lambert I explained olfskin was such a suitable material, and why, if they became popular, it would reduce the wolf population They seeifts in memory of me, but I tried
After supper, I went out to the stables and gave Anna a very thorough currying I spent a few hours with her She was the only person that wasn't convinced that I was soon to die She knew that ere going to win!
It was a bad night, with Krystyana bawling most of the tiet soo find Piotr Kulczynski That shut her up
In the ain and went to church The place was half filled with Crossmen, with them on one side of the center aisle and the duke's nobles on the other Just like a wedding, except for the stench
When it was tiht only me and one Crossman to the coht at noon
We looked at each other and we each recognized the other at the same time He had ice blue eyes and his nose had been broken There were scars on his forehead and cheek and his very long, very blond hair was still greasy
On my very first day in the thirteenth century, I had been bashed on the head by a Crossman This was the very same bastard!
The protocol of communion did not permit us to speak, which was probably just as well After the mass, the Crossmen immediately left in a body, so I had no chance to talk to my opponent I wouldn't have knohat to say anyway
At noon, ere ready The weather was cold and overcast, with very low-flying clouds Good weather for a fight The sun wouldn't be in
The tourney field was a square about three hundred yards to the side, and s on sticks A few centiht before, and the field was a flat, pristine white It was hard to realize that three rain Noould fertilize it with blood
The Crossmen lined the two sides of the field closest to their camp, and the Poles lined the other two nobles sat on benches in front, and at the duke's request, none of them was arht starting One that he would lose
The coroup around the two bishops
A crossboas stationed at each corner of the square, two frouard and two from the Crossmen Their job was to kill thearound for days getting things organized, and I suppose that they had done a fair job Not that I would have known a good job fro, a tru, and the two head heralds came out with parch ht was about
Protocol had it that the Crossman declaration was to be read first, and the duke's herald, the one who talked in capital letters, read them both, since the Crossmen's herald didn't speak Polish
”Know all You Present, that on the Second day of August, in the Year of Our Lord 1232, the Notorious Brigand, Sir Conrad Stargard did Feloniously and with Malice Aforethought Attack a Caravan of Goods, the Property of the Teutonic Knights of Saint Mary's Hospital at Jerusalem”
In this Evil Attack, he Murdered Five of the Members of our Holy Order, and Maimed a Sixth Member for Life, while these Honorable Men were Peacefully Attending to the Business of Our Order
”We Pray to God that He ht Sand Sir Conrad, and Recover for Our Order All our Property, Including the Heathen Slaves”
”May God Uphold the Right”
I knew about their procla read a copy of it the day before Part of the deal the duke made was that Sir Vladimir was not to bewith this was the size of his extended fa a feud with that many people would have been aard even for the Crossmen
That last business about the heathen slaves was neever They weren't backing down a bit
Then the same herald read my proclamation
”Know all of you present that on the Second day of August, in the Year of Our Lord 1232, 1, Sir Conrad Stargard, Ca Children, having One Hundred Forty-Two of the Feet and Whip-Scarred Backs I Attempted to Free the Children, as was My Christian Duty as well as My Duty to e Lord”
”I was Attacked by the Crossainst One But God was On My Side, and I was Victorious”
”I saw to it that The Children were Adopted into Good Christian Faious Instruction They are now All Christians and al Slavery”
”I Hold that the Crosss of Piety”
”I Hold that they Trade with the Infidel Mohaainst All True Christians, and that Their Order was Supposed to Fight”
”I Hold that they are Invading the Pruthenians for No Other Reason than Greed
They ious Conversion of these People, but Instead Murder Them, Man, Woman, and Child”
”I Hold that This Evil Order of Crossmen must be Disbanded, and its Former Members Banished froainst God, for Man was Made in God's Iraded!”
”May God Uphold the Right”
The duke had said that I was stupid for notthe booty, and that there wasn't a chance in hell of the Cross disbanded or banished Not in the Duchy of Mazovia, anyway He liked the precedent it ht set for him in his own territory, but it only had effect in the unlikely event that I won
The bishop had said that o at that
I wrote it and I liked it Mentioning the furs and amber would have lent a note of crassness to my proclamation, and anyway, my possession of them was understood
The heralds went to the other side of the field to read the proclamations to the Cross uages You could see ripples go through the crowd of Crossmen as my proclamation was read Good Consternation to the eneave a short seret on with it
I wasn't eager to either fight or die, but this waiting was getting ut
Still, a blast of raw fear hit me as I realized that in minutes I would likely be dead
Another trumpet blast, the heralds left the field and the marshals shouted, ”Lay on!”