I like the lenght of the update. It's still small enough to read easily and not big enough to be cumbersome or boring. Very nice update and oooooooooooooo those cliffhangers
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Could Death Possibly Be A Boat?
Summer, 1078 - A Boat
It was a good year to die, if numbers were any indication.
Reinel's liege, Duke Boudewijn van Vlaanderan, had died at the beginning of the year...followed shortly thereafter by the passing of the Pope, each by natural causes. They were quickly replaced of course...by the Duke's eldest son and Bishop Bogumil Jankowskie, respectively...but there would be no easy replacement of the hundreds who had died in the seige of Jerusalem.
Count Reinel was not one of those dead...but the year was still young. He felt certain he had little time left on this earth, despite Juvenal's success in removing the arrow from his neck without causing further damage. It wasn't so much that injury that made him feel death was right around the corner, as it was this simple fact:
Reinel was back on a boat.
The seige had been successful, in that Jerusalem was now under Reinel's (and therefore the new Duke's, and therefore King Phillipe's, and therefore Christian) control. Of course Reinel himself had spent most of the battle in and out of conciousness, but Juvenal had proven himself to be a worthy marshal.
It was Juvenal who, once Jerusalem had fallen to the victors...insisted that Reinel ought to return home by boat. He was too weak to survive the years it would take to march home to Guines, and Jerusalem was surely no place to raise a family. He needed to return home to his wife and his sons, and a boat was the only way to do it.
But the fact that Reinel was on a boat was not the most surprising part of the ship's manifest.
Juvenal was here too.
Despite the Marshal's original intent to search Jerusalem for the Holy Grail...after all, that was what this whole crusade was about in the first place...Juvenal had insisted on escorting the Count back to Guines first before officially resigning his post.
Reinel had asked...assuming the Holy Grail both existed and was, in fact, in Jerusalem...what if somebody else finds it first?
Somehow, Juvenal had shrugged it off, insisting that no one would ever find it...with the possible exception of Juvenal himself.
How nice it must be to be so young and full of confidence. It was refreshing. Though Reinel himself was barely thirty years old, since the trouble with his brother had begun, Rein felt at least twice his age. He liked having someone as passionate as Juvenal to liven him up from time to time. In fact, despite their original differences, Reinel would be sorry to see Juvenal go. The man had saved his life, after all.
Perhaps, when his search for the Holy Grail came to it's disappointing end...perhaps the marshal could be persuaded to return to France.
The thought lifted Reinel's spirits immediately, and he sent his steward to fetch the man and make his proposal.
But when the steward returned to Count Reinel's quarters...he discovered the Count had died from his wounds.
It was just as well.
The steward really wasn't looking forward to explaining to the Count that...despite the fact that they were on a ship in the middle of the Meditteranean Sea...Juvenal Quentis could not be found.
It was almost as if he had vanished into thin air.
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And so yet another one bites the dust. I wonder who will be the next on the highly unlucky throne of Guines? The lost brother, mayhaps?
Who will be the Count now? Where is Baldwin and will he be restored to Count of Guines? And a little butterfly must have taken Juvenal away somewhere...
@ Enewald: I'm afraid the question of what happened to Juvenal won't be answered for a while...but it will be answered!
@ Snugglie: Mayhaps. Incidentally, it's looking like I may get that interview with Obama this upcoming weekend.
@ Qorten: The question of succession shall be addressed in the very next issue of...
@ Snugglie: Mayhaps. Incidentally, it's looking like I may get that interview with Obama this upcoming weekend.
@ Qorten: The question of succession shall be addressed in the very next issue of...
THE BUTTERFLY DEVICE
The Rape of the Sabine Women...Or, Rather, Woman...Or, Rather, Osbern
Summer, 1079 - Northern France
Osbern was running for his life.
In and out of trees, ducking under low branches. Through a hedge, and into the clearing. Around the duck pond, through a field of wheat, jump over the canal.
And still he ran. For still, his life depended on it.
The predator chased him through the back door of the bakery, around the stoves, into the front room and in and out of customers, through the door.
Still he ran...because if she caught him...she'd kill him. She'd kill them all.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" she cackled gleefully, lest there be any doubt in the manner.
Through the fence, then...up the hill, across the bridge, past the guards, up the castle steps...
And, finally, panting, he collapsed at the feet of his mother. Mom would protect him. Mom always did.
"Princess!"
Uncle Robert, home from the war, scooped up Matilda as she came running through the door after Osbern.
"This can't be my princess! She was barely a babe when I saw her last. This is a full-grown woman! What have you done to my little princess?"
The evil, villainous witch laughed. "I'm fine, Daddy! Did you kill a bunch of Muslims?"
"We'll talk later, Princess."
Suddenly, it struck Osbern that if Uncle Robert was home...then that meant...
"Hey! Where's father? He hasn't seen me since I was six years old! I wonder if he'll recognize me! Do you think he brought me anything nice from..."
Osbern's voice trailed off as something wet struck the top of his head. He looked up, as another one of his mother's tears struck his nose.
It was Uncle Robert who responded first.
"About that...
"...Sire."
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Oh good Lord, child regency!
But with a name as awesome as Osbern, he will most likely turn out great.
Edit: 900th post!
But with a name as awesome as Osbern, he will most likely turn out great.
Edit: 900th post!
Tends to have the result that many vassals rebel/declare independence, but seeing as a count does not really have any vassals, it will probably only be a small, possible prestige-hit.Qorten said:
OMG...She'll kill them all!
Okay...now that that is off my chest...
Time to see what little Osbern is capable of!
Also, as instructed...I've put my curiosity about Quentis' fate aside until you bring him up again...
Good luck with Obama...don't give him the satisfaction of telling him hello from me.
TheExecuter
Okay...now that that is off my chest...
Time to see what little Osbern is capable of!
Also, as instructed...I've put my curiosity about Quentis' fate aside until you bring him up again...
Good luck with Obama...don't give him the satisfaction of telling him hello from me.
TheExecuter
@ The Executor: Ha...I'm an independent myself...like both candidates a lot, probably going to come down to VPs (If McCain chooses Romney, then the only way Obama can top that is with Biden, in my opinion)...but it turns out it's going to be a moot point. Got a call back from Obama's people today, and I talked them into it. I was bouncing off the walls, dropped in to my commander's office to let him know that I single-handedly just scored us an interview with the next President of the United States (since I know McCain will want to do an interview if Obama does)...
...and he said no.
We've just been instructed that...although the base photographers and newspaper writers are going to be all over it...the TV studio (me) can't touch the election. It's too political.
Gaaaaaaaaah.
...and he said no.
We've just been instructed that...although the base photographers and newspaper writers are going to be all over it...the TV studio (me) can't touch the election. It's too political.
Gaaaaaaaaah.
What the hell, "been instructed"?Actinguy said:
Your boss said no because he's been instructed by the election-people that you should stay away?
Actinguy said:
That blows.
Elections and politics are my major hobby and I'd be thrilled to meet either of the two major candidates. Obama spoke in our town a few weeks ago and McCain is opening offices in the northern part of the state. I'm looking forward to things heating up in the southern part so I can volunteer.
Actinguy said:
Wow...there is nothing I can say against that level of logic. The man is too self-absorbed to realize he just made a major political gaffe. I bet the Obama camp would love to wonder 'on-air' why all the military press weren't allowed to interview him...something tells me your commandant's response is not going to hold up the balance of consequences in that scenario. Good luck with that.
@Snugglie: No, no, no...it wasn't the election people (whoever they are...they sound evil). It was my Commander's commander's commander's commander, and on up the chain. I literally think this came from "the top" (probably the Secretary of Defense).
@Phargle: Yep, I'm obsessed with politics too, despite being an independent. Guess I'll just have to wait till one of them are President, and interview them then. ;c)
@The Executor: It wasn't my commander who made the decision, he was passing it down from the Secretary of Defense, who had no idea I was planning this (of course)...he just put out an order that we would do no reporting on anything related to the election. In other words, I can't cover Senator McCain either. Oddly enough, it was the appearance of biasedness that made him decide to forbid it...despite the fact that, to you and me, THAT is the biased decision. ;c) But for Obama, I'd assume he isn't going to say a word about it. Criticizing how civillians are handling the war (the President, etc) is one thing...but for him to start criticizing the actual military itself (even for something non-war-related) seems way too dangerous for him, politically.
And now...the next chapter of...
@Phargle: Yep, I'm obsessed with politics too, despite being an independent. Guess I'll just have to wait till one of them are President, and interview them then. ;c)
@The Executor: It wasn't my commander who made the decision, he was passing it down from the Secretary of Defense, who had no idea I was planning this (of course)...he just put out an order that we would do no reporting on anything related to the election. In other words, I can't cover Senator McCain either. Oddly enough, it was the appearance of biasedness that made him decide to forbid it...despite the fact that, to you and me, THAT is the biased decision. ;c) But for Obama, I'd assume he isn't going to say a word about it. Criticizing how civillians are handling the war (the President, etc) is one thing...but for him to start criticizing the actual military itself (even for something non-war-related) seems way too dangerous for him, politically.
And now...the next chapter of...
THE BUTTERFLY DEVICE
Wow. This is amazing. This is the funniest AAR ever. Much better than your Vicky AARs. Although you may need a "hoseless dude" somewhere. Anyway, this AAR is so fantastic, I recommend this become the theme song:
There's a wing on the left!
And a wing on the right!
Climb up a castle wall!
To stop the butterfly's flight!
But it's "She'll kill them all"
That drives Baldwin insa-a-ane!
Let's do the Time Warp again!
Let's do the Time Warp again!
Anyway, this AAR is so fantastic, I recommend this become the theme song:There's a wing on the left!
And a wing on the right!
Climb up a castle wall!
To stop the butterfly's flight!
But it's "She'll kill them all"
That drives Baldwin insa-a-ane!
Let's do the Time Warp again!
Let's do the Time Warp again!