Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Surrender

To be saved or not to be saved, Mr. Knight, I am all your captive; Send me according to the inspiration of your noble heart think about the chances of war maybe one day put you where i am now Among the ranks of the unfortunate captives. anonymous The confrontation between the black cavalry and the Burgundian warriors lasted only about five minutes, because the latter's armor, horses and morale were all superior, and the former was quickly defeated.Before the moment we mentioned had passed, Count Krevig was wiping his bloodstained steel knife with his horse's mane.Then he went back to the edge of the forest and saw Isabel standing there watching their fight.Some of the men followed him, while others took a moment to pursue the fleeing enemy.

It is a shame that the swords of knights and nobles are stained with the blood of these boars.said the Count. Then he put the knife back into its sheath, and added: My good niece, this is a rude welcome to your return.However, the wandering noble ladies can only regard this risk as commonplace.I was fortunate to have arrived in time; otherwise, I can tell you with certainty that the black cavalry considers a countess's diadem as insignificant as a country girl's hat.I don't think your followers are capable of much resistance. Count, said Mademoiselle Isabel, tell me, if I am a prisoner, where will you take me?

You know, silly boy, replied the Count, that I would answer that question if it depended on my will.However, you and your silly aunt who loves to talk about matchmakers have been flying around lately, and you should be satisfied to fold your wings and stay in the cage for a while.As far as I am concerned, my duty, an unpleasant one, ends when I bring you to the court of the duke in Peron.For this reason, I see it necessary to hand over the command of this scouting force to my nephew, Count Stephen.I will go back to Peron with you.I think you're in dire need of an intercessor and I hope the young daredevil will do his duty wisely.

Good uncle, Earl Stephen said, if you doubt my ability to command the troops, then you stay and lead the troops, and I will serve Chroyer.Countess Isabel will act as servant and bodyguard. Good nephew, replied the uncle, your suggestion is surely better than mine.I like to stick to my original plan though.I would like to draw your attention that it is not your duty to hunt these black pigs, which you seem to feel particularly obliged to do, but to gather real information about Liege for me, so as to clear up all the ridiculous rumors we have heard.I will bring a dozen spearmen with me, and the rest will remain under my banner under your command.

Wait a minute, Uncle Krevig, said Countess Isabel, as I surrender, let me at least ask you to protect the safety of these two men who rescued me in distress.Let this young man, my faithful guide, return safely to his native Liege. I will ask my nephew to escort the young man, said Krevig, after observing Glover's honest face keenly, and it seems he will be all right.We'll take him all the way to where he's going, and then let him go back. Do give my regards to good Gertrude, said the countess to the guide, and added, taking from under her veil a string of pearls, which she begged her to wear in memory of an unfortunate friend.

The honest Glover took the string of pearls, and kissed the young lady's slender hand sincerely and politely in a clumsy gesture.He hadn't expected her to devise such an ingenious way of repaying him for his labors and risks. snort!There are so many tricks!said the count, good niece, is there any other gift?We have to hit the road. One more thing, the countess struggled to say, please treat this young gentleman well. snort!Krevig said, and cast a sharp look at Quentin as he did to Glover just now, but the result of the observation was obviously not so satisfactory.At the same time, he did not maliciously imitate the countess' embarrassment.snort!This is another guy.My niece, what credit does this young gentleman have to merit your intercession?

He saved my life and my honor.said the Countess, blushing with shame and annoyance. Quentin, too, was flushed with anger, but he thought wisely that showing his anger would only make things worse. Life and honor?snort!Count Krevig added, My niece, I hope it would be best if you didn't have to thank the young gentleman for such a thing.Well, if the young gentleman's status permits, I can have him with us.I promise he won't be harmed, but from now on I will personally take care of your life and honor, and maybe find him a more suitable job than serving as a squire for a wandering girl.

My lord, Darwilt said, feeling that he could no longer remain silent, and lest you should speak disdainfully of a stranger, and afterwards feel disgraced, I take the liberty of telling you that I am Quentin.Darwilt, marksman of the Scots Guards.As you know, only gentlemen and nobles are eligible for this guard. Mr. Sagittarius, thank you for this introduction, I want to kiss your hand too.Krevig still said in a mocking tone, please ride to the front with me! Quentin had to obey the earl's order, because he knew that the earl currently had the power to dictate to him regardless of whether he had the right.He saw that Miss Isabel was watching him go forward with an expression of anxiety and timidity that was almost tender.Seeing this scene, he couldn't help crying secretly.But he didn't forget that he had to play the role of a man in front of Krevig.And this man has the least sympathy for the sorrows of true love, except for ridicule, among knights of France or Burgundy.He therefore decided to speak to him without waiting for him to speak, and to stress in a firm tone his right to be treated justly and with greater respect.And the count, annoyed at seeing a humble man so favored by his well-born and wealthy niece, did not pay him the respect he deserved.

Count Krevig, he said in a gentle but firm tone, tell me, before we go on, am I free, or must I consider myself a prisoner? That is a sharp question, replied the count, and at present I can only answer it with another question. Do you think that France and Burgundy are now at peace with each other, or are they at war? Well, replied the Scot, your lordship must know better than I, for I have not been at the court of France lately, and have heard nothing for some time. You see, said the count, it is easy to ask questions, but difficult to answer them.You know, I've been in Peron with the Duke for the past week or so, and I can't answer this difficult question better than you.Mr. Squire, your question above, whether you are a captive or a free man, depends on the answer to this question.For the present, I must take you as a prisoner, but it would do you good if you had served my niece faithfully, and if you answered all my questions frankly.

Countess Croyer is the best judge of whether I have served her, Quentin said, and I ask you to ask her.When you ask me questions, you can also make your own judgments about my answers. snort!What a haughty tone, murmured Count Krevig, very much like a knight with a lady's coat of arms on his hat!As if one had to speak with a little haughtiness to add luster to those precious silk knots.Well, sir, just answer me, you are at Chroyer.How long has Miss Isabel been with you?I don't think this will hurt your dignity at all, right? Count Krevig, Quentin.Dawilt said, if you can get an answer from me by asking a question that borders on insulting, it is only because I fear that if I remain silent, I might come to the detriment of someone whom we both have an obligation to do justice to. conclusion.I have been Miss Isabelle's protector from the day she left France for Flanders.

Ah!Ah!That is to say, said the count, from her escape from Plessy.Le.Tour's day?You are an archer in the Scottish Guards, surely you escorted her by King Louis' orders? Quentin naturally did not think that King Louis was kind to him at all, because when he planned to have Delamach rob Miss Isabel halfway, he may have counted on the young Scotsman to be killed in the battle to protect her.But he thinks that he has no right to betray King Louis' trust in him, or just stay on the surface of trust.So in response to Earl Krevig's inference, he just replied: It is enough for the superior to order me what to do, and I did not inquire further. That's enough.We know, said the count, that King Louis would not have his officers send his guard archers to prune like gallant knights beside the horses of exiled ladies, except for some political purpose.Since the two Ladies of Croix were escorted by King Louis' own bodyguards, it was not so easy for him to continue to boldly claim that he had no prior knowledge of their escape from France.Mr. Archer, where are your orders to go? To Liege, my lord, replied the Scot, because the two ladies wish to be protected by the late Bishop of Liege. late bishop?Count Krevig exclaimed, Louis.Is bourbon dead?How did the duke get no news of his illness? He lay in a bloody grave and it was assumed that his murderers had gone to the trouble of burying his body in a grave. kill him!Krevig exclaimed again, Our Lady of Heaven!It's impossible, young man! I saw them kill him with my own eyes.In addition, they did many, many terrible things. I saw it with my own eyes!He didn't even run to save the kind bishop!The count exclaimed again, and didn't mobilize the people in the castle to attack his murderer?You know, it's sacrilegious to allow this to happen even without resistance! My lord, I will tell you in a few words, Dawiert said, before killing the bishop, the bloodthirsty William.Delamac has taken the castle with the help of rebellious Liege citizens. What a bolt from the blue!Krewig said, the city of Liege rebelled!Thornwald is captured!The bishop was killed!You Messenger of Worry, No one has ever brought so much bad news at once!You said you knew about this attack, this rebellion.Is this murder?You say you are a Scottish archer whom Louis trusted, and it was he who shot the deadly arrow, you know.Tell me, or I'll cut you to pieces! My lord, even if you cut me to pieces, you can't separate from me that which is incompatible with a true Scottish gentleman.I was as ignorant of this heinous act as you were.Not only am I not a participant, but, if I were not so powerless, I would definitely fight them to the end.However, what can I do?There were hundreds of them, and I was alone.All I could think about was saving Miss Isabel.Fortunately, this is what I did.However, if I was close to them when they brutally killed the old man, I would either save the white-haired old man, or I would avenge him.The fact is that I expressed my protest loudly, which prevented other terrorist incidents from happening. Young man, I believe you, said the count, in terms of your age or character, you are only suitable to be a lady's squire, not to do such bloody things.Sadly, a merciful bishop was slain by a villain, a demon, in the hall where he used to entertain strangers with the fraternity of Christ and the generosity of princes.It was in the hall where his hands were stained with the blood of his benefactor that this murderous, bloodthirsty cancer had grown up.I don't know Burgundy.How does Charles react? However, this unprecedented and appalling brutality will definitely bring about swift, severe, and unstoppable retribution, otherwise, the emperor will have no eyes.If no one else was after the murderer, he was silent for a moment, gripped the hilt of his knife, let go of the rein, beat his chest with both steel-gloved hands, making the breastplate clank, and finally raised his hands, solemnly Said, I, Philip of Calder.Krevig swears to God, swears to St. Lambert and the three kings of Cologne, I will put aside all distracting thoughts and serve the good Bourbon.Louis revenge, whether the murderer is in the forest or the field, in the city or the country, in the mountains or the plains, in the court or the church, I will pursue it to the end!On this I pledge my lands and estates, the friendship of my friends and the fidelity of my men, and my life and honor.May God help me, may Saint Lambert and the Three Kings of Cologne help me! After Earl Krevig took the oath, he seemed to have slightly eased his grief and surprise when he heard the Thornwald tragedy, and began to ask Darwilt more carefully for the details of the tragedy.The Scot had no intention of diminishing the Earl's interest in William.The determination of vengeance that Delamach embraced was introduced to him in detail. The citizens of Liège are unfaithful, swaying and blind beasts, said the count, who have joined forces with this indefatigable robber and murderer to kill their rightful prince! Davelt told the angry Burgundians that the citizens of Liege, at least the better-born, had taken part recklessly in the rebellion against the bishop; There is no intention of helping the evildoers.On the contrary, if they could, they would have prevented it from happening, because they were also shocked when they saw the tragedy happen. Forget about these vacillating and traitorous mobs.Krevig said since they rebelled against a prince in arms and his only fault was that he was too kind and kind to these ungrateful minions and since they rebelled against him in arms and stormed his peaceful castle, what else could do but kill him What is the purpose?Since they were in league with the Ardennes boar, the greatest murderer in the Flemish swamps, what purpose could they have but to kill for a living?And, by your own account, was not the executioner a butcher among this vicious mob?I'd love to see their houses burnt down and their canals red with blood.Oh, what a gracious, noble, generous bishop they murdered!In other places, subjects rebelled because of tax pressure and poverty, but the citizens of Liege rebelled because they were too rich and too rude.He threw away the rein again, and painfully rubbed his hands which were made awkward by the steel armor gloves.It was not difficult for Quentin to see that the painful remembrance of the bishop's past association and friendship with him added to his grief.So he kept silent, expressing his respect for a feeling which he neither wished to exacerbate nor comfort. However, Earl Krevig repeated this topic again and again, repeatedly asking for details of the attack on Thornwald and the killing of the bishop.Suddenly, as if recalling something he had forgotten, he asked about the whereabouts of Lady Hamelin and why she had not come with her niece.Not that I consider her absence a loss to Mademoiselle Isabel.He added contemptuously that, though she was her aunt, and generally a good-natured woman, Lenkkain The trees and flowers are made of sweet food, and the river flows with good wine.) Never before has such a ridiculous fool been produced in the court and royal family of the country.I've always thought her niece was a dutiful girl.I'm sure it must have been this old romantic idiot who was a matchmaker, matchmaker, and joker who made her do such absurd things as escape from Burgundy to France! What an unpleasant statement to a romantic lover!But after listening to it, how ridiculous it would be to attempt an unrealistic intervention.This refers to the use of force to compel the count to realize that he has done a great wrong to the countess, who is unparalleled in mind and appearance, by calling her a dutiful girl, because this quality can also properly describe a woman. The dark farmer's daughter is a peasant girl who helps her father drive the cattle and plow the fields.And he also thought that the slander of her being ruled and directed by a stupid and romantic aunt should be swallowed by the detractor himself.Yet Count Krevig's stern, cheerful countenance, and his sheer contempt for the feelings that dominated Quentin's heart, daunted him.It was not the count's reputation for valor that he dreaded (which, on the contrary, stimulated his desire to challenge), but the jeering of a weapon that all zealots dreaded most.It exerts a kind of mastery over the minds of such men, and often prevents them from doing the absurd, but also prevents them from doing the noble. Since Davelt was afraid of being slighted rather than dissatisfied, he restrained himself and only replied vaguely that Ms. Hamelin had escaped from Thornwald Castle long before the siege began.It was inevitable that Isabelle, the aunt, and himself, the object of her absurd pursuit, should be exposed to a little ridicule in order to make the matter clear.To this inextricable episode he added that he had heard a rumor that Lady Hamelin had fallen to William H.Delamach, but has yet to be clarified. According to St. Lambert, I believe he will take her as his wife.Krevig said that he might as well have done it to get her purse, but that once he got it, at most until it was all spent, he was just as likely to hit her in the head and beat her to death. The count then asked many other questions, such as how the two ladies behaved on the journey, how close they were to Quentin himself, and other annoying details, so that the young man felt so ashamed that he could hardly pay attention to this gaze. The samurai and courtiers concealed their embarrassment.But luckily the earl suddenly wanted to leave his side, he said: Humph!I see things as I guess at least one side does.Maybe the other side is a little more sane.Mr. Retinue, you ride to the front.I'll go back and talk to Miss Isabel.I think I've learned enough from you to save me from hurting her, and possibly yours, by talking about these unfortunate experiences with her.Hey, handsome young man, wait a minute, I want to speak to you first.I think you have had a pleasant journey in fairyland and dreams, all full of heroic adventures, great hopes, and troubadour visions, as if in the nymph Morgana (Note: Celtic The legendary fairy, King Arthur's sister.)'s garden!Forget all that, young guard.He added, patting him on the shoulder, to remember that the lady was the Countess Croyer, and to stop thinking that she was still an adventurous vagabond.Her friends, at least one of whom I can vouch for, will only remember your services for her, and ignore the unreasonable rewards you ask for. Quentin was annoyed that he had not been able to hide from the piercing-eyed Krevig his inner feelings that he could mock.So he replied angrily: My lord count, if I need your advice, I will ask you for it.If I need you to help me, you can also calmly consider agreeing or declining.If I particularly value your opinion of me, it is not too late to say so later. Hey!Said the count, I am really caught between Amadeus and Oriana, and I must wait for your challenge to a duel. (Note:) Amadeus was a Spanish knight who was regarded as a model of the unswerving lover. You seem to say that this is impossible, said Quentin, but you know, when I duel with the Duke of Orleans, in the chest where my spear was aimed, there flows a nobler than you Krevig blood.When I meet Dunova, my opponent will be better than you in martial arts. God bless your judgment, young man, said Krevig, laughing at the chivalrous lover, if you are telling the truth, you are very lucky in this world.Truth be told, if it was God's pleasure to put you to that test when you were hairless, you'd be so proud before you were grown up.You can't make me angry, you can only make me happy.Believe me, though Fate may sometimes have a whim, and give you the honor to fight princes and nobles, and serve as guards for countesses, you must never be equal to whoever happens to be your opponent, or your traveling companion. .I can treat you as a young man who has heard too many romances and fancied himself a knight, let your imagination run wild for a while, but you must not be angry with a well-meaning friend, even if he shakes you a little rudely on the shoulder. You are sober. Lord Crevig, said Quentin, my family No, I don't mean exactly family, said the count, but rank, property, high position, and so on.These create insurmountable barriers among people of different classes.As for parentage, all people are descendants of Adam and Eve. My lord, said Quentin again, my ancestor, Davelt of Gran︱Hurajin Come on, said the count, if you can find for them an ancestor earlier than Adam, then I will convince you!goodbye. He returned to his horse and walked with the countess.The Mademoiselle was even more disgusted than Quentin by his hints and advice, though well-intentioned.As Quentin walked forward, he murmured to himself: Disrespectful, arrogant, cruel, self-important fool!I hope you'll find some other Scotch shooter pointing a musket at you some day, and don't spare you so easily as I do! In the evening they reached Charleroi on the Sambre.Count Krevig decided to keep Miss Isabel in this place.Because of the terror and fatigue she had experienced yesterday, plus the fact that she had traveled fifty miles early in the morning, and encountered various unpleasant feelings along the way, it would affect her health if she continued to move forward.The Count placed Isabel, who was extremely tired, into the care of the abbot of Cistercine at Charleroi.She was a noble woman, related to both the Krevigs and the Croyers, and he could therefore have complete confidence in her prudence and goodness. While staying in the city, Krevig instructed the commander of the Burgundian garrison stationed there to be vigilant.He also asked to be in Croyer.During Countess Isabel's stay, a guard of honor was sent to the convent as a guard, ostensibly to ensure her safety, but secretly it may be to prevent her from escaping.When the count told the defenders of the place to be vigilant, he only vaguely said that he had heard rumors of disturbances in the bishopric of Liege, but he had yet to be clarified.As for the news of the Liege mutiny and the bishop's death, with its grisly details, he had resolved to report it himself to Duke Charles, and to let him know first.Therefore, having changed horses for himself and his entourage, he ordered to set off at once, resolving to drive as far as Peron without stopping.He notified Quentin.Darwilt went with him, while he apologized sarcastically that he had had to break up a couple, but hoped that a loyal squire of the ladies like himself would find it better to walk in the moonlight than to sleep like a common man Much more enjoyable. It was painful enough for Quentin to think that he had to part with Isabel, and to hear his sarcasm made him want to challenge him angrily.But he knew that the Earl would only laugh at his wrath and scorn his challenge, so he resolved to wait for some time in the future when he would find an opportunity to exact vengeance upon the proud nobleman.He did feel, though for very different reasons, that he was almost as odious as the Ardennes boar.In the end, he had no choice but to agree to Krevig's order to complete the journey between Charleroi and Peron as quickly as possible with him.