kingdom of nations

Chapter 100 The Death of the King (8)

The king uttered a long sigh and died.

As soon as Baldwin saw the candle fall from Amalric I's hand and go out, he knew that he had left him forever. He opened his mouth and wanted to cry, but fainted the next moment. Fortunately, Cesar was always by his side. Cesar hugged him and held his shoulders tightly, as if he wanted to throw his courage and strength into his friend so that he would not suffer too much torture.

The priests nearby had already rushed out to inform the people outside the tent of the bad news, but they didn't need to say much. Count Raymond of Tripoli and Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch, who were also waiting nearby, the two most important figures and vassals in Alaska, immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, knelt on the familiar yet unfamiliar body, and cried loudly.

Their cries were like the sound of a bell that could not ring at this moment. Although Heraclius had been prepared, he still felt dizzy when he arrived in a hurry. The priest beside him quickly supported him. He staggered into the tent, holding a candle, to look at the king's face.

Amalric I's face was very peaceful, or rather relieved. He had done everything he should do as a Christian, a king and a father. From now on, everything in the world had nothing to do with him. It could be said that he had handed them over to God, and was only waiting for God to give guidance and tell those who were still struggling in this world where to go.

As a virtuous monk once said, when a person leaves this world, he will inevitably feel regret, which is natural, but at the same time, he should remain calm and simple, just as he was when he was born.

At this time, people often refer to the deceased as the "new deceased", as if he is not dead, but has gone to a new place.

At this time, Baldwin also woke up with the help of Cesar. He was the only son of Amalric I, and every subsequent matter needed his presidency and participation. Raymond stood up, took the young man from Cesar and held him in his arms, while Bohemond was a little slower.

Obviously, the latter's sincerity was not as great as the former's, which could be seen from his expression - although Raymond had harbored some resentment towards Amalric I for his distrust of him before, his grief was unquestionable when his best friend and lord left, and his embrace of Baldwin was also out of the pity of an elder for a younger generation.

Although Bohemond was somewhat sincere, judging from his suspicious eyes, he had regained his sanity and was worried that Raymond wanted to take advantage of Prince Baldwin's most vulnerable time to compete with him for power.

Heraclius saw all of this and felt exhausted.

If Amalric I died in Alaska, there should be dedicated "heralds" to go around the city to announce the unfortunate news, but at this time, only six knights could temporarily serve as such. They wore dark blue robes with an image of the Virgin Mary embroidered on the back of the robes (these were hastily prepared in advance), held up the cross, jumped on their horses, and galloped to various camps to announce the death.

This even included the location of the Saracens. After hearing this, Shirku and Saladin solemnly conveyed to them their respect for the deceased and condolences to his descendants and friends, and presented them with a large box of frankincense.

Frankincense was indeed used in the funerals of both Saracens and Christians. When they brought this gift back to the king's tent, people had already lit a fire and put spices into it, just like burning spices during mass and worship. People also believed that these fragrant aromas would also lead the soul of the deceased to heaven.

The king's earthly body had been moved out of the tent and laid flat on a large, flat stone. The two knights' wives had come here with the messenger. They would undertake an important task, which was to wash the body of Amalric I.

However, before that, Baldwin insisted on shaving and cutting the king's hair first, which should indeed be done by a male relative. However, although Baldwin's hands had been treated, he was still unable to make fine movements. Raymond stepped forward without hesitation, but was politely declined by Baldwin because according to common customs, the status of this male relative should be lower than that of the deceased.

The Count of Tripoli was a vassal of King Alasarus, but Raymond was a cousin of Amalric I.

"Let Cesar take my place," he said. "He's my brother."

Raymond's cheek twitched violently. His son David was also in the expedition, but he broke his leg on the first day of the siege because of his recklessness and eagerness. Although he was not left disabled, he had to be sent back to Gaza Rafa - he was not here now. If he were here, Raymond could still fight for it. At this time, he could not argue with Baldwin and had to take a step back.

In comparison, Bohemond was much calmer. Not to mention that Abigail was still in Antioch, even if he was here, Bohemond would not let him humiliate himself. Didn't he understand his son? He was a coward. He could kill people, but it would be strange if he didn't make mistakes when he was asked to touch the face of a dead person and give him the final trimming and tidying!
Cesar stroked Baldwin's back and walked forward. Heraclius handed him a sharp knife: "Is it okay?" he asked in a low voice. If Cesar made a mistake in this matter, there would be countless people who would be happy to laugh at him. Even Baldwin couldn't guarantee that he would not have any grudges because of it.

Cesar nodded, he was not a teenager after all.

He carefully shaved off Amalric I's dark stubble, trimmed his sideburns, and even cut the hair behind his head, around his ears, and on his forehead neatly, without a single protrusion or dent. He also borrowed linen from the ladies and wiped the king's face clean - before doing all this, he did not lose his attention for a moment.

Cesar felt that the king deserved his respect. No matter what the cause was or what happened afterwards, if it weren't for Amalric I, he would now be just an unknown pile of bones in the mountains of Judah.

The two ladies knelt before Cesar and took over the rest of the work. They first cut open the king's original clothes, then wiped him clean from head to toe. Finally, they sealed the natural holes with cotton mixed with balsam, and changed him into the prepared clothes. The king had previously instructed Heraclius that while he would not seek fame and fortune so much as to be buried wrapped in linen like an ascetic monk, he did not need to wear three shirts and two robes...

As usual, the king only wore a long undergarment, silver-plated chain mail, and the robe of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. People crossed his hands on his chest, placed a long sword beside him, put a crown on his head, put on short boots, and placed him in a sedan chair made of cedar and repainted black.

This sedan originally belonged to a noble lady, who was honored to donate it. "It can become the resting place of such a saint," she said, "it is far better than my ten years of asceticism." The priests also thought so and were willing to testify for her.

This was a blessing in disguise. The king had already launched his expedition in September, and now it was December, the weather was freezing. Otherwise, they would have been forced to boil him—literally, boil him. There wasn't much practical way to preserve him at that time. To prevent the carcass from becoming ugly and bloated, they had to cut it up, add wine, and boil it, leaving only the bones to be taken away in a box. According to tradition, they found four pure black horses, secured the sedan chair between them, and prepared to take the king back to Alaska.

But before that, people have to keep vigil for the king for one night. In addition to commemorating and mourning, this night is also to prevent some people from taking risks and stealing part of the king's body.

Some might be puzzled, wondering why steal this? Christians at the time didn't prioritize bodily integrity, otherwise they wouldn't have practiced that way. But Amalric I was the ruler of the Holy Land, and he died while fighting pagans. His candidacy was practically guaranteed. Modern people might find this absurd, but people at the time knew how to strike first.

Baldwin was in a daze because he was too sad and could not accept the fact for the time being. He leaned on Cesar, holding his arm, and did not leave his side. Even Heraclius or Raymond could not move him away. Cesar shook his head slightly at the teacher, asked people for a glass of wine mixed with honey and salt, and half-forced Baldwin to drink it.

"We're leaving tomorrow," he whispered. "Your father wouldn't want to see you like this."

Baldwin drank the wine and forced himself to swallow some cheese and grease.

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The Saracens had been keeping an eye on the Christians' movements, and at dawn the next day, they saw the dark sedan chair and the four black horses that looked like messengers of the dead: "They are leaving," said Hillku.

Saladin just nodded slightly.

Their negotiations with the Christians did not continue, and there was no need for negotiations. The Christians reduced the ransom of Bilbais to 500,000 gold coins, which Hillku could afford - not to mention the huge sum of money left to them by Shawar. The Christians reduced the ransom so decisively because Baldwin gave up the part that belonged to his father.

These 500,000 gold coins will be distributed to all the Crusader Knights without leaving a single one.

At the beginning, Hillku was not so willing. Although he listened to his nephew's advice, any army that had first gone through a long siege and was driven out by a fire after entering the city, with their armor and weapons abandoned and covered in smoke and dust, and their king and commander were dead, would want to try to see if they could keep them here.

Then he saw that the army surrounding the black sedan began to move.

It is difficult to trace the first person who cried out. It could be Raymond or Richard, but the first person people saw putting the dagger against the roots of his hair, cutting off all the half-long brown hair and throwing it on the ground must be Prince Baldwin. Baldwin wanted to cut bloody marks on his arms and face, but was stopped by Cesar - he cut his own face, arms, and chest on behalf of the prince, and the blood flowing down was like the tears left by Baldwin.

The knights rode forward one after another, either cutting off their hair like the prince or cutting their flesh like Cesar, letting the blood flow, or both. Richard threw his priceless ermine cloak under the horses' hooves to be trampled underfoot. Raymond and Bohemond also threw down their silk robes, otherwise they would not let others know how deep their grief was.

Shirku looked at the scene. Although there was such a tradition among the Saracens, there were definitely not so many. He counted one by one and stopped when he reached about ninety. Saladin then helped him count. Saladin's math was much better than his uncle's. "Seven hundred and sixteen." He waited until the caravan finally began to move slowly before stopping.

Hillku took a deep breath. Seven hundred and sixteen. Even if we exclude those lords who had to show their appreciation, or the king's blood relatives, there were seven hundred knights willing to give up the things they usually cherished, which showed that they were also willing to sacrifice their lives for Amalric I. After all, these things were almost all obtained by them in tournaments or duels regardless of their lives.

"This is the good fortune of the Christians," said Saladin.

Indeed, if Shawar had not made a desperate attempt to kill the Christian king, the Christians' morale might have been completely destroyed by such a setback, but it was Amalric I who died.

And he did not die in a humble, ridiculous, or contemptible way. Even though he fell into the Saracen trap, he led his vassals and followers out of the fire.

Although he was destined to die, before that, he still fully fulfilled his obligations as a king and commander. He announced his will, distributed all the spoils and rewards of the battle fairly, completed the negotiations (even if he did not show up), and ensured that those who were still alive could return home safely.

Although his son, the young man who was said to have leprosy but was still blessed, did not seem to have gained any benefits from this expedition, Amalric I's final deeds were already a very rich legacy for him - his father died like a hero who failed to achieve his ambitions, and as his only heir, no one could question the courage and piety he inherited from his father!

"What a shame," Shirku said. "Have you seen that child? Do you think he'll be another Atid or another Aziz?"

"It should be the latter," Saladin said, "After all, there is such a person beside him."

(End of this chapter)