kingdom of nations

Chapter 13 Sons of God and Sons of Man

Cesar later heard that David participated in several duels between servants in succession and won undisputed victory. He divided the spoils into two parts, one dedicated to God and the other to Princess Sibylle. This was considered to have washed away the shame of failure and regained his honor. After all, David was not yet a true knight.

But none of this has much to do with Cesar. He and Baldwin are in a passionate love affair with the ponies Pollux and Castor.

Pollax and Castor were the twin sons of Amalric I's black stallion and a white Arab horse. They had all the advantages of their father and mother, with a small head, long neck and legs, short back and broad chest. Even though they were less than a year old, everyone who saw them thought they would make an excellent pair of war horses.

Pollux is black with a white star on his forehead, and Castor is white with a black star on his forehead. Their names come from the Gemini stars in Greek mythology, the sons of the god Zeus and the Spartan princess Leda. Pollux is the son of God, and Castor is the son of man, so in Baldwin's original plan, he would give Castor to one of his most trusted friends, David, the son of the Count of Tripoli.

Now Castor belongs to César.

The horses that Castor and Cesar had ridden on were completely different from any they had ever seen or touched. This kind of horse was born for war, and even when it was still a foal, it showed many characteristics that surpassed its peers. Furthermore, it was smarter than many dull servants, and more maneuverable than any steel vehicle. Even though it was the first time Cesar rode on it, he could strongly feel how agile and tacit it was.

Without Castor, Cesar didn't think he could catch David so easily.

"I don't know how to describe it," he said. "At that time, my knees and calves were pressed against Castor's body, and I could feel its heart beating violently, in sync with my own. It was as if, for a moment, my thoughts were also channeled into its mind, and we were closely connected, linked as one."

"All great knights should have had such a beginning with their four-legged friends," Baldwin said. "I hope I can have such a first battle with my Pollux."

He held out his hand, holding a piece of dried apple in his palm. Pollax immediately licked it with his long tongue. The itchiness made Baldwin smile a rare smile for his age. "But it's not bad now. Since my father is still willing to make me a knight and his heir, Pollax and I may fight side by side for the first time on a real battlefield."

This sentence aroused Cesar's interest: "A real battlefield? You are not a squire yet, Your Highness, can you go to the battlefield?"

"It will be after the selection ceremony is over," Baldwin said, "whether it is 'favored' or 'given'," in order to avoid mentioning the archangel's holy name too much, the people here will use these two words to represent being chosen by Michael or Lafayette in less formal situations. "Favoured" refers to being chosen by Michael, and "given" refers to being chosen by Lafayette.

"If we are both fortunate enough to receive 'favor,' then there's no need to elaborate on what happens next. But if one of us receives 'granting,'" his expression grew serious. "I will still remain with my father. As for you, I hope you will make the same choice."

"I swore to you and your father that I would not leave you unless you drove me away."

Baldwin gestured with satisfaction. "You don't need to use honorifics with me, Cesar. Not between friends." He paused for a moment. "Of course, if anything were to happen, we should have corresponding measures."

"Hmm." Cesar responded without asking any further questions. To be more precise, his future was not connected with Castor the Younger, but with Baldwin. He was Baldwin's spear and shield. Before the knight died, the spear would break and the shield would shatter.

He sighed silently and turned his attention back to the pony Castor, brushing its pure white fur with a boar-bristle brush. Originally, the pony with holy fur should have been named Pollax, but before naming the pony, Baldwin was diagnosed with leprosy. In extreme grief and unwillingness, he gave the name Pollax to the black pony, but gave the name Castor to the white pony - this is not difficult to understand.

It is also understandable that Abigail, the son of Archduke Antioch, was jealous. The white horse had always been the mount of kings and bishops. If it had belonged to Baldwin or David, he might not have been so resentful. But who made Baldwin give Castor to Cesar?

Perhaps because he felt that the brush that made him feel so comfortable suddenly stopped, Castor turned his head and rubbed Cesar, as if to urge him. Castro's big, watery almond eyes could soften the heart of the most cold-blooded person, not to mention Cesar, who was originally a gentle person.

He raised the brush and continued to brush Castor's fur, which seemed to glow, until it was clean. He also braided its long mane so that the pony could stay cooler in the hot summer.

Baldwin did the same, but his braid wasn't as neat and beautiful as Cesar's. Pollux snorted, as if dissatisfied. "Okay, okay," Baldwin said with a smile. "It's too late today. I'll have Cesar braid it for you tomorrow morning." He looked at Cesar and said, "Have you ever tried sleeping in a stable?"

"I don't remember," Cesar said, "but I can try."

After lying down on the fluffy hay, Baldwin fell asleep quickly, but Cesar stared at the flickering torches, the frozen sky and the twinkling stars for a long time, until his eyes were sore. Unlike Baldwin, he had no way out. He had to be chosen in the selection ceremony soon to ensure that he would not die prematurely. Even though Baldwin said that he would not abandon him, how long could a slender spear and a thin shield last in the coming storm?

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"How can I increase my chances of being chosen?" Heraclius frowned tightly. He was the same age as Amalric I, but because he was too thin, deep wrinkles had appeared on his forehead, corners of his eyes and around his mouth. His nose and cheekbones were high, and his lips were always pursed inward. He looked very stern when he was not smiling. If it were David or Abigail, they would have been scared away immediately, but for Cesar, this appearance was not worth his fear. On the contrary, he missed it a little - almost all of his previous deans had such faces.

"If you raise this question outside, you will be immediately denounced as a heretic," Heraclius said. "How dare a mere mortal speculate on God's will?"

“Then I take back my question,” Cesar said fearlessly. “How can we feel God’s joy more deeply and more keenly?”

Heraclius glared at him, then smiled faintly. Baldwin, suffering from leprosy, was somewhere between a sinner and a person on trial. Neither he nor Amalric I needed a fanatical believer to serve as the prince's attendant. "Piety and asceticism." He was afraid that Cesar wouldn't be able to grasp the mystery immediately. "And strict fasting to cleanse your body and mind. It's not just the kind you're going through now. When the selection ceremony comes, it will be even stricter. Then your food and drink will be provided by the monks."

Cesar blinked. It seemed that the king and Heraclius's trick was in the diet. He did not pursue the matter any further. "Thank you for your guidance and your comfort."

"Be firm," Heraclius stroked his head, "son, you must be firmer and purer than anyone else."

Cesar understood what he meant. The doubts about Baldwin might last throughout his life because he was a leper. As his attendant, Cesar had to demonstrate advantages that others did not have and use his bravery, wisdom and piety to prove that Baldwin was a perfect monarch.

Just like the twelve knights surrounding King Arthur, some of them used King Arthur's fame to achieve their own success, but there were also knights with noble character and outstanding qualities, such as the wise Gawain, the pious Grahide (the man who found the Holy Grail), and the loyal Bedivere (who protected King Arthur until the last moment), who testified to King Arthur that he was a king worthy of following and respect.

He had no reason to complain about this; it was his duty. But after a moment's thought, he made another request.

"You're going to cleanse the Church of the Holy Sepulchre yourself? Every inch of it?" Heraclius exclaimed in amazement. "Son, do you know how big the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is? It's one-third the size of Calvary."

"I've made up my mind," Cesar said. "Now I'm just a humble mortal. The only thing that belongs to me is my body, and I only do these small jobs."

After thinking for a while, Heraclius agreed to his request.

Although he also carefully reminded Cesar that such a practice and pilgrimage, which was not a secret, could not be easily abandoned once it began, and everyone in the holy city would be watching him, at the same time, he could not neglect his own duties, that is, the duty of a servant, and he did not have much free time at his disposal.

But since Cesar had said this, it showed that he had considered it carefully before. His origin, like Baldwin's leprosy, was a weapon that could be picked up by the enemy at any time to stab them. Baldwin could not change the fact that he was a leper, and he had no way to prove that he was a knight or the son of a lord, but he could at least do one thing - that was to prove that he was a devout Christian.

This was not difficult. Before him, countless believers and monks had found ways to show God or people how pure and fervent their faith was.

Generally speaking, praying, singing, and kneeling are very common among civilians. If they want to go further, they will choose to go on pilgrimage - this is not hundreds of years later. They must first save food from their meager rations for the journey, and make donations to the lord or the church in order to obtain a charter (a kind of identity certificate) to ensure that they will not be captured as refugees; after they finally escape from the sharp eyes of wild beasts, bandits, or knights who are similar to bandits, they still have to face the test of getting lost, poisoning, or illness; if he is lucky enough to cross these layers of barriers and obstacles under the glory of God and reach his destination, he must pay a fee to the guardian of the holy land before he can touch the holy objects or witness the holy relics with his own eyes.

But this is not without benefits. Anyone who goes on pilgrimage and returns home intact will inevitably become the "boss" of the place because of such experience. People will listen to his stories again and again without getting tired of it. The lord will remember his name, and the stewards will list him after relatives when selecting helpers such as "wheat harvesters". He may become the first commoner to receive the Eucharist, and his son may become a member of the choir.

As for the nobles and monks, they had even more ways to do so. In addition to attending mass and making pilgrimages, they would also fast (common people only had wheat porridge twice a day, which really did not make any difference between fasting and not fasting); donate holy garments, sacred vessels, candles, and even an entire church; some used torture of the body to highlight the purity of the soul. Knights often wore a thick hemp rope tightly under their shirts, monks whipped themselves until they bled, and there were also people who practiced without bathing (or even wiping their faces with a towel). This method was very popular among noble ladies and monks.

Compared to those who lived in uncleanness for years, could make armor with dirt, or vowed to build a church and a monastery, Cesar's vow was not very shocking. If a monk made such a vow, it might not even be worthy of being remembered. But he was only nine years old. Boys at this age were at their most playful and laziest. Would he really do as he promised and take half of his precious sleep time out of his sleep after completing his servant's work to clean the huge Church of the Holy Sepulchre?

Compared to the skeptical Heraclius, Baldwin was more enthusiastic about this. Although the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Alaska both rejected his father's request, the kind-hearted child still believed that the fault lay with the Church and its servants, and had nothing to do with God and His messengers. That is why, when he was confirmed to have leprosy, he calmly accepted this severe test with wisdom beyond his age.

He fully supported Cesar's penance: "I will go to bed two hours earlier so that we can wake up at the rise of Venus (3:30 a.m.), I will go to pray, and you will do your work with my blessing, and we will meet again after morning prayers."

This is equivalent to giving Cesar four more hours of leisure time, and the sleep time he has to sacrifice is reduced to two hours, which will not cause much loss.

"Thank you." Cesar said. Baldwin looked at him, and Cesar suddenly understood. He smiled and walked forward to hug his friend tightly.

(End of this chapter)