Saddle and Silk

IX

Step was very lively again. However, a small detachment of Khergits did not hide, but on the contrary rode with all flags towards the Rhodesian Union. Little by little they rode with the great Sanjar flag, which guaranteed them invulnerability in the steppe. At least that's what the Khergit Laws dictated.
*

The small village of Mlžná was truly beautiful. In the morning, a shadow fell from a nearby hill here, and the sun thus fully rose half an hour later than elsewhere. In the middle of the village was a small courtyard. Although, you could say that it was more of a fortress. A banner with a flying kestrel flew over this fortress. From this fortress led a road that lay between the city of Jalen and the steppe. This merchant route was often followed by caravans heading far south to the great Aseraj Sultanate. And it was along this road that the horseman rode slowly, very slowly. He wore the magnificent armor of a Norse warrior, a giant shield on his back, and a magnificent ulfgung at his side. His helmet had beautiful ornaments on it, said to have been forged by a fjínfi three hundred years ago. He slowly drove out of the forest and his gaze rested on the village of Mlžná. He slowly drove towards the village and began to sing.

O red en gang en kriger!
Og kvinnene beklaget, synd på ham, han var en stor danser!
Og han dro til kong Harald, på militærekspedisjon!

Og Jarl Fjunni var der!
Og han sa at når tiden kommer, vil de seile på bølgen! Så seilte de, i året tusen og sekstiseks, og seilte vestover!

he walked slowly along the road, humming his favorite saga in Norse. He loved the story. While he was thinking, he reached the first building. He stopped just as a beautiful young woman came out of the cottage. "I'm sorry to disturb..." The warrior began in a hoarse voice, because he caught a cold somewhere, and he himself didn't know exactly where it was. He bowed in the saddle. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for the lords here ." The woman looked at him. She had a really handsome face, completely black hair and rather pale skin. Something familiar came to the warrior, but he couldn't remember it, because the fever started to take hold of him. "Wiglaf?!" Ah, so he knew her. Then he stopped listening quite a bit because his head started spinning and then he fell off the saddle. He was hoping to fall on the grass, but instead someone caught him. "Old man, where are you like that?" set up?!" The last words he heard.

*

Light was shining through the window, and the smell of lavender was wafting through the room. He got up and felt a compress on his head, it was cold. He stood up and found that his strength had returned. He only hoped that he would be able to deliver the message he was carrying in time, but he had a week ahead of him, so maybe...

*

Sanjar, the mighty Khan of the Khergits, went very quickly to his tent in the middle of the steppe. He was scared, absolutely scared, so he didn't stop to talk to anyone. Instead he ran through the tent and fell into the tent. "Which madman caused this?!"

*

Wigláf took a good look around the village. He had just gone out and therefore needed to find out the surroundings of the village. A beautiful young girl passed by, so he turned to her. "Please, where is the lady here?" He winked at her with his right eye and smiled. "If you tell me, I will reward you." and took out a gold coin from his pocket. "What do you think?" "In the middle, they are currently working on the construction of a mill." She grimaced when she said that about the mill. "Mr. Baheštur doesn't agree with the construction of the mill, but Mrs. Anežka does, and her opinion has more weight." At that moment, she denied it, because Wigláf smiled kindly at her. "Yes, that's Anežka. Whenever she disagrees with you, he will win in the end." the goldsmith handed it to her. "Take it, I bet the girls here will envy you." He turned and stopped smiling. Baheshtur, you incompetent idiot, he thought. How many times have I warned you against showing off so publicly seeing his affection for the widowed queen He saw the border from a distance, and there were several people on horses. He waved at them. A rider on a horse in a beautiful blue coat waved at him but noticed Wigláf's very frowning face. "Wígláf, I'm glad..." But he didn't get any further. "You completely incompetent idiot!" Wigláf's control was spot on. "You have no idea what you've caused when half the kingdom knows where you are! Khan has a rebellion on his neck, and one of their goals is to kill Anežka. When you said where you were going so beautifully, did you even realize that you just announced her location to everyone here?!" Wiglaf's anger didn't just disappear, but he controlled himself again.,,Pack up, we're leaving here, but we're taking someone they don't know with us, Baheshtur, you know how to travel light, so it will work. Anežka, please take only your personal belongings, leave the ladies here, nothing will happen to them, the crew will be here - it will confuse the pursuers."

They left the village in grim silence, accompanied only by the rain. However, it soon stopped and the sun appeared. Wigláf was in his traveling cloak, still weakened by the fever of the previous day, but more than chatty. "As I promised, now I will finally tell you what it was all about." Wiglaf's face brightened a bit as he could speak of something he understood. quite organized. There is also an old acquaintance of ours among the rebels. Anyway, what our master revealed to me-" Baheštur pointed out cautiously. In the twenty years that Tiberius had raised him, he had learned to be careful when Tiberius discovered anything. Most of the time it was more than he said. "The Khan doesn't want you dead, but the rebels do, and even Tiberius doesn't know what they'll get out of it, but for some reason they want you two under the rug. As if their raids weren't enough for them." There was a sting of old pain in Wiglaf's voice. "What has become of you, sir?" The girl he had gifted earlier had volunteered herself in the village to join them. Wiglaf became sad. "You know, I lived in a village like you when I was little, that was before Tiberius took care of me. I had a family, including siblings, all older. But one day a Chambul of Khergits came and burned the village. I was lucky, I hid and waited, but my family and the chambul were not so lucky. The family was killed during the raid, and it wasn't long before Chambul met Tiberius. He defeated them in that skirmish, but Baheštura's father was also among the fallen. And so it was Tiberius who took charge of the two of us. We both call him uncle when nobody's around, but otherwise he's our master." His face brightened. Baheštur nodded his head at him. They were just passing a stream. "It's true that we grew up together as brothers, so we can say things to each other that others can't say." "Wígláf, won't it be faster if we don't take it over the bridge?" "It would be, but I want to avoid roads. It's faster, but this is much safer." Wígláf thought for a moment and was silent. However, Baheštur couldn't stay silent for long. "What's your name, girl?" My name is Emma." "Then listen Emma, ​​you deserve it know what you've signed up for. They're after us, and Wígláf needs to guide us through this landscape, ideally alive. So, please listen to this grumpy Nord, and you'll see he praises you in the end." Wigláf looked over his shoulder at them. "Don't cheer yourself so much Baheshtur, the last time I praised you was when Tiberia hit you with that arrow." Baheshtur looked at the sky. "I think the weather is beautiful today." And with that he went a little further.

*

The rain fell in huge ropes to the ground. As soon as the group had time to hide, it started to rain incredibly. Baheštur heard someone coming to him. "Chjo....did you have to say that?" Wiglaf looked at Baheštur with a calculating look. "You know, if you had been quiet at least once in your life, nothing would have happened either." Baheštur turned to him hurt. "But who could have known that it would go bad so quickly?" "You shouldn't have shouted it, I tell you". Baheštur threw up his hands, "It was sunny." "You should have foreseen it," Nord replied grumpily. "Anyway, I'm going on patrol." Wiglaf said and quickly got up. He left the armor in the tent, which they managed to set up before it started raining. "Go to sleep, we'll leave in the morning." he said to Emma and Agnes who, although she was a princess, was teaching the young girl how to put quills on arrows.

He got up and threw his cloak over himself and pulled the hood over his head. Thanks to the training Tiberius had arranged for him and Baheshtur, he quickly dropped out of sight and was nowhere to be seen. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, and he walked the dark night path. As he walked along the trees, he noticed a light in the distance. Rain not rain, he ran quickly, but at the same time carefully so as not to be seen. He wrapped himself in his cloak and stepped carefully. He could neither be heard nor seen in the dark, which made it much easier for him to move around. He came and looked. It was a hearth, and around it sat the Khergits. There were eight in total. ,, AIla! Muah da mudin alli?" Wiglaf swore under his breath. He had never brought himself to learn their accursed speech, except for a few words, and now he regretted it. So he decided to watch them. He had a dagger with him, so he drew it carefully and slowly. He prepared to defense and watched them, "Muah di ann?" "Eila!" one of them called. Then he got up and walked towards Wígláf. just as he passed by Wígláf, a foot stepped on him. Wígláf almost moved in pain, and he had to do something not to cry out in pain, not even to move and lay still .Because he was in a dark green cloak, Khergita muttered something to himself and turned his back to the place where Wigláf was lying He therefore picked up the dagger and threw it with a thud at the khergit, who was about to turn around. it was raining. so Wígláf could take him to their camp. It's strange that they are so close. "Well, you'll have something to tell us, won't you?" With that he picked up the unconscious man and carried him to their camp.