Saddle and Silk

XII.

They rode for several hours until it was evident that their horses could go no further. orders were immediately issued to disguise the group. It was lucky that the city did not count on the thousand soldiers during the defense and their loss will not affect the city. So they thanked the gods and prepared for any necessary defense. A total of three hundred men broke through, about two hundred fell on the battlefield and the rest retreated back into the city.

Wígláf went to his horse with a blanket on his shoulders and a three-cornered hat on his head. The horse snorted. "Calm down, old man, it's just me, don't worry." and caressed his neck. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Kliid." As he calmed down, it started to rain. "That's good," Wígláf muttered to himself. The rain will more easily ensure a worse chase. "I salute you." Baheshtur, who appeared right next to him, told him. "Hello." Baheštur also began to calm the horses. They were nervous about something, and they both saw it. "Do you think there is a beast around?" Wiglaf nodded his head. "About a mile from here, Bunduk saw the bark of a tree torn by a bear. But it won't come here, on the one hand it is relatively small according to the height of the grooves, and on the other hand there is a fire here." "I understand." Baheštur reached under his cloak. "Would you take a loka with me?" Wiglaf snorted and smiled. "What do you have?" but he took it from Baheštur and clung to it strongly. "Damn it, what is it?!" Wígláf, who was not for nothing called the iron mushroom in the unit, laughed and said: "Slivovička little brother, does it taste good?" Baheštur looked hurt at him, but nodded his head.,, Oh yeah."

"But she's not bad." "No, I got her." "Really?" "You drink." "Thank you." Baheštur looked at the sky. He smiled. "What do you find funny in this situation?" Wiglaf asked him. "Nothing, I just remembered something." "What?" "Do you remember how you set Tiberius' cloak on fire? " "Oh no, I've been trying to forget that for ten years, why on earth did you remember that?" Baheštur laughed. "Because Tiberius chased you and you meandered like a hare, just like we do now." "Yes, like that." Wigláf nodded his head and clung to his hooves. "Na," he said, and handed it to Baheshtur. "You'll probably need it more than I do now, because I have to go on patrol, and I can't get drunk."

*

The night was calm, only illuminated here and there by the glow of the moon. Wígláf made himself comfortable on the stone where he replaced Rolf, he was also such an individual in his own right. For years he proclaimed that he was a nobleman, but for some strange, completely incomprehensible reason, no one believed him. Just maybe because he said it all the time, everywhere and at the most inopportune times. But he was good in a fight, that must be left to him. A figure approached him in the night, but Wígláf recognized it even before darkness came. "Hello Bunduk. "The elder looked at him with his sharp eyes, then nodded his head and sat down. "Hey Wigláf. Is it bothering you?" "Nothing, just..." He waved his hand around. He could complain to Bunduk. Jeremuis, Bunduk and Firentis were either priests or healers, and they functioned that way in their group. that they did not know how good they were. Bunduk was not a noble, but he had already served as his master's Emissary for quite some time, and had been with him long enough.

"How can I tell you, Bunduk... you know the war, all that. Don't we all just have to fight each other, don't we have a lot of beautiful things too? Look around - we live like dogs here, in the country, we can't even start a fire properly, and all because of the rebellion of one person. Sure, we're soldiers, but I'm also human, and although it's our job, we don't want to be here dying because of someone who declared war on us. I'm sure the vast majority of people here don't even know who is against us. We were all thrown into a hell like war. Look, we're only here to kill." Wígláf wiped his face with his palms unhappily. Buduk looked at him in surprise. It wasn't usual for the Wígláf he knew to behave like this. It intrigued him, but on the other hand he understood the young man's feelings. At one time, when his bloodlust stopped, he felt the same way.

"You know how I would have told you...War is a terrible thing, but always look for money or someone's ambition behind it, that's what Tiberius taught you, didn't he?" Bunduk looked kindly at Wiglaf. "Yes, he taught me the trade war after he took me, I know it very well." "So you surely remember what he taught you." "That I must never let someone put me in a situation I don't want." "And that means...?" "That if anyone, including himself, gets me somewhere I don't want to be, I should try my best to get out of there." Bunduk drank from the field bottle. ,,Yes. And you don't want war, you like peace." "Yes." Bunduk laughed. "And since when did you, the great slayer of the Khergits and the ghost who haunts the Khergit children, not want to kill?" Wiglaf did not answer him. But Buduk did not want to stop. "Look, boy. Actually, I don't care why, but I'm glad for it. there is no longer that darkness in you that was released only in the presence of your uncle and Baheštur. The main thing is that it is gone. For one thing, it is too early for such a discussion." "True," said Wiglaf, getting up and going after the old warrior.

*

Chronicle of the gloomy years.

"During the entire sixties, my great-great-grandfather did not write any notes. In essence, the only thing I am based on are his memories from later times, i.e. around the year 1280. However, at that time he forgot many things, and therefore I certainly cannot write the chronicle as I wanted. The truth is, they are my only source now since...how long ago? I was born in 1335, and today is 1370. As for the sources from which I write - I mostly draw from my great-great-uncle Count Tellrog, but his notes were limited to very terse writing between 1261-1268. Considering the frequent conflicts that existed at that time (in total, there were twelve in those seven years, if I count all major wars or mere disputes between dukes from different countries), this is more or less normal, but it does not make it easier to write a chronicle of that time. Tiberius as a provincial burgrave and voivode He was in charge of the administration of his country, and King Kastor II. proved to be a fairly well-respected ruler and kept Tiberius in office. After all, Tiberius had the opportunity to become king, but instead he preferred to cede this function to Castor."

"The wars we now call the Succession Wars of Calradia are a very large series of conflicts. The first broke out in 1264 in the Khergit Khanate, and the second only a month later in the Kingdom of Rhodoch. Although the enemy rebellion was suppressed after two long years, its consequences still linger today. Few people want to talk about the massacre of twenty thousand Khergits who lived in the territory occupied by the rebels, whose liquidation was given written consent by Tiberius Bej.

"However, the truth is that even Baheštur and my ancestors were not without guilt."

"After all, war is not a just matter and never has been. It is a great shame that humanity will never learn its lesson and will forever be at war, fighting for power and fighting each other over something as petty as war."