kingdom of nations

Chapter 60: Escort
"Cesar!"

"Here I come!" Cesar was running across the sand carrying a heavy pile of wolf skins. On the way, he met Baldwin who was holding a large silver plate full of meat pies. The two friends only had time to exchange glances before running past each other - if they ran slower, they would arouse the dissatisfaction of Amalric I, and they would really be beaten with a stick.

This stick is much thicker and more powerful than the sticks used in the course.

Cesar had only experienced it once, and he no longer had the pretentious fantasy that this was the inevitable hardship that one must endure to leave childhood. He wanted to go back to being a child!

He handed the wolfskin to the servant, and another servant brought two large jugs of wine. He carried them out of Amalric I's tent with difficulty. Just then, Baldwin came out from inside. "Did you get the cup?" the prince asked in a low voice.

"I have it." Cesar tied the belt tightly, so that he could always maintain an upright posture, reduce the torture of the chain mail on his spine, and stuff some things into his sleeveless jacket, such as Amalric I's gold cup and the silver cup for entertaining guests.

These silver cups were most likely generously given by Amalric I to his guests—provided they were equally generous and allowed the king to recruit peasants, craftsmen, and, if possible, a few knights from their villages and towns.

When Cesar received these precious utensils from the castle steward, he signed them. He also carefully read the contents of the register. Now he has nearly two hundred gold coins in savings, but he lost the cup. In addition to compensation, he also had to be beaten and ridiculed.

Baldwin placed the cup on a smaller silver tray and tilted his head towards Cesar, who lifted the heavy curtain for him and they walked in together.

"Come and pour us some wine, squire!" one of them called out.

Cesar looked up. Who else could it be but the chubby Dean John? His round face was full of mockery, but there was no malice in it; he was just teasing him and Baldwin.

The same could not be said for others. On the right side of Abbot John sat the Count of Tripoli. When Cesar poured wine for the abbot and wanted to pour more, he moved the glass away very disrespectfully.

When Amalric I appointed an Isaac slave as a servant to Prince Baldwin, he was so dissatisfied that he had a big quarrel with the king. If he was not in the wrong - he really could not let his only son David continue to serve the prince, he probably would not have given up so easily.

But by the time Prince Baldwin received the blessing, even though his symptoms had not disappeared, Count Raymond of Tripoli had already come before the king with great joy, begging him to let David return to Prince Baldwin. Amalric I was of course willing, but Prince Baldwin politely declined, saying, "I'm used to having only Cesar and I in the room..."

The slap was loud and clear, but the stubborn Raymond did not bear a grudge against Baldwin for it. He directed all his hatred and contempt towards the "villain" Cesar. He believed that Cesar was a messenger sent by the devil, who first deceived the king, then the prince, and further deceived the ignorant people - that is how he could climb from a humble and nameless person to his current position.

Amalric I allowed Cesar to hold the "selection ceremony" with Baldwin, which made him so angry that his face turned pale. Even though Cesar was also favored by the saint, he still did not change his original idea - after all, there were precedents of blessed people doing decadent things before.

Not to mention that just a few days ago, Amalric I not only announced that he would promote Baldwin to the rank of "apprentice knight" ahead of schedule and allow Cesar to become his "squire", but also announced that they had sworn an oath before God, transforming their one-way "subordinate relationship" into a two-way "bond relationship"...

Raymond almost fainted on the spot.

"Baldwin," Cesar remained calm in the face of this blatant challenge, and simply shouted, "Pour wine for Master Raymond."

Baldwin had just filled the glasses for his father and master. Upon hearing this, he looked up and walked over as usual, exchanging places with Cesar. Facing the prince, Raymond had to move his glass back and stare at the deep red wine gradually filling the silver cup.

"Puchi!" Dean John laughed in a very disrespectful manner, not caring at all about Raymond's fierce stare.

"Hmph~" The second low laugh came from Bohemond, Grand Duke of Antioch. Raymond turned his head abruptly and stared at his colleague sitting opposite him. "Why make things difficult for the child?" Bohemond said. He moved the wine glass to the edge of the table so that Cesar, who was carrying the heavy wine jug, could save some energy. After the glass was full, he moved it inward and nodded gently to Cesar.

César bowed his head humbly, taking Bohemond's advances for granted.

A child is a reflection of his father. No matter how foolish or impulsive Abigail was, who would believe that her current state had nothing to do with Bohemond? Moreover, Baldwin's rejection of everyone, while perhaps also a reluctance to accept a "traitor," was precisely because someone had filled the sudden void?

David wanted to return to Baldwin, didn't Abigail want to too?
The people sitting below Grand Duke Antioch were all nobles from around Alasarus, including Balian of Ibelin. He smiled at Cesar. Although the child's origin was indeed questionable, Prince Baldwin cherished him and Countess Jaffa loved him, so it was impossible for him to have any malice towards Cesar, not to mention that Cesar was indeed likable.

There are many people who have the same idea as Bellion, and some of them are even wondering whether they have unmarried nieces or nephews.

In four years, the boy would be able to get married. If all went well, Amalric I would have gone on the expedition to Egypt and even returned victorious. On the battlefield, with just a little help, he would surely be able to chop off a few Saracens' heads. Then, with a little more encouragement, they could directly promote him to an apprentice knight or even a knight...

Oh, that’s such a great thing!
Cesar didn't notice the strange smiles of those people at all.

Since becoming a squire, he and Baldwin - although Baldwin was nominally an "apprentice knight", he still performed the duties of a squire beside Amalric I. At first, Cesar was a little bit unable to understand, after all, Baldwin was still a patient.

But when he really started to be a "follower", he found that it was very necessary.

We have learned before that after the birth of a lord or knight's baby, he must be baptized within three days. After the baptism, he will be handed over to the wet nurse and maid. He can live carefree at the mother's knees until he is six or seven years old. At that time, he will be sent to another castle to become a servant. There, the older servants will teach them to obey orders with a stick, the priest (if any) will teach them to count and write, and the hostess of the castle will teach them etiquette, music, dance, etc.

Becoming a squire at the age of fourteen meant that their courses had begun a new chapter, and their teachers had become real knights.

Unfortunately, knights didn't know how to teach a child, or rather, that was the only instruction they received—they could only demonstrate by example how to be a knight. Squires followed them constantly, meticulously understanding every piece of equipment, the shape and material of their armor and weapons, how to maintain and use them, and witnessing their lives, meetings, and even battles. They met every visiting guest, every dangerous enemy, and every cunning merchant, learning how to bargain with every last one.

In this way, when the squire can be promoted to a knight, he will be familiar with the job and can easily and immediately switch from one identity to another without feeling uneasy or making any mistakes.

It was just that the sudden transformation from a prince and attendant to a real retainer was a bit...

They had no room left, and Cesar had been worried about having to sleep in a large room full of bedbugs and fleas with the other attendants, but Heraclius regretfully told him that no, he would sleep with Baldwin at the door of Amalric I's room, and they were given a large bear skin - which Amalric I was not stingy with.

Cesar just felt that the bear looked familiar, especially the wound on the left side of its head... Could it be the female bear that was released to kill people during the welcoming ceremony?

They had to wake up when the priests sang hymns (five or six in the morning) - lazy attendants would be beaten with sticks. After waking up, they had to bring water for Amalric I to wash, help him change his clothes, wipe his face, rinse his mouth, and serve him wine - Amalric I was accustomed to drinking a large glass of mead in the morning.

Amalric I went to work - from morning prayers to noon prayer (7:30 to 9:00) he would read documents and check account books, and then ministers and generals would arrive one after another. If there was no meeting requiring the participation of many people, they would wait in another room according to their status and the urgency of the matter. Baldwin and Cesar would have to take turns to receive the guests, register or put away their weapons, and take care of their horses.

At noon, Amalric I would dine with his future wife. Baldwin and Cesar would be responsible for delivering food, pouring wine and cutting meat. Of course, things were not as easy as they sounded. If the host was not satisfied with anything, the servants would be responsible - that is, beating them with sticks.

After lunch, Amalric I would continue to handle official business, practice martial arts, or ride horses until the afternoon (around two or three in the afternoon), when he began to relax and invite Heraclius to play chess or read to him.

At this time, Amalric I might feel that they were an eyesore standing there, so he sent them to do homework, practice riding or target shooting.

Sometimes Raymond, Count of Tripoli, Bohemond, Duke of Antioch, would come to visit, and perhaps there would be a few knights who had the king's favor, and the king would send Baldwin or Cesar to call them to the castle.

They had a good dinner at vespers (about six o'clock)... A poet would accompany them on his lute and sing, and occasionally a clown or a dwarf would come in and do a few somersaults.

Of course, Baldwin and Cesar continued to serve behind them.

After dinner, depending on Amalric I's mood, he would either rest or gamble (although this would be condemned by the church), but there was indeed very little entertainment at this time.

If Amalric I decided to go to bed, do you think Cesare and Baldwin would be able to lie down wrapped in bearskins as well?
No way, they still had to take care of Amalric I's horses, maintain his equipment, polish his helmet, polish his broadsword, polish his dagger, oil his mail... Then they had to check every room in the stables, corridors, and towers to make sure everything was safe before they could go back to sleep...

Oh, you ask, what about the time they have to wash, eat, and go to the toilet?

Of course, I squeeze in wherever there’s room in these jobs!

After a few days, Cesar had a deep understanding of why the followers in the manuscript illustrations, whether they were fully armed or wearing thin cloth, all looked listless and dejected.

"Actually, you're quite lucky," Heraclius said sincerely when he came to look after them, bringing the priests with him to relieve their fatigue. "The Byzantine Princess Maria can't be considered the mistress of the Holy Cross Castle yet, and Princess Sibylle—she's in a rather awkward position, indeed. So you don't need to serve them. If you add them and their maids, you'll have a headache."

Baldwin's eyes widened. "Do they think we still have the time and energy?"

"A man who says such things will not be a good knight. The lady's orders cannot be refused." Heraclius said seriously.

"I'd rather go to war now," Baldwin said.

"Why else," Heraclius asked, "do you think the knights are so ecstatic at the mere mention of battle?"

Baldwin and Cesar laughed at the same time.

This kind of life that was so full that it almost made people vomit might have lasted for several months.

It was not just love that was slow in this era. It took time to gather the knights, recruit craftsmen and soldiers, and merchants to come and visit with the king, and then it took even more time for each of them to prepare food and supplies.

They also needed to cut wood and build various equipment needed for siege. Cesar and Baldwin went to see it, but they couldn't see anything at first. The smallest one was only two people tall, and the largest one might have exceeded the city wall.

However, Amalric I had already sent an envoy to the Knights Templar in Tortosa Castle to convey the king's will and demand that they surrender the keys of the castle.

"Do you think they will?" Cesar asked.

“They won’t,” Baldwin said, looking into the distance at the dust. “Neither will my father.”

(End of this chapter)