Dark Age Maiden

From bed, she tries to save him

        Uberto said nothing. He heard the horn sound the end of the mock battle. Gathering Carina in his arms he carried her toward the fortress where he saw Antonia and Tiberio’s sister, Dora. “She was hurt in the battle,” he told them. They looked anxiously down at her.

         “I think it is only bruises,” Carina said. “Uberto, let me down.”

       Uberto set her down gently and she fell immediately to her knees. Antonia and Dora bent down to help her get up and with their assistance Carina slowly rose to her feet. He watched her walk unsteadily with the help of the two women toward the doorway of the fortress. He stood there in the courtyard until the three of them went inside and the door closed.

        Uberto entered the stronghold himself and bypassed the great hall. Already, the round tables were filling up with knights who were cheerily lifting their wine filled mugs after the tumultuous events of the day. He went to his room, glad to be alone, and thought about what had happened. The defenses had held well, until Giancarlo had his ingenious idea of using the pikes for ladders and thus scaling the stockade. With the reduced numbers inside there had not been enough manpower left to resist the large scale attack.

        His thoughts turned to Carina. He hoped she was not badly hurt. He did not understand her. What dogged obstinacy had led her to continue the fight with him, even after she was hurt, until he had to strike her so hard she could barely get up? And why did he do it? Was reaching the gate to let the attackers in so important to him?

        He ended up blaming himself. It was his anger at her choosing Giancarlo that made him furious enough to harm her. God! He hoped he had not caused her internal bleeding or other injuries. He bowed his head and pounded his fist on the wall.

        She had every right to choose whom she wanted, whom her father wanted her to marry. What woman, realistically, who had the chance to wed a count would even consider him? He wanted to tell her he was sorry. Somehow, he wanted to tell her he was glad they had been friends. But he didn’t think he would ever be able to say those things. Someday, he might get over her and find someone else. Someday.

        Carina was not feeling at all well. Antonia and Dora had helped her undress and put salve on her wounds.  They also had to twice clean up her vomit. Then they had sponge bathed her, added more poultice to her wounds and dressed her in a fresh under tunic. Fortunately, there had only been two cuts, neither of them deep, but the places where he hit her were severely black and blue. Carina’s father had already been there and when he heard the story of how it happened he had admonished her. Why had she not stepped away from Uberto? He left her room shaking his head.

        There came an insistent knock on the door. Dora opened it and Giancarlo strode in. He went immediately to Carina’s bed and knelt down beside her. “How do you feel?” he asked.

        “Not well but maybe a little better than before.”

        “Is it true that Uberto did this to you?” he asked with barely restrained fury.

      Carina suddenly became fully awake. She realized the importance of her answer to Giancarlo. “It was my fault.”

        For a moment, Giancarlo said nothing as he looked at her. Then, in a voice seething with anger he said, “No one causes such injuries to themselves. A man who harms my espoused is a man who dies.”

        “No, Giancarlo!” said Carina, shocked at his words. She grabbed his hand and painfully tried to sit up. “He told me to step aside because he didn’t want to hurt me. When I wouldn’t he thrust at me knocking me down, but I was not hurt. I should have stayed down because he had slain me by the rules of the battle. Instead I got up and hit him hard on the leg, making him fall. He wanted to open the gate for your men, but I wouldn’t let him. It was only then, when nothing else would move me, that he knocked me down with his sword. Don’t you see, Giancarlo, it was all my fault.”

        Giancarlo listened to her quickly spoken words but they seemed not to matter to him. It was as if he hadn’t heard. He said to her, “I hope by the Lord Almighty you will be spared any permanent injury” Then, bending to her he kissed her. “Rest Carina. You need to lie still so your body can heal.”

        Carina, her fear for Uberto now set at ease, laid fully back on the bed. She managed a weak smile for Giancarlo. She felt overwhelmingly tired. She opened her eyes fully, trying hard to stay awake, but then closed them again.

        Giancarlo saw she was falling asleep. With a nod to Dora and Antonia, he walked purposefully out of the room.

          “He is a great and wonderful count,” said Dora, who as long as she had known him had been impressed by Giancarlo.

     “Yes,” echoed Antonia, though with not quite the same enthusiasm. “I think sleep is the best thing for Carina now. She will be terribly sore when she wakens. I have to leave now to nurse my baby. Till tomorrow, Dora. Pray to God she will be alright.”

        Giancarlo’s rage quickly returned as soon as he left Carina. He went to the great hall and angrily called out Uberto’s name. All conversation stopped at the power and invective in his voice. Uberto was not there, however, and Giancarlo left the hall to go to Uberto’s room. He pushed in the door and saw him sitting on the bed with his head lowered.

        “Uberto!” he yelled, his hand gripping the handle of his sword.

         Uberto stood up and faced him. He saw the menace in his eyes. His sword hung on the wall, out of his immediate reach.

        “I should kill you immediately like I would kill a mad dog.”

        “I did not want to hurt her, Giancarlo,” spoke Uberto. “I told her to fall down as if struck and I would not touch her.”

        Giancarlo motioned to the sword on the wall. “Get your weapon and meet me by the gate. Since you are now a knight, I will give you a chance to save your life.” He turned and immediately left the room.

        Uberto was not afraid to die, but to do so for an emotional female whom he happened to love was crazy. He would attempt to convince Giancarlo if he could that she was the one to blame for not stepping aside rather than continuing to fight even after she had been struck. He took his sword off the hook on the wall and removed it from its scabbard. Leaving the room he went to meet Giancarlo.

        “Aha, you come at last,” said Giancarlo. “For a moment I thought you were afraid to fight.”

        “My choice is not to cross swords. If you had seen her blocking my way, refusing to back down even though I told her to, perhaps then you would understand.”

        “I understand you are a blackguard who dares to strike a lady who has given her hand to another.”

        “I have accepted her choice. It is hers to make.”

        “Enough! I have heard enough talk. Prepare to die!”

Coming, a battle--with real swords. Who will win? Thank you, honored readers, for your reads and votes.