Jerusalem did not have many defenders, Sicilians outnumbered them easily. Still conquering the Jerusalem was not obvious. Sicilians did not have any water. Tired soldiers set up the tents around Jerusalem in the burning afternoon of Palestine. Nobody talked. Lack of water made the mouth dry and speaking hard. Three days the Sicilians had been without water and many soldiers had died in thirst.
King Robert gestured some soldier to come to him. Soldier came in front of the king and bowed at the same time saying with hoarse voice:
“Milord.”
Robert struggled to get his voice carry. Finally he said with rather clear voice:
“Take few men with you and go to find some water.”
“Yes milord.”
The soldier bowed and walked away swinging from the side to side like he would be worse for liquor. Robert walked back to his tent and fell on to his bed. Quickly he fell asleep and dreamed about his wife and son. Robert’s wife, Marthe, was very beautiful. She had long dark hair and sweet features. Still Marthe was very difficult person even so she was very kind to Robert. Their son, Guillaume, was only two years old, but growing at a quick pace.
Water seekers came back after two hours and informed that they found only two wells and both of them was filled. King even considered getting back to Jaffa, but the distance was too great. Fastest way to get water was clearly conquering the Jerusalem, but it was not possible before the engineers build the siege towers and the catapults. Attack was possible at the earliest in after a week and engineers had to stop building the siege weapons because lack of water, so attack to Jerusalem delayed. Sicilians fell in depression. Many soldiers suffered from delusions and mortality increased day after day, hour after hour.
In one morning Robert woke up when he heard like a clatter of hoofs. Robert rose sitting and listen attentively. Suddenly in Roberts mind woke up a picture from attacking Saracens in the peep of the day against sleeping Sicilians. Robert rose quickly on his feet and dressed in panoply. He rushed out of his tent and quickly mounted a horse. He rode toward south where he assumed that the clatter of hoofs came. Abruptly roughly 2000 Saracens appeared in the horizon. Robert galloped fast back to the camp and woke up twenty knights who slept closest of Roberts tent. Robert did not have time to alert more men, Saracens were too close already. In a moment the knights were ready to fight. Robert lead the men running toward the enemy and about ten lance measure far away from the enemy Robert gave attack order and fearless Sicilian knights charged against confused Saracens. The enemy did not expect that such a small group would attack against them. Robert and his knights make a hole in the middle of the enemy line and rode other side of the enemy. Sicilians turned around and strike from behind. Sicilians fought heroically against Saracen infantry. Robert ordered his men to turn around again and charge from behind second time and break through toward the camp. Robert got a wound in his left hand when they rode through the Saracens lines. From 2000 thousand Saracen Robert and his twenty knights killed 300 and Robert loosed three knights and two were wounded including Robert. The rest of the Sicilian army had woken in the battle sounds and they were heading toward the battle. Battle was won quickly. Sicilians had a great advantage in manpower and the Saracens were confused by King Robert’s foolhardy attack. Still Sicilians suffered slightly more casualties than normally because of lack of water. If the Saracens would have heavy cavalry or mameluks Sicilians would suffered much more casualties.
Small amount of water was found from the fallen Saracens. It was enough to every soldier take a sip, oddly enough it freshened a lot of the thirsty soldiers. Engineers started building again and cheerful atmosphere prevailed in the camp. King Robert decided that the attack would start in tomorrow’s dawn. That attack would be their last chance to get water. The army was weak, tired and depressed. Manpower would be enough to conquer the Jerusalem, but the real question is that will the army have necessary stamina to fight.
The sun started to rose from the horizon and the first morning sunbeams drove away the coldness of night. Cloudless sky referred to hot day. The attack wouldn’t be easy in a heat.
The Sicilians stood in a line watching the catapults fire and waiting for an attack command. The sun beamed with full strength making the unaccustomed soldiers, in such heat, condition much worse. Catapults chewed the walls of Jerusalem piece by piece. Finally the catapults stopped firing and the attack command was given. Very slowly the siege towers rumbled toward the walls of Jerusalem. Only few soldiers had seen so huge city and so huge walls, legendary Jerusalem. The Saracens tried to get siege towers burn with Greek fire, but the siege towers were covered from fire so it did not make any harm. The towers get to the walls and drawbridges crashed to walls, soldiers assaulted to the walls. At the same time ladders were brought to the walls and soldiers climbed on the walls. Quickly the Sicilians swept the Saracens out their way and the yellow/black flag was raised on the top of the biggest defence tower of the main gates.
Soldiers opened the main gates and Sicilians in the outside rushed in to the city and furiously started looking for water. Only few defenders were met from the city, but most of them surrendered quickly. King Robert rode in front of the grand hall and with his bodyguards he walked in to the building. Robert took his helmet off and walked toward the high double doors. Behind the doors opened great grand hall of Jerusalem. Hall was full of eastern decorative and carpets in the floor. In the middle was a large table and around it were eastern sedentary pillows. In the end of the table sit a man. The man was dressed in colourful robe and around his head was twisted garment. He was dressed like most Saracens. He had peculiar tinsels in his robe and somehow his character mirrored that he was very significant person. The man raised his look and looked Robert for a moment before he said with an odd accent:
“Salam aleikum, King Robert.”
“Wa aleikum salam” Robert said and bowed politely.
“My name is Abdul-Hamid and I’m the Emir of Jerusalem.” The Arab said. He rose from his seat and walked toward Robert holding up a sword in his hands.
“I shall give this sword to my conqueror.” Abdul said and kneeled down in front of Robert. Robert took the sword from Saracen and said:
“I will take it for a sign of defeat, Emir.”
