kingdom of nations

Chapter 3 The King's Three Choices
Amalric I's question made everyone in the room nervous - except the person being asked.

The king's suspicion was not groundless. At that time, people's concept of labor was at a wonderful turning point, because in the beginning, the church's interpretation of labor was a punishment for mankind. Adam and Eve originally lived carefree in the Garden of Eden, but were expelled for disobeying God's will. From then on, men had to endure the pain of labor and women had to endure the pain of childbirth.

However, this kind of thinking has changed a lot after the monastic reform. Labor began to be encouraged. Monks relied on planting, winemaking, weaving and copying to meet their own needs and those of the monastery and regarded it as a form of practice. The apostle Paul's proverb "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" was mentioned more and more by people.

But for the nobles and knights, labor was still undesirable. Many young monks - who were originally the second or third sons of nobles and lived a life of luxury, complained about "having to farm like serfs, spin like women, and forge iron like craftsmen" as the first thing they did after entering the monastery.

Just as the monks first checked Cesar's hands and feet when they were trying to guess his identity, for some people, labor is still humiliating, painful and fruitless.

Cesare had to approach this question with caution. Abbot John was undoubtedly a reformer, but which type was the King of Alaska? What kind of answer did he want?
"No one forced me, Your Majesty," Cesar said calmly. "When I was still unable to move, many people came to take care of me. Now that I'm better, I naturally hope to repay them." He paused. "Besides, wasn't it God who first toiled for six days to create the heavens and the earth and all things? It's just that his work is magnificent, while ours is insignificant. But insignificance is no excuse for laziness or indifference."

"Aren't you afraid that someone will look down on you and treat you as a slave?" Amalric I asked softly.

"How can a person's future be defined by the opinions of others?" Cesar replied softly, giving another brief smile. "When you and your knights passed by that hill, what did you see? The goods of the thirty-one Isaac slave traders, right?"

"I didn't count so clearly at the time," Amalric I said, not minding his boldness. "But you are right. Even a destined fate may not be unchangeable." He gestured, "Heraclius, John, I want to speak to this child alone."

When they were the only two left in the room, "I give you three choices," Amalric I said.

"The first option is to become a page to the abbot of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist. He loves you very much, and you will become a monk and receive holy orders. Then... perhaps you can get a position in my court, or return to Frankish or Apennines. The second option is to leave the monastery. You can choose whatever you want - become a craftsman, a farmer, or a hunter, and make a living by your skills and God's gift."

"What about the third one?"

"The third... child," Amalric I said, "perhaps you already know that I have a son, only one, who is about your age. But shortly before I met you, he was diagnosed with leprosy." He raised his eyes and stared at Cesar. "You know what leprosy is, right?"

"I know," Cesar said. "It's an infectious disease."

"It will bring many terrible consequences, although it won't kill me," Amalric I said. "For this reason, I have no choice but to disperse Baldwin's retainers. Their fathers or guardians are either my vassals, my knights, or the ministers and monks who surround me. Whether I stand on the side of the king or on the side of a friend, I cannot let their heirs bear such a huge risk."

He turned his gaze to the window: "Although not all of them are cowards - but I can't.

The problem is that Baldwin needs friends, companions with whom he can study, hunt with hawks, and practice martial arts. Cesar, we all know that you come from a distinguished family, but unfortunately, you have lost your original surname and cannot get it back. So, are you willing to go to Baldwin and be his attendant?

The king's gaze turned back.

Amalric I had a pair of gray-blue eyes, as intimidating as the shadows before the rain. "I can't guarantee that you won't get sick. I can only promise that if you agree to go to my son, regardless of your health or integrity, you will be treated like a duke's son. No one can question your origins or humiliate your parents. When Baldwin becomes a knight, you will be his squire. When he becomes king, you will be his knight."

Cesar's eyes widened slightly. Of course, living with a leper day and night was very dangerous, but the reward offered by Amalric I was equally generous, so generous that it was unbelievable - especially for someone who was a slave not long ago and had no surname...

"I?"

"There were others before you," Amalric I said, "but unfortunately, they all disappointed me." He raised a hand and placed it on Cesar's shoulder. "You will be the only one. Now, tell me your decision."

What is leprosy? Perhaps others don't know it very well, but Cesar knows it very well.

It is indeed a malignant infectious disease that is daunting and that people are afraid to avoid, but the reason it causes panic among people is not because of its high lethality and infectiousness. On the contrary, it can cause skin lesions, deformities and disabilities, but it will not easily take the patient's life. The patient can survive for a long time with treatment and care, and it is not easily transmitted to other people - not to say that it is not contagious, but that 95% of people have natural immunity to it.

So who is susceptible to leprosy? People with weakened immune systems due to malnutrition, so this infectious disease is very common among the poor.

But it is an absolute joke to say that the son of King Alasarus lacks sufficient resistance due to food shortage. He is not even a follower and has hardly ever left the Holy Cross Castle and his father's protection. How did he contract leprosy?

So, if he chose to go to Baldwin, the only son of Amalric I, he might have to face countless conspiracies and traps besides leprosy.

But he had only one decision to make.

"I am willing to serve your son," he said.

"Raymond will be furious," Heraclius said. "Think of his father, Raymond IV."

Raymond IV was a remarkable character. He was brave and skilled in warfare, and was pious and persistent. During the First Crusade, he arrived at the sacred city of Alaska together with Godfrey of Bouillon and Bohemond of the Apennines. It can be said that he had made great military achievements.

But the strange thing is that the first country established by the Crusaders was the County of Edessa, followed by the Principality of Antioch, and finally Alasarus. During this process, Raymond was never able to obtain a territory to stand on for various reasons. In the end, he had to do his best to conquer the last territory of the Saracens on the Mediterranean coast - Tripoli, and finally joined the ranks of the Crusader kingdoms.

Heraclius said this because the Count of Tripoli was a staunch supporter of the theory of bloodline. After retaking Alazarus, there was a dispute over who would be the king of Alazarus. In the end, it was decided between Raymond and Godfrey of Bouillon. However, Raymond insisted on giving the throne to Godfrey, simply because Godfrey's blood relationship with King Louis II of the Franks was closer to the direct line than his.

Raymond, beside Amalric I, had clearly inherited his father's bravery and stubbornness. He had previously been dissatisfied with the king's decision to abandon the sons of nobles and to select the prince's squires from among the children of exiled knights and low-ranking officials, but he had been unable to raise his voice when everyone else remained silent. Now Amalric I actually wanted a former slave to serve as Baldwin's squire... Raymond would surely be furious.

"Yes," Amalric I smiled, "He always said that the king's son should be served by the son of a duke or earl." He gathered his cloak. It was early September now. It might be cold in the Frankish Jardins, but in the cities and kingdoms along the Mediterranean coast, the sea water and sea breeze would bring warm air currents. His coldness came from his heart.

He recalled the expressions and faces of the people around him when little Baldwin was sentenced - declared to have leprosy, a disease considered "God's punishment." Except for Raymond and his son David, everyone was afraid, disgusted, calculating, and gloating.

Those children who were once close to Baldwin disappeared all of a sudden. They either sprained their feet or dislocated their arms, or suddenly got a fever, and were unable to perform their duties as servants.

As a king, he should have been tolerant, and he was. But as a father, he couldn't avoid feeling resentment and unwillingness. Baldwin was his only child, only nine years old. His life was already like an inverted hourglass. Every day that followed was a step closer to the grave.

The poor child was already unfortunate enough, but there were still people who took advantage of his misfortune - they asked the king to enact and abide by the law on lepers, like Frank, deprive Baldwin of his inheritance, and move him to a monastery outside the city.

Yes, if Baldwin was still the heir of Alasar, then their actions would be a betrayal of the present and future kings, but as long as Baldwin was no longer the heir, they would still be innocent good people both morally and legally.

"They are wrong. A squire's honor and status come from his master, not the other way around," Amalric I said coldly. "Without their service, Baldwin would still be my only son, the future master of Alasar, and the guardian of the Holy Sepulchre. But as long as he is Baldwin's squire, he is the son of an earl, or even a duke."

Heraclius couldn't help but sigh after hearing this. Under normal circumstances, he would have continued to persuade, but just yesterday, Rome formally rejected Amalric I's request. The church's reason was that mortals could not interfere with God's will. Heraclius wondered if this was related to Amalric I's attitude towards the church - Alaska was a country built on theocracy, but Amalric I was obviously not the kind of fanatic who was willing to bow to theocracy.

The church has coveted the holy city of Alazarus for a long time. As early as when the first king of Alazarus, Godfrey, died, a priest asked him if he was willing to donate Alazarus to the church. If Godfrey's personal attendant had not been there and willing to testify, Alazarus would now be in the hands of the church.

The fact that King Alasarus' only son was afflicted with leprosy was a rare opportunity for the church. How could these leeches in red robes give in so easily?
But Amalric I would not bow his head and hand over Alasar to those incompetent maggots. For this reason, he felt an extremely deep sense of apology towards Baldwin, which turned into a raging rage when facing those guys with ulterior motives. Now, he was just slapping them in the face with a slave, which was considered very restrained.

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At this time, Baldwin, the king's son, the future king of Alazarus and the guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, had no idea that he would soon meet the most important friend in his life.

He was packing some of his belongings. Unlike what Amalric I had worried about, this precocious child stayed in his room as much as possible, not because he became depressed, cowardly, and self-pitying due to the sudden and huge blow he suffered... He accepted this fact faster than others imagined. After repeatedly asking the monks and confirming that his illness would have little chance of recovery unless God had mercy on him, Baldwin began to think about his future life.

Baldwin's grammar teacher was none other than the resident priest Heraclius. Heraclius was a learned historian and theologian, which meant that when he taught Baldwin, he often quoted historical anecdotes. He had certainly heard of leprosy, a disease that could be traced back to more than a thousand years before Christ, and was familiar with the various laws related to it. If this was indeed a crime, or a severe test, as the church said... he was willing to atone for his sins and to accept the trial.

He would also wonder what his father would do. He would surely lose his inheritance; how could a leper become king? His father might remarry, perhaps a Byzantine princess, and have a new heir. Or he might choose a suitable husband for his sister Sibel and give the holy city and the crown to her or their child.

If he were still alive at that time, he would pray for the new king in the monastery.

Baldwin took out his favorite Damascus dagger and put a vellum Bible that his sister Sibyl had given him into the suitcase. He stood up and stretched his limbs. Almost subconsciously, he touched his arm again. The strange dullness was like touching a branch with thick cowhide gloves, which made him smile bitterly.

It was when he was playing the "Endurance Game" - a game common among the descendants of knights, where children scratch each other to see who can endure the pain and scream - that he kept winning, and the swordsmanship teacher noticed something wrong - the early stage of leprosy is numbness of the limbs and loss of feeling.

"How brave, Your Highness," he murmured, repeating the words of his swordsmanship teacher. "But don't you feel any pain?"

Baldwin shook his head. A rapid knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Your Highness!" A rude and unclear voice shouted outside the door. "Bathtime!"

This was a herbal bath arranged by Heraclius, once a day, to slow the progression of the disease, but it was more of a comfort than a cure. Baldwin accepted his kindness and walked out the door. The small hall outside the bedroom was empty - the new servants were so scared that they would never appear in front of him unless ordered.

Baldwin dipped into the water, feeling a little chilled, and sighed at the men's neglect of duty. The aroma of St. John's wort came and went—it must have been a handful sprinkled in after the water was poured, not the pound or more of the dried herb sprinkled into the boiling water as Heraclius had requested.

(End of this chapter)