| Dinner of 13 August 1244 - Jüterbog - Harm Graf |
<<Dear, are you sure you want a group of kids as a professional escort ?! Apparently, for you, our safety is worth nothing…>>.
My wife still kept bothering me with this story:<<Love, I can't hear you anymore. If you continue to bother me again, I swear to you on my name, that you will stay here in the house without being able to go out for a month! I don't want to be disturbed by this nonsense anymore!>>.
Finally, my wife fell silent, I had never been so happy with the silence.
As angry as that made me, that kid was no ordinary commoner. Oddly he knew the noble ways, the gallantry and the rules of chess. I'm still in disbelief how he beat me, the openings he used weren't even described in the books in my library. It was clear that he was an out of the ordinary boy. I remember he told me he already killed someone, it's a bit scary, but it's better to kill than to be killed right?
Anyway, we have to leave in two days, so it's time to tell the servants to pack our bags.
<<Anna, you too begin to prepare for the trip>> I said to my daughter. She got up and without saying anything went to her room as if she too were angry with me.
| Morning of August 15, 1244 - Jüterbog - Attila |
Finally, today was the day of departure, although I did not expect it to be so hot.
<<Boss, are you sure it's worth it? It should indeed be a safe journey, but anything can happen in life. What if bandits kill us all?>>.
I replied:<<You're right, but better to earn money like this than to steal it and become wanted thieves right?>>
He didn't seem very convinced, but he finally nodded.
<<Rather, you have brought weapons?>>.
They were all well armed to the eye, more than I expected.
They shouted in chorus:<<Yes boss, we are all armed!>>.
Come to think of it, it was very strange that all of them showed up for this dangerous job. Did their families need money so badly that they allowed them to go with a light heart?
While I was lost in those stupid altruistic thoughts I heard footsteps, the noble family had finally arrived.
The noble Harm Braf was strangely dressed almost entirely in black (black is said to make you look less fat than you are). He had also shaved his moustache (he did well since it didn't fit him very well) and also his hair that made his face look like an egg. I remember that, as I beat him at chess, he looked at me with those brown pupil eyes full of anger. Instead, today he had an expression of a person who wants to take a serious and determined look but who fails miserably the goal.
The wife, whose name I never knew, was more attractive. She wasn't exactly skinny, but she wasn't as obese as her husband either. She too dressed elegantly (with that classic voluminous medieval dress from the waist on), as if they were going to an important event. But despite her black hair, green eyes and expensive earrings, she could see a feeling of discomfort mixed with insecurity and contempt for us in her face.
The daughter was the best one of them all. She was slim and beautiful; she will be about fifteen years old as she is bigger than me (or better than this body). Silky brown hair with shades of blond (but was she so natural or did he dye them? But could you dye your hair at this time?) She had aqua green eyes and her face looked like that of an angel. Except, however, that as soon as she saw us from afar she began to snort like a volcano, making it clear that she did not even try to hide her feelings and frustrations as her mother tried to do.
I told my subjects to kneel with me to welcome their arrival.
When the three were in front of us the fat noble said:<<So, in the end, you know how to stay in your place>>.
He had the classic slap face.
<<Hello noble Harm, we are very honoured that you have chosen us for this position. I know that appearances can be deceiving, I assure you a safe and peaceful journey>>.
<<Yes yes of course. Don't get mad, you're the only ones who volunteered for this thing. I had no choice but to hire you, so do you try to do what you are paid for?>>.
<<Certainly, noble Harm, you shouldn't worry>>.
After a few minutes, the carriage arrived, and it was only one. It was clear that only those three idiots could get on it, while we went on foot following them.
So we set out. We were headed for Berlin, then north. Who knows what the city was like in the mid-thirteenth century, I was certainly very curious to find out.
The first day of travel went quietly, to get to the destination it takes another three days of walking.
Both my subjects and the three nobles did not trust each other at all. But considering that the first two days went well they were also relieved.
But given the difficulty of the game that the damned Nadia had set me this journey wouldn't all go smoothly.
| Afternoon of 18 August 1244 - Jüterbog - Attila |
I was right, even though I sincerely hoped I was wrong.
When our group entered a wood, just a few kilometres from Berlin, 15 thieves popped up like mushrooms.
They surrounded us in a flash, most of them armed with daggers and some with swords.
One of them came forward:<<Hello nobles of Jüterbog! It is an honour to meet you but above all to take your lives and your wealth!>> then he looked at me and my subjects and exclaimed:<<I did not know that too much wealth would lead to such stupidity! How did you come up with the idea of taking simple kids as an escort ?! you have indirectly asked us to rob you!>>
<<I knew it was a bad idea to hire them!>> exclaimed the wife of the noble.
What a pain in the ass this situation, not only were we at a numerical disadvantage but they were also physically bigger than us.
<<O noble thief with a heart of gold and a brain of shit, please do not spit bullshit from your miserable mouth. You know no one is immortal in this world, not even her. So please shut up once and for all>>.
After I said this I took the dagger and threw it straight into his forehead.
I had taken him in full, his soulless body fell to the ground. What used to be an idiot who did nothing but scream was now lying dead.
Everyone was slightly shocked, I don't know if the nobles, my subjects or the thieves themselves were more.
A strange silence is created, which however was immediately interrupted by the screams of the thieves:<<How did you dare ?! Now you will pay for it! We wanted to save you children but now we will kill you too!>>.
<<Get ready guys!>> I warned my subjects.
Both my group and the thieves drew their swords and daggers, while the people in the carriage were praying to God for their lives to be saved.
Even though I had killed one, the fact remains that it was 14 vs 10, so we were still at a disadvantage.
At that point the adrenaline began to boil throughout the body, I knew it was another matter of life or death.
I wanted to give my best but looking at my "allies" I already understood that I would have to do things alone (nothing new).
The thieves charged us all together, one of them who used the sword chose me as his opponent and, trying to exploit the fact that I was without a weapon and had more range than me, attacked me.
Unfortunately, he didn't know I had another spare dagger, so I threw the one right down his throat as well.
(Since I started the game, I have done nothing but throw something at my opponents. I am amazed at myself).
He was forced to drop the sword to the ground trying to get the dagger out of his throat, but by now it was too late. I picked up the sword and cut his throat for good. From then on I did nothing but go behind the backs of the other thieves and kill them by surprise.
Meanwhile, some of the boys were dead, others defended themselves badly. Even though some of them died before my eyes, it created no effect on me. If they died it was because they were weak.
After the fifth kill, some of them noticed me. A fairly robust thief pushed me to the ground and aimed at my throat with his dagger.
It was so heavy that I didn't have the strength to move it.
To me, it felt like I had reached Game Over.
By the time I had given up, one of my subjects stabbed him in the back and killed him.
I do not remember the face and the name of this boy well, as soon after he too was killed behind one of the thieves.
I got up and thanks to the sword I killed the others, while I was fighting he realized that they were not fighting professionals either.
The brown forest path changed colour and turned all red. Lifeless bodies covered the entire battlefield they had created.
In the end, 12 thieves and 6 of my subjects died with the nobles saved. Harsh losses, but also much less than what I expected.
The nobles came out of the carriage, they saw all of us with clothes full of blood.
<<So? Have we proven to be a good escort?>> I said with a smile on my face.
None of them spoke, they were almost frightened by the disturbing smile on my face.
<<Yes, you have shown courage and you have saved our lives. I have therefore decided that I will divide among you the money that I had to make to the other thugs who died here>>.
<<Oh noble Harm. After this massacre, it honestly seems to be the minimum>>.
After my sentence, I saw him being annoyed that I answered him like this, but he knew that after what happened it was better not to provoke us.
All of a sudden his wife bowed her head:<<Sorry if I doubted you, you have certainly lost dear friends to protect us. This is admirable and it seems to be the slightest apology for my rudeness towards you during the journey. Please accept my apologies!>>
Then in the end he was not a horrible person:<<Noble Madame, there is no need if you apologize. I think it is unanimous that we humbly accept them. But please remember an important lesson. Never judge a book by its cover>>
