The Noble Mercenary

by Patrick John Donahoe

  Jacques noted that both women were dressed much finer than for an ordinary picnic. Both women had brushed their hair, polished their teeth, and had applied an attractive complement of makeup. They each wore golden bangles and earrings.

  Both Ian and Jacques had difficulty engaging in small talk, so the girls kept the conversation light and airy with comments on the beauty of the day, and the pleasantness of the company, until Jacques, the most nervous of the four indicated by a nod of his head to Ian that they needed to get on with the important business of the day.

  “Ladies, Ian and I would like to have your undivided attention for a few moments. We are simple French Crusaders and not educated in the proper way to conduct the business we are about, but hope our simple approach will not spoil our good intentions.”

  “Get on with it, Jacques, we’re used to your simple ways,” Serena remarked with an anticipatory smile.

  “Will both of you stand . . . please?” asked Jacques.

  The girls stood up and Ian knelt before Serena and Jacques knelt before Desiree.

  The girls looked at each other. This was not going the way either of them had hoped.

  Jacques opened a satin covered ring box and took out a golden ring with a mounted emerald while Ian opened a satin covered ring box and took out a golden ring with a mounted ruby.

  “Serena, will you marry me?” asked Ian.

  “Desiree, will you marry me?” asked Jacques.

  Tears flowed down both women’s faces as they stared at the rings and at the two young men kneeling before them.

  The other three were shocked to see tears on Serena’s face as she always seemed too stoic for tears for any reason.

  “I hope those are tears of joy,” Ian mumbled, feeling awkward on bended knee with no immediate response.

  Both women hesitated.

  The awkward silence was difficult for all four of them.

  Desiree gave Serena a searching look, looked down at Jacques, who she cared deeply about, but had hoped Ian would have proposed to her, and said, “I can’t.”

  The other three stared at Serena, who had maintained her silence, but now replied, “Neither can I,” but inside she felt her heart was breaking.

  Both young men slowly got to their feet, and hugged the girls, not knowing what else to do. They felt an overwhelming emptiness when the girls stood limp neither returning the hugs nor pulling back.

  The rest of the picnic was an unusual affair. The women ate without appetite, or normal conversation. Ian and Jacques, feeling snubbed by the rejections, made awkward small talk between the two of them about their adventures in France and Ireland until it was time to return to the city.

  That evening, Serena visited Desiree in her tiny room in the nun’s dormitory next to the H’ospital. A single bed, a nightstand and a small wardrobe were her only furniture. Desiree retrieved a chair from an empty room for Serena to sit on, and she sat on the side of the bed.

  Desiree could see by Serena’s expression that she wanted to have a serious conversation, so she gave Serena her undivided attention. She knew what was on Serena’s mind.

  “What do we do?” Serena asked, fighting to suppress her emotions.

  “I don’t know. I do know this is a man’s world. Men get to make the rules and make the choices. I’m lucky to have such a fine, honest, handsome man as Jacques desire me for his wife. I would be held in high regard as the wife of the Head Guard of the Holy Sepulcher.”

  “But would you be happy?”

  “I love Jacques, but not in the husband and wife way, as I assume you love Jacques.”

  “Again, I ask, what do we do?”

  “Maybe we can make this work. Our fellow women have to live with worse conditions, arranged marriages with men they don’t know, much less love, who are often undesirable brutes. We could still all remain close friends. We could spend time together and love each other’s children as we will our own. We would still always have the four of us,” replied Desiree, a deep sorrow in her voice.

  “You take disappointment too well, my sister. Do you think we were cursed when we accepted our missions from Achmed?”

  “Perhaps,” Desiree replied.

  “I think so. I no longer have my woman’s issue each month, and I am only 20, going on 21 years of age. I can probably no longer bear children,” Serena replied, with an edge to her voice.

  “I don’t have my woman’s issue as you call it any more either.”

  “Why have you not mentioned it before?” Serena asked.

  “I thought it might be a temporary condition, but it has continued for more than a year.”

  “You mean since we entered into the covenant to serve humanity?”

  “Yes.”

  “I cannot live a lie. For me to accept Ian’s proposal would be a disservice to us both.”

  “Could you live with the truth?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Serena.

  “Why don’t we tell them the truth? I love Ian and you love Jacques. They have already told us their preferences. They need answers as much as we do.”

  “I don’t see how telling Ian and Jacques which one we each love, when it won’t work, will help.”

  “They will not esteem us their enemies with the truth. And hopefully, we can all at least remain good friends. . . We must, at least, remain good friends.”

  “You, Desiree, are so much wiser than your years. Who knows what the future may bring.” Serena sat next to Desiree and they hugged like sisters comforting each other over a heartbreaking tragedy.

  Their attempts to marry having failed, Ian and Jacques spent little time in the homes they had built and moved all their valuable belongings back into the knights’ barracks on the Temple mount. Ian and Jacques were reluctant to discuss their discouragement with each other, or with anyone else. They went on about their duties to try to forget. They had offers to buy their homes from a knight and a sergeant who had both married Jewish girls. Neither Ian nor Jacques could bring himself to sell. Besides, they didn’t need the money and they had put too much effort into building them. They rationalized keeping the houses for rest stops whenever they were out on patrol.

  The girls on the other hand became faster friends and shared their feelings, thoughts and experiences freely as sisters. Both girls hoped things would work themselves out eventually, even though they were equally as disappointed as Ian and Jacques, but they were more practical about the outcome. They did everything they could to return the four’s relationships to the deep feelings they had before the men proposed marriage. They decided not to discuss their star-crossed circumstances with Ian and Jacques. It was too painful for all of them.

  With the passage of time and patience, the four were again spending some of their off time together. Since both Ian and Jacques had trained an adequate cadre of guards, they had more time to engage in other activities. Jacques spent most of his working hours designing and overseeing the construction of an overarching church enclosure to cover the Holy Sepulcher. Ian directed and inspected the workers’ daily efforts and insured the construction followed Jacques’ plans. Both of them made, and enjoyed, excursions into the countryside to procure the necessary building materials.

  During Ian’s spare time with the girls, Ian and Desiree completed the translation of his Book of Healing into Arabic, and Ian and Serena completed the translation of it into Hebrew, much to Ian’s satisfaction.

  Ian surprised Desiree with a gift for the both of them. He bought a copy of Avicenna’s Book of Healing from a merchant who obtained it in Persia. They were both thrilled to read the incredible compilation of Greek and Arab physician’s medical learning, plus Avicenna’s own medical knowledge. The more they read Avicenna’s book, the more they admired what he had accomplished. They vowed to include the best of Avicenna’s book into Ian’s book, but give Avicenna credit for the copied material.

  On occasion, Ian and Jacques rode the land routes of the pilgrims and insured safe passage for arriving and depart
ing pilgrims and other knights. They accepted tokens of appreciation from the travelers and built up sizable treasure troves. Together, they bought gifts for Serena and Desiree, to share the wealth, as they had no real use for great sums of money.

  Seven

  One hot early June weekday in 1102AD, Louis arrived in Jerusalem. He had sailed from Marseille to Acre with Captain LeBeau on a training voyage with a full complement of passengers and hold full of cargo. He found Ian and Jacques on the Malquisinat, the Street of Bad Cooking, dining on roasted lamb and bread. He greeted them with a curt “Hello,” and immediately handed Ian a letter from Rosemarie.

  “Read the letter,” Louis blurted out.

  “That’s it. That’s all you have for your two best friends,” Ian scolded.

  “I’m sorry. I’m tired from the long, hot trek from Acre on the back of an odorous, ill-tempered camel.” Louis gave each of them a hug. “Now read the letter. . . aloud.”

  Ian curled his last bite of lamb in his bread and set the morsel down next to him on the stone he used as a seat, wiped his greasy hands on his kerchief, and began to read aloud to Jacques and Louis.

  “Dear brothers - Jacques and Ian

  As Louis can tell you, our shipping ventures are progressing much better than we had any reason to hope. We are poised to purchase a third ship. Captain Pierre LeBeau will remain captain of the Rose Blanche, his first mate, Jeremy will captain the second, renamed the Rose Rouge, and Louis, who sailed with Pierre to bring you this missive is captain the third ship, which we renamed, Rose Gris. Louis is having the time of his life at sea with Pierre. Louis is so capable at everything he pursues. I never knew he was a sailor for a couple of years in his youth. Personally, I think he was probably a pirate, but he would never admit it, and I would never ask.”

  Ian looked at Louis. The smirk on Louis’ face indicated Rosemarie’s intuition might be correct.

  Rather than pursue a potential embarrassing line of questioning, Ian continued to read the letter.

  “Mother and father are doing fine; they look after each other. Mother rations his wine, one bottle per day, however he wants it, spread out over the day and evening, or all at one sitting. No more than one bottle per day, and no carryover. It’s for his own good.

  We are considering hiring a live in, or at least part time, nurse to check on them as often as needed. Daily if necessary. Mother also has health issues that worsen with time. Father worries about her and fusses over her constantly. With Louis becoming a sea captain, he is sorely missed at home. He is the only one who can talk sense to father. You two will have to assist me with a workable solution when you arrive.

  All that news aside, what I really wanted to tell you is:

  BRACE YOURSELVES!

  Captain Pierre LeBeau has proposed to me and I have accepted.”

  Ian paused and looked at Louis and Jacques. Louis grinned having known of the engagement all along. Ian reached out and hugged Jacques and Louis. “I’m so happy for the both of them!” he shouted.

  The three men pounded each other on the back.

  Ian released his two friends.

  “Well, I’ll be damned!” shouted Jacques. “That sly old devil, who would’ve thought he would ever propose to my sister.”

  “There’s more,” said Ian.

  “The only hitch in sealing the deal is, I insist Jacques be here as Pierre’s best man, and Ian be here to sit with mother and father on the front row of the bride’s side of the chapel. Louis has been instructed to bring you both to me as soon as possible, as prisoners if necessary. By the time you read this letter, Pierre will have his passengers and cargo ready to sail from Acre back to Marseille.

  Pierre and I have a small flotilla of ships to manage and we want to have a brief honeymoon in Marseille in July. So make haste.

  Your Loving Sister, Rosemarie”

  “She leaves us no choice. I guess we should pack and prepare to go,” said Jacques.

  “Louis will leave us no choice either. I think he already has plans to try out several maritime knots on us if we drag our feet,” added Ian, as though Louis was not standing right in front of him.

  “Like you said, I have my orders from the highest authority and will carry them out,” Louis replied and punched them both hard on the arms.

  Ian and Jacques brought Serena and Desiree to the marketplace during the noon hour.

  “What is so urgent you had to meet with us right away?” asked Desiree.

  “I was preparing dinner for the four of us this evening. Couldn’t it have waited until then?” asked Serena.

  Anticipating the girls’ impatience with being dragged away from their activities in the middle of the day, but wanting to taunt them a little, Ian said, “We have a proposal for you.”

  “You proposed once already and strained our relationships for weeks,” Serena chided.

  “We know, and have apologized for our misunderstanding, but this is an exciting, and different propo . . .” started Ian, but before he could finish Jacques blurted out, “We want you to travel to France with us . . . And Captain LeBeau and Louis . . .”

  Desiree, who waited for Serena to declare herself first in most situations, replied, “I would love to travel to France.”

  Serena started to comment, “But . . .” hesitated, and looked at her three best friends. She knew she would always regret it if she turned down this offer. After a few moments, which seemed like an eternity to her friends, Serena said, “I would be honored to go with you.”

  Ian and Jacques punched each other on the arms in a display of happy exuberance, and then hugged the girls they adored.

  “Our friend, Louis, wants to leave as soon as possible. When can you be ready?” Ian asked.

  “In one week,” replied Desiree. “I have to tell the Abbot and others at the hospital. . . and pack.”

  “I need two weeks,” answered Serena. “My father will take my leaving very hard. He relies on me so much. If he didn’t know you were honorable men, he would not allow me to travel with you.” She looked at Ian and Jacques and Desiree, “The three of you, and your friend Louis, must come to the shop and assure my father that we will return safely.”

  “Ian and Jacques have earned the respect of the Abbot and your father, and all the citizens of Jerusalem with their fair and even handed justice and peace keeping. Some even call Ian the Priest Knight of Jerusalem,” added Desiree. “I think they would all approve of such a journey.”

  “We have only been doing what Achmed commissioned us to do, promoting peace among the people,” added Jacques.

  “And we deserve a vacation . . . together,” said Desiree.

  Ian and Jacques were both pleasantly surprised at Desiree’s reply.

  “We still need to reassure my Father. He’s a traditionalist and will think my traveling with you is inappropriate,” Serena said.

  “Your father relies on you too much,” said Jacques, “now he can bring on that young man, Benjamin, as a full time assistant, instead of only bringing him in when you can’t keep up.”

  Ian looked at Serena’s lean toned arms, the result of years of working the bellows and pounding billets into swords. “The two of you need to get out and see the world,” Ian added. “There is so much more to see outside of Jerusalem.”

  Serena started to protest, then restrained herself.

  “The Abbot would appreciate the same assurances. After all it is not every day that such companions as us travel from Jerusalem to France,” said Desiree.

  “We will assure both your father, Serena, at supper this evening, and the Abbot tomorrow, Desiree, at the hospital. These are the appropriate things to do,” said Ian.

  “If you will give me five days, no less to prepare, I will go,” Serena said. Once her mind was set she was steadfast.

  “Desiree, can you be prepared to travel in five days’ time?”

  “I will.”

  “Excellent. We will tell Louis we leave in one week,” said Jacques.

 
The trek to Acre was uneventful. Louis griped daily about the delay and kept reminding the four that Captain Pierre LeBeau was probably chewing up the planking in his anxiousness to be underway. Ian and Jacques had their personal belongings, plus their cargo of spices and healing herbs to sell in Marseille. Desiree’s personal items filled a large chest, whereas Serena’s personal belongings filled a medium chest.

  Pierre greeted them as they made their way up the gangplank hauling their baggage. “What have we here?” he demanded when he saw Desiree and Serena.

  “These two ladies are our best friends,” replied Ian. “We invited them to your wedding. Is that alright?”

  Pierre’s initial grumpiness over their arrival, two days past his intended sailing date, diminished as he studied the girls. “Well, if these two fine young women were the cause of your delay, I understand.” Pierre kissed each of the girl’s hands in greeting. “Let’s get you on board. We’re ready to sail, and I have a wedding to attend.”

  Ian loved to show off his nautical expertise, handling the sails, tying knots, raising and lowering the anchor, packing the cargo for best advantage, navigating by the stars, and tacking the winds.

  Jacques had most of the same skills as Ian, such as navigation and working the sails, but he was more interested in improving the ship and the sails for better handling and speed, and for understanding how to get from point to point in the most efficient manner by taking advantage of optimum winds and currents rather than serving as one of the ship’s crew.

  Ian and Captain LeBeau marveled at Serena’s enthusiasm for learning all aspects of sailing, handling lines, hoisting and furling sails, navigation, and even taking care of the gear. If Ian hadn’t already been in love with her, he would have fallen for her at sea. Her already taunt and lean body became tanned to bronze and stronger than most of Pierre’s sailors. She grasped nighttime navigation by the stars so well, she could name most of the visible stars, planets, and constellations with a quick glance at the sky. She learned all the sailing knowledge and skills Ian, Jacques, Louis and Captain LeBeau could teach her until she was more skilled than either Jacques or Louis.