Manuel had just found out that was to set off once again, this time to the court of the great sultan of Rum. What he had to bring from there was a holy rose whose petals once touched always compelled people to tell the truth. But this flower was heavily guarded and there were not many who would dare to venture and take it from the place where it lay?
Yet, again, Manuel put aside all fears and rode across the mountains until one day he arrived at the gates of the sultan’s city, which he entered pretending to be a Persian a merchant.
When night fell Manuel struggled to
find a way inside the palace, but everywhere he looked heavily armed guards
were watching it from high up on the stone walls. A silver crescent moon then
rose up a brightened the darkness, making Manuel’s quest even harder.
But then, out of nowhere, the blows of
a thousand horns shook the midnight air. A great host of soldiers coming with
their emperor from Constantinople surrounded the city and started wreaking
panic among its people. How was it that such a great army had passed unobserved
by their scouts, no one understood? But now it was too late. The city had to
defend itself. In the confusion that followed, many of the sultan’s guards left
the palace to go fight on the walls. It was then that the mysterious sight
Manuel had acquired when he sacrificed his eye led him to a small door behind
the palace. It their frenzy, some of the guards who rushed out through it had
left it open. Manuel entered that door and walked around a palace he had never
seen, knowing its every corner, its every hallway, and its every room. This is
how, unseen by anyone, Manuel found the holy rose hidden in a lavish inner
court with its pillars, and arches, and four whispering marble fountains. Under
the light of the moon the turmoil of the fight subsided in the distance. All
Manuel could hear now were a few crickets and the lazy trickling of those
fountains. The rose stood in the middle, surrounded by its thorny wreathing
bush. It had only one majestic, glowing bloom right in the heart of all those
entwined branches. To get to it, Manuel had to pass through its sharp thorns
who scratched and stung him without mercy. Ah Manuel, why was it that right
here your second sight had to fail you?
The boy picked the flower and hid it in
his shirt. He then got out of the palace the same way he got in and, eluding
both armies, he climbed down the city walls, stole a horse and rode way back to
Antioch.
Once he crossed his city’s gates he went to Isabella and gave her the rose. It was a beautiful summer morning. The girl gazed at her charming Manuel and, ignoring everyone around, she embraced the boy. But only a few seconds after a terrible shiver took over Manuel, throwing him to the ground. A thick, white foam started to pour from his mouth and the youth coiled in pain. With a desperate grimace, he looked for one last time at Isabella and screamed her name, then, after some excruciating five minutes he died killed by the holy rose’s poisoned thorns. That had been the real secret behind the great sultan’s rose safety.
Odată căsătoriți,
dragostea celor doi tineri a devenit și mai puternică. Bucurându-se de
confortul curții regale, viețile lor erau senine și pașnice precum o nesfârșită
zi de vară. Din zori până în seară, prin strălucitoarele săli de marmoră și
prin grădinile ascunse ale palatului răsunau cântece, râsete și strigăte de veselie.
Dar fericirea durează la fel de puțin ca aripile unei furnici, iar cât timp cei
doi își celebrau iubirea spre încântarea regelui și-a întregii curți, ascunsă
în întuneric era o pereche de ochi reci și frumoși, care pătrunsă de gelozie și
poftă trupească îi pândea necontenit.
Apoi, într-o zi,
prințesa se duse împreună cu suita ei în piața orașului, dorind să-și cumpere cele
mai frumoase rânduri de haine, lăsându-l pe Manuel de unul singur la palat.
Neliniștit, tânărul așteptă reîntoarcerea iubitei. Când, după nenumărate
ceasuri, nu primi nici o veste din partea ei, fu cât pe ce să fugă din palat și
să o caute.
Apoi, dintr-o
dată, în față-i apăru un servitor și-i porunci să-l urmeze în încăperile
reginei. Odată ajuns, Manuel se trezi într-un loc de o rară frumusețe și
bogăție.
Înconjurate de o lumină roșie, din tavan
atârnau perdele de mătase transparentă și lămpi strălucitoare de argint. Peste
tot în obscuritatea acelor cămări se întrezăreau siluetele aproape ireale ale
statuilor, stâlpilor de porfir și neprețuitelor mobile ce le împodobeau. Uimit,
Manuel privi în jur și observă că servitorul dispăruse. O tăcere neplăcută îl
cuprinse și auzi o voce blândă ce-i spuse:
”Suntem doar noi
doi aici. M-am îngrijit ca Isabela să nu se întoarcă la palat până la căderea
soarelui. Fii fără teamă, dragul meu. Avem tot timpul din lume.”
„Ce se petrece?” întrebă
Manuel în timp ce inima începu să-i bată cu putere.
Apoi, de pe o
canapea din spatele vaporoaselor perdele de mătase văzu cum se ridică, apropiindu-se
de el, o femeie complet dezbrăcată. Era însăși regina. Trupul îi era alb ca
laptele și ochii ei, foarte asemănători cu cei ai Isabelei, îl străpunseră pe
Manuel ca niște spini, făcându-l să tremure.
Constanța era o
femei demnă de renumele ei. Frumusețea ei, mereu ascunsă sub veșmintele pe care
le purta la curte, era acum dezvăluită în toată splendoarea. Dumnezeu o
înzestrase cu cele mai frumoase daruri ale feminității. În ochii sărmanului
băiat se părea că aceste farmece le întreceau până și pe cele ale Isabelei.
”Regina mea, ceea
ce îmi arătați aici este deopotrivă necugetat și păcătos. Iubirea mea pentru
Isabela este la fel de puternică precum a fost dintotdeauna și nu am loc pentru
o altă femeie în inima mea,” șopti tânărul bărbat.
Dar Constanța îl
sărută nepăsătoare, atingându-l cu priceperea unei femei ce stăpânea toate
secretele amorului, spunându-i:
”Nu mai vorbi despre
iubire până nu vei gusta și din fructul meu.”
Și de îndată ce se
încredință cu tărie că tânărul fusese biruit de farmecele ei, încercă să facă
dragoste cu el. Dar Manuel o refuză cu hotărâre împingând-o și fugind din
preajma ei. De atunci încolo el nu i-a mai vorbit reginei și nu i-a mai aruncat
nici măcar o privire..
Umilită, regina acum
se gândea la împrejurarea în care se afla. Dacă Manuel ar fi destăinuit ceva
despre cele întâmplate ar fi fost nimicită. Numaidecât, își trimisese iscoadele
pe urma lui pentru a-l face să vadă cine avea cu adevărat puterea la curte. Dar
Manuel nu a pomenit nimănui nimic din cele petrecute în iatacul reginei. Te
temea că poate și el fusese oarecum vinovat și nu voia să o mâhnească pe
Isabela, făcând-o să-l bănuiască de vreo infidelitate.
Chiar și așa, mândria reginei fusese rănită. Cuprinsă de mânie, aceasta voia răzbunare. Soarta lui Manuel era pecetluită.
Once married, Manuel and Isabela’s love grew even stronger. Enjoying all the comfort of the royal court their lives were as calm and blissful as an endless summer day. From dawn till dusk the shiny marble halls and the hidden gardens of the palace echoed with music, cheers and laughter. But happiness is as short lived as an ant’s wings, and while the lovers praised their beautiful life to the delight of the king and all his subjects, a pair of cold, beautiful eyes, teeming with jealousy and yearning, was constantly spying them from the shadows.
Then, one day, it so
happened that the princess wanted to go with her maids at the city’s market and
buy new garments for herself, leaving Manuel alone in the palace. The restless
youth waited for his lover’s return, but after many hours there was still no
news from her. Fearing for her safety Manuel prepared to run and join her at
the market when a servant came and asked the boy to follow him to the queen’s
apartment. Once arrived, Manuel found himself in a place of unparalleled wealth
and beauty. Drapes of transparent silk and shiny silver lamps came down from
the ceiling surrounded by a dim red light. All over those obscure rooms were
pale silhouettes of statues, of slim porphyry pillars and of priceless pieces
of furniture. Dumbfounded, Manuel looked around. The servant was gone. An
uneasy stillness engulfed the lonely youth. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice:
“There is no one here
but you and me. I made sure that Isabella won’t be back till late in the
evening. Don’t be afraid my beloved; we have all the time in the world.”
“What is going on?” asked
Manuel while his heart was throbbing.
Then, from a sofa,
behind the soft drapes of silk he saw a naked woman approaching. It was none
other than the queen herself. Her body was as white as milk and her eyes, much
like those of her daughter’s, pierced Manuel’s chest, making him shiver.
Constance was a woman worthy of her reputation. Her beauty, always incarcerated
by the many layers of clothing, was now completely exposed. There was no charm
that God had spared her body of. In poor Manuel’s eyes she seemed to outshine even
his beloved Isabella.
“My queen, what you
are showing me is both reckless and sinful. My love for Isabella is as strong
as ever and there is no room left for another woman in my heart,” the young man
whispered.
But Constance kissed Manuel
and touched him with the skills of a woman well accustomed with the art of
earthly pleasures and said:
“There will be no
talk of love until you try the fruit I have to offer.”
And once she got the youth’s
solid confirmation that her charms had vanquished him, she tried to make love
to him.
But Manuel downright
refused and pushed her away. He then left her apartment never to return, never
to talk to her, never to look her in the eyes.
The insulted queen shook
with rage and gazed at her situation. If, by any chance Manuel divulged her
desire for him she would be lost. From then on, she sent her spies to watch the
boy relentlessly, reminding him of the ever-looming threat that now hanged
above his head. But Manuel kept quiet. He feared too much he had somehow been responsible
for all that happened, and he didn’t want to raise any doubts about his
fidelity to Isabella.
But it was too late, the queen’s pride had been tattered; her fury had been unleashed. She wanted revenge. Manuel’s fate was sealed.
D’où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous Paul Gaugin 1897-1898 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Source: Wikipedia
“What is the highest good in all matters of action? To the name, there is almost complete agreement; for uneducated and educated alike call it happiness, and make happiness identical with the good life and successful living. They disagree, however, about the meaning of happiness.” Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Although one couldn’t blame our language and our knowledge for lack of depth, our efforts to define lifeare still far from satisfying. An even tougher question arises when we try to understand life’s meaning.
What is this force that sets us in motion giving us a purpose, governing us throughout our entire existence? Is it just rationalized instinct? Is it a collection of arbitrary values that tend to vary throughout time, from one age to another, from one individual to another? Is it yet another form of filling the void of our mortal condition? Yes, yes, and yes…
Whether as a cause or as an effect, the meaningof life is quintessential to all our actions, thoughts and creative impulses. It is the alpha and the omega of all our stories and of all our songs, of everything we struggle to achieve in just a few decades we have on Earth.
A simpler form of existence doesn’t need purpose it relies on its organic drive to feed itself, to grow and to procreate. But once neurons jump into the equation, they start wandering and wondering. And this adventure leads these otherwise astounding cells (so well equipped for problem-solving) to the uncharted territories where they either get lost or hit unsurpassable walls. Life’s purpose is just one of those nebulas (as it is God, the life beyond and so on).
Now, is it worth to think about our life’s meaning or
should we just push forward focusing on our daily objectives? I guess it’s up
to each of us but knowing that we are alive doesn’t make much sense without knowing
why we are alive for. And I am sure that everyone has had at least one moment
when this question popped up into his or her mind.
Today’s society highlights success. Many great minds talked about creativity. Both happiness and death were always on the table. I wouldn’t know what the right answer is, but I consider life to be an ever-expanding phaenomenon that circumscribes us all, an ever-growing personal and collective lesson, one that we are bound to go through and one that we should try to share to those around us and to those that will follow.
După ce Isabela își recăpătă puterile, regele îl chemă pe Manuel la curte
dorind să îl încoroneze și să cârmuiască regatul împreună. Dar Manuel refuză
coroana, spunându-le tuturor celor prezenți că singurul motiv pentru care se
aventurase să o salveze pe prințesă era pentru că nu putuse îndura să o știe prinsă
în ghearele acelor ticăloși și că tot ce își dorea acum era veșnica ei
prietenie. Recunoscătoare, Isabella sări de pe tronul său și cu ochii în
lacrimi îl îmbrățișă pe frumosul grec. Însă parfumul băiatului și trupul lui
zvelt și fierbinte o zăpăciră și o fermecară. Fata îți opri plânsetul și,
uimită, se uită cu îndrăzneală în ochii celui pe care îl strângea în brațe.
Abia acum observă că salvatorul ei era un tânăr de o rară frumusețe. Isabela
roși. Recunoștința ei se preschimbă în dorință, iar după ce-și reveni, îl
imploră numaidecât pe tatăl ei să-i îngăduie lui Manuel să stea cu ei la curte.
Înțeleptul regele încuviință cererea fiicei sale. La fel făcu și Manuel, care
în taină o iubea pe Isabela. Încă de mult
timp o urmărise peste tot pe unde se ducea alături de suita ei, visându-i părul
cel lung și auriu, buzele ei dulci și ochii ei albaștri. Dar în acea zi
cumplită când fata fusese răpită el fusese plecat în Damasc, grijindu-se de
negoțul familiei sale. Niciodată nu-și putut ierta acea nefericită întâmplare. Zi
și noapte se chinui, plânse și se zbătu cum să facă și să dea de ea. Nimeni nu
i-a înțeles zbuciumul, iar el nu-l împărtăși nimănui. Dar a fost tocmai acea iubire care fremătă atât de
puternic în inima lui a fost cea care-i dădu curajul să o salveze.
Și odată ce înțelegerea a fost făcută, Manuel se mută la palat fiind de nedespărțit de frumoasa lui fecioară. Niciodată nu fusese mai fericit. Până într-o zi când un fermecător cavaler se apropie de prințesă, copleșind-o cu vorbele lui dulci. Și-n timp ce aceștia se conversau toți cei aflați în preajmă văzură cum Manuel începu să tremure, chipul i se învineți și ochii îi ardeau de mânie. În noaptea ce a urmat, tânărul zdruncinat intră în iatacul Isabelei trezind-o și mărturisindu-și iubirea pe care o avea pentru ea. Răbdătoare, prințesa îl lăsă să-și verse suferința, iar după ce băiatul se opri îl sărută pe grumaz, apoi obraz și apoi pe gură. Ce a urmat cuvintele mele nu vă pot destăinui, dar o lună mai târziu cei doi s-au căsătorit, aducând nădejde și bucuria peste întreaga cetate.
After the princess regained her
strength, the king summoned Manuel at the court to crown the youth and have him
rule by his side. But Manuel declined the offer and told everyone that the only
reason he had ventured to save Isabella was because he couldn’t bear knowing
that she was in the grasp of those evil men and that the only thing he asked
for was her everlasting friendship. The grateful Isabella jumped from her
throne and embraced the handsome Greek, her tears rolling from her eyes like
waterfalls. Then, a strange thing happened. The boy’s perfume and his slender,
warm body mystified the princess. She stopped weeping and, amazed, boldly
looked him in the eyes. Just now she had realised that her saviour’s beauty was
like nothing she had ever seen before. Isabella blushed. Her gratitude turned
into desire and once she recovered, she asked Bohemond to invite Manuel to join
them at the court. The insightful king agreed and so did Manuel, who was
secretly in love with the girl. He had been watching her for many months from a
distance, following her wherever she was going, dreaming of her wonderful long,
golden hair, her sweet lips, and her deep blue eyes. But on that dreadful day
when she was captured, he was in Damascus to take care of his family business.
He never forgave himself that mischance. Day and night, he fretted, he cried,
and he struggled to find her. No one understood his commotions and he never
shared his sorrow. Yet, it was this love he carried in his heart, that gave him
all the courage he needed to finally venture out and rescue her.
And so, Manuel
moved into the palace and never left Isabella from his sight. He was the happiest
man alive until one day when a young, bashful knight approached the princess
and overwhelmed her with gallantries. While the two of them were talking
everyone noticed how Manuel started to shiver, his face turned purple, and his
eyes were burning with rage. The coming night the tormented Manuel entered
Isabella’s chamber, woke her up, and confessed his unwavering love for her.
Isabella let him pour all his feelings out
and when the boy finished with his ingenuous drivel, the princess smiled and
kissed him on the neck, then on the cheeks, then on the mouth… What happened
next my words will not reveal, but one month after Manuel and Isabella married,
bringing hope and joy to the entire city.
Bohemond le-a vorbit oamenilor, cerându-le tuturor bărbaților cetății să pornească în
căutarea fiicei sale, iar cel care avea să o aducă înapoi nevătămată va conduce
regatul alături de el, împărțind toată puterea și privilegiile unui rege.
Astfel ademeniți, mulți dintre bărbați
și-au pus șeile pe cai și s-au împrăștiat prin tot regatul, căutând în lung
și-n lat. Timp de zece zile ei s-au urcat pe vârfurile munților, au coborât în
cele mai adânci ponoare, dar nu au găsit-o pe Isabela. Iar când s-au înturnat
cu mâinile goale, regele a știut că venise timpul să ia o hotărâre. La porunca
lui toate clopotele bisericilor au bătut o noapte întreagă și multe rugăciuni au
fost înălțate la cer în speranța unei minuni.
Minunea însă nu a avut loc, dar în următoarea
zi, în timp ce regele stătea întins pe un pat într-una din grădinile interioare
ale minunatului său palat alături de regina lui care-i mângâia fruntea și
barba, un fecior cu părul negru și sprâncene groase veni să-l vadă. Ochii lui
mari și verzi străluceau ca cele mai rafinate smaralde, buzele lui cărnoase
rosteau cele mai blânde cuvinte. Îl chema Manuel și era fiul unei grecoaice
foarte bogate, ai cărei strămoși își legaseră numele de însăși fondarea
Antiohiei. Manuel îngenunche în fața perechii regești jurându-le că o va
returna pe preaiubita lor fată. Apoi, fără să aștepte vreun răspuns din partea
regelui băiatul a țâșnit afară din palat, fugind la casa mamei lui și
implorând-o să-i împrumute cele mai de preț bijuterii pe care le avea. Femeia
și ceilalți fii ai ei, aflând ce voia să facă, au încercat să-l facă pe băiat
să renunțe la planul lui necugetat, dar Manuel nu-i ascultă. Într-un sfârșit,
copleșită de rugămințile lui, văduva a cedat și i-a dat fiului ei un sac plic
cu mărgăritare, rubine, safire și multe brățări și cercei de aur. Sfidând privirile
nemulțumite de pe fețele fraților lui, tânărul a pornit în căutarea Isabelei,
dar nu înainte de a afla de la iscoada ce-l urmărise pe acel mesager jerpelit
de veni la curte, unde anume îi pierduse urma. Călări astfel înspre acel loc și
odată ajuns a început să vorbească în gura mare, vorbindu-i roibului și lăudându-se
pentru furtul unei comori pe care tocmai o șterpeli din casa unei bătrâne
văduve din Damasc. Astfel a pătruns mai adânc prin acele chei, făcând larmă și
râzând pe seama faptei sale când dintr-o dată fu înconjurat de o ceată de
tâlhari ce-l cercetau bănuitori. Viața băiatului ar fi trebuit să se termine
atunci și acolo, dar Manuel le vorbi tâlharilor, dându-le în dar toată prada
lui și cerându-le să-l ducă la căpetenia lor deoarece dorea să se alăture
bandei lui. Văzu un bătrân ponosit ce veni șchiopătând înspre el. Acesta îl
prinse pe Manuel mână și-l privi lung, parcă uimit de frumusețea băiatului.
Apoi i-a vorbit lui Manuel, dându-se drept regele hoților, cel care în curând
avea să fie și rege al întregii Antiohii, deoarece în numai câteva zile avea să
se înfățișeze din nou regelui Bohemond, pretinzând a fi unul dintre slujitorii
lui și cerând tronul regatului pentru el însuși, temutul tâlhar Două-Cuțite.
Iată cât sunt de miraculoase sunt
puterile frumuseții! Datorită chipului său încântător Manuel aflase că cel care
îl căută pe Bohemond în cetate, amăgindu-l pe rege, era tocmai Două-Cuțite.
Băiatul mai înțelesese că bătrânul avea o slăbiciune pentru bărbații tineri și
astfel a căutat să se folosească cât putea de mult de neașteptata împrejurare
ivită știind că în acest fel calea sa spre Isabela nu mai avea nici un fel de
opreliști. Arătându-se încântat de avansurile ticălosului, Manuel a trecut prin
labirintul de stânci și poteci înguste al muntelui Aman, încercând să țină
minte orice amănunt care l-ar fi putut ajuta la întoarcere. Când în sfârșit au
ajuns la peștera tâlharilor, băiatul o zări pe frumoasa Isabela prinsă în
lanțuri și împrejmuită de zece tâlhari puternici, de haita lor de câini
sălbatici, și de nenumărate comori. Inima tânărului pătimea pentru suferințele
Isabelei, dar și-a ascuns durerea sub un zâmbet rece, străduindu-se să afle o
cale să o scape de acolo.
Izbăvirea veni tocmai din partea regelui tâlharilor.
Sângele bătrânului fierbea de dorință pentru Manuel. Străduindu-se în fel și
chip să-i facă pe plac noului său acolit tâlharul îi istorisea băiatului despre
faptele sale de vitejie și cumplita vărsare de sânge pe care mereu a lăsat-o în
urma sa. Apoi, văzându-l că se apropia
tot mai mult de el, șiretul tânăr îi ceru lui Două-Cuțite să sărbătorească buna
lor înțelegere stropind-o cu niște vin. Ațâțat de frumusețea feciorului și
peste măsură de bucuros, așa-zisul rege al tâlharilor a poruncit să fie adus
cel mai întunecat, mai vechi și mai puternic vin armenesc pe care îl ținea în fundul
peșterii sale, la răcoare. După un ospăț strașnic și multe cupe de vin, toți
tâlharii și căpetenia lor se îmbătară strașnic adormind unul câte unul, până
când nici unul nu mai rămăsese în picioare. Dar tânărul Manuel, aținându-se ce
la acea destrăbălare și plin de obidă față de acei ticăloși s-a ridicat cu
curaj și, luând o sabie, i-a tăiat în bucăți pe toți bețivanii aceia
neputincioși. Trezit de o durere pătrunzătoare, Două-cuțite îl zări pe frumosul
băiat cu fața toată mânjită de sânge cum sta aplecat peste el înfigându-i sabia
adânc în inima lui bătrână și blestemată. Și acela a fost sfârșitul regelui
tâlharilor.
Apoi Manuel a omorât toți câinii aceia
sălbatici care o păzeau pe Isabela și eliberând-o din lanțuri, o luă pe sărmana
fată înspăimântată și ,gonind pe roibul său în lumina lunii, a dus-o pe fată în
siguranța palatul părintesc.
Bohemond spoke to his subjects, asking
the men in his city to go and find his daughter and the one who would bring her
back unharmed would rule by his side sharing all the power and the privileges of
a king.
Lured by such a prospect, many men saddled
their horsed and scattered all over the land, searching far and wide. And for
ten days or so they climbed on the top of the mountains and they went down the
deepest ravines, but no one could find Isabella. Thus, when they all returned
empty handed the king knew that the time was near for him to take a decision.
At his request all the churches bells rang through the night, and many prayers
were sent to heaven in hope of a last wonder.
The wonder never came, but on the next
day day as the king lay on a bed inside one of his palace’s beautiful inner
gardens in the company of the queen, who caressed his forehead and his beard, a
boy with dark hair and thick eyebrows came to see him. His big green eyes shone
like the most exquisite emeralds; his full lips uttered the kindest words. The
youth’s name was Manuel and he was the son of a very rich Greek woman, whose
ancestors could be traced back to the origins of Antioch itself. Manuel kneeled
in front of the royal couple and swore to return their beloved daughter. Then,
without even waiting for an answer from his king he dashed out of the palace
and rushed to his mother’s house begging her to lend him her most precious
jewels. After they found out what he was up to the woman and her other sons tried
to dissuade him from going further with his reckless plan, but Manuel wouldn’t
listen. Finally, overcome by his pleadings the widow surrendered and gave her
son her a bag full of pearls, rubies, sapphires, and many golden bracelets and
earrings. Defying the displeased look on his brothers’ faces Manuel left to
look for Isabella but not before he had enquired the scout who followed the
coarse messenger to tell him where exactly he had lost that man. After that, he
rode to that place and once he arrived, he started to shout out loud, as if
talking to his horse, boasting about the incredible treasure he had just stolen
from an old widow’s house in Damascus. And so, he went deeper inside the gorges
shouting and laughing about his deed, when suddenly, a bunch of brigands surrounded
Manuel looking at him with distrust. The boy’s life should have
ended on that spot, but Manuel addressed the thieves, offering them his entire
loot and asking them to take him to their leader for he wanted to join their gang.
Then, a rugged old fellow came galumphing towards him, he grabbed Manuel by the
hand and looked at him as if amazed by the boy’s beauty. The old man spoke to
Manuel, presenting himself as the king of the thieves who will soon be king of
whole Antioch, for in just a few days he would again meet Bohemond, pretending to
be one of his own servants and claim the throne for himself, the one and only
Two-Blades.
Who would have guessed what the wonders
of beauty can achieve? It was through mere physical charm that Manuel found out
that the messenger that came to visit Bohemond in the city, deceiving the king
and the court, was none other than Two-Blades himself. He also became aware
that the old man had a weakness for young men and he quickly sought to take
advantage of this unexpected development knowing that his passage towards
Isabella was now unhindered. By showing interest in the old thief’s advances,
Manuel made his way through the labyrinth of rocks and narrow paths of Mount
Amanus, trying to remember every detail that could help him on his way back.
When finally, they reached the brigand’s cave, the boy saw the beautiful Isabella
held in chains and surrounded by ten strong thieves, by a pack of wild dogs,
and by countless stolen treasures. The young’s man heart ached for Isabella’s
misery, but ne concealed his pain with a cold smile, trying to find a way to
get her out of there.
The relief came from the king of the thieves
himself. The old man’s blood boiled with infatuation for Manuel and he looked
for ways to please his new follower, telling him stories about his incredible
feats and the terrible tail of bloodshed he had always left behind. Then, as he
drew nearer and nearer to Manuel, the cunning youth asked Two-Blades to celebrate
their partnership and drink some wine. Aroused and delighted the so-called king
of thieves asked for the darkest, oldest, fullest Armenian wine he kept deep
inside the cave. After a great feast and many rounds of wine all those infamous
brigands and their leader got drunk falling asleep one by one, until none of
them was left standing.
As
soon as that happened, young Manuel who abstained himself from all that debauchery,
immediately took a sword, cut the powerless drunkards into pieces. As for Two-Blades,
awoken by a sharp pain he saw the handsome boy’s face all smeared with blood as
Manuel leaned over him thrusting the sword deep inside his chest. That was the end
of the king of thieves.
Manuel then slew all the brigand’s wild
dogs that were guarding Isabela, freed her from her chains and took the horror-stricken
girl on his horseback, riding under the clear moon light until they reached the
safety of Bohemond’s palace.
King Bohemond of Antioch ruled over a
city of a rare beauty and wealth whose high towers and thick walls surrounded some
of the most grandiose and luxurious palaces and houses in the Levant. Countless
merchants laden with spices, silk, gemstones, and incenses poured through this
this city’s gates coming from all over the world, filling the dusty markets and
using all their skills to increase their fortunes. Along its promenades walked
beautiful young ladies and their admirers, while in its lavish gardens among
the many palm trees, the white statues of ancient gods, and the spluttering
fountains, scholars and their students debated in the cool shade about
everything there was in heaven and on earth. And then there were the churches.
Rising in the Eastern sky, these were shinning from the myriads of golden
mosaics and icons set with precious stones that covered their inner walls. In
the middle of all these wonders lay the great palace of the king, a maze of
marbles of all colours and textures, standing on lofty columns and wide arches.
Had there been a place on Earth where angels would have descended, a place
fitting for their glory, this place was Antioch.
As for Bohemond, he was a wise, generous,
and just ruler who long forgot the sins of his youth and the many struggles
that put him on the throne. Now, in his later days he shared his power with his
younger wife, a graceful and proud woman who he once he met in Jerusalem when
she came from France sailing across the wide sea to see the holy places the
crusaders had conquered. Her name was Constance and she bore the king only one
child, a daughter who grew up to become the most beautiful maiden in the
kingdom. Named Isabella, tales of her charm spread everywhere, inspiring poets,
kindling hearts and stirring envy.
Alas, not long after Isabella had
turned sixteen, one day when she was strolling with her suite along the riverbanks
just outside the city walls, a gang of thieves came out of nowhere slaying her
servants and taking the lovely king’s daughter in some God forsaken hideout. When
Bohemond found out that he lost his most precious treasure, he sent many scouts
and many envoys to bring her back, but none could find her.
Then, one evening, a strange and ugly
fellow with rotten teeth came to the king’s court with a
message. He told Bohemond and his wife that for the time being their daughter
was safe and sound and that she was being held prisoner by a cruel brigand and
his pack of followers, who would gladly return her to her parents if Bohemond would agree to hand over his city and
all his treasures to them by the next full moon, in three weeks’ time. If he
refused, a terrible death would await poor Isabella. The scoundrel’s nickname
was Two-Blades, and everyone knew him as a man of his word. And to prove he was
telling the truth the messenger gave the king one of Isabella’s rings and a
lock from her blonde hair. The messenger also promised the king to return in
due time hear his decision and settle the bargain.
The king was burning with fury, but he
nevertheless let the messenger go and immediately after he sent a scout on that
haggard man’s tail. However, as cunning as the scout was, he lost the thief somewhere
deep inside the writhing gorges of Mount Amanus, which stretched North of
Antioch.
A proud warrior, the king refused to
surrender to those wretched people either his crown or his daughter and
abandoned himself to days and nights of thought and prayer. After a while, when
he re-emerged all pale and weakened by sorrow, he spoke to his subjects…
