Chapter 65 Honor and Bravery
The quarters of the comon servants.
Yegor and Gunther opened the doors to free the maids. They found more than one who had been beaten and abused. The older maids helped Francisco and Frieder by stopping their bleeding and bandaging their wounds. Marco and Antonio moved Leandro and Jaime to a corner of the passageway. The maids attended to them as well. One looked at the wounds of Leandro and Jaime.
She shook her head and whispered: They will need the sisters soon.
Yegor found his mother and hugged her tightly: I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry.
Raisa kissed her son on the forehead: No, no, my brave son. You saved me and the others too. You are brave and strong, just like your father.
Gunther sounded more sure of himself than ever before: We need to find help for Frieder and Paco. And these women cannot stay here. We need to find a safe place for all of them.
Antonio agreed: Yes, we can take them to my lady. She will protect them. She is a kind woman and fierce. Gunther, can you guide the whole group to the tower through the same corridors?
Gunther: Of course. But I need to help Frieder. He needs me to walk.
Antonio: I can help Frieder walk, or some of the maids can help him. Yegor, can you help Paco?
Raisa: I think the young man needs to be carried.
Marco quietly: I can carry him to the tower.
Antonio looked at him seriously: You fulfilled your promise with honor and bravery. You know where the outside door is. Nothing further is needed from you.
Yegor: Yes, I think I can carry him with some help from my mother.
Marco: Boys, bugger your honor and bugger your bravery. The corridor is long. I carry people every day.
Raisa helped them to gather everyone together and Gunther led them through a narrow passageway used by servants who emptied and cleaned chamber pots. Marco followed them with Francisco in his arms, and Frieder walked with the help of Yegor and Raisa. Seven older maids and twenty-two younger ones formed a line behind them, and Antonio walked at the back watch for any problems. When ten bells of the night rang, Gunther emerged from a door near the entrance to the main hall in front of some royal guards.
Gunther excitedly: We need help. They are wounded. Find High Priest Danilo and Lady Tatiana.
Guard gruffly: What happened?
Gunther looked at him sternly: Find the lady and the priest! Move or be damned!
The guards saw the banner on his vest, the two wounded men, and many maidens with bruises and torn clothes. The commander snapped his fingers, and a guard ran towards the stairs and to the chambers of the Count of Arms.
The royal chambers.
Esteban and Tatiana arrived upstairs in the hallway and listened to an account of what had transpired.
The count to his wife: Please infoem the queen.
Esteban to his guards: Take the wounded to the bedroom of the royal wet nurse. The maids can go to the large banquet hall for now. Speak with them to find out who their patrons are. Be polite and gentle.
Tatiana entered the royal room and found Monika: I need to speak with the princess. There is a situation.
Olivia entered the room from the small bedroom: I am here, Lady.
Tatiana: There were pages holding some castle maids as prisoners in a large room. Some of our pages fought them and freed them. But two pages are wounded. The situation looks bad. Would Your Excellency be willing to let us use some nearby rooms?
Olivia seemed surprised to be asked permission for something: Of course! Goddess bless them!
Monika spoke up: I was a healer during the uprising. May I help them, princess?
Olivia: Yes. Do what you must do.
After an hour, Monika and other maids had changed the dirty bandages for clean ones and put the boys in two comfortable beds. The maids ate while talking with the royal guards. Esteban and Tatiana spoke with Yegor and Antonio. Monika allowed Gunther and Marco to sit with the injured boys.
Esteban: Antonio, Yegor, you know you need to tell me the truth, right?
They both nodded.
Antonio: The young man from the neighborhood made a deal with Yegor and Gunther. They would help him escape if he helped his mother escape from a room held by the royal pages. He was free to leave but helped Paco instead of escaping. He acted with true honor.
Yegor: Marco fought well and bravely against the pages who beat the maids.
Esteban: Why did you not tell me?
Yegor spoke first: You were busy with the throne and Marco told me you were going to kill him for helping the old man. He told me that you sent coins to his mother like the guards do when they kill a man.
Esteban and Tatiana looked into the eyes of the other.
Esteban sighed heavily: Children have done my work while I played at throne politics.
Tatiana: Boys, go see your friends. We can talk about all this tomorrow.
The two left and went into the healing room.
Monika spoke quietly: You both need sleep so that the wounds can begin to heal. Drink the liquid from those cups. That will help you sleep soundly for many hours without moving.
Frieder: What is it?
Monika: Wine with water and a little Wolfberre. It is good for sleeping and healing the body.
Frieder raised an eyebrow: Wolfberre?
Gunther: Belladonna in your language.
Monika: Ten minutes and these four must leave, understood?
She left the boys alone.
Yegor: I am sorry. You were helping me and you got hurt. It is my fault.
Frieder groaned: No, it was the right thing to do. I helped on account of Gunther and his sister.
Paco weakly: Many of these girls are from my castle in Colinas Gemelas. I helped to defend my house.
Antonio: I helped because of honor. A man who does not defend women is not a man.
Gunther with admiration and wonder: Thank you, everyone. Marco, why did you help?
Marco flatly: The girl I love thinks I am better than a street thief and a bastard.
As Francisco began to fade into sleep, the boys filed out. Frieder reached for Gunther and motioned him to lean down.
Frieder whispered: You know I would do anything for you, right?
Gunther left carrying a feeling too large for his thin body.