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New Stage
חיפוש בבמה

שם משתמש או מספר
סיסמתך
[ אני רוצה משתמש! ]
[ איבדתי סיסמה ): ]


מדורי במה








The wind whispered words of doom in my ears as I came closer
to shore. I could feel the suspicious looks of everyone
aboard the ship. It had now been six years since I last saw
this country. The change of temperature, the smell of pine
trees and especially the gazes of others- I had forgotten
them. As we came nearer to shore, the wind gradually ceased
blowing, as if trying to give us one last warning before we
finally arrived. Why was I so suspicious? I do not know. My
fingers were itching with expectation; I hadn't seen this
land for more than 6 years. What might have changed? If I
trust people, I guess nothing... Everything must have
remained as it was always for the last eight hundred years.
There are nobles, to control the [maybe: to own lands]
lands- and the peasants to serve them.

All these thoughts were running through my head in no
particular order, until a shout brought me back to the
present. ''Your Eminence, we have arrived. Your carriage is
waiting for you''. As the voice kept echoing, I could feel
the thrust of the anchor going down, as the ship came to a
halt.
''Merci capitaine, vous ont fait bien,'' I said smiling. The
journey had been long, kept even longer by the slow wind and
the English war ships. After more than 6 months at sea, I
was now finally at home. I placed my first foot on the paved
path, my walking stick moving first, making sure I do not
slip. I tried to guess what had changed in the last six
years. My household remained as it always was. The great
fortress up the top of the hill was still surrounded by a
pit, only one bridge allowing the entrance into it, and that
was surrounded by towers of stone, reaching high above it.
The harbor still remained small in comparison to the size of
the merchant fleet. The last convoys of ships that I just
came disembarked off were nearly enough to block all passage
home. Apart from some flowers that were missing, and the
grass that grew out of shape, everything was exactly the
same. Not surprising at all...

''La majesté, viennent avec nous,'' a man dressed in
colorful clothing driving an even more colorful carriage
said.
''Merci'', I replied, the door opened from the inside. A
face was glaring at me from the shadows. I hopped into the
carriage, holding tight to the strong hand offered to me by
the same figure in the carriage itself, which had opened the
door.
''Alferon, it has been a long time, since our last
meeting'', he spoke excellent English, good and without an
accent.
''Excuse me?'' I replied, my English was quite good. So were
my Spanish, German, Russian, Italian and Arabic. A trader
must know many languages to be successful.
''Perhaps you do not recognize the voice, but the face...
The face you shall remember!'' the figure drew up the
curtains. Light came in. And then I saw his face, a scarred
and burnt visage. Much had happened to the face of this
man.
''John? John Stonebrick?'' I could not believe it. He was my
henchmen, my right hand. Something had obviously happened to
him while I was away, but his deep blue eyes. I would
remember them anywhere.
''Yes, it has been a long time. So much has changed, so much
is changing. You do not even know, the world is not a safe
place anymore. It would be better for you never to have
returned my old friend.''
Changed? Everything? What had happened to this man? Did
insanity take over him at last? Everything remained just as
it was. Nothing had changed! Only the growth of the grass
and the shape of the flowers. And that changed only a bit
too.
''Alferon'' he said, he was the only one to call me my name
since I had arrived. Not ''His Eminence'' or any other title
of nobility.
''There is nothing I can say to make you even think of what
terrible things are going on. You can't even imagine what
has happened to the country; France is no longer a safe
place, not at all...'' The carriage stopped. We were now on
top of the wooden bridge that connected the Fortress to the
rest of the land I owned.
''What are you talking about John?'' I couldn't keep on from
laughing. Insanity had attacked this poor man. The door was
once again opened, this time from the outside. I took my
walking stick and started making my way down the carriage.
''John, my friend, I am going to take a milk bath, I advise
you do so yourself'' I didn't bother closing the door.
That's what servants are for.


I was standing beneath the great stone gates that were the
entrance to my fortress. The fortress was the place where
I'd stay when times were unsafe. I did not know exactly what
it was, but the conversation with John and the itchiness
that I felt since we came closer to the shores of Provenc'e
did not disappear. I knocked my stick twice at the stone
gates and a shout from the head of my private guards came in
reply.
''Open the gates! His Eminence had arrived!''.
The two great stone walls started moving, pushed by an
unknown force from the other side. At some point ,it seemed
that the gates were so big they could not open into the
small wooden bridge. But the gates fit , they fit exactly.
The sight met at me once the gates opened was unbelievable.
When I left France, this fortress was still being built. As
I gazed at this marvel of engineering I could not believe
how someone could carry these stones up the top of the
towers and keeps. After the first line of the brick wall
came another line of even bigger bricks. Keeps kept towering
from above. And after the first three lines of walls came
the fortress itself. It was more than three hundred and
fifty high, and two hundred feet wide. This was the biggest
fortress in the whole of Provence, maybe even in France. The
huge tower of stone had outposts coming off the tower. Every
fifty feet or so would be another of these outposts. I could
see men up the top of the lookouts, their guns glittering in
the sun .Their colorful red and blue uniforms declaring
their presence up the top. Once every now and then a couple
of armed horsemen would finish patrol around the fortified
castle, the head of the patrol forces gave me a quick salute
as he continued riding.  
''Sir, do you wish me to accompany you to your private
quarters?'' Asked the man who opened the door of the
carriage a few moments before.
''Yes, I would like that'', I stopped paying attention to
the endless people and armed men that kept coming in and out
of the fortress. Maybe John was right, something had changed
since I had left.

As we entered the fortress I was overwhelmed. Although my
eyes needed to adjust to the sudden darkness, I was able to
see how big this castle really was. I could recognize more
than 6 flights, and that was with my eyes half closed. To
all of these flights a stairway was connected that kept on
going, moving up, endlessly, as it seemed from down here.
Lit torches were hanging in the stairway and hallways.
Voices muttering were heard echoing in the endless space of
this castle.
''What am I going to do with such a lot of room?''  I
couldn't help asking.
''Well, Eminence, Come to think of that, most of the room is
in use'', came a reply from someone nearby.
''Excuse me?'' I didn't expect an answer from the servant;
they'd grown too rude since I came back.
''This fortress houses most of the young men of south
France. Nearly all the competent men of Provence are
employed here as soldiers. This has become one of the most
powerful strongholds in France. Perhaps you are not aware of
this, Eminence, but while you were away, your brother
Fernandez De San didn't waste time. He spent most of your
family wealth building up this fortress. This fortress
exceeded much beyond the starting engineering plans. He
resketched all the plans. Instead of building a small keep
and a set of walls, he decided to build the biggest fortress
in the whole of Europe! He built an enormous set of walls
that surround this fortress. Once this fortified area was
built he started gathering his own army. He accommodated
them here and equipped them with horses, swords and guns.
Some feared he was trying to undermine the king, some said
he was just trying to make the name ''De San'' feared
everywhere in the world. But one thing is sure, your brother
has built one of the biggest private armies in the world.
Most of the army is concentrated here. And that's why you
actually have very little room to spare here, Eminence'', he
finished the short lecture in the same manner he started it.

''What?'' I couldn't believe what I had just heard. My
brother gathering a huge army to undermine the king? My
brother spending most of the family treasury to build this
upkeep and to establish the name of our peaceful family of
traders through war? Had he completely lost his mind?
''Well, I've listened carefully to what you have to say.
Though I cannot understand one thing.. How do you, a common
peasant know so much of my brother's plans? I do not imagine
he shared them with anyone but himself.'' Fernandez was a
man of imagination and invention. He was one of the
brightest people I'd ever met, but he was very quiet. He
never gave away his thoughts.
''Eminence'' the man said again, he was very polite, though
impudent, he knew too much, even more than me about my own
family and expenses.
''I am not a mere servant as you might have sensed. I am no
servant at all actually. You see, I am the head of your body
guards, and as one I have access to most of this castle
engineering plans and moreover, I had had the privilege to
share thoughts with your brother. Now if you'll excuse me, I
must show you the way to your private quarters and get along
to my work. ''
What??? My brother hired a person so snotty, so full of
himself and put him in such a key job? How does he allow
such a man become the head of this new private army he was
gathering? To men like him, allegiance to their lords, and
honor were just words. They serve only themselves, and with
so much power that might truly backfire.
''I see, and where is my brother if I may ask?''
''Eminence, that I do not know for sure. I have last heard
that he is in the Northern parts of France, inspecting the
construction of a new fort in Arotis. He wishes to build a
similar army and fort in the north part of France. He should
be back in two weeks time, that is, if the ways aren't
blocked''
Another fortress? Another private army? Fernandez has gone
bizarre! How dare he waste the family treasury on a private
army when there is no need for one? And doing so without
even consulting me!
''What do you mean? Why should the road be blockaded?'' I
just noticed something strange in his words. Why would the
road be blockaded in the first place?
''Eminence, excuse me for my disrespect, but I must bid you
farewell, your room is  to your right.'' I didn't even
notice we were walking and talking at  the same time. I must
have  concentrated very seriously in the talk about my
brother. The way he was foolishly wasting the family's
treasury must come to and end. The wealth of the De San
family was immense, but even the uncountable chests of gold
coins had an end.
''Merci'' I whispered in return, but the head of my body
guard was no longer there.


The door of my private quarters opened from the inside, a
woman was holding the door, waiting for me to come inside. I
grew familiar with that sight of an open door waiting for to
walk through it, but yet again, as I kept on reminding
myself, what are there servants for?

I entered the room, which had carpets covering most of the
floor. Paintings of my father- Paolos De San, me and my
brother were hanging on the walls. My father's portrait was
in the middle. He was seen in the middle of a duel. His
sword plunged right into the heart of his foe. To the right
was a portrait of me. I was seen there riding a horse and
holding up the flag of France. And to the left was a very
flattering painting of my older brother, Fernandez. He was
holding a quill and paper. Drawing circles and busy in his
endless mathematical calculations.
''The bath is awaiting you m'lord, we have fresh goat milk
filling it. Would you like anything else?'' the young woman
asked me. She was the same person who opened the door.
''Non,'' I answered, my body was itching after long months
in which I hadn't seen a bath or even tasted goat milk! I
was going to do both things at the same time! I took off my
clothing and handed them over to the young maid. I took one
deep breath and entered the milk bath. As I closed my eyes
and just lay there, I could feel how the last day's stress
disappeared. A six month voyage at sea became no more than a
distant memory. And as I closed my eyes, I could feel how I
was gradually drifting into a sweet relaxing sleep...







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חוות דעת על היצירה באופן פומבי ויתכן שגם ישירות ליוצר

לשלוח את היצירה למישהו להדפיס את היצירה
היצירה לעיל הנה בדיונית וכל קשר בינה ובין
המציאות הנו מקרי בהחלט. אין צוות האתר ו/או
הנהלת האתר אחראים לנזק, אבדן, אי נוחות, עגמת
נפש וכיו''ב תוצאות, ישירות או עקיפות, שייגרמו
לך או לכל צד שלישי בשל מסרים שיפורסמו
ביצירות, שהנם באחריות היוצר בלבד.
מה ההיפך של
טרי? מה היפך של
עבש?


תרומה לבמה




בבמה מאז 17/8/06 9:19
האתר מכיל תכנים שיתכנו כבלתי הולמים או בלתי חינוכיים לאנשים מסויימים.
אין הנהלת האתר אחראית לכל נזק העלול להגרם כתוצאה מחשיפה לתכנים אלו.
אחריות זו מוטלת על יוצרי התכנים. הגיל המומלץ לגלישה באתר הינו מעל ל-18.
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