Chapter 10: Eagle

Peter walked up to Galvin, his face filled with sorrow and unease, "You are my armed attendant; if you serve the Roman Empire's army in place of this village, how can I return to the land of the Franks"

"They are coming, they are coming." Another villager, in a daze, pointed at the winding mountain path above. Under the swirling white frost, a group of individuals cloaked in gray-black capes, riding warhorses similarly clad in cloth armor, was hastily approaching here in small steps. The pebbles kicked up by the hooves of the horses continuously rolled down the slope, producing a rustling sound.

Half a moment later, that group of people, holding the reins of their mounts, leisurely arrived at the entrance of the village church. The leader then dismounted, stood in place, made a cross gesture towards the church with his hand, and then shouted in somewhat halting Greek, "Is there a priest? We need to worship"

In the wind, the leader waved his hand, and the falcon perched on the beam let out a long cry, obediently flying down to rest on the leader's arm, which made him laugh heartily. Then, with his other hand, he lifted the hood of his cloak, revealing the flowing deer fur on his shoulders and the gleaming armor. This man had a very fair complexion, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and hair and beard of a deep red color, with a cold and profound gaze. Then, with his other hand, he lifted the hood of his cloak, revealing the flowing deer fur on his shoulders and the gleaming armor. This man had a very fair complexion, deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and hair and beard of a deep red color, with a cold and profound gaze.

At that moment, a sharp and chilling whistle suddenly echoed, leaving everyone stunned. They turned their gazes to see a black shadow swiftly darting over the white peak atop the high ridge behind the village, like an arrow it surged into the sky above the village. It then circled twice above the heads of the crowd, gradually descending lower and landing lightly on a protruding beam of the church, folding its wings with a whoosh, resembling a warrior donning a cloak.

"Hurry up, hurry up." The Pecheneg cavalry and Peter both pulled on Gawain's arm, urging him to get on the road quickly, while a villager ran to bring Peter a little donkey.

Stephen Gawain

Take the meat out of the cellar and the well. The village elder is wise; after several villagers followed his instructions to bring out the meat, he immediately divided it. One table was set with fresh meat taken from the well, and another table held the salted meat stored in the cellar. The elder then quickly donned his wrinkled ceremonial attire and, along with all the villagers, knelt in unison before the falcon. "Hey, you all, hurry and leave! Before that troop of cavalry arrives here, make your way to Prusa as quickly as possible. Don't worry about us; the Turks won't casually kill those with scriptures. Moreover, pleasing the eagle of the Emir is tantamount to pleasing the Emir himself." One table was set with fresh meat taken from the well, and another table held the salted meat stored in the cellar. The elder then quickly donned his wrinkled ceremonial attire and, along with all the villagers, knelt in unison before the falcon. "Hey, you all, hurry and leave! Before that troop of cavalry arrives here, make your way to Prusa as quickly as possible. Don't worry about us; the Turks won't casually kill those with scriptures. Moreover, pleasing the eagle of the Emir is tantamount to pleasing the Emir himself."

However, Gao Wen's eyes were fixed on the procession of horses and people approaching in a winding manner. He then broke free from the grasp of the two individuals, brought over a ladder, and quickly climbed to the top of the church. The falcon standing on the beam turned its head and saw Gao Wen, who was so close at hand, and thought to itself, how could this person be so bold as to dare approach one as supremely noble as I? It then began to screech angrily in an attempt to intimidate him, "Get down, get down! Stand obediently with those foolish beings who also have two legs. I do not require your worship, being too close is truly presumptuous and rude."

However, a younger villager, trembling as he pointed at the proud falcon, said, "I once secretly worked for a short time at Emir Nisia's estate last year, and that tuft of white feathers on the falcon's head seems, seems to be Emir Zahas's falcon!"

The bird suddenly turned its head, its slate-gray eyes sharp and unmatched, looking down from a height at the pitiful beings standing beneath the church. Its dark feathers spread like swords and halberds, resembling a king of the skies. The domestic fowl in the village instinctively sensed the arrival of their natural enemy, clucking and squawking in a frenzy, quickly retreating into the chicken coop, no longer daring to make a sound

In the biting cold wind, Gao Wen saw an extremely beautiful and resplendent falcon. He was utterly captivated by the eyes of this most proud bird.

The tax collector Phobias mumbled and then inscribed this evidently barbaric name in a decorative signature style of Greek in the column of the register

Hearing this, Gao Wen felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. He truly could not comprehend how someone like Peter, in this day and age, could possess such fearlessness and dedication to faith. "You are getting older; why not stay in this village and help the villagers complete the icon paintings? I am a person of great fortune. Once the battle is over, I will come back to find you, and I will not go back on my word."

However, Gao Wen paid no attention to it, which made it feel suddenly desolate. Gao Wen carefully stepped on the tiles, supporting himself against the church's gable, and then shouted, "You all see clearly, the horses and cloaks of that group of people are embroidered with the shape of a cross, they should not be the Turkic cavalry who worship the Crescent Faith, we must not flee recklessly!"

We are all pilgrims heading to the holy land, we are the Normans of Taranto he introduced himself saying

What! ? '' Phobius screamed, the eagle of Zahas actually flew here, could it be that this Emil has already brought his army over? The tax collector no longer waited for anything, but rather darted into his stone house as if flying, never to come out again, seemingly packing his belongings, preparing to escape to the city of Prusa, where there are towers and walls, much safer than this impoverished countryside.

You can only save them for a year, or even less; this village will eventually be destroyed, whether by the exploitation of the emperor's tax officials, famine and plague, the plundering of the Turks, or the decay of nature, may the Lord have mercy. Peter sighed, making the sign of the cross on his chest, "Then it is settled, I can be your attendant and accompany you to the military camp, waiting for this war to end. If we are fortunate enough to survive, we will return to the land of the Franks, answering the Lord's call, armed for the pilgrimage to the holy land of our dreams, a lifelong aspiration."

Hurry, go fetch some meat to entertain the envoy of this noble with the slender feathers, it must be raised by some duke or high-ranking noble!" Phibis shouted excitedly, waving the whip in his hand, urging the villagers. He was determined not to miss any opportunity to curry favor with his superiors, surely it was some formidable general or bureaucrat coming to inspect the terrain of Prusa with an entourage, and he had to prepare for the reception.

This is unavoidable, isn't the master also demanding righteousness and public spirit? One cannot simply stand by and watch as everyone in this village is destroyed by these shameless and detestable tax collectors. To be honest, Galwen made this decision out of a certain impulse, but he felt that in the current situation, he was the only one who could save everyone, and he did not feel any regret.

Following the cavalry, they dismounted one after another, lifting their hats. Some had bare heads, some had shaved the back half of their heads, and others had their hair flowing freely. Each one bore a face full of scars, exuding an air that was half soldier and half bandit. They all wore sharp swords at their waists, and the chainmail hidden beneath their cloaks clinked as they moved