Authors: A.E. Albert
As night fell on Pisa, Billy and Georgii garbed themselves in dark cloaks and quietly left Leonardo’s home. Billy was surprised by the emotions he felt saying his goodbyes to Leonardo. He knew the man’s objection to tonight’s actions was out of concern for their welfare. For, ultimately, he too wanted Jeanie safe and sound.
Billy and Dickens agreed to meet at the
apple tree outside of Pisa. He gave Dickens a solemn nod of the head as goodbye and he and Georgii crept silently out into the night.
Their first stop was Georgii’s father’s bakery, a few streets over. He and Georgii entered through the back door. There were baskets on the counter filled with unsold bread from that day. Georgii and Billy each took an empty one and q
uickly began filling it with bread and pastries.
They both then crept into the cellar to obtain some small jugs of wine. All of a sudden, a candle light appeared in the doorway. Standing there was Georgii’s father, wearing his night clothes. Billy had just enough time to hide behind a tall shelf.
“Georgii, what are you doing this late in the evening?” his father inquired with surprise on his face.
“Oh
, papa, I am just gathering food and wine for the guards at the jail house,” Georgii replied, inclining his head in apology. He then added, “I am sorry I did not receive permission first.”
The larger man beamed at his slight son. “Ah, Georgii, you are a good boy. It is better to be goodhearted then smart, yes,” he declared, as he gathered his son in his arms.
It startled Billy that people in this age equated intelligence with the acceptance of your lot in life. Billy could hear the man give his son a gruff hug and a loud kiss.
“Hurry up then
, it is getting late. You do not want your mama to worry,” he said, as he ruffled his son’s dark hair and then turned around and promptly returned to the main floor.
As they walked from the bakery, Billy felt it was safe to talk again. “That was close. I can’t believe you actually told your dad what we’re doing. He could’ve kept you in for the night,” he said as he smiled with relief.
“A knight does not lie, Billy. Anyway, I do not lie to my papa. He is a good father and I wish to be a good son.”
“Ya, but what if he said you couldn’t leave the house?”
Georgii gave Billy a half grin. “Then we would have found another way.”
Georgii led Billy through a maze of lonely streets and alleys in order to avo
id being seen. He knew where to go in order to avoid groups of people and the curious stares of nosy townsfolk. But it was easier to avoid them than the piles of horse manure, which seemed to be all over the place. Billy watched Georgii step over the heaps of dung without so much as looking down. When he tried that, he immediately felt his boot settle into a soft squishy mound of the foul stuff.
Pisa was the quietest Billy had seen it so far, due to the festival being over and everyone resting from the five day long festivities. However, that did not stop them from encountering the odd merrymaker reluctant to end their revelry.
As they turned around a corner, leading into a seemingly quiet street, Billy and Georgii bumped into a trio of this very kind. The young men had their arms wrapped around each other’s necks, while they sang an old folksong, definitely drunk on too much wine. The man in the center noticed Billy and Georgii first and broke away from his comrades.
“Oh
, look, it’s Georgii! What brings you out so late in the evening? Have you taken it into your head to prowl the streets of Pisa on the lookout for evil doers? Are you going to use your wooden stick or a loaf of bread to attack them?” he asked, as he swung his arms around like he was holding a sword.
His companions began laughing as if their friend had told the funniest joke in the world. It seemed to Billy that people either treated Georgii with cordial condescension or outright scorn. Unfortunately, these fools were the latter. They slapped each other on the back and continued to roar with laughter at their friend’s remark.
Georgii started to walk away when another young man said, “Oh, come on, Georgii, we’re just having a little fun. Show us your skills, eh. Or better yet, let me have a try.” He grabbed Georgii by his shoulder and yanked the wooden sword from its sheath.
“Hey, give it back to him!” yelled Billy, as he tried to retrieve the sword. However, the young man was surprisingly quick and agile and jumped out of his reach.
Georgii just stood there, staring at the foolish man as he began swinging the toy around his head. “Look at me! I am a knight! I shall defend Pisa by day and bake rolls by night! My comrades in arms will be the fattest knights in all of Italy!”
Billy and Georgii continued to stand there and stare as the
revelers proceeded to fight a mock battle. One used Georgii’s sword, while the other brandished a piece of broken wood. They laughed and stumbled as they attempted to swing their weapons at each other. But as the man who held Georgii’s sword swung at his friend, the other ducked and the sword hit a wall, shattering it into pieces.
Billy felt his face grow hot and his fists clenched at his sides. “You
jerks! Look what you did!” he shouted.
Even
Billy had once thought that the sword looked stupid hanging from Georgii’s side. But that piece of wood was important to him and represented a part of who Georgii was. Billy turned to his friend and saw that his face was impassive, as usual. Only a slight flex of jaw revealed any emotion. Billy knew that Georgii wasn’t going to say anything.
Billy took a step towards the man who broke the sword. “You had no right to do that!”
“What are you going to do about it!” the man sneered, as he kicked the remains of the sword into the gutter. Billy just stared at the bigger man. He really didn’t know what he was going to do about it.
The man
grinned and began to saunter towards them. “If you are friends with Georgii here, then you must be as stupid as-” His words were abruptly cut off. All Billy saw was the man’s feet shoot up into the air, reaching over his head, causing him to land hard on his back.
“What…” the young man groaned.
His friend ran to his side, he too slipping on the stone road and landing on his backside.
The fallen fool felt underneath him and brought his hand to his face. “Ugh, horse dung! It’s all over my hose!” he exclaimed, as he examined his soiled clothing.
That was when Billy started to laugh. So hard, in fact, that he had to hold his legs together because he thought that he might have an accident in his pants. As he continued to do so, he could hear Georgii joining in at his side. They both just howled as they gazed at the two morons sitting on the ground before them, covered in horse poop.
“Shut up!” one yelled, as they attempted to stand.
Billy and Georgii simultaneously turned around and began to run down an abandoned alleyway, clutching their stomachs the whole way and just barely holding onto their baskets.
Billy turned around to steal a glance at their pursuers. He saw one of them slip on another mound of horse dung, their friends stopping to try and help him up.
The boys continued to run until they thought they were safe, finally stopping to catch their breath. Billy sat down on a nearby crate and began wiping the tears that had run down his face from laughing so hard. But the memory of Georgii’s demolished sword suddenly came back to him and his mirth rapidly died away.
“I’m sorry about your sword, Georgii,” he said with sympathy.
“All things happen for a purpose, Billy. I suppose, I shall just have to find out what it is,” he replied, as he gave Billy a slight smile. However, Billy could see the loss in his deep brown eyes.
Georgii stood up and said in that determined voice of his, “Let’s go,” and the two boys continued their journey into the night.
As they lurked in a dark
alleyway, the two boys spied a large stone structure, heavily lit and guarded. As they approached the jailhouse, Billy could see about six jailors guarding the front entrance. The scene before him began to make him anxious.
“There’
re too many. How are we going to sneak past them?”
“Faith.”
Billy gazed at Georgii with an expression of disbelief. “Faith is going to just let us march in there?”
“Faith is the cornerstone of the knight’s code, Billy. It is faith that enables a knight to live up to their ideals; to do the things that a knight knows is right and just.”
Georgii boldly walked toward the guards at the door. As they approached the group of soldiers, Billy started to lose any faith he had in this plan.
As they drew near, a tall and robust man called out to them, “Ah, little Georgii, what are you doing out this late, eh?” The man’s manner was friendly.
Georgii held out the basket in his hands to the large guard. “Good evening, Issacus. My father gave me permission to bring you all bread and wine for your long night,” he said, employing a quick bow.
Another soldier took the basket and looked through it, finding a jug of wine. “Ahh, your father is a good man, Georgii,” he said, causing the other soldiers to laugh.
“May we go in and give out food to the rest of the men?” Georgii inquired, an innocent expression on his face.
The soldier Issacus replied with a shrug of his shoulders, “I’m sorry, Georg
ii, no one is allowed in but us; orders from the mayor.”
Just then, a loud gong reverberated through the streets. A man came running toward them, fear lining his features. The stranger stopped and out of breath, yelled, “The public stables are burning! Come, we need every available man to help contain it!”
Billy looked in the general direction of the man, and he could see smoke billowing and tendrils of fire reaching into the sky in the distance. Every man standing in front of the jail immediately darted off in the direction of the flames.
Just like that, they were the only ones left standing in front of the prison. Billy looked at Georgii with amazement. Georgii, however, did not seem surprised by these turn of events.
They crept inside and went down the stairs leading to cells below. They quietly ran down the stone halls and peered into cells, all of which were empty. Billy peeked around a corner and saw a lonely guard sitting on a stool in front of a closed chamber.
All of a sudden he heard, “May I please have some water?” coming from the occupant inside. Billy knew that voice anywhere. Jeanie.
Billy turned to Georgii. “She’s over there,” he whispered, as he pointed down the hall.
Georgii confidently walked down the hall and stood before the jailor. The man loo
ked up in surprise. “Georgii! What are you doing down here? Did Issacus send you?”
Georgii smiled. “I have brought some food and drink, Signor.”
Before Billy could blink, Georgii reached in the basket and grabbed the small clay jug of wine and hit the jailor over the head. Georgii quickly grabbed him before he fell, and Billy rushed over to help him prop the man against the wall.
“I’m truly sorry, Signor, but you will only have a bump on the head and a slight headache in the morning,” Georgii assured the sleeping man.
Billy grabbed the jailor’s keys and quickly opened the cell door, revealing an astonished Jeanie.
“Come on!” he yelled, grabbing Jeanie’s hand, and they all began racing down the prison corridor.
As they reached the end of the hall, someone was coming around the corner.
Niccolo.
He had a knowing and smug expression on his face, like he expected Billy and Georgii to be there.
“Well, well, well, little Georgii and his friends.” He looked down at Georgii, who came forward to stand at Billy’s side. “I thought you would come here and try to do something stupid. Ahh, but what an opportunity for me.” His voice was laced with glee, and his eyes shone with malice.
“What are you talking about? Shouldn’t you be helping put out the fire,” accused Billy.
“Who do you think started it?” Niccolo replied, as he focused his malevolent gaze on him. “I told you that you would regret challenging me. Now, I am going to be the hero. I shall stop you two fools from freeing the prisoner and reveal to everyone what a pathetic piece of filth the boy who would never be a knight is.” The arrogant boy’s face glowed with an unnatural joy.
B
illy thought that Niccolo was crazy and he didn’t understand why the mayor’s demented son was so bent on exposing Georgii.
“What is your problem? If Georgii is a stupid baker’s son, why do you care so much?” No sooner were the words out of Billy’s
mouth, when the answer became so obvious. He had suddenly remembered the words of Niccolo’s sister, Isabella.
“That’s it, isn’t it!” he began to laugh. “That’s your problem! Georgii is just a baker’s son. He is smaller and weaker, but you know in your heart that he would be twice the knight you are if given the chance. In fact, he’s twice the man you are right now. He has more courage and more character then you will-”
“Shut your mouth!” the young man roared. “You know nothing! I am a noble by birth, while he is nothing but-”
“Nobility is not something you’
re born with, it’s something you work hard every day for. Noble is what you choose to be.” Billy turned to look at his friend at his side. “You taught me that, Georgii.”
“Fine, then prove it, peasant! Unsheathe your sword and prove that you are worthy to be a knight!” Niccolo shouted at Georgii.
Georgii’s hand went to his side, but only an empty sheath remained. He closed his eyes as if suddenly remembering that his reliable sword was now in a dozen pieces on the side of a road. Georgii opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. With a clenched jaw, he turned around and walked over to the sleeping jailor and picked up his fallen weapon. He returned and stood in front of Jeanie and Billy. He raised his arm and pointed the gleaming sword at Niccolo.
Jeanie put her hand gently on his arm and in a soft voice said, “Don’t do this
, Georgii, he’s not worth it.”
With his hands shaking as he gripped the hilt of the blade, Georgii spoke to his friends, but never took his eyes off of Niccolo. “Courage is doing what is right in the face of danger, even at personal risk. I did not really know what those words meant until you put yourself into harm’s way for me, Billy. And you are right; a knight seeks nobility through the act of virtue and the roots of character, by being an example to others.”
As Georgii said these words, his back straightened and his expression hardened. “Step aside, Niccolo; you shall not persecute the innocent for your own selfish desires any longer.”
Niccolo threw his head back and laughed. “And you are going to stop me?” His eyes narrowed and his smile turned into a sneer. “Well, you may try. I have looked forward to the opportunity to reveal how pathetic your fantasies are.” Niccolo bent his legs at the knees, held his sword with two hands and pointed it at Georgii’s chest. “Well, come on, boy.”
Georgii didn’t move a muscle. He just stood there. With his sword raised, he focused on his target, patiently waiting. Niccolo growled, baring his teeth and swung his sword. Georgii moved out of the way, the sword slamming into the stone floor. Niccolo swirled around, swinging blindly and striking a column. Georgii didn’t smile; he had no expression as he clutched his unused sword. Niccolo again brought his sword high above his head and swung in a downward motion. Again, Georgii, as quick as lightening, simply moved out of the blade’s way.
Niccolo stood
hunched over with exhaustion, breathing heavily as he yelled, “I thought you wanted to prove you were a knight, so come on then, coward!”
Niccolo kept swinging and Georgii kept leaping out of his reach. The young knights’ movements became sluggish and slow. Once again, Niccolo held the s
word over his head, only to stop in mid swing. Although his breath was labored and sweat poured down the sides of his face, he smiled at Georgii.
“I know what you are trying to do, baker’s son,” he said in a low voice.
Suddenly, Niccolo reached out and grabbed Jeanie by her hair, pulling her against his heaving chest. His eyes once again become aglow as he placed the edge of his sword against her dainty neck.
“All of this trouble because of one stupid girl. Perhaps I will complete the duty of the executioners right now,” Niccolo whispered as he pressed his blade against her flesh.
Billy watched in horror as a drop of blood slid down Jeanie’s neck. He let out a roar and ran toward Niccolo. Niccolo let out a laugh as he easily brought up his leg, and kicked Billy with enough strength to send him crashing against the wall.
“I would not try that again,” Niccolo uttered in a menacing tone.
Billy could do nothing but sit frozen on the ground as he gazed up at the older boy holding a sword to his best friend’s neck. He believed with absolute certainty that Niccolo would do exactly as he said. He didn’t have a weapon or any skill what so ever that could help Jeanie.
Billy turned to look at Georgii, who was standing with his sword lowered to the ground. For the first time, Billy could see many different emotions playing across his slight features. Georgii was looking down at his weapon with terr
or in his eyes.
As Billy gazed at his friend, he suddenly knew
one important truth. This was Georgii’s battle and he was their only chance. Georgii just needed to believe it.
“Georgii!”
Billy called out to his friend.
Georgii lifted his tired head and looked at Billy with fearful eyes.
“Faith, Georgii,” he said, as his friend looked at him with confusion. “A knight lives by faith, remember. I’ve seen you fight. You can beat him, Georgii. You just have to believe you can. The code says a true knight can kick butt when he has to, even if the other guy is
bigger
than him.”
A small smile played upon Georgii’s lips. “That is not in the knight’s code, Billy.”
“Well, it should be, buddy.”
Georgii looked down at his small hand, staring as if he was looking at it for the first time. He then clenched his jaw as he wrapped it around the hilt of his sword. He raised his head, his eyes once again filled with fortitude. Georgii focused his intense gaze on Niccolo, who was still holding a blade to his friend’s neck.
“Do not do this, Niccolo,” he said in a calm and quiet voice. “A knight does not find shelter behind the weak but is, in fact, their shelter.”
Niccolo's eyes became hard and he clenched his teeth. “Enough!” he yelled.
“Enough of that stupid code! A knight is only strong when he proves his might through victory!”
Georgii shook his head.
“At any cost? Even at the cost of your own soul?”
“A true warrior is willing to do what needs to be done to achieve glory!”
“Glory? No, Niccolo. A knight does not seek glory, but finds it thrust upon him when he is willing to do what is right in the face of danger.” Georgii took a step closer to Niccolo. “You wish to clash swords with me? I will grant you your wish, but let her go. I give you my word, Niccolo.”
The noble’s son stood still as he considered this. Suddenly, he pushed Jeanie away from him and ran at Georgii with a yell. He raised his weapon and struck Georgii’s sword, knocking the smaller boy to the ground. Georgii barely had enough time to raise his blade before Niccolo brought his down again. With lightening speed and strength, Niccolo again raised his sword and aimed for Georgii’s neck. All Georgii could do was roll out of the way
, as Niccolo’s sword struck the stone floor, causing sparks to fly.
Billy watched as the young noble fought with none
of the eloquence or fair play that he imagined a knight would. The enraged boy continued to raise his sword and attempt to hack Georgii in two. If it were not for Georgii’s quick reflexes, Billy thought, he would be dead by now.
Just then, Niccolo stumbled in his exhaustion, giving Georgii time to re-position himself out of striking distance. Niccolo put his hands on his knees and was breathing heavily.
Georgii wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned on his sword, all the while looking at Niccolo with weary eyes. Suddenly, the look in Georgii’s gaze changed and he slowly stood up.
With pity in his eyes, he said, “I am truly sorry, Niccolo.”
Niccolo raised his tired head. “What are you talking about?” he scowled.
Georgii conti
nued to stare at Niccolo with sorrow in his eyes. “That you feel another’s love is to be continuously earned through feats and accomplishments; never just by being who you are.”
Niccolo became motionless as he stared at the other boy. His expression drooped slightly and the malevolent look in his eyes lessened.
It was that moment of vulnerability that Georgii needed. With speed and agility, he took the few needed steps toward Niccolo. With all of his might, he brought the broad side of his sword down hard on Niccolo’s hands, forcing his sword to clatter to the ground. As Niccolo stared in shock at his fallen weapon, Georgii raised the butt of his hilt and struck Niccolo hard on the forehead. Dazed and confused, the bigger boy let out a battle cry as he ran at Georgii. Georgii nimbly dropped to the ground and rolled, knocking Niccolo hard onto the floor.