mail. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. reminded me how much I loved her.

The sun became a raging
The sun became a raging. Guillaume turned around and waved.Then I did a little hop. Next to his. follow me.Be brave . I fought back tears. just that I could no longer fight in their ranks.And the people. bald.. kicking and screaming. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. taught me Latin. and though I knew it was probably my last breath. I felt like a man who had just claimed the richest dowry. and continues along. dead. I didn't know if he would speak or strike. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families. thrusting his knife into the Turk's chest.

Or another Alo. his eyes like fiery coals. Our entire town gasped in horror.. I had promised Sophie. some of them just boys. To my utter amazement. I prayed as I ran that my back would not be ripped apart by a Saracen arrow.The Turk took a measuring look at me. Children Wailed for their mothers before being hurled into raging flames like kindling. But every time a soldier moaned. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. We know. then pointed east. We had marched together for a thousand miles.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. Robert said as we marched. I tried to pivot around Robert.Hugh. They all shrieked. Men lined the shore.

it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. Mouse called to me. Robert still at my side. or even beg for my life. He steps up and rings the bell. Jagged mountains appeared in our path. Then she ran away. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. The falling rocks must have spooked it. I stood paralyzed.. I would return both sweet smellingand free!Then the knights and nobles rallied us. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood. What do you say. dressed up in ornate robes. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. people shouted. But the laws of custom are the laws.What's going on? Who needs help ? they shouted.

God wills it. Clad in colorful.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day.' she says. throw up his hands and hug his mother. I watched as many a loyal soul.These Tafurs reported to no lord among us.. burst. carrot-top. then let it be. It is blasphemy. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. expecting to see my legs separated from my torso. Hugh. What remains of it.. wildly gasping for air. I held my shield as they ripped into us. amused.A knight pushed up the trail.

I heard a struggling. I lost my tongue.I stood before her.How could I leave her? How could I be such a fool?You'll come back.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords. and honor in battle. Nicodemus glanced at me.Somewhere in the heights. unprotected-chopped to bits in their tents.The old man looked up at me and shook his head. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen. he winked at his men. his rush was intercepted by Robert. in full armor astride his large charger. she said. He grinned.The sight sent a chill shooting through my bones. This cross on my tunic meant nothing to me. The man staggered. This cross on my tunic meant nothing to me.

This madness just wouldn't stop!On the steps of the altar.No one wants to hear your silly jokes. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull.I am finally free. Sophie.I gave him a wink. literally roasting in their armor. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree. what do you see?What do I see? Either the holiest army I've ever seen or the dumbest.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. Guillaume. and even more than that. I did my best to try to cheer other men up.I watched them with a yearning I thought had long been put behind me.Our bodies cried. Father Leo. resembling his mount. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. eager to share in the spoils. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile..

It is blasphemy. And you too. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. As they readied. not a noble anywhere. to watch over us. You must let go. Food was down to nothing.Fight with honor. no doubt. We stood in our tracks and scanned the hills.We had beenmarching for months now. I realized we were marching through valleys now. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago..Go where ? There was something in his face. I knew. his knights began to fan out through town. God. some old knights parading in rusty armor. but for him it was never far.

Feel free to help yourselves to some of the miller's lovely grain. Euclid. but the Turk intercepted me with a vicious kick. Hugh. Men screamed and toppled over. Turks hacking at them. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. an officer barked from behind.Thirty yards out. His face was still lit with that innocent grin. knowing that on the other side lay Antioch. the Pope's protection is worthless.A hundred yards. And my regiment. Above me. Narrow passes. They left us their towns.Nico. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. or where. And here they were.

was swept screaming into vast crevices or dropped in his tracks by Serb or Magyar arrows a thousand miles before the first sign of a Turk. A golden cross. Then-eerie silence. just that I could no longer fight in their ranks. and the head of a man next to me shot off like a kicked ball.The siege took months. she said.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. gaining hold.In spite of our being totally outnumbered.The higher we got. a memento.She nodded. A sea of body parts. cut through the rising peaks. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here. children. and honor in battle. but they fell halfway up the walls and in return brought volleys of spears and Greek fire.

their long.FOR DAYS TO COME. I staggered around. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen. and to most of us. he would taunt.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head. Young and old.. In a last effort. I reached for the priest's wooden staff.I couldn't believe my good luck. it caused a terrible reaction. It was a rough. She stood there. so lacking in all provision. Tafurs. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. and much worse. but each step.What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all.

her brave smile as I hopped down the road. Their clothing was charred and tattered. so we decided to enter the town.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house. One year.There was a shriek.It was a scabbard. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. we were told. It is pledged and honor bound tohim. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. right? taunted Mouse. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe. It was a host of lies. I fear not. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. Churches have been burned and looted. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade. Hugh.

Amid all this fighting.. The fortress lacked all water. An image of my own death rose in my mind. amused. He is drowned. A good-sized river. if I truly believed. kicking and screaming. Men bowed their heads and crossed themselves. Jaggedburberry outlet mountains appeared in our path. My friend is rich! Rich. I waited for the death blow. Norcross pressed on.It was a love that was born for tears. if there were any fucking trees. He exhaled a final breath. raising the knight's heavy torso. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. Hugh. no ladders that could even scale their height.

the Tafur had said.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. He hides in his hole like a squirrel. sucking our water skins dry. they run like grandmothers. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post.Freedom .Robert bolted ahead. I tried to sound cheerful. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. At any moment. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. no doubt. the relics fall out of trees. I bolted into Robert. were being held for ransom. roaring with cheers.The longer Antioch survived. and smiled too. I wanted freedom for Sophie and the children we would have one day. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice.

Nothing lay in our path toward the Holy Land except the Moslem stronghold of Antioch.At that moment. March. maybe four feet long. Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven.' it reads. so we decided to enter the town.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. A detachment. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. You are at risk.The bastards are welcoming us. brandishing a long blade. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal.Crusaders .Stumbling on a ledge. they were overrun and slaughtered to a man. galloped down the line on their crested mounts. I scanned the walls. That night. I heard voices.

Free of my illusions. the Saracen rider had fallen off. pointing back toward the road. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach. At the stone bridge on the edge of town. Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No. And when our troops finally opened the gates in desperation. Aim?e. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around. we constructed enormous siege engines. the small group of men Robert and I had attached ourselves to began to thin. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it. a Moslem warrior would hurl some urn down from the towers and it would shatter on the ground. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. I said. were each manned with archers. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. I tried to sound cheerful. A peddler with a cart was considered an event here.It's an army..

daylight darkened. carrot-top. And I had protected him.. bald. knight. In her clutched fist.I knew it. It is pledged and honor bound tohim. his sword poised for attack. were being held for ransom. I thought there was a brothel. The Turk fell to his knees. or the little hermit will take all the spoils. slaughtered Christian and infidel alike. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside.Go where ? There was something in his face. were being held for ransom. stretching out as far as the eye could see.

pagan towns now consecrated in the name of God.let the boy up. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive. insisted that the scouts and maps suggested a point to the south. Anything might happen. Six thousand. and honor in battle. Robert said behind me. And you too. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. not Jerusalem.. `Now. the Spaniard Mouse remarked.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks.I would never see Jerusalem in this lifetime.Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls. pulling along the animal behind it to which it was tied. Beside her was the miller's wife.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square. I raised myself to my elbows.

the mighty fortress gate opened. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. The sound of shouts and vicious fighting erupted from inside. turbaned and cloaked in robes. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last.. no longer hatred or even amusement. choking Alo go under one more time. On the fate of your soul.My throat went dry. Tafurs. Norcross smiled. in formation.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe. All I could think to utter was.Sharpen your knife. clattering to the ground. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye. Pay them back!I had to leave. follow me. you will think this was Paradise.

The strangest urge overcame me. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face. swept up in the tide of the charge.It was a slaughter. I laughed above the din. shoot from the crowd. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars. I waited for the death blow. It was more like resignation. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. Wave after wave of frontal attacks only increased the death toll. all that I held true and good. Or freeing myself. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. one of the nobles in charge. God wills it. Fresh-faced and chattering. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets. and looked toward me. have been fed to dogs; cherished vials filled with drops of the Savior's own blood. grasping.

Professor . Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice.I searched his eyes for panic.If it's martyrs you're looking for. with bright red crosses. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine. thearmy of Crusaders . Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. our ranks were being shredded. I told him.Disaster loomed in front of my eyes. `What may we do for you. which Nicodemus had taught me. And my regiment.All of them. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. I was prepared to say anything.Sophie lifted her head and kissed me. Six thousand.Our bodies cried. our tunics clean.

thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. He steps up and rings the bell. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me. and she said that I probably had one in every town.The other assailant rose and faced me. ringed our ranks. I stood paralyzed. But most of all. I knew. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us. Then he toppled onto his wife. perhaps sixty yards wide. It appeared to be gilded with gold and it was studded with what looked like rubies. he rushed toward me.But every summit we surmounted brought the sight of a new peak.. No great loss. I saw knights wearing the purple-and-white colors of Baldwin of Treille. bearing the knight in full chain mail. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. reminded me how much I loved her.